Comments for Avoiding Evil http://www.avoidingevil.com "Examine everything...abstain from every form of evil." Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:20:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 Comment on The Transformed Church (1 Timothy 1:1-2) by Daddy's Little Girl http://www.avoidingevil.com/2009/04/06/the-transformed-church-1-timothy-11-2/comment-page-1/#comment-68760 Daddy's Little Girl Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:47:25 +0000 http://www.avoidingevil.com/?p=996#comment-68760 I consider myself a fatherless daughter because my dad unfortunately had a mental break down when i was about 5 and after that he has never been the same. He has to take so many presctiption drugs for all of his mental illnesses that he's not even a normal person anymore, he's like a 5 year old. I believe not having a father can trigger sexual and personal problems with oneself as it did for me but that doesn't mean for EVERYONE. I feel without my father there ( mentally ) that I have a yearning for a man in my life and it's almost like an emptiness that I must fill or I will become depressed. This is what triggers my love addictions and sexual fantasies for older men or men that I want but don't want me. I wish i didn't have these problems and need to seek help but I do believe that being fatherless has a big impression on a girl's life as it did on me. I will ALWAYS have a weakness and a yearning for a man who I believe will steal my heart and leave me like my father did :cry: :sad: I consider myself a fatherless daughter because my dad unfortunately had a mental break down when i was about 5 and after that he has never been the same. He has to take so many presctiption drugs for all of his mental illnesses that he’s not even a normal person anymore, he’s like a 5 year old. I believe not having a father can trigger sexual and personal problems with oneself as it did for me but that doesn’t mean for EVERYONE. I feel without my father there ( mentally ) that I have a yearning for a man in my life and it’s almost like an emptiness that I must fill or I will become depressed. This is what triggers my love addictions and sexual fantasies for older men or men that I want but don’t want me. I wish i didn’t have these problems and need to seek help but I do believe that being fatherless has a big impression on a girl’s life as it did on me. I will ALWAYS have a weakness and a yearning for a man who I believe will steal my heart and leave me like my father did :cry: :sad:

]]> Comment on Would The Real Santa Clause Please Stand Up? by Tasha http://www.avoidingevil.com/2006/12/22/would-the-real-santa-clause-please-stand-up/comment-page-1/#comment-68607 Tasha Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:06:18 +0000 http://www.avoidingevil.com/2006/12/22/would-the-real-santa-clause-please-stand-up/#comment-68607 ok santa is definitley not important. The important thing is Jesus Christ. Hello that is his birthday. you can tell them the story of santa from way back in the day. Its a good story. :twisted: :grin: :lol: :!: :razz: :wink: I <3 smileys. :mrgreen: :smile: :lol: :cool: ok santa is definitley not important. The important thing is Jesus Christ. Hello that is his birthday. you can tell them the story of santa from way back in the day. Its a good story. :twisted: :grin: :lol: :!: :razz: :wink: I <3 smileys. :mrgreen: :smile: :lol: :cool:

]]> Comment on Boundaries in Christian Relationships by Sunny Chen http://www.avoidingevil.com/2008/12/06/boundaries-in-christian-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-68360 Sunny Chen Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:44:20 +0000 http://www.avoidingevil.com/?p=981#comment-68360 Thank you so much for sharing your thought, I agree with your point as well. Recently I have met two brother and sister, they are having issue to set-up boundaries at work and turned out to get into more troubles with their managers/coworkers later ( not mention they have been blamed for things wrongfully ). I tried to share my thoughts that I don't think "keep quiet when they have been wrongfully accused" or "keep doing things freely for everybody" is the right Christian attitude ( that's not what I understand from Jesus's teaching ), but they said I am not "Christian" enough and they also said as Christian, we should continue to suffer, this is the teaching from Jesus. I found out this is pretty common for most of the brothers/sisters I have known and I have no enough wisdom to point out what's wrong in the picture. Thank you very much for your sharing, I pray to God to give everybody wisdom to understand Jesus's real teaching. Thank you so much for sharing your thought, I agree with your point as well. Recently I have met two brother and sister, they are having issue to set-up boundaries at work and turned out to get into more troubles with their managers/coworkers later ( not mention they have been blamed for things wrongfully ). I tried to share my thoughts that I don’t think “keep quiet when they have been wrongfully accused” or “keep doing things freely for everybody” is the right Christian attitude ( that’s not what I understand from Jesus’s teaching ), but they said I am not “Christian” enough and they also said as Christian, we should continue to suffer, this is the teaching from Jesus. I found out this is pretty common for most of the brothers/sisters I have known and I have no enough wisdom to point out what’s wrong in the picture. Thank you very much for your sharing, I pray to God to give everybody wisdom to understand Jesus’s real teaching.

]]> Comment on A Look Past The Smoke Screen by Helen http://www.avoidingevil.com/2004/07/22/a-look-past-the-smoke-screen/comment-page-1/#comment-68167 Helen Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:20:45 +0000 http://avoidingevil.com/?p=265#comment-68167 I am just learning about the Rickshaw Rally controversy and came across your blog posting in a google search. Your commentary on the Rickshaw Rally curriculum and controversy is a good example of why I sometimes feel hopeless about racial reconciliation within the Church. Other VBS materials could have been used without "watering down" the gospel. What does a theme have to do with the gospel? Nothing. It was just a marketing point and thus, why was it so important to continue using it if brothers and sisters in Christ felt it hurtful? This is what I do not understand. I am just learning about the Rickshaw Rally controversy and came across your blog posting in a google search.

Your commentary on the Rickshaw Rally curriculum and controversy is a good example of why I sometimes feel hopeless about racial reconciliation within the Church.

Other VBS materials could have been used without “watering down” the gospel. What does a theme have to do with the gospel? Nothing. It was just a marketing point and thus, why was it so important to continue using it if brothers and sisters in Christ felt it hurtful? This is what I do not understand.

]]> Comment on How Should Christians View Halloween? by Clark http://www.avoidingevil.com/2008/10/29/how-should-christians-view-halloween/comment-page-1/#comment-68017 Clark Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:05:49 +0000 http://www.avoidingevil.com/?p=977#comment-68017 I feel like Halloween has been taken away from us. My family home was pretty strict when I was a kid, but Halloween and trick-or-treating were things we were allowed to do. I even remember a church sponsered haunted house. The Christian climate changed toward Halloween sometime during the 80's, as evangelicals equated it to Satanism. It's true that the roots of Halloween were in pagan practice; but what about Easter and Christmas? I'm not saying we do away with those traditions, but Christians need to know where they came from. More (perhaps too much more) here: http://wp.me/pfpoV-q3 I feel like Halloween has been taken away from us. My family home was pretty strict when I was a kid, but Halloween and trick-or-treating were things we were allowed to do. I even remember a church sponsered haunted house. The Christian climate changed toward Halloween sometime during the 80’s, as evangelicals equated it to Satanism.

It’s true that the roots of Halloween were in pagan practice; but what about Easter and Christmas? I’m not saying we do away with those traditions, but Christians need to know where they came from. More (perhaps too much more) here: http://wp.me/pfpoV-q3

]]> Comment on Does God REALLY Forget Our Sins? by David http://www.avoidingevil.com/2008/05/24/does-god-really-forget-our-sins/comment-page-1/#comment-67672 David Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:48:56 +0000 http://www.avoidingevil.com/?p=955#comment-67672 God didn't create evil or sin. Cold doesn't exist. According to the laws of physics what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Darkness doesn't exist either. Light can be studied but not darkness. Evil doesn't exist either it is just like darkness and cold. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when a man does not have God's love present in his heart. Sin is a result of Man's disobedience. nothing else. God is faithful to forgive us of sin because he said he would. God didn’t create evil or sin. Cold doesn’t exist. According to the laws of physics what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Darkness doesn’t exist either. Light can be studied but not darkness. Evil doesn’t exist either it is just like darkness and cold. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when a man does not have God’s love present in his heart. Sin is a result of Man’s disobedience. nothing else. God is faithful to forgive us of sin because he said he would.

]]> Comment on How To Change The Oil On Your Chevrolet Cobalt by bswindell http://www.avoidingevil.com/2005/12/15/how-to-change-the-oil-on-your-chevrolet-cobalt/comment-page-2/#comment-67600 bswindell Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:55:52 +0000 http://avoidingevil.com/?p=535#comment-67600 Thank you! Don't forget that the cap for the oil cartridge has to be tightened to a specific torque, check the manual. Also be careful as the nut that is "formed" on this cap can crack if tightened to tight, creating a seeping oil leek. and a messy one at that because of it's top location. As for the person wondering how to get the cobalt onto ramps due to the fender, use 2x4s stepped up, one, and then 2, to clear the fender for the ramp. The first board on the ground the 2 on the ramp, kinda tricky but works... ramps must be secure and don't forget to put them back when done if you remove them or you will leave your bumper on the ramps... Thank you! Don’t forget that the cap for the oil cartridge has to be tightened to a specific torque, check the manual. Also be careful as the nut that is “formed” on this cap can crack if tightened to tight, creating a seeping oil leek. and a messy one at that because of it’s top location. As for the person wondering how to get the cobalt onto ramps due to the fender, use 2×4s stepped up, one, and then 2, to clear the fender for the ramp. The first board on the ground the 2 on the ramp, kinda tricky but works… ramps must be secure and don’t forget to put them back when done if you remove them or you will leave your bumper on the ramps…

]]> Comment on Is Judaism different from Paganism? by Kevin M. Crowder http://www.avoidingevil.com/2004/02/07/is-judaism-different-from-paganism/comment-page-1/#comment-66311 Kevin M. Crowder Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:44:13 +0000 http://avoidingevil.com/?p=168#comment-66311 Ty, You have hit on the quintessential dichotomy of Christianity. Yet you are not the first. The beloved apostle in his first epistle desires us to wrangle with this very aspect of Christianity. If we sin we are not in Christ...If we are in Christ we will not sin...yet we sin...and he writes this why? So that we may have complete joy, so that we may not sin, so that we might have eternal life. Here is my take. We are commanded to Love God but it impossible to love God. We are commanded to not sin--being in Christ. Yet we sin (at least I do; even in my Bible bubble in Seminary). The end game is that I draw closer to him daily, needing Him daily, praising Him daily. His wrath does not scare me for there is now therefore no condemnation... But my lack of love for Him shames me. Why do I sin? Because I love my sin more than I love Him. Even the apostles ran in the sight of danger. They physically walked with the Lord. I run at even less. Oh that He would pour divine wrath on my to keep me close to His side should be my prayer. Lastly, sin have a divine purpose. I trust you do not think that sin is just an irritation that annoys God and one day He will do away with it. He hates sin of course. But He allows it to draw us closer to Him. The dichotomies are real. Learn to live with them. Learn to embrace them. The answer to many of your complex questions above is simply YES (with a great big grin) :) Ty,

You have hit on the quintessential dichotomy of Christianity. Yet you are not the first. The beloved apostle in his first epistle desires us to wrangle with this very aspect of Christianity. If we sin we are not in Christ…If we are in Christ we will not sin…yet we sin…and he writes this why? So that we may have complete joy, so that we may not sin, so that we might have eternal life.

Here is my take. We are commanded to Love God but it impossible to love God. We are commanded to not sin–being in Christ. Yet we sin (at least I do; even in my Bible bubble in Seminary). The end game is that I draw closer to him daily, needing Him daily, praising Him daily. His wrath does not scare me for there is now therefore no condemnation… But my lack of love for Him shames me. Why do I sin? Because I love my sin more than I love Him.

Even the apostles ran in the sight of danger. They physically walked with the Lord. I run at even less. Oh that He would pour divine wrath on my to keep me close to His side should be my prayer.

Lastly, sin have a divine purpose. I trust you do not think that sin is just an irritation that annoys God and one day He will do away with it. He hates sin of course. But He allows it to draw us closer to Him.

The dichotomies are real. Learn to live with them. Learn to embrace them.

The answer to many of your complex questions above is simply YES (with a great big grin) :)

]]> Comment on Is Judaism different from Paganism? by Ty http://www.avoidingevil.com/2004/02/07/is-judaism-different-from-paganism/comment-page-1/#comment-66301 Ty Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:40:41 +0000 http://avoidingevil.com/?p=168#comment-66301 K, You say our G-D desires and demands obediance from us and; you say that in fact He demands our all. Knowing this, you admit you are still not perfect and have daily transgressions, which is pefectly understandable since you are only human. But with that said, my previous statement implies that we will always mess up and it is such a casual occurance that we can expect such a behavior from our fellow neighbors. My point is perhaps the bar was set too high and if this is a known fact why would such behavior anger the All-Knowing G-D, especially since He was going to provide atonement anyways Himself. This resembles a "there is no hero without the villain" scenario. We would not need a Saviour if He was not a jealous G-D who is angered by our slip ups. I wanted to avoid the Saviour in this discussion because my questions concerning Him and His nature are numerous and I just want to clear up my previous question of how can our perfect G-D get angry at us and threaten to severely punish us when He Himself knows we cannot live up to His expectations. His wrath scares us into obedience, it just seems like a characteristic we would see in a bad parent who then later glorifies themselves claiming they are so good because they put food on the table or did something else that they are supposed to do in the first place. We, as His children, cannot be held responsible for not being perfect and so I think His anger cannot be justified, and His anger leading to His wrath is further unjustified. Who would get angry and beat a child who didn't know any better? not a perfect parent but rather an average human parent who just lost their temper and regretted it later. So once again I'm lost as to how can our G-D, the single perfect existance our minds can barely grasp, get jealous, angry, and even wrathful? K,
You say our G-D desires and demands obediance from us and; you say that in fact He demands our all. Knowing this, you admit you are still not perfect and have daily transgressions, which is pefectly understandable since you are only human. But with that said, my previous statement implies that we will always mess up and it is such a casual occurance that we can expect such a behavior from our fellow neighbors. My point is perhaps the bar was set too high and if this is a known fact why would such behavior anger the All-Knowing G-D, especially since He was going to provide atonement anyways Himself. This resembles a “there is no hero without the villain” scenario. We would not need a Saviour if He was not a jealous G-D who is angered by our slip ups. I wanted to avoid the Saviour in this discussion because my questions concerning Him and His nature are numerous and I just want to clear up my previous question of how can our perfect G-D get angry at us and threaten to severely punish us when He Himself knows we cannot live up to His expectations. His wrath scares us into obedience, it just seems like a characteristic we would see in a bad parent who then later glorifies themselves claiming they are so good because they put food on the table or did something else that they are supposed to do in the first place. We, as His children, cannot be held responsible for not being perfect and so I think His anger cannot be justified, and His anger leading to His wrath is further unjustified. Who would get angry and beat a child who didn’t know any better? not a perfect parent but rather an average human parent who just lost their temper and regretted it later. So once again I’m lost as to how can our G-D, the single perfect existance our minds can barely grasp, get jealous, angry, and even wrathful?

]]> Comment on Is Judaism different from Paganism? by Kevin M. Crowder http://www.avoidingevil.com/2004/02/07/is-judaism-different-from-paganism/comment-page-1/#comment-66290 Kevin M. Crowder Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:34:39 +0000 http://avoidingevil.com/?p=168#comment-66290 Ty, Our God is a jealous God not because He fears possible competition but because He desires and demands obedience from His people. When we do things (or do not do things) which excite His jealousy we envoke His wrath and anger. This is a good thing for it reveals His holy righteousness and power over sin. Who would not want to serve a jealous God? Oprah? I find comfort in a God who desires and demands my ALL. I find comfort in a God who is angered to wrath over sin. I find comfort in a God who provides atonement in the death of His very Son for my sins so that I might even have the possiblility of of not making Him jealous and angry--something I am unable to do of my own accord--for I daily, even with my salvation, offend a righteous and holy God. K Ty,

Our God is a jealous God not because He fears possible competition but because He desires and demands obedience from His people. When we do things (or do not do things) which excite His jealousy we envoke His wrath and anger. This is a good thing for it reveals His holy righteousness and power over sin. Who would not want to serve a jealous God? Oprah? I find comfort in a God who desires and demands my ALL. I find comfort in a God who is angered to wrath over sin. I find comfort in a God who provides atonement in the death of His very Son for my sins so that I might even have the possiblility of of not making Him jealous and angry–something I am unable to do of my own accord–for I daily, even with my salvation, offend a righteous and holy God.

K

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