i think many organizations do great deal of work helping others.
Bono, ophra , bill gates all have invested millions of time and momey to help the disadvantaged.
i do not think it is a "christian idea".
that being said I believe every single christian impats the world every single beyond what we can ever comprehend, no matter what the detail of what we do is it is important. and needed and worthwhile.
My sister just told me about a church in her area who started a program to welcome gays in to their church, and it's not for the purpose of changing them. That's a progressive move for a church. I think it speaks volumes.
Well...I know that on our own some riding buddies and I managed to get a whole semi truck load of hay, feed, vet, supplies mineral blocks together to feed the starving horses after katrina and have it delivered.
We helped with adoption of hoprses and pets afterwards.
Many of the people in our community go down to south america once or twice a year to build churches.
I know people who go on a yearly mission trip to mexico...
Habitat for humanity is big here.
Seems like most of the stuff I know of is just taking care of folks locally....the family who`s been burned out...the farmer who is injured and can`t work his farm...the people paying the bills after a disaster.
Fund raisers for people with illness and huge medical bills.
We help with fund raisers for our battered womens shelter....
Not global no, but doing our best to attend to what happens on a local level.
My church. First Baptist Church podunk texas. For four ears we made multipule trips to Mexico to help a misionary.
This summer my middle son went with GONOW missions to Fargo ND. That was his third choice.
The local asociation of churchs sponsers a moble shower for disaster relief. They go to an area that has had a disaster and set up. The people can shower while their cloths are being washed.
Many churchs offer mission trips for adults. I can,t remember the name of the organization that is non denominational that offers trips both here and overseas.
The point I'm making that the opertunity to share Christ is up to you. If we wait on our churchs we fail.
Get with your minister and get him off his fat foot.
Of cotse the real question is what are we doing in our own back yard.
Finnal coment and I'll get off my soap box.
If you have never gone on a foreign mission trip, do it. When you go to a place that not only takes you away from your home but puts you in a play that has none of the trappings of home you grow. There is nothing like the feeing you get as you start down a muddy street in a country where you can't speak the lauguage. It is a walk of faith.
www.loveinc.org where I interned and still volunteer. They partner with churches to meet the needs of low income.
My daughters teen church group cleans the yards of aged and/or infirm one weekend a month
I participate in the local Methodist church's organization, we fill bags with paper products, cleaning supplies and women's personal items for domestic violence survivors who are setting up in their new home.
My Eastern Star chapter cares for nursing home residents and seeks out and assists families of our soldiers.
At the local elementary school, we participate in Christmas help for local families.
That's a few things I stay involved in, there are many others.
Our local church, which is mostly ex-Way folk and has no name (by choice) and is not a tax-exempt organization but rather a group of people who love God, love His Word, and love each other, recently donated school supplies to a public elementary school and a private couple who homeschool a group of students who have been in trouble with the law. Each month we have decided as a group to give to an organization called Heifer International that gives folks in other countries livestock or poulty to raise to become self-sustaining. The principle of Heifer International is that when your sheep, for example, gives birth, you share the wealth with another family .. it's a neat organization who can find more about if you google it.
There's lots of ways to be involved locally ... if you are in a church or not, just decide what you want to do. The American Red Cross always needs help.
there may be dozens of bubbles to pop...so start with the one you are in...and then rest a while...but dont stop
i suggest googling "interfaith dialogue"...and add that christians talking with and working alongside NON-Christians would do more to move promote compassion in the world than just about anything else
and spend some time actually looking into and taking the perspective of buddhist philosophies of compassion, for example...and actual compassion practices involving our actual heart and actual breath ... modern protestant christians ARE NOT the only ones who represent compassion...MANY others have written and thought and taught for MILLENIA about compassion
also...google "contemplative christianity" to find out how practicing sitting in periods of silence and stillness (egads!) goes a long way to being moved with authentic compassion...every spiritual history is rich with these kinds of basic truths ... LISTENING A LOT before speaking
help revive the Christian lineage of spending more time on developing interior compassion PRIOR to trying to move in exterior forms of compassion
the world has many rich occasions of jews, catholics, christians, muslims, hindus, buddhists, celts, hopis, etc... having in-depth conversations with one another right under our noses! intermingled with the BS...religious history is rich with veins of spiritual truth...history and tradition is not the enemy if one knows how to refine gold
help end the spiritual racisms and anti-intellectualisms of modern protestantism and evangelicalism ... as well as every other -ism that is suffering from that old malady (and there are obviously plenty)
for those who are allergic to the eastern half of our planet's history...Quakers are about as traditionally American and Christian as one can get ... maybe look into what some of them have been doing in the context of deeper spiritual community dialogue practices and contemplation ... and they have been practicing for generations
pray for new tongues (no, not like TWI taught...but actual higher ways of using our actual tongues (and minds and hearts connected to them) to convey our inner selves)
Our local church, which is mostly ex-Way folk and has no name (by choice) and is not a tax-exempt organization but rather a group of people who love God, love His Word, and love each other, recently donated school supplies to a public elementary school and a private couple who homeschool a group of students who have been in trouble with the law. Each month we have decided as a group to give to an organization called Heifer International that gives folks in other countries livestock or poulty to raise to become self-sustaining. The principle of Heifer International is that when your sheep, for example, gives birth, you share the wealth with another family .. it's a neat organization who can find more about if you google it.
There's lots of ways to be involved locally ... if you are in a church or not, just decide what you want to do. The American Red Cross always needs help.
that's cool stuff, DogLover.
I don't know anything about what churches are doing, but I do some stuff with a couple of local groups working with kids and families.
Any church in Any Town, The World--whose membership has ever come together--whether cleaning houses, starting a food bank, handing out clothes to the needy etc.
It's all part of the big picture. Many of those who serve will never be known outside of their community others won't even have that much recognition.
But, there is One who marks every smile given to lighten a day, every hand across a muddy street, every sandwich and cup of soup on a cold winter''s day. That is our Heavenly Father. When we all get to stand before him on that judgement day there are, IMO, going to be a a lot of very surprised people both those who think they are dong so much, and those who feel they aren't doing enough. They all may very well find themselves proved wrong on that day.
Our church is called Community Christian Church, hence serving the community.
Several times during the year volunteers from the church goes out and serves the community in way of ..Clean up, giving food, visiting the elderly, dog therapy, and many other different things to about 50 or so places and organizations where a need may be.
It is so organized too. They usually video tape the day of service and share it with the congregation the next week. I find that those that are involved are getting so much joy and have a lot of fun as well. All ages, as well as whole families get involved together in serving others.
I've yet to experience this. I want to do this with my family, but my husband isn't ready for that. In time I know God will open his heart.
When I was in The Way, all I knew about was what The Way was doing.
I was NOT aware of global Christian happenings.
Today I find myself in a similar bubble of ignorance.
So.... my question is not what is everyone believing?
But what are people doing?
What do you know about what Christians DOING around the world to show compassion.
"And Jesus was moved with compassion"
For example,
The local church I currently attend asked for volunteers to help with flood victims.
Can people in cyberland share with me some Christian leaders or ministries that are making on impact around the world by what they DO?
A food bank
Lots of scholarships for the local parish school (and many of the recipients aren't even members of our parish or even Catholic -- my daughter's best friend -- a Lutheran -- was a recipient)
Use of parish facilities for a homeless shelter during the winter (in conjunction with other ecclesiastical communities in the town)
counseling for the living victims of abortion (the local 'Project Rachel')
When I was in The Way, all I knew about was what The Way was doing.
That's pretty much standard for those who are inside the belly of the beast. You only know the acid bath you live in as it erodes your sensitivities and sensibilities.
I was NOT aware of global Christian happenings.
Today I find myself in a similar bubble of ignorance.
So.... my question is not what is everyone believing?
But what are people doing?
I made the decision to exit my bubble of ignorance when I made the decision to cut my way out of the guts of TWI. At that point, I knew I could just sit in darkness or begin reclaiming my life. I had to first come to terms with what had happened to me and to my family. I had to come to terms with exactly who these vermin were in TWI and exactly how evil they truly had been, exactly how badly I had been deceived and for how long, by whom, and how the deception was accomplished. I did that on WayDale, thanks to the courage of people like Paul and Fern Allen, and others like January Parker.
After piecing together what had been going on by comparing notes with others who had left, I decided to become actively involved in bringing pressure to bear upon those who had for too long oppressed the truth and destroyed countless lives with their lies. I did that with bringing out my first hand knowledge of events that took place and placing them in public domain on WayDale, and agreed to be a witness against TWI et al in the Allen lawsuit. I confronted the the twisted lies and empty logic of LCM et al with what I knew firsthand, and refused to be intimidated.
Next, I had to bring light to bear on the dark and twisted doctrines I had been led to believe. I did that by distancing myself from the doctrines I had been taught by TWI in favor of examining the opposite points of view, and by immersing myself in LEGITIMATE college studies in psychology, religion, and history, in order to bring true knowledge and tolerance to the hatred that I had been taught by TWI. I knew I could not seriously return to what I thought I knew of Christianity, since it had been so perverted by TWI. I knew that I must first, FIRST, learn TOLERANCE and COMPASSION. I have done that, like I said, by examining the opposite points of view doctrinally, and with legitimate studies, since TWI had exposed me to psuedo-science, psuedo-religion, and psuedo-education.
What do you know about what Christians DOING around the world to show compassion.
"And Jesus was moved with compassion"
For example,
The local church I currently attend asked for volunteers to help with flood victims.
Can people in cyberland share with me some Christian leaders or ministries that are making on impact around the world by what they DO?
What I do know about what Christians are doing around the world to show compassion comes from Christian radio, especially a program called "Voice of the Martyrs." If you want to know about REAL service, where people are LITERALLY laying their lives on the line for other human beings, well, there you go.
You don't have to remain in a "bubble of ignorance." Once you have exited TWI, in fact, there IS NO EXCUSE for remaining in that bubble. However, there are many who choose to remain in the security of blind ignorance.
I found the United Way to have some very good programs and org's under their umbrella to give to.
Food banks are great. I've volunteered to work at them in the past, and need to do some this year. It's a tanglble way to act on what I believe, that it's a crime that anyone should go hungry in the world we live in. People need help, everyone eats. Anyone can load a truck or box stuff up.
We like to look for opportunities in the community and church to give to, stuff we find, here and there. My wife's on the board of an organization that helps women start businesses. I'm very proud of her and what she's contributed.
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pond
i think many organizations do great deal of work helping others.
Bono, ophra , bill gates all have invested millions of time and momey to help the disadvantaged.
i do not think it is a "christian idea".
that being said I believe every single christian impats the world every single beyond what we can ever comprehend, no matter what the detail of what we do is it is important. and needed and worthwhile.
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Nottawayfer
My sister just told me about a church in her area who started a program to welcome gays in to their church, and it's not for the purpose of changing them. That's a progressive move for a church. I think it speaks volumes.
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excathedra
i'm in more of a bubble of my own life, i think..... not selfishly (i hope)..... but of necessity.....
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rascal
Well...I know that on our own some riding buddies and I managed to get a whole semi truck load of hay, feed, vet, supplies mineral blocks together to feed the starving horses after katrina and have it delivered.
We helped with adoption of hoprses and pets afterwards.
Many of the people in our community go down to south america once or twice a year to build churches.
I know people who go on a yearly mission trip to mexico...
Habitat for humanity is big here.
Seems like most of the stuff I know of is just taking care of folks locally....the family who`s been burned out...the farmer who is injured and can`t work his farm...the people paying the bills after a disaster.
Fund raisers for people with illness and huge medical bills.
We help with fund raisers for our battered womens shelter....
Not global no, but doing our best to attend to what happens on a local level.
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ex70sHouston
If you are in a buble maybe its you.
My church. First Baptist Church podunk texas. For four ears we made multipule trips to Mexico to help a misionary.
This summer my middle son went with GONOW missions to Fargo ND. That was his third choice.
The local asociation of churchs sponsers a moble shower for disaster relief. They go to an area that has had a disaster and set up. The people can shower while their cloths are being washed.
Many churchs offer mission trips for adults. I can,t remember the name of the organization that is non denominational that offers trips both here and overseas.
The point I'm making that the opertunity to share Christ is up to you. If we wait on our churchs we fail.
Get with your minister and get him off his fat foot.
Of cotse the real question is what are we doing in our own back yard.
Finnal coment and I'll get off my soap box.
If you have never gone on a foreign mission trip, do it. When you go to a place that not only takes you away from your home but puts you in a play that has none of the trappings of home you grow. There is nothing like the feeing you get as you start down a muddy street in a country where you can't speak the lauguage. It is a walk of faith.
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Shellon
www.loveinc.org where I interned and still volunteer. They partner with churches to meet the needs of low income.
My daughters teen church group cleans the yards of aged and/or infirm one weekend a month
I participate in the local Methodist church's organization, we fill bags with paper products, cleaning supplies and women's personal items for domestic violence survivors who are setting up in their new home.
My Eastern Star chapter cares for nursing home residents and seeks out and assists families of our soldiers.
At the local elementary school, we participate in Christmas help for local families.
That's a few things I stay involved in, there are many others.
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DogLover
Our local church, which is mostly ex-Way folk and has no name (by choice) and is not a tax-exempt organization but rather a group of people who love God, love His Word, and love each other, recently donated school supplies to a public elementary school and a private couple who homeschool a group of students who have been in trouble with the law. Each month we have decided as a group to give to an organization called Heifer International that gives folks in other countries livestock or poulty to raise to become self-sustaining. The principle of Heifer International is that when your sheep, for example, gives birth, you share the wealth with another family .. it's a neat organization who can find more about if you google it.
There's lots of ways to be involved locally ... if you are in a church or not, just decide what you want to do. The American Red Cross always needs help.
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Mark Sanguinetti
That is pretty cool Doglover. And I like your name too.
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sirguessalot
there may be dozens of bubbles to pop...so start with the one you are in...and then rest a while...but dont stop
i suggest googling "interfaith dialogue"...and add that christians talking with and working alongside NON-Christians would do more to move promote compassion in the world than just about anything else
and spend some time actually looking into and taking the perspective of buddhist philosophies of compassion, for example...and actual compassion practices involving our actual heart and actual breath ... modern protestant christians ARE NOT the only ones who represent compassion...MANY others have written and thought and taught for MILLENIA about compassion
also...google "contemplative christianity" to find out how practicing sitting in periods of silence and stillness (egads!) goes a long way to being moved with authentic compassion...every spiritual history is rich with these kinds of basic truths ... LISTENING A LOT before speaking
help revive the Christian lineage of spending more time on developing interior compassion PRIOR to trying to move in exterior forms of compassion
the world has many rich occasions of jews, catholics, christians, muslims, hindus, buddhists, celts, hopis, etc... having in-depth conversations with one another right under our noses! intermingled with the BS...religious history is rich with veins of spiritual truth...history and tradition is not the enemy if one knows how to refine gold
help end the spiritual racisms and anti-intellectualisms of modern protestantism and evangelicalism ... as well as every other -ism that is suffering from that old malady (and there are obviously plenty)
for those who are allergic to the eastern half of our planet's history...Quakers are about as traditionally American and Christian as one can get ... maybe look into what some of them have been doing in the context of deeper spiritual community dialogue practices and contemplation ... and they have been practicing for generations
pray for new tongues (no, not like TWI taught...but actual higher ways of using our actual tongues (and minds and hearts connected to them) to convey our inner selves)
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frank123lol
I give blood every 8 weeks.
I give blood every 8 weeks.
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potato
that's cool stuff, DogLover.
I don't know anything about what churches are doing, but I do some stuff with a couple of local groups working with kids and families.
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templelady
Lutheran Social Services
Catholic Social Services
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Salvation Army
Any church in Any Town, The World--whose membership has ever come together--whether cleaning houses, starting a food bank, handing out clothes to the needy etc.
It's all part of the big picture. Many of those who serve will never be known outside of their community others won't even have that much recognition.
But, there is One who marks every smile given to lighten a day, every hand across a muddy street, every sandwich and cup of soup on a cold winter''s day. That is our Heavenly Father. When we all get to stand before him on that judgement day there are, IMO, going to be a a lot of very surprised people both those who think they are dong so much, and those who feel they aren't doing enough. They all may very well find themselves proved wrong on that day.
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Kevlar2000
As one who receives blood product every 5-6 months, I thank you.
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Sunnyfla
Our church is called Community Christian Church, hence serving the community.
Several times during the year volunteers from the church goes out and serves the community in way of ..Clean up, giving food, visiting the elderly, dog therapy, and many other different things to about 50 or so places and organizations where a need may be.
It is so organized too. They usually video tape the day of service and share it with the congregation the next week. I find that those that are involved are getting so much joy and have a lot of fun as well. All ages, as well as whole families get involved together in serving others.
I've yet to experience this. I want to do this with my family, but my husband isn't ready for that. In time I know God will open his heart.
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markomalley
A food bank
Lots of scholarships for the local parish school (and many of the recipients aren't even members of our parish or even Catholic -- my daughter's best friend -- a Lutheran -- was a recipient)
Use of parish facilities for a homeless shelter during the winter (in conjunction with other ecclesiastical communities in the town)
counseling for the living victims of abortion (the local 'Project Rachel')
assistance for single mothers (the local 'Gabriel Project')
Administration of a local food distribution scheme for low income families (the Share Food Network)
Assist with operations of a local soup kitchen (part of the Elizabeth House project)...again, with other local ecclesiastical communities in the area.
If you'd like to see a synopsis of what we do at the parish level, you can click here.
If you'd like to see a synopsis of what we do at the diocesan level, you can click here.
And, of course, there are the national groups like Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, and Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
Obviously, the attitude does not quite line up with that put forth by TWI.
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Catcup
That's pretty much standard for those who are inside the belly of the beast. You only know the acid bath you live in as it erodes your sensitivities and sensibilities.
I made the decision to exit my bubble of ignorance when I made the decision to cut my way out of the guts of TWI. At that point, I knew I could just sit in darkness or begin reclaiming my life. I had to first come to terms with what had happened to me and to my family. I had to come to terms with exactly who these vermin were in TWI and exactly how evil they truly had been, exactly how badly I had been deceived and for how long, by whom, and how the deception was accomplished. I did that on WayDale, thanks to the courage of people like Paul and Fern Allen, and others like January Parker.
After piecing together what had been going on by comparing notes with others who had left, I decided to become actively involved in bringing pressure to bear upon those who had for too long oppressed the truth and destroyed countless lives with their lies. I did that with bringing out my first hand knowledge of events that took place and placing them in public domain on WayDale, and agreed to be a witness against TWI et al in the Allen lawsuit. I confronted the the twisted lies and empty logic of LCM et al with what I knew firsthand, and refused to be intimidated.
Next, I had to bring light to bear on the dark and twisted doctrines I had been led to believe. I did that by distancing myself from the doctrines I had been taught by TWI in favor of examining the opposite points of view, and by immersing myself in LEGITIMATE college studies in psychology, religion, and history, in order to bring true knowledge and tolerance to the hatred that I had been taught by TWI. I knew I could not seriously return to what I thought I knew of Christianity, since it had been so perverted by TWI. I knew that I must first, FIRST, learn TOLERANCE and COMPASSION. I have done that, like I said, by examining the opposite points of view doctrinally, and with legitimate studies, since TWI had exposed me to psuedo-science, psuedo-religion, and psuedo-education.
What I do know about what Christians are doing around the world to show compassion comes from Christian radio, especially a program called "Voice of the Martyrs." If you want to know about REAL service, where people are LITERALLY laying their lives on the line for other human beings, well, there you go.
You don't have to remain in a "bubble of ignorance." Once you have exited TWI, in fact, there IS NO EXCUSE for remaining in that bubble. However, there are many who choose to remain in the security of blind ignorance.
Don't be one of them.
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socks
Frank - "food banks".
I found the United Way to have some very good programs and org's under their umbrella to give to.
Food banks are great. I've volunteered to work at them in the past, and need to do some this year. It's a tanglble way to act on what I believe, that it's a crime that anyone should go hungry in the world we live in. People need help, everyone eats. Anyone can load a truck or box stuff up.
We like to look for opportunities in the community and church to give to, stuff we find, here and there. My wife's on the board of an organization that helps women start businesses. I'm very proud of her and what she's contributed.
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