tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post112557761058115665..comments2024-03-24T23:41:23.944-07:00Comments on Talk Wisdom: As Sorrow Permeates Your BeingChristinewjchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434229284833642438noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1126532280290585112005-09-12T06:38:00.000-07:002005-09-12T06:38:00.000-07:00Biscuit:What you say here is partially correct but...Biscuit:<BR/>What you say here is partially correct but much of the truth is that for many years people there have stayed in this fish bowl with the waters on the outside. Being warned over the years of how dangerous this is. <BR/><BR/>Also, before this disaster hit the authorities closest to the possibility of disaster did nothing to help them get out.<BR/> <BR/>The governor was offered help by the President and she refused it, when she finally did something it was haphazard and not the mandatory evacuation that was called for. School buses sat until they were engulfed in water. <BR/><BR/>The rich affluent of New Orleans sat in their mansions and did nothing to help people get out.<BR/><BR/>Then is this something to proud of?<BR/>Homosexuals partied and paraded, as these poor people mourned the dead and gave up their pets and ways of life to a watery grave, instead of helping to relieve their pain and agony.<BR/><BR/>Here is a culture, if you will, that constantly tells us how they want to be accepted by others, yet this is where their priorities were. They were not toward the community they claim to want to be part of. Does this not tell all what is most important to this group of selfish people??<BR/><BR/>They have money to bring all sorts of problems to children in public schools, to bring lawsuits etc, Did you see Planned Parenthood or Glsen or Pflag etc. helping the poor and destitute of Louisianna or Mississippi etc.???? I think not.<BR/><BR/>God has shown us all through this horrid disaster who it is truly love Him and who it is do not. Those who truly love the Lord will show it in what they do. <BR/><BR/>And to top all this there were those who had been told to leave and were offered a way out but refused it. <BR/><BR/>Yes, I understand that they may not have wanted to leave their only reason for existence but is this a good decision or worthy of saying, “they were just POOR?” I don’t think so. They were confused and they were stubbornly hanging on to that which was about to be washed away.<BR/><BR/>There is blame to go around for sure but the facts are that we should ever tempt nature and live below sea level or trust man made structures to keep back the sea. <BR/><BR/>What is needed is for us to do that which has not been done before. If we are going to help them, their future needs to be built in safe places not back in the fish bowl. Lift them out and never put them back there again.Saltnlighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11734795797944198495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1126469085761457102005-09-11T13:04:00.000-07:002005-09-11T13:04:00.000-07:00you saidTo lose a loved one in a disaster such as ...you said<BR/>To lose a loved one in a disaster such as this causes unimaginable grief. I only wish that more people had taken the dire warnings more seriously and had gotten out of the city.<BR/>__<BR/><BR/>This comment and ones like it keep coming up.. and I really don't understand why people have such a hard time wrapping their head around the concept of POOR.<BR/>The people that did not leave didn't do so because they were stupid, or stubborn. They did not have the means to leave.. No cars, no money for gas, hotel rooms.. etc. We are talking about some of the poorest people in the nation. <BR/>So while you sympathize with those who have lost loved ones.. Please try to understand that it isn't that they didn't want to leave, they COULDN'T... and even though mandatory evacuations were ordered, they couldn't leave, and the officials hadn't made any plans to get them out.. buses should have driven down streets and picked people up. but they didn't.. and they were left to die.<BR/>So, please stop perpetuating this idea that the people who didn't leave were being stubborn... THEY COULD NOT LEAVE BECAUSE THEY WERE POOR. period.biscuithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05107293761321236844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1126111445807193422005-09-07T09:44:00.000-07:002005-09-07T09:44:00.000-07:00Hello Serena:You have stated all very well and it...Hello Serena:<BR/>You have stated all very well and it is correct.<BR/><BR/>Our Lord has warned us many times and still the heart of man is so filled with pride he cannot hear. We say, "I don't need God, I have my knowledge." Yet we build our houses on the sand or in a bowl as in the case of New Orleans.<BR/><BR/>Serena I pray you will come here often and coverse with us. God's best to you.<BR/><BR/>SaltnlightSaltnlighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11734795797944198495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1126104459710164142005-09-07T07:47:00.000-07:002005-09-07T07:47:00.000-07:00To all:It really matters not if God brought this d...To all:<BR/>It really matters not if God brought this disaster upon us or not or why if He did. What really matters is what are you going to do about your life from this day forward.<BR/><BR/>Whether you are homosexual, Jew, Gentile, Christian, Budhist, Muslim or anything in between or besides, are you going to continue living to please yourself?<BR/><BR/>There are things in each of our lives that are not good and God has given us the conscience to know what they are. Will you stay this way? Will you carry bitter grudges? Will I? Are you willing to say, "I am sorry"? Am I?<BR/><BR/>Many of you are intelligent enough to know all of what we see before our eyes did not just happen. It is too intricate and too beautiful. <BR/><BR/>Personally, no, I do not believe God caused the disaster known as Katrina but what I do know is this: He is in control of it and everything that is done is done because of His being in control.I cannot take my next breath without His ok and all of you are free to believe whatever you will.<BR/><BR/>If there is a God such as the One I worship, and I know there is, He will have the last say. He will not change with every wind of doctrine as some of you are accustomed to see happen in our laws etc. He will not wink at what He has condemned. They who practice them will surely die and be tormented for all of eternity, He said it I did not.<BR/><BR/>God brought the blindness upon the Jewish peoples, yet He has a remnant who will be His and will be saved. He knows them we do not. He alone will save whoever He wills to save and we only have one task. Tell them about Him and how He came to earth to save His own from sin.<BR/><BR/>If you can't stand the heat leave the kitchen please.<BR/><BR/>SaltnlightSaltnlighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11734795797944198495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1125936183714178742005-09-05T09:03:00.000-07:002005-09-05T09:03:00.000-07:00Hello Serena!Welcome to my blog! Thank you for yo...Hello Serena!<BR/><BR/>Welcome to my blog! Thank you for your kind words about my post. I plan to go to your blog and read more of your writings, too! <BR/><BR/>I have both of my kids home from college for the long holiday weekend so my time on the computer is limited today. <BR/><BR/>Just wanted to say welcome and glad to see you here!<BR/><BR/>Love & God bless,<BR/>ChristineChristinewjchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18434229284833642438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1125809679044835912005-09-03T21:54:00.000-07:002005-09-03T21:54:00.000-07:00hat was a great explanation, Christine. I'm bookma...hat was a great explanation, Christine. I'm bookmarking you and looking forward to that long article you intend to write. I've been mulling one for a while, too. I think for us humans it can be pretty difficult to understand the Sovereign of the Universe. I just know that He has every right to judge His creation however He sees fit to do it, that we deserve it and that somehow His love is not at all to be brought into question in doing so. I'm so grateful that mercy triumphs over judgment and that is proved at the cross when Messiah shed His blood for our sin. I know that what He says is true and that He is longsuffering and doesn't want any to be destroyed but that all would come to repentance. But that does not mean that He doesn't and won't destroy. He gives us warning over and over and over in our lives and we make the choices that bring on the judgment, not Him.<BR/>Love and shalom,<BR/>SerenaSerenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05442374238506159477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1125762892224880352005-09-03T08:54:00.000-07:002005-09-03T08:54:00.000-07:00On my bus to work here in Jerusalem, I had a Jewis...On my bus to work here in Jerusalem, I had a Jewish friend who claimed to be an atheist, ask me why did God allow the holocaust? I answered that Hitler had a free will to sin and he was not satisfied with my answer. Trying to answer the "whys" in life is futile. God's ways and thoughts are above mine. God is sovereign and I KNOW HE can be trusted. God is love and Love NEVER fails.<BR/><BR/>I work with people from many countries and some seem to enjoy JUDGING the United States when tragedy strikes my country. I am not ashamed to be an American, because the United States is used mightily by God to make disciples throughout the world. God bless the USA! America is a beacon of hope for many in the world today.<BR/><BR/>It is almost my bedtime here so I will log off before some 'crazy lady' on the west coast gets me to laughing. Bless you Christine! In His Love,<BR/><BR/>SusanSusan Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01290399161065548291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1125760580403178762005-09-03T08:16:00.000-07:002005-09-03T08:16:00.000-07:00Thomas!You are a genius. How did you know that 'c...Thomas!<BR/><BR/>You are a genius. How did you know that 'crazy lady' is one of my daughters' favorite nicknames for me? ;-)<BR/><BR/>Thomas said: "If that's what gets you through the day, good on you. I've got bigger problems to deal with than you, crazy lady."<BR/><BR/>Of course I'm sure that she places a totally different meaning upon me by using that title than you do...Christinewjchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18434229284833642438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1125760430526323822005-09-03T08:13:00.000-07:002005-09-03T08:13:00.000-07:00My dear friend Susan!I always love how you say so ...My dear friend Susan!<BR/><BR/>I always love how you say so much in so few words (unlike me...haha).<BR/><BR/>Susan: "This is also true about our view of other countries. We must be very careful if we wish to remove a splinter of sin from another's eye, because we might have a forest of logs in our own."<BR/><BR/>Jesus is the only one who can remove those logs from our eyes! I should know...he has performed that spiritual surgery on me over the years...thats for sure! <BR/><BR/>I often pray that my words will be pleasing to Him. He is my audience of One! However, I also realize that we can never be perfect this side of heaven and those remaining 'logs' and 'splinters' in our eyes can be viewed as being left there to remind us of that fact! <BR/><BR/>I so appreciate you Susan, and the wisdom of God's love that you share here at my blog.<BR/><BR/>Love in Him,<BR/>ChristineChristinewjchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18434229284833642438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1125760005597391102005-09-03T08:06:00.000-07:002005-09-03T08:06:00.000-07:00Hello Jan and Thomas,Thanks for taking the time to...Hello Jan and Thomas,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for taking the time to read my post and reply to it. Even when people disagree vehemently about tragic events, their causes, and the circumstances behind them, I still think it is good to have a dialogue about it.<BR/><BR/>Thomas, you stated that you were confused as to why I posted several different opinion pieces about this tragedy. Note my statements here:<BR/><BR/>"In fact, there are many ongoing debates on various blogs and message boards where people are discussing whom or what is to blame for it."<BR/><BR/>"When natural disasters happen, people come up with all kinds of theories and views about it and most ask the question, "why"?"<BR/><BR/>"Amidst all the pain and suffering, I tend to focus in on the spiritual aspects of an event such as this."<BR/><BR/>I have noticed that the two of you pounced on me for posting the Marcavage article. In fact, a fellow Christian teenage writer named Kyle Williams has posted a new article at WorldNetDaily condemning the arrogance of the views expressed in that particular article. Of course, he is entitled to his opinion. So are both of you. So am I.<BR/><BR/>One thing that has been missed within the criticism of the article is the fact that the city was destroyed BEFORE the homosexuals arrived there. How many gay men and lesbian women would have lost their lives if they were there? Only God knows. But know this, God tells us in his Word that he does not delight in the destruction of the wicked. However, He has destroyed "wicked cities" like Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember the pleading of Lot with the Lord to spare the city if he could find 50 righteous people there? Eventually, the count went down to 10! Even those few could not be found.<BR/><BR/>God wants ALL to come to repentance! It isn't an issue of innocence, for NONE of us are innocent. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But the Lord is patient, His Word tells us, precisely because he does not want ANYONE to perish!<BR/><BR/>Perhaps some gay people arrived in New Orleans early for the festival. I pray that they escaped and are among the survivors. I grieve for those gay people (and anyone else) who died in this tragedy; especially if they had not already chosen to confess, repent of their sins and have the Lord Jesus Christ indwelling their souls before their physical deaths! <BR/><BR/>I plan to post a very detailed blog about God's love for us as well as His love for holiness and righteousness. Perhaps you might consider reading it when it is posted. It is my sincere hope that my new post will open your eyes, hearts and ears towards God's call for our need to repent.<BR/><BR/>As I stated in the beginning of my first post, I tend to focus on the spiritual aspects of events. I hope you don't mind if I share some thoughts about tragedies such as these and then lead into the spiritual aspects that I see according to what the Bible has taught me over the years.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes God rescues people from disasters on this earth, sometimes he doesn't. His Word tells us that He doesn't enjoy the destruction of the wicked, but wants all to come to repentance. The issue isn't innocence. It is holiness and righteousness which was taken out of man when man chose to sin and disobey God. The rain falls on the wicked and the righteous. Even many of the disciples weren't spared from dying horrific deaths and they were the 'recorders' of the Bible through the guidance and leading of the Holy Spirit! <BR/><BR/>All of God's ways cannot be known to our finite minds (for we see as through a glass darkly), however, we are shown enough in general revelation of Creation, plus special revelation of God's Word which reveals the Person of Jesus Christ. Knowing Christ is to know what God requires of us from this life. <BR/><BR/>It is only in the end that we will see the mosaic of redemption and the "whys" of the timing of deaths. Right now I sincerely think we are seeing the "birth pangs" of the end times as revealed in the books of Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation.<BR/><BR/>The way I see it is that it doesn't matter how, when or at what age one dies. What matters is a person's spiritual state at the time of death. Infants and children who have not reached the age of accountability are not spiritually responsible for their own personal salvation. The Bible has several verses that reveal this fact. <BR/><BR/>When the tsunami hit, people were asking "why?" and "where is God?"; many were angry with God for allowing it to happen. Let's consider the following facts.<BR/><BR/>There were many warnings which went ignored and due to several human errors, the people in the area where the tsunami hit were not warned properly or in time. Some that were warned and took it seriously survived. One of the worst facts about the tsunami disaster is to find out that the warning system in place at the time had been deserted by those who generally would have been there to alert the people. If I remember correctly, many were on vacation. If you read through the archives of articles (WND is a good choice) you will find that a man put up posters warning about the seismic activity projection in the ocean and that a tsunami could occur as a result. The warnings to the government, resorts, and tourists all were ignored. One disturbing reason why proper warnings were not given was because of greed. The tourist industry didn't want to alarm the guests; especially if it didn't turn out to be an evacuation emergency. Hindsight may be 20/20, but greed often blinds people to what they SHOULD do for the sake of the safety of others.<BR/><BR/>The tragedy in New Orleans is something that people have been warning about for years if not decades. There was always the fear that if anything larger than a category 3 hurricane hit, the levy would be in danger of breaking. If the levy broke there, the city would be under water and completely destroyed precisely because it was built on ground which is below sea level. I just heard on Fox News as I was typing this that warnings such as this have gone unheeded for 30 years!<BR/><BR/>Maybe it wasn't wise to build the area in the first place? Was it wise to build a city on ground which is below sea level? Where was man's wisdom in this? <BR/><BR/>There was a mandatory evacuation for several days before the hurricane hit and the smart people heeded those dire warnings and escaped the tragedy. Those who thought they could ride out the storm now know what a terrible mistake they made in that decision. As was seen in several news reports before the storm hit, many people refused to leave their homes. People cannot be forced to do something that they refuse to do, no matter how many warnings and pleadings are given and no matter how dire the situation is. <BR/><BR/>In a similar manner, when confronted with the gospel message, people need to consider whether or not to confess sin and repent and ask Jesus into their hearts as Lord and Savior. This can only be encouraged by others and cannot be forced upon people. Requiring more than what God has already revealed through general and special revelation in order to make the decision for salvation is an even more dire mistake than the terrible decision that people who refused the warnings about the hurricane made. The years of physical life are but a blip in time compared to eternity...<BR/><BR/>People can be fervently urged to save their physical lives when a hurricane is coming to shore just like they can be urged to save their eternal souls before physical death for all eternity. Free will enables people to say "no" to both suggestions. The consequences for such decisions are now evident in the physical realm (as in the case of the hurricane), and warned in the spiritual realm in God's Word, the Bible. <BR/><BR/>Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.Christinewjchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18434229284833642438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1125738019903889802005-09-03T02:00:00.000-07:002005-09-03T02:00:00.000-07:00As Jan mentioned, God IS in control. It is so eas...As Jan mentioned, God IS in control. It is so easy for me to look at others with a magnifying glass and view myself through rose-colored glasses.<BR/><BR/>This is also true about our view of other countries. We must be very careful if we wish to remove a splinter of sin from another's eye, because we might have a forest of logs in our own. (ss)Susan Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01290399161065548291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391603.post-1125715389436665552005-09-02T19:43:00.000-07:002005-09-02T19:43:00.000-07:00Do you folks really believe God caused Katrina the...Do you folks really believe God caused Katrina the hurricane as punishment for our sins?.........geezz....just unfricking believable. All this tragedy and devastation to prove a point...I think not!!<BR/><BR/><BR/>However, Hurricane Katrina has put an end to the annual celebration of sin.<BR/><BR/>"Although the loss of lives is deeply saddening, this act of God destroyed a wicked city," <BR/><BR/>I believe that things like Katrina are permitted to happen to shake us from our slumber. God has not lost his control over our worldJanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17164293354824249773noreply@blogger.com