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The Sabbath and what to do! If we look at the 4th commandment, I like the CJBs translation: 8 "Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. 9 You have six days to labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Shabbat for ADONAI your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work -not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. 11 For in six days, ADONAI made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why ADONAI blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself. Seems pretty much all is on the table to do except work!! I know that the Jews have taken this to a new level, as far as what they perceive as work. Like don't flip the lights on, don't turn your computer on, etc., etc. If we really want to get technical, maybe putting on clothes is work as well. It seems to me that what we do on Shabbat is between ones self and God. Some would call that a copout, but I believe its not. For one person going swimming on Sabbath might be a no no, but for another it might not be. I believe its in our attitude that makes the difference. For me its, lets not make the Sabbath a burden! So we should be spending the day with him! No? And at the same time all are not at the same place with our walk with God either.

One day last fall, I was out on my deck and saw this bright yellow bird fly by with all the marking patterns of a Cardinal. I thought "that is really weird!" But when doing an internet search, there it was! (Not my photo.) http://www.kentucky.com/welcome_page/?shf=/2011/02/09/1628607_rare-yellow-cardinals-spotted.html

My mother won an award once for her penmanship. But she only wrote, she didn't do swirlies and stuff.

Since you asked about books, I especially like Desire of Ages. While it does include things about the Sabbath, I like it because it really helps me understand what Jesus is like better- compassionate patient and understanding. I think to me the Sabbath is about relationship and not mainly about rules, although there are certain things I do on Sabbath and others I only do in an emergency then.

My immediate response is How many wives did King David have? God was in the voting and decisions made at G Conference and it is easy to be prejudiced for various reasons. Even though Danny is not a favourite of mine I appreciate his dedication and guidance to the broadcasts.

Celebrated my Mom's 90th birthday yesterday.

Hacksaw Ridge, begins filming in Australia next month Take a look at the SPECIAL THANKS http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2119532/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_wr#writers just sayin'

If you have kids, or know one who likes to converse on Facebook or other social media, this is a MUST see video...

I am more or less in the same camp as Joe on what I do on Sabbath. Since my job can easily consume me during the rest of the week, I like to do things that I simply do not have time to do during the week. Relax. No need to be in a hurry. Hanging out with friends, enjoying a good meal, not feeling rushed to get something done or be on a schedule. I think faithfulness to the commandment mostly means putting aside the work I do to make a living. From there, it is about doing things that are enjoyable, that bring joy and happiness to others and to the day. Playing with the kids when they were little. Riding bike, hiking, stopping to smell the roses. I don't see a need to stress over things I shouldn't do.

I've NEVER heard anyone say only black lives matter. That's a first for me.

Several years ago, I was in the Dominican Republic. I could not figure out why Dominican men seldom wear shorts as it is so hot and humid. By the end of my time there I, unfortunately, knew why. Mosquitos! Months after my return, I still had the healing spots from my mosquito bites. The mosquitos there are very small and they are in/out before you even know they were there, unlike the Tiger mosquito I see in the eastern US. Mosquitos there carry dengue fever (bone break fever), chickungunya, and other illnesses along with West Nile Virus. My most recent trip there was as the chickungunya fever was raging. Fortunately, I had learned not to wear shorts! Lots of repellent. It was amazing, but you could not find Tylenol anywhere, so many people were sick with the illness. So if headed to the Carribean, remember regular long pants and other clothes that cover you well. So far, I have not picked up anything more than a common cold.

I have a bird feeder that I always keep with bird seed in it. I swear they cost more to keep in feed than a dog! My yellow Cardinal has been there once, so I have seen him twice. I learned about pileated woodpeckers back in the 5th grade. Never saw one until last year. Incredible birds.

Looking at your post some more, I do agree with your overall point. The first step of our salvation is not our faith, but is the work of God in Christ, first in what was done through Christ in His ilfe, death, and resurrection, and presently the work of the Holy Spirit to draw us to Christ that we may be led to repent. Our faith is but a reaction to the initiative taken by God.

I never even notice it, and I wear it all the time..

Aubrey: From the CDC:

This can't be the case. Consider, for example, the following: Here faith is contrasted with works. Paul, in the clearest language, makes clear that faith is *not* work, e.g. "to him that worketh not, but believeth".

Reply to B/W Photodude What a gorgeous, rare bird! On very, very rare occasions, I will see a Piliated Woodpecker. They are the common woodpecker's Goliath. I have found clear plastic bird feeders that attach to the outside of a window with suction cups. When I fill those, our cat thinks we have subscribed to "Feline TV" especially for him! It keeps him mesmerized for hours and hours upon more hours. The birds learn he is no threat and taunt him a bit. Every once in a while, I will hear a thump against the window and know that our cat thinks the "Feline TV" is interactive. He gets his pride hurt, but will be back to watching them again in no time!

I had a horrible experience with chiggers many years ago. I was in Missouri for the first time; and sat on the side of my in-law's farm pond to fish. It was a hot day; and I was in gym shorts. I unknowingly say in a patch of poison ivy that was infested with chiggers. So I had poison ivy blisters with chiggers in them in a very undesireable and uncomfortable place on my body. I'll never forget that, no matter how hard I try.

I'm using the FitBit. I love it! Down over 20 lbs until my foot was in a cast...

Hmmm. I say this with all sincerity, no rebuke intended. Could it possibly be that you weren't really called to do what you think you were called to do? I ask because in my own experience, some things I have become so passionate about that I was SURE God was calling me to do them. Turned out I was wrong; that I misinterpreted my passion as a sign of God's calling.

Anyone else using MyFitnessPal? My husband started using the app 100 days ago and I was late on the band wagon. But he has found a lot of success with it, so I finally joined too. So far, down about 5 pounds!

So did the devil really make you do it? It's not always the devil that causes us to step out of God's will for our life. We have a part to play in choosing the path. Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Galleries/5-Things-We-Should-Stop-Blaming-The-Devil-For.aspx#8yizZAvOSg0s2GYO.99

Christianity today seems to have lost sight of the basics of the Kingdom of YHVH. It was the LORD who showed Moses what that Kingdom was. Jesus the Messiah arrived at a time when men had a distorted picture of YHVH's Kingdom, and was killed trying to show them what it really was. Jewishness, with all of its rites and rituals, doesn't necessarily point us to the Kingdom. There is a loss to history when fanatical followers of toxic Islam destroy everything Christian, including Christians, but that broadcasts a clear message to us, one that demonstrates who their master really is, and it is certainly not Allah. The murdering fanatics may erase Christianity and Judaism for a time, but these religions will return because both seek to make this a better world, not a world of blood and death and hate.

Gotta try that, but still sounds hot to the touch. Once cooked, I shove a fork into the middle of a side, add the butter and salt, then munch using the fork as a handle.

I really don't care that the LGBT population has a flag. It can be flown, when appropriate, and in the appropriate venue. But replacing the US flag with the "rainbow" flag bothers me in two respects: 1) the rainbow flag doesn't represent the American people as a whole. It represents only a portion since it flies against the felt beliefs of many Americans. 2) the move to remove the *Confederate* flag was due to the fact that it offended a portion of the population, but not the majority, and the only time it was ever hoisted instead of the US flag was during the Civil War. Why should the rainbow flag be honored when it doesn't represent America, yet the Confederate flag be damned in the same breath? In a way, it seems that it's okay to offend Southerners, who love Dixie's flag, by prohibiting the flag to be publicly flown; yet, the rainbow flag is flown, publicly, and, moreover, replaces the US flag in places. Anyone else see the problem here? (just a note: after public outcry, the rainbow flag was removed from atop of Reno, Nevada's City Hall)

___________________from someone who believes the old testament is where the story of Jesus started. http://tinyurl.com/qenpxcd

Awesome, I love Cardinal's

No problem. A strong stand of "If you loot and we catch you this is what you can expect" goes a long way in making looting a lot less attractive.

So, did anyone expect anything different? State of emergency in St. Louis County http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/08/10/state-emergency-issued-in-st-louis-mo

Ferguson Looters are Stealing Everything From Milk to Dogs 10Aug, 2015by Cassy Fiano Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Michael Brown, and for the people of Ferguson, it was a day worth celebrating. They had themselves a grand old time, rioting and shooting and stealing everything they could get their hands on. Of course, it could be argued that they were just honoring Michael Brown’s memory, who was known to steal things and rough people up too. Besides, everyone knows that the best way to fight for social justice is by stealing things that don’t belong to you and shoot at innocent people.

My experience with Shepard's Rod have not been honourable. They are given material that convinces them the Church is evil, and and response they get correcting them is a deception, that they have to stand true, for the real Church them. They suck the spiritual joy from people, and act like parasites in the Churches. They do not contribute but use church attendance to find victims and zone in on new believers... They usually, but not always, can not defend themselves but say watch this or look at this or read this. It is more than likely why Scuba will not respond to my messages, both private and public, and why he/she has to hide under a fake name.

God did bring an end to evil peoples when their cup of iniquity was full, to preserve and protect the rest of the world. for example the flood. It was not self interested revenge or hatred of people. God is merciful and gracious even when he brings an end to evil. God is not willing that anyone should perish, and he pleads with everyone, with all flesh. And one day all evil will be brought to an end forever. Each ending of an evil group or nation was a symbol of the complete end of evil in the universe. to bring about peace throughout the entire universe.

Same day as mothers. Mother has been gone 7 years but would have been 104 yesterday. Thankful that you still have your mother.

That sounds like a lovely bible game. And looking for gold and other rocks sounds fun!!! Please keep the ideas flowing! I'm loving the posts!

We like to go the park and feed the ducks and squirrels. When my uncles were alive(they were not SDA) we would get together and play music. I should say they played, the musical gene skipped me. In the winter time, the kids and I would play board games. We also watch (gasp) Biblical movies, and we play the game (what's the difference between the movie version and the Biblical one).

I'm not asking for dos and don'ts, I was looking for creative ideas to jog my mind a bit on the subject. That's why I phrased the question the way I did so no one would come here swinging a legalistic/liberal hammer. I also realize that the Sabbath is sorta like time that you spend with a significant other (sorta, kinda.... not really. I wish people would stop using that as an example. God is a father figure to me, not a boyfriend. Too weird.). I wish people would understand that it takes a little more than knowing the day to keep Sabbath right. I'm trying to have the right spirit when it comes to keeping the 4th commandment. The Sabbath is so forgotten in our society and as a person who comes from a family that doesn't keep it at all, I often suffer from a lack of understanding on this commandment and I find myself unable to generate wholesome Sabbath activities that I can do. Also, could you please tell me which books in particular to read from? I don't know a lot of authors concerning SDA beliefs and when it comes to Ellen White in particular, she mentions the Sabbath so much that like almost 13000 results came up for every sentence she mentions the word. I was looking on one of her online libraries when I got those results. A lot of the results were just sentences that mentioned the Sabbath in some small way with no additional ideas on what one can do to keep it fun besides the vague use of the term: go out in nature. I understand the Sabbath should not be kept like it was kept when the pharisees was around, but is it too much to ask for a little tip or two in order to spice things up? Especially when no one else among your family and friends worships with you?

As someone who hasn't been keeping Sabbath forever like some SDAs, this response is always the vaguest response ever. And the funny thing is, I ALWAYS get this response on this topic. (Nothing personal, whbae.) How is someone like me supposed to be careful about not braking it if I can't even get practical ideas from others who have been keeping it far longer than I have?

John 1:1-3Living Bible (TLB) 1 1-2 Before anything else existed,[a] there was Christ,* with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. 3 He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make.

Jesus also said, "No one comes to the Father, except by Me." Islam says THAT is heresy punishable by death.

it's taken me six decades to assert my life is not going to be ruled by the standards, dictates, or opinions of others... never, ever again...