Shoppe. I'm glad you liked it.  Though that is the only depiction I know of in writing, I suspect that similar events happened throughout the world at that time in devotion to Aphrodite, Venus and Ishtar, etc.  

Also, that "conversion" story that I told above is told humorously in person. It was pretty comical.  I only tell it above to relate the sincerity of faith my ex-roommate. 

- - -

Paine. Thanks for your post as well.  What I'm trying to nail down is the relevance of "works" versus "faith".  It seems to me that so long as there is faith and real repentence, then any soul can be saved.

Thanks for your story Pain.  I also do not know one perfect person....  I was a typical young sinner when I got saved at 21.    I believed there was a God most of my young life, but I DIDN'T CARE, I just wanted to have fun.

No one changes overnight,  God will work with you.  He wants nothing more than for you to go to Heaven and enjoy eternity to the fullest with Him.

Thats what he wants.  What do you want?   To be used by the Devil?   He is as real as God..... be careful.

If any of you wait to be good to come to God, you may be waiting too long.

shoppegirl

P.s   WW, forgot to say that post you made about the women being forced into sex at the temple was amazing. 

wuwei,

   Many people including myself didn't change overnight. I spent 1/2 my life in sin and in some of the worse kind of sin imaginable. but once I asked the Lord to forgive me and come into my heart things started to change. I didn't stop everything I once did right away nor did I have much "fruit" in my walk but little by little the desires began to become less and less. Jesus takes a person right where they're at in life and usually its the ones who are the murders, prostitutes, liars, cheaters, drug dealers, "tax collectors"

Some people believe the lie from the devil that says "I'm not that bad" I haven't killed anyone, I don't steal and I never cheated on my spouse but the fact is we all have sinned and fallin short. No one is rightoues no not one.

Because of sin the price to pay is eternal separation from God. Because God loves us so much he desires to forgive you and establish a relationship with you. He gives everyone a choice to do that. Unlike the babylonians and others who force marriage or force you into a decision God simply stands at the door and knocks, if you open the door of your heart to him that relationship will start for you too.

I don't know all things WW,  but Gods word says He will forgive if we ask.

Maybe that violent xfriend needed more.  Maybe he needed Counseling as well as prison time,  maybe he was a skitzo and needed medication... We really don't know.

I am sorry he tried to force you into Christianity,  I never would do that to you WW.  Its a personal thing.  You can if you want, or not if you want.  NO forceing from me.  :)

Now.   Many Christians are in Prisons.   They belong there if they cannot on their own change their ways.

Now,  Pain I can agree with today.   We are not saved by works,  no matter how many good things we do.

WITHOUT CHRIST WE CANNOT BE SAVED....   Do all the good you want,  BUT YOU CANNOT BE GOOD ENOUGH.   I can't uphold all 10 of the commandments.   But I do try to do the Main two that Christ talked about...

Love God and  your neighbor as yourself. 

Hi everyone!

I have a miserable cold.  I think it is a gift from my 14 yr old grand-daughter.  Thank you Aubrie!!  You could have shared this gift with someone else....

I did not do anything yesterday but sit around and be miserable.  Oh, I did mail off a box to our son in Kosovo.  He wanted a hair clipper, so I sent that and baked some cookies I had made and froze the dough in balls.  that works so slick.  I just make up the dough and freeze it in balls on the cookie sheet.  When they get frozen I put them in a baggie in the freezer to be baked at another time.  Very handy.  If I make double and tripple batches I always have a fresh desert ready if I need one. 

Gonna go make some coffee.

Later ladies!

Shoppe. When I was younger, under some bizarre circumstance, I had a roommate that was a former Samoan gangbanger [above average height, but physically "ripped"].  He said he had done time in prison for various crimes big and small. And he had confessed to me of shooting a rival gang member, but not knowing if that person died or not. He too, sported various wounds from bullets (shoulder area) and knives (torso). 

He was trying to repair his life when I met him. But he was still clearly fighting some old personal demons......and violence was still a part of his soul.

- - -

One day, a Sunday, he decided that I, wuwei, needed converting to Christianity. So while I sat on the couch, he started preaching the Bible to me.....in a threatening way. [Mind you we are friendly enough to be friends .... but I was still wary of his violent capabilities].  Dude starts commanding me to go to church and to accept Jesus as my Lord and savior.  To which I, under duress, responded: "Sure."

- - -

Here is a guy who did not keep the commandments. But a guy who sought the Lord to help him fight devils. A guy who I believe was sincere in his faith. And a guy who begged forgiveness and was trying to live a proper life.

- - -

The last I had heard, he was back in prison for armed robbery.

- - -

But what if he ultimately was able to repent?

Can I ask who else believes salvation is earned.

Then if I can ask what good things does a person have to do to earn their salavation.

God gave the Ten Commandments and no one could follow even 10 things.

The reason they were given is so we can understand we are sinners.

Salvation is a gift, if we have to earn that gift then it isn't a gift anymore. It would simply be something we worked for or paid for. It would be like buying a new car. If someone gave me a car and then turned around and said the car payments start Dec 1st well then it wouldn't be a free gift.

I know that the "whore of Babylon" is an allegory. However, I remember reading the History of Herodotus (circa 430BC) and coming across this passage (regarding Babylon) which reminded me of it:

199. Now the most shameful of the customs of the Babylonians is as follows: every woman of the country must sit down in the precincts of Aphrodite once in her life and have commerce with a man who is a stranger: and many women who do not deign to mingle with the rest, because they are made arrogant by wealth, drive to the temple with pairs of horses in covered carriages, and so take their place, and a large number of attendants follow after them; but the greater number do thus, - - in the sacred enclosure of Aphrodite sit great numbers of women with a wreath of cord about their heads; some come and others go; and there are passages in straight lines going between the women in every direction, through which the strangers pass by and make their choice. Here when a woman takes her seat she does not depart again to her house until one of the strangers has thrown a silver coin into her lap and has had commerce with her outside the temple, and after throwing it he must say these words only: "I demand thee in the name of the goddess Mylitta": now Mylitta is the name given by the Assyrians to Aphrodite: and the silver coin may be of any value; whatever it is she will not refuse it, for that is not lawful for her, seeing that this coin is made sacred by the act: and she follows the man who has first thrown and does not reject any: and after that she departs to her house, having acquitted herself of her duty to the goddess, nor will you be able thenceforth to give any gift so great as to win her. So then as many as have attained to beauty and stature are speedily released, but those of them who are unshapely remain there much time, not being able to fulfil the law; for some of them remain even as much as three or four years: and in some parts of Cyprus too there is a custom similar to this.

Good questions except #1.

A person that is a christian WANTS to do good, and feels lousy when they don't, so yes,  they must keep repenting.     Doesn't mean they aren't saved, just means they are very weak and needs to man up against temptations.

RIDER,  BARBRA STREISAND??  lol

Care,  don't blame me because you were facebooking about your secret recipe Chicken soup all day.   LOL... I can't wait to try it.

Yes,   congrats to NY.   I really didn't care who won.   Someone had too I guess.

Was it someone on here that just built an OUTHOUSE complete with toilet paper in a folgers can?     

Love those walmart pics,   especially before my morning joe (coffee).

Life is good,  God loves us very much.   Have a great day ladies...

shoppegirl  aka choppeshoppe

lol..that pic..n to think she brought her poor kid with. Not much is going on here. I was off yesterday and didnt do diddly squat til about 330.  Cleaned up the house a lil bit, ate, ate again, made cookies, n went to bed. 

Congrats T on the Yankees..yes Jeter is ONE HOT Man!!

All your soup skillz are making me hungry girls!! I was so excited my stew came out last weekend!  Its one of them walmart bags already prepared..just throw it in the crockpot n wait for 10 hrs. lol.

I like corn in chili too T. I still have your corn sitting on the counter.  I will be up in Minot sometime. I will let you know!

Shoppe.  I think that was well put.  However, my thoughts are on the flip side of that.  Is faith enough? Two scenarios:

1. The person has accepted Jesus Christ, but is a terrible person, broke commandments but in the end (sincerely) repents?

2. The person has accepted Jesus Christ, keeps the commandments, but practices Christianity in a way that is seen by others as not completely adhering to the Bible?

Works is important  BUT WILL NOT SAVE YOU.  I repeat,  doing good things all your life, giving hoards of money to the sick, helping old ladies to cross the street,  sacrificing your life to help a stranger  WILL NOT SAVE YOU.

Without Jesus and him crucified,  you have no salvation.

Too many on here and everywhere else say ,  oh he/she was such a nice person, I know they are in heaven now..... Not true.   Takes more than nice. 

Have a Nice Day.  :)

Thats just a feel good idea for athiests who want to get along without having to obey or respect a higher power.. God..

Soros does a lot of wonderful things for those he cares for .

Good Morning everyone, how are you today? I have the soup kitchen today, so it is a busy day, and I am still in pain but I am needed by many. Marilyn you inspired me the other day talking about Chili. I made a Chicken chili, with fresh peppers. I am not really a great Chili person, I make better soups, and I can’t make a hot chili because all the old people complain of gas. Has anyone ever put corn in Chili? I am going to try it, I try to make my soups and chili with some kind of vegetable, and I add vitamins. With the weather getting cold the people need some extra vitamins to fight off cold. I am sorry for some, there are many that come to soup kitchen that just need want someone to visit with, and of cause they all love me.  I also bought sour cream and Cheddar cheese to put on top of the Chili.  Other than that not much happens. 

Oh Yes did I Tell you the Yankees Won the World Series, so that means I have to were my Derrick Jeter jersey today, Love that man.

I love you all so much, thanks for being my little computer buds. Theresa

It is really pretty outside right now, I love stars.

For my Shoppe

I like her booties? What are some people thinking?

I agree with you Marilyn, I don't believe a person can get to heaven without doing anything to deserve going there.  Just believing in God or in Jesus isn't going to get you there.  You have to take an active part in getting there yourself, meaning you have to do some kind of good works for your fellow man, for yourself and for the enviornment in general.  And by that I mean you have to show some respect for all of God's creations from your family to your neighbor to a stranger and to the earth and all of the other living things on it.

I'll never forget a scene from the movie "Orca" that has stayed with me ever since I saw it.  It was the scene where the guy who was a whale hunter said to his priest "Father, is it possible to commit a sin against an animal"?

I know it was just a fictional movie but I never will forget that one part of it.

The quote you (and I) gave from James is not without contention......or maybe (better put).....there is perhaps less emphasis placed with James as there is Paul.

I'll let others comment.