AMA

[Ubuntu]

Which person is currently most important to you, and why?

(Btw, don't feel obliged to answer if these questions are too personal.)

 

[Travelers.Soul]

Which person is currently most important to you, and why?

(Btw, don't feel obliged to answer if these questions are too personal.)

Thank you for that but honestly I don't think I can answer your question with any depth. The people in my life (close friends or family) are all important to me for various reasons. I don't think I can pick just one, sorry.

 

[Ubuntu]

Thank you for that but honestly I don't think I can answer your question with any depth. The people in my life (close friends or family) are all important to me for various reasons. I don't think I can pick just one, sorry.

Fair enough!

What makes you laugh?

 

[Travelers.Soul]

What makes me laugh?
- Children
- How others laugh
- Animals
- Corny jokes or good jokes
- Funny movies, even if they weren't trying to be funny (Elf, Princess Bride, parts of Monty Python: Search for the Holy Grail, the ending part of A Christmas Carol {with Alastair Sim}, etc)
- Life stories about funny experiences (clumsiness, seeing something unbelievable, etc)
- Someone being "theatrical"
- Weird or slightly awkward conversations
- Weird Al, Brian Regan, Tim Hawkins, and Anjelah Johnson
- Shaving cream fights
I'm sure there are other things that can make me laugh but that's a halfway decent list.

 

[SoulMiasma]

Why are you a Christian? Why did you make the choice to be one?

 

[Travelers.Soul]

Why are you a Christian? Why did you make the choice to be one?

I am a Christian because I believe Jesus is the Son of God. I am a Christian because I believe he was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died to pay a debt I could never pay, rose again, and ascended into heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God.

I became a Christian as a child. I was one of those kids who rarely got in trouble, even at home. Everyone (teachers, strangers at restaurants, people in church) would talk about how well behaved I was, how good I was, how I was never any trouble, and what a joy I was to have in class. I believed, even at a young age that I was a good person. I thought that my good deeds would be enough to please God, enough to get me into heaven when I died. But right before I turned 10 that all changed. I saw myself for the first time for who I was, I wasn't a good person. All of that "goodness" was in actuality a lie. I won't go into the details of why I say that because a forum is not the place to discuss some subjects. For the first time in my life I knew I would never be good enough to please God on my own. I would never be able to do enough good to cancel out the bad things that I did. I needed a deliverer, a savior, I needed Jesus. He was the only one who could save me from my sin and from the wrath and judgement I deserved. He was the only who could wash me clean and bring me from death to life. How did I know all of that? Because my parents used to read the Bible to me and took me to church. I didn't really believe anything the Bible said, until then it was just another book to me but that all changed when I saw the truth. After that I cried out to Jesus to save me, I confessed my sins, and repented. My life has never been the same, I am not a perfect person but I am forgiven. There is not a day that goes by, no matter how bad, that I regret that I saw the truth of who I was or that Jesus saved me.

I hope that answers your question.

 

[Goodbook]

Hi dreamin, I heard you parents were ministers or preachers, can I ask what was that like growing up? I mean did other kids bully you or make fun of you, or maybe the opposite, expected you to be perfect?
Are you following your parents into ministry?

 

[Travelers.Soul]

Hi dreamin, I heard you parents were ministers or preachers, can I ask what was that like growing up? I mean did other kids bully you or make fun of you, or maybe the opposite, expected you to be perfect? Are you following your parents into ministry?

No, other kids didn't bully me because I was a pastor's kid. It was a little like growing up in a "fish bowl", which didn't bother me until I was a teenager. What I mean by a "fish bowl" is that people in the community and in the church expected us to be perfect, someone was always watching us or it seemed that way anyway. If we made a mistake then the whole community knew about it and gossiped about us. The worst bit about growing up in a pastor's household was church members who treated (or mistreated you) how ever they wanted to, seeing how mean and nasty people who claim to love Jesus can really be, and the ridiculous expectations. I do not regret growing up in a pastor's family, I love my family very much but I do wish people would treat their pastors and their families with kindness and as they would wish to be treated. We have feelings and needs just like anyone else.

I have 2 mission degrees. Before my health issues I had just completed my education and was preparing to go on the mission field. So I was planning to go into the ministry.

 

[Goodbook]

2 mission degrees? Can you explain? Do you need a degree to go on missions?

 

[Travelers.Soul]

2 mission degrees? Can you explain? Do you need a degree to go on missions?

Yes, two. It depends on the agency you are working for or looking to for with. It also depends on your denomination.

 

[Goodbook]

Can I ask what agency you are associated with? Can you recommend any, or what do you think of agencies and bible colleges in general?

 

[Travelers.Soul]

For me, if my health wasn't an issue, I would have gone with the International Mission Board, or I would have tried to anyway. You have to be Southern Baptist for them to even be a possible sending agency. There are some good agency that I heard about while I was in seminary but right now I can't think of their names. I'll get back to you on that.

 

[Goodbook]

No rush..
So you not southern baptist, are you just ordinary baptist? Or not living in the south? I still dont quite understand the geographical distinctions, esp when I thought you were from Ireland!

 

[Travelers.Soul]

No rush..
So you not southern baptist, are you just ordinary baptist? Or not living in the south? I still dont quite understand the geographical distinctions, esp when I thought you were from Ireland!

I am so sorry Goodbook! I have no idea how I missed this for so long.
I am Southern Baptist. hahaha. No I am not from Ireland, I was born in the Southern region of the U.S. but I was in Ireland for a brief time and wanted to go back and work with the churches there. It wasn't God's will though.

You asked earlier about Bible colleges, I am all for them. I think they can be great places for people to learn and grow. There are some great agencies one can work with and do mission work. Samaritan's Purse is one example, New Tribes Mission, or Wycliffe Bible Translators are other great ones. There are a lot of agencies you just have to research them.

 

[CodyFaith]

As a lifelong(basically) believer, what's some of the most important advice you could you give a new Christian?

 

[Travelers.Soul]

Read your Bible, every day and work on memorizing verses. Even when you don't feel like it do it anyway. Have a notebook or journal close by and any questions, words you don't understand, etc write them down then go talk to your preacher or ask him what resources he'd recommend for you to use to study the Bible.

Pray, pray, pray, and pray some more. Pray Scripture, pray your own words, and when words fail sit in silence with the Lord. Tell the Lord everything, pour it out to him even if it is painful or embarrassing. He is our Father and he cares for us.

Find a solid church and by solid I mean that they preach the word of God and not just opinions.

Be disciplined, which is difficult but we all need to carve time out for prayer time and devotional time. It is going to be very difficult sometimes but don't give up.

Your life is not going to be easy. You will have mountain top moments but life isn't made up of mountain tops, it is also made up of valleys.

ALWAYS double check what a preacher is saying. Go look up the verses that he preaches from or speaks about and always go and read the chapter a verse is found in. You want to be like the Bereans (Acts 17). Do NOT "follow" a pastor just because you like what he says. Research him and be careful because false teachers and preachers are still alive and well.

Church is made up of sinners saved by grace. They are not going to be perfect and some of them may say or do something that hurts you but forgive and remember the reason you go to church is not the people. You go because we are told to go, to worship God, to hear scripture taught and preached, and the list goes on.

When you are hurt or you sin and mess up do not run from God, RUN to him! He is more than able to heal you or forgive you.

Remember when you think God has kept something from you think on Romans 8.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”


No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:31-39)

Cody, There is so much more I could say but I think that is a beginning.

 

[CodyFaith]

Read your Bible, every day and work on memorizing verses. Even when you don't feel like it do it anyway. Have a notebook or journal close by and any questions, words you don't understand, etc write them down then go talk to your preacher or ask him what resources he'd recommend for you to use to study the Bible.

Pray, pray, pray, and pray some more. Pray Scripture, pray your own words, and when words fail sit in silence with the Lord. Tell the Lord everything, pour it out to him even if it is painful or embarrassing. He is our Father and he cares for us.

Find a solid church and by solid I mean that they preach the word of God and not just opinions.

Be disciplined, which is difficult but we all need to carve time out for prayer time and devotional time. It is going to be very difficult sometimes but don't give up.

Your life is not going to be easy. You will have mountain top moments but life isn't made up of mountain tops, it is also made up of valleys.

ALWAYS double check what a preacher is saying. Go look up the verses that he preaches from or speaks about and always go and read the chapter a verse is found in. You want to be like the Bereans (Acts 17). Do NOT "follow" a pastor just because you like what he says. Research him and be careful because false teachers and preachers are still alive and well.

Church is made up of sinners saved by grace. They are not going to be perfect and some of them may say or do something that hurts you but forgive and remember the reason you go to church is not the people. You go because we are told to go, to worship God, to hear scripture taught and preached, and the list goes on.

When you are hurt or you sin and mess up do not run from God, RUN to him! He is more than able to heal you or forgive you.

Remember when you think God has kept something from you think on Romans 8.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”


No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:31-39)

Cody, There is so much more I could say but I think that is a beginning.

Thanks very much.

"Your life is not going to be easy. You will have mountain top moments but life isn't made up of mountain tops, it is also made up of valleys."
I struggle with that a lot. I often ponder, if I am indeed righteous, why I suffer so much in this life with so many things and have for many years. It's even harder for me, because even when I used to suffer as a teen, I at least still had moments of peace that were great. Now it seems when I do get peace, it's very temporary... and makes me ever doubt I've had peace in the first place.
Then I'll go and read a verse that says "the wicked have many sorrows" and I'll get super discouraged and filled with doubts and such.

I've lived a rather intense life... and although I hope the intensity has it's purposes, it's hard to see. The intensity has calmed a bit for now... but the suffering still remains.

Right now God has given a little bit of peace in my heart...actually a lot, in his mercy. But these things are often temporary, like you've said.

I never doubt God and his goodness, and even though I'm new in Christ I can quite confidently say Jesus is God and I rarely doubt that any more. But I doubt myself. I doubt the feelings/faith I have towards Christ, and say that it's just me trusting in my feelings and stuff like that, that it's not true faith. I doubt my own righteousness, doubt that I'm redeemed.

Anyway sorry for the overload lol... even in my own church I often seem to be quite a burden to people. People walk with such confidence and happiness, and I rarely see them suffer or at least be vocal about it to the extent I am.

 

[Travelers.Soul]

Cody, I would point you to every apostle's life. Paul is a good example; he was ship wrecked, beaten, hungry, etc. I would also encourage you and remind you that nothing is based upon OUR righteousness. The Christian is not looking to his own righteousness but to the righteousness of Christ.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5: 17-21

Also be careful of your feelings. Our salvation is not based upon how we feel but upon Christ and his redemptive work. I would highly recommend reading and studying the book of Romans.

 

[OcifferPls]

I see you found my spirit animal. Thanks. That'll come in handy.

 

[Boogeyman07]

@CodyFaith I also have just recently started following Christ. I'm also about your age. Feel free to message me anytime.
@Travelers.Soul Good advice. I guess I should ask a question -- Didn't yankeegirl (I think that was her name) visit you? Is she still active on the forums? If not do yall still keep in touch?