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I tell this little goat story to show how the Law saves us from harm..... Jesus used parables to explain things plainly so the people could understand, and I was struck as I worked on my fence this morning, by how the fence was like Gods law, and I thought I would share it. I have many animals but none have given me more grief than my goats. When I first got them, they were a few weeks old and I put up a fence to keep them safe from the various panthers, bears, bobcats and other wildlife that share the woods with us. The fence was more of a marker for the goats as they soon learned to go under it and wander out in the woods were dangers lurked. They got out and indulged in all their little goat desires and ate lantana and other things which wasnt good for them, then at night they would come home through the front gate and lay on the warm hood of my car or the top, causing me great grief. Then I lost some of them from bloating from what they ate and to wildlife, so I did everything I could to save them from the real dangers in the woods. I put a second fence around them so they were in sight of the house so I could go get them if they got out. I sank the bottom of the fence deeper and cemented it at the base, but they jumped over it. I made the fence higher, so they stood on top of stumps or logs so they could get over it. I told my wife we would have to get rid of the goats because they would not stay withing the fence, and getting out where the panthers, bobcats and other dangers in the woods took their toll, so she said to let her try. She went and sat with them and gave them alfalfa hay to clear out their tummys of the bad stuff they had picked up. She talked to them and rubbed their bellies when they were sick and gave them charcoal for the bloating. Soon the goats stopped jumping the fence and waited for my wife in their pen, and let her hold them and clean their fur or between their horns as that is the one place they cant reach. Now they listen for her voice and come running when she calls and sit with her and listen to her little goat stories she tells them. Something happened that changed the goats, I couldnt put my finger on it but on one thing I was clear, the fence didnt save them from the dangers. Did it help, yes as far as it delineated the cleared land of the farm and their little goat pen where it was safe. But somehow the goats changed in their little goat desires and behavior and they no longer wanted to jump the fence and leave the farm, but instead to stay within the safety of the fence and share their happiness with someone who loves them......

Times have changed. Years ago, a young woman gave birth out of wedlock. A group of people from church visited her. They asked her to publicly confess to the congregation and apologize. She agreed, as long as other people who were having illicit affairs did the same. She gave some names. The "concerned" brethren and sisters packed it up and retreated. Another case, different church, a young woman was having an affair. She went to the pastor in contrition. He required her to publicly apologize to the congregation, which she did. Sometime later, the same pastor was caught in an adulterous relationship. An apology couldn't save his job. Can't recall if she was pregnant or not. My recollection is that she was not.

Forgiveness does not require that one escape the penally of their actions. But, sometimes it may require such. I will tell you such a true story in which I was involved. There will be parts of it that you do not understand and I am protecting the privacy of the involved people. But, the story remains true regardless of such. A young, single woman, in the process of committing a crime became pregnant;. No, was was not a prostitute. If she had had an abortion, she likely would not have suffered any consequences. However, she gave birth to the child. The result caused her to be charged with the consequent penalty of being fired from her position. Her Supervisor was a devout Christian. She informed management that she would refuse to testify, and without her testimony the woman could not be convicted.. She simply said that she was willing to be fired herself. She did not believe in abortion and she was wiling to place her job on the line in order to protect a woman who had nor taken the easy way out which was an abortion. A Federal hearing was held before r a Federal Attorney acting as a Judge and with a A Prosecutor. I defended the woman who had been charged. I argued that there was a total lack of evidence of the charged crime, and she cold not be convicted. The Judge agreed and ruled her Not Guilty. Folioing that ruling I had a very specific talk with my client and her Supervisor in which I informed my client of t he debt she owed the woman who had placed her job on the line in standing up for my client. I believe that the result of the trial was what God wanted.

There is no "slipping away" from stealing, which is what you described. Forgiving them is a totally separate issue from their paying back what they took. You have a responsibility to protect other people from thieves, people that you don't even know.

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us". That being said it doesn't remove the penalty for the trespass. One can be forgiven and still have to pay the price for their sins. I'm certain God forgave Moses for what he did at the rock, but Moses still paid the price for what he did. If a family member stole money from their parents, yes, forgiveness is possible, but that forgiveness doesn't remove the penalty that needs to be paid in all cases.

Her donation funded the critical early stages of development of the Moderna vaccine.[270] In March 2021, Parton was vaccinated against COVID-19 at Vanderbilt University. She labeled social media accounts of the occasion "Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine."[271] Parton strongly encouraged everyone to get vaccinated when eligible and performed a song celebrating her vaccination, set to the tune of her song "Jolene".[272][273][274]

In my personal opinion, i believe that one goal of Kinship was to provide spiritual care to a group of people who were not thought to be getting it in Adventism, without asking them to change their sexuality.

Facebook posts don't work for me.

Norway is my heritage. I've seen him once when he left a church service and went to his car, and three or four times as he stood on the palace balcony for the 17th of May Children's parade. When my Grandma was a child she marched in that parade for his Grandfather King Haakon. And of course I grew up knowing about his Father King Olav. My heart breaks as he falls to sleep. My prayers to his family, his son King Haakon VIII, and to our country. While many royal families are full of scandal, this family has tended to be devote believers. I hope this continues.

When the state decides to medicalize suicide, it rarely stops at permitting the act. The post The Sisters Are Fighting for Life in Court. Where Are the Rest of the Pulpits? appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Oh my. It destroyed many of the Adventist churches and left others in shambles. I have had to leave or exit from several churches where the drums and music were louder than a Led Zeppelin concert to say nothing of the grinding and shaking of the saints and gyrations of the performers. I went to a mens meeting in Camp Kulagua in Florida, and my guys and I had to spend the majority of it, out on the parking lot as we just couldnt take the smoke on the stage and jamming going on to say nothing of lack of spirituality or reverence. Call me a hater or whatever, but that was bad at all levels.

A lot of the issues which lead to conflict are more about culture than about race.

In the Midwest of USA there are mixed churches and solid black churches. I have been to both. The worship service in the solid black churches is very different. A different culture. The clock has little purpose there. One service I was at, I left at 1 pm and there were not close to done. The preaching seems more personal in those churches. Walter Person is one on my favorites. He could articulate the human character so well. CD brooks was good too. But P. Pearson could drive the point home. Praise God we still have their sermons on YouTube.

It's a great story. I will use it in a sermon.

She certainly had a huge impact on America. Possibly the person with the greatest impact in my lifetime. Here is some things many don't know. -------------------------- ....Still, Steinem’s upbringing was colored by her mother’s financial anxieties and her mother consequently suffered a nervous breakdown. Steinem’s parents then divorced when she was 10 and her father moved to California, leaving young Steinem and her sister, Susanne, to take care of their troubled mother.... Before Gloria Steinem was the face of second-wave feminism, she was an anti-communist operative for the CIA and went undercover with Playboy to expose their misogynistic practices. Gloria Steinem is a journalist and activist who rose to prominence as the stylish frontwoman of the women’s liberation movement in 1970s America..... https://allthatsinteresting.com/gloria-steinem ---------------------------- Some have questioned when she stopped working with the CIA She certainly was not a christian.

We've seen or even heard of some that have committed the crime of killing someone and the family forgave that person. But that person still needs to pay the penalty of his crime!! As far as forgetting, some might, but some wont or just forget as time passes bye! The forgiving is for all not just for the doer of the crime but for the one that the crime was committed against!!

So,, now the question becmes: What shouold a Christian ckongregation do when a single women in the congration g ives birth? [Note: In my professional experience, I have come to believe that such often hapens due to "lDate Rape."] Recenty he senior pastor of the SDA lcongregation that I attend, brought two young, single women to the front. He introduced them as having recently given birth. He called upon the congreation to support them in theier decision to raise the children. I fully agree with his call for support without judgment.

The easiest way to understand the law is not by memorizing dense statutory codes, but by watching what happens when two reasonable, everyday rights collide in the real world. The post Aprons, Pins, and Precedent: How a Starbucks Coffee Bar Case Explains Everyday Labor Law appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

In this episode Big James asked about a prophecy found in Zechariah. He quotes Zechariah 14:16 which predicts that someday Israel's enemies, like the Assyrians and Romans, will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with them. He wonders how that would be possible. Jesus answers that something would have to change. Adventists view the Feast of Tabernacles as a type, which was a shadow of an antitype. The antitype in this case is the final judgement of the world. People from all nations will be among the saved. The writers of The Chosen were correct about something that has to change. Our hearts must change and that is as big of a miracle, if not bigger, than healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. People that were enemies will be gathered together and taken to heaven. Can you think of any enemies in your life? Perhaps a divorced spouse? A boss that fired you? An employee that stole from you? A gossip at church that lied about you? Can you imagine apologizing to them for things you did wrong even if they did were worse? That is the kind of miracle this prophecy is predicting. Former enemies will be reconciled.

"Christians" or other religions, including civil libertarians, often cry about government incursions into their spaces. We should hear more about their incursions into government spaces. If anti-vaxxers refuse to self isolate, let them suffer for their faith, e.g. confinement in a concentration camp like environment. AIDS is a good example of the negative impact civil/religious liberty can have on public health. A group of officials in San Francisco, which included Dianne Feinstein and Anthony Fauci [if I remember correctly] visited the bathhouses. They warned the gay community of the dangers presented by their homoeroticism in the bathhouse environment. Of course they were ignored. A generation of homosexuals was consequently decimated. Had the somewhat draconian measures required to stem HIV transmission in an uncooperative community been forcibly implemented by civil authorities, some very nice, talented people might still be alive.

Dolly Parton may have sung about working “9 to 5,” but the country queen clocked a six-decade shift that leaves behind a massive $450 million empire. Her meticulously crafted estate plan is set to determine who gets the keys to the kingdom — and what happens to the fortune she spent a lifetime building. The music legend’s assets include a 3,000-song catalog estimated at $120 million, an estimated $165 million stake in Dollywood, a sprawling Tennessee property valued at roughly $10 million and, potentially, decades’ worth of personal possessions, including her famously extensive wardrobe and memorabilia. How that fortune will be divided, and who ultimately controls the pieces of Parton’s empire, could remain private for some time. --------------------------------- Seems like a lot of money for a christian singer. I wonder if she left any of it to a church?

Vaccines are not foolproof, especially in the roll out stage. People have different responses. Effective HIV meds took ~ 15 years to be developed. Covid vaccine about 1 year. No HIV vaccine exists as yet, decades after HIV became a problem in the States. My wife and I were both Covid vaxed. She got a mild case, rested a couple of days and was fine. Even though we lived together, I didn't get Covid. Not sure how she got it. Some people, even though exposed to Hepatitis B fight it off and remain essentially immune to it. Others get it, have their liver destroyed and require a transplant. As I said before, anti vaxxers, if they keep to themselves, in effective isolation, are not a problem. If they want to be part of society, get vaccinated, for the sake of others. This is not a moral issue. It's really not even a matter of conscience. A person who owned an animal that was known to be dangerous would be put to death if the animal killed someone. How much moreso anti-vaxxers who infect others.

Another somewhat preposterous story was perpetuated by Benjamin Wilkinson, author of two books that caused some confusion. One was "The Authorized Version Vindicated." The other was "Truth Triumphant." One of the two claimed that there was a Jesuit teaching at Union College. He was discovered and just disappeared. His identity would not be hard to discover. Simply check school records for a teacher who suddenly disappeared. Cliff Goldstein offered a reward for any proof that a Jesuit was connected to the denomination in an official capacity, such as college teacher. Surely someone at Union college could have used the money. Truth stranger than fiction can be discovered by reading the volumes Gill Ford has published on her husband's career. Tales of inappropriate conduct followed by blackmail in order to secure the sacking of Dr. Ford, threats of lawsuits, highly unethical behavior, cowardice, subterfuge, and so forth abound. Apparently Neal Wilson's conscience pricked him. He sought reconciliation with Dr. Ford in hope of bringing him back into the fold. When that failed, Pastor Wilson went to great lengths to have Dr. Ford disfellowshipped, which the PUC church refused to do. It is also a great narrative of SDA modern history in Australia, denominational politics, cover ups and, unfortunately, spite and infighting among the Adventist academy. Included in these comprehensive volumes are accounts of committees, including the names of participants, that studied various issues, especially D&R. These committees usually conclude that the IJ doctrine is not in the Bible. Some accept it based on the authority of EGW, others simply remain silent. Dr. Ford was dismissed because his views contradicted SDA tradition, not the Bible. A lot of people think Dr. Ford was on trial at Glacier View. It was actually his numerous sympathizers who were too scared to stand and be counted. They were the ones on trial. Only Jack Provonsha publicly stood up at GV, a physician who didn't require a denominational paycheck with benefits, including retirement, eyeglasses and dental. A typical plan might also include accidental death, dismemberment, and long-term disability insurance. Then there is the education benefit for children. A comfy job for those who can get it, as long as you keep your mouth shut regarding inconveniient truth.

In response to those who have stated that they do not know of any person who had died from a herbal medicine. Death can be complicated and the result of several factors. Kratom is a herbal item, very available in many parts of the world. It is highly addictive, and dangerous. Medical intervention may be required to cease use. It was a major factor in the 2024 death of my second son, David.

A coalition of parents from diverse faith traditions is asking the justices to overturn a contentious ruling that declared a decades-old church-state precedent defunct. The post ACLU Appeals Texas Ten Commandments Law to Supreme Court appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Spectrum first issue was in winter 1969 AToday first issue was May-June 1993 Whatever these "magazines" were intended to be, both have embraced the homosexual agenda, as advocated by Kinship or other gay advocates. Kinship has become a militant force in Adventism, promoting, among other things, using the Pathfinders to introduce alphabet sexual expression to young people. Spectrum recommends people learn how to relate to homosexuals by consulting GLAAD. GLAAD is a homosexual advocacy organization "GLAAD – the world’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization – increases media accountability and community engagement that ensures authentic LGBTQ stories are seen, heard, and actualized." About GLAAD | GLAAD I hope the Adventist brethren in Africa will recognize Kinship is actively promoting homosexuality through the SDA church. The gay community has historically distanced itself from pedophilia; nevertheless, Kinship wants to introduce it to young people at Pathfinder gatherings. A report by the John Jay College of Law, released in 2004, concluded that Roman Catholic sexual abuse was greater than 80% man on boy. Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Clergy - PMC Whatever the denominations official position on homosexuality+ might be, as long as SDA institutions and members practice and promote it, the official position is irrelevant.

🏜️ Parting shot: Into the maze Photo: Bill Pearson Reader Bill Pearson of Philadelphia captured this view along White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park in Utah last year. It's his favorite for its surreal landscape and maze of canyons.

In another posst in anoher section, I predict who will lbe elected in the Paclifilc Union Conference election, beforel it happens. GM

I am interjecting a comment just in case there is a lack of understanding what has been a common SDA position. SDAs have often thought that the term Michael the Archangel referred to Christ as God in heaven as being in charge of the created angels. It was not a statement that Christ was a created angel.

We are witnessing the frantic, monumental construction of an industrial engine designed to automate the planet. The post The Monument of Silicon: Entering the Age of the Terafab appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Yes God can not sin. Yes, humanity can sin. Yes, Jesus was fully God. Yes, Jesus was fully human. Seventh-day Adventists have never agreed on what it meant for Jesus to be fully human. They have always disagreed as to what it meant for Jesus to be both God and human. .

A Korean bathhouse in Washington State, facing state enforcement over its biology-based entrance policy, is asking the nation’s highest court to protect its religious freedom and the bodily privacy of women. The post A Small Spa, a State Mandate, and a Constitutional Test for the Supreme Court appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

109 years old. Wow. 9 children. Amazing. Great video.

Christ had to do as we must do or there was no point in His coming. Here is more on this .. Christ's perfect humanity is the same that man may have through connection with Christ. As God, Christ could not be tempted any more than He was not tempted from His allegiance in heaven. But as Christ humbled Himself to the nature of man, He could be tempted. He had not taken on Him even the nature of the angels, but humanity, perfectly identical with our own nature, except without the taint of sin. A human body, a human mind, with all the peculiar properties, He was bone, brain, and muscle. A man of our flesh, He was compassed with the weakness of humanity. The circumstances of His life were of that character that He was exposed to all the inconveniences that belong to men, not in wealth, not in ease, but in poverty and want and humiliation. He breathed the very air man must breathe. He trod our earth as man. He had reason, conscience, memory, will, and affections of the human soul which was united with His divine nature. Our Lord was tempted as man is tempted. He was capable of yielding to temptations, as are human beings. His finite nature was pure and spotless, but the divine nature that led Him to say to Philip, "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father" also, was not humanized; neither was humanity deified by the blending or union of the two natures; each retained its essential character and properties. But here we must not become in our ideas common and earthly, and in our perverted ideas we must not think that the liability of Christ to yield to Satan's temptations degraded His humanity and He possessed the same sinful, corrupt propensities as man. The divine nature, combined with the human, made Him capable of yielding to Satan's temptations. Here the test to Christ was far greater than that of Adam and Eve, for Christ took our nature, fallen but not corrupted, and would not be corrupted unless He received the words of Satan in the place of the words of God. To suppose He was not capable of yielding to temptation places Him where He cannot be a perfect example for man, and the force and the power of this part of Christ's humiliation, which is the most eventful, is no instruction or help to human beings. But the facts of this history are not fable, but a living, acting, experience. [To deny this] would rob Jesus of His greatest glory--allegiance to God--which enshrouded Him as a garment in this world on the field of battle with the relentless foe, and He is not reckoned with the transgressor. He descended in His humiliation to be tempted as man would be tempted, and His nature was that of man, capable of yielding to temptation. His very purity and holiness were assailed by a fallen foe, the very one that became corrupted and then was ejected from heaven. How deeply and keenly must Christ have felt this humiliation."

I have come across much on this and add to my notes and even from Ministry Magazine which is good. Ministry Magazine | Is Jesus Jehovah God? Now here is something interesting that a Jewish brother gave on Jesus is Jehovah the YHWH of the Old Testament, so would need to be confirmed. He quoted scripture then gave the following.. John 17:17 (KJV) 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. No matter how you slice it, you either abide by the truth or... If I may... The interpretation of the Jews "thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain" included not mispronouncing his name. So they forbade pronouncing his name and instead spoke the word "adonai" (lord) whenever they came across the name YHVH in the scriptures. When vowel points were later introduced to the Hebrew scriptures (usually above or below the consonants) and with YHVH they wrote the vowels for adonai to remind the reader to say adonai. This produced the hybrid name Jehovah by later interpreters who did not know this about the Jewish substitution of adonai for YHVH and the vowel point indicators. Y later became J in re-translation from Hebrew to Greek to Latin and Germanic to modern English. YHVH plus the vowels for adonai became YaHoVaH / Jehovah. Some claim the high priests preserved the pronunciation of the name YHVH down through the ages, but most realize the exact pronunciation was lost over time from the paranoia of mispronouncing it.,,,,

Hobie: The answers to your questions are more complex than the "either or" that you seem to suggest. * Ellen white clearly denied that God had dictated her written material, and she stated that her writings were in her chosen words and manner of expression. Surely, I do not have to give you a citation for that. * Her writings were often specific to an individual and not intended to apply to everyone. She told one woman that she looked good in a red dress and should have such in her closet. It would be foolish to say that such would apply to every woman. In other cases, she gave opposite advice to different people. The bottom line is that after the death of Ellen White, human SDA leaders began to elevate the authority of her writings above what she would have agreed with when she was alive. In many ways EGW was a gift from God to this developing denomination. We would not be what we are today in publishing, medical care, missions and education if it had not been for the guidance that she gave us. But, she was not given to us to determine our theology. She was not given to us to establish our doctrinal understandings. She was not given to us to establish what the Bile taught. In her personal life, over a period of years, she changed her understandings of the Biblical teachings in a number of areas. In short, she was an imperfect human.