| Author | Message | ||
| Gatororeo7 (Gatororeo7) |
I am posting this as a request from my wife, Sara. Last night she asked me if I could post on here asking for advice about how to go about breaking the news to her family about her not being SDA anymore. For those of you who may be new and don't know the situation, Sara was living in Port St. Lucie, FL with her mother for a number of years as a teenager before her father moved her to California to sort of start over. While there, her stepmother, Gloria, intorduced her to Christ through the SDA Church. Sara was there for about three years before she and I met and following her high school graduation, she moved back to Florida and we got together and eventually got married. During our engagement and the first few months of our marriage, we got into several discussions about Adventism and its errors and over time, the Holy Spirit really worked on her and led her out of that system. She has been free since September. She's deathly afraid of telling Gloria because of the backlash she knows will come as a result. Now I know many of you have gone through the same sort of things. I also know that there is several other threads that deal with this very issue. I've shared what I've learned from here with her, but sometimes it's better to hear from the source. Personally, I think she would feel better or more comfortable with a personal correspondence. What i'm requesting is that if any of you have any suggestions or personal testimonies about this issue, to please contact Sara directly. Email: princesslondon83@hotmail.com AIM: princesslondon83 Thank you so much for listening and for your prayers. God bless. Joel London | ||
| Steve (Steve) |
Joel, I would suggest asking her about the e-mail she receives. Posting her address in a public place may result in some e-mail that she may not want to receive. "Advice" that may not be from those with friendly intentions. Steve | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
I second that! I have personally experienced unwanted email's from posting my private email here on this forum. There are people who scan this site and if you post your feelings on certain subjects you can expect a private email "rebuking in Christ". So please just stick to posting anonymously on here, that way you can avoid unknown people using your private email. | ||
| Susan_2 (Susan_2) |
It sure is sad that as Christians so many of our SDA families are totally aghast that we are not SDA. I sure hope your wife's mother says to her, "Oh, honey, I'm so happy you are incolved with a group of Christians that you can learn with and fellowship with." However, as a SDA mother I doubt that will happen. Just last week I once again caught my mothers wrath because I have turned away from the truth. Never mind that I have met some wonderful people in the congreation where I now attend and that I have truly been enjoying Bible studies and I enjoy going to church and the fellowship with the folks over at St. John's, I have been told more than once that it would be better to attend no church at all than attend a church on Sunday. And, that seems so totally stupid to me because the very same SDA's who tell me this are just glued to their t.v.'s on Sunday mornings watching church. They won't go in a church on Sundays but they will bring the church into their homes. It truly is wearing me down emotionally having to deal with my SDA kin on this issue. And, the more they press it the more I am convinced of the cultic mind control that the SDA church holds over these people. I bought a lovely book recently at the Christian bookstore that is written by Billy ghrahams daughter. I asked my mom if she wanted to read it. She promptly told me that she will not read anything religious that is written by someone who is not a Sabbath-keeper. It just goes on and on and on, like the Energiser Bunny. | ||
| Freeatlast (Freeatlast) |
Sounds familiar to me, Susan2. Not long ago, I sent my family some material from Billy Graham because I thought it was simply a good article pertaining to a family struggle we are involved in. I received a polite thank you with the following caveat: "you know he doesn't believe in the truth of the seventh-day sabbath or the state of the dead, among other things. You however know the truth and the truth will set you free, son, come out of Babylon." I wanted to barf. It certainly does keep going and going and going... | ||
| Colleentinker (Colleentinker) |
Freeatlast and Susan, I am so sorry. If it weren't for the cross, none of these wounds would make sense. Praise God that he gives us peace and joy that the world cannot understand, and that he fills us up in the places left empty when our friends and family don't seem to want to understand. With prayers for you both, Colleen | ||
| Sabra (Sabra) |
I got one for you. My mom asked me (more than once) if I wanted to go on a mission trip with her to build churches. I was polite, used kids as excuse, whatever, she asked again a while ago and I told her "I don't guess I better go build any SDA churches" She hasn't spoken to me since. Well, there are just more rewards for us when we get HOME!!  | ||
| Steve (Steve) |
After reading of some of your experiences, I'm starting to feel a little better about my "family" experience. Although I've lost any real connection with my ex-wife and her family (they were all praising their god when I accepted the "truth" of the SDA church in '84 & was baptized in '85.) My children and I see each other two to four times a week and we have a great relationship. Once I expressed that I couldn't believe the teachings anymore, her family just couldn't seem to deal with it. They're from an extremely conservative background and a different culture. HOWEVER, my family (parents, brothers and sisters, grandmother just before she died) were VERY HAPPY that I left SDA. I no longer bug them about food they offer me, nor do I have to make waves about ANYTHING, especially going to church on Saturday. Although I lost my spouse due to her inability to deal with a "sunday keeper" (which I am not) I have gained so much more. She wasn't even willing to allow me to attend a church of my choice on Sunday while still attending Sabbath School and SDA church with them on Saturday. It was Sabbath only, nothing else in her household. But that will be 3 years in August. God bless those of you who are still struggling/dealing with the various family issues. The specifics of each persons struggles are different, but the outcome will always be strength and a greater trust in the Lord. Steve | ||
| Janice (Janice) |
Steve, It has been a year since my sister has spoken to me. After many long emails and tons of SDA books, she called a truce of sorts (if being disowned is a truce, that is)by leaving an answering machine message to say that she would NEVER try to communicate with me again. Seems "I" am always twisting everything she says around. Seems like she didn't want to hear what the Bible says in I Samuel about what rebellion and stubbornness were character traits of either. We are both blunt but she was very cruel when she stated that I needed professional counseling to help me deal with my problem, gee, I thought it was heartfelt concern and genuine fear for her eternal security! She wrote to tell me too that my concern for her and mother was "duly noted" and she even wrote this cute little remark on pretty pink paper with a scroll as a watermark in the background, it looked suspiciously like a "Ten Commandment" parchment. God wants us to be humble, and I personally don't want to feel the hand of God knock that chip of pride & arrogance off of my shoulders, and I don't want it for my SDA family members either, but I can sleep at night knowing that I tried to present the gospel. My heart aches for the natural/carnal man that can't understand the truth of God, the fact is you MUST have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you, but I have God's word on it that I will receive my REWARDS for my efforts in presenting the gospel to all of them. Some may choose to hurt me with ugly names such as "self-appointed prophet" but what they don't realize is that they are really giving me a compliment because God tells us that as his children we are also his ambassadors and he says too that we are to work hard at our vocation/job, so, when someone calls me a prophet, I say "I'm just trying to do my job." As far as saying I am false though, you would think that they could try my spirit like the word says and PROVE me wrong in the very same way that we have ALL proven Ms. EG White to be in the many things that she has written. I even took this verse, found in Matthew--18:19, and sent it to some prayer warrior friends of mine in an email to ask them to be in agreement that God would get rid of my thorn in the flesh. ìAgain I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heavenî and sent this pest a copy of the letter, and this man actually took the addresses from my email and sent them all a reply and said that "I" was trying to put a "HEX" on him and dared me to try and get rid of him, this man has no fear of God whatsoever, and now that he can't get through to harass me, he is now sending those that prayed for us emails galore, and is even resorting to calling me a "liar" with some of the things I stated in the letter, and it makes me want to sing that popular country song "What Part of NO Don't You Understand?" to try to make him see that NOBODY wants to hear it and all have told him so, but he insists that he will continue until God stops him. I am sorry if anyone takes any of this as gossip, but this is pride and arrogance taken to its shameful limits and beyond, and we need to be praying for him, amen? IF that sounds like I am trying to make all of you ìfeel sorryî for me then I am sorry for that as well. I certainly think that my brothers and sisters in Christ would pray for me but I am not trying to have a pity party, but rather, I am praising God in the middle of it all. I may have had an initial pang of guilt for being blunt and tactless but am no longer feeling remorseful in the least. I make no apologies for expounding on Godís word, and I certainly am under NO Holy Ghost conviction to repent of anything that I said or did. I only apologize for the way that I may have been perceived when asking for prayer or when voicing my frustrations over my situation. God is mighty and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. I am reading and studying my Bible every day and my soul is being fed so much, but I canít seem to get full, amen? I will end this post by praising God for what I found in my study on the book of Romans today. I was listening to ìFocus On The Familyî last week, and a woman mentioned Romans 8:28 and how it was her lifeline to reality, but she noticed this verse after that, V.29 says that God will conform us to the "image of his son" and when I realized that Jesus was despised and REJECTED of men and also that the "religious" crowd was always out to discredit him and/or silence him in "whatever way possible", praise God, when the Holy Spirit let me hear those words and meditate over the implications, I now realize that the more I try to imitate Jesus, the more I can expect the very same kind of treatment. Just remember that we are to count it all joy when we are mistreated by those who we are trying to help but it should make you all feel better to read Ezekiel 33 and realize that when you've done your part, then you are "free" and their blood will not be on your hands. Keeping on for Jesus, Janice | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
Janice, if you have asked him to not emial you and he keeps it up you need to contact your internet provider, that is harassment. | ||
| Colleentinker (Colleentinker) |
Janice, I still advise you simply to ignore and resist mentioning any unwanted emails. Pray for God to protect you and to guard your heart, and pray for God to deal with your object of frustration with his love and justice. No one can undo God's work. Your identity is secure in Jesus, and Jesus is now responsible for who you are and who you are becoming. Let Jesus take the load of your frustration and carry it for you. It's too big for you; you cannot solve it, and neither can any other human. Jesus wants to give peace to your heart, and he asks you to let him take your burden. Let it go to Him, and trust that He will deal with things according to His sovereign wisdom. Let Jesus reassure you that you are safe in Him regardless of what others say. I continue to pray for you and for this situation! Colleen | ||
| Sabra (Sabra) |
It's stalking and if he keeps it up I say we call the police. Normal people do not act like this. | ||
| Sabra (Sabra) |
Joel, I'm sorry I didn't answer your wife, I couldn't think of exactly what to say. I just told them and they gasped for air--for going on 2 years now. We just have to let them know we are grown-ups now and we love them. They will get over the initial shock in say....their lifetime, at some point, well, as my husband says: they will get over it or die from it one. :X :0 Let us know how it goes. | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
Wal-Mart Opportunity: A friend sent me this, I don't know what to do with it? Please pray that Wal-Mart will sign a contract to carry the Conflict of the Ages Series in their 2,200 stores. Thank you and God bless you. Remnant Publications is a non-profit, Seventh-day Adventist supporting ministry located in Coldwater, MI. The ministry was organized in 1986 and has been serving the Christian and secular marketplace for over 12 years. We are members of ASI and the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA). The main emphasis of our ministry is publishing. We own and operate a state of the art publishing facility that is committed to printing, marketing, and distributing Spirit of Prophecy books and other Bible based resources in the most innovative and creative way possible. Our flagship product is the Bible Study Companion Set (Conflict of the Ages Series). The five books and the accompanying Bible Readers Guide is packaged in an attractive slip case featuring a family reading the Bible and the books. The Bible Readers Guide links the Bible Study Companion Set to the Readers Bible in that it lists each chapter of the Spirit of Prophecy commentary to the appropriate chapter in the Bible while providing a systematic plan for reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible Study Companion Set is produced in English and Spanish. We also produced an African American version that features prominent Black Bible characters on the book covers and a black family on the box. Our main objective is to reach non-Adventist with these truth-filled books. The Lord has richly blessed our efforts and we are currently selling Spirit of Prophecy books through Barnes &Noble, Books A Million, Baptist Bookstores, Evangelical Bookstores, other Christian and secular bookstores throughout the country and abroad. In fact the Lord providentially opened the door for our books to be distributed by Ingram-Spring Arbor, the largest Christian book distributor in the USA. Any Christian or secular bookstore can find our books online and order them for any customer who may request them. That doesn't mean we are on the shelves yet but we hope by God's grace to accomplish that shortly. That brings us to the Wal-Mart opportunity. Remnant Publications had a dream of placing Spirit of Prophecy books into the Wal-Mart chain of stores. They carry Harry Potter, Tim LaHaye Left Behind Series, and the Lord of the Rings and we thought why can't God's inspired books be featured there as well? We pursued the Wal-Mart executives for over a year. We sent them books, letters of introduction, etc. We finally were invited to meet with them in person and to show them our books. They looked over all the titles we presented and on their own accord selected the five books contained in the Bible Study Companion Set Series. They have had such great success with series, i.e. Harry Potter, The Left Behind, Lord of the Rings, that they thought the five books Patriarchs &Prophets, Prophets &Kings, Desire of Ages, Acts of the Apostles and the Great Controversy had great potential as a Bible Series. They have given us verbal commitment to carry at least one title and possibly the first three titles in approximately 200 test stores to test market their potential. If they sell well they would roll them out to the over 2,200 stores nation wide. We are to finalize the agreement this week or next. We are asking everyone to pray, pray, pray and pray some more that this opportunity will come to closure and that the books will be placed on the shelves in the 200 test stores ASAP. We are requesting that until we have a signed contract that no one would contact Wal-Mart or that broadcast this information to the general public. We don't want to give the Devil an opportunity to influence them not to carry the books. Once we have the signed contract and have the location of the 200 test stores I am going to contact everyone and request that they contact everyone they know in those cities and towns and have them buy 1, 5, 10 copies of these books so that they become a best seller for Wal-Mart and then they will roll them out to all the other Wal-Mart Stores. If they carry these books they would have to carry every other denominations books...Does anyone know if they carry the Book of Mormon? | ||
| Lydell (Lydell) |
Pheeki, this sounds pretty goofy to me. I can't for the life of me imagine a Baptist bookstore carrying anything of EGW's. And I've never seen anything in Books A Million. Anyone else have a comment? | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
What bothers me is they plan to alter (falsify) the sales of these books by planting people near the stores to buy them to make it look like they are best sellers. Is that honest? | ||
| Thomas1 (Thomas1) |
As a Baptist, this story perked my interest (for obvious reason) I discovered a couple of things. The name "Baptists Bookstores" was changed in 1998 to LifeWay. It is no longer used. Unless there is an independent bookstore going by that name. I went to LifeWay's site and did a search on this set by name. No match. Then I ran the books individualy by name. Again, no match. It would appear that at least in one instance, this story doesn't hold water. I did a search on Remnant Publications. They have a site and this set is prominantly featured front and center on the home page. like you, I have never seen Eggwhite books in either Books a million or Barnes and Noble. Ov course, I don't spend a great deal of time in the Fiction section. <>< Thomas | ||
| Thomas1 (Thomas1) |
Just for kicks, I did a search on Barnes and Noble. There is no such study set listed, however the Desire of Ages and Great Controversy came up under the search of that name. BUT guess what? It is flagged that these books are no longer available in new copies, but may be available in used additions from the BN list of book sellers. Ah yes, another smoke screen to look like the mouse is a giant! | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
Very interesting. I wish this guy luck with Wal-mart. I haven't known them to carry denominational material, just generalized things like Jabez, etc. Be sure to buy 5-10 copies! ;-) | ||
| Terryk (Terryk) |
Thomas1 you gave me my laugh for the day eggwhites and fiction section. I loved it. Keep up the good work. Terryk |
