Author	Thread: Disappointed - Learning from Mistakes
stegoodie View Profile History	Disappointed - Learning from Mistakes Posted : 12 Jun, 2011 10:39 PM Over the last two days I've read a firestorm of comments between a few people here that began with something small and spiraled out of control. Of those people involved, it seems no one thought to step back and see the folly of what they were doing. The end result is that one has now been banned, a few more have had their reputations tarnished on this site, and others are hurt by flippant comments. If you don't believe me that others were hurt by comments, I am a prime example. There was a comment made about people with a spoiled prince attitude who can't even change their own oil. That touches a very tender nerve with me. I commented to my uncle just this evening that I feel like I lack real life skills that a man needs to know such as changing ones oil. Shoot, I feel like if I am to be married at some point in this life, I'm expected to know how to fix stuff and my best answer will be to duct tape it and call someone. I can do a lot of things but this comment sure feels like a jab at a weakness of mine. Long story short, I feel disappointed in the people who carried this conversation on. I understand some of those involved have reconciled their differences. This is good. However, I think we can all learn from this experience by examining scripture. James 3 says: Taming the Tongue 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one�s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God�s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Two Kinds of Wisdom 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such �wisdom� does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. If nothing else, we need to take from this that what we say can have very powerful effects either for good or bad. As such, when we speak, what we say must sow exactly the things listed in verse 17. If it does not and we refuse to see our folly when it is pointed out to us, we give Satan a foothold to part us from each other and make us worse off than we were before. I think Luke 11:17-26 in some ways points this out: 17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: �Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 �When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder. 23 �Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 24 �When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, �I will return to the house I left.� 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.� In conclusion, I want to implore everyone who posts regularly on these forums to do so with civility, patience, and wisdom. We are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes we may have differing opinions, but if we cannot treat each other as Christ demonstrated to us how much is our witness affected? Good night and I look forward to further conversation with everyone soon.
Ivory_Guitar View Profile History	Disappointed - Learning from Mistakes Posted : 13 Jun, 2011 01:40 PM So much judging from both sides... What has happened has already happened and we can't change that now.
View Profile History	Disappointed - Learning from Mistakes Posted : 13 Jun, 2011 01:52 PM Chevy is a good guy. A really good guy. Stop with all the insults, please.
View Profile History	Disappointed - Learning from Mistakes Posted : 13 Jun, 2011 02:05 PM Ok, I've tried not to get involved, but I'm getting tired of seeing all of the fighting on here. I know we are all entitled to our own opinions on different subjects, but we should be expressing them in a respectful manner, not verbally attacking one another. I am not saying this to be a self-righteous, holier-than-thou Christian. I'm a sinful, mistake-prone human being like everyone else. But I feel like recent threads and posts have stated things that are not God-honoring, and as Christians, we need to abstain as much as possible from such statements and comments. I think the attacks on Pixy have been unfounded. How many of you can honestly say that you don't have any baggage in your life? All she does by talking about her past is try give some help to others who may be struggling with similar issues. If you had been posting about your personal struggles, and someone decided to make light of it, wouldn't you be offended by that? As for Two, I will miss him and his contributions to the forums, but there is little we can do about it unless the Admin decides to unban him. But just because someone we like is banned does not give us any reason to bash the Admin. Bashing them isn't going to help matters (or your own standing with them). They are only doing what they feel they need to do. If any of you are going to come after me now for saying all of this, fine. But everyone should seriously consider stepping away for a little bit, taking a deep breath, and thinking about how they've gone about adding their piece to this whole situation.
View Profile History	Disappointed - Learning from Mistakes Posted : 13 Jun, 2011 02:10 PM Thank you, Rachel. If insults ARE NOT TOLERATED why hasn't man42 been banned ? Oh, wait, I know why. Because the admn. hasn't been bombarded by abuse reports on him. I wonder if pixy will report him?
IaoKim View Profile History	Disappointed - Learning from Mistakes Posted : 13 Jun, 2011 03:01 PM I think Kaynine23's reflects most of my thoughts on this matter. I will only add this scripture passage on forgiveness . . . Matthew 18:32-35 ESV Then his master summoned him and said to him, �You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?� And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.� This verse applies to me as much as it applies to anyone else. As Christians we are like the servant in the above parable who have been forgiven of a great debt (our sin) by Christ. And when we refuse to forgive our fellow servants Christ becomes angry with a righteous anger against us. Did the servant who refused to forgive have every right to have the debt repaid to him in full? Yes! Still as this illustration shows forgiveness is not about who is in the right or who is in the wrong. It is about forgiving others of all the little (in comparison to the vast debt Christ has forgiven us) wrongs done to us just as Christ has forgiven us of our many, many wrongs all of which have made us deserving of death and eternal separation from God! I encourage all of the parties involved to stop arguing about who was in the right and about who was in the wrong. Forgive each other as Christ forgave you! Because while we were yet sinners Christ forgave us!
riveroflife1 View Profile History	Disappointed - Learning from Mistakes Posted : 13 Jun, 2011 03:55 PM Your right stegoodie..it's been out of hand for awhile. thank you for stepping up...we need to learn to "agree to disagree" without insulting and/or attacking. It's been like a gang on the other forums...if they dont agree with you, you get called crazy things and accused of even crazier things and they want you off the site. (not the admin, the posters)and they all "gang" up on you. you cant reply with scripture because they insult you again and tell you that you need to "submit to the Godly man" ?????
View Profile History	Disappointed - Learning from Mistakes Posted : 13 Jun, 2011 04:12 PM ?????????

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