leatha_g

:clap2: :clap2: Thank You!!

Suggestions: I would like to see an option to 'hide' threads or topics I find offensive or no longer interest me. I would like ALL new posts to display when I click the New Posts link; even if I find the topic offensive to me personally. I believe ALL Rants/Raves or 'Adult' Topics should be segregrated completely.

A poll, perhaps?

It has my vote! ousooner, belive it or not, I have been thinking about this the past few days myself. I think it's a great functionality to be able to 'hide' the posts you're not interested in, for everyone. Unsubscribing is great, but it still pops to the top. Great idea. Thanks for taking the risk of suggesting it!

I carry the card in case of a medical emergency, I can show the xray on the back to someone if they've never seen a band. Otherwise, I'm with Wheetsin; it's not the restaurants issue that I have chosen to get a band and I can carry leftovers home or share a plate. No biggie. As far as flying, I've been flying with a band since June 2003 and not once set off an alarm. There is a miniscule amount of titanium in the port and that is it.

Guess I'll just stop voting then, because none of them are right all the time and my bet is that none of them could really care less about how it effects MY life, unfortunately.

Technically, that's true. So you would suggest that those groups who are being battered in those threads should just not respond? What if the shoe were on the other foot and someone started posts about Atheists, or people who've had abortions or people who've chosen alternative lifestyles. Could they expect that those it offended 'just not read it'? I doubt that very seriously. I think if the posts are going to be allowed, a person should have the option to ignore it completely from their choices. Sort of like reverse subscription. Yes, I choose to 'hide' this thread from my view.

Yup, of course you may be able to pump up the volume, etc. But I (and Allergan literature says so as well) was told that 50 - 65% of your excess weight is the average weight loss of banded people. It's been 4 yrs for me now and I pretty much stopped losing and just trying to maintain nearly 3 years ago. Many prove this wrong, so don't give up.

True. And I'm very saddened by this. There was a day when I invited everyone I knew considering banding to this board, but very honestly, I don't encourage a soul to come here anymore. I wouldn't have a total stranger subjected to some of the things said here over the past few months. I have a sister in law who is banded, I have a brother who is being banded soon and there is no way I'd give them this link. Someone said it very correctly, if you wouldn't say it to them in their own living room, you have no business saying it online either.

Amen! It makes it very hard to vote your conscience. I'd prefer multiple choice ISSUES voting. I really don't like backing any particular party as my own opinion falls on both sides and it really bothers me to 'classified' simply because I have views that may lean one way or another.

This can be accomplished by using your subscribed posts link in the Quick Links function. It does not have to show up in the New Posts section.

Yes. and I love here at well and have since the week this board opened. I think it a bit unfair to suggest that anyone leave because their are no longer boundaries (as there once was) about how one faction can tear down another and get by with it. But, you're right, many have left because of this recently adopted way of running the board.

I totally concur with this suggestion. That, or possibly a check mark to 'hide' the threads you prefer not to see. One bit of information, however, the Ignore function does work these days and finally allows more than one person to be ignored at a time. It's hard not to defend a group of people when they're being so blatantly battered, but ignoring particularly inflammatory posters can allow for less hard feelings. Just my .02

Amazing. lol It must be nice to be so superior. So.. while we're crushing religions, did anyone see The Secrets of the Inquisition on PBS last night? Not that I particularly think condemnation is particularly becoming. My point, is the same of Bitter's. ALL groups of people have faults and skeletons in their closets. I am a Southern Baptist, today - because it's my preference (today) of the building I attend to worship in. I have found an awesome church family, which I have found very important in my journey of learning about God and wanting to be a better Christian. My first exposure to religion was more in the Pentecostal vein, my father's family professed to be Church of Christ, but they seemed to be a bit iron-fisted to me, so I drew down the middle and went to the Methodist church and was first baptised there. Today, the Baptist church I attend and have since been baptised (immersed completely) in is a rather contemporary, Bible-believing, very accepting and welcoming fellowship. They still do preach the Bible, which I believe is the point, but they have not one single thing to do with my grammar or spelling. I learned that in public school and of course, my own intellectual bent must have had something to do with it. I'll agree socio-economic factors can show a trend in lesser learning, but I seriously don't think the church I joined at 46 yrs old had anything to do with it. I'm pretty sure that's probably the case for most other Southern Baptists, or Northern Baptists, or Lutherans, or Seventh Day Adventists... or, or, or.. lol Sheesh...

I'd be more inclined to think it was band related, not necessarily gall bladder.

Wait, where did I say you were a lunatic? I believe in Bible Prophecy. So I must be a lunatic. Which is okay with me. I don't think any person knows what day 'the end of the world' will be. I make no fuss. I only want to be ready when the day comes and I do believe it will. God hasn't set a date, in fact, it wouldn't make sense to have a date. People tend to procrastinate. He knows that. It wouldn't make much sense to just live as we please then on the day that was pre-determined, we all decided we want to believe in Jesus to save our hineys from the horrors that are prophecied to happen. He wants us to willingly turn to Him, out of love and faith that He existed. Not just be a fair-weather friend, when it's convenient. But, I certainly can understand what you mean. I've seen those shows as well and I have had the same thoughts as you. Today, not so much, although there are lunatics in almost every crowd. I was referring to the people featured on the shows I have watched on bible prophecy, as well as the people who have, through the years, made a huge fuss and bother over the "the end of the world" coming on some certain date because the bible said that's the date it would end. I remember back in college (oh, and I'm really not that young, when I say "back in college" I'm going back nearly 20 years), there was some huge to-do on campus about "the world will end on (some date I don't remember but I think the year was 1988.) It was all over the news about how people were going up to mountains to pray and wait for the actual day, etc. And people were walking around campus distributing leaflets about it and they were insisting that "bible prophesy" stated that this particular date would be the end of the world. I always wondered what these people did after the date passed. Since they had basically dedicated their lives to this be "the" date and doing everything to prepare for it. I wonder about the looks on their faces when they prayed all night on the mountains and then it became the next day. Ummm... I guess maybe they felt embarrassed? I don't quite know but it's interesting to think about. They probably were a bit embarrassed, but I'd say more disappointed. But, I'm thinking God, being God, kinda laughs a bit when we try to second guess Him. Through the years I have also heard of this happening on other dates as well, and they always have some complex mathmatical calculation based on bible prophesy. But, here we all still are. So, no, I don't think that bible prophecy amounts to a sack of Beans. Every time I see one of these shows they're always saying these vague, general things the bible says and they say it means this or it means that. When someone can show me where, in the bible it says something specific, using exact names of current people, places and things, then perhaps I wil reconsider my opinion. Oh, and nothing about "nations going to war" because that is very broad-reaching and as long as we have nations, it is not surprising in the least that many of them, at some point, might be at war with each other. Also not surprising is prophesy of a certain nation being taken over by another and "destroyed". Back when this stuff was written, nations were being taken over right and left! So it's not shocking that even something written 1,000 years before it occurred, about war or "destruction" of a nation eventually came to pass. Nations are always at war with each other! And for thousands of years the order of the day was conquering and taking over places. How about some non-war prophecies? So, you find me a bible passage that does not need to be "interpreted" and that specifically states something about today using proper names (for example, "On December 7, 1941, the Japanese will bomb Pearl Harbor.) and I will be very interested to read about it. I'm not interested in Old Testament prophesy being "fulfilled" in the New Testament, since it is very simple to pick up a book and expand on it. I could pick up any book written hundreds of years ago and write a continuation of the story that seems like a continuation of the same book, but that doesn't make me a prophet. Similarly, if someone laid out a scenario for a character in a book, I could pick out those characteristics and craft a great story using all of them. It's not rocket science. And as for my heart being hardened, I really don't believe that to be so. I feel I am very openminded, I read a tremendous amount, I research, and I love learning. I have a very inquisitive mind and heart. Thank you very much for this civil response. I respect that we all find ourselves in different places in our lives. I have rejected God in my life. I have relied on 'self' alone. I have thought I had all the answers. Today, when I look back, I can't believe how naive I really was. Even more, I can't believe how humbling myself just a little has changed everything. My only regret is that I could have done it sooner. But, each of us have our own journey. I understand.

I'd rather see the 'break' up front, on the price. Like Bitter....

losethechains, WELCOME! and thank you so much for such a thoughtful and encouraging post!

Heart Cry by Tammy De Ruyter Read: Psalm 102 Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you. (v. 1) Someone has said that while most of Scripture speaks to us, the Psalms speak for us. In 1563 John Calvin wrote in his Commentary on the Psalms, "All the sorrows, troubles, fears, doubts, hopes, pains, perplexities, stormy outbreaks by which the hearts of men are tossed, have been depicted here . . . I may truly call this book an anatomy of all parts of the soul, for no one can feel a movement of the Spirit which is not reflected in this mirror." Calvin was right. With stirring words of personal lament, the author of Psalm 102 bares the longings, fears, and loneliness of his heart. With desperate abandon he shares his rawest thoughts, his most intimate pains. No earthly comfort can assuage the psalmist's grief and despair. Dark waves billow across his soul, and we feel his downward spiral. Who can read this prayer and not be moved? The words reflect, as in a mirror, the very soul of every human sufferer. In stark contrast to humanity's groaning condition, the writer recognizes the sublime glory of God the Father. He looks up. There, seated on high, is the Lord, ruling from his throne. Transcendent above the muck and mire of our world, he reigns forever. The psalmist knows his cry will be heard (vv. 18-22). Prayer: How grateful we are, Father, for the assurance that you hear our cries.

I hope you're right about this. Although, how one person could be so right just astounds me. You are young. You have a long life ahead of you, I hope. I can't tell you how much one person can change throughout their years. Please don't allow your heart to be so hardened. There is so much before you that you can't possibly even begin to know. If I am to be a 'lunatic' in your eyes, then so be it. But, I will never go back to where I began.

Some... and this could be said for some who don't believe it as well.

Quote: Originally Posted by babygrl1234 Now Leatha you know you can't be a Christian if you like gays. I've heard that Christians don't like gays, period. Tell that to my friends. Gays don't like Christians too much, either. I even have one who tells me often that the only thing women are good for is birthing gay babies. How politically correct is that? But, I can't help but love him anyway, even though I don't necessarily agree with his living arrangements and the demands he makes on society to have the world revolve around him. Oh well.. it is what it is..

Amen! I totally agree with you!

Guess we'll see how 'hate crimes' against religions work right here.. lol. Put on your armor, 369.

walk, walk, walk... this too shall pass..