I have two sons that are in the position to be in harms way.  I've been having trouble dealing with the fact that I may loose one to the harm.  I kept looking to God for the answer and always came up with less than I expected.  This weekend I rented 'Blackhawk Down' and watched it closely.  During the movie it came to me that if a man knows that his sons have received Christ as their Savior that there is no need to worry about them.  We will all be joined together again in the future, and I should spend my effort to help other fathers in this way.  

Do any of you-all feel the same?

It all comes down to one word:  "faith".

If you don't have faith, you have nothing.

Not trying to hijack this thread, Just didnt want to start yet another thread on Religion......

could anyone comment of the "church of the Nazerene"?  Have a friend who is Presbytarian but is considering a change to the Nazerene and wanted to know what they are like?  Thanks!  !

Post from FreeBore -

Absolutely!

I do fear for the safety of my children and grandchildren just like anyone else.

But I am content to know that if anything befell them, they are in the Lord and Savior's Hands.

It is sufficient, for me.

Besides, if being a Christian meant that your loved ones never felt pain, got hurt, or died, what idiot in their right mind wouldn't be a Christian?

The Lord wants us to come to Him carrying our cross, not prancing around with a crown of glory on our heads in this present World.

Eric The(ICanBearAllThings)Hun[>]:)]

There is no doubt you are worried. If something should happen to them you would certainly miss them. You are correct however, that you will see them again. Your strength in your faith could well serve G*d's purpose in inspiring others..G*d Bless you and yours....

Exactly what TheCommissioner said.  Have them added to the prayer list at church.  Thats what my parents have done for me.  Remember God will answer when He's ready.

We are all called to walk different paths.  For some the path is simply to walk a humble life daily, for others to be an evangelist like Dr. Billy Graham, others still to go to remote places.  If you are lead by God to help others in some way, then you need to remember this:  

God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.

And when He calls, you'll know it!

Post from FlagWaver -

It's a fundamentalist, 'spirit filled' denomination similar to the Assembly of God.

It's the difference between night and day with any Presbyterian Church your friend may have attended in the past.

It is spiritual, it is conservative, it believes in inerrancy of the Scriptures, and here is the website for its beliefs:[url]http://www.nazarene.org/gensec/we_believe.html
[/url]

Eric The(Friendly)Hun[>]:)]

"spiritual, it is conservative, it believes in inerrancy of the Scriptures"


ETH:  You've gone way over my head, can you be a lil' more simplistic?  :)

Sorry I didn't mean to be so preachy, but I really had a load lifted.  I've placed myself in this situation and never had the chance to ask my parents how they dealt with it.  I guess you do reap what you sow!

FB

THAT is an excellent phrase, ChuckT.
Can I use it? [:D]

Fear and hope.

That's what it all boils down to.

This past Nov we burried the old First Sergeant (My pop in law)
He was made first shirt in the Phillipines during WWII...He was a born again Christian at his death...and so are all his sons daughter in laws and outlaws- [:)].
His funeral was a tribute to the man, his service ,his love of country, and love of family...and every single one said the same of him...that they would see him later..there was very little grief .and there was somberness but lots of hope in the promise of Christ...that we will all be together for eternity..those whose hope is in HIM..
The times I got wounded and times I had to go out into the open to retrieve wounded..or run through a mined area to get someone because there was no time to clear it...I prayed...and I got a peace about things..one of the things I always prayed God for was that If was to die...I would die doing my job and not give into fear...I asked God to "please not let me be a coward"..
and he never let me down..I was not brave He gave me peace and a will to do what I was trained to do..He gave me the will and strength to perform outside my natural desire..I would heartedly recommend to anyone going in harms way to make peace with their maker before hand..and peace with their family as well...just my .o2
And yes you will see your sons again..Jesus said before he ascendend that He was going to prepare a place for us...if this were not true I would have told you so he said..and...Jesus never lies...

Well put. Your son's salvation being secure, its time to help others (who want helpin')

NOT that the truth of your son's eternal place in Heaven will minimize the pain of having to bury a child.

But His grace IS sufficient....

Hey, it's not mine!  Feel free! [:)]

I agree with Eric the (my man on religion) Hun. Our son was in Kosovo, and I know how you feel. He has now been out of the US for the last four years. We get to see him about twice a year, and know he is in the palm of God's hand (with an M4). No better place to be! We are proud, and he is secure in his faith.

ETH,

I'm not 100% familiar with all of the various Protestant denominations, but I do have some experience with the Church of the Nazarene, and it's a bit different from what you describe.

I dated the daughter of the C. o. Naz. pastor in our town, and the way HE described themselves was that they broke off from the Methodists around 1909-1910.  From my experience, they are [b]definitely not[/b] like the Assembly of God.  In fact, I attended the C.o.Naz. youth group in high school, and our youth leader left the Nazarene church to join the AoG because the AoG was more 'spirit filled' (i.e. charismatic gifts, which the Nazarenes don't preach/teach/"practice"/encourage).

 

How old are they?  Adults?  Then pray for them and entrust them to the Lord (which I'm sure you're alreay doing).  That really is all you can do.  [b]If[/b] they [b]remain[/b] committed to Christ, and live a holy life, then you have nothing to be worried about.  Whether or not they continue to respond to God's grace and remain committed to Christ is their decision (which is why you pray for them to remain committed in thought, word, and deed!)



Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not the answer we expect/want to hear.  His "no" answer is usually a "I have something better in store."