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Read Me: Topics and Guidelines The Pulpit
February 7th 2007
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Country Preacher
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Posted: November 6th 2009
@ 04:25 PM
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Is this just a Texas phenomenon?
I've visited a few "Cowboy Church" services. It's what it sounds like. Usually a rural setting, very casual dress - cowboy hats and boots are quite prevalent, and traffic is directed by men and women on horses.
The preaching seems to be pretty conventional "old fashioned gospel" and the music (in the services I have visited) are some of the new praise choruses along with old fashioned gospel singing and hymns, accompanied by guitar and drums.
Interestingly,...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: October 23rd 2009
@ 08:47 AM
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I came up with a BRILLIANT sermon one time... it just kinda kept forming in my head. I would be mowing the lawn, and this sermon would be developing... I would be stuck in traffic, and this sermon would be evolving...
It was going to be called "But GOD"
Not like... God told Noah to build the Ark, and Noah said "But GOD"...
MORE like... Eph 2.... where it's talking about all our living according to the prince of the air, etc... and bad stuff.. BUT GOD, who is rich in...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: September 29th 2009
@ 01:34 PM
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As often happens, a response of mine to another thread reminded me of something about which I'd like to write. If for no other reason, than just to get this "out there".
We had been planning a "Disciple Now" weekend for a Baptist Church in the Tyler Texas area. A lot of pre-planning and prayer goes into these events, which consist of a Friday Night rally, All day Saturday events, and Sunday Services.
One of the things we had as "preparation" was a meeting with the students (junior and high...
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Shadow Phoenix
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Posted: September 9th 2009
@ 12:59 PM
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After conversing with a friend on this topic last night, I considered it imperative to write on this topic. As a guy, sexuality is a frequent thought on my mind. (For all intents and purposes, I will be using sex as the modern world uses the term. Keep in mind that when I say sex unless otherwise revealed by the context or my own testimony, I mean sexual intercourse. Those interested in learning my views on the matter can read my featured member article here/
It is no shock to people that...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: September 2nd 2009
@ 05:30 PM
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It was his 95th birthday.
As I said in other threads, I love old "sharp" people... I love to hear their stories, ask them where they were when they heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor, at what point in their lives did they have indoor plumbing... anything and everything.
So, when Clarence turned 95, we had a birthday party for him following the morning service. NOTHING like Zella Pillows, because SHE turned 100. (another thread)
But Clarence was wheeled into his favorite spot in...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: August 28th 2009
@ 09:47 AM
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Let's say I'm an 18 year old young man (yeah, THAT's a stretch) with no religious background. The goal is to make sure that, when I die, I go to Heaven. Simple enough?
Some say I need to be baptized in the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues to prove I'm saved.
Some say I need to be baptized in water.
Some say I simply need to pray a "sinner's prayer".
Some say I must join a particular church.
Some say I must ask Jesus into my heart.
OH, almost forgot, some even say I must confess "Mary is...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: August 27th 2009
@ 12:03 PM
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(continued)
The Chaplain and I talked as we rode along. As we pulled up over an overpass, I looked back to see police flashers lined up behind us as far as the eye could see. As we arrived at the cemetery, the funeral director met us. He told us that the “tail end” of the procession had not even left the Church yet. If you have never been to a military or police funeral, you have really missed something. The Texas DPS Honor Guard had arrived, and was forming up near the rear of the...
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headheart
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Posted: August 17th 2009
@ 11:02 PM
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Living testimonies were the ones that made the most impact.
Today Mark preaches the gospel near London, but when I first met him he was 18, proud and strong He would snore so loudly that he would wake up the deepest sleeper, but one day he stopped snoring and instead if you listened in the quietness of the early morning you could hear him singing.
'Supersonic jets are flying, spaceships streak across the sky
Down below a man is dying but the roaring drowns his cry...'
Mark was an Apple...
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sleeplessinpool
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Posted: August 14th 2009
@ 03:05 AM
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Palm Tree Christians:
“The Righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” (Psalm 92:12)
“The righteous shall flourish”, this is the emphatic declaration of holy scripture, it is the lasting decree of the Almighty and in spite of whatever seems to get in the way or happens to contrary this will be the happy lot of the obedient people of God. The gates of Hell shall never prevail against the Church. She shall never be beaten, but will flourish in midst of...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: August 6th 2009
@ 05:03 PM
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Many things that we call "worship" really aren't. (In my opinion)
And things that you might not think are NOT... well... here's my story....
I was serving as Youth Minister in a Baptist Church.
We had a "Minister of Music" (Song Leader) (now called "Worship Leader") who was ... just gonna be frank here... he was very talented in "music", and played the trombone, and was an excellent singer.... but in my own opinion, I often wondered why the Pastor allowed this guy to be "Minister...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: July 30th 2009
@ 10:46 PM
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Remember, I'm a simple thinker!
When I was a kid, there always seemed to be talk of "soul winning" in Christian circles. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) was an "up front" topic!
As I navigate the halls of tWeb, I see lots of discussion about conduct, and morals, and ethics and apologetics. But I don't see a whole lot of discussion about "soul winning". (Maybe I'm not looking in the right places.)
I DO realize that some on tWeb do not believe that there is a "moment" when a person...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: July 17th 2009
@ 03:27 AM
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This is about Zella Pillow. REAL NAME! When I came to pastor BeNo Baptist Church (NOT the real name), Ms Pillow was 95 years old, and sharp as a tack. I LOVE older people who are sharp! And I instantly remembered her name, because...
A) It was unusual
2) she wore a hat to Church, and it looked like... well... a "pillow"!!!!
As I got to know her, she became a very dear friend. Delightful person, always pleasant, always "up". I loved to hear her talk about things "back then", before...
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nikolai_42
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Posted: July 4th 2009
@ 03:46 PM
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I am not a degreed minister. That is, I don't have any sort of formal theological training. I know what I've been taught growing up by other ministers and what I've gleaned through my own study of scripture. But I go to a very small church that has the mindset that all believers are to be priests before the Lord and, as a part of that, believe that it is good for the men to learn to minister. There is no training, but since we are a small assembly, there is an understanding that the men who do...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: May 31st 2009
@ 03:53 PM
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I’m a “root cause” kind of guy. When I see a problem, I like to figure out its cause.
If you only look at problems, you are in the damage control business.
If you look at the cause, you are in the damage prevention business.
One of the biggest, most glaring problems in the Christian church today is the LACK of WISDOM. But this is one of those “vicious circle” kinds of things. If we lack wisdom, we don’t teach wisdom, and we end up with more problems. The Bible would have us to...
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Country Preacher
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Country Preacher
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Posted: May 28th 2009
@ 08:50 PM
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I'm a coffee nut.
I don't have any other vices, and I have joked that "Computer guys smoke a lot and drink lots of coffee, and since I don't smoke, I have to drink twice as much coffee". (OK, so maybe "computers" is another vice)
I even have a fancy Cuisinart combination coffee bean grinder coffee maker... into which you put your favorite coffee beans the night before, and at 5:45 AM it faithfully kicks on with a WHIIRRRRRING sound that fills the air with fresh ground coffee bean smell, and...
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Shadow Phoenix
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Posted: May 26th 2009
@ 09:46 PM
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Last night I was finishing reading Jonah. We know the story of Jonah. Jonah runs from God when told to go to Nineveh. Now the reason surprises us, or at least it should. We might think he fears to go there for the same reason a Christian might fear preaching in soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, or a heavily Islamic country. Nineveh was hardly known as the friendly capital of the world. Jonah, however, tells us why he ran.
Jonah 4 tells us this:
1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry....
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headheart
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Posted: May 21st 2009
@ 03:39 AM
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Denver to Logos
'For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.'
2 Timothy 1:7
This is my first attempt at a sermon on The Pulpit and not wanting to recycle old sermons, I decided to tell you about something that happened while I was a seaman in the South African Navy.
It was 1976, and I had just been released from Naval Detention Quarters. I did not mind the training, but it was the way in which it was done. Most of those who trained, broke...
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headheart
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Posted: May 20th 2009
@ 01:20 PM
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Sometimes it is all so simple.
*He walked up to the table and sat down.
It was lunchtime, at the *YMCA and often non-residents would eat with us.
Introductions are always fun.
He explained that he had just completed his degree.
I asked, “What degree?”
He said, “Psychology”
“Oh” said I.
Always alert for an opportunity to share the Good News, I asked him if he minded if I asked him a question, seeing as he was a student of the human condition.
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Country Preacher
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Posted: May 17th 2009
@ 05:36 PM
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I've been in the ministry now for over 30 years. I've learned a lot. I think some of the most valuable lessons I've learned have come from my own mistakes, or situations in which i found myself that were, mostly, of my own making.
I have "some Seminary".. not as much as a lot of you. And, like a lot of my fellow twebbers, I used to see so much in "black and white" and i was proud to proclaim things such.
An example is abortion. ALWAYS wrong, always bad.
Then one day, I was teaching...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: May 16th 2009
@ 08:55 AM
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In other threads, I've talked about the Church I pastored where some really good things happened. But I also shared how the first 2 years were "nuclear war" followed by a year of "cold war".
There was a "church mama" - an older lady who, with her deacon husband, pretty much "ruled the roost". It was made pretty clear when I came to the Church that they were "in charge". But they TOLD me they wanted the Church to grow, and promised to help. But it just wasn't in them. They seemed to oppose...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: May 8th 2009
@ 08:41 AM
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Our Church was experiencing somewhat of a revival. God is Good. People were joining our Church by Baptism (to a Baptist – this is a biggie – rather than “trading members”, we were gaining “new converts”) and our fellowship seemed excited to try “being the Church God wants us to be”. (I had been teaching some of Henry Blackaby’s material, along with preaching “practical Christianity” from the epistles.) God was blessing.
In line with Blackaby’s teaching, I pointed out to the Church “if...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: May 5th 2009
@ 09:29 AM
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About 20 years ago, I was invited to Pastor a church that had the reputation for "fussin' and fightin'"
It was a "country church", and they had had 21 pastors in the previous 18 years. I knew it would be a challenge, but I'm kinda drawn to problem situations.
One of the first things I noticed was that they had this "dear sweet old lady" who had a tendency to gossip. And she was GOOD at it. I'll call her Millie. There always seemed to be a "fight" between otherwise "nice people", and Millie...
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Country Preacher
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Posted: April 24th 2009
@ 06:26 PM
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(continued)
Blake and Jenny left the reception for their honeymoon, which they enjoyed. Blake was obviously beginning to hurt again. After several trips to the doctor and / or hospital by mid December, Blake was pretty much “at home” under hospice care. Jenny cared for him, met with hospice, and tried to prepare herself for the inevitable. A few days before Christmas 2004, Blake entered the hospital one more time. After being poked and prodded and examined, Blake had had enough, and...
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Jaltus
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Posted: April 22nd 2009
@ 03:42 PM
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Matthew 13:23-43
“The Mystery of the Kingdom”
In 1999, there was a blockbuster film called Sixth Sense. It was one of those suspense, thriller kind of movies with a major plot twist at the end. The movie opens with a child psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe being shot in the stomach at his own home by a former patient he was unable to help. The movie then moves on to Dr. Crowe trying to help another boy, named Cole, who seems to have the same types of problems as the patient who shot Dr. Crow....
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Country Preacher
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Posted: April 15th 2009
@ 11:39 AM
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Kids grow up SO fast.
One minute – she’s “the little red-headed kid” – the next – she’s a young widow. We used to joke that “she doesn’t even have a name – we just call her ‘the little red-headed kid’, but we’ll have to come up with a name when she starts school. “ Her name, actually, was Jenny Lynn.
I remember my wife sitting at the piano one day laboriously “chording” a hymn, trying to get it to play. Jenny, 4 years old, was watching intently. My wife got up and walked away – Jenny...
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themuzicman
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Posted: April 9th 2009
@ 04:58 PM
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In the last few weeks, it has seemed as though I couldn't do anything right. King Madufus' touch: everything he touched turn to dust.
And it's not just circumstances, but my own failures, failing to do my best, no being where I was supposed to be, being late to pick up the kids.
It started to weigh on me. I knew I could do better, but I wasn't doing it. I just felt like a failure, and I couldn't fix it.
I came to church, having let someone down again.
And I was reminded by God during...
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nickcopernicus
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Posted: April 9th 2009
@ 03:26 PM
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-The greatest single cause of atheism in the world is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him with their lifestyles. –DC Talk
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he charged his disciples to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). This is also found in the latter part of Matthew and the beginning of Acts. “All creation” includes the Atheists. If the quote from DC talk is correct, then the approach to witnessing to...
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blackapologist
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Posted: April 4th 2009
@ 08:52 PM
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Is there a way to lose your salvation? I want to examine that in this thread.
First, lets look at scriptures.
Hebrews 4:6
"It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who forerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their DISOBEDIENCE"
Wait, so we can lose our salvation after recieving Christ as Lord and savior? I think this scripture highlights it clearly.
So many of us as Christians fall into the "God will forgive me anyway" trap. When presented with...
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blackapologist
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Posted: March 24th 2009
@ 09:06 AM
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As we all know, a baby doesn't pop up out of nowhere right after a woman gets pregnant.
Well, when we get born again, by the Holy Ghost, we first are conceived. Let me elaborate.
A baby, when born, has a brain, heart, lungs, muscles, etc so that it can survive on it's own. when conceived, it is just a zygote.
When someone is Born again, they have a firm belief in their God, so that they won't fall away easily. when someone is conceived again, they think, I want to go to heaven, I prayed the...
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lit4u
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Posted: January 22nd 2009
@ 05:48 PM
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Miracle on the Hudson?
By Mark Seay
www.LighthousePrayerLine.org
There have been numerous commentaries and interviews conducted by the mainstream media(secular society) on whether or not this Hudson River landing was anything short of miraculous. I must say that I'm truly amazed at how doubtful people have reacted towards the possibility of this being a full-fledged intervention(miracle) on the part of a sovereign God. But then again, I realize this shouldn't come as a shock to me. The...
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dizzle
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Posted: January 6th 2009
@ 07:42 PM
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I have been online friends with Kerry Gilliard for a long time - here is something from his blog. Please go visit his blog for the entire piece:
I learned something last night.
Be careful with where you cast your eyes.
Prov. 31:3
It doesn't have to be explicitly sexual thoughts that can feed your lust.
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pastorT
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Posted: December 19th 2008
@ 09:58 PM
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This is Jesus' conversation with two disciples on their way to Emmaus. They had been in Jerusalem for passover and had watched the turmoil about Jesus unfold, resulting in His crucifixion. They had even heard the reports of His resurrection, yet they are heading home with an unclear understanding of it all. Jesus joins them on their walk but they don't know it's Him. He listens to their conversation for awhile and then He responds:
Luk 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart...
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pointzero
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Posted: December 13th 2008
@ 09:32 AM
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I had an idea while riding on the bus the other day. A place where,
I've been finding, most ideas come to me; it's really a great place to
think.
I love to spend most of my time in abstract thinking and what-if?
scenarios and I don't dabble much in logic or reason. So if this has
neither logical nor reasonable bearing, just tell me because honestly I
have no idea.
I was thinking about how by nature, I am a very arrogant and close
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Trout
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Posted: December 12th 2008
@ 10:21 PM
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A friend of mine is having a really rough time of late, it's heartbreaking to stand in her shadow and feel the misery she feels. This world is a cold, hostile place for a lot of people. This partuicular friend of mine is a young lady who's very overweight and in her early twenties.
Listening to her tell of how she's treated by men, how she feels nothing but scorn from most is gut-wrenching. She's marginilized because of how she looks. The horror of it is that she's exactly the same as...
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nikolai_42
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Posted: December 12th 2008
@ 12:54 AM
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Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ
Ephesians 4:13
There is something about the human condition that affects even the converted soul. There is always that tendency to rest on one's laurels or take it easy "for just awhile". The path of faith can never tolerate such an attitude because it finds only one rest - that at the end of one's labors. Until we come into the...
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pastorT
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Posted: November 13th 2008
@ 12:50 PM
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After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. Acts 16:7
These men were going to Bithynia to do Christ's work and yet the Spirit shut the door! Sometimes we are guilty of thinking that when our intentions are good and there is opposition, it must be the enemy/satan. Not always so, for here in this text, it is God's doing.
It is extremely hard to leave a work unfinished when we feel we are doing the Spirit's service. We must recognize that the...
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steamer2
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Posted: November 12th 2008
@ 01:53 AM
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Do you have a life verse that is etched in your heart and mind?
Mine is;
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee. - Isaiah 26:3
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pastorT
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Posted: October 16th 2008
@ 11:46 PM
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Acts 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon , and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from hands.
Acts 16:25-26 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
Difficulty...
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blackapologist
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Posted: September 22nd 2008
@ 10:49 AM
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Brothers and sisters,
Do you know anyone, that you know that if they died, they would not be in heaven?
Do you know anyone who is lost?
Loved ones, that you will not see in the next life?
I know I do, and it breaks my heart. The saddest situation that ever could be is a lost soul.
It's a tragedy. To see these people that are indifferent on their afterlife. And innocent as to what could become of them.
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GodChaser
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Posted: September 16th 2008
@ 07:45 PM
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Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
Since the beginning of time, man has been hunting. Whether the quarry in question was food, water, a lover, or some other desire, all these prospects maintain the same core nature. This same scenario is played out today, it can be seen in the corporate world, in the hustle and bustle of anyone’s life, the hunt is obvious if one steps back and observes. Every man, in some way or another, is...
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ravenlorre
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Posted: September 2nd 2008
@ 03:24 PM
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Tonight, I encountered a man who believed himself to be an authority on everything, especially my relationship with God.
Although we are both Christians who attend different churches within the Roman Catholic tradition; he quickly decided that I was an idiot for believing the Churches' conservative teachings on social issues like abortion, homosexuality, and Euthanasia. He was not shy about pointing out my "slavish" devotion to the hierarchy of the Church.
Since the conversation occurred...
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beforHim
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Posted: August 26th 2008
@ 07:31 PM
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People always seem to see "the God of the OT" as a "God of Wrath". A boy today in a class I was substituting said, " 'I like God. He's compassionate!' then I remember the OT!".
Can I please get as many examples from the OT of God's compassion.
1) Try for examples of compassion to gentiles esp., not just Israel
2) Try for examples which show more compassion than the examples of God's wrath show his wrath.
3) Also need examples of His wrath in the NT.
4) Also, explinations for why he was...
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nikolai_42
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Posted: August 20th 2008
@ 06:40 PM
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This is just a thought. Not a revolutionary thought, but a thought by way of a question. It isn't meant to teach anyone anything, but rather it does, I think, shed some light on Jesus and His ministry. Something that maybe gets overlooked because it seems insignificant. Or maybe because it's not the way people think about it. I'm not sure - but I have been seriously stirred by this lately. Especially the thought in the long paragraph at the end of this post.
I want to say up front that I...
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mpresley501
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Posted: August 2nd 2008
@ 10:29 AM
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* Lucifer, as the 'anointed Cherub', is given 'dominion' over the Earth, ruling from 'the heavens'. (Ezekiel 28)
* Lucifer 'falls' and takes 1/3 of the angels with him. Now 'HaSatan', he still maintains this 'crown' (diadema) of ruling authority, as do the 'divine beings' that join with him, as his representatives.
* as a result, the Earth is judged and made 'void and waste' into darkness and flood. (Gen 1:2)
* the earth is restored in the 'six days of creation' for the purpose of man being...
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blackapologist
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Posted: July 17th 2008
@ 03:17 PM
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My sunday school teacher gave a good sermon about intercessory prayer. I'm going to re-give it here in this thread.
What do you think of when you think of prayer?
Our class came up with
God, Ourselves, asking, talking, conversation with God, listening to God, pleading, repentance, thanksgiving.
Then, the things we ask for, such as, well being, and strength from day to day, peace,
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blackapologist
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Posted: June 8th 2008
@ 08:24 PM
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Blackapologist here again.
I had a great revelation from God today. You often hear pastors talk about listening to the Holy Ghost, and "listen to your first instinct, because that's God speaking. When that voice says, 'don't do it' we need to obey"
This is a great teaching, but I am afraid that the point is missed here. If we are to be led by the Spirit, we ought to let ourselves be led by the Spirit. In other words, we need to spend more time in the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we will always...
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blackapologist
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Posted: May 26th 2008
@ 06:11 AM
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Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mouning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up" -James 4:9-10
"Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart"
-Ecclesiastes 7:3
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Just some scriptures that were on my mind.
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Timothy Leary
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Posted: May 22nd 2008
@ 09:22 AM
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Matthew 11:28-30Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Isaiah 53:5The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed
Exactly one week ago, I accepted Christ into my life. Since then, I have come to truly understand what it means to be healed by his wounds. I really don't...
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Jaltus
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Posted: May 11th 2008
@ 02:13 AM
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One of the most powerful books I have ever read is Silence by Shusaku Endo. It tells the story of a Catholic Portuguese missionary named Rodrigues who travels to Japan during the time that it is closed off to outsiders in order to keep the small Christian communities alive and to see if his mentor, who was caught by the Shogun of Japan, indeed committed apostasy. The book follows Rodrigues as he ministers to the Christians while trying to stay hidden until he is sold to the shogun by a traitor....
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