CHRISTMAS TREE

[JohnDB]

I made this about forty years ago for my little son and it's still in use today.
View attachment 12194

These are the real treasures in the world. The stuff worth fighting over at Estate resolutions.
The jewelry and money are way too impersonal IMHO.

 

[farouk]

We were extremely young in the Lord and had it been up to my wife alone we would have been gone from there long before it finally came. The pastor wanted us there because we were paying tithes and at the time I had one of the higher secular salaries in the church, which was more money in his pocket. When my very strong [not physically] and sometimes harsh mouthed wife [softened a lot over the years since then], opened her mouth to criticize him once too often to his liking, he chose to talk to me alone. [He was never able to stand up to my wife.] He thought I was a soft touch and offered to help me divorce my wife and go with me to court to obtain custody of our two children. He wanted me and the children without my wife. That of course would have been the end already as he certainly did not know me very well at all. I did not hit him, but I let him know I was quite displeased with his offer.

Our marriage had been saved along with our souls together through the miraculous intervention of God. [Now 48 years!] We knew little at that point from the Bible, but we knew that no man was going to cause a division in our marriage. We planned to allow our children to finish the school year and I needed a job transfer. My wife, in her mood for that one, might have literally killed the man if I had been unable to restrained her when I described the offer to her. She left him alone, avoiding him as much as possible only bad mouthed him after that to me as we dug in our heels to wait for the end the school year and then the tree thing came up. Our children did not finish the school year and I got my job transfer sooner rather than later.

Give God the glory!

What a wicked thing to do, because he wanted your money he wanted you to divorce your wife....

What a state some churches have gotten themselves into....

 

[farouk]

We were extremely young in the Lord and had it been up to my wife alone we would have been gone from there long before it finally came. The pastor wanted us there because we were paying tithes and at the time I had one of the higher secular salaries in the church, which was more money in his pocket. When my very strong [not physically] and sometimes harsh mouthed wife [softened a lot over the years since then], opened her mouth to criticize him once too often to his liking, he chose to talk to me alone. [He was never able to stand up to my wife.] He thought I was a soft touch and offered to help me divorce my wife and go with me to court to obtain custody of our two children. He wanted me and the children without my wife. That of course would have been the end already as he certainly did not know me very well at all. I did not hit him, but I let him know I was quite displeased with his offer.

Our marriage had been saved along with our souls together through the miraculous intervention of God. [Now 48 years!] We knew little at that point from the Bible, but we knew that no man was going to cause a division in our marriage. We planned to allow our children to finish the school year and I needed a job transfer. My wife, in her mood for that one, might have literally killed the man if I had been unable to restrained her when I described the offer to her. She left him alone, avoiding him as much as possible only bad mouthed him after that to me as we dug in our heels to wait for the end the school year and then the tree thing came up. Our children did not finish the school year and I got my job transfer sooner rather than later.

Give God the glory!

@amadeus
I do believe that if New Testament believers want to give a tenth or even more than a tenth of their income it is commendable, but the strict law obligation to give the tithe to Levites belongs to the Old Testament.

How this is abused by some people in churches, who twist the Scriptures to their own ends!

 

[farouk]

PS: What sort of "piety" is it to enforce tithes and simultaneously coerce a husband to divorce his wife, in order to get more money..... This should be called Babylon rather than the church of God (1 Corinthians 10.32).

 

[April_Rose]

Everybody round to farouk's.

Lol even if I could I couldn't because of Covid remember?

I like our nativity scene and am cool with that, but the boss wanted a tree, so I eventually gave in through the years. As long as folks don't start singing to it I can tolerate it.

Maybe not to it but I don't see any harm in singing around it though.

 

[amadeus]

@amadeus
I do believe that if New Testament believers want to give a tenth or even more than a tenth of their income it is commendable, but the strict law obligation to give the tithe to Levites belongs to the Old Testament.

How this is abused by some people in churches, who twist the Scriptures to their own ends!

The family who won us to the Lord served God more closely than any other I can recall over all the years we have served God. They did not live close to us at the time so we did not attend their assembly. They looked up a church that had beliefs similar to their own and even went with us to the first service to introduce us. They were a beautiful black family and that church to which they took us had a very serious prejudice problem centered in the pastor. The dear brother still lives in California and we stay in touch. He really regretted starting us in a place like that... but as Joseph said to his brothers who sold him into slavery, God meant it for good. We learned a whole lot from that place. One thing I learned was to read a Bible. At age 32 I read a Bible for the first time in my life. In spite of the short comings of the pastor, there were a few good people there that I will never forget.

Give God the glory!

 

[Truther]

Lol even if I could I couldn't because of Covid remember?









Maybe not to it but I don't see any harm in singing around it though.

Well, singing directly to it..."oh Christmas tree..."...is kinda creepy.

 

[April_Rose]

Well, singing directly to it..."oh Christmas tree..."...is kinda creepy.

Sounds more silly to me.

 

[amadeus]

@amadeus
I do believe that if New Testament believers want to give a tenth or even more than a tenth of their income it is commendable, but the strict law obligation to give the tithe to Levites belongs to the Old Testament.

How this is abused by some people in churches, who twist the Scriptures to their own ends!

Maybe at some point in his past the man may have truly been a man of God, but looking back now I am unable to to see it. In the beginning I was quite blind. Fortunately for us God was leading us even back then. Some of his lessons taught over the pulpit were not bad, but his example lived was very poor. I believe that that they really drove away most of the few visitors they had. Our old friends in the Lord would visit us in service very seldom because of what they saw and felt. It was all to obvious but my brother in that family would never directly by name criticize that pastor. He believed sincerely in not touching God's anointed.

 

[Pearl]

Lol even if I could I couldn't because of Covid remember?

In an ideal world . . .

 

[April_Rose]

In an ideal world . . .

Lol sounds like the beginning of a movie trailer. XD

 

[quietthinker]

what about the star on top?

not certain but I think that was a christian addition

out of interest....the may pole with its ribbons and the girls twirling around it is also from fertility festivals......you can join the dots.

 

[quietthinker]

I wouldn't use that book to line my bird cage . . .

Maybe YOU shouold read Ralph Woodrow's book, "The Babylon Connection" - which completely debunks ALL of Hislop's manure and shoddy "historical" research. In short - Hislop simply made up most of what he wrote in his book - to the shock and dismay of his biggest former fan, Woodrow, who is an Evangelical minister.

As for the Christmas Tree - anybody who believes thi to be a present-day "pagan" symbol is just looking for controversy where there is NONE . . .

yes, I know you wouldn't use 'The Two Babylons' book BoL.....could it be because it exposes the origins of Rome's practices and nails the grubby connection with paganism?

 

[farouk]

In an ideal world . . .

@Pearl Oh, the ideal....

 

[Pearl]

@Pearl Oh, the ideal....

But won't be until we meet in heaven.

 

[farouk]

But won't be until we meet in heaven.

@Pearl I do love those verses: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4.17-18)

 

[April_Rose]

But won't be until we meet in heaven.

Or I meet this hot stud. Whichever comes first.

 

[April_Rose]

Ahhh,.. now that would be Heaven on earth.

 

[Nancy]

We were extremely young in the Lord and had it been up to my wife alone we would have been gone from there long before it finally came. The pastor wanted us there because we were paying tithes and at the time I had one of the higher secular salaries in the church, which was more money in his pocket. When my very strong [not physically] and sometimes harsh mouthed wife [softened a lot over the years since then], opened her mouth to criticize him once too often to his liking, he chose to talk to me alone. [He was never able to stand up to my wife.] He thought I was a soft touch and offered to help me divorce my wife and go with me to court to obtain custody of our two children. He wanted me and the children without my wife. That of course would have been the end already as he certainly did not know me very well at all. I did not hit him, but I let him know I was quite displeased with his offer.

Our marriage had been saved along with our souls together through the miraculous intervention of God. [Now 48 years!] We knew little at that point from the Bible, but we knew that no man was going to cause a division in our marriage. We planned to allow our children to finish the school year and I needed a job transfer. My wife, in her mood for that one, might have literally killed the man if I had been unable to restrained her when I described the offer to her. She left him alone, avoiding him as much as possible only bad mouthed him after that to me as we dug in our heels to wait for the end the school year and then the tree thing came up. Our children did not finish the school year and I got my job transfer sooner rather than later.

Give God the glory!

Wow. A "pastor" encouraging divorce?!! So glad God got you out of there! Shameful and prideful, that "pastor"

 

[April_Rose]

Much too moody and broody for my liking although I have to admit he is very good looking. I prefer kindness and humour.

Sorry,.. I'm just into one of those moods,.. but yeah he's probably way too young for you though LOL but for me,.. (This is normal for me though, ask @JohnDB about it he knows all about it. )