reconciled - Latest Comments

Re: Fatherhood | Reconciled

Dr. Nicckay Natson — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 20:28:02 -0000

Powerful Indeed. Keep up the great work.

Re: Reconciled Podcast Trailer

Dr. Nicckay Natson — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 22:54:30 -0000

Alright, now this podcast is going to be Fire!. It's about time someone came out with something for the men. Men hurt to and need healing and encouragement as well.

Re: Newtown Shooting and the Christian Response

Shawn — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 23:23:08 -0000

The best response as a Christian is to show the same grace and mercy that God shows us. The movie Amish Grace http://www.imdb.com/title/t... based on a true story where 5 children were gunned down and 5 children were injured. This community showed true love and forgive out there pain, because they where not prepared to allow hate to grow in there hearts ...

Re: Romans IV

Matt Smith — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:33:57 -0000

Thanks for the compliments.

As for your question... Here's how I see it.

Jesus and God make up 2/3 of the Trinity with the Holy Spirit being the other 1/3. The best way to explain that is to say that it is one God with 3 distinct expressions, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

I just thought of this so if the analogy falls apart don't hate me. Think of an umbrella. You've got the handle that you hold onto that's connected to the shaft that's connected to the canopy that keeps the rain off of you. If you take away the handle the umbrella would be difficult to hold onto and it's the Holy Spirit that guides us and helps keep us on the right path. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be our helper. The shaft connects the handle to the canopy. If you were missing the shaft of an umbrella it wouldn't be an umbrella. Jesus is our path, the door, to God. Without Jesus there is no salvation. Same with the canopy. It's not an umbrella without it. Once we've believed that Jesus is God's Son and the God raised Him from the dead we will be saved. We're saved because when we believe we are given, or covered, with the righteousness of God. The bible says that we're actually seen to be as righteous as God. We know that we're not in and of our selves, but it's how God sees us. Just like with the umbrella, the goal is God, or the canopy. The other pieces, while absolutely necessary and every bit a part of the umbrella, are what allow us to get to God.

I know that probably doesn't clear it up completely, but there it is and I hope I helped a little.

Re: Romans IV

Nowhere Man — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:28:59 -0000

Agreed. Despite the Christian jargon I still find your site to be the most readable and least difficult to relate to. Although, I am a bit confused about one particular aspect. The Christians that I have spoken to say that God IS Jesus i.e. same person or entity or whatever. So how is it that one must find their way to God through Jesus if they are both together... .

Re: About

AnnasOneLife — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:34:55 -0000

By the way, I nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award! Learn more about the award:http://annasonelife.wordpre...

May God Bless you!
Anna

Re: About

Scott Fillmer — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:42:27 -0000

well said, glad to have found your blog!

Re: Romans IV

AnnasOneLife — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:59:19 -0000

Because you have given me beautiful words to read and inspire me, I am
giving you the “Beautiful Blogger Award.” Please follow this link: http://annasonelife.wordpre... to find out why I gave it to you and how you can pass it along to other “beautiful” bloggers.

Re: Fault Finding and Trash Can Lids

Growing Mama Sprouting Child — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:54:18 -0000

Loving kindness is the best way to get others to want be followers of Jesus Christ. Thanks for the wonderful post!

Re: Fault Finding and Trash Can Lids

Matt Smith — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:40:07 -0000

Wow, thanks. I think there are a lot of us now who feel the way I do. I'm seeing a big shift in thinking as people realize that there is much more to Christianity than being good all the time. I think there are more who think like I do than don't. It's just that our voice is often drowned out either by other Christians or people who want everyone to think we're all nasty.

Thanks again. I really do appreciate the kind words.

Re: Fault Finding and Trash Can Lids

Nowhere Man — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:58:32 -0000

Excellent post. You, my friend, are a shining example of the type of Christian that could quite possibly one day bridge the gap between our two worlds. Well said.

Re: Romans I

Matt Smith — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:10:56 -0000

Yeah, that realization was a big breakthrough for me. Those people were Christians that Paul was talking to. He had to hand feed them the Gospel just like I need to be hand fed.

Great thoughts.

Re: Romans I

Kit — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:27:55 -0000

The title "Romans" reminds me that in those times they where human beings, and citizens of one country or another. And the day to day life they lived had it's own distractions; just as we have our own distractions. The point is its these distractions that make it easy for us to forget the promises of God and the work completed by him on the cross. Then before we know it we've forgotten that we are citizens of the kingdom of God living in foreign lands.We are here to live out our lives as an expression of our true citizenship as believers and followers of Christ in faith and power..

Re: Romans: The Prelude

Matt Smith — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:30:11 -0000

Thanks Rob. I'm looking forward to sharing what God's spoken to me through Romans. It definitely changed how I viewed God.

Re: Romans: The Prelude

Rob Morley — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:13:38 -0000

Sounds great Matt! Look forward to reading more.

Re: Pain and Suffering

Lance — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:27:39 -0000

"the problem lies in the question and not the answer."

Absolute truth my friend

Re: Pain and Suffering

Matt Smith — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:42:24 -0000

That's pretty much my take on it. My "It'll be OK" passage is Rev. 19:11 to the end of the chapter. If I were to be real honest about the question I'd say that the problem lies in the question and not the answer. The fact that we even have the question says our focus is ourself. It's a question that probably doesn't have an answer to satisfy most people. God's way are not our ways and to question that is putting yourself on His level.

I think you're right. Sometimes life just sucks.

Re: Pain and Suffering

Lance — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:25:35 -0000

Why is there suffering and why does God allow Christians to experience it? The only sense I can make of it is that this world isn't currently as God intended it to be. Sin has stained and ruined every aspect of the human experience. Jesus reconciled the accounts of those who trust in him through his death and resurrection, but we still live in this broken world. We still live with the consequences of sin.

But we look to a day when everything is made new. Rev 21 is one of my favorites because of the promises it holds. Bad things happen now, but a day is promised when (as Tolkein said it) "everything sad will come untrue." Until then, life sucks sometimes.

Re: Pain and Suffering

Matt Smith — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:21:46 -0000

Oh man, how true is that.

Re: Pain and Suffering

mmck — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:09:05 -0000

> Have you ever made sense of pain and suffering?

Only later.

Re: Theology: Essential to Know God and Useless in Knowing God

Matt Smith — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:07:55 -0000

Thanks. That's better than the guy who called me an idiot and said that even the title contradicted itself. It's funny when people call you an idiot and they've missed an obvious point. (I posted on another site)

Re: Theology: Essential to Know God and Useless in Knowing God

Heather Cline — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:40:15 -0000

I found myself "uh-huhing" out loud to this. Good one!

Re: In God I Will Trust

Matt Smith — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:01:53 -0000

Thanks strange person whom I don't know:)

Re: In God I Will Trust

Heather Cline — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:37:47 -0000

Amen!

Re: Prop 8 and the Adulterous Woman

Matt Smith — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:13:48 -0000

Wow, thanks a lot.