He has a book out.

Almost every Republican shared his disgust with Trump.​

Mr. Romney warned Mr. McConnell that their lives were in danger on Jan. 6.​

He doesn't have a high opinion of J.D. Vance or of Pence.

What are the significant theological differences between the different branches of Seventh-day Adventism? The following is a list of the Church's major theological and cultural divisions.

1. Traditionalist.
a. Traditional Seventh-day Adventism. also called Historics.
b. This group focuses on all the Writing of EGW. This is the Pre- 1950's version of Adventism. Whole sermons are preached exclusively from Ellen White's writings.
c. Major Advocates. Stephen Bohr. Our Firm Foundation, Steps to Life, John Oborn,.
Major Institutions: Independent Ministries. Heartland Hope International. Weimar, Independent Academy. Light bearers. in the 1980s and '90s, went through change now considered mainline
d. Major Publication & Media: Review and Herald. Pacific Press, Advent Source,
e. Major Theological issue. Last Generation Theology, Sinless perfection, Standing before God without an intercessor. Health message Salvation. In addition to Mainline Seventh Day Adventist Church Doctrines.

Historic Adventism - Wikipedia​

en.wikipedia.org

2. Mainline (Conservative) Seventh-Day Adventist.
a. This is the main body, run by the General Conference of SDA and the Local Union & Conference.
b. focuses on 28 fundamentals & the church as the Remenant Church of Bible Prophecy, EGW used moderately, promotes EGW "Evangelistic" works. Steps to Christ, 5-volume Conflict of the Ages series, Ministry of Healing, Education, Christ object lessons, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing. The Clearword Bible and Andrews University Study Bible.
c. Major Advocates: Ted Wilson, Doug Batchelor, Mark Finley, David Asherick Every Conference President, and Most Evangelist, Most pastors, Most Teachers.

Seventh-day Adventist Church - Wikipedia​

en.wikipedia.org


3. Evangelical Seventh Day Adventist (SEA)

1. This is the branch of the Church that traces its roots back to the Seventh-day Baptist Church and the Convocation of Nov 1, 1843. When the SDB church fasted and prayed for the resurrection of the Sabbath in Christianity. Rachel Oaks, Fredrick Wheeler, Thomas Prebble, the Farnsworth Brothers, J.N. Andrews, & Joseph Bates, J.H. Waggoner. founded the Sabbatarian Adventist Movement.
2. Evangelicals believe the SDA church was hijacked by James & Ellen White and advocate for the removal of Ellen White as any kind of Authority in the SDA church and the Free study of the bible without consulting EGW. The Messenger Party, The Marion Party. 1888 conflict & the King of the North & King of the South confusion, were all divisions because of Ellen G. White.
3. Major advocates: Most of the Theology professors in the SDA colleges & universities are in some way Evangelical. Desmond Ford and Robert Brimsmead, openly Challenged the traditional views. They would be welcome in this branch.
4. Major Publication & Media - Adventist Theological Society, Perspectives magazine.
5. Major Theological Issues:

I. The Removal of EGW as a prophet and theological Authority.
II. Sabbath as a sign of the 1000 years of Christ's reign on earth in Jerusalem.
III. Return of Isreal as a sign of the End time and Christ's Return.
IV.the Lord’s Day is an additional festival, established by the Apostles to define the difference between Jew & Christian. We advocate for this as the major day of evangelism for the church. As Sunday day evangelism day.
V. Solomon as a type of Christ & Anti-Christ. 666. Roman Catholic Church and Church/State Alliance with Rome fulfillment.
VI. Satan in the pit, chamber of Darkness for 1000 years
VII. Soul Sleep - You have a soul that will die and be asleep until Jesus comes unless you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, then It will go to heaven upon Death.
VIII. Holy Health Care - We Advocate for Holy Health Care, the blessing of a healthy lifestyle, and a health care plan that focuses on healthy living. 3 John 1:2
IX. Prosparity - God has always wanted us to be “fruitful and multiply” which is the biblical expression for prosperity.
X. Evangelical View of the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a model of God’s original plan for humanity. The Holy Place is a model of the Garden of Eden on Earth. The Most Holy Place is a model of the Throne of God in Heaven. When Christ went to heaven, he instituted a new sanctuary, with the church being the New Holy Place, which makes the Church the New Garden of Eden on Earth. This shows that Christ, as the New Adam, is restoring What was lost at the fall of the First Adam.
Tarling, Lowell R. (1981). "Evangelical Adventists". The Edges of Seventh-day Adventism: A Study of Separatist Groups Emerging from the Seventh-day Adventist Church (1844–1980).
Are Adventists Evangelical?
Free Christian Devotionals & Courses By Good News Unlimited
Evangelica Magazine Evangelica - Wikipedia



4. Feast-keeping Seventh-day Adventist (FSDA)

1. This is the messianic branch of the Church, they advocate for the keeping of the Jewish Festivals.
2. Major Supporter - John Vandenberg.
3. Major Publication & Media - Bible Exploration, Amazing Discoveries, Bible Exploration

Bible Explorations - Spreading the good news that we are the last generation and that Christ is coming very soon!
Feasts that Typify Christ's Second Coming: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles


5. Liberal Seventh-day Adventist - Liberal

1. This group is considered liberal over 2 basic issues
2. Lifestyle/Cultural issues & Academic issues - Jewelry, drinking, dancing, Meat Eating, Movies going.
3. Academic issue -

a liberal view of the bible, the bible a human origin.
b. scientific view, over biblical view,
B. Major Theological Issues - the bible as a product of the human mind. They adopt the atheist/liberal assumptions of examination of the Evidence & timelines.
Ellen White is a non-prophet. They do not hold to the Social Code of the SDA church called “Standards”, such as no jewelry, vegetarian/vegan, movie-going, secular concerts, dancing, and clubbing.

C. Major Advocates: John McLarty, Andy Nash, & J. David Newman.
D. Major Publication: Adventist Forums, Spectrum Magazine, Adventist Today (AT):

Adventist Today
Spectrum Magazine

Note: AT is a News Magazine. It appears liberal because of its broad reporting on events inside the SDA church from a neutral standpoint. That is not an indication of its theological viewpoint.

Note: A liberal may not exhibit all of these characteristics at the same time. To be considered Liberal, you need at least one or more.

Note: Liberal/Progressive: Liberal/Progressive SDA labels have undergone a revolution and swapped places. What was once considered liberal is now progressive and what is considered progressive is now considered liberal. This is primarily due to the lgbtq+ movement in Advent

6. Progressive Seventh-day Adventist - Progressive

1. This branch is the newest. It follows the LGBTQ+ issues and the Social Justice issues of mainstream society.
2. Major Issues are the Affirmation and inclusion of Gay people in the SDA church. Income equality, Living wage, homelessness, BLM, Defund the police.
3. Major supporters. Chris Blake, Alicia Johnston, Brian Ness, Steven Chavez, Floyd Poenitz
4. Major Publication & media - Connections, SDA Kinship International,

Home​

SDA Kinship is a safe social and spiritual community for LGBTQIA+ current and former Seventh-day Adventists, their families, and those who support them.
sdakinship.org

Note: Progressive was a larger umbrella term for anything not mainline or traditional coined in the 1950’s. Many of the issues that were considered Progressive are Evangelical, Such as the use of Contemporary Christian Music, Leading with the Gospel, the use of the bible only in worship, and Systematic Preaching.

Note: Liberal/Progressive: Liberal/Progressive SDA labels have undergone a revolution and swapped places. What was once considered liberal is now progressive and what is considered progressive is now considered liberal. This is primarily due to the lgbtq+ movement in Adventism

One of my faults in writing letters is that I tend to wait for a while before I write back. I was having a problem reaching a prisoner because they kept moving him, and so I got back three letters that were not forwarded. I kind of gave up, thinking, hopefully, that he was finally released. It turned out I was right. However, I did not find out in a happy way. He told me that he was ‘back’ in prison, this time for two years, which does not sound like a long time, but being locked up, I think it probably is.

I do not know how many times he has been locked up, but I think this his second time, if it was his third I believe the sentence can be much longer, and even for life. I do not know his crime, hardly look that up. I have only done it twice because it was something I needed to do.

I do believe that he is serious about turning his life around, but as some of the men I write to have told me, that they have serious impulse problems. I guess we all struggle with that but perhaps for some, it is a real problem.

Many of the men I write to come across as very intelligent, and some do indeed turn their lives around and never go back to jail. I believe that around 60 percent never return to prison.

I have an aspect of my interior that could be called lawless, and I guess that is one reason that I understand the need for discipline in my interior life, as well as for my dealings with those around me. Not sure we can get away from that need. Freedom is always doing what one wants. Compulsion plays a large role in our everyday lives, more perhaps that many would like not to think about. The road to freedom is a long one.

To love as Jesus loves, means that there is a need for self-knowledge, and inner strength to fight against our tendency to be self-centered and only concerned with those we know and love and forget the rest. Many would deny this, and if they do, I hope that they are right. However, I am not one of those good souls.

I believe that all those who seek to live a life seeking to help and serve others are responding to God’s grace. They are seekers, and Jesus promised that those who seek will find. A seeker will rejoice to learn the truth, those who do not seek, may hate the truth when presented to them. In the end we either bend our knee to truth in joy, or by necessity even if that truth is hated.

God’s grace keeps us from closing in on ourselves to the exclusion of others. Grace also puts a void into our hearts that won’t go away until we experience what is the only thing that can fill that void. That is the Infinite love of God, as shown to us by Christ Jesus.

There are two gates that we must enter. One is the gate of mercy, healing, and salvation, the other is the gate of justice. Mercy and justice are not opposed, but in the end, we choose one or the other.

When we pray, each time we open our hearts, our ability to love God and others grows, slowly perhaps, but grow it does. So, pray, open your hearts, and move forward in faith hope and love, watered by trust.-Br.MD

Time to forgive Ned from the Try Guys?

He cheated on his wife with a woman at his work.

Cancel Culture needs to stop.

Time to forgive Ned.

I’ve seen plenty of atheist opinions on this, so I’m curious: what are some other perspectives on this because it can be used to back up ID but can also be used to back up materialism

I find it strange that Fox News still mention Hunter is the son of the president even though they mention his name multiple times a day

It is sort of like saying Hunter Biden is the son of the president of the United States of America a country mainly in North America with 50 States

Most places have specials on cheese burgers. Got any you would recommend? I think I'm going with McDonald's.

So something occurred to me. Most of the talk about impeaching Biden is around his supposed actions as Vice President right? But he's no longer Vice President. And many Republicans claimed during Trump's second impeachment that he couldn't be impeached or tried because he was no longer in office. So doesn't that mean that Biden can't be impeached for anything that may have happened when he was VP?

All the time, the pruning, and effort -- God thinks we are so worthwhile. Are we going to let God take care of us in His garden today?​

The smell of chili spice wafted through the garden as I collected Sunday’s harvest into the upturned bottom half of my oversized shirt. I tiptoed around my backyard, feeling the cool earth between my toes as the morning sun kissed my face. In the kitchen, I peeled tomatillo husks and diced cherry bomb peppers as I looked out the window to the rest of the ripening patch. While the garden was once nothing more than a menagerie of seeds planted haphazardly in tilled soil, it is now where my labor was coming to fruition, literally. I was making my first “garden to table” recipe: a humble bowl of salsa.

Continued below.

Please pray that I make the right decision about keeping a car appointment for brake repair and other issues in a couple of hours. My wife has a dental appointment tomorrow and has been blaming me in part for dizziness and vertigo she has been experiencing and will probably cancel that appointment. It seems that she likely does not want me keep my car appointment which is critical and not easily rescheduled because she wants me around because of her symptoms. However I think she will be fine. She is sleeping and normally wakes in the early afternoon and I must leave at 1PM. Pray that I make the correct decision. I realize that this request is probably confusing but please pray.

Slavery is condemned broadly under commandment "Thou shall not steal." All Christians are not to take our neighbors person, property or money by force or dishonest dealings, but help him keep his own individual life, and protect his property and business.

Secondly, Christians are forbidden to be apart of the slave trade. The Biblical term for this is "men stealing" ἀνδραποδιστής in 1 Timothy 1:10.

And thirdly in James 5:1-6, slavery is condemned as "theft of labor." "Theft of labor" is one of two sins that cry out to God. (The other is murder in Gen. 4). It is a grievous sin. Why? It destroys human creativity. Each person is uniquely created by God with specialized gifts in intellect, talents and abilities. A slave is forced to give up what God has uniquely gifted him/her for his slave master. Freedom allows mankind to live as God intended and gifted them to live.

Faith Part 1

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https://www.christianforums.com/#_ednref1 Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964–c1976. Vols. 5–9 edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Vol. 10 compiled by Ronald Pitkin. (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (6:174). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

CNN —
Hunter Biden sued the Internal Revenue Service on Monday, alleging its agents illegally released his tax information and that the agency failed to protect his private records.

President Joe Biden’s son alleges the IRS unlawfully disclosed his tax return information and did not establish safeguards to ensure the confidentiality of his records. He is seeking, among other things, all documents involving the disclosure of the tax information, $1,000 for each unauthorized disclosure and attorneys fees.


This one has the potential to create some odd allegiances and strange bedfellows situations. We know some folks on the right don't like Hunter, but they also don't like the IRS.

I would like to start a bible study group. Would anyone be interested in joining? Comment and let me know

One of the definitions of liberal in the Webster's Dictionary reads:
One who is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways

I believe this might be a good general definition of what liberal means. However, in the last few years, it seems that with this we might tack on some other things such as "trust the government/science" and being "tolerant" of different ideas (as long as you don't disagree with them).

There are some major problems I see with being a liberal thinker. The problem is not exclusively being "loose on crime." Rather, it is a mindset that seems to just swallow the pills of whatever it is the current culture is jamming down our throats. It's a very "progressive" type of mindset, meaning, they think there is this kind of progress that is made with humanity especially relating to morality. This is a huge blindspot for them IMO. People are as wicked today as they were at the time of Christ, if not more. Perhaps they are not as violent in the Western world (though sports like UFC would probably like to have a word about this), but they make up for it with gross amounts of hedonism, entitlement, arrogance, disrespect, callousness, and recklessness (2 Timothy 3:1-5). In short, it's all about me to them. Gen Z is probably the most selfish generation ever to walk the face of the earth. Constraints are good and right. Not "Law" but self-control. IMO, we should blame the internet. While the internet can be a great good, I sometimes wonder if my life would be better without it. Social media seems to reward this selfish behavior.

So I ask: what can we do about this? Does anyone have any ideas?

A family were in a crash and were deemed to have walked away but are in a severe state of shock and are being neglected by others

Martin of Tours and his namesake Martin Luther Martin of Tours & Martin Luther

Has anybody tried the find my plane app?

The year was 1968. It was our high school’s senior assembly. I had been chosen to sing a solo, “The Impossible Dream,” from “Man of La Mancha.” The song was about fighting an unbeatable foe and bearing with unbearable sorrow and running where the brave dare not go… And halfway through singing the song my voice cracked, and the student body, from what I recall, laughed. But I kept singing, and I walked off the stage, and then I ran down the hall to the girls’ restroom and cried my eyes out.

So, what did I learn from that? It really went along with the lyrics to the song, “To fight for the right without question or pause, to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause…” But did I learn it well? No! Fear of other people and their opinions of me and their treatment of me was something I battled with much, but which God helped me to conquer over and over again. It overcame me for a period of time, but God helped me once again to rise above it and to keep going even if I am laughed at.

And I needed to learn that lesson, for my calling in life is to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is not a popular calling, and it is not one that is well received by all people, and not even by some others who call themselves Christians. So I face ridicule, and I face opposition, and I don’t have a huge following, but I know I am in the right place doing what I am supposed to be doing, and I know I am making a difference, even if I am laughed at or mocked or ridiculed. And that is really okay. For I am where God wants me.

I am pretty sure that Christ Himself was strictly against being overly formal. My reason for thinking this is that Christ seemed to almost go out of His way to be informal in the way he communicated. Take this verse for example:

"He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." (Matthew 16:2–3)

This was just common vernacular for the time. It's a turn of phrase that is similar to the one we have today that goes, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning, sailor's warning."

There are many other ways I could demonstrate this such as many of the parables that Jesus used.

The point: If you make Christianity a bunch of rules to follow or a bunch of formalities that you have to do, it kind of steals the magic of what Christ was after. Christ didn't need to rely on formalities to get His message across. Isn't that why He picked Peter of all people, who by all accounts was pretty rough around the edges and probably had a bit of a salors tongue before Christ called him?

Now, I'm not saying, "It a relationship, not a religion." So please don't hear me saying that. Christianity is a religion. But when we get so focused on formalities we have lost the point of what Christ was about. So by all means, take your theology seriously. Study. Learn. Know the depths of Christ. But if the original communities [sic] were just homes where people visited, I find the idea that we need all these formalities very off-putting and not what Christ was after.

Recently, in another thread in the main Eastern Orthodox forum, I inadvertently made the debate a bit heated by making a stupid, crass and emotionally charged reply of a disparaging nature about Praise and Worship music. To be precise, I called it “trash” and in so doing through negligence caused offense to our friend @Jesse Dornfeld , and caused a bit of a polemical argument that detracted from the quality of the discussion. I also managed to make our community look bad by negligently making an insensitive remark and hurting the feelings of a friendly inquirer.

That said, most Orthodox Christians do positively reject praise and worship music. Conversely, Jesse Dornfield expressed important ideas that I feel deserve to be replied to in the freedom of St. Justin’s Corner by himself and ourselves, in the format of a polite debate, and Jesse, unlike myself, does not seem prone to embarrassing and insensitive outbursts, but humiliated as I am by my indiscretion, I wish to discuss this issue with himself or anyone else who particularly likes praise and worship music, and to share Orthodox music with them so they understand the extent to which our music is emotional, and so that we can come to a mutually edifying place of understanding.

Thus, it is my belief that praise and worship music is inappropriate in the Orthodox Church for the reasons stated by @Psalti Chrysostom and others in the thread in the main Ancient Way forum. However, I do feel that our music does have an emotional quality.

Also I do wish that, without changing our musical styles or introducing praise and worship music, we could improve the quality of the chant used in the celebration of the First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours, especially the Third and Sixth hour before a Divine Liturgy, as these often feel rushed. I like the slower methodical pace the Russian Old Rite Orthodox at the Church of the Nativity in Erie, Pennsylvania use when singing the hours.

Lastly, I am curious if our friend @JESSE Dornfield is aware that all services in the Orthodox Church are sung. We do not have any said services or silent services, and indeed nearly everything in the divine liturgy is intoned musically. For example, our priests do not read the Gospel, but sing it. And I feel that the manner in which the Gospel is sung is more emotionally moving than merely hearing it be read.

This will be super long, but I'm seeking some guidance and input on a situation I've been pondering. To clarify, this isn't about the specific person in question; rather, he serves as an example that prompted my contemplation.

At my workplace, there's a man who has shown a interest in me. My mother, who also works with us, is subtly trying to encourage me to give him a chance without outright saying it. He works at the port, I work on one of the ships. Our interactions are primarily limited to brief chats in passing or when the ship is anchored due to weather conditions. This morning, my mother mentioned that she had a conversation with him since all the ships were anchored due to Hurricane Lee. He apparently mentioned that he spotted me on the highway yesterday (I drive a very distinctive vehicle. I'm easy to spot). She informed him that I was probably headed to church (accurate), and it turns out he knew the church I attend because he had checked it out a few years ago, and for the exact reasons to why I'd like to find a different place of worship, he found another church to attend. In other words, we share similar thoughts on certain matters. She playfully added, "At least you know he's a Christian now!" with that typical hinting tone that moms tend to use. She, like me, is well aware of his feelings for me. I don't know if it's because he's told her directly or if she's just picked up on it because we're both pretty perceptive. Her initial words about him to me when she first met him were, "You know that guy? Oooo, he has a crush on yoooou, oooo... He was askin' me about yoooou~." Apparently, news of his strong feelings for me is spreading around the docks now. I'm not oblivious and I haven't been. I could sense his interest from our first conversation when I experienced my first anchored shift.

I recognize that I'm not the most attractive person in the world, but I also understand that I'm not considered unattractive. I believe that my initial appeal to him was based on looks, and I'm not naive about that. I'm aware that my mother talks to him about me and shares details about my life, so he likely knows more about me than I know about him. I can't even recall his exact age... I think he's around 42, but that's because he mentioned it casually a long time ago when his birthday was approaching and he couldn't celebrate because he had to work.

I don't have any quarms about going on a date with this guy to get to know him better. He seems like a genuinely nice person. However, I made a personal agreement with myself years ago that I would not initiate or pursue a relationship unless the other person expressed their interest directly and made their intentions clear from the outset. I.E. You can ask me out directly, to my face, and not beat around the bush, or you get nothing. I'm not even going to entertain the idea of pretending like we're going out as a casual thing. I'm not a teenager, I'm a grown adult. In all my past relationships, I had to take the lead because my partners were too shy or hesitant, and I didn't mind doing that. I'm not shy or intimidated when I like someone. I'm straightforward and dislike playing emotional games. I view relationships as serious commitments rather than casual pastimes. The issue here is that I don't have a crush on this guy. He appears to be a nice individual, but our interactions are so limited that I don't have a substantial impression of him. I'm not a superficial person. I don't care about his appearance and I don't have a laundry list of criteria that must be met. To become attracted to someone, I need to understand their core values, discover their character, and establish a connection based on more than just passing hellos and discussion about the weather and what's been happening at work. While I can gain a lot of insight about someone from very very little information and find them attractive physically, it doesn't make them attractive to me. I.E. I think Josh Hartnett is a very very attractive man, but I'm not in love with Josh Hartnett and I don't have a crush on him. I don't know him, but he has an attractive face, that isn't enough to make me even want to be his friend. People to me, are just people. Meat and bones and they do things and they think things. That's a weird way to put it...

Our interactions consist of brief greetings and sporadic conversations when the ship is anchored, usually about current events or work-related matters. Therefore, the only way I see to get to know him better and determine if there's potential for a connection is to go out with him.


My mother apparently is rooting for this guy, which leads me to believe that he may be worth getting to know. However, he has never explicitly expressed his interest in me -> to me, this immediately signals a lack of courage. I've noticed a common trait in my previous partners, they were all timid in their approach to me. I was the one who initiated the relationship or even initiated discussion about a relationship, which led to me taking on the central role and directing the relationship. I ended up with partners who tried to conform to my interests and hobbies rather than embracing their own individuality. I consistently encouraged them to pursue their own passions, socialize with their own friends, and be their own person. However, they always seemed afraid of being alone or losing me, so they never made decisions that didn't revolve around me. I repeatedly had to urge them to spend time with their friends and engage in activities they enjoyed, but they rarely did because they were fixated on me and my interests, fearing that I would lose interest in them if they pursued their own desires. By the end of each relationship, I felt like I had completely lost my identity and was utterly miserable.

As an example, I love Star Trek. None of my past partners shared this interest, but they pretended to like it to get closer to me. I could tell they were faking it. I didn't need them to share all my interests to enjoy their company; I preferred having my own activities and personal space. While I may seem extroverted, I'm not. I cherish my solitude and my personal private pursuits. I have no desire to start a business or seek fame, but occasionally, I enjoy sitting down to crochet while watching a movie. I'm perfectly fine if someone wants to join me for a movie and do their own thing too, but when they decide to sit beside me and crochet despite having no interest in it, solely to get closer to me, it usually doesn't turn out well. I appreciate when my partners have their own hobbies or want to partake in mine, but when they insist on forcing themselves to undergo mine, it ends badly. I appreciate my partners having their own friends and going out with their friends or wanting to spend time with mine, but when they think they have to be best friends with my best friends, it usually ends badly. I encouraged them to go out with their friends and enjoy activities they loved. Do what you want to do, don't feel obligated to cater to me, I'm perfectly fine. However, they continued to attach themselves to me and my interests, attempting to adapt to my preferences.

Due to these experiences, I underwent a period of self-reflection after my last relationship ended. I contemplated the kind of person I wanted to be with and established personal guidelines for future relationships. I don't place any importance on physical appearance, what matters is self-care and a willingness to take care of oneself. I'm not concerned about a person's profession, what concerns me is that they either have a job or be willing to work. I don't require them to share my hobbies and interests, I only require that their interests don't involve harmful or unethical activities like chopping people up in their basement. I value kindness and like to be treated respectfully. I don't expect material gifts or grand gestures. Birthdays? I'm simple. Say happy birthday. Anniversary's? Simple. Happy anniversary. You wanna do something? Let's figure it out. Christmas? We don't have to exchange gifts, let's just spend time together. I mean, I'm getting/making them stuff anyway because I love giving gifts, but that's a gift for me in a way anywho! I'm content with someone who is genuinely decent and committed to personal growth. My standards have always been, in my mind, very reasonable, and I'm open to being with any manner of good person. I've never had excessively strict criteria. Shyness or timidity doesn't make someone a bad person, but I've realized it doesn't work for me because it leads to an unbalanced dynamic in the relationship.

I've come to realize that I need a partner who is as strong as I am, if not stronger, from the very beginning of the relationship. I can't assume a leadership role from the start because if someone requires guidance from the outset, they will likely continue to rely on me for direction throughout the relationship, and this dynamic only makes me absolutely miserable in the end. I can be with just about anyone. I cohabitate easily, I'm very simple and adaptable. But I realized that leaves me open to essentially dating very weak men, and that's what I end up attracting. I believe it's the whole "opposites attract" concept. However, the reality is that I'm not inherently a super strong individual, I simply have the capacity to be appear that way consistently for a long period of time if it's necessary. Unfortunately, this often leads to me taking on roles that don't suit me, and because of this, I eventually find myself overwhelmed and breaking down.

I see myself as a support-class character, not a leader. I've always been that way. I enjoy supporting others, offering encouragement, and providing assistance when needed. I prefer to remain in the background, offering healing and support, but I don't want to take on the role of directing the entire relationship. I'm not a leader, I'm more of a DPS/healer type. I want to be able to stand in the back, offering support and encouragement, and provide assistance when necessary. However, I don't want to be in a position where I have to direct the entire relationship because the other person is lost or indecisive. I've realized that this dynamic doesn't work for me, as it makes me unhappy and leads to personal dissatisfaction. Sadly, I am such a support-class character, that when my partners are unable to be leaders, instead of finding a new partner, I stay and instinctively step in to compensate for them, even if it ends up being detrimental to me. And I will continue this until I am completely buried and suffocated, and that's when I finally have to tell them I can no longer continue.

I want to emphasize that I make sincere efforts to communicate my desires and what would make me happier to my partners. I'm straightforward and clear about exactly what I need and how I feel. However, consistently they treat my requests like some kind of puzzle they have to decipher, as if I'm trying to convey something else and they must figure it out. I understand that this might be conditioned behavior because many women do this. For instance, with my ex, I told him directly that I wanted him to spend more time with his friends or engage in activities that didn't involve me. I explained that I felt he had no identity outside of our relationship, and it was beginning to make me feel like he couldn't exist without me. It's a terrible feeling to believe that your significant other is entirely dependent on you for their well-being. I don't know if anyone reading this has experienced that, but it's an incredibly distressing sensation.

In response, he said, "I don't have any friends." even though I could easily list his friends for him. When I mentioned his friends, he proceeded to list reasons why he couldn't hang out with them. Instead of taking the initiative to go out and make new friends or develop hobbies and interests that didn't revolve around me, he continuously questioned if there was something I wasn't telling him, despite my being honest and transparent about my feelings. He actually questioned if I was terminally ill and just wanted him to create connections and have a support system in case something happened to me. There were no hidden messages in my words. I said exactly what I felt and what I thought would help me feel better. In the end, I had to personally make new friends FOR him. Even then, he just turned to asking me to accompany him as a social buffer because of his own social anxiety, which defeated the purpose. He came up with no solutions or plans to help me, because he relied on me to make all the plans, but when I made the plans, he still relied on me to carry them out. After many many situations like that, I eventually got so overwhelmed that I had to leave. Now I don't think he did this on purpose or he's a bad person in any way, but I think he wasn't strong enough as an individual and attached to me because I seemed very strong. Fun fact, I'm not, hence why we didn't work.

This has also had a negative impact on him. We broke up five years ago, and neither of us has been in a relationship since then, though my single status is a deliberate choice. He, on the other hand, has been actively seeking a new relationship since about a year after our breakup. While he's gone on a few dates, he hasn't entered a relationship because no one seems to meet the standard he associates with me. He jokingly mentioned that I "ruined" him in this regard, suggesting that I set the bar too high. He even mentioned that he was interested in getting back together if I ever wanted to try it again. I immediately declined that offer to remove any notion in his mind that that was ever going to be a possibility and told him it was never going to happen. My belief is that if a relationship didn't work the first time, a second attempt is unlikely to yield different results. I always give 100% in the initial round, and if that wasn't sufficient, a rematch won't change the outcome... It would simply be a remastered version of the original release.

I don't consider myself exceptionally unique, but I do prioritize honesty and straightforwardness. I think we can all relate to the fact that once you've experienced the truth, it becomes exceedingly difficult to swallow lies.

So, I made a decision! If a man doesn't approach me directly and ask me out, I won't let him entertain the idea of a relationship with me. This is because I've found that I'm consistently unhappy with timid individuals or people who seem to lack the ability to take charge. It won't help them, it won't help me. However, I understand that many women can be intimidating to men, and I probably come off as very intimidating to men. I recognize that it may not always be easy for men to approach women, even if they aren't timid. I appreciate the need to be cautious with one's heart. Guarding your heart is smart and good. However, from my perspective, cautious men, though they are smart, look exactly the same as timid men on the surface. They act the same, even if they aren't, and it's challenging to distinguish between the two at face value when you know nothing about them.

Now, I'm faced with a dilemma. Do I reconsider my agreement with myself and give guys who appear timid a chance to see if they're not actually timid, or do I wait for someone who doesn't appear timid from the start? I'm not desperate or lonely, so waiting doesn't bother me. But I have noticed that the men who approach me the most and ask me out point blank are often disgusting pigs. Not all the time, but more times than not. So my way of seeing things is probably the wrong way to do things, but I feel like it's the best way because I also understand the realities of the dating world. I may have missed out on great opportunities in the past due to my strict approach, but at the same time, I know me. If I go out with a guy, and he seems decent and our core values line up, I'm going to see him as worth giving a chance to because I know, with the right person, timid/shy doesn't necessarily mean emotionally unintelligent and dependent. It just so happens that that seems to be every relationship I've ever had so I am absolutely unwilling to go through another one of those in the hopes that it'll be different just because they're a decent person.

I plan to pray for guidance and wisdom, as I believe it's important to seek God about everything. The reason I post here, is because my father recently had a conversation with me where he said, "Do you want to know why you're not married yet? Because you're so focused on everyone else that you don't take the time to think about yourself. You've always been that way, even as a child. You got a weird brain." This made me laugh hysterically, but it also caused me to self reflect and realize that he's pretty spot on. I have to focus on me more. So I began seeking input from others. I asked my mother and her response was, "Honestly, I don't know. I always assumed you just didn't want to. You prefer your own company, and everyone around you seems stupid to you." These insights have helped me reflect on how I appear to others and realized she's also right. I do prefer being alone and everyone around me makes me feel like I'm surrounded by infants. Doesn't mean it's true! But I definitely portray that with my actions so that's something I need to work on.

So, I'd appreciate your thoughts, opinions, and advice on this matter. Do you think I should do something differently? Are there any flaws you see with my current plan in regards to how I approach relationships? If you were on the receiving end of 'me' how would you take it? Anything will be very helpful. Also, thank's for reading my novel. It'll be available come December at a Barnes & Noble near you.

Please remember the following nations in your prayers, they are small but in great need

Thank you for being part of the prayer team, please ask others to join us

If you wish to join us, please email me at keitherichobkirk@hotmail.com

LIBYA

Prayercast | Libya

Liechtenstein

Prayercast | Liechtenstein



Lithuania

Prayercast | Lithuania

Luxembourg

Prayercast | Luxembourg

Some years ago, I began research into not only our family ancestry but the study of genetics. In the course of this research, I have taken several DNA tests for the purpose of mapping and confirming genealogical pathways and ancestors. To date, I have logged over 33,000 "cousins" on ancestry.com. These are people who have descended from the same blood relatives that I have. The DNA test is valuable back five generations, or to about the mid-1700s. This has been a very valuable tool in my family tree research.
An offshoot of this research is finding genetic causes of mental and physical issues and strengths. Hundreds of thousands of genetic markers are tested from within DNA. Scientists have tested these markers and found groups of people who possess certain traits centered around certain chromosomal pairs. For instance, by looking at a certain pair of genes in your DNA, they can tell if you are genetically predisposed to traits. They compare many people who have the same pairings, and they also find physical and mental traits to be the same. In my genes, this has proven accurate in many cases. One case puzzles me. According to one group of genetic markings, I am allegedly 100% predisposed to neurosis. I am about to turn 70. I have never really noticed this issue in my life. It seems the older I get, the more "emotional" I seem to be. I do not think it affects my life that much. I find I actually pray more and seem to be more empathetic toward people. I also have to be careful what I read into people's motives because, in doing so, I may inadvertently assume something negative about them or what they want.
Neurotic thoughts and behaviors, by definition, are so extreme that they interfere with your personal, professional, and romantic lives. What’s more, they tend to be your default response to even minor problems.
Has anyone else had these tests done and experienced these results?



Resutls:

Reference papers and your DNA​

Genome-wide analysis of over 106 000 individuals identifies 9 neuroticism-associated loci.​

Smith DJ et al. 2016
Researchers performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of neuroticism in participants from three cohorts. Meta-analysis identified nine novel loci associated with neuroticism. A strong association was observed at a locus on chromosome 8 spanning 4 Mb and containing at least 36 genes. Other associated loci including interesting candidate genes were on chromosome 1 (GRIK3), chromosome 4 (KLHL2), chromosome 17 (CRHR1 and MAPT) and chromosome 18 (CELF4).
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27067015

Association analysis in over 329,000 individuals identifies 116 independent variants influencing neuroticism.​

Luciano M et al. 2018
Researchers identified more than 100 significant independent loci from a GWAS of neuroticism in UK Biobank participants;15 of these loci replicated in an unrelated cohort. These loci locate near CACNA1E, MSRA, XKR6 ,LINGO2, CELF4, ZC3H7B and BAIAP2. Genetic signals were enriched in neuronal genesis and differentiation pathways, and substantial genetic correlations were found between neuroticism and depressive symptoms, major depressive disorder and subjective well-being alongside other mental health traits.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29255261

Multi-trait analysis of genome-wide association summary statistics using MTAG.​

Turley P et al. 2018
Researchers introduce multi-trait analysis of GWAS (MTAG), a method for joint analysis of summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of different traits. They used MTAG to summary statistics for depressive symptoms, neuroticism and subjective well-being. In regard to neuroticism, the number of lead SNPs increases from 9 to 37 from GWAS to MTAG. Some of these SNPs located near PCLO, BSN CACNA1E and all encode important parts of the machinery that releases neurotransmitter from the signaling neuron.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29292387

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for neuroticism in 449,484 individuals identifies novel genetic loci and pathways.​

Nagel M et al. 2018
Researchers conducted a large GWAS meta- analysis of neuroticism from the UK Biobank study, 23andMe, Inc. and the Genetics of Personality Consortium. They identified 136 independent genome-wide significant loci (124 new at the time of analysis). Of the 17,794 SNPs in high linkage disequilibrium (LD) with one of the independent significant SNPs, most were intronic or intergenic and 3.8% were annotated as potentially having a functional impact, with 0.9% (155 SNPs) being exonic, of which 70 were exonic nonsynonymous (ExNS). These ExNS risk locus were locate near gene such as MAPT, FAM120AOS, GNL3 and ITIH1.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29942085

"All Chicagoans deserve to live near convenient, affordable, healthy grocery options. We know access to grocery stores is already a challenge for many residents, especially on the South and West sides," Johnson said. "My administration is committed to advancing innovative, whole-of-government approaches to address these inequities. I am proud to work alongside partners to take this step in envisioning what a municipally owned grocery store in Chicago could look like."

What's a good name? City Foods? Government Groceries?

If you're going to pile-on Wal Mart for leaving, don't forget Jeff Bezos' (of Amazon, and The Washington Post) Whole Foods left town, too.
Edited to provide a working link