Lady Elusive

I like to memorize the Bible, crochet, draw, write letters (I kind of collect letters from friends), listen to music, and read books. But I spend a lot of time with my family or outside. In the summer I have an herb garden, and keep bees (I try to anyway).:)

Okay, let me see. Haha- I have a long church background. My dad grew up in a Grace Brethren church, my mom was raised RP (Reformed Presbyterian). When I was very young we went to PNG, on the other side of the world, as missionaries. When we came back to the States we went to the Grace Brethren church my grandparents went to. Then we left (for reasons I didn’t understand at the time) and did family home-church. After that we started going to a non-denominational church that we liked a lot because they were family-inaugurated. It was a long drive for us (a little less then a hour). We then met friends who were doing a Bible Study and wanted to start a church in our area. We would go from home to home every Sunday. Its been a roller coaster since then… we considered merging with a Gethsemane Baptist church… then the building burned down. So now we are attending the Gethsemane Baptist service in the morning and then my dad teaches a devotional after the fellowship meal. Our Sundays are long days! :)
How long did you live in FL? So would you say there has been a change in your beliefs (as far as denominations go) since you moved? Do you believe in “free will” or “predestination”?

EDIT- Those were some really good questions! I will be praying for you! :)
Thanks again and again for the music, and singing aid you provided!

What's that all about?

You're going to record yourself singing……or else…… :P

@Bethany/Carissa/Sarah - Is there anything I could be praying about for any of you (Or anyone that sees this, for that matter)?
@Bethany - still waiting for that recording. :)

Yes. With mom expecting (and on a kind of “bed rest”) I could use prayer for wisdom, and strength; things I always seem to need more of during this time. Wisdom to know how to handle situations as they come up. Strength to carry through with all the responsibilities. Diligence to be thorough in what I do. Also that God would be glorified in what I do and say as I interact with people in my life (mainly siblings). I’m sorry to say that I’m not always pleasant, and long-suffering as I am here.

@seth - Still trying to find the perfect time to record, and what song to sing =) I might do one of my favorites…a song based off John 3:16 =)

You wanted to know the reason I delete/edit so much so I did my best to give you an explanation here.

It’s a habit that I started because I felt insecure on memverse (a long time ago). When I first joined the forums I only posted in the TD. I never deleted anything, and only edited for misspellings. I didn’t have many friends on memverse. However there were a few people I knew in real life… one of those people told me that my posts where “childish.” So I considered what he said and decided the best thing to do would be delete anything that seemed childish (my questions). It probably wasn’t the best thing to do but that’s what I thought at the time. The next day he (saw I had deleted and) told me what I did was “deceitful”… a lot of other things were said in real life… but you can read what he said on memverse if you want to (http://www.memverse.com/forums/forums/theology-discussions/topics/guidelines-for-theological-discussions?page=1#post-23641). He made it sound like he was being really nice to me but… I knew him in person. I was embarrassed and frustrated (and I had no friends) so I gave up memverse. About a year later (I think it was a year) I was just reading some of the threads in General Chat and decided to post something. I guess I was curious about these people… Carissa and Sam (and a few other really nice people) pulled me into a conversation and… now I am blessed with so many friends I can’t count them all! But when I came back I hadn’t forgotten what that "friend" had said about me… so I continued to delete whenever I felt the slightest bit of vagueness or insecurity, after awhile it became a kind of a joke too (that went a long with being “elusive”).
Now I am trying to break the habit, because I have no reason to delete so much anymore and I know that it is annoying to some people.

Oh…so you know C4C in person? Were you PC? I'm familiar with who he is on memverse through reading quite a bit of his posts, primarily in the TD's, though I haven't actually conversed with him at all.
Thanks for sharing that. I'm glad you've stopped thinking that your posts are "childish" (which I would certainly disagree with) and have made it back to the memverse forums - I've really enjoyed 'talking' with you, and hope that you've benefited by all these discussions.

I'm really sorry, Sarah. I should have stood up for you during that time. I'm sorry for not trying to become your friend earlier on. I'm so glad though that you decided to try Memverse again!! =]

Yes, I knew C4C quite well growing up. Indeed, I was “Princess Cowgirl” for a while. :)
Thankyou! I have been uplifted and encouraged by our discussions here and pray that, by God’s grace, they may continue.

Carissa-. I wasn’t on Social Chat at all so it wasn’t really your (or anyone else’s) fault for not befriending me. I didn’t really open myself up to being befriended. A lot has changed. Thanks for being my friend now! I am very glad I came back… :)

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5

And we're glad you came back too! :) I'm truly sorry if my comments a while ago criticizing you for your comment deleting hurt you… I did not intend that at all. If they did, please forgive me. :)

Wow…I didn't realize there was a story like that behind why you sometimes delete your posts…so very glad you came back!! You're like a main person on here, and I'm so glad to know you! :)

GMOV- Yeah, that’s mostly because I try not to talk about C4C if I can help it. :P It's been a lot of fun getting to know you and your brothers too! You all make me laugh a lot! :D ^Oh… and I try not to be a “main person” on here… but whatever you say. LOL^

Nicolas- Thanks! No you never hurt me by what you said about my deleting. I know it must be very annoying to reply to someone and then find out that they deleted their post. :\

Sarah, thank you for your gentleness toward C4C in your main post. I know it must have been a dificult experience for you and the tendency could be to lash out toward him, so I really appreciate that you did not focus on what he may have done (whether intentional or not) but rather how you can change for the better. That's encouraging.

How long did you live in FL? So would you say there has been a change in your beliefs (as far as denominations go) since you moved? Do you believe in “free will” or “predestination”?

Wow, you've had quite a variety of churches. :) Where does the GBC meet now? I was born in Florida, and when I was two we started attending a church that was a part of Sovereign Grace Ministires, which we were a part of until we moved to Missouri a couple of years ago. From what I can remember and my limited experience with other churches, it seemed to be a pretty typical contemporary non-denominational (aka. Baptist) church. After about a year in Missouri we found our current church, which is a much more traditional reformed type of church (just a piano, liturgical service, etc.). As far as changes in beliefs go, I'd say that now I finally know what I believe and why (which the BB was also very influencial in).
I hesitantly say that I would consider myself reformed, meaning I agree with the 5 points of Calvanism, including predestination. As a result, I would also take the reformed (not Catholic) positon on infant baptism. I say hesitantly because sometimes the word "Calvanism" makes people jump to strange conclusions, but on here I'll be able to explain if there's questions. :)
You?

Glad to know you decided to stick around! It's always good to have you Sarah! :D

I must say I know what you mean. Before Bible Bee and Memverse TD I just believed whatever my dad believed, I had no motivation or reason to look deeper really. Thankfully, now I have more firm beliefs… although there are a lot of topics that I have not yet decided what position I take. My Grandfather is a very strong Calvinist (being a pastor of a RP church) so when I talk Theology with him that is the perspective I get. :)

Free-will vs. Predestination has always seemed to be a huge subjects of debate to me. I personally believe there is a balance of both, but I do tend to side with the predestination more.

Could you maybe explain what you mean by “reformed (not Catholic) positon on infant baptism”? I have always believed that baptism is something for after a child of God professes Christ for himself/herself. However, (well looking into the topic of Christmas more) I learned something about infant baptism that I had never considered before but I haven’t found anything in the Bible that supports this view… so it’s still under serious consideration.

Edit- Sorry, I forgot to answer your question about the Church. Right now the GBC is meeting in a lodge at ____. They have been very kind in letting us use their facilities there well we are trying to rebuild our church building. And if you happen to come to Ohio I can give you better directions… :)

If I ever come to Ohio on a Sunday I'll be sure to let you know. :)

Okay, so the baptist position on baptism (which seems so be the most popular one in the U.S.) holds that people should not be baptized until making a profession of faith. The main reason for that is because, looking at the history of baptism in the New Testament, the easiest conclusion to come to is that only believers should be baptized, because only believers were baptized. The whole thing with entire families being baptized presents a small difficulty, but if you hold to that position then the best conclusion is that the whole family believed, and so they were all baptized.

The general reformed position on baptism, supported by works such as the Heidleberg, Westminster, and Belgic Confessions, sees this issue differently. The reformed position tends to see more of a link between the Old and New Testaments, instead of seeing them separately. Specifically, we see baptism as a continuation of Old Testament circumcision. In the OT, Israelite baby boys were circumcised not to proclaim their salvation, but that they were joining the visible body of God's chosen people, Israel. That did not mean they were saved; it meant that they were a part of the visible body, and would receive instruction in God's law, and hopefully come to a saving belief in God. Since Jesus died on the cross, the church is now God's chosen people, much in the same way Israel was. Not everyone that is a member of a church is truly saved, just like many Israelites were not saved. Now, we baptize infants for the same reason; to show their entrance into the covenant body (visible church), and also as a visible sign of the gospel; that as surely as water washes away dirt, so will the blood of Christ wash away the sins of those who believe in him.

A couple things to note; we only baptize children of professing believers. As only children of Israelites were circumcised, so we also only baptize children of members of the visible church (and hopefully invisible, too). Also, baptizing them says nothing about this baby's salvation. It in no way requires God to save that child, nor are we saying that he will eventually come to repentance, though that of course is our hope.

The question most commonly raised, though, is "Why do we see so many people being baptized after making profession of faith in the NT, and not children?" Well, we should certainly take into account that the church was just being started at that time. If we go back to when God chose Abram, what happened? He and all his male children were circumcised, along with all the male servants. Whenever a foreigner joined the covenant body, they were circumcised. At the beginning, the visible church was growing primarily from the outside in, and was being built up by outsiders coming in. However, as time went on, it began to grow primarily through children. In the same way, the early church was growing almost completely from the outside in, so people were baptized as they joined the covenant community. Later, however, we see that the early church baptized their children, as it started growing primarily from the inside.

Here's a link to a fairly short article where you can read a little more about it - http://calvinseminary.edu/forum/infant-baptism-in-our-reformed-confessions/

Yes, thank you! That is the same view my Grandfather has. The one problem I have with baptism replacing circumcision is that, circumcision was still going on in the early church (Acts 16:1) along with baptism.

The way I see it, baptism is a beautiful symbol to the world, as well as the principalities and powers, of a new believer. It wouldn’t be quite the same if it were just traditional to baptize the babies. but I also like the idea of a sign on the children of believing parents.

Edit- [My views after talking with my dad (who holds to "believer's baptism")]

I think that infant baptism and believer’s baptism represent two completely different things. Infant baptism can’t represent new life in Christ, like believer’s baptism does. I don’t believe infant baptism is biblical, but I very much like the idea of dedication, if baptism could be a part of that; but I realize that that is not what you are saying.

It seems a little ambiguous to say baptism replaces circumcision b/c God gave very detailed instructions for circumcision but the Bible doesn’t say anything so specific about baptism. It doesn’t even say if it is sprinkling or emersion (except that the Greek word “baptizo” means to make fully wet, dip, or submerge).

I truly believe that being baptized is a part of obeying and following Christ, (Matthew 28:19, Matthew 3:15, John 3:5) and it is a sign to all watching of a life dedicated to following Christ. :)

Thought you might like to know that my littlest brother said your name for the first time today! :)

Nice. :) Has he said the rest of your siblings names yet?

Besides that, he can say the names of the people who feed him (that's mom, dad, me and my sister), but by the time I see him next I'm sure he will be saying a lot more. :) He talks a lot but it's hard to understand what he's trying to say unless you know him, and know what he likes. How old is your youngest sibling?

Edit- Just out of curiosity, how comfortable are you talking about your family here on memverse?

You thought I asked a lot of questions? :) Take a look at this quiz:

http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

^You're probably way to busy to do it so I'm not asking you to. :)^

My youngest sibling is 2, and she's a big talker. :)
I'm pretty comfortable with it, but I'll probably go back and [delete] some names and such after a day or two.

Ah, the old Jung personality test thing. I've done those before - I'm supposedly an ENTJ, or possibly an ESTJ. What about you?

Well, in that case, I don't mind telling you about my siblings (their names, etc..) either… as long as I can [delete] them too. :)

Edit- I like to talk about my siblings (because they are a big part of my life)… :)

I took the test twice. One website said I'm supposedly a INFJ and the other said INFP. I personally think I fit the INFP more. :)
Do you think yours is an accurate easement of your personality? I'm always surprised by how accurate they can be…

Ah, the old Jung personality test thing. I've done those before - I'm supposedly an ENTJ, or possibly an ESTJ. What about you?

Hey Seth! Those are the two that I get too =) Very funny :D

Called me an ISTP, some of it fits, some don't. Can't be an impartial judge of my own character though.
I even tried it twice, to see if I would get a different one, by trying to give the most honest answers, and not remember what I had answered before, but it gave me the same end result, though the percentages were a little diff.

Well, not everyone is the same, so it could be that they just put you in the group you best fit in. I almost wish the INFP personality description didn't fit me so well… I don't like the idea of people having me down to a science like that. (half joking) :P

Edit- I read over the ISTP description… I don't know you very well but… I would say that (from what I do know)… it would fit your brother more. :) I wonder, if he took it and got a different result, maybe, you would match with his group better then he would. jk

Almost every test I have taken puts me as ENTJ, which is probably the most accurate one for me. My iNtuitive/Sensing percentages are pretty close, and my Extraverted/Introverted percentages are usually around 65/35, but I'm pretty heavily TJ.

I don't like how I'm supposedly insensitive/unfeeling, but it's probably more true that I'd like to admit. :/ I'm certainly not an extremely emotional person…

EDIT - I suppose how well the description matches depends on what site you use. :) I took the test for the first time on mypersonality.info and ENTJ seems best, but ESTJ, INTJ, and ISTJ are also pretty close.

Really? Not what I would have guessed. :)

Well, my family thinks it's very much "me". Only people who know me really well might be able to see that I am. I'm very passionate about pretty much all things, and am definitely one who likes to take action and get stuff done - and am outgoing. It might not come across that way to all people, but that's really who I am =)

EDIT - What would you put me as? I'd like to know what you think my personality… ;)

It's good to know there are people who aren't extremely emotional. I'm not "extremely" emotional, but I can get pretty cranked-up sometimes. It's funny that a lot of my close friends (even my sister) are "steady" people, where as I'm a "dreamer." I really appreciate friends who can "bring me back to earth" now and then. :)

@Bethany- Would you say you're "competitive"? Have you ever read "Preparing to be a Help Meet" by Debi Pearl? ^Not that I always recommend the Pearl's stuff, but…^

I guess I just didn't think of you as someone to go out and take charge - I would have thought you were a more reserved person, but I guess I was mistaken. :)

Haha! I would be kind of nerves if I were trying to categorizes people's personalities. What if they didn't like what I put them down as? :P Hopefully I would never meet them in person. jk

Sarah - Yes, I'm super competitive, and no, I haven't read that book.

Seth - that's funny =) This is part of the ESTJ personality, and it is so me! - "They honor traditions and laws, and have a clear set of standards and beliefs. They expect the same of others, and have no patience or understanding of individuals who do not value these systems. They value competence and efficiency, and like to see quick results for their efforts.

ESTJs are take-charge people. They have such a clear vision of the way that things should be, that they naturally step into leadership roles. They are self-confident and aggressive. They are extremely talented at devising systems and plans for action, and at being able to see what steps need to be taken to complete a specific task. They can sometimes be very demanding and critical, because they have such strongly held beliefs, and are likely to express themselves without reserve if they feel someone isn't meeting their standards. But at least their expressions can be taken at face-value, because the ESTJ is extremely straight-forward and honest."

:D

Hm, okay. :) I just remember a few SCs ago, I said that, "Most of the people who make it to BB Nationals are very completive…" and Carissa said, "Not all of them. My sister made it and she's not competitive at all!" (or something like that). But if you think you are competitive I trust you. ;)

She was talking about my older sister, Amy, who is not =) Amy made it several years ago.

Oh, I see! For some reason I always thought she was talking about you. :)

That's okay =) I have 4 sisters, and 2 brothers. But, she probably normally talks about me on here since I'm her only sibling on here, and most people know me. But, I know Carissa knows my competitiveness that I doubt she was talking about me. =D

On a scale from 1-10 how well do you think know me? Of course, I'm not talking about in person… just here on memverse. :)

Ummm…not very well. Maybe 2? I probably would put a higher number, but I'm not here on that much…

Me?

Hmmm… not very well either. Maybe a 4… no, a three. :)

Here is a funny question (to go along with how well you know me), How old did you think I was when you first noticed me on Memverse forums? (No, I don't care at all if you thought I was 5 or 6!)

I thought you were 14. :)

About 13 or 14. :P

16-18.

<Yes, I remember I had you guess how old I was. That was the first time, I think, I told my actual age…
I had some people thinking I was 20… Rachel? LOL

What did you think about Prince Caspian?

I had some people thinking I was 20... Rachel? LOL

Lol!