asdftheking

I agree 100% with Echo_of_Thunder. Try to have a good friendship. If you can't relate normally establishing the fact that you're "going out" won't change that. So do everything you can to get to know her in person. You can't do everything on MSN Messenger!

Well I would have to say that yes I believe in GOD I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic schools for a few years. But I would have to say I have lost alot of faith over this last year. I think how could GOD let all these terrible things happen to me one right after another first take my mother and than reveal a monster to me. (if you read my other post you would understand) I dont go to church regularly like I should actually I dont go much at all anymore, But I pray every single day and thank GOD for my wonderful children. I dont think it should matter if I go to church or not I believe and I pray everyday thats all that counts in my book.

Don't lose faith over anything people do or what happens. A real understanding of God shows us that He is not the source of evil. I can't say your life isn't horrible because I know nothing about it, but that actually isn't His fault.

If you read the first chapters of the Bible (Gen. 1-2) you see that God created mankind in His likeness. More study reveals that God is a thinking being with a mind, will, and emotions. Will means the ability to make decisions. If we put A and B together we see that God created humans who (like Him) have a will to decide whether to do right or wrong. He is not directly responsible for their decision (we all know what it was). So don't let lousy things get in between your faith and God.

I also would like to encourage you to be with people who can strengthen and encourage in your faith and study the Bible! I won't say you have to step into a church building if you don't want to (although it might not hurt). But just like social interaction with people is essential to our existence spiritual interaction with believers is also essential. I hope your circumstances change, and change you for the better

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I do believe in God with a whole, undivided heart. There are some differences in what I believe and the original post because I believe in the Bible. The Bible clearly teaches that believing in Him is NEVER a guarantee that we will be rich in the material world or that we will not have to suffer physical illness. Having said that, it does promise that we can have perfect peace, hope, and joy. It also promises total restoration of our relationship with Him. That is what we've been looking for ever since the first time the human race disobeyed Him somewhere near present-day Iraq!

Wow. I didn't have the patient to do the first riddle. I think the javascript idea is great but I'm having my doubts about whether it's exhaustive. (I only say doubts because I also haven't had the patience yet to take a good look at it!) It made me a little nervous, though, when it took about 30 secs before my firefox was functional after initializing the script! Kudos to all of you patient people who come up with real answers and/or programs to make them anyways!

J.I. Packer's Knowing God

Undoubtedly the Bible has greatly changed my life. Also John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life. You will never be able to look at your life the same after reading it.

 

Other HIGHLY recommended reading would be:

All of Andrew Murray's writing especially Absolute Surrender

Don Richardson's Eternity in their Hearts, Peace Child and Lords of the Earth

Amy Carmichael's If and A Chance to Die

K.P. Yohannan's Revolution in World Missions

All of John Eldredge's writings are phenomenal!

David Shibley's The Missions Addiction

 

I could go on and on because there are many life-changing books out there but I have to stop somewhere.

My first language is English but I have been learning Spanish at school. I have been learning Spanish for probably four years or so and have become pretty decent at writing it and speaking but it does take some thought and a delay in translation. For the most part I can understand it but it depends on the accent and of course I constantly have to add to my vocabulary but I can understand the main part of a conversation. The true test though would be to try and communicate in a Spanish country.

A great way to test and improve your Spanish is this: go through all your movies and watch the ones that have Spanish dubs in Spanish! And if you don't have the energy for that at least put on Spanish subtitles because you will always pick up a word or too that way. Listen to a lot of music too. If you want to see Spanish songs I've got about 50 favorited on my youtube account, just search for codyjb8 and look at my faves. Buena suerte!

Let me append this as well:If you don't agree with these conclusions you probably haven't seen the world. If you just live and remain in the USA you know what it's like to be in a nation which has been directed by Christian principles and has reaped many, many rewards.If you go throughout Latin America you see distinct effects of the differences between protestant nations and catholic nations.Step into the dark and often demonic realm of the "religions" of the Amazon jungle and you see humanity at its worst. Why so? I don't think it's because these people are under-evolved. They've proven time and time again. It's because their beliefs have consequences and if you don't know God you get a really messed up world. Period.

Well I'll give you a reply even if it's taken a couple of years to get one!It's funny, among contemporary Christians religion gets a worse rap than almost anywhere else. This is because religion is interpreted to mean a set of behaviors and Christianity doesn't have much to do with following a code and has everything to do with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Relationship vs. Religion is not an uncommon sermon title these days.Now I think when you say religion you are talking about a set of beliefs and corresponding actions. When I think about the effects of religion in that sense I just stop and say wow. Abolition of slavery. Establishment of the USA which has become a beacon of freedom and prosperity in the world. (Let's hope that it stays that way! But leave the foundational "religion," or beliefs and things will quickly take a turn for the worse. It seems we have been flirting with destruction for some time now and we're all aware of it). Almost every revolutionary scientist, save of course Darwin, who laid the foundation of modern physics, biology, geography, mathematics, etc. etc. worked driven by a faith in GOD. Those are some of the things that we have thanks to religion. Now for the rest:Holocaust, abortion, euthanasia (notice a theme?), murder, suicide, depression, divorce and infidelity, and I could go on and on. Ultimately, if there is no God who holds us accountable there is no wrong and I can murder or abuse or destroy as I please. Good thing our government was built upon the pillars of religion, huh?

One thing is for sure, if you're careful and intelligent you can avoid most viruses and if you're not you can get very messed up even with an anti-virus of the highest grade.I spent years without using any antivirus and enjoyed not putting up with their many annoyances.But now I have a problem. Here in Peru - I don't know if this is the case in the states too - Flash drive viruses are rampant and there is no way for me to avoid getting them on a regular basis. And of course, my cell phone gets infected from time to time too. So I have to disinfect which I do with a free version of Panda. Nevertheless I use it as little as possible. Then I get that frustrating problem of being unable to open anything from "my computer" because in the "healing" process all my autoruns have been deleted! If you have that problem google and download "flash disinfector" with your flash drives and/or cell phone plugged in and it fixes them instantly. It is a great little batch file and I use it a lot.

I'm going to heaven. I'm not going there alone and I won't be bored. Nor will I morn for the people that didn't make it there, even though I do now.I'm not going to heaven because I'm good. I think that is possibly the most insidous lie in the history of religion and humanity propulgated by the Devil himsself in as many ways possible because he knows that we are not really good - we are rotten and we know it.Sorry for the length of that sentence.Now, I'm not rotten...anymore. I was. Dead. And I still make mistakes on a regular basis. Ask anyone close to me and some of those who are not so close to me. Ask my ex-wife.So I was born dead but now I died so that I can live. Does that make sense? I was born corrupt, bound for hell. Thanks be to Jesus He gave me a new heart which is now inherently good despite the fact that my actions sometimes betray it. People with wicked hearts can at times do things that are good. People with good hearts can also make big mistakes. But please let me clarify that if you haven't been given an entirely new heart by Jesus it's not good!I trust in Him and give Him my life. His response has been and continues to be faithfulness to His promise to take away all of my guilt now and forever so I am perfect. I still sin. But He shrouds me in His righteousness and paid the price for the forgiveness of every one of my sin.Nobody will get into heaven because they tried to be good. Everyone who has been made good by Jesus will get into heaven.Does that make sense? Let me know if you want Bible verses to demonstrate the truth of this progression of ideas.

Once I said to a friend, "I bet I can say a word in at least 25 languages!"

 

I struggled...a lot. But I did!

I am a linguist, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

 

I speak great English

Terrific Spanish

(Actually I joke that I would like to learn Spanish because Peruvians say they speak "Castellano." I think they say that because they've twisted it so much that it's not Spanish anymore [although it really is]. It hurts to see them now having turned on English to mutilate it since they're through with Spanish...lol.)

About 100 words of Ashaninka of Perene

and much less of Shipibo

 

I am quite determined to be fluent in both of those if possible, as well as greek and at least one other currently unresearched Amazonian language, possibly of the Arawakan family. And if by chance I learn any other major languages along the way that would be cool, too! I love languages and hope to be learning them untill I die!

 

I also understand a bit of Japanese and Mandarin.

i think it is pretty cool but i've stuck to ie7. its easier to use and i don't really see the point in google chrome.
i also don't see why they made it. how do they make profits from google chrome. there are no ads or anything. is it a free service from google or is there some sort of catch?

I could be wrong but I think it's about influence. The "browser wars" episode 2. It seems like Google really wants to be the next Microsoft and wants to be involved in EVERYTHING, which is fine as long as they present a good product. I think there is little that would make them happier right now than getting a good foothold by having a popular browser and being a step ahead in software and browsing for mobile devices.

I'd be interested to know, however, if there are many non-techy people using Chrome to speak of? I'm sure most of the people who have bought PCs and don't know exactly what the word "browser" means will be using IE until the cows come home.

p.s. I like Chrome as well. But I don't have any plans on switching. Firefox's power and reliability are really good for me.

In reply to the original post I would make a few comments, especially about the mention that "no religion really teaches us to do BAD" (my paraphrase).If you will allow me to classify religions in three major categories they would be monotheism, atheism, and animism.Since most of you don't work in the most wild parts of the Amazon jungle you are probably not terribly familiar with animism. It exists in other places as well, on every continent, but I mention the Amazon because it is where I work.In animism nature is the reality, but not in the way we might think. It is actually surreal. A tree has a spirit, as does a bird, a rock, and a river. There are also larger spirit beings who have dominions such as the spirit of the mountain or the spirit a the cave. Normally there is some belief in a creator God but as a being very uninvolved in human affairs. Different spirits have different levels of power and one stays alive by appeasing and/or manipulating spirits. People who live with this worldview react to their surroundings and live with survival tactics. They do not plan ahead or take initiative. They try to avoid the things that they fear. There is not a moral code, hence killing, cannibilism, head-shrinking, etc. can be found in abundance. So to understand some of the differences: there are no God-Satan characters in this worldview, there is not anything like our understanding of good and evil (I speak from a monotheistic worldview). Existence is not considered to be a positive thing, so ultimately the only thing similar to a moral "good" is to cease to exist. To die.Thanks for letting me share in some ways how animistic religions are dramatically different than monotheistic. This conversation is interesting and it's great to see discussions and ideas without any having gone off name-calling or such, unless they have done so and gotten banned :SKeep investigating always. And if you're going to believe something you'd better well know why!

On yet another note, why is this topic in "health"? Perhaps it should be moved to "religion" or something. This topic is not about death, rather about the "after-death".

I was going to put this post in counseling and advice but that didn't seem right. And I didn't find anything on religion or beliefs, if there is such a category maybe the post can be moved. Thanks.

So this morning I've been pondering this question, "What will heaven be like?" And it's not the first time I've thought about it.

I makes me sad sometimes when people say they don't want to go to heaven or are afraid to die young and "miss out" on so much.

 

I wonder how many of us are thinking that heaven is boring.

 

Well I don't claim to be able to give any details as I've never been there and have only had hints of it in this life. But I definitely can give some ideas.

 

Do you have things that you long for? All of us do, even if we try to kill our desires. Maybe you wish you had a nice new computer so you didn't have to put up with using an unreliable machine like so many of us do. Or do you wish you had financial freedom after years of worry and struggling to keep your head above water. Perhaps your greatest desire is for that perfect guy or girl or just peace in your family or marriage. There are many such things that we all yearn for.

 

Why do we have these yearnings and desires? Because deep down we are aware that there is a potential for perfection but it seems so very far away. We are left with emptiness and disappointment in its place (Romans 8:18-21). God has put in us the knowledge that perfection does exist and is supremely desirable (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

 

But where is perfection? Well, we had it, then we wrecked it (Genesis 1-3). Now it can not be found in us (Romans 3:23), only in a Holy God who sometimes seems far off. Let me give you hope:

 

It will be restored (Revelations 21:5).

 

All those longings and desires that each of us have is nothing more than a desire for what heaven is. The best experiences we have in this life are nothing more than a faint aroma of fresh chocolate chip cookies when we are famished. But heaven is the feast. We can't imagine how perfect and pleasant and fulfilling it will be because we are still only longing for the perfection which we have failed to attain. It is beyond your wildest imagination

 

So forget whether or not there will be computer games, golf, or fishing in heaven. It is a place that is supremely good. Nothing you have ever desired can compare with it.

 

Having said that, let's take as many people there as we can! The alternative is not so bright.

One simple suggestion:The guy is not causing your anger. Now i know that sounds wrong at first glance, but you're really blaming him for your anger. I know that he is contributing to it, but no person is so powerful as to have control of you to make you feel one thing or another unless YOU give them that control - hence, it's really in your hands. The anger is something in you first and foremost. You can't change others but you can change yourself (to an extent). As long as you think the problem is in others (sure they have problems, but the problem you're facinf is ultimately in you) you will feel frustrated because you are not in control of them. Hope that makes sense

Here in Peru we normally just say "equivocado"

which is short for you have the "wrong" number

Dooood Thats sooo cool love it thanks so much
how can i make it auto-play/play

thanks

As soon as I set this up the first thing I did was make it autoplay, it just makes sense. If you haven't already figured it out or given up, here's how it goes:

add two elements:

object.style.display = 'none';

// Show next picture, if last, loop back to front
if (current == last) { current = 1; }
else { current++ }
object = document.getElementById('slide' + current);
object.style.display = 'block';
setTimeout(nextPicture, 2500); //NEW LINE in the end of nextPicture function
} //a self repeating call at a delay of 2.5 secs
//adjust the seconds to your liking


linenums:0'>function nextPicture() { // Hide current picture object = document.getElementById('slide' + current); object.style.display = 'none'; // Show next picture, if last, loop back to front if (current == last) { current = 1; } else { current++ } object = document.getElementById('slide' + current); object.style.display = 'block'; setTimeout(nextPicture, 2500); //NEW LINE in the end of nextPicture function } //a self repeating call at a delay of 2.5 secs //adjust the seconds to your liking(the line which needs to be added should be 24.)

then in line 79 change <body> to:
(it will be 78 if you haven't already made the first change)

<body onload="setTimeout(nextPicture, 2500);">

I'm sure within a day or two I'll get bored with this and make the pictures fade in and out to black and/or white. I'll probably give a how to on that as well.
Let me know if this works for you!

Nice try, OpaQue, but where did that chicken come from?

 

On a relevant but different note, how's the theory of intelligent design going for you US folks in terms of it being taught as a "valid" theory in school? Quite frankly it amazes me that the education system let the church get away it. No offence to any of you who do in fact believe in the idea, but I just don't buy it, or even that it could be remotely true. Evidence wins in today's scientific community, which gives evolution an edge over "God created the chicken and the egg..."

I'm afraid if evidence won the theory of evolution would be much further on the decline than it already has been. As the situation stands we have numerous fanatical scientist (and politicians) who dogmatically defend the stitched together theory because they are afraid of the alternative.

 

Oh, I'm so ashamed I post on this forum. This question is irrelevant! Chickens are asexual.

Not really of course, but it would solve this question. It basically boils down to these two hypotheses:

 

If you believe in intelligent design, like I do, then chickens came from an all-powerful, other worldly being who just made all birds in a single day. So the chicken came first. Very simple, very easy.

I was about to post when I saw your reply. I don't need to repeat too much because you said it right on. If you believe that the Bible is entirely correct, and I do, than the chicken came first as a part of a complete, good, flawless creation. Oh that we were still in a "good" world. Now I just wait for creation to be restored to a greater glory than its former glory!

Its not working with Opera also. You need to check it. The link took me to different websites one after one except the game. May be you need to check that again. My Opera version is 9.62 and my OS is WinXP.

Well I finally got Opera installed and it seems to run w/o any major flaws on XP.

There's a subtle difference between the world's "main" language and one that is more "international". By percentage I think you'd definitely be hard pushed to convince anyone that Chinese (or variations/dialects/whatever-they're-called thereof) isn't a definite contender, but that's certainly not the only factor to consider. As an example, looking at this page on Wikipedia shows that Chinese is "officially" spoken in only 3 countries, whereas English is "officially" spoken in the US, India, Nigeria (and 52 others). Assuming you use this as your source of the most common language, English certainly wins.

 

I think the main problem simply comes down to actually adopting any language as the official one. Culturally, you'd be hard pushed to push every country in to speaking your own language. Aside from that, what makes one language better than the other? Perhaps one is decidedly easier to learn in general, although not yet widespread. Would it be best to teach the majority a language that requires the minimal effort than the minority one that requires the most effort?

 

Who's to say that any of our current languages will eventually end up being the international one? Why not make one[/i] instead? Honestly, I see little reason to not construct one ourselves that is generally accepted as being an international standard. Perhaps even make up a new alphabet (or whatever you want to call it) for it, with entirely new characters. Heaven knows English is a nightmare to learn, even as a native speaker, and inconsistencies and exceptions make things even worse. Surely we could solve that by agreeing on a "fixed" language, once and for all?

When Chinese comes into the discussion one should note that it is a flawed assumption to list it as a language. Mandarin Chinese is a language, but it cannot be lumped together with Cantonese and the many other languages spoken in China any more than Spanish, Romanian, Italian, Portuguese, and French or English and German can be said to be the same language. In the 19th century "Mandarins" were imperially appointed officials like judge/mayors of towns and districts. They spoke Mandarin as a political language to be able to communicate across such a vast empire hence its roots are not anything like the roots of English in America, per se.

 

A second thought, languages are human, not computerized or standardized. Any standards set have to be continually changed and reimposed. No attempt to universalize language will succeed. Humans will continue to use, adopt, and change languages according to the environment around them and their ambitions and convenience. Imposing a universal medium just won't work.

It would be really silly in my opinion to try and make another language other then English the main language. Sure there may be more people in other parts of the world speaking some other language but only English is and will always be considered the international language. We have keyboards that are designed for English. We write programs in English. If you try and make another language other then English a main language your taking a step backwards. It would be much easier for other speaking languages to learn English if they would like to do business internationally.

You're right about English's predominance in so many things, especially the world of computers and technology. However one also needs to realize that the English language is "messed up" on many levels. One that we all know is the at best semi-rational spelling and pronunciation. Other languages have superior use of verbs (Spanish for example) and others yet better use of tenses (some have 3-5 past tenses instead of just one). There will always be ideas that can be better expressed in one language than another. Simply put, English is a quirky language and it's "world domination" has much more to do with the people who used it (and the faith of the pilgrims, in my opinion) than it's value as a language.

What an interesting question! It's funny, I'm not in the least afraid of dying. And it's not that I don't like living, even though some days are better than others. I guess it might be that I've faced plenty of life and death situations and gotten quite used to the idea that I'm going to die sooner or later. No matter how much I think about it, it doesn't make me nervous or afraid. Having said that I guess a little fear wouldn't be bad, though, huh? In any life and death situation I have the survival instincts and adrenalin and all that mind you. I'm just not afraid at the thought of dying.I have no doubt that I will be in a better place aftwerwards and some times I'm eager to get there. But not until the work here is done!

I apologize about the link problem, we can thank fortunecity for plugging in interstitial ads that don't work and an obscene amount of popups if you're using IE. I've taken out all of the href's and that should no longer be a problem. It does now work on IE, that was just a single variable which IE didn't like because it was global but declared inside a function. (IE rates right up there with fortunecity in my book).
Please try back with Opera now to see if that makes a difference. Again, i'm sorry about the problems caused by fortunecity's ads. Hence the reason i'm trying to get a Xisto account!
I wish i could test with Opera but my computer refuses to download the installer. Maybe i'll try to download it through IE...

Now i've got to get back to work fixing the cross-browser pointer issue since i had to change all href's to onclick's.

Its not working with Opera also. You need to check it. The link took me to different websites one after one except the game. May be you need to check that again. My Opera version is 9.62 and my OS is WinXP.

Thanks for your comment, the link problem should be fixed now.

Can I ask who is the webmaster for the trap17awards site? Simply because I found a lot of errors in typing that maybe I could help fix.