Name:Amy Country:United States State:Florida Metro:Fort Myers Gender:Female
Interests:baseball, literature, British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, writing, punk music, law, politics Expertise:writing, talking, editing Occupation:Student Industry:Education/Research
2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
Christ is our YES, the ever-present affirmation that God will do what He has promised.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.
Are you 1,000 generations from the first person in your family who loved God? No? Well, you're nowhere NEAR exhausting God's faithfulness and love.
Psalm 130:4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
Why do we fear (revere) God? Because His mercy is incomprehensibly wonderful.
Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
What does God want most from you? LOVE. How do you love Him? Let Him love you and see what happens!
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
God loves and creates beauty.
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
God desires to give you rest TODAY!
Matthew 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
I'm sick, the kind that puts you in bed or sitting near it. According to the scale, I lost 7 or 8 pounds in between last Wednesday and yesterday. Crohn's Disease is not fun.
BUT
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24
I believe God is in control of all things. I also believe He has put certain natural processes in motion that are natural laws because He made them that way.
For instance, it is a natural law that if you eat extra, you will gain weight. Now, there are some exceptions. Some people can eat more than normal and not gain weight because they have unusually fast metabolisms, but the general law remains.
Does anyone want to argue that I should eat and then pray that I will only gain weight if it's God's will? No, because we know how that natural process works. If I eat more than I burn, I will gain weight.
Now, I fully agree that children are a blessing from the Lord. I also know what needs to happen in order for a child to be conceived. The way natural law works, if the biological necessities are there, a child is going to be conceived. God sometimes intervenes to change natural law, but not often. If two people sleep together enough and are healthy, they will conceive. Are there exceptions? Sure, but the natural law is still there.
I don't see a fundamental difference. God allows natural processes to dictate how much I weigh based on how much I eat and burn (I realize that's a simplification). Does he care how much I eat? Sure, but the point is, He allows the natural process to work. In the same way, God cares very much how many children people have, but He allows natural processes to work in that area as well.
As long as a human being is not being killed by the birth control method used, I believe it is permissible. We no longer live in a time when half of our children die in infancy or when we need them to help us harvest crops. I believe big families are a great blessing and that we should be open to God calling us to bring more children into this world. I also believe that birth control is a blessing that allows us to change natural processes. If I eat, I'll gain weight. If I exercise, I'll be able to keep that natural process from happening. If a healthy couple sleeps together, they'll conceive. If they use birth control, they'll be able to modify that natural process and plan ahead.
All of that said, I don't wish to argue with someone who has a different conviction. People should do what they believe is right in God's sight.
This is what it looks like. It's beautiful, like an art show in your brain being shown on the projection screen of your vision. Suddenly, a little slice of reality smashes into slivers of silver, and it grows and grows, and turns colors like a prism.
(Note: If any of these pictures are yours and you want them taken down, let me know, and I will.)
After reading a depressing (at least to me) featured post on Mancouch about the male psyche, I thought I would celebrate the great qualities of the real men I have known.
1. Real men are selfless enough to turn off the TV and listen when needed.
2. Real men care about their appearance.
3. Real men care enough about the woman they're with to reassure her when she needs it.
4. Real men are kind.
5. Real men spend time with their children.
6. Real men are honest and straightforward.
7. Real men compromise when it doesn't matter and stand their ground when it matters.
8. Real men have confidence.
9. Real men do not demand things of the people they love.
10. Real men give their best in the things they do.
11. Real men are mature enough to put themselves third. (Jesus-others-self)
12. Real men are willing to fight for a woman's heart, not sit on the couch and wait for her to take the initiative, both before marriage and throughout its entire duration.
13. Real men are willing to die for what they believe and the people they love.
14. Real men know what real respect and love are, both the receiving (from God) and the giving (to others).
And lastly,
15. Real men exist. These are not pie-in-the-sky fantasy qualities. They are all embodied by real men I have known like my father, my grandfathers, my uncles, my cousins, and my friends.
There's only one way to start down the road of being a real man, and that's beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ, the ultimate, perfect, awesome real man.
Dedicated to the real men I've known. May others continue to follow you.
