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  1. M

    very frustrated with encouragement!

    I don't have an issue with encouragement itself, but rather how the use of it has become overkill in contemporary Christian churches in America. NOTE: Ironically as frustrated as I am with encouragement, it's one of my main spiritual gifts. However I don't encourage in the typical way...
  2. M

    Is living in the U.S.A. really that great?

    NOTE: This thread/post is NOT to 'bash America' by saying how much better other countries are to live in comparison to United States;the purpose of this disclaimer is to clarify why I'm NOT posting, as well as why I am posting, which is to share my perspective. My perspective is based on being...
  3. M

    Do American churches/Christians even know how to witness anymore?

    I accidentally posted the same thing twice, which was a mistake on my part
  4. M

    Do American churches/Christians even know how to witness anymore?

    I've had a question I've been wondering about for a while regarding this: If you're not preaching the message of salvation in its entirety, are you truly fulfilling the commandment Jesus talked about with the great commission? Are you truly witnessing if you're not sharing the message of the...
  5. M

    Do American churches/Christians even know how to witness anymore?

    I ask this because a very disturbing trend I see with American churches/pastors with witnessing is where you're being saved from (the doctrine of hell) has been omitted The main reasons I can think of this has happened, there's an unwritten rule that you don't talk about anything that has the...
  6. M

    I feel betrayed by God

    I realize that you shouldn't rely too much on feelings with your faith, because they have the potential to be very misleading, and can thus negatively impact your relationship with God as a result. 'Feel' is probably a poor word choice, but unfortunately it's the only word I can find that...
  7. M

    struggling with worship! many questions!

    First off I know that true worship is a lifestyle, that it's not just singing; However the aspect of worship I am struggling with is the, for lack of a better term, the 'traditional' part of it, singing/praising. Jesus said to worship in spirit and in Truth (John 4:23-24); to me this means...
  8. M

    angry, sad, and broken (WARNING: VERY long post!)

    POST, CONTINUED: The last thing is that my relationship with my mom is not good, and I don't think I will ever have a decent relationship with her. She loves and cares about me, and I love her, but I see brokenness in the relationship I have with her and it seems impossible that things will...
  9. M

    angry, sad, and broken (WARNING: VERY long post!)

    WARNING: I tried to just make this one post, but due to the post being so long the site, wouldn't let me. As a result, I had to make two posts to fit everything in. Sorry! Like I said, it's a long post; there are many reasons why I feel this way, most of them go back 10-20 years. Some of...
  10. M

    generational gap ('millennials vs. baby boomers')

    The two small groups I go to at my church, most of them are in in their late 50's and/or early-to-mid 60's. It's extremely difficult for baby boomers to relate to the struggles that millennials are dealing with. When they were our age (age range is early to mid 20's to mid 30's) they weren't...
  11. M

    depression and the church

    Loneliness fuels depression. Have you talked with your pastor privately about your feelings about these things in regard to the congregation/church? Sounds like to me the pastor needs some heartfelt and bold sermons on loneliness, fellowship and friendship, charity and compassion outside of...
  12. M

    depression and the church

    First off (and I'm not saying that's what you're thinking/assuming, I'm just clarifying) I don't expect somebody who doesn't struggle with depression at all to fully understand it; however that's not what I'm asking Christians at my church to do. The only thing I ask is that people make the...
  13. M

    depression and the church

    I became a Christian since I was 17 (am 35 now) and have for the most part, attended church regularly since I became a Christian (this includes small group, i.e. Bible study; by small group I don't mean you go on Sundays, then go to the regular service in the sanctuary, but small groups that...
  14. M

    tired of going to church

    I am tired of being told I am making generalizations when I am not; I am speaking from 17 years of experience of going to various churches, and every single one of them has been exactly like what I described in my initial post. I am also tired of being accused of having 'selfish expectations'...
  15. M

    tired of going to church

    I'm not asking anybody to be a 'surrogate companion'. I never implied in any shape or form that the reason the church exists is for fellowship; I know that's not the reason the church exists-the church exists to worship God. However the reality is that worshiping God is obeying Him-if you love...
  16. M

    strained relationship

    I know exactly what it feels like to 'be done'. That's exactly how I feel about my life and NOT just because I live with her! So I am just supposed to suck it up and deal and let her continue treating me like crap?! I'm just supposed to ignore that our relationship sucks and that she has...
  17. M

    strained relationship

    The frustrating part about living with her is it seems like literally everything I do irritates and/or makes her angry. I have hobbies; I visit the humane society and volunteer there-I pet and play with the cats, the interaction with humans helps them get used to people for when they're...