Kent,

Sending healing light and prayers to you this day. My condolences on your loss bro.

Jesse

Kent, I'm very, very sorry for your loss. Scout

Prayers...
 

Hello Kent,
I was following the True Believers thread and I read your post...Im sorry for your lost and the way in which you found about it. You and your family are in my prayers. May the peace of God 'which passes all understanding keep your heart and mind'...may the Holy Spirit comfort and strengthen you in your inner being...
Paz...

I ask those of you participating in this thread, are we predestined? Do you believe in predestination? Is our destination changed as we stroll threw life making decisions? When we make decisions on our own and they turn out badly does our destination change from the path God has prepared for us? Or is that part of the path God has prepared for us? Are we predestined to make bad decisions/choice? [/B][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Very good questions - ones which deserve some thought before replying quickly -I will write out some thoughts later on this - thank you - for prompting the deeper thoughts on these questions - have a blessed day brother.

Kent -

As I pray for you this day - Psalms 23 keeps coming to my mind....there are no "words" that I can say personally that will help bring some comfort or peace - but God is the great comforter - beyond anything I could write or convey - so I direct my prayers to Him for your comfort - and of course send my own words of comfort for your peace and understanding. Please let me know if you need anything. - blessings and prayers.

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

From The Daily Word..
 

I move through life with spiritual grit.


The word courage comes from the Latin word for heart.
My heart takes courage when I boldly break through fear,
refusing to be crippled by it for one moment.

I have all the spiritual grit I need to make whatever changes or decisions are neccesary.
I have the courage to climb any mountain, however insurmountable it may appear.

I am not dismayed by life's setbacks or derailed by doubt.
I rely on my spiritual tools to steady my mind and fuel the faith of my courageous heart.

Right now, I step out with daring and take clear action.
I am a courageous conqueror, and victory is already won.


Be strong and courageous;
do not be frightened or dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

~Joshua 1:9

Responsibility...
 

I pray everyday - some more than others - but everyday ... time spent with God in prayer - conversation is one of the best parts of my day...and I've been praying about and reading about responsibility to the one you love ... how some men (as i see them act and talk at work) - are so haphazard in how they conduct themselves and are seem to be (in my opinion) - lazy in their actions and words and responsibilities to their wives and/or girlfriends...and it makes me even more conscious of how I want to treat the one I love - how we as men of faith - should be responsible and honorable in our thoughts and actions and deeds for the women we love ... (no exceptions) ... and I think that "loving them" through God is one of the best ways to be responsible ... to show them that love - that strength you have for them through God...

So, many think of the word responsibility as a (bad thing or a have too) kinda thing - me - I (want) to be responsible.. to and for the one i love - it is one of the greatest honors and privileges i have ever know - and I thank God for that every day - and ask for His guidance...

Being responsible - (for me) - a good thing ...

I read a lot - biographies/published journals/etc...I was re-reading some letters from Ronald Regan and thought I would post it ... its from him to his son regarding marriage and responsibility...


Dear Mike:

“…You've heard all the jokes that have been rousted around by all the "unhappy marrieds" and cynics. Now, in case no one has suggested it, there is another viewpoint. You have entered into the most meaningful relationship there is in all human life. It can be whatever you decide to make it.

Some men feel their masculinity can only be proven if they play out in their own life all the locker-room stories, smugly confident that what a wife doesn't know won't hurt her. The truth is, somehow, way down inside, without her ever finding lipstick on the collar or catching a man in the flimsy excuse of where he was till three A.M., a wife does know, and with that knowing, some of the magic of this relationship disappears. There are more men griping about marriage who kicked the whole thing away themselves than there can ever be wives deserving of blame. There is an old law of physics that you can only get out of a thing as much as you put in it.... let me tell you how really great is the challenge of proving your masculinity and charm with one woman for the rest of your life. Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn't take all that much manhood. It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music. If you truly love a girl, you shouldn't ever want her to feel, when she sees you greet a secretary or a girl you both know, that humiliation of wondering if she was someone who caused you to be late coming home, nor should you want any other woman to be able to meet your wife and know she was smiling behind her eyes as she looked at her, the woman you love, remembering this was the woman you rejected even momentarily for her favors…..there is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.

Love,

Dad

P.S. You'll never get in trouble if you say "I love you" at least once a day.

_____I don't know about anyone else - and I only speak for myself - but, for me...I (always) ... (always) want (she who holds my heart) to be happy and waiting for the sound of my footsteps on the other side of the door - because she knows in her heart - that I am true - and faithful and honor and cherish her in every way possible - not just (sometimes) - but every single day.

STOP JUDGING AND EVALUATING YOURSELF
 

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. I am blessed to be a part of this community and I appreciate every kind word and prayer. I must continue to be close to God and to keep believing that He has a master plan for me.


February 28

STOP JUDGING AND EVALUATING YOURSELF, for this is not your role. Above all, stop comparing yourself with other people. This produces feelings of pride or inferiority; sometimes, a mixture of both. I lead each of My children along a path that is uniquely tailor-made for him or her. Comparing is not only wrong; it is also meaningless.

Don't look for affirmation in the wrong places: your own evaluations, or those of other people. The only source of real affirmation is My unconditional Love. Many believers perceive Me as an unpleasable Judge, angrily searching out their faults and failures. Nothing could be farther from the truth! I died for your sins, so that I might clothe you in My garments of salvation. This is how I see you: radiant in My robe of righteousness. When I discipline you, it is never in anger or disgust; it is to prepare you for face-to-Face fellowship with Me throughout all eternity. Immerse yourself in My loving Presence. Be receptive to My affirmation, which flows continually from the throne of grace.

LUKE 6:37; JOHN 3:16-17; ISAIAH 61:10 (NASB); PROVERBS 3:11-12

[QUOTE=Kent;758989]Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. I am blessed to be a part of this community and I appreciate every kind word and prayer. I must continue to be close to God and to keep believing that He has a master plan for me.


Kent - you continue to be in all our prayers and thoughts.

Holiness, Truth and the Presence of God by Francis Frangipane
 

God is greater than our knowledge of Him.


The Father does not want us to worship or serve something so small
that a human, finite mind could envision it.
He is greater than our vision of Him.
Knowledge is important, but it is merely symbolic.
It is only a reflection of reality, never the substance.
Our thoughts are helpful, but they are not comprehensive.
Even of the Bible itself Jesus said..

"You search the scriptures, because, you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me;
and you are unwilling to come to *ME* to have life."

John: 5:39-40

“Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.”
― Max Lucado, He Still Moves Stones


“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”
― Søren Kierkegaard

________I have found this to be so true ... simply put - prayer makes you a better person - time spent with God - talking to Him - about (everything) - because I have found - he cares just as much about what you might call the "little" things as he does the "big" things...time spent with God - transforms you - daily - makes you (better) for you - and for all those you care about.

TRUE BELIEVERS - Religious beliefs, verses, poems and prayers...
 

March 1


WHEN SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE OR THOUGHTS makes you anxious, come to Me and talk about it. Bring Me your prayer and petition with thanksgiving, saying: "Thank You, Jesus, for this opportunity to trust You more." Though the lessons of trust that I send to you come wrapped in difficulties, the benefits far outweigh the cost.

Well-developed trust will bring you many blessings, not the least of which is My Peace. I have promised to keep you in perfect Peace to the extent that you trust in Me. The world has it backwards, teaching that peace is the result of having enough money, possessions, insurance, and security systems. My Peace, however, is such an all-encompassing gift that it is independent of all circumstances. Though you lose everything else, if you gain My Peace you are rich indeed.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6 (NASB); ISAIAH 26:3

YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH
 

YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH. Listen more to Me, and less to your doubts. I am leading you along the way I designed just for you. Therefore, it is a lonely way, humanly speaking. But I go before you as well as alongside you, so you are never alone. Do not expect anyone to understand fully My ways with you, any more than you can comprehend My dealings with others. I am revealing to you the path of Life day by day, and moment by moment. As I said to My disciple Peter, so I repeat to you: Follow Me.

PSALM 119:105; JOHN 21:22

Kent, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. My heart aches for the way you learned of her loss. I will be keeping you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. *Big Hugs*

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE;
 

March 2


I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE; all lasting Life emanates from Me. People search for life in many wrong ways: chasing after fleeting pleasures, accumulating possessions and wealth, trying to deny the inevitable effects of aging. Meanwhile, I freely offer abundant Life to everyone who turns toward Me. As you come to Me and take My yoke upon you, I fill you with My very Life. This is how I choose to live in the world and accomplish My purposes. This is also how I bless you with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory. The Joy is Mine, and the Glory is Mine; but I bestow them on you as you live in My Presence, inviting Me to live fully in you.

JOHN 11:25; MATTHEW 11:28-29; 1 PETER 1:8-9 (KJV)

Kent I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

http://www.broadwayfurniture.net/por...dle_holder.jpg

Questions about faith...
 

Always,

I remember being a small child standing and sitting between my father and mother in Sacred Heart Catholic Church here in Wichita Falls, Texas. Church was definitely a part of my upbringing. After my parents split up and divorced, my grandmother, Mama Lou, would take me and my cousins to Sunday school and when it was over, we met her in the church and sat through the Sunday service with her. We all felt so proud to be sitting with Mama Lou in church. She was such a great woman, a stand up woman. We'd all pile up in her old car and we usually fought over who got shotgun. *smile...

I continue to believe what I was taught as a child and what I have learned as an adult. I do not necessarily follow the Catholic church anymore. But, I have it ingrained in my memory and my soul, so it is always with me. In the last several years, I have attended a few different churches. I've been to a few non-denominational churches, Pentecostal and my old Catholic church.

When I go to church, I always look for signs from the Pastor, Preacher or Priest that let me know that he is a good man and he believes in what he is preaching. I cannot sit in a church and listen to just anyone preach. I have to have a connection and feel that the pastor is really into what he is preaching.

I've been to two different churches here in town over the last month. I have been to the MCC church and to a non-denominational church. Tomorrow, I am visiting a Lutheran church after I go to the 9:15 a.m. service at the non-denominational church. I met a guy, Steve, the other day and he invited me to his Lutheran church.

I really like the non-denominational church because the Pastor is phenomenal and he always gives me plenty of notes to take. This church helps people who need help with recovery from drugs and they help the homeless. Last week, they gave the homeless people coats and jeans and a good dinner after the 3:00 p.m. Saturday service. I enjoyed that Saturday service more than any of the other services I've attended since being here. I've been to church service 7 or 8 times and a few more times for different functions in the month of February. I am still searching for my church home.

I still say my prayers most nights that Mama Lou taught me from my Catholic church. I still have my Dad's prayer book that he had when he was a child. It is one of my most prized possessions.

I hope that I was able to answer the questions you posed, Always. Now, it's time for my brothers and sisters to join in this discussion. I am so happy that justanolecowboy suggested this thread and he helped me to get it started. This thread has given me strength when I have needed it most. Thank all of you for posting and please continue to post your thoughts, feelings, ideas, prayers and verses and whatever you want to add to this thread. It is good to praise the Lord and we honor Him by participating in this thread.