Does anyone know any "cutters"?

You definitely have no need to worry about understanding anything, that is for sure ... just assume you know the answer or use the same answer for everything and hope that it can in some way be applicable .... :mrgreen:

 

you crack me up lol

 

The cure, is a loving family, patience and sound medical advice. Having Jesus in one's life can help bring a family together in such a crisis, but it will not cure the root cause of the problem.

 

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

John 17:24 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.


There's more, but that's enough to give you the idea. The mystery of the trinity is that God is 3 in 1 - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and has always existed as such.

I do not understand why you insist your mother is not a born again Christian, and I wonder what definition you used to determine that? It seems like she would know better than anyone else.

Here is a good source of information about many different religions and spiritual practices. I think it gives authoritative answers to almost any question you could think of about those issues, from leaders and teachers of the various traditions. http://www.beliefnet.com/

 

Here's the beginning of an article from Beliefnet about that.

Parenthetically, Wikipedia can be a nice source of information, but I prefer to look elsewhere, due to the fact that anybody can make changes, add, delete, etc., in Wikipedia, and while they try to keep it reasonably accurate and unbiased, I just don't feel comfortable with it.

Not everybody who is "born again" is a fundamentalist or a literalist.

 

Okay Ormly,
If I'm not mistaken, paganism has nothing to do about evolution. Most pagan religions believe in rebirth, not evolution. Don't believe back in the 4th century they even used the term evolution.

 

Openmided, excellent point!

Grace, have you read Jim Wallis' book, God's Politics? It's subtitled Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, and one of his main points is "God is not a Republican . . . or a Democrat." I have it, and you would be welcome to borrow it. Another book I have that you might find interesting, in a different way, is Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God, by Tony Campolo. You're welcome to look over my bookshelves & borrow anything you want.

Pat

 

Forgot to address this in my previous post:

Unfortunately, many people have been failed by one church and have been too disheartened to search for another church that was a better fit. But if you think about it rationally (one of your best things, I know!) you will have to agree that it's not fair to blame all churches for the failings of one, or a few, or even quite a few.

I felt I was failed by a church a couple of years ago, but fortunately for me, I had the experience of being a member of a loving faith community for a number of years before moving here, so I knew I could find a church that would meet my needs, and I did. Being part of a loving faith community truly does help one get through life's trials, to know "this too shall pass," and to see a larger purpose in life.

 

Good point, KDsGrandma. I also heard it once said you can't treat a church like a bad date. In other words, if you go out on a date and it doesn't work out, you meet another person and go out and see how that goes. You don't hide away forever. You can't see one church as the basis for all. But the most important thing to remember is to make sure the church you do end up at is teaching TRUTH. Not some place to go have it "your way" like Burger King or something. Alot of churches do that.

Everyone wants what is comfortable. Well, sometimes "TRUTH" is not comfortable. You have to come out of the comfort zone to be effective in anything else, why should going to church be anything different?

One day you will be led to the church you are to be involved in. You'll know it. And you can't go one time and expect that to be you "clincher". You may have to go 3 times before you know for sure. In my opinion anyway. That's how it worked for me and I am about as simply put together as I can be!!

 

Cue Ormly to tell you that the church should not be tailored to fit your needs but that you need to fit the one and only church set up ..... :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Back to the cutting....did you all know that "up to 40% of teens have tried self-mutilation"? A.k.A.: cutting. I have a study Bible that actually uses the word "slashing" in those verses that were originally mentioned. I don't think that this means that this many teens are demon possessed, but it does mean that they are being heavily influenced by the "world." We need to take a stand not just as Christians, but as parents against T.V., media, etc.

 

I think one way it happens when the family becomes less important to the teen than their peers. Children who I see doing it usually don't have a close relationship with their parents. They only have their friends and their friends are as sad and messed up as they are. Kids who have friends who have a strong family relationship or a have strong relationship themselves with a teacher, pastor, mentor or coach also seem to fare okay, for the most part.

It is the little lost souls who connect with other little lost souls who seem to do this the most; the disenfranchised who are flunking at school, uninvolved in clubs or athletics. I see it far too much. I wonder how parents fail to see it? I guess because they never see or talk to their own kids.

 

Ponder on this....Phil. 3:7-8

I count everything in the world as worthless trash, so that I may have Jesus Christ.