I wanted to send this article from Huntley Brown - a fabulous concert pianist, a man of God and a black man. I appreciate so much his reasoning for not voting for Obama. I would like to see his article published or spread out via Email to as many as possible. It's good stuff! ------------------------------- Why I Can't Vote For Obama By Huntley Brown Dear Friends, A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama, I sent out an email with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but it's worth repeating... First I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him. Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means He leads I follow. I can't dictate the terms He does because He is the leader. I can't vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first, black second. Neither should anyone from the other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior. In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning to name a few, wrong economic concerns will soon not matter. We need to follow Martin Luther King's words, don't judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I don't know Obama so all I can go off is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007. NATIONAL JOURNAL: Obama: Most Liberal Senator in 2007 (01/31/2008) To beat Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with. There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100 % rating. There is a reason the homosexual community supports him. There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc. love him. There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court. There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill. There is a reason he voted No on the consti tutional ban of same-sex marriage. There is a reason he voted No on banning partial birth abortion. There is a reason he voted No on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue. Let's take a look at the practice he wanted to continue The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedures: A. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps. (Remember this is a live baby) B. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal. C. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head. D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge th e hole. E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed. God help him. There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law. Think about this: You can't give a kid an aspirin without parental notification but that same kid can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane. There is a reason he went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years. Obama tells us he has good judgment but he sat under Jeremiah Wright teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright's sermons. I wonder why now? Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple is one in training. Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 - 20 'Go and make disciples of all nations.' This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to think like you, walk like you; talk like you believe what you believe etc. The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him? Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets that said they have a ... 1.Commitment to the White Community 2.Commitment to the White Family 3.Adherence to the White Work Ethic 4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community. 5.Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions 6.Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System 7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System. Would you support a President who went to a church like that? Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets of Obama's former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside. This kind of church is a racist church. Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discovered he went to a racist church. The church can't be about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world. A church can't have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandate. It does not matter if it is a white church or a black church it's still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like thi s would never get my vote. Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book A Black Theology of Liberation. Cone once wrote: 'Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this? So what does all this mean for the nation? In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one t hing - judgment. Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king. First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 'Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do. Then God says 1 Samuel 1:18 ' When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.' 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'No!' they said. 'We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.' 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, 'Listen to them and give them a king. ' Here is what we know for sure. God is not schizophrenic He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so ob viously many people are not hearing from God. Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it. For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy. I could not see Jesus a greeing with many of Obama's positions. Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends. Since we know someone's value system has to be placed on the nation, 1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation. 2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation? Blessings, Huntley Brown

IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY GOD OR HIS WORD: DON'T COME HERE! This is the testimony of my friend, who is JESUSWEPT1964 on MySpace. WARNING: Her recounting of God's grace in her life is so touching that you will need a tissue! I wanted to share it with you, for your edfication in Christ. It appears, exactly as she posted it, below. Please feel free to let her know on MySpace how/if her story touches you, and if your not on MySpace, feel free to post your thoughts below and I will happily forward them to her April 18, 2006 - Tuesday What's it like to be a Christian? One of the most frustrating things is the constant judging of Christian people, the constant war of the world against Christians. I find that it is just fine to be anything but a Christian according to the world! In the beginning, it is very painful to be treated so differently but after many days, months and years of the word, somehow, one day you just wake up different and no longer care what anyone thinks about Christianity. A boldness comes, a confidence and a peace beyond all understanding, and there is nothing anyone can do or say to make you feel terrible because loving Jesus Christ feels wonderful! Words cannot begin to describe how Jesus can make a person feel, He gives a strength that we never knew could exist inside of us. Nothing is too big for our Father and His Son and His Holy Spirit! I have been inspired by my own journey getting to know Christ and how hard it is to remain His from day to day. People believe that you just wake up one day and decide to be a Christian and that is definitely not how it happens. People also believe its easy to be a Christian and that is definitely not the case either. It is very difficult to be a loving, kind, sin-free person every single day of our life but it is the goal that we hope and pray to reach. Our goal is to be more like Jesus every single day and it is a long hard journey! I can truly say that there is not one day of my life that I can ever remember where I didnt believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost! I think about that often! How is it that I have always believed? How is it that others have never believed? I honestly feel like I was born believing in Christ! I have pondered on this many days in my life, Why have I always believed in God and others have never believed in Him? What is it or how is it that this happens? It has nothing to do with my family, my mother was not overly religios when I was a child, she didnt preach to me, she didnt teach me about God nor did she preach against Him, but yet, I have always believed! Every single day of my life I have known that there is a God and there is a Son! Does this mean I was Christian? No, it does not! I still sinned (even though when I was young, I worried a lot about sin), I still lived my own life, my own way! I didnt really know about Faith and how it worked in prayers! How did I become a Christian? Most of my early childhood, I prayed when no one ever taught me how to pray! I talked to God a lot, I prayed a lot, not ever really understanding that it made a difference! I started going to church but nothing ever impressed me much, I never knew what the heck these people were talking about, I just knew there was a Father, a Son and a Holy Ghost. But, yet, I still prayed! In my teens, I did what I wanted to do. I drank a lot of alcohol, I smoked, I experienced in a few drugs but something deep inside of me just knew this is not for me. When I was sad, I prayed! When I was happy, I prayed! I would be drawn to the Word several different times in my life and I could never make heads or tails out of any of it, there was no meaning, there was no understanding! Id get bored and sleepy and put it down and wait for the next time to see if anything would ever get through my head or grab my attention. Each time I grabbed the book, I always had the same results, nothing! I wanted to understand it, I craved to know the truth but there was just nothing there for me. All through my life, I had a hidden craving for God, I wanted to know Him but it seemed like nobody else did! My friends never spoke of Him, I never went to church with my closest friends, I went to church with people I never hung out with in school! My brothers were the only ones I really knew in church. God was for Sundays and then the rest of the week, I did what I wanted to do. But there was always that nudge deep inside of me for God! I got married at age 20. I had my first child at 21, and there is nothing (to me) that will make you believe in God more than carrying a human life in your very own belly! While I was pregnant with my son, I prayed a lot for his health. I picked up the Bible more times in those 9 months than I ever did in my life and I still could find no meaning to it! I became more worried about the soul of my child than I ever worried about my own. I would read the Bible outloud thinking just because I cant understand it doesnt mean something wont fall off into my belly, into my child!! When I gave birth to that beautiful little baby boy, there was nothing in this world that could convince me there was not a God! I just experienced a miracle of giving birth! I fell in love for the first time in my life, the deepest love I could have ever imagined! God gave me a son, a beautiful, healthy son! I followed my craving for God for the first 10 months of my sons life. I read the Bible outloud to him at night time while trying to get him to fall asleep, I wanted God in my sons life! As time went by, I read less and less and let the worlds trials have me! I had another son and a daughter! Each time I was pregnant, or my kids would get sick, I would become religious again! I guess I always knew I needed God for the things I didnt think I could handle on my own. But, once I got my way, back on my own again! When my husband and I divorced, guess who I needed again? I needed God again! There was no way I could get through this alone! I prayed and prayed and prayed never really believing that I would get an answer or that it made a difference! I taught me kids how to pray from the moment they were born, they prayed every night of their life as children! Being a single mother and facing the world on your own will bring you to your knees probably better and faster than anything else! Now, when I look back, I think, The only way I made it was because God was with me. Life was hard, people were mean and careless and no one was really there for me but it was a good thing!! God was there!! Finally when I had more than I could bare, I called out to God and He answered me and for the first time in my life when I opened the Good Book, the words just jumped out at me and everything made sense now! I am telling you, I could not put that book down, when I wasnt working I was reading the Bible! This book is the most incredible book in the world, everything makes sense now! I wanted to tell the whole wide world how very interesting this book is and how God can change your life! I felt, literally, that God had brought down His very hand and pulled me out of a deep dark pit and placed me on high. I was filled with joy, peace and satisfaction! I felt free, I felt like I was floating on a cloud that I never knew existed! God became so real to me, so close to me! I heard His voice for the first time in my life! My whole life became clear! I now knew why I was never satisfied before, I knew why I never felt like I fit in anywhere because I didnt!! I knew that I had always belonged to Him, but never realized it till now and I also realized He was always there, whispering to me, nudging me, prompting me, but I wouldnt take the time out to just stop and listen! My life was different now, every single thing was different! Things I never stopped to think about, I now did! The things I thought were important, now were not! There are souls to be saved!! I talked about Jesus Christ most everywhere I went, I was excited and overcome with joy but no one wanted to listen!! It use to wound me deeply, it made me cry when someone rejected the Word of God, I took it as a personal attack! I remember asking God, Why dont they see what I see? Why dont they listen? I was filled with the Holy Spirit of God for the first time in my life and there is nothing on this earth to compare with that!! It was the greatest thing that ever happened to me! I wanted the whole world to feel what I felt, but no one seemed interested! God guided every step of my life in that first year, always real close by, always talking to me, always with me, I could always feel Him! As time went on, I couldnt feel Him anymore but I kept walking, talking and praying! I honestly felt like There is no Chrisitans in this world. As the next few years went by I started noticing more and more Chrisitans coming out openly at the work place to the point of taking time out for prayer meetings in the office, Amazing! I used to think, first none nowhere and now everywhere!!! At one time in my life, I did not have one friend that was not Christian, we all were, that was so exciting to me! My life was so blessed, so free, so stress-free! As time went on, even the Christian friends were filled with things none should be filled with, jealousy, pride, boasting, show-boating, "who is the greatest of these" kind of thing. It was so painful to me to see and know these things, I just wanted it to stop!! Things in my own life started falling apart and all I truly and honestly cared about was people, for the first time in my life, I could feel others pains, others joys and I just wanted to make a difference, I wanted to share the gospel.. The more I cared, it seems the more my friends would distant themselves from me. Everything I did, every mistake I made was noticed. If I had a penny for every time someone said, Thats not very Christian or I thought you were a Christian.. over the most simple things in life, I promise you, I would be a millionaire! It felt like I was under survelliance day and night, being mocked, made fun of or judged! It simply is not easy being filled with the spirit of God and still having this flesh! But, no matter what happened in my every day life, when I went home at night, I still had God, I still had prayer and I still had His Word and no-one could stop me from being in relationship with Christ Jesus. He always comforted me, always loved me and always showed up for me! I became strong and bold and confident for the first time in my entire life. Through all the hard times, something good was still taking place. I learned how to forgive people I had hated since my childhood. I could finally see things through their eyes! There are some people in this world that just plain hate me only because I love Christ! God knows that I have made many mistakes, and that I have sinned many times but no one knows the love in my heart that I have for God and no-one can ever take that from me! God is my rock, He has never forsaken me, never let me go hungry and has always supplied my needs! He has always been there! There are times that I have made horrible choices and many have come against me for those choices but I have always been made to feel better because later on, the very poor mistake I made, made me stronger and wiser, and there was always someone else right behind me going through the very same thing that I had just come through, and now I was able and equipped to help them the rest of the way through! How amazing is it to find people in your life that are going through so much, so many people.. And you can actually say, Ive been there, I can help you. I have learned through my own walk not to judge people so harshly for their mistakes because when you love God, it will become a living testimony! Something really good will come from your weakest moments when you truly love the Lord! People will always say and do something against you when you love the Lord but He places you in every situation you are involved with once you know Him! What seems like the worst thing in the world for you to go through will end up bringing glory to the name of Christ! It is almost impossible to be a perfect Christian because there is so much more passion there than you have experienced before and it is not easy to handle! When something is clearly against the Lord and it is someone you love doing it, your passion becomes anger and you literally feel like choking the life out of them so they will do things right but you cant, you just have to talk when the opportunity is there and you have to pray always! The Lord says its alright to be angry but dont act on it! Let Him help you through it! We, as Christians fail so many times, but we always seem to get right back up and back on the right path, but I have not seen another judged as harshly as a Christian! People expect us to be perfect, but we are not! We go through so much more than the natural eye can see! Sometimes, I wish our hearts were just an open book so people can see, Hey, this is not easy, this is hard! Not loving God is easy, Not wanting to follow His commandments is easy, sinning is easy, but loving God and wanting to bring glory to His name is not easy! Its too big for us sometimes, we live in a world that hates us and we fall victim to sin sometimes but it is hurting us inside more than words can say, to hurt God is so painful! Give me a break, Im going through so much, cant you see? But, the truth is they cant see! They want to see something in us extra-ordinary, something special and the truth is sometimes we just dissapoint them! What a big responsibility we have in being Christian, we are the walking light of Jesus and what a big job that is for us to do, we are yet still flesh and not always of the spirit but it is our desire and our goal to be totally spiritual all the time, we dissapoint no other human as much as we dissapoint ourselves! How would you feel if you do something that seems extremely small compared to the non-Christian standing next to you but you are the one pointed out and belittled and judged? It hurts, trust me, but it doesnt stop us from moving forward and striving to be all that God has called us to be! We still wake up the next morning loving God! Why? Because once you know the truth, you have no choice but to move forward and leave what lies behind! All the talk of removing Jesus from the world upsets me and angers me but I live with it! Everyone else seems to have rights and laws protecting them now, but Christians are looked at as nuts, not important! It makes me want to scream at the whole wide world, You are nuts. But, I get my satisfaction in knowing Christ Jesus will never be pushed out of this world because He lives in too many hearts and His word is truth and everyone will know in the end, they shouldnt have tried so hard to rid Him out of the living because He will not be with the dead when it is all said and done! More than anger, I have fear and pity for those who do not believe in Him or worship Him or praise Him! How do I know Jesus is real? I have heard His voice, I have seen His face and I have felt His love and I have become a total different person than I use to be. No, maybe you cant see it because you didnt know me then, but I knew myself and now I know Him and He lives in Me forever and I am His! No, it is not easy being Christian but I wouldnt trade it for anything else in existence! Talk about us, mock us all you want to but it will never change our minds or our hearts. In our weaknesses comes our greatest rewards! Peace, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, compassion and love! In the end, every knee shall bow to Christ Jesus and every heart will know the truth, I just hope it's not too late for you! Hell is real! God is good! Lord, why can't they see what I see? ?? ??? 3:15 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment - JESUSWEPT1964 Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. 7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. 8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. 10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. 13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. 14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. 15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. 16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. 18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. 19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 20 ¶ The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. 23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. 24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. 25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; 26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. 27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks. 28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. 29 ¶ For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. 30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. 31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? 32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. 33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. 34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. 36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. 37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. 38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. 39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. 40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me. 41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not. 42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets. 43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me. 44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me. 45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places. 46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. 47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me. 48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. 49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. 50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. Posted by JESUSWEPT1964 on March 28, 2007 - Wednesday 3:42 AM [Reply to this] Read Related: Love and Sex Christian Life god love relationships Salvation Testimony Worlds feelings about Christians Share Email this Print This AIM This Share on Facebook Heart on SugarLoving Stumble It! Digg It! Add to Favorites Subscribe to Comments 1 comment Report Blog 1 Comment Add a Comment justanerd1975 1 I will start. My own life has also been filled with God's grace, just as my friends has. I have seen it in ways similar to hers, and in different circumstances that were/are mine alone. It's hard for me to think of a kid who needed God more than I did, or a kid more rebellious than I was in my teen years. I'm sure that I have probably shared most of my history with my friends here over time, but here's a recount. About the time that I came around, my mother who was unstable(mentally ill, refusing treatment) and my father was into drinking and partying. They were both only teens themseves,really,only 19 and 20. Obviously, my mother chose to gave me life. She does not believe in abortion. She was unable to do a sufficient job of caring for me. Ironically, my grandfather, who tried to convince my mother to abort me, was the one who cared for me the most in my childhood and teen years. He was my mother, father, best friend...and God, really. I have a naturally outgoing personality, without being loud, but as a kid my insecurities about life made me quiet and withdrawn as soon as I realized that my life was not like the other kids lives(at least from what I saw.) By the time I was 11, I had come to terms a bit with my life and taken the mental steps necessary to become soemone who could have friends and overcome the insecurity she felt inside. I had good friends ever since, and let me tell you, good friends are everything to a kid who is tossed from home to home and school to school all of her formative years. I thank God and my mother for giving me life, for giving me protection, and friends and grandparents who loved me and took me in when they had already raised all of their own children into adulthood and were retirement age. In my teens, I was sent to a Catholic High School by my Grandmom, who wanted to instill a faith in me and a working knowledge of the ten commandments. There, I learned about love, sex and rock-n-roll instead! I had my boyfriends, and went to parties, but the most risky thing I did was smoke a lot of weed and ride around on car hoods by the beach. God protected me through it all, despite, at times, (especially in my earlier teens) making seriously bad decisions that could have led to something very bad happening to me. When I was 18 I met a boy who wanted to marry me and I ironically got married to my first husband at the same age my mother was when she married my biological father. He promised me the white picket fence and little pink house, the baby, the dog, all of the American Dream. Inbetween 18 and 21, I started to grow up and he didn't so we parted ways-Ok truthfully, I flushed my wedding ring down the toilet and took our 2 year old son and left when I found out that he was cheating. I went through a couple of years of hating life to be sure, but God was still there, even though I also sought Him only when the shhh hit the fan.... I went to college, got my life together on my own in order to be able to take care of a child on my own, and met God's greatest gift to me besides my kids: my now-husband, Alan. I struggled to work through my psychological scars from my life just as everyone has to, and a few short years later God saved my life(literally,eternally)by reaching out to me in His mercy and saving me. I have enjoyed walking with the Lord ever since, and life has never been the same again. Not the same, because my heart is changed. My priorities were turned upside down, my pride was exposed, in love I was disciplined to rely on God's love and His grace, to trust Him. I have chosen not to trust Him though it is the only good choice, and reaped the consequences of those choices, and I have known His grace during those times & all my life. I have seen how good His way always is when I have trusted Him against all odds. My story is the same as yours in that way: we all have to trust God against all odds, and when we do, we all see how good His ways are when we do. Even if we don't, we see how good HE is, because He is always so good to us, isn't he? Hasn't He been good? "If the lion lies down with the lamb, the lamb must be replaced frequently." --Attributed to Martin Luther In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist violence of September 11, 2001.

IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY GOD OR HIS WORD: DON'T COME HERE! This is the testimony of my friend, who is JESUSWEPT1964 on MySpace. WARNING: Her recounting of God's grace in her life is so touching that you will need a tissue! I wanted to share it with you, for your edfication in Christ. It appears, exactly as she posted it, below. Please feel free to let her know on MySpace how/if her story touches you, and if your not on MySpace, feel free to post your thoughts below and I will happily forward them to her :) April 18, 2006 - Tuesday What's it like to be a Christian? One of the most frustrating things is the constant judging of Christian people, the constant war of the world against Christians. I find that it is just fine to be anything but a Christian according to the world! In the beginning, it is very painful to be treated so differently but after many days, months and years of the word, somehow, one day you just wake up different and no longer care what anyone thinks about Christianity. A boldness comes, a confidence and a peace beyond all understanding, and there is nothing anyone can do or say to make you feel terrible because loving Jesus Christ feels wonderful! Words cannot begin to describe how Jesus can make a person feel, He gives a strength that we never knew could exist inside of us. Nothing is too big for our Father and His Son and His Holy Spirit! I have been inspired by my own journey getting to know Christ and how hard it is to remain His from day to day. People believe that you just wake up one day and decide to be a Christian and that is definitely not how it happens. People also believe its easy to be a Christian and that is definitely not the case either. It is very difficult to be a loving, kind, sin-free person every single day of our life but it is the goal that we hope and pray to reach. Our goal is to be more like Jesus every single day and it is a long hard journey! I can truly say that there is not one day of my life that I can ever remember where I didnt believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost! I think about that often! How is it that I have always believed? How is it that others have never believed? I honestly feel like I was born believing in Christ! I have pondered on this many days in my life, Why have I always believed in God and others have never believed in Him? What is it or how is it that this happens? It has nothing to do with my family, my mother was not overly religios when I was a child, she didnt preach to me, she didnt teach me about God nor did she preach against Him, but yet, I have always believed! Every single day of my life I have known that there is a God and there is a Son! Does this mean I was Christian? No, it does not! I still sinned (even though when I was young, I worried a lot about sin), I still lived my own life, my own way! I didnt really know about Faith and how it worked in prayers! How did I become a Christian? Most of my early childhood, I prayed when no one ever taught me how to pray! I talked to God a lot, I prayed a lot, not ever really understanding that it made a difference! I started going to church but nothing ever impressed me much, I never knew what the heck these people were talking about, I just knew there was a Father, a Son and a Holy Ghost. But, yet, I still prayed! In my teens, I did what I wanted to do. I drank a lot of alcohol, I smoked, I experienced in a few drugs but something deep inside of me just knew this is not for me. When I was sad, I prayed! When I was happy, I prayed! I would be drawn to the Word several different times in my life and I could never make heads or tails out of any of it, there was no meaning, there was no understanding! Id get bored and sleepy and put it down and wait for the next time to see if anything would ever get through my head or grab my attention. Each time I grabbed the book, I always had the same results, nothing! I wanted to understand it, I craved to know the truth but there was just nothing there for me. All through my life, I had a hidden craving for God, I wanted to know Him but it seemed like nobody else did! My friends never spoke of Him, I never went to church with my closest friends, I went to church with people I never hung out with in school! My brothers were the only ones I really knew in church. God was for Sundays and then the rest of the week, I did what I wanted to do. But there was always that nudge deep inside of me for God! I got married at age 20. I had my first child at 21, and there is nothing (to me) that will make you believe in God more than carrying a human life in your very own belly! While I was pregnant with my son, I prayed a lot for his health. I picked up the Bible more times in those 9 months than I ever did in my life and I still could find no meaning to it! I became more worried about the soul of my child than I ever worried about my own. I would read the Bible outloud thinking just because I cant understand it doesnt mean something wont fall off into my belly, into my child!! When I gave birth to that beautiful little baby boy, there was nothing in this world that could convince me there was not a God! I just experienced a miracle of giving birth! I fell in love for the first time in my life, the deepest love I could have ever imagined! God gave me a son, a beautiful, healthy son! I followed my craving for God for the first 10 months of my sons life. I read the Bible outloud to him at night time while trying to get him to fall asleep, I wanted God in my sons life! As time went by, I read less and less and let the worlds trials have me! I had another son and a daughter! Each time I was pregnant, or my kids would get sick, I would become religious again! I guess I always knew I needed God for the things I didnt think I could handle on my own. But, once I got my way, back on my own again! When my husband and I divorced, guess who I needed again? I needed God again! There was no way I could get through this alone! I prayed and prayed and prayed never really believing that I would get an answer or that it made a difference! I taught me kids how to pray from the moment they were born, they prayed every night of their life as children! Being a single mother and facing the world on your own will bring you to your knees probably better and faster than anything else! Now, when I look back, I think, The only way I made it was because God was with me. Life was hard, people were mean and careless and no one was really there for me but it was a good thing!! God was there!! Finally when I had more than I could bare, I called out to God and He answered me and for the first time in my life when I opened the Good Book, the words just jumped out at me and everything made sense now! I am telling you, I could not put that book down, when I wasnt working I was reading the Bible! This book is the most incredible book in the world, everything makes sense now! I wanted to tell the whole wide world how very interesting this book is and how God can change your life! I felt, literally, that God had brought down His very hand and pulled me out of a deep dark pit and placed me on high. I was filled with joy, peace and satisfaction! I felt free, I felt like I was floating on a cloud that I never knew existed! God became so real to me, so close to me! I heard His voice for the first time in my life! My whole life became clear! I now knew why I was never satisfied before, I knew why I never felt like I fit in anywhere because I didnt!! I knew that I had always belonged to Him, but never realized it till now and I also realized He was always there, whispering to me, nudging me, prompting me, but I wouldnt take the time out to just stop and listen! My life was different now, every single thing was different! Things I never stopped to think about, I now did! The things I thought were important, now were not! There are souls to be saved!! I talked about Jesus Christ most everywhere I went, I was excited and overcome with joy but no one wanted to listen!! It use to wound me deeply, it made me cry when someone rejected the Word of God, I took it as a personal attack! I remember asking God, Why dont they see what I see? Why dont they listen? I was filled with the Holy Spirit of God for the first time in my life and there is nothing on this earth to compare with that!! It was the greatest thing that ever happened to me! I wanted the whole world to feel what I felt, but no one seemed interested! God guided every step of my life in that first year, always real close by, always talking to me, always with me, I could always feel Him! As time went on, I couldnt feel Him anymore but I kept walking, talking and praying! I honestly felt like There is no Chrisitans in this world. As the next few years went by I started noticing more and more Chrisitans coming out openly at the work place to the point of taking time out for prayer meetings in the office, Amazing! I used to think, first none nowhere and now everywhere!!! At one time in my life, I did not have one friend that was not Christian, we all were, that was so exciting to me! My life was so blessed, so free, so stress-free! As time went on, even the Christian friends were filled with things none should be filled with, jealousy, pride, boasting, show-boating, "who is the greatest of these" kind of thing. It was so painful to me to see and know these things, I just wanted it to stop!! Things in my own life started falling apart and all I truly and honestly cared about was people, for the first time in my life, I could feel others pains, others joys and I just wanted to make a difference, I wanted to share the gospel.. The more I cared, it seems the more my friends would distant themselves from me. Everything I did, every mistake I made was noticed. If I had a penny for every time someone said, Thats not very Christian or I thought you were a Christian.. over the most simple things in life, I promise you, I would be a millionaire! It felt like I was under survelliance day and night, being mocked, made fun of or judged! It simply is not easy being filled with the spirit of God and still having this flesh! But, no matter what happened in my every day life, when I went home at night, I still had God, I still had prayer and I still had His Word and no-one could stop me from being in relationship with Christ Jesus. He always comforted me, always loved me and always showed up for me! I became strong and bold and confident for the first time in my entire life. Through all the hard times, something good was still taking place. I learned how to forgive people I had hated since my childhood. I could finally see things through their eyes! There are some people in this world that just plain hate me only because I love Christ! God knows that I have made many mistakes, and that I have sinned many times but no one knows the love in my heart that I have for God and no-one can ever take that from me! God is my rock, He has never forsaken me, never let me go hungry and has always supplied my needs! He has always been there! There are times that I have made horrible choices and many have come against me for those choices but I have always been made to feel better because later on, the very poor mistake I made, made me stronger and wiser, and there was always someone else right behind me going through the very same thing that I had just come through, and now I was able and equipped to help them the rest of the way through! How amazing is it to find people in your life that are going through so much, so many people.. And you can actually say, Ive been there, I can help you. I have learned through my own walk not to judge people so harshly for their mistakes because when you love God, it will become a living testimony! Something really good will come from your weakest moments when you truly love the Lord! People will always say and do something against you when you love the Lord but He places you in every situation you are involved with once you know Him! What seems like the worst thing in the world for you to go through will end up bringing glory to the name of Christ! It is almost impossible to be a perfect Christian because there is so much more passion there than you have experienced before and it is not easy to handle! When something is clearly against the Lord and it is someone you love doing it, your passion becomes anger and you literally feel like choking the life out of them so they will do things right but you cant, you just have to talk when the opportunity is there and you have to pray always! The Lord says its alright to be angry but dont act on it! Let Him help you through it! We, as Christians fail so many times, but we always seem to get right back up and back on the right path, but I have not seen another judged as harshly as a Christian! People expect us to be perfect, but we are not! We go through so much more than the natural eye can see! Sometimes, I wish our hearts were just an open book so people can see, Hey, this is not easy, this is hard! Not loving God is easy, Not wanting to follow His commandments is easy, sinning is easy, but loving God and wanting to bring glory to His name is not easy! Its too big for us sometimes, we live in a world that hates us and we fall victim to sin sometimes but it is hurting us inside more than words can say, to hurt God is so painful! Give me a break, Im going through so much, cant you see? But, the truth is they cant see! They want to see something in us extra-ordinary, something special and the truth is sometimes we just dissapoint them! What a big responsibility we have in being Christian, we are the walking light of Jesus and what a big job that is for us to do, we are yet still flesh and not always of the spirit but it is our desire and our goal to be totally spiritual all the time, we dissapoint no other human as much as we dissapoint ourselves! How would you feel if you do something that seems extremely small compared to the non-Christian standing next to you but you are the one pointed out and belittled and judged? It hurts, trust me, but it doesnt stop us from moving forward and striving to be all that God has called us to be! We still wake up the next morning loving God! Why? Because once you know the truth, you have no choice but to move forward and leave what lies behind! All the talk of removing Jesus from the world upsets me and angers me but I live with it! Everyone else seems to have rights and laws protecting them now, but Christians are looked at as nuts, not important! It makes me want to scream at the whole wide world, You are nuts. But, I get my satisfaction in knowing Christ Jesus will never be pushed out of this world because He lives in too many hearts and His word is truth and everyone will know in the end, they shouldnt have tried so hard to rid Him out of the living because He will not be with the dead when it is all said and done! More than anger, I have fear and pity for those who do not believe in Him or worship Him or praise Him! How do I know Jesus is real? I have heard His voice, I have seen His face and I have felt His love and I have become a total different person than I use to be. No, maybe you cant see it because you didnt know me then, but I knew myself and now I know Him and He lives in Me forever and I am His! No, it is not easy being Christian but I wouldnt trade it for anything else in existence! Talk about us, mock us all you want to but it will never change our minds or our hearts. In our weaknesses comes our greatest rewards! Peace, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, compassion and love! In the end, every knee shall bow to Christ Jesus and every heart will know the truth, I just hope it's not too late for you! Hell is real! God is good! Lord, why can't they see what I see? ?? ??? 3:15 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment - JESUSWEPT1964 Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. 7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. 8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. 10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. 13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. 14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. 15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. 16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. 18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. 19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 20 ¶ The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. 23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. 24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. 25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; 26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. 27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks. 28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. 29 ¶ For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. 30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. 31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? 32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. 33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. 34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. 36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. 37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. 38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. 39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. 40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me. 41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not. 42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets. 43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me. 44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me. 45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places. 46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. 47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me. 48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. 49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. 50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. Posted by JESUSWEPT1964 on March 28, 2007 - Wednesday 3:42 AM [Reply to this]

Galations 3:1-5: "Oh foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? - Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?? Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?? 5Does He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith??" Faith is what matters for the Christian, which comes not through our works but through hearing God's word. The law ( adding the works of our flesh onto the gospel) was already determined a flase understanding of grace. It nullifies the grace of God. Did you get that? If we add to His grace in our lives, we NULLIFY His grace in our lives! This is a scary, sobering truth! If we want God's grace to be able to, free to, work in our lives we need to resist going backwards, back into legalism. We go back into bondage when we enter into legalism. How do we know when we are back into legalism? We say we must "try harder", when we should be saying we must "trust harder". We say things like "Well, God helps those who help themselves,so...." but is that Biblical? Does God say that? God says that no works(deeds) of ours can ever save us/save someone else/change the world/bring about God's favor without salvation. But worst of all, when we say this we say that Jesus died on the cross For No Reason. It is saying that He suffered, bled and died for no purpose because "I can help myself, and I do- I am perfectly capable and independent, I don't need Christ in order to be saved or have the life He want's me to have...I am my own God... I can do it ..." Sound doctrine does not support legalism; it supports the gospel of grace. Wondering if your accepted by Christ or not based upon the shifting sand of your good deeds, or your families good deeds, will suck the joy out of your salvation! It reflects a sinful neglect of the divine respurces Jesus died for us to have: these resources keep Jesus and His cross forefront in our minds and hearts. They won't let us forget about the cross and all that Jesus has done for us! They help us live the cross centered life. We can never outgrow the cross as Christians. We can never get to where we understand it fully and can say "time to move on now." We will never find a bigger or better thing to spend our lifetimes studying and learning about. The Galations rejected the gospel of grace, preferring to be thinking instead that they were saved by their good works. That "surely they saved them a spot in Heaven." Paul was seeking here to rip down the false ideas these galations had, asking them " Were we saved by works? Or, when we recieved salvation(a free gift) from the Holy Spirit through hearing the gospel message through faith, did that save us?" Flesh is our autonomous self, always trying to concern itself with our accomplishments. It's the self that is pestering "Well, it was all my hard work that earned xyz..." or "I worked so hard! I deserve xyz!".... it says "Yes, you began with faith but now, well now it's about your works..." No, It's Not. It's about esus' works- His finished work, on the cross, for all of us who trust and lean on His name as our only hope! It's not about our works but about hearing God's word in faith. That's what matters to God. He knows we are sinners, he knows that we will sin even if we are saved and live a life that is so grace-filled it couldn't be any more covered by His grace- because that's who we are. But still, He see's our faith in Him and that is what matters. He sent His son to die for us, in order to pay our debt that we could never pay. He cares about us that much. And it didn't stop there- His mercy and grace covers us every day of our lives after that, and it is what ushers us up into Heaven when we die, where we get to be with God forvever!,NOT because we deserve it. Because HIS grace and mercy is our salvation, our ever=present help in times of need, our only hope, our joy and our song. Don't you feel joyful already this morning, having reminded yourselves of this truth? Psalm 84:11: " For the Lord is our light and protector: He gives us grace and glory. No Good Thing Will The Lord Withold From Those Who Do Right." Proverbs 1:9: " What you learn from them (mom and dad) will crown your head with grace, and will clothe you with honor." Joel 2:23 " Rejoice, you people! Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rains He sends are an expression of His grace. Once more the Autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of Spring."

Since this is my personal blog, I am going to adress just this one last comment here before I move past these topics, because I really want to communicate clearly that it is not people I am attacking when I uphold what the Bible says about what is sin it is just,simply the sin. I won't put the commentors name just because there's no reason to: "Justanerd- prehaps yell is a stronger word that was required however understand that this is a HUGE issue for a lot of people.When you quote the bible, it is true for you but for many people on here, the bible is either just a book or not true. Before you say that I think your a freaky fanatical and I have never read the bible, please do understand that while I am a christian and I am active in my church in many ways, my religion may have a different interpretation of the bible than yours. I have always been taught to hate the sin and love the sinner. Only God can judge, it is not up to me to tell other people how to live their lives. I accept everybody and their sins. I am not perfect therefore I can not tell somebody that they are wrong for being gay ( which I dont believe is a sin, its the way you were born, imho) , or for not wanting to have condoms etc in schools. God loves us unconditionally, even when we mess up. *****This is me talking: First, I don't see how the Bible can be taught in more than one way, unless there is sin involved on the pastors part. Anyways I also agree with loving the person and not the sin, as I have already said. It is true that God is the only ultimate judge of people and their souls, however people are instructed "to recognize other believers by their fruit" this means that we will know if others are truly belivers by what they do and what they say. This requires some judgement - though we certainly are not the ultimate judge,God is. Ok, here's where I really disagree: if the Bible says XYZ is a sin, how can you, as a Christian, say that XYZ is not a sin? In order to do that, a believer would have to sin against God to say that what He deems a sin, is not a sin. God does love us unconditionally, that is why He even saves us, and we stay saved(lol) but He still disciplines us as believers- He still desires us to do right and teaches us to do right, this is different than not loving us-but it is conditional- in that he is teaching us to think and act righteously- not taking away His love in order to do so- but rather, loving us enough to correct us and discipline us. I only mention this because many people equate the discipline of God with Him not having unconditional love for His people, which is not the truth. Ok back to the comment: "I dont think anybody is bad based upon what the believe or do not believe. I fail to understand how many of my friends feel that somebody who has never heard the word of God is going to hell. I just dont understand. Even for those who have. I have always felt that if you are a good person in general you are most likely living along with the rules that God put forth for people and that heaven is still an option for them. ..." ****Me speaking again: The Bible says that if a man has never heard the word of God than God knows that and will judge his soul accordingly. It also says that God's will is implanted in the heart of every man, it is what we call our conscience, but that is a whole other post....and that next sentance, really upsetting for me. How can it be said that if we just live righteously enough, then Heaven is still an option for us- that we are saved? Saved by our works? Is this what the Bible says? No, it says that no man can be saved by His works, so that no man can boast and say that he has saved himself by his own righteousness. In fact many a very good man will go to hell because he will not accept salvation. And, I can personally testify, that many a big fat sinner like myself accepts salvation and by God's grace is saved, and does have heaven as a promise to me, only due to God's grace and through only faith; my works could never earn me salvation and neither could anyone else's. Back to the comment again.... "I dont think you can interpret every part of the bible as true because there are some very antiquated ideals in there. I think that most of the bible is filled with stories of how God wants people to treat each other and if more Christians actually lived a chrisitan life people wouldnt think of christians as so judgemental. If we all just were nice to each other and forgiving of each other the world would be a much much better place." ****Me again: I think this is so, sooo sad :( I actually have tears in my eyes from reading this :( :( The word of God is inerrant, friends! It is the unerrant word of God. There are no mistakes, no antiquated stories, only the word of God to us, fit for every need in our lives today. It is a sad reality that if a believer truly lives as a believer than people will hate him/her. Of course they will. People hated Jesus- religious people hated Him. The unrepentant people hated Him. Why did they hate Jesus? How could anyone hate Jesus?? You tell me. You know why- because He lived as a believer in this world, that's why. Back to the comment: "All I am trying to say is that the Bible may or may not be totally true, if people were kinder to each other the world would be a better place, only God can judge and prehaps yell was a stronger wording than necessary justanerd." ***Me , for the close: Oh friend the Bible is the only total truth here in this earth. Trust it an use it as your wisdom and your shield. The world would be better if people would be kinder, yet being kinder does not mean ceasing to uphold truth because someone may be offended. that is fear of man. Only God is the ultimate judge, people are just called to judge insofar as identifying if a person is a believer or not- because some will say they are, and thier fruits will be rotten(not the truth of God.) Some will really think that they are believers and are Christians-yet their fruit will say "I am decieved, help me." Your fruit, dear poster, says that you are decieved and I will in love pray for you. I am not your ultimate judge, and this is not about judging. This is about recognizing bad teaching that you have been given and pointing you back tot he truth, the One, to God, in love for you. I would be so lacking in love for you if I looked the other way and continued on my path, not caring wnough to correct you, to help you, to hold your heart up to Jesus in sweet prayer for you. ....

So many of you already know that I have exhibited wrong behavior on a few posts that riled me up. I have made comments in my annoyance with certain societal trends like "that's crappy parenting" and "I don't think your mother would be proud of you, doing XYZ " (We won't get into what that was again here ;).... I am intending this post to be an apology post. An apology for exhibiting a lack of self-control and becoming irritated at posts ( and on a few occasions, posters ) and showing y irritation... for coming across as insulting at times to people... I know that my way of living is not universally accepted and should not be surprised, therefore, when people and the world at large disagree with what I believe is right living.... and as a Christian, I certainly am doing wrong if I allow myself to quarrell with God's children over issues that,ultimately, will soon pass away and are of less importance than God's commandment to me (to all believers) which is to "love my neighbor as I love Him." .... So, I am taking a break from those posts that tend to upset me because I don't want to tempt myself to impatience ( also known as unkindness) and sin against all you good people here on Sugar again. I am sure I will be sorely missed...LOL ;) :) ...but I am going to be trolling around on Party, Fit and Bella,etc. where the chances of me getting all heated up over an appetizer recipe or blush suggestion are quite low ;) If you see me there, I promise to say hi and not talk about politics, religion, or other possibly frustrating topics :) Have a great day :)

The power of prayer in a believer's life.... where shall I begin? Let us sit under the wise words of Mr. Charles Spurgeon for a moment: Let your prayers unite with one heart and with one soul to plead with God for your neighborhood! Cary the names of your neighbors written on your breast just as the high priest o old carried the names of the tribes. Mothers, bear your children before God! Fathers, carry your son's and daughter's! Let us interceed for a wicked world and the dark places thereof that are full of the habitations of cruelty! Let us cry aloud and keep no silence, giving the Lord no rest untill He establishes and makes His church a praise in the earth. Wake you watchmen upon Zion's hills and renew your shouts! The cloud hangs above you- it is yours to draw down it's sacred flood in genial showers by earnest prayers. God has put high up in the mountains of His promise springs of love- it is yours to bring them down by the divine channel of your intense supplications. Let us be Christians. Let us have expanded souls and minds that can feel for others. Let us weep with them that weep and rejoice with them that rejoice, and as a church and as privte persons, we shall find the Lord will turn our captivity when we pray for our friends.... :) From The Power Of Prayer In a Beliver's Life by Charles Spurgeon, 1993 by Emerald Books

DEVELOPMENT OF FETUS INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN FETAL GROWTH please visit this web site for more information on human fetal development http://pregnantpause.org <------------------------ zygote A fertilized egg at high magnification Male and female genetic material (DNA) is in the 2 pronuclei (circles) in the center A polar body is seen at one o'clock - just under the shell 2 celled embryo ------------------------------> <----------------- 4 celled embryo High quality 4 cell embryo from IVF Upper cell in middle is out of plane of focus Zona pellucida (shell) visible as halo (not in focus) Numerous sperm are visible attached to the outside of the zona (they lost the race) 8 celled embryo ---------------------> High quality 8-cell embryo from in vitro fertilization 4 cells are seen in the plane of focus We are hatching this embryo just prior to the embryo transfer procedure The holding pipette is on the far left <-----------------blastocyst Another high quality human blastocyst The developing fetus itself is the area marked as "ICM" (inner cell mass) The blastocoel cavity in the center is marked as "C" The trophectoderm cells that will form the placenta surround the cavity - one is marked with a "T" 6 weeks fetus -------------------> The embryo is about 1/6 inch long and has developed a head and trunk. Structures that will become arms and legs, called limb buds, begin to appear. Blood is beginning to be pumped through fetal circulation. Heartbeat is visible by ultrasound. <----------------9 weeks The embryo is about 1/2 inch and has four chambered heart and nostrils. Fingers and toes begin to form. Reflex activity begins with the development of the brain and nervous system. 24 weeks------------------> The fetus is about 9 inches from head to rump and weighs about 2 pounds The fetus can respond to sound. About 4 out of 10 babies born now may survive (with intensive care services). <--------------later stages The fetus is about 14 inches from head to rump, may be more than 20 inches overall, and may weigh from 6 1/2 to 10 pounds. The baby is full-term and ready to be born. SUMMARY OF FETAL GROWTH First Trimester: A Period of Dramatic Development-------> WEEK ONE: The egg and sperm meet in the mother's fallopian tube. In a process known as conception (or fertilization), the two combine into a single cell. In this single cell, the gender (male or female) of the individual has already been determined. The baby now has all the genetic information he will ever have: a unique combination of 46 human chromosomes resides in this single cell, half of them from the egg and half of them from the sperm. For the rest of his life, nothing new will be added to his makeup, only nutrition and oxygen. Cell division begins about a day after conception. By the time this new individual burrows into his mother's uterine lining (a process known as implantation) at 7-10 days after conception he will have grown from a single cell into 128 to 256 cells. 18-25 DAYS: The baby is only 1/100 of an inch long, but his tiny heart is already beating. By the 20th day, the foundation for the nervous system is laid down. WEEK FOUR: By now, blood circulation is well-established. The larynx and inner ear are beginning to form, as are the legs and arms. The liver, pancreas, lungs, and stomach are also forming. By this point, the baby is 4-6 millimeters long from head to rump. WEEK FIVE: The baby is now about 7-9 mm from head to rump. In the process of developing, the baby will go through three sets of kidneys. This week, the last set of kidneys appears. 42 DAYS: The skeleton is complete and reflexes are present. Brain waves (the presence or absence of which are used as a legal means to declare a born person living or dead) can be detected. WEEK SIX: Now the baby is about 8-11 mm. Although the mother won't be able to feel the baby's kick for many weeks to come, he is now moving in his amniotic sac. The baby has all the internal organs of an adult. The process of ossification (the hardening of the bones) begins. WEEK SEVEN: 13-17 mm long and weighing about a gram, the baby would move away if touched through the uterine wall now. If you were to tickle his nose, he would move his head away from the stimulus. WEEK EIGHT: The baby is now 27-35 mm long (1.06-1.38 inches), and weighs 4 grams. His upper lip, external ears, and external genitalia are visible. WEEK NINE: The baby weighs about 7 grams. The iris of the eye and the finger nails appear now. He can squint, swallow, move his tongue, and would make a fist if you were to stroke his palm. WEEK TEN: The baby's brain now has the same structure it will have at birth. Within the next week, all body systems will begin functioning. WEEK ELEVEN: The baby's teeth have formed, the pancreas is secreting insulin, and villi (finger-like projections that absorb nutrients) are developing in the baby's intestines. The fetal heartbeat can be detected electronically now. WEEK TWELVE: The baby is sucking his thumb vigorously and practices breathing the amniotic fluid into and out of his lungs to develop them. His kidneys are making urine and his heartbeat can be detected electronically. Second Trimester: Preparing for Survival Outside the Womb----------> WEEK FOURTEEN: Mothers who are very thin or who have already had children might be able to feel the baby move by now. First-time mothers may not feel the movements for another 6-8 weeks. Using ultrasound, the baby's gender may be detected. WEEK FIFTEEN: The baby weighs about 142 grams (5 ounces). Loud noises might startle him. WEEK SIXTEEN: The baby has eyelashes and reacts to touch and noise.He is about 8 inches long and about 198 grams (7 ounces) in weight. The baby's fingerprints are developed. WEEK SEVENTEEN: Girl babies will now have primitive egg cells in their ovaries. The buds that will become the permanent teeth have formed behind the baby's milk teeth. WEEK NINETEEN: While the baby can still move around in the amniotic fluid, he is preparing to settle into a head down position. The baby weighs about a pound (369 grams) now. WEEK TWENTY: The baby is getting bigger and now has eyebrows. WEEK TWENTY-ONE: Growth continues. If the baby were born at this point, he would have a chance of survival. The chances of survival get better and better with every passing day. WEEK TWENTY-FOUR: Four out of 10 babies will live if born now. Third Trimester: Weight Gain and Further--------> Refinement WEEK TWENTY-SEVEN: The baby urinates about a half liter of urine everyday. Mothers may notice smaller movements such as those of the baby's elbow and knees. WEEK TWENTY-EIGHT: The baby now weighs in at about 3 pounds. About nine out of 10 babies will survive if born now. WEEK TWENTY-NINE: The baby's irises dilate and contract in response to light changes in the uterus. WEEK THIRTY-THREE: The baby's organ systems have all been present for many weeks, and now the final refinements are being made. The baby is now putting on about .5 pounds a week. WEEK THIRTY-EIGHT: Now the baby is ready to be born. The average baby will weigh about 7.5 pounds and be about 20 inches long.

God's thoughts on conflict resolution: "If your brother has sinned against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you." Matthew 18:15 "You may only come to me i you have confronted your brother/sister first and he/she will not listen to you." Matthew 18:17 As always, God is All About love and forgiveness! Happy Sunday everyone :)

Gone Away Lyrics Artist(Band):Offspring Review Of The Song Maybe in another life I could find you there Pulled away before your time I can't deal it's so unfair And it feels And it feels like Heaven's so far away And it feels Yeah it feels like The world has grown cold Now that you've gone away Leaving flowers on your grave Show that I still care But black roses and Hail Mary's Can't bring back what's taken from me I reach to the sky And call out your name And if I could trade I would And it feels And it feels like Heaven's so far away And it stings Yeah it stings now The world is so cold Now that you've gone away Gone away, gone away, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah Oooooo, yeah oooooo, oooooo, Ohh yeah. I'll Save Your Soul Whoa. Yeaaaaaeeeaaeah. Mm. I reach to the sky And call out your name Oh please let me trade I would And it feels And it feels like Heaven's so far away And it feels Yeah it feels like The world has grown cold Now that you've gone away Gone away, gone away, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah Oooooo, yeah oooooo, oooooo, Ohh yeah. Oooooo, yeah oooooo, oooooo, Ohh yeah. Review about Gone Away: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the heart | Reviewer: Daniel Wilson | 7/21/2008 I've known and loved this song for so long. Never realized how much it mean't till today. My dad just died. It's like the song's coming from inside my soul. This song has such deep feelings that it brings out. Love you always Dad!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- r.i.p my baby chad | Reviewer: ivas gregory | 7/12/2008 thank's guys for that song . its one of the best songings i ever heard it helps me alot but i didnt hear it the year it come out it go's out to my son R.I.P dec,23/07 7 mounts old i love u 4 ever from ur dad ........... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- and it feels like im the only 1 | Reviewer: phil armstrong | 5/21/2008 thank you offspring i have been through a lot in the last three years and i still have alot to go through but your song has and always will pull me through the other side and onto the right path im 18 and i kno 1day i will be a successful chef jus liekOffspring have been successful wit there gorgeous music thank you offspring -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Song | Reviewer: Andrew | 2/9/2008 This song really speaks to me. I have lost Three relatives in the past year and this song really means alot to me. Gone Away always jerks my heart out because it has so much meaning in the lyrics and i just love this song. Offspring you rock!!!!! Thank you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- mom and dad | Reviewer: Dustin | 12/7/2007 my mother and father died when I was 19 and this song really means alot. even though I am 23 i cannot stop thinking about them every day. I would trade just so I could not hurt anymore it makes sense. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- my god | Reviewer: Anonymous | 12/3/2007 I love this song very much and I have a love right now and it really makes me think about how much I can loose her. This song makes me feel more gratefull for my love and how lucky I am to have her. Thank you Offspring -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- friends forever | Reviewer: circuitface | 11/27/2007 My best friend died 3 weeks ago. I woke up upset yesterday and was crying on the way to work when this came on the radio. I bought Ixnay the day it came out and this song was always my favorite. I never thought it's words could ring so true. Lord if i could trade, how i would. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE best of all time | Reviewer: mark | 11/17/2007 what can i say that has not already been said, this is in my eyes the greatest song ever written. It's a song for all those who have lost someoen dear to them who wish they could have or could have replaced them in death. Being someone who has lost all of his elder family this song means a lot to me and i wish on my day someone would play it for me. Lyrically THE best offspring song ever written. RIP the loved who's love will not be forgotten. -mip -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lost One Too | Reviewer: P.K. | 11/10/2007 THis song describes exactly the way I feel about my first love. She died of cancer several years ago and this song yanks my heart out and stomps on it. Like 'ol E.J. said "and it feels so good to hurt so bad and suffer just enough to sing the blues." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RIP Don | Reviewer: SPC Smud | 11/8/2007 I'm a U.S. Army soldier in Iraq. My team leader was killed recently and it's hard to move on, but this song helps. Thanx Offspring. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------