Overview

I just joined DDlg Forum a week or so ago and so have just now read your post. Although you posted this some time ago, I thought replying may still be "timely," or at least I hope so. First, Jesus himself stated explicitly that if someone looks at another person with lust in their heart they are already guilty of adultery whether or not they've engaged in any physical contact with them. He went on to say that if someone is angry with their brother they are already guilty of murder in their heart. It seems pretty clear to me that He is looking at what's in a persons heart a lot more than whether or not they follow every rule to the T. Second, in your first marriage you would certainly have been guilty of child endangerment if you knew what you did and failed to take the steps you did to protect the children. Applying the point in my first note to this one I think He most likely doesn't have any problem with your decision to divorce him nor with your subsequent decision to marry someone else, even in light of His very explicit statement that divorce is unacceptable. Third, the instances you described in your current marriage certainly sound like the embodiment of His point that He is looking at what's in your heart in determining if He is pleased or not by it. We're all going to have our time to account to Him for everything we do, and clearly that includes everything we've thought as well as our physical and public actions, and none of us is going to come away from that without some negative results. Fortunately, given that He knows exactly what He created us to be, and every aspect of all of our actions and thoughts, what we were capable of at the time with what we understood at the time, He'll certainly be able to make His views of what we did, said and thought fair and reasonable. Finally, I couldn't agree with you more that there is someone out there for you and that His timing is indeed perfect.

Absolutely! Really glad you are able to hold on to your faith during this troubling and scary time. Take rest and take care. I am sure there will be more prayers coming your way from those around you.

@Dakota138 Thank you for your prayers! My sister at the moment is doing well and I've not found out anything about my foot yet. I go in on the 13th of this month to find out for sure what it is. It has changed, but still there. I'm hoping with the change, that's a good thing. Daddy says it might be healing or could be going inward since it's kinda purple around it now. I wish they'd get it figured out soon. I'll be sure to let y'all know what we find out. I keep praying it's nothing serious. I know thru Christ all things are possible,so i gotta keep my faith strong. 😊

Hey, Juju. I just wanted to check on the situation and hope all is well. Prayers for you and your sister.

Praying for you and your family.

Thank you each and everyone of you! From the very bottom of my heart. 💖

Given your family history, This must be very scary. Remember that the Lord is the great physician and that faith in him can provide peace beyond understanding. Of course, we'll be praying.

Sending prayers of course

@Juju made Jehovah Rapha (The Lord Who Heals) place His mighty healing hands on you and heal whatever is not aligned according to His word. Letting His healing follow from His hands unto you and your family. You and your family are in my prayers Juju 💟

🙏I’m so sorry you are going thru some really hard stuff, friend. 💜 praying for you both

Hi, it's been a minute since I've been here. If I may, i would like to request prayer for my sister and myself, please. Around the first part of the Year or early summer? My sister found out she had Melanoma annnnnd Basil cell cancers. Thru the grace of God and many people praying, she's at this moment, cancer free. With having to see the Dr. every Year for about 5 years. After we received the news about her, our oldest sister passed away unexpectedly. She had clots on her lungs, they thought she was in the all clear, was sent home and within a few days, she passed away, we think and hope, in her sleep. I'm still dealing with the grief and emotional struggle with that. Yesterday,i noticed I had a spot on my foot, that just wasn't healing. I've had it for about a month now, but yesterday noticed it didn't look right. So i sent a picture to my sister to we what she thought. (it's where a couple of her skin cancer was, on her foot also), and wouldn't you know it?! She says it looks like cancer, and to get into the Dr's as soon as possible. I'm not able to get in until the 7th of January. So if y'all don't mind to say a lil prayer for us, it would be so very greatly appreciated! From the bottom of my heart. Thank you!💖

I was watching YouTube and this beautiful message came on my page, it made me pause because it's so true. I wanted to share this with all of you.

Just thought I would share something positive I saw on Come Dine With Me (a cooking competition show, UK version, free on Youtube). There was one Christian woman who said a prayer before dinner on her competition night. The next night, another guest said that he wasn't particularly religious, but it was touching, and then he too said a prayer before dinner on his competition night 🤩 This got me thinking, it might be nice to share some positive stories of witnessing or sharing beliefs that we come across! It melts my heart to think on these things!

My Daddy and I are very active Christians in our church and community in fact my husband is the youth pastor at our church. We have been married 15 years, we are deep into this dynamic and both of us have had previous marriages. I left mine at the age 21 with 2 small babies... He was abusive and into child porn (I turned him in and he was in prison and everything).... My husband's ex wife left when he was stationed in Korea for another women, he had no say... God gives 2 reasons for divorce, unequally yoked, and infidelity...I have to believe and refuse to believe otherwise that I have always been a Christian and my ex was not... We were unequally yoked and I tried counseling and therapy to make him stop hurting me, doing drugs, and other things (including cheating) but he refused... Once I found child porn on his computer it was my children's safety and I had to leave...I say all that to say you can get married again! I encourage it... Finding a Godly husband who loves me and accepts all of me is like nothing I've ever experienced before... Submitting to your husband is the biggest blessing I have ever had We started off in a dominant submissive dynamic because it made sense with things that the Bible said and we were already pretty much doing it.... But we actually laid out a contract and everything and when he collared me The vowels we wrote to each other and our ceremony were 10 times more deep and personal than when we got married. My Daddy loves my little self and encourages my too be a little as I need to be with him always... He reads my Bible stories whole I curl up with him, he stays up late with me with I'm feeling insecure to hold me and speak God's affirmation and love over me. He had stopped his work day and left half day to help me when I feel overwhelmed at home. (I homeschool our 2 kids and have our grandson who is 2 often)... God has blessed our marriage so much! There is someone for you out there and God's timing is perfect!

Hiya! This was almost a year ago now at this point. But thanks so much for the sentiment. I am happy to say I am pretty much back to normal-ish. I still have some bad pain days, but honestly I’m grateful to be alive. 🥹

When something like this happens, I find holding my Jerusalem Rosary Beads from jerusalemfaith.com helps me focus my prayers. Just quietly moving from bead to bead makes the prayer feel steady, almost like a shield. I used them during a hard time for someone close to me, and it brought a sense of peace.

Some days hit harder than others. Sometimes just taking a break, lighting up a bong for smoking, and sitting quietly for a bit helps me breathe easier and feel a little lighter. Even small moments like that can make the heaviness a bit more bearable.

Thanks Bean!

I think it is enough obviously I can’t speak for God but I do feel it is enough to love him and you neighbor and if you have a child like heart that I take is I a very good think Jesus said to be like a child I take that to mean pure of heart but who really know everything what with the Bible translations and such there are some differences in how everyone interprets it . But if you love God and fear him that’s most important I feel

Hi my friends, I am really wrestling lately with scripture, church doctrine, and how ddlg/abdl all fit. I know these a huge topics and not easily boiled down to one post, message or even subject matter. It's deeply personal and unique to how each of us views God, Jesus, salvation, church doctrine, and who we are. So I wanna start with some fundamentals of what I believe, so you understand. If you disagree with me on these, I am happy to discuss with you and understand your viewpoint. 1. God is the Father, the Creator of all. He existed before all. 2. God is a Triune God - He exists as 3 separate parts, God the Father, God the Son - Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. (For a visual model, think about ice cubes in a cup of water on a hot day. Ice -frozen God the Father, liquid water - God the Son - Jesus, the condensation on the outside of the cup signifying the evaporation of the water - God the Holy Spirt.) 3. Jesus is the Son of God. - Jesus was both fully human - born from Mary, and fully God - Spirit of God in him. He was here on Earth and did not sin, but died for the the sins of all. 4. Salvation is for all, through grace by the forgiveness of sins. First, recognize your own sinful nature, then admit your need for a Savior, ask for forgiveness, and accept the grave that is freely given. Nothing is too big to be forgiven. 5. I do attend a Christian Missionary Alliance Church. Our church doctrine is simple... read scripture, follow it, teach it to those around you and practice discipleship. Praise Jesus with all you have and show others how much they are loved. So lays my foundation! Obviously the laws and rules within the Bible are meant to be followed, but when Jesus comes in the New Testament, Matthew 22:35-40 "One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." So, obviously (and after decades of study and research) I have come to understand that while, yes I need to follow all the rules of scripture, the purpose behind the rules and laws is most important! And that purpose is so that I can love God with all that I am, heart, soul and mind, and to love my neighbor as God loves me. So far are you following my logic? I hope so, I never did so well in logic in Trig or Calc... What's been deepest on my heart as of late is the role men and women play in scripture. Now freeze for just a minute... I do live in America and I understand we do things backwards, sideways and upside down most of the time. I advocate for so many different people groups, it's not funny, because if my Jesus came back today, I firmly believe he would totally rage against many of our Pharisees running things. I hope you remember the words LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF coz that actually means love your neighbor as if they were living in your home and had your needs, treat them as such! We do not do this here. At least not in my closeknit Christian community of 7000 people and 16 churches.... I see so much abuse, neglect, manipulation, rejection, greed, isolation, pain, and suffering from people here. I can't imagine what happens in larger communities. So my heart says, why can't I be happy? I just wanna be little and safe and find a Daddy to love me and care for me. Hopefully he likes kids and can look past my life history... but then a sermon arises that says something about divorce and not marrying again.... and I know I'm accepted because my divorce was to protect my children, but it says not to marry again, so am I to remain alone? I understand why. It is to love my children and to help them grow into healthy adults without putting my needs above theirs. I don't take turns with my kids or deserve happiness now. I choose to be happy and wait patiently until the time is right so my children know the love of God, too. Only it's so difficult to be alone in a couples only community where people pair up as soon as they split up. Again, my choice is my own and I find contentment with my online friends. Then another sermon hits, about wives submitting to their husband and this is one of the deepest longings of my heart. To truly have a husband who sees me and guides me in our relationship, but also in church. Who I can bring honor to by my service in the community, but my husband locked me up and didn't want me to be seen, or to work, or leave the house. I was an embarrassment to him. So was it me? It has been 9 years, and no one really stuck, so maybe I am the problem. But stop! No! 2 Corinthians 5:17 "I am a new creation. The old has gone the new has come." Another sermon... Ephesians 4: 14 - 15 "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ." So no more baby? Gotta be big girl? Especially as a single girl... ummm woman? 💔 The picture posted was a grown-up ABDL little boy with a Mommy giving him a bottle in a cradle and everyone was disgusted (their word, not mine)... I'm very glad I was at home today... I know who I am and I don't believe anything is wrong with me. But does who I am separate me from my Savior? My Jesus? I've always believed that my child-like faith and innocence, which comes from my little self, is a huge asset to my faith because it allows me to love others unconditionally, forgive easily, and accept people as they are (unless they really are evil). I believe in, hope for, and love people even when they can't do it for themselves because the greatest commandments are to love God with everything, the love everyone else. But if I can't be me? Who am I? My faith is mature. Is that enough?

Hello and Welcome!!!!! I am teaching VBS this week at my church!! I've got the preschool and younger kiddos in my classroom, so we diversify and have fun, but I helped plan all the way through age 12! I'm more than happy to share the activities and lessons daily, if anyone would like them! We are only doing days 2 - 4, with community and family service projects on day 5, but I have access to all 5 days! This includes: - Bible verse - large group lesson - small group lesson - crafts and worksheets - games - music and dancing - opening/closing - snack suggestions If anyone has ideas for decorations, please share and if you would like to do this a different week, please let me know! This is something that truly brings me joy and renews my spirit, so if this is something you need or just want to participate in, please reach out! I have taught Sunday School to nursery age - 5 year olds for many years and spent several years teaching older children in more structured Wednesday evening Bible classes, children's church programs, and praise and worship times. Also, I co-led young adult ministries locally for several years, both Bible Study and social activities. If these are things your heart is searching for, please know you are not alone. Child-like faith is Biblical. Everyone else is weird. 🤭 Let's see if we can support each other here, too! Poppy

I'm teaching the preschoolers at VBS in a week and I gotta plan it! Well... I have most of it planned, but I gotta read the lessons and get the copies made! I'm more excited about this than anything else I've taught all summer! Does anyone wanna see the crafts I'm doing?

As a pretty serious Christian, most of the time, I really wrestle with my choices and beliefs. I wonder if others do, too. One of my biggest struggles currently is how my adult choices led me to being a single mom twice, once from sexual assault and once from domestic violence resulting in divorce, and seeking primarily sexual relationships when my truest desire is for a long-term, safe, commited relationship focused on mutual love for God and each other. Sundays are wonderful! I have an opportunity to worship with other believers in church. We sing praises hear a scripture based message and have time for community building. However, I also see others who are couples, families, single young adults, or widows. Not middle aged single moms struggling to juggle too many commitments plus raising kids! I am alone at church. Not that anyone tries to exclude me, but it's how I am accepted differently, that excludes me. I join for the family activities, but don't have a husband to represent me on the elder/deacon board, so we get forgotten sometimes. I am encouraged to serve in women and children's ministries, but if I do, I miss the announcements about things happening at church coz there's no one there to hear them for me... my conversations are cut short coz I need to parent, while my friends have a spouse to do that for them. We do not get invited for meals coz who would the husband talk to... I don't fit with the singles either anymore coz I could be their parent, now too and I should be mentoring them, not hanging out with them. Or the widows coz I still have a child at home. There's a few single men in my age group and a single dad, but if I talk to them at all... I'm a temptress... best to just keep my distance... I leave church feeling empty and lonely instead of uplifted and whole like I used to. It drives me to more unhealthy coping behaviors, which in turn, drives my shame and guilty higher and separates me from my loving God, and the forgiveness I know to be true in Jesus. I stay up late on Sundays trying to reconcile this pain within myself. Who am I to be so lost, so broken, so deeply wounded, so full of hurt? The lack of sleep sets me up for failure for the week, making me grumpy and grouchy and a poor example of the beautiful love bestowed upon me from my Savior. Why can there not be a simple solution? Why can I not just forgive myself? Why do I hang on to this shame, this false guilt, this burden of past sins that are already forgiven? Who am I in this crazy messed up world? The truth? Truth is found in scripture: I am a daughter of the Most High King, Adopted with Christ. My sins are washed away, I am made pure in the eyes of God Almighty! My thoughts, feelings and actions are not true, they represent the lies I believe about myself, not the truth from God. Focus on The Word of Truth and I will be set free! It is so difficult to believe I am free. So hard to accept that I am worthy. I am loved. I am beautiful. I am free of my sins. I am forgiven. Just needed to rant... I apologize if it's too much. Poppy

I'm really sorry you're struggling with this! 💔 It's so tough when family gets distant, but I have really learned that family is about the people you love and who love you, so it can look really different all the time. If you need a friend who's like family, I'm here for you!

Thanks Pops That was a really thoughtful response. I appreciate it Em