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She is gone to her rest and the best way we can honor her memory is to seek to live our lives to honor God, using her testimony as a lesser light which along with the Bible points us to the Lord and His will for our lives.

i aa nowon 2 medications- one that helps with the bipolar- Lamotrigine ( originally an anti epileptic) and now one to help with the anxiety and depression. The lamotrigine has been upped to 3 tablets a day-75mg in total- the other one is only one tablet a day. still having the downs but they arent so bad. I think the meds will be upped agaikn shortly. I have to watch for reactions such as a rash as the rash can be fatal. Thank you to those who have been praying for me and who have contributed to this thread- itis most gratefully appreciated and i can see Gods work in you all.

Actually, the Second Law says that how much something accelerates is greater the greater force acting, and less the greater the mass. So changing our perspectives - on parenting or anything else - depends on how much inertia we have, and how much force is applied...

I didn't only say 'Christian'. And the filter of 'only cultural, not committed' that is used to claim some of those killers were not Christian would also remove many of those 'Muslims' from the list: they were Muslim by faith but killed for political rather than religious reasons. You've nicely illustrated my point about bias and prejudice. Of the mass shootings in the US this year, at least two have been by rightwingers. People who are extremists of many of the views you hold, in the same way Muslim shooters are extremists of the views of mainstream Islam.

Most frequently the legal privilege in question is limited to what is sometimes referred to as the priest penitent privilege. That is basically limited to disclose made to a priest in a confessional context, where it is essentially a religious requirement of the religion of the person making the confession. Conversations of any other sort with a clergy person, such as for spiritual counseling do not count.

Neither? There are also those who may relapse and do stuff in secret. But if you asked them if they were proud of themselves and would condone it for anyone else, they'd say they know they are wrong, they desire to stop and they would recommend people don't do it.

Chapter 8 deals with her role in the development of SDA Doctrine. Chapter 13 deals with issues related to EGW and science. It is of value. This may very well be a book that many reading here will find to be of value. Also from Jon Paulien:

Merlin D. Burt, Editor. Understanding Ellen White: The life and work of the most influential voice in Adventist history. Pacific Press/Ellen G. White Estate, 2015, 253 pages. This is a book that has some 17 chapters, written by some 14 different people. It is an important book in attempting to understand the place and role the EGW should have to members living in the 21st century. Jon Paulien starts the book off with a discussion of the role that prophets played in Scripture. His section on the role of the apostle is informative. He places the role of the apostle as more important than that of the prophet. Some of his valuable comments include:

Who would you rather hire, someone who confesses he is an AA or one who hides it and drinks when he thinks he can get away with it?

In his work, the apostle Paul constantly adapted himself to the spiritual state of the people he was working with. Paul openly told the Corinthian church that he could not speak to them as spiritual people -- he had to use discretion for their sake -- and it was necessary to treat them as babies. (1Cor 3:1) In the same way, we should understand that the Gospel needs to go to the whole world [including the spiritual dogs and swine], but those people are not to be presented with open, precious, truths regarding God -- those people need to be drawn indirectly -- by actions, and by words that are not explicitly "religious". I think the principle is described well by Mrs. White : "I have beheld angels grieved as the most precious jewels of truth have been brought before men utterly incapable of appreciating the evidences in favor of the truth. Their entire being was at war with the principles of truth; their natures were at enmity with it. Their object in discussing was not that they might get hold of the evidences of the truth themselves, or that the people might have a fair understanding of our true position, but that they might confuse the understanding by placing the truth in a perverted light before the people... . "Angels weep to see the precious truth of heavenly origin cast before swine, to be seized by them and trampled with the mire and dirt. Cast not “your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” These are the words of the world's Redeemer. . "God's ministers should NOT count the opportunity of engaging in discussion a great privilege. All points of our faith are not to be borne to the front and presented before the prejudiced crowds. Jesus spoke before the Pharisees and Sadducees in parables, hiding the clearness of truth under symbols and figures, because they would make a wrong use of the truths he presented before them; but to His disciples He spoke plainly. We should learn from Christ's method of teaching, and be careful not to close the ears of the people by presenting truths which, not being fully explained, they are in no way prepared to receive." (Gospel Workers p.191-192) ______ It is possible, I would suggest, that people can be transient, and slip into "dog mode" or "swine mode" temporarily. While they are in that mode, all explicit "religion" should be carefully avoided. But this does not mean that they should not be "shown" Christ.

This is just a response to your parenthesis. I heartily agree with the OP. We need to assess every criminal as an individual. It may be the case that certain communities need greater surveillance, but each actual case should be assessed on its own merits.

The only use of force that Abraham is recorded as using was a hostage rescue. I would guess that in the culture of the day he was doing a legitimate police action. It was done in concert with people of different religions from him. In general Abraham was a very mild person. He was not spreading his religion. He practised his religion very discretely. So I would suggest that calling Abraham a warlord to compare him to Mohammed is not offering much insight. Or were you thinking something else, Bravus?

To remain silent when another we know is rapidly heading in the direction of a precipice they will be unable to recover from, speaks more of cowardice than concern. God is Love! Jesus saves!

You don't think it's fair to suspect that there might be something inherent to a religion founded by a warlord that provokes its followers to violence more frequently than can be explained by mental illness?

Gotta love a physics analogy! It's very old, so it describes very old versions of the two platforms, but Stan's comment made me think of a very short article by Umberto Eco, from 1994 (21 years ago), that compares the Mac and DOS (the Microsoft system before Windows). He claims Mac is Catholic and DOS is Protestant, which is the opposite of what Stan suggested. This is the no-quote, no-link zone so you'll have to google it yourself. In relation to the OP, I think of it in relation to parenting: it seems to me that some just reproduce what their parents did. Maybe that's Newton's First Law: an object stays stationary or continues in a straight line unless acted on by an external force. Others parent in reaction to the way they were parented: if their parents were strict they're very laissez-faire, or vice versa. That's the Third Law approach the OP talks about. Surely the best approach (and unfortunately for the beauty of the analogy, it doesn't really correspond to the Second Law!), is to consider how we were parented, continue the good bits and change the bad bits. Not simple, mindless reaction, but thoughtfulness. Applying the ideas to other contexts I leave as an exercise for the reader.

I've have two friends at work, one an atheist; the other an agnostic. The atheist states that science has proved there's no God. The agnostic is open to the idea, but needs proof of his existence. About a week ago the Pope came up (I think it was about him teaming with the US government to oppose slavery throughout the world). He knows my views on the Papacy; so I said to him, you know how you need proof of the supernatural, i.e., God? He didn't make a comment. I continued: According to Bible prophecy no one will question the supernatural because the anti-Christ will perform undeniable miracles (see 2 Thess 2:9), even bringing fire down from heaven in the sight of men (see Rev 13:13). I said there will be no denying of the supernatural. The only problem is this "god" (see 2 Thess 2:4) is not the God I speak of, but rather backed by "the god of this world". Well, he said, I'll kill myself if that happens. And I replied, why? As long as you sanction this power then you can keep your bank account (he & his wife have plenty in stocks, etc.). Only those who oppose this miracle working god will not be able to "buy or sell" (see Rev 13:17). Yes, atheists & agnostics might remain so even in foxholes, but not when the anti-Christ appears.

You say you personally believe that the ram of Daniel 8 is Islam and the two horns are sunni and shia sects. The next guy says it is something else..... so on and so forth. What is the common denominator? They all have been 100 percent wrong 100 percent of the time. This is the result of imagination imposed onto the text. It is similar to a person reading and interpreting a Nostrodamus writing-this means that in order to make something fit. This really is not prophesy but divination and sensationalism. Prophesy was about a situational crisis for the faithful at a certain time, it was to encourage them and guide them. Contained within these messages and part of the messages would be a Messianic prophesy, a prophesy of what they would endure would be worth it as it would change the world, and a time when God the curse would be lifted. There really is a small small percentage of prophesy devoted to far future events. Put your feet in the shoes of whom the Bible was written to. To rip the message and historical situation out of their hands makes the bible generally meaningless to anyone other than those living in the 21 century. This makes the bible into a book that would be more likened to a schizophrenic than a book of wisdom and guidance. schizophrenic

THE DAILY Daniel 8:11 "He [the little horn] even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down." (NKJ) Daniel 8:13 "Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, "How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?" (NKJ) ANSWER: 2300 evening/mornings. The daily sacrifices were offered morning and evening. That is WHY the translators chose to insert the word "sacrifices" - just help Westerners understand. Daniel 11:31 "And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (NKJ) So defiling the Temple is tied to taking away "the daily". Both are tied to the Temple. "The daily" is "tamiyd", # 08548. It means "the continual". The LORD commanded that the fire on the brazen alter in the courtyard should never go out. It was to burn continuously. And the morning and evening sacrifice was to be offered daily and continually, on that continual fire - symbolizing the continual covering of the atonement for Israel. Leviticus 6:8 "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 9 'Command Aaron and his sons, saying,`This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. 10 `And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers he shall put on his body, and take up the ashes of the burnt offering which the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 11 `Then he shall take off his garments, put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 12 `And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings." (NKJ) So - "all night until morning" and then again each morning. The "continual" was the continual fire on the Alter in the Courtyard. I do NOT believe that his was "paganism". Besides - Catholicism is just baptized paganism - sun worship, idols and all. It did NOT "replace" paganism. I believe these prophecies concerning "the daily" CANNOT/WILL NOT be fulfilled until the very last days. I believe the city of Jerusalem will be destroyed (probably by an Islamic bomb). A command will be issued to rebuild Jerusalem. He (the little horn) will make a covenant with the Jews for seven years, which will include the rebuilding of the Temple. Halfway thru the "week" he will break this covenant, and set himself up in the Temple. He will put an end to the sacrifices - thus taking away "the daily". These will be signs for those who understand, telling them that the last "time, times, and a part" have begun. This will inspire the 2 witnesses, who will begin their testimony. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in The Temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” The Roman Caesars claimed divine authority, but no Pope (far as I know) claimed to actually BE GOD. The only person who was allowed to sit, in the Temple court was the anointed Son of David (the King). The fact that this coming "son of perdition" "sits as God in the Temple of God" says only one thing. He is claiming to be the Son of David - the Messiah - Christ returned !! THIS is the abomination that causes desolation.

just a FWIW — not all individuals who identify as being gay are active participants in the gay lifestyle...

good relationships can go through good and bad times... and bad relationships can go through good and bad times. Perhaps I'm wrong, but in my view, the "times" should not be what defines a relationship as "good" or "bad"....

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.

A good relationship can also end by evolving into a bad relationship. Also, sometimes that "good relationship" is an illusion. Not many people ever got married because they felt like they were in a bad relationship. A divorce rate of 50% or more (inside and outside the church) confirms that people make mistakes when it comes to what is a "good" relationship. Sometimes, after many years of a good relationship, things turn sour. People put much effort into restoring the relationship; but it doesn't work. Ending that "bad" relationship is difficult because (at least in my case) feel like a failure for having failed at one of life's most important goals (happy marriage and family); and frustrated at having wasted all those years and having to start over. That being said, there are positive lessons learned in both good and bad relationships - even if that lesson is "I'll never do THAT again! Sometimes relationships just evolve without ending. Many marriages are that way. A relationship that started with so much positive energy and passion gets interrupted by the reality of kids, everyday hassles, growing old, hormones, money, etc. It's a rare couple who is still as passionately romantic at 60 as they were at 25. Any relationship in which the end result is not permanent enmity is a good ending (or at least good "evolution").

One possible meaning could be a caution that, if the beginning of a witness or a testimony that you are giving people evokes resistance and hostility, it may be prudent to "change the subject" if you don't want to be "torn to pieces". If you have to be a martyr, might as well die when and where it has a positive impact on others. We rarely see people in this country beaten or killed simply for being Christian (yet), But ask missionaries in Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, or animist society how discrete they must be when spreading the Gospel. When their message invokes hatred or violence, they leave. Some have bravely (or mistakenly) cast their pearls (truth, money, goods, etc.) before swine; and were rewarded with being killed by scoundrels or persecuted by the people they came to minister to.

Okay, if we go with your point (and it's a good one) we get: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. The above reminds me of Rev 3:20. So the subject, I believe, is the gospel. Dogs and pigs are metaphors of people who persistently reject the gospel. Here's my opinion: The Bible is telling us not to waste our time with those who are self-righteous (judging others) and reject their need of Christ and His righteousness. Don't waste your time or your money with people who aren't interested in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I get this idea from Luke 9:4-6 "Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." 6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere."

why would a *good* relationship end? (except, maybe, in death) Even friends I've not seen in 30 years are instantly my friends again when we've met in person or on FB. why would ending a *bad* relationship be hard? (unless you have an addictive personality or you've invested a lot of your self and time in him/her) ... but even at that, I can think of specific situations where a wife or husband was in iconic relief at getting a divorce..

Mental illness runs in my family. Other than my alcoholism (which is a mental disorder) I have yet to be diagnosed with any other but... that day may come. My mother is bi-polar. My roommate during college was bi-polar and schizophrenic. I do not believe mental illness is demon possession although I think historically many societies have concluded that. The brain is an organ that can get sick. When it is sick, it needs to be treated. Often times the best way to treat mental illness is a combination of talk-therapy and medication. From what I understand about demon possession, it is most common in societies and groups with occult influence. I suspect the reason we do not see a lot of it in western society is because all the major belief systems (including atheism) shun the occult. Those with mental illness may be more susceptible to demon possession. It is important to follow the doctor's advice and get a second opinion if possible. It is also important to go to some form of talk therapy. And let's not forget Bible study. Doing the daily Sabbath school lesson is a good place to start.