RonD1120

Thank you billvon. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

So . . . Jesus = LSD. Good to know. Similar, the main difference is with LSD you just hang on until it's over. Jesus takes your hand and you walk the path together for all eternity. Have a good trip! Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Since I am/was a professional counselor, I never thought of comparing the salvation from Jesus Christ to science until I started posting on SC. It seems most folks here are left brain dominant with very little right brain activity. For me, knowing Christ is a path to peace of mind and deliverance. Jesus will open up and enhance the creative side of your mental capacity. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

I use Google Chrome as my browser. When I clicked the attachment it automatically downloaded. Maybe the .doc is hidden on your HD somewhere. Edit to replace iGoogle. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

You came to this forum for that?! Talk about sending in a marshmallow to put out a bonfire. Naivete, true. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

On yesterday's news, 18 Mar, I kept hearing bits that Hillary Clinton has had it with BHO's indecisiveness. He is a college professor not a leader. BHO, as a member of the intellectual elite, doesn't seem to have the ability to lead a silent prayer. I'll bet it will be a long time before an intellectual type is elected president again. At least I hope so. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

FWIW, I start every morning, as a complement to my Bible study, with the daily devotional from Oswald Chambers, http://www.myutmost.org/index.html. I feel like it is man to man guidance. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

No sweat, you hold your own quite well. You know Whose you are. Keep it mind you are dealing with adolescent mentality or, teenage rebellion. We all have some measure of it. Use them for personal growth and understand that is not their purpose. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Who among us here, SC, would you consider enlightened? No one. Mostly because I don't typically think in those terms. Enlightenment is highly subjective, and therefore somewhat meaningless. (Those who are enlightened will agree with me here. ) Excellent grasshopper. You may advance one space on the rice paper but, do not leave a footprint. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Don't lose sight of the purpose of this thread was to show that some Christian folks are trying to help those who have been held in sexual bondage, as well as their captors, to achieve a little slice of utopia. The name of the slice is freedom. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

OK, so.... Why would the enlightened people (those who realize that there is only one reality) have any "difficulty with spiritual, supernatural, metaphysical thinking"? Seems like they would just see all of that stuff as part of reality. Who among us here, SC, would you consider enlightened? Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

You are on the right track. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Everyone thinks in a different context than the general population. That is true, the Eastern term is "Maya." It means the illusion of reality. That is why those that claim there is only one reality yet to be discovered have so much difficulty with spiritual, supernatural, metaphysical thinking. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

While it's admirable that you were willing to seek a way of changing, some people need something to help them, others ignore the issue completely. With that said, many people don't need the same guidance. I'm quite controlled in my life, I have no addictions, don't indulge in substances, I'm not violent. I have no need for a God in my life. And there are many others out there that are the same, as such I feel that the general idea of Christians of me 'needing God' is completely false - they may need God, but they in turn shouldn't feel as though they need to try get everyone to believe. I wish you good luck. Have a great weekend.

The problem for me was not knowing the difference between right and wrong. I understood that perfectly. My problem was controlling passion. Without Christ in my life and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, my passions are unbridled. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

That is a common sentiment in many and I don't blame you for seeking out something to make everything seem better, I think it's a natural human instinct. Without any insult intended- It reminds me a lot of the way psychiatric patients behave in certain cases. When people encounter situations where their brain struggles to process the reality of a situation it seeks for ways to combat this (on a sub-concious level). Like the cases where patients just tend to blank out and forget entire traumatic events, or continue their lives oblivious to the fact as sometimes present in trauma-induced psychosis or schizophrenia. Now I'm in no way calling anyone crazy, but I think one's brain has the tendency to do a similar thing. When it feels like it's struggling in any way to handle a situation it will do it's best to try find a way of dealing with it. I think in many cases there is this pattern of thought, of not wanting to believe that it's just life and then death - and one's inability to accept this and life happily with it, and as such sub-consciously or consciously seek ways to make life seem better. Just a similarity I notice, nothing more, nothing less. As I said, I think it's a very natural human response. All that sounds reasonable. In my case it was the desire for survival. I'll readily admit Jesus is my crutch, my eternal crutch. Accepting Him and, God's plan, didn't make everything all better. It gave me the peace of mind, comfort of God's love and, the grace to deal with life's problems. Being a Christian does not take away the problems, it gives us the power to deal with life on life's terms. Without Christ in my life I believe that I would either be dead or in prison. With Christ I have survived and thrived. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Sounds like you are an advocate for arranged marriages. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

That is a good question and difficult to answer. IMO, God desires a loving relationship with all of us. Love is a choice and cannot be forced. Without evil, how can we make the choice for an eternal loving relationship? Some make the choice for God through His plan i.e., Jesus Christ and some don't. It is a separation of the sheep and the goats. I am a sheep in Jesus' flock. It is my choice to love God. I made that choice out of the pain, sorrow and confusion of living in evil. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

It seems to me, the primary lesson is to understand "Agape" love in the midst of evil existence. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

In other words, you're beating people over the head with your beliefs. Nothing "positive" about it in my book -- I used to be a Christian and I know the essence of what it is: believe what I believe, or rot in hell forever. To me, that's a subtle form of hate (not-so-cleverly disguised as "love"), and quite worthy of contempt. Keep it comin', Stevebabin. Nope, that is not what I meant by personal growth and therapy. I am/was a professional counselor. I think in a different context than the general population. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Jesus Loves the Sexually Exploited—and the Exploiters by Kristyn Komarnicki Doesn’t it seem as if every movie and TV series these days eventually features some glib scene from or reference to the sex industry—that is, stripping, prostitution, or pornography—intended to amuse, titillate, or just provide a backdrop? While the enemy is relentless in his efforts to normalize sexual brokenness, abuse, and torture in our culture, God and his people are working to save those who become enmeshed in the horrors of the sex industry. In the March/April 2011 issue of PRISM, we feature the work of Rev. Irie Session, a Dallas pastor who found a special calling to women struggling to leave the sex industry. Read our most recent “Making a Difference” church profile, “Woman, Be Free!” Hookers for Jesus, birthed by a formerly prostituted woman, Annie Lobért, addresses the realities of human sex trafficking, sexual violence, and exploitation linked to pornography and the sex industry. The group is committed to reaching out to children/teens/women that need assistance and escape from sex slavery. Their urban ministry outreach, community awareness, and transitional housing program, The Destiny House, is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Emmaus works on the streets of Chicago reaching out to men in prostitution. Through nightly outreach teams and a daytime Ministry Center, Emmaus staff and volunteers build relationships of trust with these men, working together to help them get off the streets and to cultivate a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. The Pink Cross Foundation is a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to reaching out to those caught up in the sex industry, offering emotional, financial, and transitional support. Founded by former porn actress Shelley Lubben, the group focuses largely on reaching out to the adult film industry, offering support to both women and men. It also reaches out to those struggling with pornography offering education and resources to recover. The Dawn Court Project is an innovative program in Philadelphia that helps formerly prostituted women get off the streets and stay clean. If you’re skimming this page, please DON’T MISS THIS PART! I want to make it clear that both the exploited and the exploiter are broken and in need of God’s grace and love and the support of the church. Sexual brokenness is an equal-opportunity slave master. Read Sex Offenders in the Pew, a Christianity Today article that looks at how churches are ministering to society's most despised. Last but not least, former porn producer Donny Pauling now spends his life teaching Christians about what porn really is and how God’s grace can restore all our lives, no matter how badly we’ve abused ourselves and each other. Watch Pauling speak on 2011 Porn Sunday—this powerful presentation is worth the 45 minutes. http://evangelicalsforsocialaction.org/page.aspx?pid=396#Jesus%20Loves%20the%20Sexual%20Exploit Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Astute observation, I believe you are right on target. Back in the 60's, sport parachutists tended to ridicule everyone who wasn't a parachutist. It came from the military saying, "If you ain't airborne, you ain't shit." Some actually tried to pick bar fights based on this philosophy. Now the sport has grown and we are more civilized so we are cruel to each other. But, you know what? It is not just us. I went to work in the social services field believing it was a helping profession. It is an illusion of help. I have witnessed and experienced unimaginable mental cruelty exhibited by "professional" leadership. To some degree we are all "cupcakes" and, we have to learn to "suck it up." That is, if we are going to survive the zeitgeist. All we need is one true friend to help us stay on track. I pray that each of you find him/her. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Restate your question as a new thread and open it up to the SC group. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

No. It's irrelevant to the subject. That is exactly what I expected. My read is accurate but of no consequence. If you are interested, you can read about it the DSM-IV, Cluster B Personality Disorders. I leave the identification of the appropriate number to your investigation. No worries, it is an Axis II Diagnosis, not Axis I (Mental Illness). If you look carefully, you can find me in there too. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Did you read my question to you in the other thread? Are you going to respond to it? Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.