I am learning all the time and will never state a thought from a position of certainty and/or cherry pick bible verses to "prove" my point. Don't put God in a box.

Thanks to all the commenters here and to the editor for a lively conversation on complex topics.

That's fair. I appreciate your willingness to discuss it.

Gap threw all possibility of "neutrality" out the window when they chose to take a side. Now, if they axe the campaign, they will incur additional backlash that may be worse than anything they are getting now.

It's impossible for any company to remain "neutral."

Sell a leather jacket, and you've "taken a side" in PETA's mind.

Sell a product to get rid of those pesky slugs in your garden, and you've "taken a side", either for "green" methods or for "evil pesticides."

Show a picture of a woman wearing a garment, and you've "taken a side" either with or against what's considered "decent."

Start selling a milkshake, and you've "taken a side" in the "war on obesity."

Use advertising showing a husband and wife, and you've "taken a side" in the marriage debate.

Place advertising in a gay magazine, a parenting magazine, or a paper with a conservative or liberal editorial board, and you've "taken a side" in someone's mind.

Selling a product (or advertising it) is always at least partially cultural. These actions cannot be made in some vacuum or "neutral" way. Even if your advertising consisted of nothing more than black lettering on a white sign that said, "Buy a shirt from the GAP," there would be a cultural element to it because black on white lettering is considered "acceptable."

From what I gathered she had to learn to love herself - which we as Christians are called to do - and not necessarily rely on the sometimes fleeting love of others. She decided to do this in an extreme way, but I understand her reasoning.

We have to have "self-love." Most people don't realize they are already in a relationship with themselves. We all have a relationship with ourselves. It's how we manage our Christian lives.

And, in my opinion, we have to love ourselves as God loves us. I don't think that's hedonistic - I think that's how we move toward having good self-esteem and general acceptance of ourselves - things we can only give to others when we have it to offer.

Please let me know if I have mis-interpreted the post.

There is certainly a great deal of hurt here, in addition to her obvious narcissism.

Yes, the outcome here is sick.

But, seriously, as long as we have an amoral society, why is this such a big deal?

If you want complete separation of Church and State--but still have State licensure of marriage--then outcomes like this are totally rational.

The problem here is that the denial of reality is not progress. After all, calling a dog a cat doesn't make a dog a cat.

Nor does outlawing gravity--because it discriminates against those who fall from higher altitude--change reality either.

The issue is not how depraved gay people are--they are no more depraved than anyone else--but rather about how desensitized our society has become that we put gay relationships on the same plane as the marriage covenant.

And don't get me wrong: I'm quite the libertarian myself. While I oppose the legitimacy of gay "marriage", I also oppose state licensure of marriage altogether.

If a country feels they need to write an Amendment into their national Constitution about the issue, then the situation has long since reached a critical mass, and they have far worse problems than trying to legislate away a societal problem.

Having said that, I have serious Biblical opposition to homosexual behavior, just as I oppose any non-marital sexual activity by heterosexuals.

It isn't personal; it's theological.

Included in the price of the ticket were birds-eye views of the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Mt. Hood.

All the while this song was in my head:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1diyWXT59Q

My favourite place to do this has always been at the camp I worked at for a few summers. I'd get up earlier than everyone else and head down to the lake. I'd go out in a kayak and enjoy the sunrise and the silence before the kids and the rest of the staff got up. Even though it cut in on alreayd limited sleep, I needed that time with God to be ready for the day with all the activity and people. I still get up to that camp a few times a year and every morning, I'm there I still get up early to watch the sunrise on the lake.

I have my best conversations with God when I'm surrounded by nature, whether it be a snowy mountaintop (where I'm on skis) or by a quiet lakeshore. (Well, not so quiet when I have to make noise to make sure bears stay away.)

It makes me feel so alive and it causes me to realise that we were designed to be outside. Not hidden inside houses/buildings/cities. That can be stifling.

Yes, several times, including a couple times in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. One time, my friends from Ft. Collins and I hiked together to a lake, spent some alone time praying & journaling, and then hiked back down and ate at The Baldpate in Estes. Ever been there? It's fantastic!

I have also taken my surroundings for granted. Montana is full of spots to enjoy God's lovely creation. I joined a Life Group at church this summer called "Truth & Trails." On Thursday nights, we meet, start by reading a passage from Mark, and then go for a hike in town. A couple of weekends this summer, we'll be doing longer hikes in the nearby Beartooth Mountains. It's been fun!

I'm not sure why, but there's just something special about spending time outdoors with God. :)

While I would take small issue with Boundless' response to Gap,
I would not suggest--by any stretch--that Boundless or FotF is idolizing anything here.

In fact, if anything, it would be perfectly legitimate--on any reasonable Christian grounds--to call attention to the level of depravity our society has absorbed, given that we have reached the point where corporations can embark on such marketing initiatives profitably.

The tragedy here is not the ad--which clearly markets to gays--but rather that Gap has more to gain from that advertising than they stand to lose from any loss of business from flyover country due to said advertising.

I'm old enough to remember that, even in my middle-left high school class, homosexuality was not looked at as a good thing. Had a company like Gap launched a campaign like this in the 1980s, they would have been smoked financially.

Now I do take some issue with One Million Moms here: at this point, Gap can't be "morally neutral".

Gap threw all possibility of "neutrality" out the window when they chose to take a side. Now, if they axe the campaign, they will incur additional backlash that may be worse than anything they are getting now.

(This is what happened to the Susan G. Komen folks: they supported Planned Parenthood. In so doing, they took a side. When they subsequently pulled back that funding, the resultant backlash was also tantamount to "taking a side". They would have been better off never funding PP in the first place, as that would have been the only way they could have remained "neutral".)

If you're a company, you have to think these issues through. And this goes even for conservative companies such as Chick-Fil-A.

As for Gap, they aren't the only company that is doing this type of marketing.

Target is also in the fray, and has even tried to play both sides: they supported a political candidate who backed a marriage amendment, but later introduced a line of gay pride apparel.

People are more scared of you than you are of them.

Further, I find that it's *harder* to be confident as a single (esp a single male )because part of a marital relationship is making sure the other person is built up by you -- and specifically part of the female role is to do that for her husband. A good way to counteract the impact of missing that person is to surround yourself with people you respect who are going to build you up in a healthy way. That is, people who will praise your accomplishments and reminde you of your identity in Christ, but call you out if you need it.

Finally, rest in your identity in Christ. He believed in your worth enough to hang on a cross for you. So even if every other person in the world thinks your worthless including you (which is hopelessly emo and never actually true) -- there's always that.

Also, more and more each day.. I see young fathers being quite involved in their children's lives. Taking them to Sunday school and sometimes even attending it with the children.

Yes, the Gospel of Jesus makes heroes of our men as they laydown their lives daily for us.

I didn't think he would be interested in me. But when he sent an e-mail "hoping" I'd write back, my gut reaction was to give him a chance.

And I really did enjoy getting to know him. I found out that we shared many common interests and values.

However, I think this ended up as (another) case of "I was more interested in him than he was in me," as a few weeks ago he admitted that he couldn't keep up with e-mails any longer. ):

I still struggle with letting go of him in my heart/mind, instead of leaning on a delusional hope that he'll "come back."

In the meantime, I'm still figuring out "where do I go from here."

Though I am sad to see this blossoming friendship wither and droop so suddenly, at least I can say I did give him a chance. The outcome just wasn't what I wanted.

Plus, as Christians, I would hope we would realize that there are much bigger fish to fry. We are called to much higher things than this. Come on Boundless, raise the bar just a tad higher, shall we?

Catch a blacksnake with my bare hands.

Go paint balling with my brother.

Milk a cow.

Ride my Dad's motorcycle.

Touch my feet to the back of my head. (I was a gymnast as a kid and was sadly perplexed at my inability to do this the other day when I tried.)

This is out in cyberspace now so it's official and I have to do them!

This is crazy idea, but I would just like to throw it out there...instead of blogging about how bad cohabitating people are, would anyone be willing to sponsor a couple to help pay for their wedding?

and I have indeed made such an offer in the past to a non-relative who was planning on moving into a house with his girlfriend. Obviously it wasn't going to be a huge wedding, but it could have been made to work.

Needless to say, I wasn't taken up on the offer; Dana is quite right that it's not always about the money, and there's usually something else going on in the background.

The Smallbone-Fink Wedding!

Two cute wholesome guys cuddling together inside a t-shirt.
Remind me: what is it that I am supposed to be upset about?

Leviticus 19:19. That shirt is almost positively a mixed blend and thus against God's will.

Also, Leviticus 19:27 prohibitions against cutting hair.

Truly, they are full of sin.

I read the book when I was a high-schooler, because my mom was always reading it.

But Perls did not write the book. Dr. Tom Harris did. Nor is the book about gestalt theory. Harris explains how Transactional Analysis helps one get in touch with their own maturing process - based in his PAC model, meaning Parent, Adult Child - and from there how we relate to others and them to us in healthy ways.

And it was very popish.

Just be glad you didn't roll through into a kid on a skateboard. I had come to a full and complete stop once at a weird 4-way stop. It wasn't square, kind of a rectangle. One side had a tall hedge, I had a short car. After checking all directions a few times, I started rolling forward.

And a couple of skateboarders rolled out from behind the hedge and off the curb without stopping - right into my car.

No one was hurt - it was zero miles per hour. They realized how bad a situation it could have been - one skateboard went under my car to the other side of the street. But it was a reminder how important those stop signs are.

Singleness is never celebrated and who says you don't need another person in order to be "happy"?

Can I marry myself too? :>
(Lol I could not since I a burdened by my ranging sexuality *snork*)

It seems strange thinking about it but after tracing that period of time in my head over and over again I can legitimately say, "Yes, I had God's fingerprints all over it." Suddenly all the guys I was interested in sort of...turned away. And it wasn't because I had suddenly grown a bad reputation, or had a bad interaction with anyone of them. It happened in a way that was out-of-the-ordinary and...it's hard to explain, but I began to sense the Lord was telling me something. They weren't bad guys - at least, I don't think so - but I think that it would not have been good for me to date any one of them. That's the weirdest experience I can recount from my high school account, which had been pretty uneventful. So, I went through high school mostly dateless except for a few fun sort of 'group dates.' But looking back, I don't regret it one bit. I'm still young and there's no hurry, and who knows, maybe what happened was for a darn good reason. There shouldn't be a hurry for anyone even though, like another poster said, you should start making that connection while your young. But again, I don't feel like there's a rush, especially with all the broken marriages and divorce. I haven't had a boyfriend, but I'm not in a hurry to have one, not anymore. I feel that when God sets that person on your path, there's no way he won't let you know.

So, in conclusion, God's rules are in place for a reason. Obviously there's not always a ticking bomb set after one engages in sinful behavior, which is why I tend to observe the commandments as a cautionary set of principles, ignore at your own risk.

I had a wake-up call at the next practice when the angry coach talked to me one-on-one and called me out on it. Wanting to tell her that I was saying those things to be pushed harder (I thought better of it not knowing what she would do to me), I said I was sorry and that it wouldn't happen again. I was mortified and ran a lap on my own in tears. I can't believe I let myself act that way, and it was a shameful reminder of how others watch our words and actions. I was supposed to be the Christian on the team and was very embarrassed when the girls saw me get reprimanded. That event comes back to haunt me a lot, and I have definitely asked forgiveness for it. It took that to realize how prideful and disrespectful it was.

or non FB one is

http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/1642613776/315518_153271538097358_100002435393256_266942_1152800574_n.jpg

Saw this today of Phoenix Jones and His Wife Purple Reign and reminded me of this guy whom was in the news last year, but now he has a guy who is his side-kick walking the streets with him, as well as his wife finally joining him in the action...Hes tackled people breaking into cars, stopped robberies, even has a picture of him holding an umbrella over an old lady in the rain to keep her from getting wet/cold...He and his side-kick(not in the above picture, the above picture is him and his wife) whom found a site literally next to a school with over 50 barrels of toxic waste fenced in as if fencing it in meant it was okay to put 50 barrels of waste with 50 feet or so of a school...they are proactive in every day acts/night acts of kindness and looking out for the community....

They are in fact Real Life superheros...and just man I hope my wife is as cool as Purple Reign is someday...

Confidence does not just come from the inside it comes from people on the outside more so as well...it is something given to man not pulled out of thin air...

You want a man whom is confident give him reasons to be so, give him opportunities to do something well and when he does don't just thank him with a "thank you" tell him how awesome it was, how much it meant to you, and how proud he should be of himself...help him be confident in what he is doing/whom he is, don't just expect it from him naturally...

Men cannot just be expected to walk with confidence if no one around them believes in them or has actually given them a reason to be so....

......................................

As for summer plans...Just got a new job recently thats my first Monday through friday with weekends off ever...so I will be in a warehouse loading trucks with car and auto parts and oils and such for 7-9 hrs a day 5 days a week, hoping to get a sunny and warm summer where I can hit the beach as much as possible and Hike as much as possible....gonna try to see the New Spider-man movie since he is my favorite hero, Plus umm Emma Stone is in it...Also started doing 50 push ups when I wake up and 50 before bed every day, so I am hoping to up that to be able to do 2-300 a day by the end of the summer and hoping to shape my abs into a semi six packish thing by the end of the summer as well as my legs and abs are worked out the least...Also plan to do photography outside as much as possible and hopefully read 5-8 books as well...we shall see...

The very fact that I still remember that speaks volumes, no?

That said, there is a common belief unbacked by anything in the Bible that on earth the wicked shall be punished and the righteous awarded. It's just not in there, folks. I spent much of my life in the DC area. The wicked there are routinely awarded, regardless of whether they're caught. In fact, the highest level is the guy who gets caught and gets away with it.

Further, to say that God will help you if you pray to Him is to imply that all the people who have suffered with no such relief either didn't pray or weren't worthy of God's attention. That's just not right.

I've known plenty of couples who got married after living on their own for several years. I think they basically registered for a bunch of new items and used it as an excuse to get rid of old items, perhaps handing them off to various young single friends who needed that stuff more than they did.

I knew one guy who was disappointed that none of his furniture "made the cut" into his married life, which I thought was pretty funny. I imagine the same will happen to me if I ever get married, but all my furniture is old anyway, and I wouldn't really miss it. The only reason I don't buy new furniture now is because I don't need to.

I heard about the woman who "married herself" on the news this morning, and I thought, "Wow, crazy." I agree that she's probably doing it as a way to cope with some emotional pain, but that's just pure speculation that I don't care to get into when I don't know anything about her.

"they are bad has not even antecdotal backing because you can't even provide you own experience."

On the contrary, I don't need to provide it from my own experience as this information comes from both honest adult women themselves and from science! (Even though it is an obvious conclusion to make.)

Studies have shown that men with narcissistic, callous, and impulsive tendencies do well with women despite their bad traits.

And female friends have said the same thing. One wife who was the mother of two kids says she kept for falling the bad guys. After so many troubling, hurtful relationships she came to her senses to marry a quiet, introverted Christian nice guy.

And last night I posed this very question to a female friend. Her response (without any prompting from me): "Yeah, women are weird! And stupid. It doesn't make any sense." She agreed that women just for what ever reason are bizarrely attracted to misbehaving men.

Finally from this Christian women - http://www.womenofspirit.com/?id=110
who tells us she was addicted to bad men. The telling part is she realized she wasn't a "good girl" as she thought. This something I tell the guys around me. Why would you want to go out with a girl who dates only bad boys; her choices just demonstrate where her heart is ... and it isn't on the Lord!

So much for the "same, tired cliche statements."

Sometimes, it is best to not let the facts get in the way of finding out the truth.

But I agree with you, this is likely the result of severe emotional issues.

I had heard about this story (or a similar one) earlier and was stunned by the narcissism of marrying oneself. I've had friends advocate transforming one's 21st birthday into a housewarming party seeing as "single people need toasters too!". This has made for great conversations over the years.

(This is after all of my siblings moved straight out of home into wedded life, complete with a wedding and lots of gifts to set them up.)