@trailblazer
Active 2 weeks, 3 days ago- Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
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I have a friend who is in an art school right now and it’s been really interesting talking to her, because all of her art pieces have literally been inspired by dreams or other ideas God has given to her, and they all have some sort of revelation or message in them, and she’s been able to have a lot of good conversations with her classmates as a result. It’s cool how it has been such a tool for evangelism for her!
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Quote dump:
“You’re really sweet, like a strawberry. Like the juice of a strawberry.” (overheard from one coworker to another)
“You want to know what I really want to do? I want to hide in that empty tomb on the stage at church and pop out at the end of the service to surprise everybody.” (my 30-year-old cousin)
“I wish I could lick my gloves.” (a manager)
And now a more serious quote:
“Child,” said Aslan, “That is why all the rest are now a horror to her. That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after.” -C.S. Lewis in The Magician’s Nephew
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
I love that idea! My brothers and I are a little older now and our schedules look different, so we’re not always home every night, but on the nights when we do have the whole family around the table, I value those conversations. I think we would really benefit from being more intentional in talking about our days and what’s going on in our lives! Maybe I’ll have to introduce the 2-minute talks to my family lol.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
The 2-minute dinner talks? What are those? That sounds interesting already…
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
If your outside social group is healthy and available, you’re less likely to get attached to the online social group. It’s as simple as that. I believe many phone addictions are a response to that need.
That is truth right there… the lack of healthy community can very easily lead to any type of addiction. I was reading a book about brain science, and relational joy (what happens when our brain picks up from facial cues that someone else is happy to be with us) literally is like fuel for our brains, and the lack of that leads us to seek it in other things that provide a quick dopamine hit but falls flat after a bit, leading us to seek more, until it becomes an addiction.
I think the main thing is that phones have to be in the living room at night—which is a law I’m we have because I had the bad habit of being on my phone late into the night and even really early in the morning, watching/looking at dumb or random stuff.
I love that… I know, it’s much easier to stick to a rule when you’re doing it with other people and not just trying to enforce it yourself. I would love to leave my phone in the living room overnight, but I’m type 1 diabetic and I wear a monitor to track my blood sugar levels. I need to have my phone nearby overnight so that if my blood sugar is going too low or too high it alarms and I can wake up to treat it. I’ve been pretty good at not being on my phone after 9 pm (I also set it to grayscale mode overnight, which is supposed to lessen the blue light, too) but the biggest challenge for me right now is staying off my phone in the morning until after I’ve had time with Jesus.
I love the principles you shared! It doesn’t fall to the extreme of not using technology at all, but gives the boundaries and rules a reason that makes sense and also motivates. It can be easy to say, “Don’t do this or that because it’s bad,” but knowing the why behind setting a boundary makes it much easier to abide by the boundary.
Personally, one thing I would love to start doing is having one day a week (hopefully Sunday) as a tech-free day, where I don’t touch devices all day. My only challenge in this is that my parents want me to have my phone if I’m gone or they’re gone, in case something happens that they need to get ahold of me, so it may look like just turning off my phone for several hours when I don’t need it, and then when it is turned on, keeping it out of reach unless it rings.
We also have a rule of no phones at the table, which I also try to stick to even if I’m the only person eating at the time, because I got into the habit of being on my phone during meals that weren’t with my family, and I’d rather be able to use that time to enjoy my food and process my day.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Good to see you popping back in here again!
I just took the survey! This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. If anyone is open to discussion, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts!
For those of you who do have phones, what boundaries have you set/have your parents established around it? Or perhaps, what boundaries do you wish you were implementing but maybe aren’t?
For those of you who don’t have phones, what have you observed from the people around you? I know we’ve all seen/experienced unhealthy usage, but have you observed someone who was using it in a healthy way?
@theductator @ellette-giselle @liberty @esther-c @linus-smallprint @grcr
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Ok, I wasn’t gonna get into this conversation, but now here I am, lol.
I’d be careful about pulling out specific verses without carefully examining the context of the rest of the passage… but if you want to look at specific verses then I’d suggest looking at other verses that also talk about being saved.
“…From the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Acts 2:21, Joel 2:28-30)
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)
Yes, I took these verses without regard to the full context, but that’s simply to prove how easy it is to pull verses out about a specific topic without really looking at the whole message of the passage.
There is also this one:
[The jailer] then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved- you and your household.” (Acts 16:30-31)
In context, the jailer and his family do end up being baptized, but if you’re looking at that verse alone, it says nothing about baptism being a requirement to being saved. Draw your own conclusions either way from this passage; if you ask me, I don’t think it’s necessary for salvation but I do think it’s an important step in sanctification and all believers should be baptized if possible.
As to @theducktator ‘s question, my church does not practice infant baptism. Firstly, I don’t recall seeing examples of it in Scripture (correct me if I’m wrong), but the baptisms that take place are all adults (or at least those who are old enough to make their own decision to do it). We do practice child dedication, which is simply praying over the child and the parents, dedicating the child to God and asking for His wisdom for the parents to be able to raise them well and train them up in the ways of the Lord.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Busy, busy, busy! People are always busy!… I say we need a whole WEEK where we just have to sit down! I say that people need a time to think! Pray! Relive their day! Always busy, busy, busy!
Yeah I’ve been learning how to intentionally slow down… a lot of it just has to do with how I spend my free time and eliminating unnecessary things and drastically cutting back my social media usage. It’s amazing how much of a difference even making one small change can do!
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Hello! We have not talked in a while! how are things?!
Things are going really well! (Aside from being a little busy!)
Okay! I understand! So you are saying not to dwell on it? I wish I could take that advice… :[
Yeah, I mean once you’ve repented and been forgiven, the Bible says that as far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us. If He’s not thinking about it anymore, why should I?
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
What are your thoughts on Jesus having siblings?
I think He had siblings. Joseph did take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24-25), so it’s natural to assume they had children together. Matthew 12:46-47 talks about Jesus’ mother and brothers wanting to talk to Him. Matthew 13:55 also indicates that He has at least three brothers and several sisters.
If you could visit one of the holy sights from around the world, where would you go? And why?
Israel. Several people I’ve talked with who have gone have said that it has made the Bible come alive to them in new ways, being in the places where Jesus walked and talked, and where the Biblical events took place.
If you could go back in time and change something you said to someone else, that wasn’t very christ like, what would you say instead?
Of course I have. But they’re in the past, and as Koshka said, brought under the blood of Jesus. That’s not to say that I shouldn’t do what I can to bring reconciliation, but I’m not gonna go digging up the past unless the Holy Spirit brings it to light.
Why do you believe in christ? What is your proof?
The others have already said what I was gonna say, but I do like this quote from Ronald Reagan that’s fitting: “Either He was who He said He was, or He was the greatest faker and charlatan who ever lived. But would a liar and faker suffer the death He did when all He had to do to save Himself was admit that He’d been lying?”
Why do you believe in your denomination?
Well, I’m non-denominational, so I can’t really give a good answer to that question. I’m not against denominations, and there are things in every denomination that I value, so I guess I’m just a mixture of all the denominations lol.
Try to name as many virtues a christian should have off of the top of your head! (please don’t look up anything) and why do you think these are the needed virtues?
Oh goodness… I would also say the fruits of the Spirit. This isn’t really a direct answer to the first part of your question, but I think any virtues we have will flow from our relationship with God, and not from our own effort to grow them in our lives. We may be able to maintain one or two of them for a time on our own, but eventually we’ll burn out and realize we can’t do it on our own. Our biggest need is not for the virtues themselves but for connection to Christ- the virtues are the fruit of our connection to Him and evidence that we are attached to the Source of Life.
Is there one person/group of people that you wish you could go up to and preach freely to without out fear of judgment or criticism from them?
Yeah… but I think that even if there is judgment or criticism we can still speak to them without fear of their reaction. However, if we want to be effective, we have to be sensitive to where they’re coming from and the ways they’ve been hurt by Christianity in the past, so we may need to change our approach depending on the person. Meet them where they are, not where we think they should be. The beautiful work of Jesus is that He meets us where we are and loves us out of it.
Do you get nervous or scared whenever you try to talk about your faith to others?
Yes, I think it’s a natural human response… but I think my answer above is a sufficient answer for this question as well. If we can remember that it’s not about us- ultimately it’s not up to us to convert someone, that’s the job of Holy Spirit, we just need to be obedient to what He wants to do in the moment- then it takes the pressure off. It’s definitely something I’m still learning and growing in as I try to be bolder and step out in starting conversations with people, but that’s been a big game-changer for me.
Do you believe that you can deserve God’s love? Or do you think you need to earn it? Can anyone amount to God’s love?
Everyone else has said it. I do not deserve His love, after all I’ve done. I can’t earn it, either. It’s a free gift He has given, and all I have to do is receive it. There’s no amount of things I could do that could earn more of His love; He’s already lavished it on me. There’s also no amount of things I could do wrong that could take away His love.
Why do you doubt?
I’m also not sure how to answer this question, but I will say I don’t think doubts are a bad thing, as long as you allow them to lead you closer to God rather than farther away. He’s not afraid of our questions, and He’s the One who has the answers.
If you could go back to one point in the Old Testament, and one point in the New Testament, where would you go?
There are so many ways I could answer this question, but I’ll just give the first things that pop into my mind: for the OT, I think I’d like to see when the Israelites cross into the Promised Land. In the NT, it would be pretty cool to see Pentecost, but I’d also love to be in the shoes of one of Jesus’ disciples and observe the way He lived.
Do you pray before every meal, before bed, when you get up in the morning, and whenever you get an excuse to?
I try to make it a habit to pray before every meal, and I have time with Him every morning when I get up. I also try to take some time to reflect on my day and pray about it at the end of the day, but for me, prayer looks a lot like dialogue throughout the day.
What is the main thing you pray about every time you pray?
Life lol. There isn’t really one thing that dominates my prayers, other than asking to be more sensitive to what Jesus wants to do in different situations and discerning how He wants me to act or what He wants me to say.
Have you ever intentionally harmed someone?
When I was little, I probably did. I usually do everything I can to avoid hurting someone’s feelings (I’m really sensitive to how other people feel), but I’m sure there was a time in my life when I was little and had moments of anger where I lashed out. Now, I would never intentionally harm anyone, but I’m sure it happens unintentionally.
Why did Jesus die for you?
Out of love. He couldn’t bear the separation of sin, because He created us for intimate relationship with Him. It was love that drove Him to the cross.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Wasn’t someone going to try emailing some people who might be in charge/know how to reach whoever’s running KP? Do we know if that got through at all?
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Yeah I’m having the same issue.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
K I’m gonna dump some quotes in here…
“Have you ever wondered what would happen if I vacuumed your hair?” -my brother
“I have sunshine in my soul today.” -a coworker
“We should see that the more we set ourselves to control another person, the less intimate we can be with them, for intimacy is found in vulnerability and surrender, not in control.” -Frangipane
“The door of relationship swings on the hinges of humility.” -Dean Sherman
“Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain.” -C.S. Lewis
“What you give your attention to is the person you become.” -John Mark Comer
“Hurry and love are oil and water; they simply do not mix… Hurry kills relationships. Love takes time; hurry doesn’t have it.” -John Mark Comer
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
I’m gonna be the parent whose kids can’t date until they graduate high school. At that point they’re 18 and free to roam the world anyway, but I think there’s something special about being able to focus the teenage years on building relationships with God, friends, and family, and being able to grow as a person and begin understanding who you are. I’d better just stop here before I go on another rant that doesn’t need to be here in this forum lol.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
If I remember correctly, John Adams fell down George’s chimney and landed in a boiling pot of oatmeal.
Oh my word, I was laughing out loud when I read this! And this:
but one of them had started a rebellion which had to be put down, and he was sentenced to have his hair dyed with glitter and wash all the palace dishes “except the knives. He can’t be trusted with them.”
Oh the horror of the glitter dye! Lol!
Anywayyyy… my first stories were not quite so dramatic. The first one I actually remember writing I did on paper when I was about six, and I roped my brothers into helping me. We basically created characters based on ourselves, and I let them name their characters, which maybe wasn’t the brightest idea, but it’s kinda funny. The three MC’s were Elizabeth, Ben, and Gummy (my youngest brother was like 2 at the time). Essentially, someone started leaving clues for them to follow, sort of like a treasure hunt. I don’t remember what the end of the treasure hunt was, or if I even finished the whole story. It was supposed to be a chapter book, but my chapters were like three paragraphs, if even that, lol.
I think I had a handful of other short stories that I never completed, but as I got a little older, I started writing stories based on my family’s vacations, with fictionalized characters based off my own family (adding a sister that I never had but wanted, lol).
At one point, probably in middle school, I was inspired by the game Forbidden Island and wrote a story about six siblings who fell through a doorway and all ended up in different parts of the island and had to try to find each other while facing the dangers of the island. They each were given certain abilities that correlated with the roles given to players of the game (like navigator, messenger, etc), and once they found one another, they had to discover four hidden treasures and get off the island before it all sank under water.
I should go back through some of my old notebooks and read some of my old stories… I bet I’d find things I forgot about.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley