Christian Photographers Community

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Hi everyone.

Karma, we should all sing "Jesus Loves Me" from time to time.  It has such a wonderful message of His love for us and that while we are weak, he is strong.

Good to read all the postings today and the devotional thoughts.  

It is still cold down our way but nothing like you are having north of us.  It has been sunny and still all day.  I kept my hand over my mouth while I was out this morning.  The YMCA gym was pretty chilly this morning as I walked and I had to keep my hat, coat and gloves on to stay warm while walking.  For some reason the walk really wore me out this morning.  This evening is choir practice and I sure hope the room is warm.

Thanks Larry!   What a wonderful reminder that Jesus truly does love us!  


It's such a blustery day here.  I had some errands and did a couple but it's so cold getting in and out of the car.  Even Geordie was happy to get back home.

I do have two more to do but I thought I'd just warm up first.

Just heard from Janet and her computer is "fried" (her words) and she'll be able to use Darrel's once in awhile to get in here but this is just horrible.

I hope I don't have that happen to mine.

I also hope that we see Janet here soon.

LOVE YOU JANET!!!

Quote from: Pat Scott on January 07, 2004, 05:06:48 PM

It's such a blustery day here.  I had some errands and did a couple but it's so cold getting in and out of the car.  Even Geordie was happy to get back home.

I do have two more to do but I thought I'd just warm up first.

Blustery
1 : a violent boisterous blowing  
2 : violent commotion  

Violent
2 a : notably furious or vehement  

vehement
a : bitterly antagonistic  

Antagonistic
: marked by or resulting from antagonism  

boisterous
b : marked by or expressive of exuberance and high spirits  

exuberance
1 : the quality or state of being exuberant  

Exuberant
1 a : joyously unrestrained and enthusiastic  

enthusiastic;
: filled with or marked by enthusiasm  

enthusiasm
1 a : belief in special revelations of the Holy Spirit b : religious fanaticism  

Sometimes I think I will not ever learn the english correct.  

- I only hope it is a good day- (((hug)))  

  Oh Noooo how sad for ms Janet. I hope it is ok soon.  

Please please say a hi to her from me, I am gon away soon and I think I am not here to see her for so long.  

Hi Mieka!

Janet is showing as being online right now so before long she'll be posting.


BLUSTERY:  1 : a violent boisterous blowing

That's the meaning of the word today here in Guelph!

  I see.

I have no idea what is a boisterous.  

I only hope it is fun. and just as God will want for this day.  

Mieka...

bois·ter·ous    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (boistr-s, -strs)
adj.
Rough and stormy; violent.

  I love you Ms Pat.

Pronunciation Key  (boistr-s, -strs)
It is a same sound as all the other words I know.


Mr Iain, I love you, I like so much to read or your thoughts here.

Mieka,
Your dictionary exercise there reminded me of a game I used to play in elementary school.  I would take a thesaurus, pick a word and just follow the trail to see where I would end up.  I think the oddest one I ever did was start at "love" and end up at "hate."  Amazing that that is possible, but with the English language, it does seem to be.

I am able to sneak in here a minute before Bernard gets home.  He is working on two webpages, so he will probably need the 'puter when he gets home.  If you don't "see" me again tonight, I'll check in in the morning, or something.

Janet, sorry to hear of your 'puter problems

love
karmat

Hi Meika! How are you doing my bonnie lass?

It's blowing a hooligan here tonight!!

Tee Hee!! This might confuse 'Google!'

I just popped in for a quick 'catch-up' as I am tres busy these days. Good to see you though and I'm still praying for you.

Take care.

LOL

Your brother in Christ

Iain

Here I am, Mieka!!  I will be able to come upstairs to Darrel's office and use his computer when he isn't using it, and the parts for mine should get here on Monday.  Curtis took mine to his house, so I will take the parts to him to fix it for me as soon as they arrive.

Lee, I had been thinking maybe my computer was becoming something of an idol in my life--maybe He is trying to tell me something??  I hsd just told Pat a couple of days ago that I was going to be spending less time online.


Etta Sue, I'm sorry your MRI was such a bad experience.  Beth has had several of them, she says the noise is the part that bothers her the most.  She is pretty skinny, so she doesn't feel so closed in as you did.  I do hope they got useful information from it!

This is a straight keyboard, and I am used to the natural (ergonomic) one, so I am making lots of mistakes.  I will try to correct them, but forgive me if I miss some.

Chris, I really agree with your last post---we should NOT be somber, unhappy people.  Christians should be the most joyful people in all the world!!  Sonja, you asked VERY good questions, and it is such a joy to see how you are growing in your walk with the Lord.

I will go check the photos and the book discussion now.  See you later!

Marilyn:  The site you gave us is really outstanding.  And, beautiful artwork on the rock!  I am praying for a quick recovery for you - wish I could be there to help a bit.  

Jenny:  You mentioned having little surprises such as finding a book and being given a present - a Christian book.  Those are the things you will always remember - the little treats of random kindness that drop in our lives.  

Pat:  It must really be cold in your neck of the woods. (Now have Meika try to figure out "neck of the woods"    The cold here is something to deal with but icy sidewalks are always a fear for me and I don't really know why.  More dental work for you?  

I so appreciate reading everyone's posts.  Carol

Well I am home again and will check the folders here and on SN then get back off the computer.

I am thinking of getting out some fabric to cut squares for a quilt to work on while I am recuperating. Sound like a good idea? Yea!!!

TTY-ALL

Translation Talk To Y-all Later.

Well, since some are saying, "xxx, I agree with you" and then others are saying, "zzz, I agree with you" I'm going to say that I agree 100% with the following quotation.

QuoteThe problem is - God is left out.  What's in it for Him?  He was the offended Party, both at the beginning and now.  This is His world, and the glory should all be His.  What happened to our guilt for having rebelled against Him?  Yes, Jesus loves me, but what He loves is a lost, rebellious, self-centered me, a me that isn't worthy of anything but eternal misery because it rebelled against the eternal, holy GOD.

Salvation isn't just to give me all joy all the time, but it's to bring lost sinners to His feet to bow before Him for the first time since the rebellion began.  Is that you?  Is it me?  Do you rejoice this morning (or afternoon) in Jesus Christ because He's your Lord today?  May it be so for you.  May it be so for me.

As far as I'm concerned, "easy-believism" is rampant in Christendom and I don't think it's a good thing.

So many people say, "Pray this little prayer and you'll be saved".  What about repentance?  This seems to have gone by the wayside.


Oh, that we can all sing this hymn together...

QuoteDo you rejoice this morning (or afternoon) in Jesus Christ because He's your Lord today?  

Oh, I pray that I can and will DAILY rejoice that he's my Lord and Saviour.

Certainly we'll be joyful most of the time in our Salvation but what about the times we fail our Master?  Should be be joyful at these times?  Do we ever fail our Saviour?  I know that I do.  

Since this morning, I've also had an article I wanted to share with you all.  I wondered when to do it and now is when I'm going to do it.

You've all heard about Evangelism Explosion which was started in Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida by D. James Kennedy.

Well, Mr. Kennedy wrote this and I think it's wonderful.  Copy it to your computer where you can read it in your quiet time and think about it.

I want to tell you something which is at once so simple that the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein; something that even a seven year-old can understand; and yet so profound that there are many with college degrees will not be able to understand.


I am going to speak about the amazing, the astounding, the incredible grace of God. Now that would seem to be a simple enough concept. Grace is a word we are all familiar with. There is nothing complex about it. We ought to be able to understand its meaning. And yet I have never met a person who had not come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who could explain what it really means. The Scripture says,



What indeed is the mystery called grace? Does grace mean that if we do the best we can that God will bless us and take us to Heaven? Is it not simply another way of talking about justice? Is grace justice?


I suppose that if man wrote a bible, the basic message would simply be this: Good people go to Heaven and bad people go to Hell. I say that because that's what most people think the Bible says anyway! It seems to make sense. It is equitable. It is fair. It is just.


But there is just one small problem. There are no good persons. The Bible states it plainly, unequivocally:



If there is none that do good -- and if only the good people go to Heaven -- then Heaven is going to be a very lonely place. So we do have a problem with the idea of justice.


Furthermore, there is another problem with this idea of justice; the idea of quid pro quo, this for that. You do so much good, you get so much reward. Would God then be indebted to us! The problem with quid pro quo is there is not an ounce of worship in quid or a hallelujah in quo. I'm afraid that our message of justice fall far short of the wondrous message which is contained in the Bible -- a message not of justice but of grace.


You say, "Ah, I'm beginning to see it now. Grace is love, right?"


Well, not quite. Now it is true that all grace has within it an element of love, but it is not true that all love has within it an element of grace. For example: You meet the most beautiful, most lovely girl you have ever seen in your life, and you fall head over heels in love with her. Isn't that gracious of you! Of course not because she is altogether lovable.


Or as another example: You love God. Is that grace? Not at all, for God is certainly worthy of our love. No, love doesn't quite do it. It is not merely love, but it is love to the unlovely, to the unworthy. It is love with a downward reach. It is reaching down to those in need and to those who are even detestable because of their filth or their habits, and giving to them some token of your love. That, my friend is mercy. It is an admirable trait, but still it falls far short of grace.


To grace must be added another element. Grace is far more than justice, far more than love, far more than mercy. As I have told many a person, the first thing you need to understand about the Gospel is that it is not just; it is not fair.


Christianity is not fair. Let me hasten to add that there are two ways in which something cannot be fair. It can be less than fair, and that is usually what we mean by that term, or it can be more than fair. It can be supra-fair, and that is what Christianity is.


Grace is love reaching downward, not only to the unworthy, but it is favor granted to the undeserving, rather even to those who deserve positive punishment.


In this great summation of all the truth of Scripture and the Christian faith, the Bible says, "By grace ye are saved"-- by that kind of undeserved favor and mercy reaching down to ill-deserving, Hell-deserving sinners such as I. That is the meaning of grace by which we are saved.


Yet, still there are those who struggle with this. Sometimes their problem is a matter of their pride. They cannot bring themselves to say, "I am an undeserving, an ill-deserving, a Hell-deserving sinner." That is too difficult for them. Their necks are too stiff to bow to those words, and so they cannot receive the grace of God.


Ministers oftentimes ask people, "Are you saved?" I think we might do better to ask people, "Have you ever been lost?" because that is precisely the problem so many people have. They cannot be saved because they have never really felt that they were lost. The only one who can be saved is the one that realizes they are hopelessly lost. And so I would direct the question to you: Have you ever been lost? I mean really lost?


To be really lost means to not know where you are going. In a spiritual sense it means that you are going to leave this world and leap out into darkness -- not knowing where you are going. In fact, in the truest sense, it means that you are going to Hell!


I am reminded of John Newton who wrote the great hymn "Amazing Grace." Newton was one of the most blasphemous man his friends had ever known. He was a slave trader. He was captured by the very slaves he traded and was made a slave of the slaves.


One day he escaped. While on a ship bound for England, a violent storm hit. Newton was terrified. He thought, "If only there was some mercy for me. Mercy? How could there possible be mercy for someone like me?" Suddenly the face of God burst upon his heart and mind. He realized the wonder of the love of Christ, the grace of God that was willing to reach down and accept
even one such as he. That hour his eyes were opened, and he stepped into the Kingdom of God.


Newton later wrote that marvelous hymn, "Amazing Grace."


Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I was once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see.


You sing it. Do you mean it? Do not stiffen your neck. Do not claim your abilities; come with your disabilities. Do not come with your hands filled with all manner of good things, supposedly which you have done. Every religion of the earth that I know about says, "Something in my hand I bring" as it approaches God. The New Testament alone says, "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling." When you take hold of that cross, in that moment the grace of God flows into your life, and you are transformed!




That is the wonder of grace. That is what creates a heart filled with love and adoration for Jesus Christ.


Some say there is no such thing as a free lunch. That is the first lesson of economics. Is it different in the spiritual world? No, my friend, it is not. Heaven is free to you and me; but it was not free to Him. It was paid for at an infinite cost by bloody sweat and tears ... by the excruciating agony on the cross ... by the wrath of God Almighty that fell upon Him who bore our sins upon the tree. An infinite penalty paid in our place.


Those of us who trust in Him will one day sit down at the marriage feast of the Lamb and enter into all the freeness of paradise. We will settle down in mansions on high, in a new body, in a new universe, forever and ever, where time shall be no more. We shall rejoice forevermore in that land where there is no pain, no suffering, no tears, and no sorrow. When God Himself, with His own finger, shall wipe away the very last tear. And it is all free to us!


Jesus paid it all. The offer is extended. It is received by the simple hand of faith. If you have not already, won't you reach out that hand right now and accept that incredible gift offered by that astounding and amazing grace of God, that you too might step out of the darkness of death and sin into the Kingdom of God!

Prayer: O God, may your Holy Spirit open the eyes of the blind that they may see themselves in all their filthiness and uncleanness and unworthiness, and cast themselves before Thy Cross, O Christ and say, "O Lord Jesus, I am unworthy of the least of Thy favors. Cleanse me by Thy blood. Wash me by that stream that flows from Calvary's mountain that I may be made whiter than snow; that I may enter with Thee into the Kingdom of God. Change me right now and grant me the free gift of life eternal." In Thy name I ask. Amen.

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I love you all very much in our Lord Jesus Christ, but I'm a little concerned that some have misread so grossly my post this morning.  I nowhere said anything about a joyless Christian life.  I nowhere said Christians should have no joy.  What I simply said was that the Christian should not be joyful ALL the time - the Christian life is not about us - it's about God.  It's not only about our deliverance from all negatives, but it's about our deliverance from our sin through the death of our Savior.
As that wonderful hymn by Isaac Watts said, "Forbid it Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my God. All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.  See from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down; did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown."  I do believe that Christianity in general has somewhat forgotten these things in our day - but they are the glory of our religion, and they are to God's glory!

Thanks Al...  I was wondering the same thing.  I never saw those things in your post this morning.


Let's sing that hymn you quoted, Al...

Nor I, Al.

I'm singing along with you, Pat!

I thought I heard you, Judy!  Aren't those words so special?


I got a midi maker for Christmas from Ian and if I ever figure out how to hook it up, it will be so much fun.

I'm still trying to figure out how to put all my photos on CD. Do I yuuse the burner? Do I have to do them all at once.? or can I save them a few at a time all onthe same cd?

I am gone now, See y-all in the morning. I am going to bible study tonight I will post fopr todays PDL chapter tomorrow.

This post is for everyone visiting and do not post in this forum..........


Jenny and Al introduced the most important question you will ever face in your lives.  "Your eternal future." In essence, they were speaking of your sin nature.  Yes, you are a horrble sinner and there is no way you can personally atone for your own sins.  You are not alone, for our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that we were born into sin and will be sinners untill the day we die.  However, though we are sinners and though we hate our sins, Jesus Christ made it possible for all mankind to break free form our sins by His dying on the cross for us.  He tells us: 'Take up your cross and follow after Me."  There are two kinds of sins, one, unconfessed sins of our past, and two, our present sin nature.  God has promised that you will surely be cast into the Lake of Fire if you die in rejection of Christ.  There will be no saying "I'm sorry God," after you are dead.  It will be too late.  In affect, we are in a life-living "Boot Camp".  Either you learn, or you don't.  It's a "Pass Fail" system whether you or I like it or not. Jesus says: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the father, but by Me."  You MUST be broken, and you MUST come to the decision that you hate your sinfull life, and that you want forgiveness for having rebelled against Him for having lived a sinfull life in rebellion of God, and that you want to be set free from the bondage of sin.  If you honestly believe this,  then you are close to chosing heaven over hell for all eternity.  The people in this forum all came to this decision at a point in their life because they recognized they were in fact wretched sinners, and were in need of a savior.  That Savior is Jesus Christ, there is no other.   Now, what must you do to be free from your sinful life?  Jesus Christ did NOT make it easy, though some might tell you otherwise.  Becoming a true believer requires that you tell the Lord that you recognize you are a sinner and truly want His forgiveness.  You must turn over your life to Him, and follow after Him.  That means a total change in  your lifestyle.  You must leave your present sinful life and ask Him to change your life to that of a Christian.  No, you will not be instantly changed.  It will take effort on your part.  You will now (If you ask the Lord to take charge of your life) spend a lifetime in Christian learning.  You will slowly advance from the "milk" of the Word of God, to the "meat" of the Word of God.   But, from the moment you make the decision to be a follower of the Lord God (Jesus Christ), You will be on the most wonderful journey you have ever taken in your life.  And, you will be assured that God will one day say to you:  "Well done my faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord".  It's either heaven or hell........It's your choice.

Marilyn........

You're cute, and I love you.  I'm truly praying for you kiddo.  We all know who the real physician is, and He's 100% in charge.  Praise to Him for His promises that He will never recant.  Take good care of that shoulder (Arm, neck).

Pat..........

We watch Kennedy every morning just before "Love Worth Finding'.  Your post was directed at everyone's heart, and I had posted mine just before reading yours.  It hits right where it was meant to hit.  A wonderful post Pat.  A real thought provoker.

Amen to both yours and Al's posts.

Thanks Lee...

I haven't seen him on TV.  I don't think it's possible to see him in Toronto but I certainly appreciate him.

I thought that was a very good article, Lee.

Friends, I'm late getting in from work and have not had time to read anything except the conversation on this page in which I'm posting. Therefore, I won't enter into today's discussion at all.

First, I have to leave at 2 am (about 5 hours from now) to drive my son to Atlanta for an emergency treatment with the doctor - he has been in bed for the last 4 days and I feel it's imperative to take the risk driving tired to get him there to be seen.

Second, another child of mine has become clinically depressed and is currently suicidal. Prayers needed, please for both these children of mine.

Now, the last purpose of the post. You remember some time back we had a conversation about forgiveness. And I had commented that the "forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass against us" found in the Lord's Prayer have meant so much to me down through the years.

Well, I take a daily newsletter that gives small quotations from the Bible using several different translations.

I've copied the verse presented today and want to bring it here for y'all to review. It seems to speak to my understanding of the Lord's Prayer.

Love, Ruth Ann

Today's selection is Matthew 6:14-15  

American Standard Version
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  

King James Version
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  

New International Version
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.  

New King James Version
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  

It has been a wonderful evening reading all of the posts and listening to the music as I read.

Oh what a wonderful Lord we have.  I cannot begin to think what life would be like without HIM.


All Praise and Glory goes to our glorious saviour.