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I don't know if you ever been a part of a 12 step group where people feel safe enough to let their hair down and get brutally honest with themselves and their group. Lotta good families out there yes. But you hear people's insides. And it doesn't always match with what is on the outside (great family life etc).. I believe many don't choose their addictions.(though they can be swapped) I heard it described one way... A lady in her Over Eaters Meeting said" at a party all the children run up to the dessert table grabbed something and ran off. Why did I stay there or close by during the entire celebration? I didn't plan to hang around the tables of food as a very small child and not play with the others..It was like it chose me!" We are all so complex. What jazzed me about this thread is the longing of the human heart to be loved and accepted and cherished. I remember when i first fell in love. At the time i ate like a pig and smoked like a train and drank like a fish. But in that basking in someones presence and love was our fill. I forgot about eating or drinking or smoking.(briefly) I believe our Church can be like that for each other. Basking in God's love together and for each other. I have caught glimpses. Thank you for your good points!

To which are we referring. plu·ton·ic plo͞oˈtänik/ adjective adjective: plutonic; adjective: Plutonic 1. Geology relating to or denoting igneous rock formed by solidification at considerable depth beneath the earth's surface. 2. relating to the underworld or the god Pluto. Translate plutonic to pla·ton·ic pləˈtänik/ adjective adjective: platonic (of love or friendship) intimate and affectionate but not sexual. "their relationship is purely platonic" God is Love!~Jesus saves!

To bring the discussion back around to the OP, I do think sometimes we get *overly* scared of 'judgement'. 'Good judgement' is a good thing, and as G@FC noted in the OP, is linked with the spiritual gift of discernment. It may have also been missed that the context was not condemnation but service and ministry. If our discernment tells us someone's faith is not authentic, seeking humbly to walk along with them and enhance their faith (and ours) is not the same thing as condemning them. Indeed, it's likely to be the opposite. It's possible to fool ourselves that we are experiencing the gift of discernment and instead by deceived by our own projections, and this ministry requires considerable humility. But I think we weaken the Body when we claim that no-one can ever have a sense of what is going on with another.

Most phonies can see themselves in the mirror. The vast majority I know are struggling and look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. We need to encourage all.

Everyone who uses a computer must keep it operational and protect it from the bad guys. On my computers I do this with a variety of paid and free programs as well as an antivirus provided by my Internet provider. The following are three programs that I have used for years and are free. They may have paid options that provide additional services but, I only use the free ones. It should be noted that the additional paid versions may conflict with an antivirus and therefore be disabled if you have a regular antivirus that you want to continue to use. Keep in mind that these tools can be downloaded from various sources. But, some will attempt to get you to download other programs which may vary in their value and you may not need some of them. 1) Malwarebytes: This is a well respected tool that is very easy to use and to update. It can be downloaded from various sources on the Internet. https://www.malwarebytes.org/ 2) Junkware Removal Tool (JRT): This tool does not have to be installed on your computer. You an run it online. I recommend that you access it from its present owner, Malwarebytes, rather than some of the other sites and you can do a clean install from its owner's site: https://am .malwarebytes.org/junkwareremovaltool/ 3) Rogue Killer: This is also easy to use. It is a bit harder to download and to update as they attempt to get you to purchase the paid version. But, the free one does a good job. http://www.adlice.com/software/roguekiller/ You may ask why I am listing three programs? If they are good, why not only list one? Because no one program does it all. All of the above and my paid programs do things that the others do not do. They each catch programs that the others do not catch. That also goes for my paid programs.

Interesting theory. However, the idea of "disconnection" causing addiction may be true for some, but definitely is not true for all. There are many adolescents who have a great family life, yet get caught up in addictions, either drugs or alcohol. Peer pressure is one of the predominant causes for starting to drink or do drugs. And the addiction that follows is what causes "disconnection" with the family and good friends. By the way, I've never seen diamorphine prescribed for someone who had a hip fracture/replacement... not ever.. (anyone else ever seen that? I'd be interested in knowing...)

after having my old Macbook get snookered by a trojan virus, I finally succumbed to purchasing the McAfee LiveSafe. It's done a great job snatching up potential issues before they could infect my computer..

Where does it say that God "created time"? It says the sun, moon, and stars were for signs in the heavens to MARK time. The Septuagint translates Proverbs 8:22, "The LORD made me the beginning of His ways, for His works". Proverbs 8 says the One who "was brought forth" (or begotten) "was the beginning". It reminds me of John 1, "In the beginning was the Word". It seems that the "begetting" of the anointed one, WAS "the beginning". Perhaps that marked the beginning of "time". Before this, there was just God the Father, and He never changed and was always the same. Verse 23 in the KJV says "I have been established (meaning "anointed") from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth." "FROM everlasting" - "FROM the beginning" - BEFORE earth was created. We use the term "everlasting" to describe God's existence BEFORE anything was created. The Son of God was "anointed" FROM the beginning. He was also "anointed" FROM everlasting. I believe the Son of God was begotten and anointed at the POINT separating eternity from "the beginning." The term "beginning" denotes the START of something. Is it not the START of the family of God - the START of the creation. God the Father beget another Being in His exact image. A copy of Himself. That being - His offspring - His Son, then became the AGENT of His Father in creating, in mediation, (He was mediator for angels BEFORE becoming mediator for mankind), and in redemption/reconciliation. Why MUST the Son ALWAYS have existed???? That would mean He was NOT God's "son" until He incarnated. And even then, who's "son" was He? The Bible says He was "the Son of the Father" - no mention of the Holy Spirit being His Father, even though He was "begotten" by the action of the Spirit.

That became my belief a number of years ago.

I never said Homosexuality is not a sin. u can look at every post i ever posted and you will not ever see me a thing For Good Reason! # I didnt choose to be gay i did choose to be a Christian but not really..It was Jesus from the beginning of my Faith till the End almost like it wasn't a choice..just being drawn

Bonnie, Okay. I see where you're coming from. Doesn't it seem something like a vicious circle if someone tries to convince you that their sin is not really a sin, so you push back with your reasons that, yessir, it *is* a sin, then they come back with a retort, then it's your turn, etc. etc etc. Is there no room to agree to disagree?

This isn't a situation where knowing we have a gay member someone is always pounding on the subject ,posting scripture to condemn him.The gay member is the one pounding on the subject with the new found wisdom of various "christian leaders" and when responded to in the negative others start calling foul.

I hate to say this, but there are many non-Bible-reading non-Christians who live more exemplary lives than many Bible-reading Christians. I think God gave us the Bible in order to help us connect with Him. It's not the book itself that's important; rather, it's the relationship we forge with Christ through reading the scriptures and other inspirational books. The Bible is an illustrated guide to life — showing us that even though we have very tangled lives, Christ is wanting to shower us with "No More Tears" detangler....

Are we to be Bible worshipers or God worshipers?

ignorant adjective lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular I am ignorant of what it means to be a gay person, I'm straight. I am ignorant of what it means to be a Black American, I am WASP. I am ignorant of what it means to me an immigrant, I was born here in the USA. I am ignorant of what it means to be perfect, I am imperfect. I can remain ignorant, with preconceived ideas or learning, or....I can listen, learn, investigate with an open mind and become more knowledgeable.

Gay, Just remember my previous post.....just ignore the ignorant and don't feel the need to respond or continue to explain your self, they are not listening.

**shrugs** Bonnie, it isn't necessary for anyone to respond to anything that Gay writes. If one is consistently following up someone else's comments with negativity, then mightn't it be better not to read the posts? It's almost as if some folks get their jollies out of reading Gay's threads, because they then can start expounding on the sinfulness of homosexual behavior (which isn't even in question). (And I'm not specifically referring to Bonnie).... 1. Homosexual sexual intimacy is not God-ordained. 2. Homosexual tendencies may or may not be genetic in a person. Sometimes it is learned; sometimes it is genetic. 3. Some homosexuals can live together and be celibate. Some find it impossible as a besetting sin. King David's besetting sin was lust. For a married woman. And he intentionally acted on that. Yet, David was called a "man after God's own heart." I suppose there are many who feel they are doing God's will to point out the miserable failings of others, but is that really God's will? To me, it seems more like being played by the Devil. And I'm not interested in going there again.

I suppose some would say that part of my identification of 'exwitch' is "glorifying past sin".... that's their prerogative, but I respectfully disagree. It can be a remarkable vehicle in sharing the story of redemption and of Christ's never-ending quest to redeem his children...

Why not say, Lying Christian? Why not say, Christian Thief? Why not Christian Bigot? Why not Christian Backstabber? Why not identify with every sin humanity commits. We're all born susceptible to them. We're all born with a genetic disposition to sin. Why pick out homosexuality and say those who have that genetic disposition to sin should identify with that sin? To what end? If we're honest with people we won't hide our pasts. But to identify ourselves with our past sins is to glorify the sin. Why not just glorify all sin instead of one? I don't get it.

I don't think Jesus "did" miracles. I think the Father "did" miracles through Jesus. Jesus stated that he only did what He saw the Father doing; and that of Himself, He did nothing. Jesus looked for what the Father was blessing and did it. We often do just the opposite - we ask the Father to bless what we are already doing. That being said, Jesus promised that Before His crucifixion, He was indeed lower than the angels.He became higher than the angels upon the Father accepting His sacrifice on our behalf (i.e., at the resurrection). Just my opinion. In John 14, Jesus said that if we believed, we would do greater things than He.

Read More Daily Jesus Scripture: Exodus 19:5,6 Starting Question: How much does God love us? How do you know? The Lord's Mountain ** Continued from yesterday ** When God began speaking to Abraham, He was different than the gods of the other cultures. He was not selfish. He did not ignore His people. And there were two really huge differences. First, God explained there were no other gods! He said He was the only one. He created all the things the other gods were given credit for. And He said He did it in a week! He alone made the stars, the sun, the fields, the rain, the clouds, the animals, the birds and much more. Second, God explained that He was going to bless the world through Abraham’s many children. The one true God was a God of blessing and promise. Then God said something that sounded just like the other gods. “Take your son and offer him as an offering to Me!” This surprised Abraham. But not from the shock it might have caused us - all the gods in the valley expected child sacrifices, to prove the seriousness of the worshiper. Abraham would not have been shocked that a god would ask such a thing. Abraham was surprised because God had promised him as many grandchildren as there are grains of sand in the desert. How would this happen if Isaac was dead? Abraham kept the request a secret, knowing how much it would hurt his wife Sarah to know she wouldn’t see Isaac again. And they headed to the mountain of God. When the third day arrived, they reached the base of the mountain. Abraham carried a few coals in a hollowed stick and a sacrificial knife. Isaac carried the wood for the altar. As they walked up the hill, Isaac asked, “Father, we have the wood, the fire and the knife. Where is the sacrifice?” Abraham, deeply committed to His God of blessing and promise, said, “God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Some scholars say Abraham believed God would bring Isaac back to life to keep His promise of many children. Others say that Abraham believed somehow a lamb would be miraculously provided. When they finished building the altar and putting the wood on it, Abraham explained to Isaac that God wanted Isaac to be the sacrifice. Isaac would have been big enough and fast enough to fight or run, but he didn’t. It was only when Isaac was bound hand and foot and Abraham had the sacrificial knife lifted high that the weeping father and son heard another cry. The cry of God, “ABRAHAM!” “Yes, Lord,” Abraham sobbed. “Don’t do this thing!” God said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. Now I know how much you love me.” Abraham lifted his eyes and saw a ram caught by it’s horns in a bush. God had provided a lamb. One ancient Rabbi, ends the story this way: As Isaac and his father walked down the Lord’s mountain, the boy asked, “Father, how long do you think that ram was waiting there?” Abraham replied, “Since the Creation of the World, my son. Since the Creation of the World.” Reflection Question: We know our God has a plan. As a Kingdom of Priests, how can we share this plan with the world? Prayer time: Before you pray together, ask: What would you like to say to Jesus today? Further Reading: Manuscript Releases 1:105, 106 -x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x GET ONE OF DAVE'S BOOKS, FREE! Support this project by clicking here and pledging a small monthly amount. View the full article

Ii don't know about spotting people and defining them by your judgement of them. this sounds like human bias and judgement and criticism. And then calling this disposition a calling of God... i just don't know. there is no person alive that does not have a fallen nature and a struggle with that nature. it is not a person here or a person there. And if we are hooked by our own thinking of what we believe is a particular need... "through our lens", it may not be the particular need or issue God is working with them on at all. We cannot depend on our lens, we do not see as God sees. someone may seem gay to us, but may not be gay, someone may seem a phoney bit may not be a phoney. A person that is lying may be mentally or emotionally disrupted in any countless number of ways, and you do not know the way God is speaking to them and lifting them to higher ground. And if they are what we perceive we are still not qualified to know what they need at the moment. But our need is at all times to walk in humility of mind towards all. We are called to not be bigots, and not see us and them, and not feel we are and they are not right with God. The truth is we are all wretched poor miserable and blind. And Jesus has been given to us and to everyone around us just the same. we are all equally in need at all times. Our salvation is not of ourselves. We are to show the same love and mercy and grace to the most responsible spiritual teacher as to the most ragged homeless desperado, because both need it. We need to stand in Christ alone and not in ourselves.