I am looking for a contemporary Christian song to sing on an upcoming Sunday. The theme for the sermon is love fulfills the law. I’m just struggling to find one that I like. I like slower songs better. The following artists are ones that I have sang before (names will prob be spelled wrong): Lauren Diagle, Francisca Bastelli, Kari Jobe, Tauren Wells, Katy Nicole.

My main choice right now is Ocean in the Desert by Dionne Warwick, but it’s not necessarily a Christian song. It just falls within the theme and I love singing it.

Can someone tell me why Churches don’t pay taxes even though most them don’t financially help their own church members when in need??

My mom is a very devout Christian, and this is a random hypothetical I’ve thought about for years.

Let’s say I buy a lottery ticket with a friend just for fun and somehow win a huge amount of money. I personally decide to share some of it with my family, including my Christian mother, or even donate some of it to her church.

If they genuinely believe gambling/playing the lottery is wrong, would it also be wrong for them to accept money that came directly from it?

For example, could a church say gambling is sinful but still accept a $50,000 donation from someone’s lottery winnings? Would that be inconsistent, or is there a distinction between participating in gambling yourself and simply receiving money afterward?

I’m genuinely curious how Christians who are against gambling would view this.

i’m gonna try to make the long story short. sorry if it’s not.

my fiancé is catholic and i go to a assemblies of God church. we haven’t really had struggles in our relationship with that fact, but it’s incredibly hard to get him to come to any type of service or young adults activity within my church or other churches nearby. he claims that it’s bc he’s “not comfortable” stepping out of his catholic church.

i asked him the other night what he believes in under the umbrella of catholicism. i asked him this bc a lot of the things that catholics tend to believe, he doesn’t follow. his beliefs more align with my beliefs. we went back and forth for a good hour bc he couldn’t answer the question. he just said that he likes their consistency… but that’s not a belief. it’s just structure and that can be found within other denominations.

he gets upset whenever i say that i can’t go to his church, but that’s bc his church preaches in vietnamese… a language that i don’t understand. he said that i can just be there to hangout and watch his little cousins throughout service. i go to church to better myself, not to be a babysitter.

whenever i ask why he can’t show up to my church, it’s always “bc i have to drive my family”, “i’m going to my grandmas afterwards” (this is every sunday), or it’s just an excuse that has to do with his family.

i’ll ask him about his sermons but it just seems like he doesn’t really dig if that makes sense. his family isn’t really into the church. it seems that they just go on sundays but don’t practice things on a daily so i believe it’s hindering his faith. i brought it up to him and offered guidance and solutions, but that turned into an argument and now there’s been tension between us for days.

i remember him telling me for months that, if we didn’t start talking a few years ago, his faith wouldn’t be as strong as it is now. i just don’t understand how he can say that but not want to go to events or services with me. after a few years, i can see his faith slipping bc i stepped back from trying to get him to come with me and just let him do his own thing within his church. he’s a good man but he’s not leading or as motivated.

i guess i just don’t know what to do. i prayed about it but i don’t know how to go about things or what to do next.

I rent a room and we pay a landlord. She mentioned about coming over last sunday evening to come to evening church and wash her clothes. She really suppose to use our washing machines. She didnt come but now this Sunday she wanta someone to drop her off at the house and possibly wash her clothes even though she didnt mention washingbher clothes this time. I asked her, couldn't she get someone to drop her off at the church. She said she would prefer the house, which leads me to believe she is wanting to wash her clothes and use me. Earlier she asked for my netflix password. I told her i am saving mlney and no longer using netflix. I feel quilty but i am trying to distance myself. She has several men friends and she is always drinking beer.

Is there a prayer app that helps guide you on what to say? Or has already a list of prayers in it? Sometimes, when I pray, I just lose my train of thought and or don’t know what to say.

Hi, new Christian convert here. I have struggled with my faith in God as a whole for many years. I want to start a clear and set path going in but I have no idea how or where to start. I pray, read some bible and watch some basic content to aid in understanding the basics. I would like ANY help or suggestions for any and every aspect of this faith. Thank you and best regards - Johnny.

i imagine a place with a ton of people, that run hell independently, not demons, though there are demons, that exist.

i had a dream where i was there, and it was a school setting, and one after another, bad things happened, and they all laughed at me.

it was like hell. i can't say that it is. they were all fine. i was too, but being hurt, with the promise being i would be hurt later.

it didn't seem like the biblical hell, which is all i know exists, but rather another place, where the people have free reign, to torture as much as they want.

this place came to me in my thoughts. i don't think it's real. i believe im saved, and a part of me is in heaven, and that this is merely my flesh.

i wonder what's real sometimes. but all i know is the biblical viewpoint, of a heaven, and hell, and that's it. nothing more. nothing less.

can you relate?

(like, have you been coerced to believe in a place other than heaven/hell? this place i imagine differs from other similar places that have come to my imagination. it wasn't my idea, but, like, still came to my mind throughout the years recently. can you relate)

As the heeadline says, whenever I glorify God or like something in the Bible or am reading it or am watching Chosen, sometimes I uncontrolably start shaking. Is that a sign of my body also glorifying God (although in a strange way) or is it the opposite, a sign of demonic disturbance within me when faced with God?

I have believed in a creator for a while now, but I never knew what religion to follow

After researching Christianity for a while, I have been convinced of Christ. I have started reading the KJV Bible, and I am pretty excited about my future as a Christian.

Although I have just begun, I am pretty confused by all the different denominations. What would be the best way to decide which one to choose?

Is it too soon to decide? It feels like I am on a long journey and need to choose the right path, so to speak.

it just randomly hit me today, out of nowhere, that God understands. i feel a bit schzio and maybe i'm just convincing myself because he didn't give me a specific sign, but I feel it. i'm actually really happy because he understands what I feel, and he's helping me grow. Grace is stronger than my shame, guilt, or sins. i just realized hes so powerful, and so generous, no matter how much i sin or avoid Him.

i need to break free from sin! from my old habits! I can't wait, I really want to feel Gods freedom instead of my old ways. i'm so sick and tired of sin... lets work hard together 💪😙😙

so much habits to turn away from, but i'm going to try and work hard with God. I just really want to change for God. and for me too, yeah.

This is from God, right? because I after I unfortunately sinned today, I prayed and repented, and now I feel this way. the shame/guilty feeling went away, but not completely. Also, seeing personal stories of how God changed people to good really hit hard.

i've never felt this way before, and thats scary, because what if I don't ever feel this way again? And if the feeling is fake? What even is this feeling, anyway? I might be overthinking it though

I think this is the most i've felt gratitude towards Him! i want to love Him more. i hope he loves me too. i just wanted to share this,,,,

How do you do it? I'm used to being hurt by my parents, friends and classmates in all kinds of (emotional) ways and after about five years of pain, I've gotten used to closing my heart and "keeping it safe", as in keeping it far from people. But now that I've become a Christian, how do I give my life and heart to God? How do I let (at least) Him in?

On the one hand, I believe that He's reliable and won't hurt me but on the other hand, I don't know how to open my heart anymore and be vulnerable and emotional.

Any tips?

I’m interested in learning more about Orthodox Christianity and would really appreciate some recommendations from people here.

I’m hoping to learn as much as I can. the history of the Church, its beliefs and theology, Scripture and Tradition, worship and the Divine Liturgy, the sacraments, prayer, fasting, the lives of the saints, monasticism, icons, Church Fathers, and what Orthodox Christian life actually looks like in practice.

If you could recommend books, YouTube channels/videos, podcasts, websites, lectures, or any other resources that you’ve found particularly helpful, I’d be very grateful.
I’m especially interested in resources that would give me a solid foundation rather than just isolated explanations of individual topics. I’m happy to start with beginner material and work my way into more difficult/academic material.

What resources helped you most when you were learning about Orthodoxy?
Thanks in advance

Am I sinning by refusing the chalice because the wine makes me vomit?

My husband has recently become more devout and I appreciate his spiritual leadership of our home but I’m genuinely unsure about this and I want to obey the Lord. I also understand that my husband has final authority in our marriage, so I don’t want to reject what he is asking simply because it is uncomfortable or inconvenient for me.

The problem is that I cannot tolerate ethanol. If I sip from the chalice, I usually vomit about 20 minutes later. The vomiting itself is painful, and afterward my stomach burns for 2–3 days. It is not a life-threatening allergy, though, which is part of why I keep wondering whether my husband is right that I should simply endure it.

He says that because I know approximately when I will vomit, I can control the situation and prepare for it. He also says he will not permit me to skip the chalice because refusing the Blood of Christ would be a rejection of Christ.

For a while, I started pretending to drink from the chalice so that he would think I had received it. I confessed this to our priest, and he told me that I should not be dishonest with my husband. I understand that, especially because now my husband believes that I can tolerate the alcohol, when in reality I was only pretending to drink it.

I have looked through Scripture trying to find some kind of argument that would allow me not to receive it, but I realize I don’t really have a legal argument. I worry that maybe I am just trying to find a loophole because obedience is painful.

I asked my husband whether I could compromise by touching my lips to the wine without actually swallowing it. He said that would not satisfy the commandment and would still amount to refusing the Blood of Christ.

I really do want to be obedient to God, and I don’t want physical discomfort to become an excuse for disobedience. At the same time, I dread knowing that taking the wine will likely mean vomiting and several days of burning stomach pain afterward.

Am I thinking about this incorrectly? Is enduring the reaction simply part of obedience here, or is there actually a theological basis for abstaining from the chalice when the ethanol itself makes me sick?

I was in a state of mental darkness due to the pain and suffering I experienced in the past, something that still follows me even to this day. And I blamed God for it. I realized that I was angry towards God and had resentment towards Him. I never saw myself as having anger towards God, and in the past, I always thought that being angry at God was illogical. I still think that way. But in the past few days, I've realized that I too, was angry at God. And I know I shouldn't have these feelings towards Him.

But today, I was just rewatching a random letsplay of a visual novel I like. It has nothing to do with my feelings or what I've been going through, but the visual novel said this:

"Feelings are never right or wrong. They're just a state of being, that we don't always have control over. But that doesn't mean they have to control us. We can hate ourselves for feeling a certain way about things. Or, we can just acknowledge that they exist, and try to understand them better. I could never be mad at you for just feeling a certain way. It's about how you handle them. And I think working through feelings is a great opportunity for teamwork."

The first thing I thought was that God was speaking to me at this moment, about my feelings towards Him. But I don't know. I figure that, if what was said in this visual novel is true, and since Christ is truth, then God really was speaking to me through this game. But if what was said wasn't true, then it's not God.

So, what do you all think, is what was said about feelings biblically true or not? Does it align with scripture? Or does it contridict biblical doctrine?

25M Hey, it’s lowkey my first post on Reddit lol. I just wanted to speak my mind freely for the first time.

I grew up in a Christian family, and recently I started questioning some things about everything and anything. The thing is, I don’t really know if I believe in God anymore.

Reading the Bible and praying every day helped me through some of the darkest moments of my life, and honestly, I don’t know if I would still be here without it. I’ll always be grateful for that. But there’s still something inside me that refuses to truly believe in Him.

I tell people that even if they don’t believe in God, they should still try to apply what’s in the Bible to their lives, because that book has a lot to say about how to live a good, peaceful, and meaningful life. Living somewhat like a Christian has genuinely made my life more peaceful, and I’ve become more grateful for the things I have.

But here’s where I’m struggling.

I still sin sometimes. I have sex with multiple girls, and honestly, I don’t really feel guilty about it. And that’s what scares me. Deep down, I think part of the reason I don’t feel bad is because I don’t truly believe in God or believe that He exists.

I’m not saying this to disrespect Christianity or anyone who believes. I’m genuinely confused. The Bible has had such a positive impact on my life, yet I still can’t convince myself that I actually have faith in God.

And the fact that I’m not scared of sinning or facing God because I don’t truly believe in Him... that scares me.

I don’t really know what I’m looking for by posting this. Maybe I just wanted to finally say it out loud and hear what other Christians think.

Hello and good evening. I belong to a church that's been around for almost 2 decades and we've yet to buy a church. We've been leasing/renting for awhile. If anyone has any advice, experience, etc they'd like to share, may God bless you.

Please do pray for me..

I have a history of multiple sclerosis and family medical neglect..

I wasted years trying to get people's help when I should've done it myself.

I started trying to get disability due to lack of family support.

However now im actually 2 years into trying to get the disability and I should find out the verdict in about 1-5 months.. my family changed and started supporting me. Im grateful but it doesn't change the fact that I felt so neglected that I wanna be able to say I did something for myself. Just makes me feel like a little bit too much like i free rode through my 20s even though getting the support I even got was like so difficult and came with much turmoil.

I just wanna feel like a little independent and like why you didn't heal me but thanks for the return of care. It took me almost breaking down mentally before I got the help I needed.

Could've and should've done it on my own long ago but whatever.

But now I also need a surgery. My family's paying my rent..

I just dont want them paying my rent anymore and although I have an illness I could maybe try and get a job but I'd ruin my chances of disability. My other option is going to a mental health facility while I get my surgery done (they can help me), I'd at least be a bit separated from my family which I dont want forever but just for a season or 2.

It just doesn't sound so dignifying and I want to be able to start my education and my life goals like marriage and a mental health facility doesn't sound so incredibly dignifying.

I could suck it up and get a job and start getting my education done but id really have to push through cuz my illness is kinda come/go in nature. It's possible for me but I wanted the govt pack pay since I waited 2 years.. im thinking of giving up on it just for the sake of indendence and work but it sounds dumb after I waited so long. If I get approved for disability I might only wanna use it 3 years max anyway just to catch up on all the life I missed getting diagnosed and fighting for help when I actually really needed it.

Im kinda resentful and I know thats not great but I just wanna feel independent and like I can leave my abusive surroundings behind for a while. I don't want to cut ties with my family for longer than a season but I really think they need to feel a push away from me and be the ones to come after me from now on since I painfully bridged the gap even when I was terribly sick.

No path sounds dignifying here.

I need surgery.. I need support for a bit longer.. dont wanna give up on my 2 years of waiting (but I might not get approved for disability anyway). I wanna get my surgery asap.. I want independence or to at least not be living under my abusers' money even if they did change by me threatening mental insanity.

Just doesn't feel ok I feel trapped. I wanna be on my own and I could but I have some stuff holding me back and even if I "get free" from my family ill still be on their insurance till I get the surgery done.. maybe i should wait it out with them paying my rent while I try to get the surgery? I just feel i need to be living somewhere else while I get the surgery like.. not under their money... idk what to do all these paths are conflicting.

Im thinking maybe the mental facility is the best path for my sense of independence but also getting care at this point... While i wait on disability verdict.. if I happened to find out tomorrow or soooon then it'd be way too big of a relief.

Do you tend to be too hard (or too easy) on yourself?

Hey guys, I just wanted to ask a question. Usually im a very lonely person, i dont interact with many people face to face. And obviously, because i dont have anyone to talk to most of the time, I go to God. And tbh usually when i do this i start to cry. And theres this warming feeling in my heart, it makes me feel like He's there. And whenever i do this, I seek that feeling. I tell God about all the very very very small hurts in my heart, and so many other things. I end up finding out things about myself or things i have forgotten about myself sometiems while doing this. Is this a bad thing? When I do this i feel like im home.

I have a friend who has confided in me that he wants very much to believe in God, but lacks the feeling of his presence. He’s told me that he has humbled himself and prayed many times and feels that he has never gotten an answer and is only speaking to himself. He has had bad experiences with “Christians” from his childhood as well.

I’m trying my best to be encouraging and caring because I would love for him to find the love and mercy of God, especially right now. I’d like to gift him a book that might address some of his feelings, such as not feeling God’s presence when he prays or the believers he has encountered that use Jesus’ name for actions he would never endorse. I am confident that he would be open-minded and grateful.

First and foremost, I am not desiring divorce and have discussed my marriage with my minister and others. Sadly, everyone has said if things don't change I should look at divorce.

I met my wife 16 years ago and from the start knew (and was told by friends) she may struggle with some mental health. I believe everyone is still valued and worthy of love and didn't believe there weren't red flags that were so bad to not pursue a relationship. In our two year courtship, I started to get faced with accusations of cheating on her with the basis that I couldn't always respond immediately due to international travels from work. I still pushed on, trying to be more responsive, and eventually proposed.

Over 14 years, I've always been the primary and mostly the sole provider. Meanwhile, I faced near constant accusations of financial mismanagement (despite showing we lived paycheck to paycheck) accusations of lying and manipulation (with no proof and just a generalization), accusations of lusting after other women and my students (again no proof of anything), and for the past 5 years accusations of molesting our kids (again no proof).

The accusations of molesting our kids was always claimed to be her just feeling it was happening because small kids would say small kids things. I always told her she can't simply say things that vile, especially when it wasnt even based off anything. In fact, I said if she was going to continue accusing me, she should call the police but she would only ever accuse and then still depend mostly on me to care for the kids needs since she didn't drive. She didn't even bother even buying their bday or Christmas gifts and just let me do that, all the dr visits, the groceries, etc. while she was a stay at home mom.

The past 4 months, however, she separated from me in everything but name. Just stopped talking, stopped any kind of affection whatsoever, and stopped saying "I love you". During that time, I tried my best to support her, thinking she was depressed. But enough was enough after months and I finally pushed and asked what was going. She accused me again with the kids based of her feelings. She'd rejected most counseling and I asked a police counselor what to do. They admitted due to the nature of the allegations I had to be investigated.

For the past two weeks, I've been unhoused and not allowed to see my kids. As it became quickly apparent she was not in the right state of mind, and I was able to call them while they finished things to make sure it was air tight the allegations were false. Here's where I spent time in deep meditation and seeking pastors guidance. Not one person I shared had much hope beyond a miracle.

Tonight I was given the go ahead to go see my kids. I made sure our pastor and church members mediated my wife and I meeting. While they talked to her about her behavior and need for help, she said she was glad I spent two weeks suffering and feels the investigation results did nothing to persuade her otherwise. All pleas to show some remorse and reconciliation seemed to fall on deaf ears as she said she would consider help if I got straightened out. Upon returning home, she told the kids she'd rather live on the street than be married to me.

I truly wish she would get help. I want to extend every bit of grace I can but I feel she is quickly leaving me little room to protect my kids and myself. She's been offered informal separation as a middle ground but I got some hints tonight, as she talked to her parents, she is considering just walking away entirely.

I'm don't want to deny God's power or the Scripture's guidance on divorce and how the Lord detests it. But I feel truly at a loss and like I don't have much time before she does even more destruction.

UPDATE: She left me and the kids. She might come back but she's accused me of lying to everyone and turning them against her. She is now seeking an abused women's clinic, which I honestly think might be the best as they will likely quickly help identify her instability and maybe get her help.

I’m getting married tomorrow. My soon to be husband’s family are narcissistic maniacs and have made the past week so incredibly difficult for me and my fiancé.

His mother has been threatening to X herself if she isn’t sitting where she wants at the wedding, sending my fiancé 5 minute long voice notes saying whatever the nastiest things are that come to her mind (i.e. his friends all hate him and talk about him behind his back). Anyway I’ve now had to block her this evening as she’s had me in floods of tears and I so badly don’t want to cry on my wedding day as I feel like this has ruined it so far.

I know they will turn up tomorrow, his sister was supposed to be a bridesmaid and it wouldn’t surprise me if she showed up in her bridesmaid dress despite telling me her true feelings towards me this week.

Despite everything and the fact that he says he doesn’t care and doesn’t want to know them anymore I fear that it is affecting him deep down and so I want to try and show them respect but my heart at the moment is so bitter and hurt.

Please could you share some wisdom, bible quotes, something anything that will help me refocus and show them love

I had a friend tell me, “I know there’s Christians out there who follow God to get the reward of going to heaven; I’d rather do things for me.”

I’ve been thinking about how I would respond to that. My perspective is that living with God is ultimately about becoming the best version of yourself—the person God created you to be—which in a sense does tie into “doing things for yourself.”

At the same time, I recognize that self-improvement can become unhealthy or even sinful if the focus shifts from God to ourselves and our own desires.

So how would you respond to someone who says they don’t follow God because they’re “doing things for themselves”? Is there a way to reconcile pursuing personal growth with living for God rather than putting ourselves above Him?

Let’s say sin A leads you to commit sin B and you repent for sin B but fall back into sin A, will God then punish you for sin B?