Here's a page I found with pictures of a Black Lab/Border Collie mix:

http://mark.interapps.com/Animals/dogs.htm

But keep in mind that mixes don't always turn out looking like a mix. Some mixes look exactly like their mom or dad. For instance, our dog is Chihuahua/Jack Russell Terrier, but he looks more like a Chihuahua than some full-blooded Chihuahuas do. You'd never know there was any Jack Russell in him.

So your doggie may look mixed like the pictures on that page, or may look mostly or all Black Lab, or mostly or all Border Collie. I'm sure he or she will be wonderful no matter what, as Labs and Border Collies are great dogs. :-)

Try going to one of the pages with the huge text and holding down the control key (Ctrl on your keyboard) and then using the scroller on your mouse. The text should change size when you roll it up and down. Find a size you like.

Or if you use IE, you can click on "View" at the top of your browser, then choose "Text Size" and set it to something smaller than what it's set for right now. I use "Medium"

If your husband isn't ready for a baby, you should =not= try to force it on him or trick him. (I assume this is something you talked about before you got married, anyway.)

If the question you are really asking isn't that you want a baby but that you want sex to be more natural, without a condom, get some birth control pills. If you take them as directed, your chance of getting pregnant is very low.

But whatever you do, don't deliberately miss pills in the hopes you will get pregnant and just be like, "Oopsie!". A baby is not something you want to have to deal with alone, and if you *trick* your husband into having one before he's ready, you may very well find yourself alone. A baby is the ultimate responsibility and should ideally be wanted and expected by both parties.

Try sitting down with him and asking him how he feels about having a baby. If he says not right now, ask him why. Then ask him what needs to happen before he is ready. Then at least you will have some idea of what he is thinking, and what the baby-timeline is, in his mind.

Good luck.

I don't know if this will help in your particular situation but...

My mother is an alcoholic, and when I was growing up with her, I hated it when she would drink. It was like having a stranger in the house when she drank, but she didn't think she acted any differently.

One night (I was probably 14 or 15 at the time) she was drinking, and I had an idea... I plugged the microphone into our stereo system, put a blank cassette into the cassette player, and started recording... Then carried on a conversation with mother.

Then amazingly, we had unexpected company (I've always thought he was sent by God), and I let this person know what I was doing. So we both asked her general questions like "What's your favorite thing about so-and-so" etc... She gave some answers that were completely whacked out and some that were just horribly embarrassing for her.

So, the next day, I told her that if she thinks she doesn't act different when she is drinking, she needs to listed to this tape. She listened to it, and she was mortified. Especially since the guest was there and witnessed it. She honestly had no idea she acted any differently whatsoever, and thought I was just being unreasonable when I told her I hated it when she drank.

She stopped drinking for many years after that. She only started again when I got married and moved out. But there's only so much a person can do. *shrugs*

Anyway, a modern version of that idea would be to use a video camera, or borrow one, and video tape him when he's drunk. Then show it to him when he's sober. Maybe it will wake him up.

You also may want to consider marriage counseling. AA may come later, but he has to actually have at least some desire to stop before he would go to AA meetings.

If your only worry is the puppy getting into it, you could always try an open top "dog proof" litter box like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002ZS20I/103-4567163-2558265?v=glance

You may be able to find one at your local pet store or pet superstore... Or you can order it online.

I agree with TheOldOne. If he's telling you to get over him, he isn't serious. It sounds like he is using his potential time overseas as an excuse to completely call it off with you. Because if he really loved you with all of his heart, he would be asking you to wait for him. He also wouldn't be with another girl because there would be no other girl for him than you.

Plus, as mentioned by TOO, if he's a cheater, you don't need him. If he would cheat on her, he would cheat on you. Obviously cheating is no big deal to him.

You deserve better.

(Sorry this took so long, but you should be able to see why. ;-) This is just an overview on a few of the main topics. There's soooo much more, but it's all too much information for one time... All scripture here is from the King James Version and I used http://www.blueletterbible.org/index.html for help in looking up the verses.)


THE ANTI-CHRIST:

The end-times Anti-Christ of the Bible can't be Hitler since Hitler is dead. According to the Bible, the Anti-Christ is going to go into the new Jewish Temple and declare himself to be God, about mid-way into the 7 year Tribulation.

Maitreya;

Many people who think we are living in the end-times do believe that the Anti-Christ is alive today. Some believe he is Maitreya (http://www.shareintl.org/) who has supposedly been making appearances for years. Some people think that Maitreya is a complete fabrication made up by Benjamin Creme.

At any rate, it is impossible for this Maitreya to be The Christ of the Bible as their site is trying to claim. Christ said to his disciples when they asked Him about the end-times: Matthew 24:23 - 27 "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (words and phrases written in italics in the Bible are between brackets [] )

Javier Solana;

A more likely candidate for Anti-Christ (in my opinion) is Javier Solana. Most people have probably never even heard of him, which is scary because he is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful people on the planet right now. He is the High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union (EU) and the Western European Union (WEU). Here is Mr. Solana's official website, complete with picture: http://ue.eu.int/cms3_applications/applications/solana/index.asp?lang=EN&cmsid=246 He looks totally non-threatening in appearance... But appearance can be deceiving, of course.

His position as High Representative was created by the EU heads in December of 1998 and, out of over 1100 documents, this particular document's number was 666. That's right, Recommendation 666. See http://europa.eu.int/abc/doc/off/rg/en/1998/x0666.htm for a summary of that document, and http://www.assemblee-ueo.org/en/documents/sessions_ordinaires/txt/2000/rec666.html for the full document. Coincidence? Maybe. Someone in the EU who just thought it would be funny? Maybe.

A book was written on this subject, called Recommendation 666. The website of the author has tons of info and opinions on the subject, (including a free online copy of the book) and a messageboard on prophecy and such too: http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/

Now, do I really think Javier Solana is the Anti-Christ? I don't know. Maybe not. I think, at the very least, the position created for him is ripe to be filled by the Anti-Christ. Maybe. Maybe not. I do think that some of the things lining up are very suspicious and it deserves a close eye: http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/2010.html


THE ISRAEL TIMELINE:

The Bible passage I quoted from above (aka The Olivet Discourse) is from a time when some of the disciples came to Christ on the mount of Olives and asked Him about the end-times. He said quite a lot of things: http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Mat/Mat024.html But the one that seems to be discussing the timing of Israel's return is: Mat 24:32 - 34 "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."

Because other places in the Bible refer to the children of Israel as figs and Israel as a fig tree (such as Hosea 9:10 ...I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time...) many people believe that the returning of the leaves on a fig tree means the return of the Jewish people to Israel. Israel was overrun by the Romans in 70 A.D. and scattered into every nation on the earth. On May 14, 1948, with a population of around 550,000, the new state of Israel was established. Israel recaptured all of Jerusalem in June 1967. So if the fig tree is Israel, and if Christ is saying "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.", then it seems that within a generation of the reinstatement of Israel the end-times will come.

Then you have the discussion of, what is a generation? In researching, the answers appear to be somewhere between 40 years and 120 years, with 70 years being the most common. And when do we start counting? From 1948 when the state was established, or from 1967, when all of Jerusalem was actually captured? I don't know.


The Temple and the Sanhedrin;

Even if you don't agree with the interpretation of Israel becoming a nation again and the generation not passing, there is one thing that is spoken of very clearly. And that is that there will be a new Jewish Temple built sometime before the mid point in the Tribulation so that the Anti-Christ (the son of perdition) can sit in the temple and claim to be God. 2Thessalonians 2:3 - 4 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

So the temple must be built and there has to "come a falling away". A more detailed look at what a "falling away" means can be found at: 2Timothy 3:1 - 7 "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." -- Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?

Now, back to the temple. In order to build a temple correctly, an important thing was needed... The Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin are: "a religious assembly that convened in one of the Holy Temple chambers in Jerusalem, comprised 71 sages and existed during the Tannaitic period, from several decades before the Common Era until roughly 425 C.E." But the Sanhedrin hadn't existed for a long time. There hadn't been a Sanhedrin in about 1,600 years. Until LESS THAN 1 YEAR AGO: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=70349 A quote from the story: "A unique ceremony - probably only the 2nd of its kind in the past 1,600 years - took place in Tiberias today: The launching of a Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish-legal tribunal in the Land of Israel."

The Jews believe the restoration of the Sanhedrin will precede the coming of the Messiah, as only the Sanhedrin has the authority to crown the Messiah as the Jewish King. Christians believe that the Jewish Messiah has already been here as Christ Yeshua (Jesus), but that most of the Jewish people rejected Him. Thus, Christians believe that the next "Messiah" that shows up is going to be the Anti-Christ, and that the Jewish people might be deceived into believing the Anti-Christ is their long-awaited Messiah.

The new Sanhedrin are already calling for the rebuilding of the temple: http://www.templeinstitute.org/sanhedrin-declaration.htm

Pretty significant events here, if you ask me. So if the Jews come to some understanding with the Moslems regarding building the temple on the Temple Mount beside of the Dome of the Rock... Wow.


OTHER SIGNS:

Many of the signs are rather general, and can be said to have always been happening to one extent or another: Matthew 24:6 - 8 "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these [are] the beginning of sorrows."

But some things are more specific: Daniel 12:4 "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." It's hard to imagine any other time in history that people had the ability to run to and fro like they do today. And knowledge certainly has increased. Think about how fast things have developed in the past 100 years or so. It's like 1,900 years of same-old same-old with minimal growth here and there, and then WHAM! Technological explosion!

1Thessolonians 5:1 - 3 "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." -- When they say peace and safety? Like a peace agreement of some kind, maybe?

Revelation 6:6 "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine." -- A penny was a day's wages. So that would be a day's wages for a loaf of bread or something like that. Could be economic collapse or a food shortage, perhaps. Maybe failed crops? Recently, honeybees are dying in massive numbers across the U.S. Honeybees are needed to pollinate crops! http://p203.ezboard.com/fherbsdiscussionboardfrm7.showMessage?topicID=4608.topic I always wondered what the part that says: "and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine" meant. Then I read the honeybee thing and I also found out that most grapes and most olives (for olive OIL) are self-pollinating. So lack of bees won't hurt them. (they will be "hurt not") Now, I don't know if that's what the verse really means, but it's certainly something to think about, and it did freak me out when I found out about it!

Honestly there are so many other things, such as all of the seals and bowls and such in Revelation, the battle of Gog-Magog where Russia and another nation (maybe China) attacks Israel and loses (which is separate from the battle of Armageddon), the Rapture, etc... If you want any more specifics on anything, just ask. :-)


THE PRETERIST THEORY:

Some people, called Preterists, believe that end-times prophecy, and specifically the book of Revelation, has already happened back in 70AD with the destruction of the 2nd Temple. I don't agree with that at all. 1/3rd of the sun, moon and stars hasn't darkened... Christ hasn't returned like the lightning shining from east to west and seen by all nations yet... A 200 million man army hasn't marched towards Israel yet, a fiery mountain hasn't been hurled into the sea and 1/3rd of the sea animals haven't died and 1/3rd of the sea hasn't become blood... Hail and fire mixed with blood haven't been cast down onto the earth killing 1/3rd of the grass and 1/3rd of the trees... The falling star, Wormwood hasn't fallen to earth and caused 1/3rd of the rivers and springs to become bitter (poison)... And so on and so forth. If all the prophesies have already taken place, this should be the new heaven and earth (which isn't supposed to have a sea), and we should have bodies that don't age or get sick or feel pain. Which would mean that if all the prophesies have come true already, then God is a liar. I don't believe that at all. Again, you'll find some who believe otherwise, but I'm not one of them. I take what the Bible says literally. I don't want to face God on judgement day and say, "Oh, you mean you meant all that literally? My bad."

Preterist info:

http://www.pfrs.org/preterism/

http://p203.ezboard.com/fherbsdiscussionboardfrm39.showMessage?topicID=523.topic


MY PERSONAL FEELINGS:

Yes, I believe we are living in the end times, in the sense that the Tribulation could start soon. I've felt this way since I was young. I had a recurring dream that I would look up and see three moons in the sky, and then the world would end. Over and over, I dreamed this for many, many years. I would be different places in my dreams, but always when I looked and saw the 3 moons, the tribulation disasters started. When I told my grandfather about my dreams one time, he looked very surprised and told me that he dreams about the end of the world too... But in his dreams he would look up and see 3 doves and then the disasters would start and he knew it was the end of the world. I've always been freaked out by that. I don't know what the 3 moons/doves represent, except maybe the Trinity.

Of course, I realize that throughout the past hundreds and thousands of years people have thought they were living in the end-times. But they didn't have same reasons to as we do... Israel is back in the hands of the Israelis now, and we are living in that generation... The Sanhedrin have reformed after all this time, within this past year! We actually have the technology now for the "mark of the beast", as it could easily be a microchip-type device. And when have the verses about men being lovers of their own selves, boasters, proud, disobedient to parents, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, etc. been more accurate than in these times?

How soon? I don't know. Assuming I would live a normal life span, I think it will happen within my lifetime. I might be wrong.

Now aren't you glad you asked? LOL! ;-)

It sounds to me like they are not comfortable with themselves. They have a self-image problem, obviously, or they wouldn't care what size you were.

Perhaps they think you make them look bad (or fatter) by comparison. It's a very sad thing that they can't just be happy with themselves, and not judge other people by their looks... They are actually doing the very thing they are afraid other people will do to them.

If I were you, I would tell Bob how this is making you feel. Let her know that it hurts your feelings that it seems as if they are excluding you because of your size, and try to ask her how she would feel in the opposite situation. What if you had a skinny friend who was talking you into going places without Bob because Bob wasn't as skinny as you guys were.

If she won't open her eyes and see what's going on here, then you may just have to let her go, as sad as that is. One of these days maybe she'll realize what a dumb and mean thing she's doing, and that this whole big/small issue is all in her own head.

I love Gauntlet Dark Legacy, I have it for the PS2, and it's probably my favorite.

Yes, they do have it for the Xbox:

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/gauntletdarklegacy/

It doesn't get very good reviews because it's not very flashy, but I guess it's just a matter of opinion.

And there IS a new Gauntlet coming out in November for Xbox & PS2, called Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows. I can't wait to play it. ;-)

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/rpg/gauntletworkingtitle/

Tell her to be glad she found out he was an ass before she had invested any more time on him. At least she wasn't months into a relationship before finding out.

That's actually a pretty good way to weed out the tards and time wasters.

Tell her she didn't do anything wrong at all. She should rejoice and hope that ALL of the idiots she ever comes across reveal their true natures so easily!

It does sound like that might be a UTI or Bladder infection... I used to get them all the time.

While cranberry juice is good for you, and will help with that, you have to drink a lot of it and sometimes it's just not enough. Plus it takes time, at least for me. One time I drank cranberry juice constantly, and I still ended up going to the emergency room with the infection.

That was then, this is now. NOW I know of a sure-fire cure for Urinary Tract Infections, Bladder infections, etc... and I'm totally not BSing you here. Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE). I take this stuff, and the symptoms are gone within 24 hours. It's amazing!

Get the liquid, not the pills. The stuff I use is this brand:

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/browse/sku_detail.jhtml;$sessionid$NEWOZCD0BLZFKCQUAOYCFEQKCQB00GXK?SkuID=4558&BreadCrumbType=SearchResult

And you can read this site for info on all of the other things GSE is good for:

http://www.pureliquidgold.com/health.htm

For an infection, I use 15 drops mixed in water (drink it fast, it's kind of bitter), 3 times a day. It may be tempting to just take it for a day because you feel so much better, but take these doses for at least 3 days. Just like with medication, you should take the full treatment or it might come back.

GSE is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitical. Yet, it's safe for us. It's so good at killing bad things, they are starting to use it in hospitals for surgery prep, because it does a better job than alcohol!

It also purifies water, so it's a good thing to have in any emergency survival kit, plus being useful for treating wounds and such (diluted). Never use it full strength unless you are using it on a wart. (yes, it dissolves warts).

I also used it in our pet's water to treat worms, and our Chihuahua's little "peter" infection, etc.

Everybody should have this in their home. You may even have a local health food store that has it stocked.

Sounds like a control freak.

If you want to stay with him, write down a list of things you think he's doing which are unfair, then another list that has the way you think things should be if they were fair. Show it to him. Maybe that will wake him up. Maybe you guys can then make another list and give and take, until you have a list that you both agree on and think is fair.

If it has gone on too long for you to want to work it out, then leave him. Tell him you are sorry, but it's not working out. If he wants to know why, tell him the reasons you put here. Even though he's acting like a butthole, it's still not fair to him to stay with him when you aren't interested anymore.

I understand how you feel... The more things that pile up and need to be done, the less you want to do them. It's horrible!

What I did was to start scheduling things with a reminder program, and spread the work out. This is the program I use:

http://www.download.com/VirtuaReminder/3000-2124_4-10153524.html

You can set it up however you like... If you want to mop the floors every Monday and Friday, you can have it pop up a reminder on those days. If you want it to remind you to water the plants on the 1st, 8th, 15th, & 22nd of every month, you can do that. Nearly anything and everything you want, you can set it up.

What I do is set all the reminders for very early in the morning before I wake up. Then when I sit down at the computer, the first reminder is popped up on the screen. I copy the text (like: Water the plants today), and then paste it into a desktop text file of some sort. Then I hit the OK button and the next one pops up, which I copy and paste, etc... I do this until I have them all copied to my text file.

Then as I do the things throughout the day, I delete them from my text file. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment, plus I don't feel as overwhelmed because I only have to do what's on the list for that day. (besides the normal everyday stuff).

This works very well for me, and I HATE housework. Make sure to spread things out as much as possible, don't try to do too many big things in one day. Your day is busy enough with two little ones!

And I agree that your 3 year old is probably old enough to help out a little, with picking things up, etc. Just having things picked up off the floor makes a big difference. ;-)

Yes, Goodwill and the Salvation Army stores are two popular examples of "thrift" stores. There are others, though it varies by location.

Thrift stores are completely random as to what they have in the store at any given time. This is because they rely on donations from people.

When people donate things, the things are cleaned, priced and put out in the store, for much cheaper than you can buy them in a regular store. And many times you can find things you like, that aren't even sold in stores anymore.

Sometimes the things are noticeably used, and sometimes they are brand new. That's the fun thing about thrift stores, you never know what you're going to find, and if you come back another time, they'll have some totally different stuff. :-)

You can speed up the process by taking the supplement called MSM. MSM is extremely good for skin, hair, and nails, plus numerous other things.

Here is a good page which describes MSM and it's benefits for hair:

http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip904.htm

You don't need to buy the specific product they are talking about, they just did a good write-up on MSM. You can get pure MSM powder, which is relatively cheap, at many health food stores and on the internet. I would recommend getting the pure MSM powder, rather than just taking something that has a little MSM in it. We take the powder every day, and I can't say enough good things about it. ;-)

I would be concerned about him, actually. If he's sneaking around behind his girlfriend's back, trying to hook up with someone else, that doesn't say much for him.

If I were you, I'd tell him that you aren't interested in going out until he has broken up with his girlfriend... Then don't have anything to do with him until he does. (and confirm it from other sources, don't just take his word for it.)

#1 It's crappy of him not to be honest with his GF. If he doesn't like her anymore, he should tell her and call it off with her, period. His not being honest with her is a bad sign that he wouldn't be honest with you if he was your BF.

(I can't tell you how many stories I've heard of mistresses going out with married men for years and years because "he hates his wife and they are going to get a divorce and he's going to marry me." but years pass and it never happens. DON'T fall for that! If you still want to have anything to do with a wanker like that, make him leave FIRST!)

#2 It's also possible he may want to have something "lined up" before he breaks up with his GF, which means he plans on staying with her until "something better" comes along. So he's basically using her at this point, like a crutch, while he waits to have another girlfriend lined up that he can jump over to. If this is something he would do to her, it's something he might do to you.

Bottom line, always look at the way they treat their previous/current girlfriends/wives. The way he treats them, is most likely the way he will end up treating you. If he's not being honest with them, he won't be honest with you, and you deserve better than that.

Here's the answer from Dr. Dean Ornish, a clinical professor of
medicine at UC San Francisco:

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/3079.883

So, walking burns more actual fat, but takes more time than running.

With running: "you're burning mostly sugar, or carbohydrates, which is how your body gives you fast energy in bursts"

With walking: "it gives your metabolism time to switch from burning carbohydrates to burning fat."

I personally think that walking is better, if you have the time. Make sure to walk briskly and swing your arms (have you seen power-walkers?) so that you get your heart pumping.

Running is harder on your joints too, and: "The risk of injury -- whether shin splints or knee injuries or back pain -- is directly proportional to the intensity of exercise."

But you will still have people who simply enjoy running more. So it's a personal choice.

Try them both. One day, run for an hour, and the next day, walk briskly for an hour. See which one is more fun or more suited to your style. Whichever one is the one you will actually STICK TO, is the one you should do. :-)

The only time that ever happens to me in the shower is when I have the water turned too hot. You may be overheating yourself. Try showering in cool water.

If that doesn't help, another possibility is medication side-effects. If you are taking any prescription medication including the pill, you may be sensitive to this kind of a side-effect.

At any rate, everybody is right that you should see a doctor if this continues.

You can set your text size back to a reasonable range by clicking on "View" towards the top of your IE browser... Then look at that menu and you should see "Text Size". Hold your cursor over that and it will show you what size your text is set for right now. Probably Larger or Largest from what you are describing.

Try setting it to "Medium" and see if that's better.

I agree that there are many, many, many false Christians in the world.

There are also many different ways to help others see what true Christianity is... "Christian" has become a bad word in society. So many of those false Christians have gone around and done bad, judgmental, and un-Christian things in the name of Christianity, that many non-Christians think that's the way all Christians are, and think they are just a bunch of whacked-out hypocrites.

Because of this, just walking up to someone to tell them about Christ makes many, many people automatically defensive and put up strong mental barriers that you can't get past no matter what.

In today's society, it can be a good idea to just share your faith by example. Be a good Christian and help people you don't have to... Give your time and efforts to other people, and serve others like Christ did. Then when people ask you why you are being so nice and acting so unselfish and different from other people, you can tell them it's because this is the way Christ really wants Christians to be, loving everybody like we love ourselves. Then you can let them know that many, many people who call themselves Christians (including a BUNCH of big old famous preacher types) are not living the way Christ said to in the Bible, so they aren't really Christians.

Once people understand that their idea of Christians is based on lies, that gives you a great opportunity to explain how none of us is good enough to go to Heaven, no matter how good and kind we are, not even you... Because we have all broken at least one of God's Laws at some point, and only perfect people who have never sinned, ever, can go to Heaven. Which opens the way for you to tell them how Christ, the Son of God, became human for us so that he could live a perfect, sin-less life FOR us, and be a sacrifice FOR us, so that we might be forgiven our sins if we ask God in the name of Christ. Because, as you know, good works won't get anybody to Heaven, ONLY asking forgiveness in the name of Christ can.

One of the sad things is that non-Christians don't KNOW that all these false Christians aren't living by the Bible... Because non-Christians don't know the Bible, they assume that all these hypocrites are going by what the Bible says, and if so, the Bible must be hypocritical like them, so who needs that.

But as true Christians know, the Bible condemns the actions of false Christians. Unfortunately the world is DROWNING in false Christians. That's why people put up this mental wall when you say "Christian" and I can't really blame them. And that's why it can be best to give them an example of a good Christian before ever mentioning Christ.

Missionaries, for example, are over in many different countries risking their lives to help people. They aren't just over there going village to village and standing there preaching, singing a few songs, passing the plate, then moving on (like some modern-day preachers would)... They are over there digging wells, planting crops, helping the sick, helping the poor, building shelters, and in the meantime letting people know that the reason they are there doing these things is because of Christ. I'm not worthy to scrape the mud off of their shoes. That is true LOVE and sacrifice.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that, just because a Christian isn't standing outside the Wal-Mart with a Bible in their hand asking people if they know Christ, doesn't mean they aren't working for Christ in other ways. Everybody has different gifts, and our Father works in mysterious ways. :-)

As for why the false Christians keep calling themselves Christians? The answer to that is very simple. It gives Christians a bad name and keeps others from accepting the free Gift of Forgiveness that any of us can ask for. It's a tool of the enemy to keep people from the Truth and it's doing its work very well. They don't even know they are a tool of the enemy. Which is extra sad. Because of that, they are very likely to go to Hell because they won't listen to anything you say. They already think they are saved. :-(

Have you ever seen movies where there is someone that somebody is trying to find, so someone sends out a bunch of look-alikes to confuse everybody as to who the real person is? That's what the enemy is doing with Christianity. The enemy loves confusion and lies.

This reminds me of a quote by Mahatma Gandhi that sums up what I feel is happening to so many "Christians" in the world:

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

If you want to know more about how to reach people in the way that Christ reached people, you might take the example of the actor Kirk Cameron, who was saved by this very same teaching. It is fun, and it's less than 1 hour to listen to:

http://www.dangernerd.com/kirkcameron.mp3

(It's 9 megs, so it may take a bit to download)

http://www.dangernerd.com/kirkcameron.zip

If you can't download MP3's for some reason, you can download the zip file.

And for more info on other ways to reach people, try this link:

http://www.wayofthemaster.com/freeaudio.shtml

Want to know how to keep your questions from being rated down? Click Here!

********************************************

I'm DangerNerd's wife. We met on an internet personals site back in December, 1996. He flew across country to meet me for the first time in late February of 1997, and we were married a few weeks later. We've been together 9 years now. :-)

If you want to mail me, my email is DangerWench@gmail.com

Yes, I do sometimes copy and paste my own answers to answer different people's similar questions. I still personalize/edit them when necessary... but for instance, my advice about diet and exercise it going to be pretty much the same every time, and that's a very common subject for questions here... so there's no point in typing the same thing over and over and over again. ;-)

********************************************

Yes, hubby and I were both virgins on our wedding night, at the age of 26. Yes, we are both Christians, but we greatly dislike what "Christianity" (or "Churchianity") has come to represent in many people's minds these days... Hypocrisy, greed, pride... Things which the Bible says we are NOT supposed to do. We are supposed to be a good example, not a bad one. :-(

If you have a Christian acquaintance who is hitting you over the head with "Jesus will bring you peace and joy and happiness" tell them to listen to this:

http://www.dangernerd.com/kirkcameron.mp3

(It's 9 megs, so it may take a bit to download)

If you can't download MP3's for some reason, you can download the zip file.

http://www.dangernerd.com/kirkcameron.zip

If they are an actual preacher/pastor, this one is geared more towards them:

http://www.dangernerd.com/raycomfort.zip

Send them the link, or burn it to CD and give it to them, whatever it takes.

If they really listen to that, they will see how the Bible itself says the way they are annoying you is wrong. :-)

If you are a Christian, please listen to it, even if you aren't beating people over the head with Jesus. I promise you, it will give you a new perspective. It's totally awesome.

********************************************

I'm also fascinated by prophesy, and I do think we are living in an age where we are seeing many things come true that were prophesied 1,000's of years ago.

********************************************

There has been a lot of hubbub lately regarding my views on the differences between Catholicism and *exclusively* Bible-Based Christianity... Mostly due to my not making myself clear. I did have a big long explanation here, but this time I will opt for the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Yes, the following is the simplified version. ;-)

The Catholic Church believes that the Bible is not the only authority. Their teachings include such documentation as Catechisms, and Papal Encyclicals (defined as "authoritative teaching instruments from the Vicar of Christ" (the Pope)) which have been written and added to throughout the years of the history of the Catholic Church.

Because of this, the Catholic Church has many teachings, beliefs, and traditions that are different from a Christian who believes the Holy Bible is the exclusive authority of Christianity.

A Catholic Christian believes in the Catholic doctrines, teachings, and traditions which include, but are *not exclusive to* the Holy Bible.

Most non-Catholic Christians believe the Holy Bible is the *exclusive* authority of Christianity... No other documents.

Much argument comes from this, as quite a few non-Catholic Christians (myself included) believe many of the man-made Catholic doctrines to be un-Christian and not corresponding with Biblical scripture. And obviously, Catholics disagree.

For more information about the differences between Catholicism and *exclusively* Bible-Based Christianity, see the following link:

Roman Catholic Doctrine vs. The Holy Bible

And a final note about that link... That e-book isn't written by Jack Chick, I have a lot of problems with Mr. Chick. Some of his tracts are great, and some of them are way "out there" if you know what I mean. I do not support Jack Chick. This e-book is written by Rick Jones, who was a Catholic for many years, not Chick.

********************************************

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2Timothy 3:1 - 7)

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring..." (Luke 21:25)

********************************************

Yahweh is my God, Yeshua is my Savior.

E-mail:
Gender:
Location:
Occupation:
Age:
Member Since:
Answers:
Last Update:
Visitors:
Main Categories:




Favorite Columnists