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Just like FaF gave Robert until he began his diatribe. Just because one is a former SDA doesn't mean he/she is a former Christian. Several years ago, I cam to CA with a big chip on my shoulder. Since coming here, I have realized that I am not the only one here with questions and concerns. BUT ... concerning the core SDA beliefs (soon coming of Jesus, Sabbath, state of dead), I am in complete agreement. I have noticed most people here are not near as hostile as people on anti-SDA sites. I have noticed that regardless of (what I consider to be) insignificant non-salvational issues, I share a culture of vertical relationship with God and horizontal relationship with many people here. This is my "church" during the week.

I love chestnuts! I still remember the roasted chestnuts I bought on the street by the Trevi fountain in Rome years ago. But I may have to give it up - 1) Unless you inspect each one, almost half of what you buy is rotted by mold, 2) and most importantly, removing the shell/husk is very labor intensive, and then much of the "meat" is wasted.. Do you have an easy method to remove the shell without sacrificing the contents?

Amazing. We see elk herds frequently here; but not that close and so many on the move.

Joeb was saying (I think) that there isn't anything in the church nowadays that can't be gotten outside of the church. The church has become a means for displaying "correct" behavior and ideas on the one hand, and complacent minimalizing behavior on the other. I don't think it's offered Spirit-filled fellowship and interaction for decades and decades and decades, if indeed it ever has. Yes, there's some "feel good" congregations, with all the soft fuzzies. But is that preparing anyone for the 2nd coming? Is it? Really? .... not much. The church isn't offering people, members nor nonmembers, *hope*. Oh yes, a watered down hope is offered by platitudes that all Christian churches spout from the pulpit. But people need to understand that the Hope in Christ is REAL. Hope that this present life isn't all there is. Hope that suffering will end with something great and spectacular beyond that. Hope that the futility that haunts so many people's lives isn't an end to to all ends. And it's not just the poor or sick who need the Hope. The church is not "grabbing" those with apparent prosperous and successful lives and showing them that the church has something to offer *them*.... I think God brought about the Seventh-day Adventist church as a vehicle to show the world what the early Christian church was like... how Christians were supposed to behave towards one another and towards God. But look what it's become: the church is now known for its infighting on something as ridiculous (yes, I said *ridiculous*) as to whether women should be ordained. What a colossal waste of time, money, and energy. And Satan is just absolutely delighted with the whole affair. What better way to keep the Light of Hope away from people than by placing in the minds of the church membership a counterfeit "church issue" to contend with. Yeah...Satan's just delighted. The Adventist Church has lost its way. I sometimes just want to get up on a soapbox and tell the church exactly what I think.

For the record: What happens here in CA is recorded in a record which the Administrators can access. IOW, when a post is hidden, deleted, moved to another area, etc. that event is recorded.

Rachel often does not represent Seventh-day Adventist thought in her posts, as she does not consider herself to be a SDA. But, there are times when she does represent SDA thought, at least in part. It is in this respect that Rachel has been proclaiming in several posts a partial SDA belief. Archangel: Rachael clearly states that Biblically Michael, the Archangel is Christ. That is SDA teaching and has been for years. For a statement on this, see Vol 10 of the SDABC, page 878 & 879. There many other references that would support this view. However, the SDA position goes a bit beyond what might be the common thinking that equates Michael the Archangel with being a created angel. As the above says, Christ, the archangel is: