Ron Cusano

Losing someone so close to you is perhaps the hardest thing a person has to endure and my heart goes out to you. I lost both of my parents so I have an idea of what you felt. As you know, I believe and am convinced that this life is only the doorway into eternity. I think that my Mom became a Christian 2-weeks before her death, and I believe that I will see her again some day in Heaven. My Dad heard the Gospel and from all outward appearance, rejected it, but who knows that happens in the hearts of those who are facing death. My hope is that he came to faith and that I will one day see again too. If I believed that there was no hope of ever seening my loved ones again, it would make the loss so much harder.

I will drop in from time to time. I figured that the only way to take the focus off of me personally and get back to other topics was to back out for a bit.

All I Need is a Miracle A woman was walking along the beach when she stumbled upon a genie's lamp. She picked it up and rubbed it. Lo-and-behold a genie appeared. The amazed woman asked if she got three wishes. The Genie said, "Nope. Due to inflation, constant downsizing, low wages in third-world countries and fierce global competition, I can only grant you one wish. So, what'll it be?" The woman didn't hesitate. She said, "I want peace in the Middle East. See this map? I want these countries to stop fighting with each other." The Genie looked at the map and exclaimed, "Gadzooks, lady! These countries have been at war for thousands of years. I'm good, but not THAT good! I don't think it can be done. Make another wish." The woman thought for a minute. She said, "Well, I've been trying to find the right husband. You know, one that's considerate and fun, likes to cook and helps with the housecleaning, has a great sense of humor and gets along with my family, doesn't watch sports all the time and is faithful. That's what I wish for. A good mate." The Genie let out a long sigh and said, "Let me see that map again."

http://shiloh-ministries.org/html/the_bible.html

People who look down on obese people or tell them to "just stop eating so much"!!

Why don't you consider coming to our support group Thursday night.

I guess what they are concerned about is the pain killers you will need post op! That is a concern. Just for the record, I have been clean and sober for 25 years so I know where you're coming from. It was not a smart move using when you knew you had to be clean to have the surgery. How do YOU feel about it??

Sure! What questions do you have??

We are having our next - Long Island Lapband Suppord Group Meeting next Thursday evening at 7PM in East Northport. I would like to invite all of you on this thread to come. Come Get Support - Come And Give Support!! If you are already banded, waiting to get banded or just thinking about being banded, they you are welcome! The meeting is free, informal and banster beverages are served! Date: Thursday, Feb 8 Time: 7PM Place: Samantha's Lil Bit of Heaven Larkfield Road, East Northport More Info or Directions: Drop me an eMail!!

We are having our next - Long Island Lapband Suppord Group Meeting next Thursday evening at 7PM in East Northport. I would like to invite all of you on this thread to come. Come Get Support - Come And Give Support!! If you are already banded, waiting to get banded or just thinking about being banded, they you are welcome! The meeting is free, informal and banster beverages are served! Date: Thursday, Feb 8 Time: 7PM Place: Samantha's Lil Bit of Heaven Larkfield Road, East Northport More Info or Directions: Drop me an eMail!!

I have made a prayerful decision to leave this thread, which I know will not cause anyone here to shed any tears. I know some of you will gloat, but rest assured, you have not driven me away. God has made it crystal clear that no good can come from me remaining. I am leaving with a heavy heart and a lot of sadness! I have never encountered such darkness, blindness and hardness of heart in 30+ years of ministry. It is interesting that the Bible speaks of exactly these things happening in the Last Days before the Lords return. The Scriptures speak about what happens when men reject and push the knowledge of God from their minds. It say's that God gives them over to a "reprobate mind", not being able to tell the difference between good and evil, with homosexuality being one of it's hallmarks. I have seen many reprobate minds here, and it is very troubling. I have wasted too much time here and lost my cool when God, the Lord Jesus, the Bible and the Faith have been dragged through the mud and made a mockery by those with dark hearts That needs to stop so that I can get back to profitable ministry. My desire is that all of you would come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus the Messiah! If there are any here that have sincere questions about the Bible and what it has to say about eternal life, sin and your relationship to God, please feel free to contact me by eMail. It would be most welcomed! Allow me to leave you with these words of scripture . . . John: 3: 17-18 - For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believeth in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I have made a prayerful decision to leave this thread, which I know will not cause anyone here to shed any tears. I know some of you will gloat, but rest assured, you have not driven me away. God has made it crystal clear that no good can come from me remaining. I am leaving with a heavy heart and a lot of sadness! I have never encountered such darkness, blindness and hardness of heart in 30+ years of ministry. It is interesting that the Bible speaks of exactly these things happening in the Last Days before the Lords return. The Scriptures speak about what happens when men reject and push the knowledge of God from their minds. It say's that God gives them over to a "reprobate mind", not being able to tell the difference between good and evil, with homosexuality being one of it's hallmarks. I have seen many reprobate minds here, and it is very troubling. I have wasted too much time here and lost my cool when God, the Lord Jesus, the Bible and the Faith have been dragged through the mud and made a mockery by those with dark hearts That needs to stop so that I can get back to profitable ministry. My desire is that all of you would come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus the Messiah! If there are any here that have sincere questions about the Bible and what it has to say about eternal life, sin and your relationship to God, please feel free to contact me by eMail. It would be most welcomed! Allow me to leave you with these words of scripture . . . John: 3: 17-18 - For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believeth in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I have made a prayerful decision to leave this thread, which I know will not cause anyone here to shed any tears. I know some of you will gloat, but rest assured, you have not driven me away. God has made it crystal clear that no good can come from me remaining. I am leaving with a heavy heart and a lot of sadness! I have never encountered such darkness, blindness and hardness of heart in 30+ years of ministry. It is interesting that the Bible speaks of exactly these things happening in the Last Days before the Lords return. The Scriptures speak about what happens when men reject and push the knowledge of God from their minds. It say's that God gives them over to a "reprobate mind", not being able to tell the difference between good and evil, with homosexuality being one of it's hallmarks. I have seen many reprobate minds here, and it is very troubling. I have wasted too much time here and lost my cool when God, the Lord Jesus, the Bible and the Faith have been dragged through the mud and made a mockery by those with dark hearts That needs to stop so that I can get back to profitable ministry. My desire is that all of you would come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus the Messiah! If there are any here that have sincere questions about the Bible and what it has to say about eternal life, sin and your relationship to God, please feel free to contact me by eMail. It would be most welcomed! Allow me to leave you with these words of scripture . . . John: 3: 17-18 - For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believeth in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I have hade a prayerful decision to leave this thread, which I know will not cause anyone here to shed any tears. I am leaving with a heavy heart and a lot of sadness! I have never encountered such darkness and hardness of heart in 30+ years of ministry. The Scriptures speak about what happens when men reject and pust the knowledge of God from their minds, and it say's that God gives them over to a "reprobate mind", not being able to tell the difference between good and evil, with homosexuality being one of it's hallmarks. I have seen many reprobate minds here, and it is very troubling. I have wasted to much time here and lost my cool when God, the Lord Jesus, the Bible and the Faith have been dragged through the mud and made a mockery by those with dark hearts That needs to stop so that I can get back to profitable ministry. If

If you took the time to read my reply before shooting you mouth off with unfounded accusations, you might actually see that I did!

You are twisting what I said to make a point that does not exist. I never said that going to war in Iraq or Afganistan would have prevented 911. What I am saying is the the war on terror, which also includes all of our efforts at homeland defence both here and abroad, which is taking place under Bush's watch, has kept further attacks from our shores.

Here is the short version . . . The Bible's Anatomy . . . It is made up of 66 seperate books or writings, by about 40 different authors over a period of about 3,500 years. Most of the writers had never met or had anything in common with one another. Yet, all of these 66 books put together forms an ongoing, intelligent theme and storyline that could only be seen if there were a single author. For the Bible to be a hoax, 40 writers over 3,500 years would have had to be in collusion with one another and have a common reason to deceive the world. In addition, many of them would have had to be agreeable to sacrificing their own lives for the cause, inclusing Jesus and the Apostles. Compared to other so-called sacred religious writing, all were written by a single person, during a single lifetime, pointing to themselves as objects of worship or the sole bearer of a spiritual truth. All highly suspect and all to be discounted from my perspective. Archology . . . Archeologists findings of manuscripts, the Dead Sea Scrolls for instance, gave strong evidence that the manuscripts that wewre handed down on thousands of years were essentially unchanged and unaltered. Archeologists have uncovered hundreds of cities and historical places, previously unknown to man, except through the Bible. Another strong indication of it's truth and accuracy. Bible Prophecy . . . There is documented proof of the fulfillment and accuracy of hundreds of Bible prophecys, some within our own lifetime. The mathamatical odds are well beyond the realm of chance and into the realm of certainty. Jesus fulfilled hundreds of Bible prophecies Himself while establishing His messianic credentials. Most of there were completely beyond his control and impossible to fabricate. For instance, He had no control over where He would be born, His blood line, the manner of His death, that His parents would travel to Egypt to escape persecution, that the solders would cast lots for His garments, etc., etc. Here are some statistics of Him, or any man at a given point of time, fulfilling only 8 of these . . . The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963) to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, 'we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017." That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. "Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man." Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10157, or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000, 000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 1079. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident."

If you did your homework you would know that it is indeed common knowledge. I just posted to your request that I offer some proof of the Biblical foundation of our country and government. I would welcome your response!

osh Lisah25, I though every Christian was aware of that. Let's start here . . . "Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian." - United States Supreme Court, 1892. James McHenry was a member of the Continental Congress, a state legislator, a soldier, and a signer of the Constitution...as well as the president of the first Bible Society in Baltimore. McHenry stated: Neither...let it be overlooked, that public utility pleads most forcibly for the general distribution of the Holy Scriptures. The doctrine they preach, the obligations they impose, the punishment they threaten, the rewards they promise, the stamp and image of divinity they bear, which produces a conviction of their truths, can alone secure to society, order and peace, and to our courts of justice and constitutions of government, purity, stability, and usefulness. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney also signed the Constitution, and served as a delegate to the national Constitutional Convention and an author of the Constitution of South Caroline. Pinckney was a statesman, soldier, planter, a brigadier general and a candidate for President and Vice-President. Like the rest of the signers of the Constitution, he too recognized the Sovereignty of God: "Blasphemy against the Almighty is denying his being or providence, or uttering contumelious reproaches on our Saviour Christ. It is punished, at common law by fine and imprisonment, for Christianity is part of the laws of the land." And, for those who fear this sort of Law breeds intolerance or disrespect for others, Patrick Henry boldly declared: It cannot be emphasized too strongly that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded assylum, prosperity and freedom of worship here. Likewise, the Constitution of the United States was drafted so as to be in accordance with the Scriptures, to be the legal foundation of a republican form of government based on that model which God had ordained for the children of Israel. Indeed, Thomas Jefferson even suggested that the national seal be a portrayal of "the children of Israel in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night." Much of the Constitution and our American common law and organic law is also derived from the principles of the Magna Carta, which expressly forbade monarchial tyranny. In accordance with the spirit of Liberty which motivated those Righteous men of Principle so many years ago, We the members of the U.S. Taxpayers Party gratefully acknowledge the blessing of the Lord God as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of this Nation... The U.S. Constitution established a republic under God, rather than a democracy. In a republic governed by Constitutional law rooted in Biblical law,all life, liberty and property are safe because Law rules. - Preamble, I could fill hundreds of pages with quotes from our forefathers, but these will suffice to get the point across. It is Basic History 101 and am amazed how people, especially some professing Christians can even question it.

If I thought for a second that you were serious and that it would not be the source of more mocking I would give you a detailed, intelligent answer to every one of your inquires. I won't waste my time, especially since I already answered all of them previously on another thread, and saw the response from other with your beliefs. I will tell you this. I do not and never did accept anything on blind faith. It is based upon what I consider irrrefutable evidences. The truth or myth on Christian belief rests on weather the Bible is the Word of God or just a book of fables, as you call it. After serious, in-depth study, questioning, examining, and even serious doubt, I came to an intellectual belief of it's accuracy and authtencity. To provide all of the evidence that I found and considered would take considerable more time and space than is available here, and doing it in this enviroment is certainly not going to prove profitable. You already have your mind made-up and are not open to considering anything from an unbiased opinion. I am not going to allow my faith and my God to be dragged through the mud and mocked by people with your preconceived ideas and closedmindedness any more. You rage that the Bible can't happen, Jesus can't happen, the miracles can't happen, eternity can't happen, and on, and on! Hey, that is your right! You can believe or not believe anything you want, and you have a right to express it. Do I believe that you are 100% wrong and condemning yourself for eternity? I do, and I also have a right to think and say that too! One final thought! If I die and it turned out that your were right, that death is the end of it all and there is no eternity, then I have lost nothing. It would mean that I spent my life living a type of moral, peaceful existance that I may not have if I had not believed. On the other side of that coin, if my beliefs are correct, and they are, when you close your eyes for the last time and enter eternity, all will be lost, and it will be too late to do anything about it. And that too is your choice!!

Clinton was advised on several occasions exactly where Bib Laden was, and elacted not to take him out because he was afraid of offending come people or just didn't have the guts. This has been reported numerous times and is common knowledge! And, no we have not seen any suicide bombers in our malls or dirty bombs in our cities, and you have Bush to thank for that.

I think you have it backward! The morality that was inherent in our laws and constitution was originally based upon Biblical principals of morality and conscience. It was and is the foundation upon which our laws are established. It is what gives us that freedom you are so afraid of losing!!It is the point of reference that we use to determine right from wrong. If we did not use that as our point of reference, what then would you suggest???

This is a great post and I agree with 95% of it. There are a few things I disagree with. First, no evangelical Christian that I know has ever stated, inferred or expounded that their religion should be the law of the land. That is just not factional. I agree that the law should stay out of our personal affairs, unless those affairs are harmful or immoral. To Christians, abortion and same sex marriage fall into those catagories, so it is imcumbent upon and the right of Conservative Christians to take a stand against them on those grounds, as well as our Bible based spiritual convictions. If we elect a president who is a Born-Again Christian, how can we expect him not to allow his belief system to guide his decisions. The people of this country knew his convictions before they elected him, so this should not even be an issue.

Not really! The may teach things I disagree with or think are off the deep end, but not find abhorrent. But, things like sucide bombing and killing unbelievers is abhorrent to the whole civilized world, and not just religious group. Believing in God, which is embraced in some way but the majority of the world's population can not be considered abhorrent, except by those who don't believe in God. There is a big distinction here. An athiest writing a book and concluding that God is a delusion and saying it's biased? Ya think?? That is like a Christian writing a book and concluding that God is real! It's past bias, it a foregone colclusion!

A group supporting people's public rights and a ministering preaching doctrinal truths? They both have a right to do what they are doing. You seem to think that people in congregations are mindless, zombies without minds of their own, that are unable to decern what is true for themselves. That is way off base and groundless. People belong to congregations because they hear what they want to hear according to their beliefs. No one talks them into anything!