Read: Luke 9:18-26
If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. —Luke 9:23
Bible In One Year: Job 38-42
In his book The Empty Church, historian Thomas C. Reeves says: "Christianity in modern America . . . tends to be easy, upbeat, convenient, and compatible. It does not require self-sacrifice, discipline, humility, an otherworldly outlook, a zeal for souls, a fear as well as love of God. There is little guilt and no punishment, and the payoff in heaven is virtually certain. What we now have might best be labeled 'Consumer Christianity.' The cost is low and customer satisfaction seems guaranteed."
If we were only customers of Almighty God, we could be selective in our faith and reject anything we didn't like. But that's not an idea we get from Jesus. He pointed us to a cross, not to a spiritual check-out counter. He said: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24). Christ died on a cross for our sins, not for our satisfaction. And He calls us to trust in Him, then follow Him with a life of self-denial.
In a world where the customer is always right, it takes radical obedience to God to keep from buying into "Consumer Christianity." —David McCasland
First posted almost two years ago, if you missed it then you just *must* not again! Intrigue, romance, suspense, history, humor - it's got it all! LadyX and jwfiv have combined their fine, creative minds in writing this incredibly witty essay about JimRob's and other Freepers' ancestors and how FR was born. I had more fun putting it all together with the words (and pictures) they provided!
Hi, Jim - I don't ping you often, but can't remember if you saw this when I posted it almost two years ago. I think you would get a kick out of it. It is GREAT!
Member #96 are you?......Newbie.
(Thanks for the post)
Good morning...the sun is shinning..I didn't know prince al the bore returned home to TN, I've not read much about him in our local fish wrapper in several years....seems he's fallen of the face of the earth as far as Tennesseans are concerned.
How very interesting. Have a great day Miss ((( Billie ))).
Y'all gonna do a sequel to this classic thread, perhaps about the origins of rthe Finest hobbit? or mahaps miss maggie Malone OR the ever fascinating Yellow Rose of Texas, miss Billie?
Or our resident Goth Vampire, Darks!
G' morning, Billie Blue. Number 96?!! Wow, I knew you were a fixture around here but I never ran the cursor over your name to see how really oooold a fixture. :o)
I got my first computer Dec. '97 and found FR (it was Whitewater sumthinerother back then!) in Jan. '98. Back then I was content to just read what everybody else had to say....Thank you, thank you, JimRob, for this amazing forum.
Loved this reprise of LadyX's archive column. Hi Maggie!
Far better they see a laughing, happy Mommo savoring this old fun project than a worn out, harried figure who wants only to crawl into bed, exhausted -- RIGHT??
LOL
jwfiv and I had SOOOO much fun crafting this!
He allowed me to draft the narrative, and we worked burning up the email air waves and later telephone lines, new ideas and refinements sparking back and forth, and our raucous laughter no doubt heard across America.
I can attest to the fact jwfiv is as enormously talented and as much fun as you imagine, as well as huge-hearted.
His three positively brilliant biographies are awesome.
I had suggested this direction, based upon "ancestors" of current Freepers, but contributed for that only the bio of my dear Sistah Nan.
I utilized the contrived "I'll Tell Intel" Agency to try to track algore across Africa and Europe and beyond (shame I had to shove Pierre off the Eiffel Tower, but -- sigh...the cost of victory is not cheap).
Yes, Gail, he and Tipper Canoe were back at the farm after the D.C. Chapter Freepers drove him out of "Cheney's House!," I suppose while they were renovating the 'Tara house' they purchased in Virginia.
Must have wanted a proper setting for penning books to Make a few Millions -- have to laugh, because that large tome of their family with photographs they published I saw this fall in our local Dollar Tree store, priced at $1 -- !!
Thanks, dear friend Billie, for saving me from toil - thoughtful of you to make me sort priorities and STOP!! for a while..:))
~ LadyX
Another great trip down Archives Blvd. One of so many FR's Finest... threads needing to be re-presented. Fun thread then and looks like another fun thread today. And then y'all top it off with a two-fer, another "My Two Cents" from the ol' Underwood in JH2's cubicle.
Won't be able to hang around as duty calls from the other room - "Poppy!" Will drop by later, though.
Have a GREAT day, y'all.
What a cool thread this week, thanks Billie!
So glad you reposted this Finest 'classic'.
I enjoyed reading it 'the second time around'!
You do such an impressive job with these.
Have a great day!