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Actualy, most people would probably have to answer "yes" if they were being honest. Hard as I try not to, I find myself wearing masks. The mask I wear most often is one that changes all by itself - called "political correctness". I wish I would lose that mask.

Why should this be different than hiring a Baptist or a Methodist? You are not hiring an evangelist.

New Ice predictions? Predictions...as in plural? Nope. To say there is no global warning...is to ignore reality! Nothing new there!!

I have known of Christians who have been "ruined" at prayer meeting when some one "prayed" for them.

As I understand it, rejecting God's prophets is not a good idea.

In the society in which we live, statements made in a so-called prayer meeting are considered to be public statements in the same sense as if one had published then in a newspaper. Do not consider any such to be private.

Moishe’s wife Miriam loved to sing so she joined her shul’s sisterhood singing group. From time to time she would practice while she was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Whenever she would start in on a song, Moishe would head outside to the porch. Miriam, with hurt feelings, said, "What's the matter, Moishe? Don't you like my singing?" Moishe replied, "Honey, I love your singing, but I just want to make sure the neighbors know I'm not beating you."

FAITH ‘Are You Stupid?’: Gay Baker Lashes Out at His Fellow Gays and Lesbians for ‘Bullying’ Christian Bakers Who Declined to Make Same-Sex Wedding Cake Jul. 20, 2015 11:59am Billy Hallowel A gay baker and chef has come out in support of Christian bakers who have come under fire for refusing to make same-sex wedding cakes, labeling those individuals and activists who are trying to force them to do so as ”Nazis” who are using “bullying” tactic Jesse Bartholomew uploaded a two-minute video to his Facebook page earlier this month, expressing his frustration with some of his fellow gays and lesbians who have gone after bakers who decline to make cakes for gay ceremonies. The clip came just days after it was announced that Oregon bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweetcakes by Melissa, would be fined $135,000 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. “Hi guys, my name is Jesse and I bake wedding cakes for a living, and I cannot tell you how disgusted I am with my fellow gay and lesbian community — that they would stoop so low as to force someone to bake a cake for them who simply doesn’t agree with them,” Bartholomew said. “And before you can go and blame me and say that they have to — no, they don’t have to. They don’t have to bake a cake for you.” Bartholomew, who did not explicitly name the Kleins, went on to explain that wedding cakes cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, and questioned why gays and lesbians would want to pay that much money to make someone bake a cake against their will. “Are you stupid? That is your personal piece of your wedding. Your guests eat that,” he said. “That cake is involved in your photos. That cake is taken in your mouth, and you eat it in your stomach.” Bartholomew went on to accuse some of bulling — and worse. “There’s no other bakers out there?” he rhetorically asked. “It’s plain and simple: you are bullying someone, you are forcing someone, you are being a Nazi and forcing someone to bake a damn wedding cake for you when there are hundreds of other gays and lesbians that would gladly have your business. Shame on you.”

The flesh is weak. So we must not forget Matthew 28:17-19King James Version (KJV) 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Thank you, dreamweaver, for bringing those texts to my attention. I'm totally in agreement with you re: the affinity between the seal of God and His mark in the forehead. My understanding of the mark or seal of God on the forehead accepts the term as metaphorical. Both the mark of God and the mark of the beast would be spiritually included in that respect, one on the side of the Creator and the other on God's enemy, the accuser of the brethren, typifying the war started in heaven as described in the book of Revelation which continues on to this day. 7Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.....Revelation 12 17So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.....Revelation 12 God is Love! Jesus saves!

Sharing a note from my granddaughter on facebook. What a wonderful organization So as everyone is probably aware, Jace and I have been staying at the Minneapolis Children's hospital since Thursday. Because of the nature of his complications following surgery we've been welcomed into the Ronald McDonald house. For those that don't know what that is, it is an organization that helps families who have loved ones in critical or long term care in the hospital. They have games for kids, tv and computers, bedrooms to nap in or stay in, showers/laundry, and a fully stocked kitchen that we can prepare our own food with for free every day. They also serve a freshly made meal every day that is run by volunteers! It has been so helpful for us this past week and I just want to bring to everyone's attention that they could use more volunteers! Any day of the week. The hospital itself is also always looking for donations of new or gently used clothing for their little ones. I've already seen another baby here in the PICU wearing one of Jace's old outfits. smile emoticon

Amen!

Looks like our little man has finally turned the corner. As of 3:00 this morning he has ben waking up every hour ready to eat. Making up for lost time. We are all so thankful for the continued prayers

Whoever decided must have concluded that angelic protection is too costly under the surveillance of varied cultures and tempers and perception of Biblical truths.

I'm guessing that she really didn't like sauerkraut very much!

Well, you live with a diverse collection of micro-organisms and your health is partly a result of the health of your colony or your "personal micro biome". In fact, without your colony, you could very likely get sick and die (gut bacteria are heavily invoked in vitamin production and you would become deficit without your gut bacteria.) Some sources such as the links will tell you that you are more your collections of bacteria and other lifeforms than you are your self! Have a nice day! http://genomemag.com/change-your-microbiome-change-yourself/ http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/09/09/219381741/from-birth-our-microbes-become-as-personal-as-a-fingerprint

How often do people saying "how are you?" really care to know the answer - or the complaints?

This is an excerpt that I would like to challenge everyone with, taken from the Adventist Record, from Dr Barry Oliver, who has recently retired from his role as President of the South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. - www.record.net.au Becoming a Christ Focused Church, - "It is my deepest desire that we become a far more Christ-focused and biblically anchored community. I hear you say that we are already Christ-centred and who is more biblically based than us? Yes, in theory that's true. But let me ask you a few simple questions, questions that I ask myself. How much time did you and I spend studying or even reading the Bible yesterday? On the other hand, how much time did we spend watching TV or doing something else just as insignificant? How much effort did we put into endeavouring to understand the life and character of Jesus and modelling our lives after Him? On the other hand, how much effort did we put into making money? It gives me considerable grief to say it, but the typical Seventh-day Adventist today is spending far more time absorbed in secular pursuits and entertainment than in the Word of God, and we are far more focused on earning a living than letting God live through us. I don't say this to be judgemental. I say this because I love our church. And when I see the way we invest our time and the priorities around which we organise our lives, I know that God has something better for us. Something higher, something deeper. God wants to do miracles in our lives - but we have to open that door so He can. We need to be Christ focused and Biblically Anchored.

It seems "strange" that some of those societies who condemn the ordination of women declare The One Project to be a gate of perdition. That is one great reason why we need to dwell much more on Christ through Scripture than contemplating the thoughts of those sceptical independent ministries.

I think that Jesus Christ himself would have flunked the "peer review" test.

I don't believe that anyone is actually "saved" until they are stamped on their foreheads with the mark of YHVH, indicating that they are now members of his Kingdom. People today may believe that they are already "saved" and "born again", but they misinterpret the scriptures. The "born again" part comes when those who are chosen to join the Kingdom receive new bodies, not at all like their old, genetically damaged ones.

Just for those that obtain their facts from shows as Saturday Night Live........ It isn't nice to imply something you know is false. Snopes Origins: Paradoxically, one of the common features of catch phrases associated with famous figures (both real and fictional) is that those phrases are often caricatures that do not reflect statements actually made by the people with whom they're associated. For years, impersonators merely had to utter the lines "Judy, Judy, Judy" or "Come with me to the Casbah," and listeners immediately knew they were portraying actors Cary Grant and Charles Boyer, respectively, though neither man ever delivered such a line in any of his roles. Likewise, the phrase most indelibly associated with the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes, "Elementary, my dear Watson," appeared in none of the original works authored by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So it is that one of the quotes most strongly associated with former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is the exclamation "I can see Russia from my house!" even though she didn't actually utter that phrase during the campaign. The basis for the line was Governor Palin's 11 September 2008 appearance on ABC News, her first major interview after being tapped as the vice-presidential nominee. During that appearance, interviewer Charles Gibson asked her what insight she had gained from living so close to Russia, and she responded: "They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska": Two days later, on the 2008 season premiere of Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler appeared in a sketch portraying Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, during which Fey spoofed Governor Palin's remark of a few days earlier with the following exchange:FEY AS PALIN: "You know, Hillary and I don't agree on everything . . ." POEHLER AS CLINTON: (OVERLAPPING) "Anything. I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy." FEY AS PALIN: "And I can see Russia from my house." Henceforth, invocations of Sarah Palin frequently employed the line "I can see Russia from my house," rather than the words she actually spoke, "You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska." As to the question of whether one can actually see Russia from Alaska, Governor Palin was correct: such a view is possible from more than one site in that state. A Slate article on the topic noted that:In the middle of the Bering Strait are two small, sparsely populated islands: Big Diomede, which sits in Russian territory, and Little Diomede, which is part of the United States. At their closest, these two islands are a little less than two and a half miles apart, which means that, on a clear day, you can definitely see one from the other.

it begins at the house of God and then it gets wild.

I realize, looking at this again, that my comment isn't clear, when I said I don't think you have this right and you should quote something. I was speaking in regards to what you are saying about the Millerites. Regarding Ellen White's being a prophet, why would you choose such an esoteric subject as this to make such a decision? I became convinced Ellen White was a prophetess by reading "The Desire of Age". I wasn't an Adventist, and no one told me she was supposed to be a prophetess, I just read the book, and thought to myself, "This person must be a prophet".

I dunno, but I think you better quote a peer reviewed study that supports that opinion. Nice try. You really could say that about most anything people discuss in life. You are going to have to better than that. If you deleted everything on C/A except what was peer reviewed, there would not be much left. Also, not polite to use a term like "It's possible to find some idiot saying *anything*" when you are trying to diss someone's comments.

I'd like to see those analyses done by socioeconomic status rather than race: the two things are strongly correlated in the US, but the crime stats among blacks and whites of similar SES are similar. Race is a poor label for these purposes.

Rachel, SDAs do not believe that EGW had a perfect, complete, understanding of every teaching of Scripture. No human has that, to include you and I and Ellen White. Can you find some person who beleives that she had a perfect, complete understanding? Possibly. But, that is neither SDA teaching, nor should it be.

We human beings are messed up! All of us. And that means we hurt each other. Some hurt is inevitable. A "good" relationship is just one in which there is LESS hurt. Sometimes the HURT is so bad that the person becomes fearful of entering any relationship again. She shuts herself off from people - emotionally. She may grow a very hard shell. I did. The only way that we can go out and enter into friendships or love relationships, after being badly hurt, is to understand that Jesus is the healer. We must just accept that some HURT is inevitable in this old world - but Jesus can heal that hurt. When you know that Jesus can, and will, heal the hurt - then you are less fearful, and that allows you to be more open to relationships. I divorced 3 years into marriage - waaaaay back in 1974. I married again 7 years later, and I'm still married to the greatest guy ever. I still have some problems with friendship. I expect too much I think. But I'm learning. . . . .

I find that when I "witness" to someone who's heart is open, that my words just flow. I have no trouble at all remembering just the right Scripture to quote. But when I try to witness to someone who's heart is NOT open, I find that I can't remember the Scriptures, and my words do not flow. I stumble over things. THAT tells me - this person is not open. Just shut up. And I do.

The way the Adventist denomination views EGW is a stumbling block for most people who study the Scriptures. I have no problem with testing what EGW has said and if it's good, keep it but if it's not, get rid of it. Once you put a person on a pedestal it becomes very hard to get rid of the errors spoken by that person. You even begin to find people tweaking what was said by that person in order to maintain their status. Let's exalt the truth that has been tested and tried, not the person. I think once the SDA does that they will find many would return to the fold.

Wasn't it Ross Perot who gave the election to Bill Clinton by drawing off Republican votes from Bush 1? Perot was a buffoon, and so is Trump, although Trump seems to be a little more sophisticated, and probably richer, buffoon. I'd like to see Trump confronting the Ayatollah, Putin, Kim Jong il, ISIS, and Hillary Clinton. That might make a good reality show, although I never watch those kind of TV programs. If Trump is miraculously elected and the confrontations actually happen, we might expect nuclear war across the globe.

I don't know what experience others have but since I find it only necessary to give my confidences to Jesus, I can expect the best returns and He only shares with His Father and the Holy Spirit that which is important to them. God is Love! Jesus saves!

What Dr. Oliver says in the article is true not only of SDA'a but believers in general. We are entering a period of time in history where all will be cornered into making that commitment - Are we going to continue to submit to the ways of the world (especially in light of current moral, environmental, and economic decay), or are we going to recommit and dedicate ourselves to upholding the standards of Christ? We are in a time that could be a powerful catalyst for revival! I and many I have spoken to are seriously reevaluating the level of their commitment to the standards of the Kingdom.

Yes, Amen and Amen!!

This is the focus of The One Project--to make Christ the central focus of both our life and our doctrine.

I like how the writer connects Christ-centeredness with the personal conviction of each member, not only in the church in theory.

Amen! This is something I have been thinking about on a personal level. It is scary, how ingrained worldliness is in me What gives me some relief is when I pray for contentment of heart. That is the only way I get a break from impulsiveness in serving my various whims. It's a battle... And as time passes new insights come to mind. Can't rest a day without vigilance on this point.

Not just the shaking of the SDA Church; the shaking of all humanity! Many will be shaken out; but many, MANY others will be shaken in. The end times are ultimately not about the destruction of the wicked; they are about the rescue and salvation and the power given to thesaints.

Would Desmond Doss have carried a firearm to protect Ted Wilson if asked?

Nope. Can you imagine what would have happened during WWII if people had demanded the transparency of governments the way it's demanded nowadays? We'd all be speaking either German or Japanese, and eating sauerkraut and/or chop suey every day...

On our radio stations (Loud Cry Radio, Native Christian Radio, SDAradio.org and Natural Way Radio, we air a series by Coming Out Ministries. They are a coalition of Adventists who have left the alternative sexual lifestyle when they gave their hearts to Christ. One of them is a former SDA minister. They use the phrase Coming Out to signify the coming out and away from sin which they all agree was their former lifestyle. Interestingly each one of them say they were not born into the gay lifestyle but willingly chose it, and likewise chose to walk away from it when reconverted to Jesus.

I would advise people to keep well away from the King James Version Only movement. It is openly founded on Racism and the superiority complex that G-d only gave his perfect translation of the Bible in 1611 to white people. The fact is that there were various Bibles available before the 1611 KJV, the Russian Orthodox Church are believed to have had the first copies of Bibles distributed amongst their churches for public reading. Shock horror if true, Russians are actually the chosen people not King Henry's Protestants.... The 1611 KJV and the other KJV versions that come after it also have a number of documented errors in translation which each edition has tried to correct. One thing that I learned in college is that you cannot take the 1611 KJV or any of the other KJV's and use that as a basis to translate the scriptures into a language like Russian or Chinese for example. The correct way is to make the translation directly from the texts that the KJV and other Bibles are translated from,otherwise it will not make any sense at all to the reader as you cannot anglisice words into other languages and retain context. As for SDA doctrines being reliant on the KJV, I disagree, SDA theologians are happy to debate SDA theology with any leading scholars from the likes of Fuller theological seminary and anywhere else. If they needed the KJV to prove their case it would fall over very quickly. Yet my experience in college was the reverse,. my lecturer and several of our Baptist students were advocates of the soul sleep theology of the SDA's. The SDA teaching on hell not being for eternity was also viewed favourably by several students. I supect this is because of study on the original texts as opposed to simply just study of the KJV or any other version of the Scripture.

And then there are some doctrines that are biblically sound, but our "proof texts" are based on peculiarities of English grammar. For example, the doctrine of the Trinity was established as far back as the Nicean council of the 4th century, long before there was an English language. But I remember being taught the proof text of John 16:13, 14 showing that the Holy Spirit is a "he" not an "it". But in almost all European languages other than English, pronouns have gender such that inanimate objects and impersonal concepts are rendered as "he" or "she" depending on the grammatical structures. In French, for example, the noun "personne" is always feminine even when referring to a man; similarly "sa majesté" (His Majesty or Her Majesty) is always feminine even when referring to a king. Another trinitarian "proof text" is the use of the plural pronoun in Genesis 1:26. However, in French for example, one often uses the plural pronoun in formal, legal or academic writing to refer to the author, even if the paper is written by a single person and not a team. Of course modern French grammar and usage are irrelevant to ancient Hebrew grammar and usage but it is an example where one must be careful not to make too much out of grammatical peculiarities. I believe trinitarinism is sound, but I don't believe that the use of the masculine pronoun in John 16 or the plural pronoun in Genesis 1 is evidence for the doctrine.

And talking about the KJV... There are some KJV-only advocates that believe WAY differently than Seventh-Day Adventists. How does that happen? I am impressed that the Holy Spirit plays a big part (and must play a big part) in guiding a seeker.

As I understand it, the doctrines came about not by vote but by heavy study. I don't know if you have ever read the available materials of the time but the scholarship of those old books are exceptional. Try downloading the books that EGW quotes from in her work. The latest one I downloaded is 677 pages long. Those books are pretty hefty reading!

Not to mention those that translate, Lord's Day as Sunday. It is good to be aware. The KJV is not perfect, either. I don't think there is a perfect translation. But the translations are not as varied and wacky as the notes in study Bibles. I pulled the Common Man's bibles we had after having a look at the study notes. I found what I thought to be a strange over-attention to the anti-Christ and New World Order. I much prefer to focus on Jesus than monsters in Revelation...