Christian Chat

Hi @heartathome , @DownMoreThanUp , @Appleblossom , @ENKELI , @tyme , @REDLINEZ750 , @MissGremlin , @Shaz51 ,

James 2 (and then James 3 to 5 - sorry it's long)

- Do not treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance e.g. giving the rich a good seat and the poor a bad seat.

- God chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom He promised to those that love Him.

- You shall love your neighbour as yourself - this love does not show favouritism.

- Speak and do in such a way as if you are about to be judged by the law of liberty.

- Show mercy. Mercy rejoices over judgement.

- Faith must be accompanied with works.

- You believe God is one. But even the demons believe and tremble.

- Like Abraham, faith is made complete by works.

- For just as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead also.

James 3

- Not many should become teachers - stricter judgement.

- For we all often stumble.

- If you can control what you say, you can control your whole body.

- The tongue is a little member but controls the body like a bit in the mouth of a horse or the rudder controls the direction of a ship.

- No one among people is able to tame the tongue.

- Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing - these things ought not to be so.

- Who is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.

- Bitter envy and selfish ambition do not come from above - they lead to disorder and all sorts of evil practice.

- Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, yielding, full of mercy and good fruits, not partial, without pretence.

- Sown in peace for those that make peace.

James 4

- Where do wars and fights come from? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members?

- You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

- Friendship with the world is hostility toward God.

- A friend of the world shows themself to be an enemy of God.

- The spirit He made to dwell in us envies intensely.

- God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

- Therefore submit to God.

- Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

- Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

- Cleanse your hands, purify your hearts, you double-minded.

- Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

- Don't criticise one another - who are you to judge your neighbour?

- You do not know what tomorrow will bring - you should say, "If the Lord wills we will live and do this or that."

- It is sin to know the good and yet not do it.

James 5

- Come now you rich people - weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you.

- Be patient until the Lord's coming. Like a farmer waiting for their crop.

- Do not complain about one another, so you will not be judged.

- Look to the prophets who spoke in the Lord's name as examples of suffering and patience.

- Do not swear by either heaven or earth - let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no.

- Suffering? Pray.

- Cheerful? Sing praises.

- Sick? Call the elders and they are to pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.

- The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise them up, if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven.

- Confess your sins to one another, so that you may be healed.

- The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

- As an example, Elijah's prayer for it not to rain, and then for rain.

- Bring back the one who goes astray - it shall cover a multitude of sins.

God blesses the poor. Wisdom is gentle. Mercy rejoices over judgement. If we can control our tongue we will be able to control our whole body. The prayer of faith for those that are sick.

Hi @heartathome ,

Yes, the books have been a nice length. I do have one more book by the same author. A new series, or what will one day be a new series. They're not Christian but because the main characters are mostly in their seventies in the Thursday Murder Club series they are quite mild. Very little swearing for instance.

I have a bedroom full of books. The question is which series will I read next? I'm not sure yet.

But before I get into another series of books I should spend some time on the theology course. Six months can pass quickly - I need to look up how much time I have left.

When I read the first book in the Thursday Murder Club series I had an interesting experience. The series is set in a retirement village with a hospice. Because the people are old there is always someone passing or getting dementia or becoming totally incapacitated. It was a bit much at first. Uncomfortable reading. But because there were so many mentions of death or approaching death I got more comfortable with the ageing process, retirement villages and even one day not being able to do very much at all.

I smiled at it pouring rain two minutes after you arrived home. For years God was kind enough to not let it rain on me. Like you, it would start raining just after I was undercover. But I do remember one day stepping into a huge puddle of water just before I was undercover. My own protection was not as good as God's!

Hoping you are having a lovely day.

Hi @ENKELI ,

It's been a while since I have seen your name on here. Just want you to know that I miss you and hope things are going okay.

Hi @DownMoreThanUp ,

It's been a while since I wrote. I have been reading your posts. Catching the nuances of many seasons in a day as you humbly and honestly work through your marriage and what to do and how to do it. To be so close to another person, even when things are challenging, is amazing! May God bless and keep you both as you work things out.

Hi @Appleblossom ,

Just wanted to send you a message to say I think about you and enjoy your posts.

Today I am just coming out of days of reading about the same characters solving murders. My days have had a nice busyness. I think you would understand reading and being submerged into a different world and then coming out of it.

Since not working my dreams have loops to them. This morning I was dreaming about busily working at Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable somewhere I use to work many years ago and the task would loop to the same thing again and again. This looping happens a lot in my dreams. I am learning to enjoy it more and not be annoyed by the looping.

I hope you are having an okay, dare I hope good, day.

@Realness Thank you for following my journey. i hope that our faith in Jesus will be vindicated. Both of us love Him and both of us love each other. No reason to stop doing that.

@heartathome @Appleblossom @REDLINEZ750 @tyme

Trauma counselling, anger management/containment and the filtering of hot emotional contents is where i'm at at the moment. Also giving myself Jesus' love where i feel rejected, unwanted, hated and unloved. Jesus and me have been hugging a lot lately.

The trauma memories of my childhood still have me very nauseated at times, but i have been progressing exploring the outer edges of that and hope to dig deeper in weeks to come. A lot of crap there, unbelievably much worse than i had anticipated.

i have spend hours telling my dad, others, as well as myself, to stop calling me these nasty names/labels and re-enforce respect for me as a person. This has been a very enjoyable and liberating activity.

And is really helping me trying to learn to take the power of those crappy voices (in my eyes) away by refusing to carry their labels and internalising their hateful lies. This has been an amazing eye opener to me. Where instead of raging at the voices or just hurting them passively, i refuse their labels and hate and simply tell me so. Them raging back my calm rejection gives me a sense of control instead of being their victim.

So yes i have moved a long way from where i was depending stuck hanging onto my wife's love and good. And am finding the courage to love myself to death not loving me in Jesus every day a little more.

For the hurt being alone is also going away more and more. i begin to have times i like it better without my wife for it reduces a lot of tension when i struggle not having to take her into account.

i hope that the end will be that both of can stand on our own two feet and the love we have for each other work the Rest between us.

@ENKELI dear sister i been missing seeing you around. i hope you doing okay?

Passing Away,

Yes to die to our old life will mean
our numbered existence is gone!
The old order has now passed away
The New order of things will Come!
For Jesus brings the old into a new beginning,
dressed us The Word Genesis to Revelation.(1 Peter 1:22-25)

1....New Beginning! (Gen 1, Rev 2:7, (see also Rev 21))
2....New Crown(Gen 2, Rev 2:10)
3....New Food (Rev 2:17, (see also Rev 21-22))
4....New White Stone! (2:17)
5....New Name! (Rev 2:17)
6....New Light! (Rev 2:28, (see also Rev 21-22))
7....New White clothes! (Rev 3:4, (see also Rev 19))
8....New Pillar in God's House! (Rev 3:12)
9....New Jerusalem! (Rev:3:12, (see also Rev 21))
10...New Reign! (Rev 3:21, (see also Rev 20-22))
11...New O(o)neness with ALL in ALL! (Gen 1 & 2, Rev 1-7, Rev 20-21)
12...New Song (Rev 5:9)

Our everlasting glory unfolding with and in,
The Alpha and Omega of us ALL!

@Realness @heartathome @Appleblossom @REDLINEZ750 @tyme @ENKELI @Shaz51

i found this video to be enlightening and helpful to understand when it comes to depression and anxiety. i know Gabor is no Christian but i do really like his common sense approach, his focus on true self, and his focus on the developmental part of trauma/depression and healing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgaYwUbaQWs&list=PLl5hR1LlUoC5QrlyFRaoEqpkF2jKfZB-k&index=6

Hi @heartathome , @DownMoreThanUp , @Appleblossom , @ENKELI , @tyme , @MissGremlin , @Shaz51 , @REDLINEZ750 ,

I Thessalonians 1 (plus I Thessalonians 2 to 5 - sorry I spent the day in I Thessalonians)

- From Paul, Silas and Timothy to the church at Thessalonica.

- Grace and peace in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

- We give thanks for you, mentioning you in our prayers.

- We never stop remembering your work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope.

- Knowing God has chosen you.

- For our Gospel did not come in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit.

- You imitated us, and the Lord Himself, when you welcomed, with joy through the Holy Spirit, the Word despite the persecution that came with it.

- So much so you are examples to those who believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

- They themselves report how you turned from idols to serve the living and true God and wait for His Son from Heaven, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

I Thessalonians 2

- You know how we came to you after being treated shamefully in Philippi.

- Still we were bold to speak the Gospel.

- We speak to please God who tests our hearts.

- We supported ourselves working night and day.

- You are witnesses how holy, righteous, and blameless we were among you.

- Like a father with his children urging you to walk worthy of God who calls you to His own kingdom and glory.

- We give thanks without ceasing that you received the word of God.

- You did the same as God's churches in Judea - mistreated like they are mistreated.

- We tried to come to you but were blocked by Satan.

I Thessalonians 3

- So we sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage your faith because we feared the tempter might have tempted you.

- Timothy has returned with good news of your faith and love.

- For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

- How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy your faith has given us.

- Night and day we pray earnestly to see you face to face to complete what is lacking in your faith.

- May the Lord direct our way to you.

- May the Lord increase and overflow your love for one another.

- May He make your hearts blameless in holiness.

I Thessalonians 4

- Increasingly live in order to please God.

- You know the commandment you were given - purity. Keep far from sexual immorality.

- Brotherly love - God has taught you how to love one another - but continue to grow in it.

- Mind your own business.

- Work with your own hands.

- We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in Him.

- The Lord Himself shall come down from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first then those still alive will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

- Therefore encourage one another with these words.

I Thessalonians 5

- We don't know when this will happen - the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

- Be alert and sober.

- Since we belong to the day let us be self-controlled and put on the armour of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation.

- God has appointed us for salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

- Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.

- Be thoughtful of your leaders who work hard and tell you how to live for the Lord - hold them in highest regard because of their work.

- Live in peace with each other.

- Warn those who are idle.

- Encourage the timid. Help the weak.

- Be patient with everyone.

- Make sure that nobody pays back wrong with wrong.

- Always be kind to each other and everyone else.

- Be joyful and pray continually.

- Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's Will for you in Christ Jesus.

- Do not quench the Holy Spirit.

- Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.

- Avoid every kind of evil.

- May the God of peace sanctify you completely.

- And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

- He who calls you is faithful; He will do it.

- The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Sorry, it's a bit long but feel Paul's oneness and longing for the Thessalonian church. If they are doing well he is doing well. Paul's constant admonition to stay faithful in and to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul's joy whenever people are doing this.

But don't miss the desciption of Jesus coming back to collect us all:

The Lord Himself shall come down from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first then those still alive will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. ... Come, Lord Jesus. Come!

@heartathome @DownMoreThanUp @Realness @REDLINEZ750 @tyme

I have needed the insights from Cristian practice, ritual, music and prayer and theology as well as psychology and therapies to survive. So I have looked a lot at those authors of the videos you post @DownMoreThanUp by Mate and Levine, and the whole field... I dont mean to spread myself thin and too broadly. It has been essential.

Hugs @ENKELI thinking of you too.

@Appleblossom Thank you for much for sharing that. Such is an incredible encouragement. i know they understand the issues i face and they have an incredible insight into my issues. Everything is making heap more sense to me know. Especially the body stores the trauma stuff and how to defuse things looping in my head. although i'm not there by a long shot i can see a lot of improvements already.

@Realness @heartathome @REDLINEZ750 @tyme

i have been badly triggered by my wife a few times in a row just chatting. So in desperation stopped communications apart of 'progress reports' to save her and myself even more hassle. i cannot expect any support from her triggered, and paradoxically can expect her to trigger me the easiest of all and. We are searching for people i can call when in crisis, for today it almost ended in disaster, rock bottom depressed by triggered witless by my wife, while nothing seems to work to get out of my negative looping head bend on an end to it all.

My son is looking for some more meds to keep me out of this state for the time being. By Friday he reckons. i still have some reserve meds for emergencies, Friday should be no problem. Which means i can use my emergency supply till then.
Once i have learned to overcome the welling emotions triggered. For i know i have been making progress. Only today my son commented that even though it was horrible how it had to go, i had moved a lot from where i was stuck, andso he also still dared hope we get back together down the line.

However no more communication with my wife is going to be really hard. They things we have to do for love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vo_t4pgDqA

i hate being so down and powerless. And i keep on getting triggered by my dreams. i have not had dreams for years but suddenly i dream all the time.☹️

hoping you have had a blessed day.