Hello and welcome

[shadowrider]

Just a little post to say hello and welcome to everyone. Also thank you for joining.

The club leader seems to be away at the moment so I decided to pop in.

If you would like to say hi and maybe tell us a bit about yourself or your journey or even what you would like to see in the club you may do so here.

 

[Bamavet]

Hello.  I guess I will start.  I was raised in a very strict Christian home.  My father is a minister.  Although I have come to my own understanding, I still respect that he tried to raise me in the way he deemed necessary.   It has affected me in negative ways but positive also.  As I have always kept a strong love for Christ.  Hope everyone is well.

[Guest Yomes]

Hi everyone!

I'm super excited to meet and be able to share with people in this club! I grew up in a Christian house, I wouldn't say my parents are super strict but they also never waiver in their beliefs and values which they instilled in me. Though I have had ups and downs in my walk with God at the end of the day what always mattered is that I went back to him and he always waited for me.

I would love to get to know some of you more and maybe we can have some activities if people are interested like colouring/activity sheets, bible study/devotion or maybe just a place to share what we have been learning presently whether it's through our struggles or a time of joy. Recently I've been learning about persecution and suffering for our faith, not in the sense that I'm going through it but how it talks about it in the bible like in 2 Timothy: 2. 

I would love to chat more if anyone is interested, also feel free and DM and follow me if you would like.

[beanbean]

I as well was raised in a pretty strict house . I totally believe in God but as we are all sinners I struggle lots like I imagine we all do . But I am excited for this I think and hope many good conversations come out of it!

[Bamavet]

13 minutes ago, beanbean said:

I as well was raised in a pretty strict house . I totally believe in God but as we are all sinners I struggle lots like I imagine we all do . But I am excited for this I think and hope many good conversations come out of it!

Bean, this is one of the biggest flaws my father failed to teach me.  He always expected excellence...like there was no failing.  Or not living up to what God would want you to do.  When I was older I read of stories like David who had a man killed in order to lay with his wife and realized WE ARE HUMAN...everyone is imperfect.  I am my biggest critic tho and it comes from my father.

[Guest Yomes]

I totally agree that we all sin. I once learned in a bible study by Louie Giglio that we should have the mind set that we are saints who some times sun. For me this mind set has been a big game changer. 
 

i also hope that there are many great discussion in this club!

9 hours ago, beanbean said:

I as well was raised in a pretty strict house . I totally believe in God but as we are all sinners I struggle lots like I imagine we all do . But I am excited for this I think and hope many good conversations come out of it!

 

 

[Bamavet]

Good Sunday to all.  I am curious how many attend church or just worship from home? I stopped going to a building when I was told I was no longer welcomed there.

[Guest Yomes]

23 hours ago, Bamavet said:

Good Sunday to all.  I am curious how many attend church or just worship from home? I stopped going to a building when I was told I was no longer welcomed there.

I currently go to a church. I have been going there for about 10 years and do a lot of volunteer work there. To me, it is super important to go to church and be a part of the church body for multiple reasons. I hope this experience doesn't stop you from trying to go to different churches.

I'm sad to hear they told you, you are not welcome. I have never seen that happen in the church I go to other than to one person who would come after service and yell and swear at people saying that God isn't real and that we were stupid. The church gave him multiple attempts and tried to make peace but he wouldn't listen or even try to have a conversation with anyone (He started coming in after the church tried to help him with bills, finding a place to live and getting groceries which he called and requested help doing) and was told not to come back.

Thanks so much for sharing and I hope to chat more!

[Bamavet]

It was because I wasnt living how they thought I should live.  Disabled veteran so hard for me to live alone.  And so since I wasnt married...living in sin according to them.

[Guest Yomes]

I'm sorry to hear that they kicked you out over that, I'm sure it was difficult.  Honesty, depending on the details of the situation I might agree with them just based on what the bible says. I always avoid emotions leading my understanding and my interpretation of the bible.

If the relationship is sexual with this woman (or even the temptation of a sexual relationship) then I would agree in the church due to passages in the bible including, but not limited to 1 Corinthians 7: 1-6 and Hebrew 14:4. But, if it a strictly professional relationship I don't see a concern.

Also, I think there are multiple things the church needs to do before kicking someone out which I am unsure if they did. In the bible, it talks about this multiple times. It talks about first person who notices the sin should confront the person. If nothing changes then 2-3 who noticed/witnessed the sin should confront the person. Then I there is still no change they should be confronted in front of the church. At this point, if there is still no change the bible says they should be treated as an outsider. You can see this in 1 Corinthians 5: 9-13 and Matthew 8:15-17 (there are more texts about this). 

So, even though it is upsetting to hear about this and I don't know the circumstances of what happened I think it may be difficult and they may have gone about the situation wrongly but it's important to understand their viewpoint also. 

I hope you can find another church that suits you and can help and build you up just as all churches should do to their church family.

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by Yomes

[Guest InTheNight]

Hello all, 

Saw there was a Christian group on here and I immediately joined lol.

I'm a PK that's very involved in my faith. Hoping to make a bunch of new friends. Thanks for having me!

[beanbean]

30 minutes ago, InTheNight said:

Hello all, 

Saw there was a Christian group on here and I immediately joined lol.

I'm a PK that's very involved in my faith. Hoping to make a bunch of new friends. Thanks for having me!

Glad to have you here.our Christian groups just started and is still growing so hopefully it gets more active 

[BigDaddys_HunnyBunny]

Hello Everyone. I helped set up this club then got super busy. I am loving the conversation I am seeing so far.
Here is a little about myself.

• I was also raised Christian.
• I am married.
• I try to hold on to a childlike attitude of wonder at the world around me. Especially about nature. One of my favorite things is exploring in the woods especially in the spring. Finding plants popping up under fallen leaves makes me feel renewed myself. (BTW I really struggle through the last half of Winter)
• I enjoy doing all kinds of creative activities. I like coloring, Crocheting, wood turning and making various projects with my Cricut
• I have ADHD
• Little space for me is nonsexual. 

I will probably add to this later as I think of other things.

 

Edited January 30, 2024 by BigDaddys_HunnyBunny

[Baby Girl Miss Amanda]

Hi everyone! I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself. 

- I was born and raised a Christian (Catholic) but attended weekly youth groups at a Christian Missionary Alliance Church, also. In college I left the church for about a year, then returned to the practice of attending and participating because it was familiar.  At age 22 I attended a retreat that changed my life and I began to walk closely in relationship with my Savior, Jesus. Daily prayer, scripture reading, biweekly worship services, Bible Studies,  prayer groups, teaching kids at church, women's and young adult retreats (kinda a nerdy Christian type).

- a year later my past caught up with me and became pregnant with my first child- her dad left - I was a single Mom - God forgives ALL sins and sexual sin is no greater or lesser than gossip or lying - I confessed and was forgiven

- 7 years go by - I finish my 4 year degree in elementary education and early childhood,  become extremely active in my church community again  and work hard to support my daughter, all by myself (as Christians we need to be interdependent,  not independent another sin) I started to struggle with loneliness and isolation.  My church family made comments about my daughter needing a dad, so I started a search and found someone, unstable. 

- I found myself pregnant and not married again, but this time with a mentally unstable partner. I stayed 4years (including the pregnancy, but we did marry briefly) until I found strength in the Old Testament where it talks about spouse and parent responsibilities.  That it is ok to divorce to protectthe children and yourself. So we can go to church, and I can raise my daughters to love  God above all else. 

- Trusting Christians again has been the hardest thing in my life. "The church" or other people who call themselves Christians have done and said some pretty awful things to me, but I need to remember that no sin is greater or lesser. All sin hung Jesus on that cross. He chose to take a place on the cross and be crucified because we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Roman's 3:23). If I judge others for their sin, but expect them to forgive my sins, I am a hypocrite. Therefore, I am working on constant forgiveness.  People fail, not on purpose, but because it happens. My choice, my reaction is what matters. Do I forgive, love and move forward? Or do I stay stuck in the past with my anger, jealousy and hurt feelings?

Just a bit about me, who I am as a Christian.  I believe in Jesus and its about love and acceptance and the least of these. 

 

❤️ Amanda

[Baby Girl Miss Amanda]

1 hour ago, Mkreua said:

current christian book i am reading is screw tape letters

Hi Mkreua!

A long time ago, in a place far, far away, I too read the Screw Tape Letters!!! What do you think? How is CS Lewis? Nowadays I stick to Narnia,  but I do miss his other works!

Amanda

[Guest Mkreua]

1 hour ago, Baby Girl Miss Amanda said:

Hi Mkreua!

A long time ago, in a place far, far away, I too read the Screw Tape Letters!!! What do you think? How is CS Lewis? Nowadays I stick to Narnia,  but I do miss his other works!

Amanda

Hi Amanda! I love C.S. Lewis i think this book particularly is very funny! Ive already read it once but ive decided to read again because i feel i didnt truly grasp it the first time! i actually really want to read narnia ive watched the movies multiple times!

[Baby Girl Miss Amanda]

34 minutes ago, Mkreua said:

actually really want to read narnia ive watched the movies multiple times!

I just started reading Narnia again! I love the books! They paint a rich world of who Jesus is and what he really does for us through the character of Aslan. 

[Juju]

Hello!

My journey in my Christian faith has been a Looong one. But, one thing still holds true and never changing, is the saving grace I receive thru Christ, my Lord and Savior. 

I don't adhere to any particular denomination, I guess if I did, I would be called a Catholic. But, I've learned a long time ago that, people won't get you to heaven. But God will. People are human, just like oneself and make mistakes, but God doesn't. People don't know how to love and accept other differences in their fellow man, But God does. So my lesson learned is that my spiritual walk, whatever, however that maybe, is between God and myself. 

And anything else you wanna know, just ask😊 I'm very happy to be here!

[lillizzie24]

Hello Ive been a Christian since my early teens. I no longer go to church because the last church I went to really hurt me. My faith is something that has gotten me through a lot. Ed in my teens and early adulthood. Eventhough I dont go to church Im trying to find ways to get a daily devotion started and love listening to praise and worship music 

[Baby Girl Miss Amanda]

Welcome @Juju and @lillizzie24 Thanks for sharing a bit about your journeys! Faith is very personal and unique to each of us. Please reach out if you wanna chat and be friends!

[Aikko]

Hello everyone! 
 

Interestingly enough, unlike the intros from most of you above, I was not raised in a household with any kind of religion. It’s a long winded tale(I’ll try to give cliff notes) but perhaps it can be of some value to anyone reading it, and at the very least give you all a bit of insight into me, as you’ve shared some of yourselves above. 💜thanks for taking time to read and for sharing yourselves, as well. 💜

*possible TW emotional, drinking, childhood trauma*
 

 

so, like I said, no religion household. My earliest memory of my mom, and quite honestly possibly my earliest memory ever, is of me carrying a giant can of tomato juice to her. A large, 46oz can of tomato juice. The tile in the bathroom is green, and It flows into the stall shower and even up the walls-the entire room is tiled and green. That classic, it can only be the 90’s, mint green. And my mom is on the floor of the shower, her hair in a halo around the shower drain, and she lays there moaning in misery. To this day, I don’t remember opening the can of tomato juice…I mean, clearly, I must have because there’s two holes jabbed in it and a straw in one of them, and if there had been anyone else home to help me open the can of tomato juice, why didn’t they help me bring it to her? I don’t remember that, it’s not part of the memory, but what is, is “what took you so long, I’m hungover”. 
 

flash forward a few years, we’re in a new motel, in a very poor neighborhood, and I spilled my Corn Pops under the bed. I remember poking my finger and it being a REAL BIG DEAL- ems came, went to the hospital and everything. I thought it was kinda neat as a kid to have the adults being so nice to me. As a 31 year old, I know now it was because under the bed was a needle from the previous room occupants and that is what I had stabbed my self on.

 

I’ll spare you the rest of the details of my experience being raised in a household with no spiritual or moral compass of any kind, but it culminates in 15 year and 3 day old *Aikko* walking out of the courthouse a legally emancipated minor…now very much in charge of her own destiny and zero idea how to go about doing any of it. (We won’t begin to discuss the failings of the American foster care system)

Fast forward again 6 years and my great grandmother whom I had not spoken to since this all transpired fell ill. I found out because my mother had reached out and let me know. That was it. No emotional manipulation, no requests, just info. I said ok, I’ll bite and I saw them again for the first time. My mother still did not say anything at this point. No, I’m sorry, how are you, anything. Over the span of 6 months, my great grandma began to get worse and worse and would often speak of Jesus and how she was so looking forward to meeting him. She would speak of gold filigree scripture on the walls and I wrote it off as the ramblings of a dying woman. Harsh I know, but that’s the mind of the spiritually bankrupt individual i was at the time. She died peacefully in her sleep about 3 days later.
 

Throughout all of this, my mother was different. Something in her was changed and at first I thought it was just sobriety. I mean clearly that was part of it, but she began to explain about Jesus and how they found a great church and she has repented and God had forgiven her. She asked then for my forgiveness. I scoffed  but I was also attempting to turn a new Leaf so I agreed to check out this church with her. (At the time, I had a hot pink spiked Mohawk, I have tattoos and piercings.) The greeter at their church that day was a middle aged woman with more  tattoos and less hair than me. 
 

again, bit of a time jump here, but to spare the even longer tale, I came to salvation one night after hearing the final sermon in a series on Joseph. I’ve been a Christian since and now I belong to an Amazing church family, serve as a deaconess, am a youth group and Sunday school leader and coordinate a women’s secret sister program. (I know all that sounds like a neat little bow on a messy story, but I promise it is not lol there is so much more nuance to it, but I’m trying to communicate that I would not be here today, still somehow standing, we’re it not for Christ in my life…so on one hand, I have the absolute worst memory of my life from my mother…but on the other…the best because it’s an eternal one.) I’m so glad I found this community here to help bridge the gap between two sides of me. Thanks for allowing me to share with you all. 💜

 

Edited May 1, 2024 by Aikko
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