| Author | Message | ||
| Susan_2 (Susan_2) |
I'd like to put up a discssion topic called Current Events. When anyone on this forum wants to discuss something in the news, especially with how the issue relates to faith, Chrisianity, etc., we can post it under the topic, Current Events. And, I will start. Earlier on the news my mom and I heard that the crew of the Space Shuttle pushed the button to self-destruct. Apparently they realized they were off course for a safe landing and realized they were headed right into a heavelly populated area of Orlando, very near to Disney World. By pushing the self-destruct they of course died, which if they had crashed in Orlando they would have died too, but by pushing the self-destruct button they most likly spared the lives of millions of people and a truely super, major national disaster. For some reason when I heard that it has just brought the tears flowing down my cheeks. I just can not even immgine being placed in a situtation to have to voluntarelly let myself be killed, even knowing I would die anyway and even knowing that to self-destruct I would be saving the lives of countless others. When I still thought the Shuttle blew up on its own I could emotionally deal with that because, well, accidents happen. I just can't immagine the last moments of those dear people who knew they were surrendering their lives so that their fellow Americans could have life. It just makes me cry so hard. I honestly don't know if I could ever be that honorable and brave. What a sacrafice. It's similiar to Jesus knowing he was dying so that all future folks could have life and have it more abundeatelly. But, even at that, I can rationalize that well, Jesus was/is God and He knew in three days he'd be resurrected and there would be a happy ending, etc. But, these people on the Shuttle, they are mortals just like you and me. I just can't even immagine being faced with that decision. This just upsets my emotions so extremely. | ||
| Loneviking (Loneviking) |
Well, you can quit crying now as this is just another urban legend being created. They don't have a self destruct button on board because they land away from (usually) heavily populated areas. They also have chase planes that catch up to them at about thirty thousand feet to escort them in and watch for any problems. For whatever reason, the shuttle started coming apart over California and during the entire glideslope where it was coming apart they were over desert areas. Yes, there were explosions along the way---the shuttle has small amounts of exposives in the wheel wells to blow the landing gear clear of obstructions if needed, but not enough to obliterate the craft. There are also large amounts of oxygen on board as this is a pressurized space craft---and that's probably where most of the explosion that was seen came from. It's been a sad week for our country but I liked what George Bush said 'we know they didn't return safely to earth, but we pray that they made it safely to their eternal home.' | ||
| Susan_2 (Susan_2) |
Thank-you, Loneviking for clearing that up. I truly was totally distraught and devistated thinking how horrible a situtation like that would be. I am so relieved that you know about Space Shuttles. BTW, my favorite t.v. program is Futureama. However, I don't get much accurate scientific space craft information on that program. But, I still am envious of Lela, she's just the essance of cool. | ||
| Another_Carol (Another_Carol) |
Susan, Since you talked of sacrificing yourself for others that in fact it was disturbing to you I wonder if you went to the web site I talked about a few days ago, Martyrs Mirror, and read some of the accounts of people being burned at the stake with tongue screws in their tongue. You know why they had tongue screws in their tongue? In some of the previous burnings people were professing Christ while flames encircled them so to put a stop to that tongue screws were used so they could not witness as to their belief all the while being burned at the stake. I am so glad that the Columbia passengers did not have to make a decission to destruct, but my point of this all is that it does happen. These people could have kept themselves from the stake if they had only agreed with what they were told to do and would have agreed to not proclaim Christ as their salvation. I would also like to say that when we have the presence of Our Lord and Saviour then the verse all things are possible becomes a reality. If someone would have told me that I could endure my daughter's pain thru all of this I would have said no I can't but with God's magnificent power I am able. Hope this doesn't upset your emotions more. Aslo I wanted to say I am praying for you and your husband and family and also for your Mother's eyes to be opened. Because of His love for us, we sing in the midst of the fire. Carol | ||
| Sabra (Sabra) |
Jentezen Franklin spoke at our church Sun and Mon night and Sunday was about the "let's roll" statement on 9-11. Talk about some heroes self-destructing, that was truly a sacrifice for our country. Did you know the plane crashed in Shanksville PA on Lambsville Rd. and they said the Lord's prayer before charging the cockpit. That led into Matthew where Jesus asked Peter 3 times if he loved (agape)Him. First time he replied, "I philos You" Not the love Jesus asked for second time he replied, "I erros You" The the third time it was the agape love that Jesus' was asking for. That is when He prophesied that if he truly loved Him that way he would die for Him. The message was if we truly Love Him, unconditionally, like He loves us then, "Let's roll" Let's feed the sheep, be willing to sacrifice everything for the gospel, for Jesus. It was an awesome sermon. I feel so horrible for the astranauts' families, most of them left kids behind, that really saddens me. I can't imagine what those poor kids are going through. Remember them in prayer. | ||
| Colleentinker (Colleentinker) |
I'm sure many of you have read of the Columbia flight commander Rick Husband who was a devout, on-fire Christian. The Newsweek special edition profiled all the astonauts on this last flight, and Husband's profile began and ended with statements of his faith. It said he "wasn't embarrassed to discuss his faith on national TV." It summarized his professional life in glowing terms and portrayed him as a leader who loved his crew and was individually proud of them. The profile ended with these words, "Rick was right with God," says Tammy Jernigan, who flew with Husband on his previous space trip. "He's in heaven now." It reminds me of Revelation 14:13: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." Certainly Rick Husband's deeds are following him and becoming far more public than they would have been otherwise. Praise God for glorifying himself both through the lives and the deaths of his own! Colleem | ||
| Gene (Gene) |
I can't remember the last time I heard a prominent public official speak so openly and plainly in obviously Christian terms as when the President said they were home. It was a high point that compensated for much of the sorrow of that day. | ||
| Dennis (Dennis) |
It is my understanding that the Jewish astronaut on the Columbia shuttle was not a believer in God. Culturally, however, he was very devout in key areas of Judaism; namely, his faithful, weekly Sabbath observance. He supposedly consulted his rabbi about the problem of keeping the Sabbath while orbiting the earth. They agreed to observe the legal Sabbath according to Houston time (CST). Sadly, he died on the Sabbath, Houston time. Paradoxically, his Sabbath travel distance exceeded the rabbinic code limit of a half mile. Dennis J. Fischer | ||
| Susan_2 (Susan_2) |
I can'y figure out why I am having such a suvere reaction to what you wrote Dennis but the above post strikes me as so sad. I'm listening to my Jimi Hendrik, All Along the Watchtower tape. Everytime I play iy I get this urge to play it for my JW kin when they tell me I should study the Watchtower. I know it's corney. But, then, my favorite movie is, Amazon Women on the Moon. | ||
| Susan_2 (Susan_2) |
I will place this post under the topic, Current Events because this is the current events of my life as of recently. My dear, sweet husband is in jail and my car is smashed to smitherenes. I assume he was drunk driving. He has a very serious need for having alcohol in his system. We believe my oldest son will soon be sent off to war. He has a five year old little girl and a wife pregnant with twins at a base in Germany. They don't even know English yet so if my son gets sent to war it'll be a real bummer for the wife and little girl. I have a homesick 18 year old stuck on a puny little island a 45 minute ferry ride off the island of Sardenia. The entire island has a population of only 2000. He does not have a very good command of the Italian language but I guess he is muddeling by the best he can with the language barrier. My 17 year old is on home detention and has an ankle moniter on him and can't even go outside without getting permission a full 24 hours in advance. His entire life is not totally scheduled. I had to drive my 27 year old son in to his parole agent so he could get violated. I did that this afternon and he's now in county jail waiting to be sent back to prison. He has tremendous problems including a very suvere case of Tourette Syndrome, Schitzopherena, ADHD, drug addiction, and on and on. The drive to his parole agent was very stressful and as an answer to prayer I am still alive as he got manic (he's been using meth again) and nearly got us into several auto accidents on the 15 mile drive to the parole department. I was driving my mothers car and my son grabbed the steering wheel several times telling me he'd changed his mind about going in willingly. It was more scary than Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. One of my good friends had jaw surgery yesterday and she's all sore and we need to keep her healing in our prayers. Her name is Penny. Fortunaelly she has a sweetie of a husband who is taking real good care of her. My sons best friend who is 19 has an eight month pregnant girlfriend (she's also 19) and the sweet pregnant girl came home several days ago and found her mother unconscious on the floor from trying to commit suicide. The mom is now in the county mental ward and the girl, who is such a sweetheart and she spends a lot of time at my house and I know her quite well is very concerned about her mother and the doctor doesn't want her to get too uptight because she has another month to go with her pregnancy. Please, keep sweet young Quiana in your prayers as well as her mother. I forgot her mothers name but God knows and He will know who you are praying for. Well, that's life over here in my neck of the woods. How's it going for you? The good news as I see it is that life around here can only get better. | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
After reading that...my problems are nothing Susan! I know it is only through Christ that you are holding up at all! How many kids do you have? I know this is a trying time in history to have sons. I have 3 but they are little. I am going to pray for you all! I have never heard of so much disress in one family at once. I am so sorry! Know that you are in my prayers right now! | ||
| Susan_2 (Susan_2) |
Pheeki, I will send you a personal e-mail. However, I have 4 sons. One is carrer Navy (he is 30), currently stationed in Italy, he's the one my 18 year old moved in with because he wanted to spend a year seeing Europe with his Navy brother. Between the mega-pregnant wife and the impending war my 18 year old hasn't gotten to see much of Europe, only the puny ittle lsland he's stuck on. The next one is 27 as I wrote above has numerous problems. I think his mental disorders are escellationg and there's just nothing we can do about it. You know, he, too is under the Constitutation. I have been told that so many times by Mental Health, about his Constitutational rights. Yeah, so he has the right to, well, fill in wehatever dire life scenario you want and he has the right to be so miserable and cause those who love him extensive misery as he is a theif, too as well as a meth addict. The meth and his psycharactic medicines should not be mixed but that's not been of any concern to him yet. My 17 year old is as sweet as peaches and cream but he got into some trouble and is now on home detention, complete with an anckle moniter. My dad passed away in October. My parents had been married nearly 56 years and now my mom has become very dependent on me for a whole lot, including my accompying her to the sda church on Saturday mornings and ALWAYS finding errands for me to run on her behalf or chores for me to do for her on Sunday mornings. That is rather self-explanitory. It didn't happen until she was so bold as to ask me if I have actualy joined the Lutheran church and I told her "yes". I will send you a person e-mail and tell you about yesterday. I had an absoutelly horrendous experience driving my son to parole Thank-you, Jesus for keeping us safe and not letting us get into a car wreck. Amen. | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
email me at (removed at Pheeki's request). | ||
| Freeatlast (Freeatlast) |
Susan, I have prayed for your situation. God can use the worst situations for ultimate glory and can show you the way through this, moment by moment. Please draw near to Jesus right now and ask Him to come into all these things and use them for His glory and your healing. Please believe it, Susan, He CAN. My life is a testimony to that. My situation was never as bad as yours seems now, but it was as bad as it could ever be for me I thought. I'm here today telling you that Jesus pulled me, AND EVERYONE ELSE out and has begun healing us. There is a long road ahead of us and we're all works in progress. Some days are brutal. But Jesus is here now and I KNOW that He WILL do it. Because I've seen with my own two eyes as He did it in the past and that He's still doing it today (although it's not always immediately apparent - that's where endurance comes in. We must be willing to wait on the Lord.) Of course, people have choices and some make wrong ones. You will need to protect yourself from harm to the best of your ability (physical, emotional, OR Spiritual harm). Please get yourself to a profesional counselor ASAP! When we are surrounded by dysfunction and destruction, sometimes we can't do it on our own. We need help to navigate all the complex and volatile situations and relationships we are being bombarded with constantly. We need help and God has given it to us! If you can't afford it, tell the counselor right up front. A good, caring counselor will sometimes offer pro-bono for crisis situations, or your situation may strike him/her as a good experience and will do it for free or a reduced rate. He/she can also refer you to less educated - but no less competent - graduate students or pastoral counselors. These services are usually free. It is the biggest favor I ever did myself and God led me to a wonderful helper. He has provided a million and one other resources to us all to access for help in times of need and/or crisis. Please use God's bountiful resources. It takes courage to open up and tell your story to others, but that brings healing. I applaud you and encourage you to continue that course for your own good. Find a group of people who struggle similarly, if you can. Begin to connect more closely with those you trust most and know love Christ most. Proverbs says there is wisdom in many (trustworthy) counselors. Hang in there one day at a time. Surround yourself with and cling tightly to your Savior, Ask Him and your best friends and counselors for answers. My prayers are for you right now. Blessings Susan! | ||
| Susan_2 (Susan_2) |
I have been invied to join a support group locally of parents of adult children who have schitzophenia. We also have a support group here for parents of children who are going off to war. That might be a really good one. As far as psychologist, well, I think I'll pass on that as I meet with my Stephen minister weekly and she is wonderful with helping me with the emotional things I'm dealing with and she is a very prayerful person and my needs are being met greatly with her. Are any of you others out there acquainted with the Stephen Ministry? It's just an awsome program. A lot of the churches around here use it. I know the Methodist, The Catholic, the Lutheran and the Presperterian use it. I think some others also partisipate in Stephen Ministres. It's a wonderful ministry for folks who need a bit of an emotional boost but not quite enough for a real, bonified mental health case to be opened. I keep thinking, "I'm strong. I can handle anythig that comes my way". But, I'm not sure as most of today I've just been crying. Yesterday with what I went through taking my son to parole just wore me down. He grabbed the steering wheel twice while I was driving and nearly got us into accidents. He was totally mentally unstable, manic and wacked out. I am so thankful we didn't get into an accident. | ||
| Freeatlast (Freeatlast) |
Susan, It's great that you have a support group for the parents of schizophrenic children. I've never heard of the Stephen ministry, but it sounds like there's alot of spiritual support for you there. As long as the advice is sound (Godly) and the counsel wise (consistent with Scriptural principles), I'd stay with it. I know you're concerned about all these other people in your life - and well you SHOULD be! -but I'm mostly concerned about you right now. It sounds to me like you might be overwhelmed and who wouldn't be?! Are you taking care of your own needs during this time? You won't be any good to yourself, God, or anybody else if you burn out, please take good care of yourself in every way. In the pre-flight instructions, they teach us to put our own oxygen mask on (help ourselves) so we can put the oxygen mask on our child (while we help others). Try the other way and maybe both die... Please remember that one doesn't have to be a "real, bonafide mental case" in order to benefit greatly from a trained professional's view of things. I'm not talking about just an emotional boost because there are a million and one cheaper ways to get that. I'm talking about practical and effective (although not always easy) ideas for dealing with incredibly sensitive and volatile situations and people. It is important to know how to best protect and uphold your own self through this while at the same time help others in need without becoming entangled in their problems. That is a fine line, and a counselor can be of great help to you in that area during the darkest parts of this time for you. Spending the day crying is a symptom of the grief and uncertainty that must be weighing very heavy on your heart right now. It's OK. While you're feeling these things, consider whether you could use some more support with this heavy load right now as you sail across this stormy sea. OK, I'll end this unpaid advertisement for Counselors-R-Us and get off my soapbox now...LOL Bottom line - not one of us of is strong enough to endure such times in our own strength, and I pray that Jesus will personally involve Himself in your entire situation and bring you and yours out safely. | ||
| Colleentinker (Colleentinker) |
Susan, I also am praying for you and your family. and I also would urge you to seek professional counselling help from a Godly counselor. Another thing you might consider as a source of professional help, given the circumstances in your family, is Al Anon. It's for the family members of alcoholics, and you can go even if the alcoholic(s) or drug abusers in the family don't go to AA. You will get great support and learn more effective ways to deal with the situations you face. That might be an even more to-the-point, helpful support group than those you mentioned. Please know that my prayers are with you also. Colleen | ||
| Doug222 (Doug222) |
Colleen and Susan, you both echoed my sentiments. Susan2, when you described all the things that are on your plate, I too thought that counseling could be beneficial. One of the things you mentioned is that your mother places a lot of demands on you. Just remember that you are free to decide when (and how much) to give. She has needs right now, but so do you. If she wants you to run errands for her on Sunday morning, it is perfectly okay to set limits. You can do it at another time, or you can even decide that you cannot meet that need at all right now. One thing is for certain, if you were to kill over tomorrow, your mother would find ways to get her needs met (hopefully that doesn't sound to insensitive). With all the things that are going on in your family right now, it is easy to get enmeshed in everyone else's problems. I think it is part of being a mother. Just make sure you are taking care of yourself in the process. I happen to be a BIG believer in 12 Step Recovery Groups. Unfortunately, the church has not embraced them enough. I believe they are not only for addicted (i.e. drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc.) people. EVERYONE can benefit from them. We all are broken people in need of healing. The 12 Step Programs lead you back to the source of that healing. Most churches aren't equipped for that. If you opt out of counseling, I'd encourage you to find a Christian 12-Step Group in your area. I'll be praying for you. In His Grace | ||
| Susan_2 (Susan_2) |
Dear Doug, I want to thank you most sincerely for the best and only good laugh I had today. When I got to your line if I was to keel over today she'd find a way to get her needs met, well, I just cracked up laughing right out loud. Thanks. The Al Anon idea is a good idea, too. But, really, my Stephen Minister right now is the best I have going for me. | ||
| Doug222 (Doug222) |
I can only assume what needs you were talking about, but I assure you I was on the up and up. Doug |
