reconciled - Latest Comments

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.wordpress....

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.wordpress.... 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.

Re: Prop 8 and the Adulterous Woman

Nowhere Man — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:11:41 -0000

I find this post to be very interesting. For once I get to read something that is not smacking me in the face with a bunch of "Holier Than Thou" rhetoric and instead exposes flaws that we are all bound to have since we are only human. Well written.

Re: Moving Past Opinions

Matt Smith — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:44:14 -0000

I agree 100% I've thought a lot about the issue over the years. I think why I waited so long to touch on it this last couple of months is that I basically agree with everything that you have said and a lot of what other on the "Christian" right are saying.

My contrasting of gay and hetero marriage wasn't a full comparison but only directed towards the initial act of being married.

It's now 3 posts that I've written on this topic. My only point is to shine a light on the seeming ferocity of our attack of the gay lifestyle and agenda and singling it out. I'm in no way saying it's no big deal or condoning it. I'm trying to say that there is another way to do go into all the world making disciples.

I feel that the world is where it's at because the Church has failed it. As I looked back on my upbringing in the Church and saw what many leaders were saying I realized that our gospel of morality and godly values just wasn't working. Morality and godly values are not synonymous with salvation. Being good doesn't save anyone. Now, a truly saved person's life will begin to line up with God's word which is to be moral and have godly values.

I just think that our approach to gay marriage is putting the cart before the horse. We're focusing on the outward manifestation of sin and neglecting to see a broken person who really just wants peace, contentment and joy. Maybe it's just me but I've always known I was rotten. That didn't lead me to Christ. It was Christ's love and acceptance of me regardless that led me to Him. He wooed me and I was hopeless to resist.

I know that love is sometimes expressed in tough ways but I think the Church is too often guilty of simply leaving the kindness out of love altogether.

Thanks for the comment. I think civil discussion of these issues makes us all see them a little clearer.

Re: Moving Past Opinions

Louis Alexander — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:01:31 -0000

I dunno, Matt. I would submit that gay marriage and hetero marriage between two unbelievers is different in at least one way. OK, if two gays marry, and let's say one someday decides the Bible prohibition against homosexuality represents God's will, then that individal will, quite probably, in an attempt to begin living as a born-again Christian, actively take steps to end the marriage through divorce. And we know how destructive divorce is, not only to those who experience it, but also to any children who may be involved, and to society as a whole. And also God says He hates it...

Now, in the case of the two unbelieving married heteros, if one gets saved, then he or she will not be required to get a divorce, but rather will see an opportunity to win the unbeliving mate to Christ by living a Christian example. So, we have one case in which a divorce will be required, and another case in which a divorce may be authorized but certainly will not be required, or even encouraged.

Not to mention the fact that couples who marry -- whether gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, or anti-sexual -- all provide living examples to so many other human beings, and the example provided by the hetero unbelieving couple, with their greater potential to reflect a Christian marriage if and when one or both of them got saved, trumps the example of the gay couple being forced to divorce if and when one of that couple decides to follow God's biblical lifestyle pattern. Does that make sense?

Re: I am Aghast, Shocked and Offended

Matt Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:27:38 -0000

I was actually thinking of John Bevere's book when I wrote this:) It was a great book. Great point about people being so offended they lose their faith in God. Experienced it and seen it happen.

Re: I am Aghast, Shocked and Offended

Louis Alexander — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:29:23 -0000

I especially related to what you wrote about Christians being offended. John Bevere's book "The Bait of Satan" provided an indepth look at how the Enemy used the Spirit of Offense to destroy all kinds of relationships, ranging from friendships, marriages, boss-employee relationships, and of course church relationships. IMO that book should be required reading for every believer, since every human being is subject to being perpetually offended to the point where they lose their faith in God.