Buoyancy

is dead here.

Ah, yes. The dry seasons. No one teaches new believers about those. NO. ONE. and they happen. The "romance" of being saved ends when you realize how crappy the world is, how bad people who call themselves Christians can be, how nothing ends up in your favor, how evil seems to be winning, how "If God is good why am I single/ugly/lonely /why is the world: evil, cruel, hateful..." etc, etc. I get it. Thing is, God isn't those legalistic church people who take verses out of context. God isn't that "holier than thou" NO TOUCHY OPPOSITE SEX college. Which, again, is legalism and if you try other areas, you will find that in pockets. Not all Christians share that sentiment. I have been a believer for 20 years and I do hug my male friends and go to the movies with them, and I've even been clothes shopping a few times with them. Christianity is so much than Jeremiah 29:11 taken out of context or a chrome fish on a car. It's not a get rich quick scheme or a way to get babes and degrees. You have to have a relationship with God to get to heart of Christianity, because He IS at the center of it. You have to know him and his principles and his Son. You can't just read 2 Bible verses, attend church twice and expect everything in the world to be okay. Having communion with God will make everything in your world FEEL okay, or doable at least, even if it's not actually okay. You do eventually find peace. and may fall out of peace, but there's the beauty of being human. "Christian life is dull"? Yeah, okay. Try getting fired from your dream job a week before rent is due when you're broke in the first place. Try following the Lord to some new scary place where you don't know a soul while driving a 20 year old car. Try moving across the country because God told your parents to. Try losing friends because of your faith. Try being at the end of you rope with a suicide plot in place only to have someone step in at the last minute to stop you. Try learning about yourself in darkest hours. Try watching the world, your world, fall apart in front of your eyes but you feel peace regardless. If the Christian life is dull for you, you're probably doing something wrong. Or you haven't been doing it long enough. As for religion, James 1:27 says this "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." That's it. It doesn't have a list of rules. "Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God" are the basics. It doesn't require 5 prayers a day. As you become closer to God, you learn more and you start living the standards the Bible sets, such as fleeing immorality and not wanting your neighbor's stuff. It's not something you just go cold turkey from one lifestyle to another. It's a gradual change of heart. As for downloading the app, wonderful! Kudos for not giving up totally. I suggest Psalms, Proverbs or the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke John) as starters. I'd also suggest implementing prayer. I talk to God for 5 miles of my commute every day. It's not a bunch but it helps. You could start with praying for 3 minutes and work your way up. If you'd like some advice, I say stop comparing your life to others. You will always see their grass as greener. ALWAYS. I do this myself. I've been praying for a spouse for a long time and when I see my younger friends dating and getting married, I tend to go "Why NOT me God?" or even "Yo, you can do anything, why didn't you make me hot like her? Or rich like him? What is wrong with you? Why did you make me this way?" or I see happy families and start off with "Okay, Mr. Perfection, why is her dad killin' it and my dad was an abuser? Why does she get to thrive and I got nothing but pain?" and it does turn into a more PG version of what you said earlier. " You're mean, God and I hate you because you haven't blessed me in X Y Z ways!!" The lack of comparison will not only impact your faith, but your mental health as well. Change your perspective from comparison to gratitude and watch yourself change. Be thankful for that toilet, food you can eat, a roof over your head, clothes you like. Don't let the fact your neighbor has a Lambo and you have a Civic convince your life is terrible and God is awful. Material goods are not an indicator of anything long lasting.

yep.

you got it, friendo!

Sorry, I was mad.

I got motivated waaaaaay back in 2012. God called me into the profession and here I am. I am basically fluent, but still learning new things every day.

Nope, I'm a moderator.

By sheer... Will_Power hah. hahaha. that's his username. I'm sorry. XD Will and I were struggling with the fact that this place was dying so ungraciously, so, he talked to Cary during the summer, got some rights and here we are.

The new admin that we got this summer. XD

I work in a public school. I can't exactly wallop some students over the head and holler THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU (I'll admit, a few need it.) or whip out my Bible like some kind of street preacher and yell from a soapbox. I do work with social outcasts though. Deaf and hard of hearing kids typically are behind socially in the mainstream setting. What I CAN do is pray about to proceed in sticky situations, how I can encourage these kiddos in ways they may not get at home or other ways I can support them These schools are a pretty dark place. If I can be some sort of light, reflecting Jesus to those who'd otherwise never see him, my mission is accomplished. Outside of school if someone asks, I'll witness to them, sure. Trying to get bolder, not there yet. Hence my comment about trying to emulate Christlike behavior. I still see the entire "guilt" argument from the perspective of giving someone advice. If they don't follow it, why should I feel guilty? Bad for their poor decision making skills,? Yes. Guilty? Nah. I know the repercussions of not choosing Jesus are a million times more severe but, same concept. And yes, I love my neighbor as myself.

The Bible makes it pretty clear. You don't accept Jesus after being presented with the gospel. You go to hell. Actions have consequences. Those who haven't heard... I'm not sure about them... but comfortable? Yeah, You accept Jesus and live for him, you get heaven. You don't? You don't. It's not rocket science, nor am I gonna guilt trip myself over it. But if you're feeling guilty over all of those lost souls, I hope you're doing what you can to be a witness and point people towards Christ. This is the behavior I'm striving for.