| Author | Message | ||
| Joni |
Patti, God bless you as you comfort the family and make yourself available for them. Still praying.... Joni | ||
| Patti |
Thank you for your love and concern. No further news at this point. I am praying that no news is good news. I will keep you posted. All things are possible with God. | ||
| Patrick |
I e-mailed my ex-pastor (SDA) and advised him that I am withdrawing my membership from the SDA denomination. Now he wants to "visit." Something tells me just to say no and not visit with him at all, however, that might be deemed as rude. I actually like the guy and believe that he has a heart after God, but I really don't want him to attempt to talk me out of my decision either. I know he is better armed than I am for an argument about Adventist doctrine. I ask for prayer in this matter. If I shouldn't talk to him at all I need the Spirit to lead me. If I am led to speak with him I need the Holy Spirit to arm me. Thank you. Soli Christis | ||
| Patti |
I am praying for you Patrick. It is not an easy step that you are taking. But we have been promised that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. I will pray that should you choose to see your pastor, that you will be given the right words to say which will be a blessing to him also. Grace and peace, Patti | ||
| Dennisrainwater |
Hi Patrick, I know just where you are at. I still can feel the sweaty palms when I had my own "exit-interview" with my pastor about two years ago. You can bet I'll be praying for you. 24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joyó 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Dennis<>< | ||
| Lydell |
Patrick, praying for you as well. And praying that if you go through with the interview, that you will be used to plant a seed for that pastor to think on. | ||
| Susan |
Parick, my prayers are with you too. Eph. 6:19,20 is a request for prayer from Paul. I often pray it for myself, when faced with defending my faith. Hope it might be helpful to you as well. "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." Whatever God leads you to do, He will be with you every step of the way! God bless you Patrick, Susan | ||
| Billthompson |
Patrick, I hate to sound like a broken record, but if I were in your shoes right now, knowing what I know now some 21 years after leaving the SDA church myself, I'd ask him this. Pastor (or elder) _______ could you share your testimony with me and could you address these three points in your testimony? --What you are trusting in for salvation? --Did the blood of Jesus cover just your past sins or ALL your sins? --Do you have a firm assurance of salvation? His reaction to this will set the tone for anything which follows. If he has no clear answer for these question and/or wants avoid these and move on to his agenda of defending SDA distinctives as though they are more important than the Gospel message itself, then you have a wealth information and insight right there. Personally, I'd limit the discussion to this one area until he gives a good answer for each of the three points. Nothing else he has to say matters if he is unclear on these issues. If he flounders on these issues and avoids them, I'd smile and say I have found a Christian fellowship (and I pray you have) where these most basic and foundational doctrines are clearly taught and understood. Warmly invite him to discuss these issues with you at any time and when there is agreement on the basics we can consider other doctrines. You'll find him back on his heals and the "main thing" will be clearly on the table for him to deal with. Of course one has to have a firm, Biblical understanding of these three questions before asking someone else to delve into it. A Sinner Saved By Garce Alone, Bill Thomspon | ||
| Colleentinker |
Patrick, I'll be praying for you, too. Good advice from Bill above. The Holy Spirit will inform you whether or not to visit this man, and if you do, he will give you the words to say. Trusting in Him, Colleen | ||
| Bmorgan |
Patrick, Please be assured that you are in my prayers. May God give you wisdom. May the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. Bmorgan | ||
| Joni |
Patrick, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! Ps. 133:1 It is so wonderful to have support and prayers from those who truly want the best for you and God's will in your life. When a new pastor came to the SDA church, he made his rounds and came to see why I stopped going to church. He was very nice. But when I pulled out my little red book (The Sabbath in Crisis) to read something to him, he got very defensive and I haven't heard from him since. He did take the web address though. May God bless you Patrick, may you have peace in your life and in the decisions you make. God is a God of Peace, not confusion. When you have peace down deep in your heart you will know the right decision. Still praying for all....... Joni | ||
| Chyna |
hi, please pray for me. i've been having nightmares ever since my boyfriend and i broke up. it occurred to me the state of mind many have come into this forum, confused, scared, hurting, injured. it is a real blessing that we're able to come here and feel accepted. in Him, Chyna | ||
| Susan |
Yes Chyna, I'll continue to keep you in prayer. I'm glad you are part of our "forum family". God is certainly with you, especially now. Love in Christ, Susan | ||
| Patti |
Here is the latest news I have on Ben. He is doing better, but still needs our prayers. Thank you for your concern and your prayers. God bless Patti Ben Jones Update August 21, 2000 Ben showed improvement over the weekend. Lung functions improved, blood pressure improved and kidney function improved. He remains critical but is clearly fighting to get better. He is still fighting the Pneumonia he contracted last week plus he is also dealing with a total of four infections, one of which has entered his blood stream. Doctors are continuing to treat him for all of these various complications as well as work on his burns. I was able to visit with Ben Saturday and Sunday for a few brief minutes. Saturday he was quite swollen from the additional treatment but on Sunday after doctors had reduced his fluid and ventilator activity he began to look a little better. His face is healing quite well and he is starting to look like Ben again. He is still very, very sick and not out of the woods but I felt encouraged as I left on Sunday. He is scheduled for a brief surgery today. His doctors want to look at his hands real closely as well as apply some allo-graft (sp) skin to his right arm. | ||
| Patti |
Ben Jones update, from his website: August 22, 2000 As of this note we still don't have definitive word from Bens' doctor about yesterday's surgery. (Note: If there was bad news we would know it.) We do know it went well. Late in the evening Ben was not oxygenating his blood as well as before so doctors planned to put a scope in his lungs to see if there is a fluid build up. On doing this they discovered his left lung was not fully inflating so they inserted a chest tube and increased the ventilator a little to push more oxygen into his lungs. | ||
| Ishmael |
Dear Friends, I would invite your prayers for me. For over 20 years I have suffered daily. I have been to so many doctors and specialists that I have lost count. I often cannot sleep and am unable to leave my home except rarely. As a result of severe abdominal pain I have developed severe panic disorders and agoraphobia. Please pray that God may provide me with some respite for my suffering. | ||
| Sherry2 |
We will keep you in our prayers, Ishmael. Do you have family nearby or a support system? I don't believe I've met you before. Hope to hear more from you. God bless. | ||
| Bmorgan |
Here's a note to remember our prayer date tonight. Time are, 700pm PST, 900pmCST, and 10:00pmEST. Ishmael, please know that I will be praying for you. Chyna, where are you? BMorgan | ||
| Steve |
I know it's after the fact, but don't forget 8:00pm MST, just in case any of my SDA friends are checking in from New Mexico (any Former's or Ex's out there in NM?) Steve | ||
| Colleentinker |
I'd like to ask for your prayers as school begins tomorrow. I have 140 students this yearó111 9th graders, the rest 10th graders. I'm already gasping as I contemplate grading their papers! Thanks! Colleen |
