Non-religious but spiritual, read an interesting article on those folks "Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious sunset person. You are now comfortably in the norm for self-centered American culture, right smack in the bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull but find themselves uniquely fascinating. Can I switch seats now and sit next to someone who has been shaped by a mighty cloud of witnesses instead? Can I spend my time talking to someone brave enough to encounter God in a real human community? Because when this flight gets choppy, that's who I want by my side, holding my hand, saying a prayer and simply putting up with me, just like we try to do in church. "
You don't have to agree with me or my views, but I'm double dog daring you to read the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. You probably won't change your mind on religion from just a silly little book, and if you don't no harm no foul. Either way I think it's worth the time to read.
You didn't post the wrong thing and he wasn't being a jerk to you. He was making fun of the post going astray. Best wishing on your wedding next September. Tim
I don't believe I ever have sent you a pm....I did view your profile to see who I was dealing with and left a message that read "you're an idiot" didn't think it was appropriate for the open forum but since you asked.....
thanks for telling me what I believe in. you being "pretty sure" shows that you really don't know. I'm pretty sure you are a christian, I'm pretty sure you are a jew, I'm pretty sure you're a LDS....see what I mean son? show me your math problem and don't mix your red blocks with your orange ones.
currently reading NIV study bible. I have a few months of reading ahead of me, been working on it since late August.
NO NO NO LAMB!!! I was not being a jerk! I am sorry I should have said more than what I did... You have been the only one to post the right thing in the last 5 or 6 pages lol... Sorry for the misunderstanding... You are doing the right thing!
Miracles + Answered Prayers + Sunrises + A Wall Hanger Stopping 15 Yards Broadside Down Wind of Me = There Is A GOD and HE is GREAT! Is that a good enough Math problem? And I checked the Math… There is only one answer… And it is right!
1. You misunderstood the posts in your response to your's. 2. If you took those responses as being a jerk, maybe you should check out www.myfeelingsgothurtfornoreason.com. I hear they have a wonderful forum. Now thats being a jerk. Sorry.
I know we're on a different topic now but here are a couple thoughts on the original one. Young or old marriage is tough, it takes two people strong enough to live their vowels not just say them. They have to believe in each other and if kids are involved they have to be good examples not just as mother and father but husband and wife as well. Unfortunately lots of kids don't have that enviornment and live through divorce and tough times so maybe that plus our "instant gratification, everything is about what I want society" tends to steer some younger people away from marriage. Maybe it's better for younger folks to stay away from marriage for a bit, if my kids don't get married until their older I'd be fine with that. I would never want to go back and do things over so to speak but I also don't want my kids to make some of the choices I made. I had my oldest son 6 days after I turned 18 and he is an awesome young man but I would be lieing if I said it wasn't an uphill battle to get to where I am today(and trust me I've still got a lot of hill to get up). At 17 years old I was still a stupid kid and had no idea of the responsibility of parenthood and what it meant to have another person completely and totally reliant on you. At 18 years old that didn't matter because there he was but luckily for me I was blessed with a strong family that helped me along the path of fatherhood. At a young age it's hard to be a good husband or wife as well and I found that the hard way when my first wife hit me with the "i don't want to be married and I feel like I missed out on my youth" bomb, I could relate to what she was saying but I felt like the family was more important than some other life I thought I was missing out on. She didn't see it that way and left, as a young man I was salty for a bit but I moved on and got custody which was all good but I'll never forget the hurt and confusion those kids dealt with and I felt like a failure for not being able to keep things together for them. These days I tell both of my boys(18 & 10) to not get hung up on girlfriends and "love". I want them to go to school, date, live a little, grow up and discover and become who they want to be as young men. Then think about marriage and what kind of committment it is and if they want and are ready for that. My daughter is 5 so I just tell her "Boys have cooties, stay away from them". It's not too likely any of them will fully listen to me I'm hoping some of it will take. As far as young people being against marriage I don't really see that as much as some others (still see lots of younger friends and family getting married) but I don't think it's a bad idea to wait and hopefully more will realize that it' easy to get married but the real work starts after the reception.
I hope you don't mind if I disagree with you on a couple of points. First of all, I'm not a "scientist of sorts." Although an apprentice scientist, I'm a senior biology major who has been admitted to the Ph.D. program starting after next semester. I am into science up to my ears. A "theory," in science, is not speculation. A theory, in science, is an explanation for a set of facts. Please don't take my word for it. Look it up in a dictionary. And research is based, not on disproving anything, but in discovering new knowledge, in short, facts about our world, the universe, etc. Let me also add, that scientists are most assuredly NOT attempting to prove the existence or non-existence of God. The existence or non-existence of God is a matter for philosophy and theology, not science. And, by the way, I am an observant Roman Catholic, which requires faith in that which cannot be proven. In case you're wondering, yes, I accept evolution. The pope himself has stated that there is no conflict between the Bible and evolution. I don't see any conflict either.
Two quick things. "Science" contradicts itself as much as religion does. 4/0 .... what happened to the 4? Math cannot explain this.
Sadly your story is very common these days. I am sorry and it sounds like you are a great dad. Its written from a Christian perspective but here's a great book you may want to take a look at if you're interested in that perspective: http://www.joshharris.com/i_kissed_dating_goodbye.php
We are now on two topics, but I think they are closely linked. Both of which I think the quote in my signature apply to: "We shall never achieve harmony with the land, anymore than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve but to strive." - Aldo Leopold Before I start I want to share an important difference in my definitions of Faith & Belief. Belief, for be is what I think about something. I take in all the data I can, process it and a belief comes forth. Belief to me is a noun. Noun's can be possessed for periods of time. Faith (again, to me) is not a noun. It's a verb. You cannot "have it" because a verb cannot be had. It is expressed. I can show faith in an instant in time and show non in the next. Faith is an action, and in all action there is an inherent risk. Faith is where what you think (I mean what you really think, not what you would like to think) meets what you do. Now, not all action is faith, but all faith is action. Faith requires belief, but belief does not require faith. I guess this is my really complicated Fitz way of portraying the old "actions speak louder than words". Marriages fail for many reasons, but most are rooted in a false belief of what marriage is. Marriage as not a noun. It's a verb. Same with love. Husband. Wife. Parent. Christian. Human..... Now, the more I'm typing then more my twisted mind is wondering on these tangents. So, I'll try and wrap it up with the Marriage. Divorce rates are higher. Yes. But the brokenness behind those rates has always and will always be there. Do I like divorce? No! But no more or less than I like a broken marriage full of abuse, neglect, and selfishness. The act of marriage has become a noun. White dress, black tux, reception dinner, house, kids..... That's nice, but it's not marriage. Too many people look lightly on marriage (or relationships) and jump the gun. Please make sure you know what you're getting into. Now, having said that, there are many want to wait and be ready. Being ready for marriage/kids is hard and I think you are never truly ready, even if you think you are think you are. That's where faith comes in. Faith in yourself, your significant other, and your shared future together. Belief gets to through the relationship, but faith should bring you to the act of marriage. Committing to each other forever. Talk about scary! Takes a lot of faith. The good news is I'm done.... the bad news is I'm only done with the first part
Is this what you are saying? James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
