Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evoloving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
Ask and you shall receive
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,” II Corinthians 3:5 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/2co.3.5.NKJV
I could go into a long drawn out story, but I’m not going to. I had an issue today I had to deal with, it was very frustrating, and the more I wanted to control it and make it happen and solve the problem which was necessary, the more frustrated, angry, and bitter I became. It wasn’t until I finally gave up, and just gave it to the Lord that everything smoothed over. It’s exhausting trying to do everything ourselves, when we can just rely on the Lord for so many things.
I’m not saying we’re supposed to sit back and ask God to fix our problems, I’m just saying that sometimes problems that we carry, or things we can give to Him!
That versus above was a memory verse when I was in Hawaii. More and more during this trip, and returning home I am seeing how it’s all Christ. ALL Christ in me.
Edit: continue to pray for your friends, God’s word will not return void. His word says if you train up a child in the way, they should go, when they are all they will not depart from it. I’m counting on that for my daughter as well. Let’s stand in the gap for them now, and in agreement that they will return to the Lord. In his time.
Thanks, fren. I haven't been able to raise my daughter in church because I live in Japan and finding a decent church is extremely difficult, especially in the small city I live in. I would read her the Picture Bible every night before bed, but now that she is a stressed-out junior high student, she is losing sight of God. She is questioning herself now. When I was her age, I was a bit of an existentialist, so I am not yet worried about her. Then again, I always went to church as a kid. For her now, I try to tell her about God. I think she is getting indirect pressure from school to not be Christian because anything that makes her stand out she resents as it is. I try to teach her what I can about God, but now she is going through a phase where she acts like she hates me half the time. My wife insists that it's just a phase. I keep praying for her every day.
Well, the best thing you can do is be an example of Christ. Read your Bible every day, one psalm, and one proverb. Do it in the kitchen with your wife or the living room. Invite her to join you, but if she doesn’t, at least she sees that you’re making an example. My brothers lived in Japan for 30 years. To be quite honest, she’s probably in a better place right now. The USA is no longer a free country. Praying for you and your family.