Discussion Board

Welcome to August! May this be your month to beat the heat and the devil!

For beating the heat, I suggest drinking plenty of water and snacking on cold watermelon and cantaloupe! I think the August peaches will be good here too!

For beating the devil, you must don God's armor and always pray:

"10 Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." (Ephesians 6, NIV)

Please post your praises, thanksgivings, prayer requests, questions and comments here. Let us pray for one another!

Thank you pinkrose for the verses. Amen.

I am so glad we serve a risen Saviour,
He's in the world today,
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him,
He's always near.
He Lives, He Lives, Christ Jesus lives today,
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way,
He Lives, He Lives, salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He Lives......
He lives within my heart.

from memory, so forgive me if there are mistakes.

God Bless you my friends on this wonderful Lord's day.

Amen Luvoatmeal! It's not just at Easter that we should proclaim that He lives.

Blessings to you all,
Jubilee (getting ready for a fun week of VBS)

Hi everyone,

Happy August! Ironically, I have been recently meditating most deeply on a sentence stated by Gandhi:

"My life is my message."

My emphasis for this month (as it always should be) is to make sure Christ is what everyone sees in my life. I am so thankful for the abundant information available on this forum in regards to physical health, but it is ultimately meaningless unless a person's eternal health is secure as well. Today in church I was reminded once again how critical it is that I keep my priorities straight. I'll be praying for all of you on here, have a Christ-centered day!

And in the words of Paul:

"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3)

Matt,
It is so nice to have you hear - WELCOME!!

To go along with what you said and the quote by Gandhi, the Apostle Paul said in II Cor. 3:2:

Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.

It's my constant desire and prayer also that others would see Christ in me. We are His ambassadors.

Hello Jubilee!! Have fun at VBS!

Hey, Luv and Matt, thank you for sharing those thoughts and verses! We must be thinking along the same lines today... it is all about our life witness.

Our message in church this evening was on the purpose of the church- being salt and light. In both cases, it's our witness, both through words and good works, that are to bring others to Christ. If we're not doing that, what are we here for? My pastor asked a question that convicted me- "If every believer was like me, what would the church be like?" He didn't mean the point that we are all parts of the body, though different. What he meant was, if every believer witnessed as much, or in the way that I do, would many people be saved (ala Matt. 28:19-20)? If every believer loved exactly as much as I do, would others even know we are Christians (ala Jn. 13:35)? If every believer was as obedient as I am, would the church be a very good witness?, etc. I was convicted.

May we all be salt that has not lost it's savor, and light that is not put under a bushel to a world that so desperately needs that light.

On another subject- My VBS lesson is on Jonah and obedience. -another area of conviction there. Am I using the gifts (including knowing how to eat healthy) that God has given me, and that I know He wants me to use? Or, am I stubbornly and disobediently running from what I know I am supposed to do, even though the consequences are affecting others (like Jonah's shipmates), not to mention my own health? It's not all about diet, but on this forum, it is certainly one valid application.

Blessings to each of you,
Jubilee

Jn. 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Mt. 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Wow Jubilee,

Very good post with very good thoughts and verses. Another thought that I have pondered after hearing a Pastor ask it - if I were in a court of law on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me?

Thank you so much for giving me, along with what I read in my Bible this morning, lots to think about as I go on my walk this morning.

Pinkrose - thank you for referring Letha to the Answers in Genesis website. We absolutely LOVE their materials, and have many books and VCR's by Ken Ham and his colleagues. My younger son is an avid reader of Creation Science materials and has read so much on the subject he is a regular walking encyclopeida on it.

I may come back later for a visit, but right now I've got to get out the door.

Blessings,
luv

I also appreciate the other encouraging words here but I am especially impressed with what you wrote about your son, Luv! How old is he?

In regard to this, I will recommend a book that someone gave me when I was in the USA: The Evolution Handbook by Vance Ferrell. I think this book exposes the fallacies of evolutionary thinking better than anything I have seen. It is an excellent reference book and I think your son would probably enjoy it. I think you can also find an online version of this at evolution-facts.org but I am unable to view that site. (The officials protect us from many sites deemed harmful....)

Here are some links to other helpful sites related to
apologetics:

http://www.apologeticspress.org/
http://www.rzim.org/default.aspx
http://creation.com/
http://www.doesgodexist.org/

Hi pinkrose,
Thanks for those links - we'll check them out. I asked my son if he has heard of the Vance Ferrell book and it didn't ring a bell with him. I was surprised I guess there is something out there he hasn't read. He is almost 19 and is the science and computer geek in the family. He is very shy and quiet, but waxes eloquent if engaged in a Creation/Evolution conversation.

Have you read Darwin's Black Box by Michael Behe, or The Long War Against God by Dr. Henry Morris? They were a little too complex for me (I only got about 1/2 thru both of them).

We are blessed to be near the Institute for Creation Research Museum and go there once a year. It is under new ownership and they have made many improvements. ICR is now in Texas I believe but the museum is still here.

Anyway, thanks again for the links and I'll have my son check them out. He has been busy with a Physics course this summer, but today was the final exam so he'll have more time now to do fun stuff.

Good morning everyone,

I'd just like to ask for your prayers for boldness today - I'm planning on meeting one (possibly two) of my buddies today that I haven't seen in a couple years. I've been back home (California) for a couple weeks and this will be the last chance I get to see them before I head back to Wisconsin (where I go to school). Neither of my friends have a relationship with God, and I want my life and words to be a powerful testimony to them. That's all, thanks!

Oh, and a verse that really hit me this morning while reading:

Romans 5:17 "For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ."

That verse follows on the heels of the popular verse 8 "but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us". How incredible it is that we are given the most abundant life imaginable all because the Creator of the heavens and the earth loves us so much!

Welcome Matt. May the Lord bless your conversations today with your friends. With your willingness, and the Lord's blessing for boldness, I'm sure that you'll plant good seeds. We can also pray for good soil!

You don't happen to attend BCM do you? We know a number of young people that go to school there.

Blessings,
Jubilee

Father God, I lift up this request to You on behalf of Matt, petitioning You for the salvation of these young men. Give Matt the courage and the boldness to lift up Jesus today. You know their hearts and needs. Meet them and water the seeds planted by friends and family. I ask that you give them a hunger and a thirst for you. I ask that they see you for who you really are. Send strong Christians into their lives, and pick them up out of the mire of their lives. I ask this in Jesus' Name.
AMEN

What does your son intend to do in regard to education and a career, Luv?

I have not read the books you mentioned above, Luv. While I am very interested in the creation-evolution discussions, this is not my major interest. However, I am glad that your son is becoming a scholar in regard to this. I am also grateful for the many resources we have on the Internet for combating our enemy.

Welcome aboard, Satan's Foe! Matt, how was the meeting with your buddies?

In regard to several of the recent comments here, I recall this,"Your life may be the only Bible that some people will ever read."

"2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." (2 Corinthians 3, NIV)

May this be a day of transformation for all who read this, dear Father. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.

"18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the LORD's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the LORD, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3, NIV)

Good Morning Friends,

pinkrose - my son is actually a business major, but any spare time he has is spent reading about evolution vs. creation. It's an academic hobby

matt - I prayed for you and that you would have the opportunity to share the gospel with your frineds. How did it go?

Hello to all the other wonderful people who post here with encouraging words and verses.

Hi to Jubilee, KC, texgal, love the lorax, and all!

May you all have a blessed day counting your many blessings and leaning on His everlasting arms.

Exodus 23:22 (American Standard Version)
But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.