Christian Chat

@heartathome @Appleblossom @ENKELI @Realness

It is my 66st birthday today. Going out with my wife and others for lunch today. Coming to pick me up 30 minutes or so. Looking forward to it.

i have had hardly any sleep being struggling with nausea most of the night. Had to do some serious medicating to get me stable for Lunch.

i pray it holds.

Happy birthday! @DownMoreThanUp I'm glad you're going out and meeting up with your wife and others for lunch today. Enjoy! 💚

@thanks we had a wonderful time some joined i hadn't expected so that was good. A lot of messages today unlike normal, means i'm not totally forgotten yet.

A lot of nausea also while having lunch which was a bit of damper for me. It was great to catch up with those i did. They are dear people to me. i thought it was interesting that the oldest grand kids would come and still speak out of relationship unlike the younger ones.

My wife just left. A lot of good times today, she sure made it a good one, but also some tense for i had to say what i had to say. Which was not received well, but amounts to so much of my hurt. We lost connection there. So very glad we have couple counselling soon about all this. For she keeps blaming me for other peoples bad decisions even her own. This is going to have to stop.

📖 2 Timothy 1:7

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

What it means (context)

This letter is written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a younger leader who was feeling pressure, uncertainty, and fear about his responsibilities and circumstances.

Paul is reassuring him that what is rising in him emotionally — fear, hesitation, overwhelm — is not the foundation of what he has been given.

Instead, he points to three inner qualities that define a steadier way of being.

Key Greek meanings

1. “Spirit of fear”

Greek: δειλίας (deilias)

Meaning:

timidity

cowardice

shrinking back under pressure

anxiety that causes withdrawal or hesitation

This is not “healthy caution,” but fear that reduces a person’s sense of strength and clarity.

2. “Power”

Greek: δύναμις (dynamis)

Meaning:

strength

ability

inner capability

active power or force

capacity to endure and act

This is where we get the word dynamite — not explosive emotionally, but inherent strength and capacity.

3. “Love”

Greek: ἀγάπη (agapē)

Meaning:

steady, intentional love

care that is not dependent on emotion or circumstance

commitment to the good of another

self-giving concern

It’s not reactive love — it’s grounded, consistent care.

4. “Sound mind”

Greek: σωφρονισμός (sōphronismos)

Meaning:

self-control

disciplined thinking

emotional balance

clear judgment

a “well-ordered mind”

@Realness @tyme @ENKELI @Appleblossom @DownMoreThanUp

Happy Birthday @DownMoreThanUp !

Sorry I missed it yesterday.

Hope your lunch was nice. Hope you felt special.

You've had a big year with the conquering of the alters and then the unfortunate split. I hope the coming year brings about more healing and reconciliation with your wife.

Warm Wishes to you.

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

II Corinthians 4 (with II Corinthians 5 and 6 following)

- We do not give up on this ministry.

- We renounce secret and shameful things, not distorting the word of God, commending ourselves before God to everyone's conscience by an open display of the truth.

- For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

- To give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

- We have this treasure in clay jars - this extraordinary power is from God, not us.

- We are constantly afflicted but not crushed - we always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body.

- We believe and therefore speak.

- For we know that the One Who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you.

- We do not give up. Our inner person is being renewed day by day.

- Our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.

- So we focus on what is unseen and eternal.

II Corinthians 5

- We know if our earthly tent is destroyed we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in heaven.

- We groan in this tent, desiring the heavenly dwelling.

- Now the One Who prepared us for this very purpose is God, Who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

- When we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

- For we walk by faith, not sight.

- Our aim is to please Him - for we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ.

- Therefore since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people.

- And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the One Who died for them and was raised.

- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

- We are ambassadors for Christ, since Christ is making his appeal through us.

II Corinthians 6

- Don't receive the grace of God in vain.

- Now is the time of salvation.

- Paul talks about what it is like to be an apostle for Christ - much suffering, much purity, many spiritual weapons. Paul closes this section by imploring the Corinthians to open their heart to them.

- Don't become partners with those who do not believe.

- Come out fro them and be separate.

- And I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

We groan in this [earthly body], desiring the heavenly dwelling. When we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

Hi @Appleblossom ,

Sorry for the slow response. I have been busy with cleaning for a family visit, the family visit, reading and jigsaw puzzles. My sister and I tried to get a jigsaw puzzled finished in one day - unsuccessful but I finished it a couple of days later. Now I'm working on a jigsaw puzzle that is all black - interesting shaped pieces and a map with the solution but still will be challenging.

Thanks for your interest in the theology course. I'm not sure how much detail I am allowed to give in terms of the college but it is the college of one of the main denominations.

The entire course is probably the equivalent of a uni degree - three years of subjects covering most of the Bible. Not all books in detail I think. There are seven Level 1 subjects, four Level 2 subjects and three Level 3 subjects with seven elective subjects to choose from to accompany Levels 2 and 3.

I have already completed the first Level 1 subject which gave an overview of the entire Bible.

This is my second subject and is the first Old Testament summary subject. It covers the first five books of the Old Testament: creation, rebellion, patriarchs, Exodus, redemption, Sinai, sacrificial system, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The assessment is a multiple choice test at the end. The questions, I think, are drawn from the questions at the end of each of the ten chapters that make up the course.

I've read the Bible, including the Old Testament, many times (lost count) so I'm not learning that much new but the course gives the books a bit more structure and includes key Hebrew words and their Greek equivalent.

It did answer one of my questions in which I had never read the text properly before. You know when Moses strikes the rock to give the Israelites water. The reason God forbids him to enter the promised land. A few verses earlier God told Moses to talk to the rock (not strike it). I hadn't picked that up. I thought it was because Moses was flippant in the way he spoke to the Israelites. Still a harsh punishment.

Let me know if you have any particular questions and I'll have a closer look at my notes. So far I have 168 pages of notes (including the formal notes, written out Bible verses and notes from the questions). The multiple choice questions are not that easy because the correct answers can include one to all of the options. Some of the wording is ambiguous so I write out the question and answer in case it comes up in the final test.

Hope all going well for you and your son.

@Realness @heartathome @Appleblossom @ENKELI @AuntGlow @Shaz51 @tyme

The battles of my day summed up in a few verses.😀

Breath of His Mouth

My anger fuels the flame, a sharpened tongue,
Dumping evidence of all wrongs long done.
It rose to torch its burning claim,
To crown my hurt and feed that flame.

But then His breath moved through the night,
His loving truth melting injustice with His light.
Before my rage could dine on any more lies,
My Lord stilled the storm before my eyes.

For He does not meet me there to burn,
But where His deeper truths return.
Though the truth of my lies made the pain so loud,
His mercy frees me from the power of that dark cloud.

For however many wars the lie has won,
Yet one outcome remains—my life in the Son:
True Life in Him shall not pass me by,
For He is near—even now—I need not try.

So in the dark where inner tempests start,
He speaks His truth right inside my heart.
And all that would curse, accuse, destroy,
Falls silent in His breath of liberating joy.

(Jesus said to me today,
Blessed is the man who does not live by the counsel of despair, nor sit in the seat of accusation, but returns to truth in the night. He shall be like a tree planted by living water, surviving exile without perishing there. (Anyone relate?))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yUcC93khzU&list=PLB3QJW7tfdDXrLv6_sijYDBYVI9OuCvBx

Thanks for sharing. I went to church today and the sermon was about the Kindgdom of God being within us, and how we live by the Word of God @Realness @DownMoreThanUp @heartathome @Appleblossom @ENKELI We were exhorted to trust God even when things go wrong, as God knows all things.

You know I really appreciate Sons of Korah and Psalm 1 @DownMoreThanUp

Yes, @tyme it can be utterly beyond comprehension, all that can be within one human heart. I often pray to the aspect of the divine with people in my life and for people generally.

@ENKELI Hugs. Figuring you are busy with study.

@heartathome Long ago, I was challenged to contemplate on the human, and social, political, geographical and historical conditions of the people spoken about in the bible. All your expansions about greek roots are really evocative and was the way I follow. Although in my day, it was by looking up lots of dictionaries in the bowels of a very big uni library. lol I was reflecting reading your posts, on how more it is the language I prefer, when discussing feelings, than these modern feeling wheels. There is something more contextual in a lot of the ideas you included. For me feelings need to be seen in context. What is the age and stage of the person? What are there needs and assets and supports? What is the history of why they are in the position described? When is it set? How are things similar or different for us today?

@Realness Love your steady commitment to the word of God. I hope your theological study is helpful. I am interested in your insights.