Hahahahahahahahahahahah One of the shows my husband and I refused to let our daughter watch is Caillou! I agree with the "punch him in the face" and how much he whines!! Ugh!!

Coming from a family where they washed your mouth out with soap if you used one of "those words" you'd think I wouldn't cuss now as an adult? Wrong! I honestly can't help it. It's like all those years of deprivation caught up with me and I can't help myself. I knew I was going to hell when my daughter was 3 and she repeated whatever I said. :D There's nothing like trying to explain to her that she shouldn't be saying those words, despite what mommy and daddy are using. lol

What's funny is when your married to a minister and the people come to the door with their tracts and try to "save" you. In all honesty I can't break their bubble, I just take it and smile and say thank you as I close the door on them. lol

HAHAHAhahahahahahahahaaha awesome!

I have to say I was discouraged upon reading your response to the Message, even to the point of not coming back to this site anymore. For so many of us the Message puts the Bible in a words that we understand, without the thee's, thou's and therefore's of the KJV or even some of the NIV. I recently read the Beatitudes in the Message and for once I could identify with it... here is what the NIV says for Matthew 5:3-5: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth

Here is how the Message interprets the same passage:
3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

I personally can perceive Jesus speaking in a way that is similar to the Message, more so than I can the NIV or any other one out there.

There is never going to be a general consensus of whether or not the Message is adequate or not, but I agree with what someone wrote earlier... as each new Bible interpretation has been introduced, there have been many and will always be many who don't like the new kid on the block.

My brother left a Baptist church he was visiting in Boiling Springs, NC because someone asked them to move from "so and so's seat." My husband almost got in a knock down drag out fight because someone had the nerve to move our things, when I was in the choir and he was out greeting (he was the youth minister), simply because they had sat there for millions of years. Their behinds were imprinted on the pews. I would like to say we never went back, but we had to because he worked there. When we left there eventually, it was with a spring in our step.

We had a few people who actually tried to go off in another room and try and sleep. Big mistake. BIG mistake!

Republican or Democrat?