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Unfortunately, I have had a number of colleagues who have been fired for adultery. Some IMHO some should never lead a congregation again and some with the right therapy and appropriate period outside ministry should be allowed to return. Circumstances are different and people are different. In the past, some conferences have had some disastrous responses to pastoral iindescretion but our administrators have leaned a lot. These are tough tough situations to deal with. I've had to sit on committees dealing with these kind of things and it is heart wrenching.

I was raised a "good" catholic boy - said my rosary weekly, was an altar boy and a reader, even seriously considered the priesthood. The I discovered girls ... then I became a new-age hippie and participated in all the associated activities. Then I discovered Jesus - for a while. Then it was back to being a hippie - drugs, sex, and rock 'n roll. I always kept priorities straight - I graduated with honors from one of the best engineering schools in the country; but I didn't give up my bohemian lifestyle. That lifestyle destroyed my first marriage. I found myself in an SDA church choir and praise band. As time went on, I became a "Taliban Adventist" - super legalistic and judgmental. I remarried a wonderful woman whom I allowed to "fix" me. We had 5 children from previous marriages and two of our own. Although it seemed really chaotic at the time, I look back; and wouldn't trade those days for anything. Over the years, I have mellowed; and become a "generic" SDA and a closet charismatic. I have learned that my moral code is not the moral code for everyone - that God has an agenda for me that is different than it is for everyone else - because I struggle with different things. I have learned to never tell others they are wrong - some of the things that I considered "permissible" 10 years ago are no longer permissible - and vice-versa. I have learned that the most disagreeable thing that I should tell someone is that I don't believe as they do rather than that they are wrong and I am right. I have learned through CA that people have different issues and different ideas; and that as a group, SDA's are the people I want to be associated with. I have learned to be my true self in front of everyone - quirky as that may be - rather than try to be whom I think people want me to be. It makes life so much easier!

good kid depressed kid college scholar After college, a "split"... Part was a dedicated, loyal, intense employee at whatever my job was, which continues to this day. The other part was my mental health horror years, which I wouldn't wish on anyone. Then my witchy phase. Then my brief "over-the-top" religious phase where I was a totally obnoxious zealot who had to tell everyone how they ought to behave as a Christian. Segueing towards the present: my current phase (and I can't see it changing) is my "Jimmy Cracked Corn, and I Don't Care" independent and happy phase, where nobody is going to walk all over me, nobody is going to hurt me, and nobody will make me be or do what I do not choose to be or do.

Trying to figure it out phase. (I don't think this one has ended. I've always been this way.) Terribly hurt phase. (picked as the one to bully at an SDA church school) Depressed and isolated phase. Looking for love phase. (in all the wrong places) Don't give a damn phase. (hated or distrusted just about everyone) Wow! - I'm loved phase. (Met Jesus.) Legalistic phase (preaching perfection) Tired phase (realized I couldn't BE perfect) Found relief phase. (turned it over to Jesus) (I'm still there.) At age 11 (seventh grade) I was terribly wounded by a bunch of kids that I really wanted to be friends with. I was trapped in an SDA small church school, because the doctor my Mom worked for, was paying my way. Dad was drinking (heavily) and sleeping with whores. Mom had a nervous breakdown and took an overdose. Ended up in hospital for awhile. Well - kids have radar for other kids who are vulnerable. They bullied me mercilessly. After that I would never be the same again. After that I shut myself off - emotionally - from others. My poor first husband finally realized that I could not love him either. I was a loner - really until I met my husband. And less than a year after I married Klaus, I met Jesus. What I have come to realize is that, when we are really wounded, we will keep trying to protect our selves from further wounding, and we will try to heal the wounds. We unconsciously "set up" circumstances that match those in which we were wounded. Then we try different ways to heal the wound. Usually the ways we try, don't help at all. They may even deepen the wound. The only real healing comes from Jesus. He is the healer. How many people do you know, who keep repeating the SAME mistakes over and over and over. They don't seem to learn anything. It's because they are trying to heal the old wounds. Unconsciously - they think that they can "do it better this time". When my eyes were finally "opened" to understand what I had been doing, it was a complete RELEASE. I could stop feeling guilty for all the stupid ways in which I had tried to protect myself, or heal myself. And I could STOP trying to heal myself. I turned it over - to Jesus.

My first question is if the tenants lease includes a dog ... do they have a deposit? I dare say the possibility of them replacing a dangerous animal with one that is well trained is highly unlikely. As the property owner your son should check with his insurance agency to determine his liability in the event of an incident.

Co Aspen - you're not the first one to get busted for using the c word for a rooster. That is so funny I darn near laughed my donkey off.

So heartbreaking and for this they should have been fired and prosecuted. So sorry for your family's suffering.

I have a problem with the idea of an unwanted pregnancy. The way I see it, a pregnancy is not the fault of the child neither should be regarded as a bad thing. It is the natural part of certain behaviour. What motivated this rant? I just viewed a comic on the subject of sexualizing young children. The end result of the story was an unplanned pregnancy which was portrayed as a problem. I wish that no pregnancy would be viewed as a problem and that every child could be truly welcomed into the world. *end of rant*

You know, Naomi and Photodude, I only asked because I was curious about who the person was who wrote the article. I didn't know that was inappropriate to ask. If you look at most any journal or magazine, even SDA ones, you will see a tag at the bottom, explaining who the author of the article is. I get tired of being the target of juvenile games. **stepping out of this thread** (I'm sure to your satisfaction.)

joeb, the problem, again, is that you acknowledge only two extremes, not a continuum. Socialised medicine is socialism, and is very successfully pursued in Australia, England and Canada. We get better overall health outcomes for half the price per person. This is not totalitarianism. I agree that God created a system of private ownership. He also created a system of checks and balances - the jubilee, prohibiting usury, gleaning privileges. We're not talking communal ownership (although extended families owned property in common with a patriarch exercising control), but private ownership. The thing is, that's exactly what I'm advocating: capitalism with checks and balances. Because you see only a binary, you can't see how some socialist mechanisms can be successfully combined with capitalism. In America, who owns the roads, and the national parks, and the military? They are collectively owned. How could they be otherwise. Would you really like to see the military privatised? Owning some things collectively as a people just works better, for all sorts of reasons. Our discussion is not about *whether* a blend of capitalism and socialism is possible - it clearly is, because it's what America has successfully been doing since it was founded. It's just about what mix we have - whether particular facets operate more effectively under public or private ownership.

Perhaps they would appreciate your assistance in helping them function in a proper manner.

I tend to think it is really all a semantical war of words. If the government would just abandon the word marriage and bureaus that formerly gave out marriage licenses would start giving out civil union licenses with all the civil rights, it could all be over. Give the word marriage to the religious world or whatever world you feel you need the blessing of. Then, for a "clergy person" to conduct a "marriage", the couple would need to present a certificate of civil union and then receive the religious blessing. Or just get the blessing for those willing and skip the license. Getting to be a real buffet of options. But I guess it is just more fun to fight about it. Some complicated problems are really not.

there are probably other good sites, but this one is pretty good... Here's a side-by-side comparison of Carly Fiorina vs Ben Carson: http://presidential-candidates.insidegov.com/compare/63-64/Carly-Fiorina-vs-Ben-Carson (the side-by-side specific issue topics are about halfway down the page)

What we see in the Supreme court decision is: Psalms 2: 1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

What I understand from "The Truth Project" is that the concept of case law developed around the same time as the theory of evolution. Before that, lawmakers in the US were expected to make a case from the Bible in support of proposed laws. Case law brought forward the notion that a system of better laws would evolve by basing decisions on the precedents established by previous court cases. Where in the US Constitution does it clearly state that the Supreme Court has authority to create case law? If case law was not yet recognized as authoritative when the Constitution was written, I suspect that the power to create case law is not written into the Constitution. Like the Presidents, the Courts have been expanding their own powers at the expense of the people and the expense of the 50 states. Naturally, the Courts will rule that this power grab or theirs is Constitutional, even though it is not. That is why the notion of the courts being able to create case law, as well as having the power to rule whether such laws are constitutional, cannot be the intention of the writers of the US Constitution. Otherwise the path to the tyranny of the Federal Courts would have been traveled much faster than it was. The framers of the Constitution realized that the power to make laws had to be separate from the courts. Of course the lawyers and courts will want us to believe that courts have always had the power to create case law. That is why the study of history is important to maintaining freedom. When we allow people to rewrite history to their own liking, we give them power to influence and deceive us.

Many seem to understand it as freedom from religion. Protecting you from hearing what you may not agree with Freedom of religion is a little different

It is very painful to look at. My granddaughter and son are passing a list around to those that want someway to help Here is a straightforward list of organizations that you can donate to to help the refugees fleeing Syria, and what exactly they help with. If anyone else has any better organizations or info I would love to see it. Something has to be done! How you can help Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis How you can help Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe - Migrants forced from a train in Hungary scuffled with helmeted riot police and some clung to railway tracks on Thursday, as politicians across Europe struggled to respond to public opinion appalled by images of a drowned three-year-old boy. WWW.DNAINDIA.COM Like Comment Share 3 people like this. Bryana Ciesielski http://m.huffpost.com/ca/entry/8084152Does this link work? Another good list of resources of what we can do. What YOU Can Do To Help Syrian Refugees Now These Canadian organizations are all extending helping... HUFFINGTONPOST.CA

Aloysius, so you have finally decided to post your photo and to tell us where you are employed.

In fact, there are a whole lot more topics that can get you in trouble in American universities. Jerry Seinfeld doesn't do universities because of fear of PC censorship. Here's a talk about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vVohGWhMWs

I was saddened to read this today Gerry, thinking of you my friend.

I cannot say how long I have waited for someone besides a professional preacher, to see the Word as a major influence in their assessment of where and why we (very broad term) are where we are. I just listened to an excerpt from a comment by Billy Graham, appearing to be in possible life threatening health circumstances, stating probably the most important words he or anyone else could ever have made. "I have preached to many people. I am still a sinner in need of a Savior." When the final chip falls, while many things will influence our usefulness in the Lord's army and the rewards we may or may not receive because of them, there is only one that will suffice to keep our names in the book of life. Did we accept the blood of Jesus as our only hope after answering His knock on our door? 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me....Revelation 3 17 For a [a]covenant is valid only when [b]men are dead, [c]for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the [d]tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And according to the [e]Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us....Hebrews 9 God is Love! Jesus saves!

Does that evangelist control the entries written into the Lamb's book of life? If what he says is true, then shouldn't we be baptizing infants rather than leaving children out of the book of life until they choose baptism? Children weren't left out of Abraham's covenant, of which we are heirs. Male descendants of Abraham received the sign of the covenant (circumcision) when they were eight days old-- before they had a choice whether to enter into covenant. I haven't found where God's covenant with Abraham guaranteed eternal salvation for anyone specific. But the patriarchs and the Israelites seemed to trust that God would take care of the afterlife.

Samie wrote to Rachel: You say that those who have believed in Jesus are the sheep in the Lord's flock. Also, little children are not yet in His flock because they cannot yet believe and they are NOT yet His sheep. So whose sheep and in whose flock are the little children in the new earth? The Father Himself described to Isaiah the conditions in the new earth with little children (see Isa 11:6-9). Rachel replies: I believe the descriptions of children are prophecies of the 8th millennium. All these children will be resurrected with "the rest of the dead". I believe they will grow up in the "new earth" after Jesus has restored it from the damage by the last plagues. IF - as you say, these children will be resurrected at the second coming, then why are they STILL CHILDREN - a thousand years later, in the earth made new? They didn't grow during the 7th millennium? Or - do you believe this vision is describing the early part of the 7th millennium, and you believe the "redeemed" will be living on this earth, rather than in Heaven, during that millennium.

I think that Eve and Adam separated themselves - from God. They hid from Him. They no longer ENJOYED His presence.

I am bursting at the seams with the censored bird that crowed in CoAspen's post. It is sooooooooooooo funny.

I understand there is a knee jerk response to filth. If you really look at sex [turns the fan on], it in of itself is pretty disgusting and primal. [hears howlings and cats fighting and crickets and birds and bees] It is exciting for the moment for many of us. You will never see me say Gay Sex is not a Sin here. But for me..... It comes down to this.... When Straight Men think of Gays ..they think of uhhh aaaall the Sex they must for sure golly whillakers be a havin. When God thinks of Gays ..He thinks of People. I think much of the debate will go away when we follow GOD. GBU! Robert! [turns the fan off] .

im really SORRY what a pain for parent church child Really upsetting! GOD BLESS YOU JOEMO

Where does Jubilee fit in this scheme? And the ban on usury?

If I followed the crowd, I would be a Catholic and use Windows..

I would say absolutely not. Even unto death does he love us.