Christians Here for Support

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Annie's Phil

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Lost a loved one
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The original thread was closed do to size. I think I'm following directions by starting this thread in it's new location.
 
Yay! Thanks Phil!
 
Phil, I think it's totally appropriate that you were the one to restart this thread.
 
Yea I finally found the new Christian thread....by the way I started a New Happiness Now Thread too. I think the moderators should post a last post on each of the closed threads saying what to do, like start a new thread, or if it is moved, where it has moved too. Instead of causing panic on the closed Threads. Well, good morning all!

Streams in the Desert by Cowman

No Solution in Sight

"He went out, not knowing whither he went" (Heb. 11:9).

It is faith without sight. When we can see, it is not faith, but reasoning. In crossing the Atlantic we observed this very principle of faith. We saw no path upon the sea, nor sign of the shore. And yet day by day we were marking our path upon the chart as exactly as if there had followed us a great chalk line upon the sea. And when we came within twenty miles of land, we knew where we were as exactly as if we had seen it all three thousand miles ahead.

How had we measured and marked our course? Day by day our captain had taken his instruments and, looking up to the sky, had fixed his course by the sun. He was sailing by the heavenly, not the earthly lights.

So faith looks up and sails on, by God's great Sun, not seeing one shore line or earthly lighthouse or path upon the way. Often its steps seem to lead into utter uncertainty, and even darkness and disaster; but He opens the way, and often makes such midnight hours the very gates of day. Let us go forth this day, not knowing, but trusting.
--Days of Heaven upon Earth

***

"Too many of us want to see our way through before starting new enterprises. If we could and did, from whence would come the development of our Christian graces? Faith, hope and love cannot be plucked from trees, like ripe apples. After the words 'In the beginning' comes the word 'God'! The first step turns the key into God's power-house, and it is not only true that God helps those who help themselves, but He also helps those who cannot help themselves. You can depend upon Him every time."

"Waiting on God brings us to our journey's end quicker than our feet."
 
The Story of Jesus

Day 2

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”

How did Mary, a virgin, become pregnant? She and Joseph were engaged but had not had sexual relations. No medical doctor could answer this question, but such was the mysterious nature of Mary’s conception and Jesus’ birth—a miraculous beginning ordained by God’s power alone. Imagine Mary’s problem explaining this incredible experience! She couldn’t understand it herself, much less explain it to her friends and family.

In that day and time, an engagement was considered as strong a commitment as marriage although Joseph and Mary were not officially married. Although he probably wanted to believe Mary, Joseph was in a difficult situation. Engaged and committed to a woman whom his family and friends would now despise, Joseph decided it was best to break off the engagement . . . until an unusual visitor changed his perspective.

What can you learn from Mary's reaction to her surprising and somewhat disturbing news?
 
The Edges of His Ways by Amy Carmichael


Feb 23

For those on whom burdens are laid.

Num 11:14 I am not able to bear all these people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

I Kings 19:14 It is enough.

Have you ever said so? I have. But we never know how tender our Lord can be till we feel like that. He never meets such words with coldness—He never misunderstands. His angels are like Him in this. As God had seventy good men ready to help Moses, so the understanding word of a kind angel to the tired Elijah was “The journey is too great for Thee.” The angel knew where to find a cruise of water and flour to make a cake, and he had a little meal ready for him when he woke. And—perhaps this mattered most of all—he knew he had need of a good sleep.

When you feel at the end of everything, do not hesitate to say so to your Father. If you listen, you will hear Him say, “Now shalt thou see what I will do”: and if you watch you will see , as if newly created, all sorts of surprises of His love; comrades alongside, food and drink—the Bread of life and the Water of life.
 
Good morning everybody.

As you know by now, the original "Christians Here for Support" thread was closed, as were several other large threads.

David graciously moved the original thread out from the "other" heading and gave it a heading of it's own. I've tried hard to properly discern his wishes regarding how we organize our posts so that we can comply with his intent.

David made the last post in the previous thread as quoted below in red:

This thread has been made in to its own forum.

Post and create threads here: https://www.alsforums.com/forum/christians-here-support/

** off-topic thread closed due to length, please start a social group for lengthy off-topic discussions **


https://www.alsforums.com/forum/groups/


From this, I think that it is desired that we not have a single catch-all thread, but start more focused separate threads under the "Christians Here for Support" forum. As Tammy put it on my profile page, our thread became frayed.

I started this thread with the same name so that those familiar with the previous one could get together and figure out how to best use our new forum and do our best to comply with David's desires.

I've by no means got this figured out, but am simply trying to give everyone a venue in which to discuss it.

First of all, I think everybody should feel free to start their own threads under the new "Christians Here for Support" forum, as opposed to posts on the "Christians Here for Support" thread.

I see it like a filing system. Previously we had one big file folder (the thread) which got stuffed with everything we had. Now we've been given a file drawer (the new forum), and can segregate material into separate folders (new threads) that can make it easier for people to locate what they're interested in.

We all know that receiving an ALS ALS diagnosis is devastating news to both the PALS and those who love them. Both Annie and I would have gone completely to pieces if it were not for our confidence in the promises or the Lord. Giving the comfort derived from knowing and believing those promises is the purpose for which Annie started her original thread, and continues to be my purpose as well. There are many, many Scripture verses and Bible teachings that are extremely valuable for growing in discipleship, but are not necessarily helpful to someone just having received or trying to come to terms with an ALS ALS diagnosis.

So I'm proposing that this new "Christians Here for Support" thread under the new "Christians Here for Support" forum be focused on supporting people seeking spiritual and emotional help because of the implications of being diagnosed with this disease.

I'm thinking of starting another thread containing Scripture verses for the day, such as those from Daily Light, and any that folks think might be of particular interest - although this could quickly grow in size. Another approach might be to start topical threads when one comes across a particular Scripture passage or collection of verses which address a particular topic. Then if people want to comment on that topic, or have other passages related to it, they can post in that thread.

I'm operating under the assumption that the intent of a thread is to collect input pertaining to a specific theme. If the theme becomes too all-encompassing, we end up with what we had - a frayed thread.

I can envision another thread containing excerpts from devotional commentaries, such as Utmost, Slice of Infinity, etc. Although I can see this rapidly becoming very large.

Another thread that might be of interest is a "Songs" thread where links to songs (i.e., Youtube) can be posted. This would make them easier to find in the future.

David also mentioned starting a social group for "lengthy off-topic discussions". So what do you all think of us starting a social group? I think that can be a lot less structured than threads. But I don't see it replacing the new forum and collection of threads under it - we need to be easily accessible to other folks, particularly new ones.

We have graciously been afforded use of this forum, and I'm sure everyone is in agreement that we should do our best to conform to the intent of David's request. He and the moderators put in a lot of time, effort, and money in providing this forum, and I'm sure everyone is grateful to them.

Please weigh in with your thoughts. I'm just trying to get a discussion on these issues started.
 
Hi all,

I've submitted a lengthy post regarding the changes that have occurred and some thoughts for discussion. I included David's post closing the other thread to give us some guidance. This included links to the ALSforum and so is being reviewed. I don't know how long it will take to get posted.
 
Hi everyone,
The Kindle worked great! I see that the thread has somewhat of a detour:shock:

This reading comes at an opportune time for me. Before I left for respite leave, I was feeling the weight of praying. I went with nothing to give. But as I was there, He worked in the small things, which is every bit of significance as major things.

“When you feel at the end of everything, do not hesitate to say so to your Father. If you listen you will hear Him say, “Now shalt thou see what I will do”; and if you watch you will see, as if newly created, all sorts of surprises of His love: comrades alongside, food and drink-the Bread of life and the Water of life."


Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
Feb. 23
For those on whom burdens are laid.

Num:11:14: I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
1Kings 19:4: It is enough.

Have you ever said so? I have. But we never know how tender our Lord can be till we feel like that. He never meets such words with coldness-He never misunderstands. His angels are like Him in this. As God had seventy good men ready to help Moses, so the understanding word of a kind angel to the tired Elijah was “The journey is too great for thee.” The angel knew where to find a cruse of water, and flour to make a cake, and he had a little meal ready for him when he woke. And-perhaps this mattered most of all-he knew he had need of a good sleep.

When you feel at the end of everything, do not hesitate to say so to your Father. If you listen you will hear Him say, “Now shalt thou see what I will do”; and if you watch you will see, as if newly created, all sorts of surprises of His love: comrades alongside, food and drink-the Bread of life and the Water of life.
 
Yea I finally found the new Christian thread....by the way I started a New Happiness Now Thread too. I think the moderators should post a last post on each of the closed threads saying what to do, like start a new thread, or if it is moved, where it has moved too. Instead of causing panic on the closed Threads. Well, good morning all!QUOTE]

Sharon,
I think your suggestion is so very good. I hope whoever is in charge will consider and implement it.
 
Daily Light on the Daily Path
February 23
MORNING
The blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. — The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. — It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Abel, ... brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof ... The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. — Christ ... hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. — Having ... boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
HEB. 12:24. John 1:29. ‑Rev. 13:8. ‑Heb. 10:4,5,10. Gen. 4:4. ‑Eph. 5:2. Heb. 10:22. ‑Heb. 10:19.
EVENING
Who knoweth the power of thine anger?
From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? — The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. — Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. — Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.
God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. — That he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

PSA. 90:11. Matt. 27:45,46. ‑Isa. 53:6. Rom. 8:1. -Rom. 5:1. ‑Gal. 3:13. I John 4:9,10. ‑Rom. 3:26.
 
Another very good Utmost I think.
-Phil


My Utmost for His Highest
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve . . .—Matthew 20:28

Jesus also said, “Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27). Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s— “. . . ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). We somehow have the idea that a person called to the ministry is called to be different and above other people. But according to Jesus Christ, he is called to be a “doormat” for others— called to be their spiritual leader, but never their superior. Paul said, “I know how to be abased . . .” (Philippians 4:12). Paul’s idea of service was to pour his life out to the last drop for others. And whether he received praise or blame made no difference. As long as there was one human being who did not know Jesus, Paul felt a debt of service to that person until he did come to know Him. But the chief motivation behind Paul’s service was not love for others but love for his Lord. If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from other people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another.
Paul’s understanding of how Christ had dealt with him is the secret behind his determination to serve others. “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man . . .” (1 Timothy 1:13). In other words, no matter how badly others may have treated Paul, they could never have treated him with the same degree of spite and hatred with which he had treated Jesus Christ. Once we realize that Jesus has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for His sake.
 
GOODNESS

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:13
FROM THE FATHER'S HEART
My child, do you know how much I enjoy blessing My children? Do you understand that all I want for you are good things? But it is also My goodness that forgives and prods your heart when it needs changing. It is My goodness that allows tests to come your way. It is My goodness that holds you in the palm of My hand and will not let you go. I love you, My child.
A GRATEFUL RESPONSE
I stand unworthy of any good thing. Yet You, Lord, continue to pour into my life good and perfect gifts. Daily blessings, special relationships, answered prayers, undeserved favors—You give them all, Lord. Even in difficult times, Your goodness is always evident. Thank You, Lord.
SIMPLE TRUTH
There was nothing random about Jesus' kindness. He always went around doing good.
 
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