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A year ago yesterday I was house hunting in Grants Pass, OR. A year ago today (9/11/2013), I took a short trip to Crooked River Ranch to meet Woody (having "met" him on Club Adventist first). ||: Then he took a trip down to see me in California, and then I took a trip up north again. :|| And the rest is history.

I finally was able to upload a profile shot, though it had to be far smaller than the 1024kb it said was allowed. Love the new stuff! Thank you! Much belated donation coming CA's way... LD

The suspension has been rescinded. http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/Firefighters-Suspended-for-Patriotic-Stickers-Can-Return-to-Work-Chief-274649781.html

The more I get the feel for this, the more I like it.

Things like just putting a youtube link in, the software does the rest... that caused us a lot of problems before AND YES, you can like every post you like.

On April 17th I smoked my last cigarette. So I guess its been a month. 30 years habit gone.

In January of next year Tom's original thoughts forum will have existed 5 years. A place to discuss innovative and interesting thoughts, without being cluttered with quotes. Thank you Tom for your service.

I find it interesting that there is opposition to the idea of women being ordained ministers and that they must keep silent in the church. Was not the SDA founded largely by the efforts of two women that God raised up? - Rachel Oakes Preston and Ellen G White? Both of these women were anything but silent in their churches and taught males truths from Scripture. In Rachel Oakes Preston's case it was through her that the teaching of the Sabbath became accepted by the then Millerites who were willing to listen who later became the SDA. If God can not call a woman into ministry, why did He call these two women with such dramatic results in terms of millions of people having been born again via the fruit of their ministry?

I find it rather odd that Christian world is essentially cannibalizing concepts that are visibly true, because they need to voice their "conservatism" and "fundamentalism". The latest Victoria Osteen outrage is quite puzzling to me. Her direct quote: "I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God—I mean, that's one way to look at it—we're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we're happy, So, I want you to know this morning: Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?" What fundamentalists around the net hear, when they listen to the soundbite is "Don't do things for God... do things for yourself". And they attack the above as though that's what she meant The obvious concept is quite ironic, because she essentially says: "Grow Up, and stop doing things because daddy says so. Stop eating veggies "for God", and instead understand that it's good for you, and do it for that reason... because that's what God wants you to do, because He wants you to be happy and prosperous". People turn around and cry Blasphemy! , and I find it absolutely hillarious, because to me such objection signals that they think that : 1) God has no interest in you being happy 2) Hey only wants you to do things for Him, and not because you think it's good for you 3) He wants you to brainlessly follow and give him props for anything that's good, and blame yourself for anything that's bad I find it both disturbing and sad, but in a rather ironic way. Someone says "Do good because you understand that it's good for you, and it will benefit as a result ... and that's what God ultimately desires", and people scream BLASPHEMY! God doesn't want that, because it makes God look "less important". It's just sad.

not sure. It has something to do with pressing the "reply" button vs. the "post" button

I get really tired of Bush-bashing. Any POTUS, PMOGB, PMOA, MP, CFOSDAD, CPOSDAC POCC, etc, could be set up as being listed as a person in biblical prophecy, if someone tried hard enough. (don't ask me to define the abbreviations....I probably won't remember them all)

Are you trying to start rumours about Wilson?

Imagine following several topics and seeing that you had the last word. Then they stopped.

I'd choke on my muesli...

I love this. It's great to hear about something *wonderful* that happened on 9/11 !!!

"You've got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative And latch on to the affirmative Don't mess with Mister In-Between You've got to spread joy up to the maximum Bring gloom down to the minimum..." -- lyrics from Johnny Mercer's 1940's popular song "Accentuate the Positve" I first became aware of this song when it was the theme music for the TV series "Homefront"

just trying out the photo posting tool.. this is Dashley watching my computer screen

Found the setting to change the thumbnails back to the attachment. How do you like it now? It will be faster loading when in the thumbnail mode.

I keep thinking of how hard it would be to clean between those petals. That's where beauty ruins functionality. Take off the pipe and the handle, make a birdbath out of it and sick it in the garden. LD

Hi Joe, - I concede that the scriptures you have pointed out, do give evidence of people going into a state that some may describe as a trance like state. Yet on the same reasoning, these are records of incidents that occured, unlike spiritual gifts, there is no real instruction to seek after this type of state of the body. Its probably going off on a tangent here, but I do draw some parallels between the trances described of Ellen White and those described of Edgar Cayce. When Cayce who was a born again Christian also went into these trances, he was able to speak and gave people cures for sicknesses and focused on health advice, it was some while later that he then began giving people information on their past life histories and so forth. All of which when he came out of the trance he had no recollection of. Whilst its not the same period in time, its not far apart either and I suspect that there were cultural reasons why these states were described as they were. Although I cant be sure of that either. In any case following Cayce's experience it does give me cause for concern because it does not appear scriptural. Still having said that, I was a member of a large Pentecostal church for a number of years and experienced slaying in the Spirit where people in cases could be passed out for long periods of time. I recall one case where a young lady was laid out cold at the altar and began to speak in tounges and the chap leading the meeting gave the interpretation and she was prophesying over her own life. It was explained by the visiting Pastor that this was because she was caught up in the Spiritual realm and this was being done by her own spirit as such.

Sweet!

WHAT???? I resemble that remark. Would you like to repeat that with your signature attached? God is Love! Jesus saves!

Whatever brings a person into a closer relationship with God - an "experience" with Him - will help fit a person for heaven. How do we know what kind of music God likes? Over the period of His existence (like, forever), He's had plenty of time to develop a very broad taste in music. I'll bet He's heard some doozies given up in His honor. He's probably OK with just about type of music given to Him to Him in love.

People sometimes come to Club Adventist and talk about the beliefs of others. They may ask what other groups believe. They may attempt to state the beliefs of others. How many really know what Atheists believe and why they may not be Christian? This issue may be important to people who want to interact with Atheists. For if one want to dialogue with a person about their religious beliefs, it just may be important to know what they believe. One book that may be helpful in this respect is: David Mills. ATHEIST UNIVERFSE: THE THINKING PERSON'S ANSWER TO CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISM. Ulysses press, 2006, 271 pages. A couple of comments: 1) The author rejects Christianity based upon several doctrines that he understands the Bible teaches, that SDAs do not believe the Bible teaches. 2) This is not a book that should be read by someone who cannot tolerate a challenge to their faith.

Who'd ever do that? Why I can't believe it. None of US would do that. God is Love! Jesus saves!

Big big fan of Flyleaf

I have created a summary sheet, of the membership and their locations using the latest data (2012) from the GC.

Looks good

I tend to agree with you. It runs along the same lines of "thanking God" for all His blessings (food, safe trip, good grades, etc), and blaming the devil for the bad stuff...

Oh, that urinal is too much!! ROFLOL

There are a number of members here whom I would enjoy being friends with person-to-person, even some whose beliefs are polar opposites of mine. I suppose one could be best friends with someone who doesn't believe exactly like you, as long as there is respect, some common interests, and challenges to go beyond your normal routine. I know some of my posts may not sound very friendly or accepting at times because of strong emotions, but in real life, I'm an amiable and pleasant person, though usually on the periphery of crowds. The local SDA church is mostly old ladies, with a couple of hard-nosed old men, no one I could ever share my point of view with. It seems a waste of time to go to church just to watch a DVD sermon when I get far more out of my own study time. I compile verses of interest, such as the Day of the Lord topic, then paste them into a text to speech program. I listen to Bible verses while playing spider solitaire, free cell, and regular solitaire on the computer. I don't think I could do that in any church on Sabbath. Local Sunday churches hold no interest for me, either, so I guess you're all stuck with me. But, you're all good for me because you make me think by considering your points of view, rather than me vegetating or locking myself up into my own prison of thought. Unrelated thought: How about someone starting up a syndicated radio program where the wide spectrum of CA member's views can be presented in 2-3 minute segments? I believe that there's some high-quality spiritual thinking here that might benefit listeners out there looking for something better, something to change their lives forever.

The western wall was only part of the wall. When the Romans burned down the temple gold melted and went between the stones. The solders turn over every stone in the temple itself to search for any of the gold. The prophecy it self was connected to the sun going dark, the red moon, and the falling of the stars... Usually if a god's temple was destroyed, how do you worship them? It usually means the death to the worship of that god. Now the temple of Yahweh was to be destroyed so was the worship of Yahweh to stop? No but the false gods, such as the sungod, moongod, and all the stargods were to suffer the fatal blow as they fall to the spreading of the gospel. This was fulfilled in the spread of the gospel in the days of the apostles, as well as in the late 1700s and early 1800s with the great missionary movements, and a last great spreading of the gospel at the end of time.

I do not believe men's hand were put on her for this. But have no problem being corrected on that.

I've seen the original at the James White Library at Andrews. It's real as is the other 8 or so. It's all a matter of record.

The fact remains that Ellen Whte, the prophet and co-founder of our church, accepted for several years a document showing that she was counted as an ordained minister of the gospel by the church leadership.

I wonder if that counsel to "confront" your brother two times and then leave him alone applies in some way to an internet forum? ...just wondering...

The Seventh-day Adventist Church, unlike Samie, believe the 2,300 year prophecy is in fact, years, not days. The earliest record I have found of any group who believed the little horn was Papal/Pagan Rome is from the 14th century. So this interpretation certainly did not originate with Adventists. William Miller also believed Rome was the little horn. Many have, Ellen White and our pioneers simply confirmed a belief that had been known for centuries. I don't recall our pioneers linking this doctrine to a specific man, it is linked to a system of belief, an organization. This is in harmony with the centuries old interpretation. Consider the time frame involved, it continues well beyond the age of a single man. This power, this system, continues to fulfill the prophecies of both Daniel and the Revelation as it sequencially unfolds through time. This in turn leads many falsely conclude it has a future or dual fulfillment. Neither is true. It is simply an unfolding prophecy that continues today.