I don't think so either. I think God judges our hearts not our acts.

flutterby

*******Addendum******

I didn't include this in my testimony and I'm not quite sure why but now I am and I'm not quite sure why.

Almost two years ago my little brother shot and killed my father. My father was a very abusive (in every sordid way imagineable) alcoholic. My brother became an alcoholic as well. The shooting took place in the midst of an alcoholic rage. I was camping the night this took place. News got to me the next morning through word of mouth across 4 states. The bearer of the bad news was my unfortunate husband. When he told me a pain shot through the middle of my gut that I have never felt. It was paralyzing and agonizing all at once. I looked straight up into the sky and shouted, "PLEASE DEAR GOD HELP US!!!!" God was with me. He held me. He walked through this whole thing with me. He never left my side.

My brother has since been saved. My mother has since been saved. She and I attend church together now. Our family has become closer to God rather than further away. God is who got us through this.

No matter what happens in life God will always use it. God is awesome. He loves us so much.

flutterby

THANKYOU!!

flutterby

I was never really taught very much about God growing up but at the same time I don't remember ever living without knowing about Him. I talked to him all the time as a child. I never felt alone--I'll put it that way. I lost my faith in the 11th grade. A biology teacher whom I loved told the class that if any of us believed in all of that Bible stuff we were sadly misled. I was crushed! I was left deflated and speechless. When I got home that day I sat on my bed and cried the cry of someone who lost her best friend. It took me four years to get my faith back. I finally got baptized and joined a church. I felt like I was home again even though I had never really been there before (lol). I stopped going to church for stupid reasons and spent the next 10 years doing the best I could on my own but was really really REALLY bad at it (nice try  ). I found myself searching and searching and searching for......something. But I always felt like what I was looking for was just out of sight. I didn't know what I was searching for. I was empty. I started paying attention to different signs and messages. All of them led me back to ......ahem.......church. DUH! "Dense. Party of one. Your table is ready." LOL God is quite the gentleman. He never forced Himself on me. But He thankfully never gave up on me either.

I look back at my life and quite frequently thank God for alllllll of those things--both the good and the bad. They all led me to where I am which is where I should be.

flutterby

I would put prayer back in the public school system.

I did hear recently that some states are allowing it again. That's good news.  

flutterby

I agree with what my pastor teaches on baptism. If you were the holder of a billion dollar lottery ticket (prior to being a Christian ) and the rules on the back of that ticket said you must bring that ticket to the office within 24 hours and no later would you wait until 24 and a half hours to see how strict that office was about their rules? Well, NO! You would rush right in there the second their office opened. I refuse to do the absolute minimum or even try to see what I can get away with. What use is that? The Bible teaches water baptism. What great good is there in disputing such a simple thing?

flutterby

Has anyone ever been taught or read in the Bible that during the 3 days before Christ rose from the dead he went to hell and did battle with satan?

I remember hearing this years ago--maybe as a child. Well, the other day on a Christian radio station the speaker was saying that Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church teaches this and that it is completely non-scriptural.

I was just wondering if any of you knew about this.

Thanks in advance for any who know and respond.

Also, thanks for your posts on other subjects. I enjoy reading them.

flutterby

Beautiful!

Here is one God gave me just as I was waking up one morning. I couldn't keep up with the pencil as I tried to scribble it down on a piece of scratch paper before it was gone.


FLOWERS IN THE MUD

You can't see me
I'm in the darkness surrounded by decay and lonliness
I'm reaching and striving upward longing for warmth and light
Forces are restraining me, smothering me
My inner strength, my longing, my drive
Keep me moving toward what?
Will it be better? Will I be seen, loved, contemplated?
You don't know me but God willing you will
Within me is such giving, such glory
All I want is to make you feel seen, loved, contemplated
Can you see me now? Come closer. Don't be shy
I came just for you. I am the flower in the mud.
We're not so different, you and I
You have had to push yourself up out of the darkness
Your inner strength is as great as mine. Maybe stronger
Your true beauty has come to light after struggling against the forces
God Himself called our names and we followed his voice
Now is our time to feel His love, His warmth
Our God given beauty is both our gift and our debt
During our season on this earth we must share our wonderous beauty in hopes that we will    
        serve as a beacon to other flowers struggling to come out of the mud.


flutterby

  Hi. I'm new and dipping a toe in the water with this easy subject. I'm in Kentucky. Seems like a nice forum.

flutterby