If the storm were north up to you, we wouldn't have suffered what we have. Our region and nation will suffer greatly if we continue to forsake God. Canada will be judged as much as our nation will be judged. You'll see more happen if we do not change. Humble yourselves in your hearts and seek Him in truth. Forsake your sin and come to Christ to heal you; it is very well worth it.

This winter storm was not a coincidence. Repent or much worse will be brought on us.

Parents weren't given the judgment to kill their children, nor the right. The children were rebellious, and were defiling Israel, whom God made a covenant with that they would be holy, an example to all nations.
But if I told you "God is love", you would say "Far from it!". B5C (I'd call you by your name if I knew it), God's mercy, His love, His grace, kindness, gentleness, power, holiness, everything about Him, is full and perfect, but you won't see it until you humble your heart and truly see how you live and have lived compared to God's standard, even if you don't believe in Him. God does not seek your destruction, He doesn't stand over you waiting to hurt you when you do wrong. He does not put many books on our head and say "If even one book falls, you will die." But if we are without Christ, we simply can't be forgiven like we forgive. He is the judge of life. He rightfully determines the destination of the soul. I used to live pridefully, arrogant in my heart. If you and I came together a few years ago I'd be saying things to you I would regret because I was a hypocrite and would have spoken to you harshly, for the sake of puffing my pride. But I realized who I truly was in light of Christ, that I was nothing like Him, seeing my arrogance and pride and all that I have truly been to a holy God, and God's Spirit was poured out on me and I wept greatly, feeling such a powerful love filled with mercy and forgiveness even though I was living very un-Christ like. I was humbled and I truly saw who I was. This is what you and all would need to do if you want to know His love. Humble yourself first. If there was something in your life that turned you from anything to do with Christ, see whether it was Him or you. Maybe something happened to you, but make sure you know the true living Christ isn't who you turned from. I cursed at God when my dad died, but when my eyes were opened and His Spirit came upon me I realized who it is that I cursed, and again, I wept, being filled with His love and forgiveness. I don't say this figuratively, but literally, His Holy Spirit, whom He promises to send to those who truly believe on Him, filled me. The presence is real, not my imagination. Not even my dad's death made me weep as hard as I did to God, because He was truly there. He melted my heart of wax and gave me a new one. This is true repentance, not just saying it. This is the process of being born again, receiving a new heart. I used to know ABOUT Him, but now I know Him personally. He is the living God, who judges unrighteousness and gives justice to the poor and oppressed. He makes the rain come over the wicked and the righteous. I testify to His goodness, not because I know about it, but because I now know it. He is the way, truth and life.

Peace of Christ to you. -Kevin

There has always been one version. The word of God. You can search and seek out all the things which men, who's agenda is to destroy the name of God in the first place, have professed to have 'exposed' the Bible, but since the very first manuscript was written, God has preserved it, and no man, as dedicated to the end of God as they've been, has yet to destroy it. God speaks plainly and truthfully to those who are humble in heart. To those who are proud, He speaks horrible things. Many have tried to twist the scriptures to say "See, God is not who He says He is!", but the defilement comes from those who are already themselves defiled. They say "you make the scriptures sound how you want it", but hypocrites, you do the very thing you speak against. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

B5C,
I remember you saying you were raised in a Lutheran church, if I'm correct. I grew up in the Lutheran church too. I went to Sunday school, which consisted of reading some Bible scripture aloud, taking turns, then treats at the end. I spent the whole time there waiting for the treats. Afterward we went to the worship hall and went through the process, repeating pre-written words from a booklet (which included us saying "We're sorry" basically) to follow along the whole service, and when the pastor began the sermon, my cousin and I would play hangman on the envelopes until the service came to a close. We ate the tasty bread and white grape juice when that time came, wanting to go back for more.
I grew up this way, and I kept my belief in God but made it up as I went. When I was older and attended that church I went through the motions, feeling that if I simply went to church the burden would be lifted from my heart for all my sin.
Ultimately I found out that no babies were ever baptized in the Bible, and there was no sprinkling baptism. So I realized that this church wasn't very scriptural. Strangely enough in my heart I wanted to be saved, however it is done. I came to be simply baptized under water as the scripture states, and since then my whole life has undergone a major change. Even that night I was baptized, I felt very different than before. My conscience was free, my heart felt new, there was just this new peace over me. I didn't change how I thought or looked at things in a different light regarding God, but this new thing was done in me. For the first time I wanted to stop sinning and stay forgiven.

Since then (Sep 2009), I've wept in repentance to God until I couldn't breath (His presence was very overwhelming), walked in the faith given by God, not attained on my own. No longer is it a blind faith, but a real faith. I have felt Him, have heard Him, have seen His hand at work. He's there. It's not just saying "Well I believe He's there anyway..."; He is surely most certainly and definitely there. He is holy and righteous, and full of mercy and love. His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. He gave me a new heart, a new life, new everything! He is my King, and for Him I give my whole life unto death. How could I be willing to do such a thing in a blind faith? But God is alive. He is very real, and His word is true. He is full of mercy.

B5C, I realize the condition of the church in America. You grew up in part of it, and I did too. They have forsaken the true God for a god of their own image. This turns many into unbelievers, and I see how. But please understand, that many many professing Christians and churches today do not know the true God. They have not been born from above. They have not undergone that transformation from the old life to the new in Christ. They don't have a relationship with Him. The scholars and theologians who are expected to be very knowledgeable of God, have nothing. They teach empty and lifeless words. The Bible is not something to be deciphered and interpreted to a pulp. It is the simple word of God. Don't let those who taught you have the final say. Ask God for the truth and not what others teach that it says. If you really want to know it, He will open your eyes in a way you didn't expect. I'm not of a denomination, or a group, but I am a simple, lowly, humble in heart, Christian. Just a Christian. Not a Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, but a Christian, who loves Christ more than his own life.
I don't know whether or not you will consider my testimony, but just know that God loves you, and wants you to know HIM, not the American god or any other strange god, but the God who made heaven and earth.

I've been writing this for a little while, so if you posted something while I was writing this, this isn't response to it...just fyi; also, I'm not thumbing you down for anything, so you know it isn't me if someone does. I don't touch the buttons. And also, yes I am long winded, for those who take note of this =).

Realize what they were doing; they knew what they were saying, who they were saying it to, and why they were saying it. They were not guiltless. They had no fear of God to ridicule one of His prophets. If a young child speaks very disrespectfully to his/her elder, and has no remorse, what would the parent of that child do? A righteous parent would use the rod to correct the child, and would make right from wrong clear. An unrighteous parent would say "children will be children". You are likely aware of our nation's children, right? You know the disrespect shown and the haughty disobedience. God very much loves children, but anyone who sins is in danger of judgment, not because God wants it, but because He must punish all wrong. A child who sins is as guilty as the man who sins. Children who have yet to become accountable are whom we are to be like. Christ uses them as an example, that we ought to become like little children, pure, innocent, wise as serpents, harmless as doves. The kingdom of heaven belongs to such. Not those who trample His blood constantly and say "I'm a Christ follower!"

They were repeating the lies and insults of their parents. "Go up" is reference to Elisha's mentor Elijah's disappearance into the heavens. So the children were saying, if you are a true prophet why don't you go up like Elijah. The killing of the children was an act of wrath onto the wicked people of that area. Don't insult or condemn God's prophets, and don't let your children do it either.

Why do you seek to distort the scriptures to justify your unbelief? Humble yourselves and call on Him. Ask Him if He is alive. If you come to Him broken and contrite, you will find Him. He is very much alive.

The righteousness of God is gone among those who call themselves Christians today. He is no longer what He has always been, but has been made into a vending machine of blessings, the go to guy to prosper us, doing our bidding and conforming to our image of who WE think He should be. Because of false prophets and false teachers His name is blasphemed by those who don't know Him because they believe those men and women who teach a strange gospel than the one of Christ. They teach that "God is love, that's all you need to know." They say "He accepts everyone; remain as you are. You can do what you want and it will be forgiven, but those people who are murderers and rapists, whom we hate, will surely perish; the prostitutes and scribes will enter the kingdom of heaven before today's Christians do. How can you say "I know God" but you live for the devil? You would be even more condemned then, since you knew God and yet lived in rebellion to Him.
The unbelievers even see the hypocrisy and lying ways of today's Christians. They cannot match up the "God is love" worship today and yet they see in the Bible it says that there is a lake of fire for those who choose to reject God. If they truly knew the fulness of God's love, in truth as it is, they would see.

I don't say this to offend (although likely it will), but look; God is full of logic and reason. His word testifies to righteousness and holiness. It testifies to justice, and mercy. You can't say you're a Christian and live like the world. You can't say you're a man and yet be a woman. You either are or you aren't. Christian means "little Christ". We are called to live a life of holiness, of righteousness, and full of God's love. We are to be conformed to the very image of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:15; For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
If we don't live as Christ, then we annul this scripture, and much of the Bible.

Mr. Osteen has a great smile, but he is far from serving God. Christ never spoke of a prosperous life as His follower, but the opposite; He tells us the world will hate us because it hates Him (Matthew 24:9, John 17:14, John 15:20). Many who are first (high up in the world, being served, living luxuriously etc.) will be last (servants of all, the meek and lowly, poor, humbling themselves before all), and the last will be first (Mark 10:31). It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Mark 10:25). Those who love their life will lose it and those who hate their life will keep it for eternal life (John 12:25).

Friends, God has a standard. He will not lower it for us; far be it for Him to do so. If you want to truly follow Christ, humble yourself, and seek Him in truth. Sin is a passing pleasure, which leads to nothing but death. A life full of the Holy Spirit and the pureness and humility God changes you into, seeking righteousness and hating sin, is a life bearing fruit of truth and love, of perfect peace and real joy. We were made to walk with our God. We were made to be His own children, to fellowship with Him in truth and the perfect love, which has no sin. There is nothing that is able to top His presence. His presence is holy, unstained by sin. It is the presence that every man and woman who has lived will bow their knee to, not out of force, but because they cannot bear to stand in front of a holy God. Seek Him in truth now before it is too late. 2012 will bring great distress on this nation and the world.

Not once have you ever read it with the eyes of a child. When you do, you will certainly weep.

If you take the Bible out of context, you will surely find contradictions. If you read it as it is meant to be read, with the eyes of a child, then you will see and you will weep.