| Author | Message | ||
| Heather |
Jude... Wow...you gave up EVERYTHING for your beliefs...what a total sacrifice? How painful. How horrible??? You have incredible faith I must say. And you must believe that God loves you through all this and through your past as well???? Hmmm....much goes through my mind as I sit here wondering how you could "know" to say the things you said. I believe you know without my saying a word something about me that perhaps is at the base of some of my inability to see the truth...At first this made me very angry inside at you and it felt like you reached right through the net and touched me...NOT something I would have chose to have happen... I try NOT to focus on that...wishing only to concentrate on the present. I do struggle with believing that God could love me at times, other times I KNOW HE does. I am happy for you that you have found your life Jude...what a miracle. Maryann, I will take a look at that thread you speak of when I have some more time...thank you for pointing it out... Colleen, I believe I will rest in that fact of being led by the Holy Spirit and trust it to be so. Thank you for talking to me...it has helped me. Thank you very much. | ||
| Colleentinker |
I'd like to ask for prayer for Maryann. Her surgery is immanent. Praise God that nothing touches us that doesn't come through the filter of his love. Heather, you remain in our prayers. | ||
| Wendy |
Hello Everyone, It's Wendy. I haven't been on-line for a while. There is so much going on in my life and I really need a lot of prayer. I'm not and never have been an Adventist, but my husband Tom was lead into it about three years ago. Since becoming an Adventist , he has fallen into a deep pit of sin. Tom is having an affair with a woman who left her family for him. Since I will not go to Tom's church with him, she will. Tom moved out of our home on New Years day. He has been involved with this woman for over a year. I went to his pastor about this but since I do not "keep the Sabbath" I am also in rebellion to God. (according to him.) This woman's husbamd is divorcing her and now she is pushing Tom to divorce me. They are publicly "dating" even though neither is actually divorced. They go to Sabbath Meeting together and to bible study together. The pastor has done nothing about it. I went to him again on Monday to ask him how he could allow a man that was commiting adultery, coveting another mans wife, lieing, cheating and decieving his family, to read the Scriptures and lead the congregation in prayer. Ya know what he said, HE ASKED ME WHY THOSE COMANDMENTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SABBATH and then he proceeded to tell me how I offended him in the past.(Because I told him what he was teaching my husband was false doctrine.) He did tell me that he would speak with Tom to see if what I was telling him was the truth. When I asked him if he was going to continue to let them be together in his church, he said he will not stop anyone from coming to church. Later that night my fifteen year old daughter went out for dinner with a friend and came across her Daddy with that woman in a booth all over oneanother. The waitress said she was about to suggest that they go get a room. This is all just such gross sin. I called Tom's pastor the next morning to ask him to do something about this for the sake of our chilren. His response was, I can't change Tom's heart. He didn't even bother calling or stopping by to talk with Tom. I was told that Tom was asked to stay later at his bible study tonight to talk to the pastor. I guess he finally got around to it. Please pray that .... God will open Tom's eyes to his sinful ways and that he is on his way to hell with this woman. I will have a humble and forgiving spirit, not angry, bitter or vengful Our children will be comforted by the Holy Spirit Tom will have a change of heart about his beliefs, about that woman, and about me. My mother-in-law is a new believer and she attends church with me and our children. She is so torn up over this, please ask for comfort for her too. I'm looking to the Lord and thanking you all for your prayers. Wendy | ||
| George |
Wendy, What a perfectly horable thing to have happen to you. Not only do you loose your husband to another woman, but his church condones it by not doing anything about it. And this is a church that ìUPHOLDSî the 10 commandments. It is almost funny how they think that you are not worth much because you donít keep the sabbath, yet they let him commit adultery with out saying anything, all the while knowing if you break one command you are breaking all of them. I guess they donít see that he is breaking the sabbath also. How blind can people be!!! One of the things that has done me the most good recently, is the realization I donít have to feel guilty about my emotions or the way I feel about things that happen to me. God made us with the ability to feel ALL the things we feel. If we couldnít feel pain, sorrow or anger we couldnít feel comfort, peace or joy either, we wouldnít even know what they were. It is enough that you have to deal with what is going on with out feeling you are doing wrong by the way you feel. Itís what you do with your feelings that counts. If you are angry, that just tells you that what happened in NOT O.K. with you. Now if you want to do all kinds of despicable things to them you would have cause to worry. Even then you are all right as long as you recognize it and take steps to change these feelings. BUT you donít have to feel guilty for any of this, you werenít the one that did something wrong. There is a lot more that goes into this and a lot more learning that has to be done, but I just wanted to tell you that you donít have to beat your self up for the feelings that you have. They are there to teach you. The best to youóGeorge | ||
| Maryann |
Hi George, By George, that was good. Wendy, why are you still hanging on? I see no reason for you to remain in this situation. ?? You are in my prayers. Maryann | ||
| Steve |
Wendy, I can understand why you continue. Maryann, many of us go through things where our spouses give up on us for "religious" reasons. That doesn't mean that we're just sitting back and taking it. Jesus said to love our enemies. This includes spouses and others who think that they're doing what they're doing for God. Everyone, please pray for me and my wife. She absolutely continues to refuse to look at anything. She says it's OK for me to attend another church, but says she doesn't want me to say anything to the kids. They're 10 and 12. They're going to ask questions. She doesn't want me to answer their questions with the truth. So I guess it's OK to lie, as long as you keep the sabbath. Bearing false witness doesn't matter anymore. Remember it's not just the 10 commandments. It's the FOURTH commandment. That will be the division between God's people and others. Of course, my question is, "Are God's people the ones who follow the 4th commandment, or the ones who go where the 4th commandment is pointing them -- to Jesus?" Hang in there, Wendy. While not the exact same circumstances, many have dealt with similar issues. If your husband's eyes ever open (which they won't as long as he puts the sabbath in front of all the other commands of God) then he'll see that these are to point us to Jesus, not to a church. Steve | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
I wish to prayerfully remind everyone that when you post on a public forum -- which this is -- you are actually publishing. Just as much as you would be publishing something if you wrote the same message and had it printed in a newspaper as a paid advertisement. You are thus legally responsible for slander, defamation, and libel. If taken to court, you will have to PROVE that what you have said IS TRUE. It is not the other person's responsibility to prove that what you have said IS NOT TRUE. This is not the same situation as that of a public figure, such as President Clinton, who is already in the news. I'm praying that God will work this all out so that innocent people are not hurt. Please be careful, Jude | ||
| jtree |
Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the PRAYERS offered in this place. Now arise, Oh LORD God, and come to your RESTING PLACE, you and the ark of Your might. May your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, may your saints rejoice in your goodness. Oh LORD God, do not reject your anointed one. Remember the great love promised to David your servant 2 Chronicles 40-42 | ||
| George |
Jude, To what exactly are you refering in your post of May 26 above? George | ||
| BMorgan |
George, thanks for asking the question, "Jude, to what exactly are you referring in your post of May 26?" I also want to know. Your comment seemed quite serious and left me wondering whether I could get in trouble unknowingly. So I am joining to ask for an explanaton. Jude, inquiring minds want to know. BMorgan | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
Hi George, The post of May 26 above refers to anything said on this or any other public website. Jude | ||
| Steve |
What Jude stated is very important information. I was involved in a discussion group on another forum. After some name calling, a fairly prominent Mormon figure and author (who had been blasted quite successfully and continuously) eventually resorted to some subtle name-calling. When he was answered back in kind, he began a lawsuit against the individual that had made the last attack on him. He was in constant discussion with various individuals on that site. But I think frustration won out and he called in his tribunal of lawyers to take over the situation. I don't know what happened. But it underscored a huge lesson for me, we must be very careful about what we say. Character assassination is a serious problem. And simply by writing on this forum publicly can have much greater effect because of it's potential "world-wide" audience. For those in the public eye, such as that Mormon author and speaker, his public character (whatever he perceived it to be) had been tainted. And he felt that it could cause him enough problems that he decided to take action. Peace to all, Steve | ||
| Maryann |
Hi Y'all, Next question: Jude, was that a "statement" ment as a warning in general? Or was there something specific in mind? I'm assuming that is was a "statement" you will probably re-peat often in the future just to keep us re-minded, "think before you post". Maryann | ||
| George |
Jude, My point was, did you find something in the posts just before your warning that could get one of us in trouble, and if so what exactly was it. To give out a warning like that there must have been something that set the "bells" off. George | ||
| George |
Steve, In your example you said there was some name calling and that was what the fellow took exception to, I don't see that that is the case in the posts just before the warning. Now, I'm not saying we don't have to watch what we say on the "net" just as we do anywhere else as your example points out so well, but, I would not want to see people fear using their right to speak freely. A little golden rule will go a long way here. Just my thoughts. George | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
George, This is a free country. We have freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press (Internet), and freedom of religion. But, as the sage once said, "Your freedom stops where my nose begins." And, "Freedom of speech doesn't include the right to yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire. My warning stands as a warning to all, not just to some. Jude | ||
| Steve |
You're right, George. The Golden Rule will go a long ways. If we were to treat one another as we ourselves would be treated, then there would never be the possibility of a problem. I think Jude was simply pointing out a potential issue that some (not all) are not generally aware of. Posting in Peace, Steve | ||
| jtree |
Jude. I always wondered what the effect would be, if one yelled MOVIE in a crowded fire house, when in fact there was no movie...? Any comments? | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
That was great, Joshua. I just started laughing without thinking. And, you're right, it's too good for the Humor Discussion! Speaking of laughing, I was listening to the radio this morning when a commercial came on advertising an upcoming evangelistic series with none other than Doug Batchelor. I kid you not, Josh, the announcer called him "one of the greatest experts in Bible study still alive today." At first I was angry. I know Doug Batchelor to be one of the "one of the greatest FRAUDS in Bible study still alive today." But then I thought, "So that's how desperate the SDAs have become!" And I started to laugh. I laughed till it hurt. It was a laughter of release. I laughed till I rolled off my bed and only the hard, painful landing on the floor was able to make me stop. So, shame on you, Josh! Your post started my laughing fit all over again! On the other hand, bless you, Jude | ||
| jtree |
oh oh! Am I sensing a Toronto blessing here? Can it be? Holy laughter? Jude, I've invited some already from here to the http://www.carm.org Our special friends there...are at it..and would like you to join with us in spreading the GOSPEL TRUTHthere! Thanks... PS..I used a couple of your lines and Bruces lines there. |
