I’m confused. There’s this guy named Jesus in the Bible who said ""If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."………then there’s this "mega-church" with a million mortgage who spends ,000 on live animals for a manger scene at Christmas.

How did Jesus morph into mega-church?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101019/ap_on_re_us/us_crystal_cathedral;_ylt=AnL3MIIHP0jdiJr2M_diy5KL_aF4;_ylu=X3oDMTNwcWdmZm42BGFzc2V0Ay9zL2FwLzIwMTAxMDE5L2FwX29uX3JlX3VzL3VzX2NyeXN0YWxfY2F0aGVkcmFsBGNjb2RlA21wX2VjXzhfMTAEY3BvcwMxMARwb3MDMTAEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNjcnlzdGFsY2F0aGU-

me me me……………But how does this happen when they are reading that EXACT book you’re quoting from?

I am so depressed. I try to see all of the ways my life is full and blessed, but I just can’t get past the things that have happened to me this past year. Exactly a year ago yesterday, my husband of 24 years was placed on administrative leave from his job as a high school teacher. He was accused of being inappropriately involved with a student. I defended him during the investigation, to my family and to our church. I was committed to him and did not believe the allegations. On Christmas Eve, he walked out on the family to move in with the 18 year old student ( he is 53). I was shocked and still am. Of course he lost his job. I was left with the bills and a mortgage. I thought I would lose the house and haveto file bankruptcy. My son was attending an expensive college in New York and I could not afford to send him back for the spring semester. Shortly after this transpired, my father was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. Life couldn’t seem worse.
Since that terrible day, I finalized my divorce, and fought for and received full custody of my 12 year old daughter. I received a promotion at work. I was able to sell my home and purchase a smaller one for my daughter and myself. I got my son back into school. I received a scholarship to complete my graduate degree. My dad had surgery and is doing well.
So many things have gone well for me. I am proud of the way I handled my divorce, yet I am so depressed. I am taking medication. I am fine when I am at work, I am actually doing very well with my career. The weekends kill me. I am so lonely. I go to church, but I still feel alone because nearly everyone there is married. I am grateful that my daughter is still at home and I dread the day she will leave for college. I know many women who are divorced and haven’t had a date in years. I feel so alone. Is it wrong to want to have someone to share your life? Is it wrong to wish you had someone to give you a hug everyday and kiss you goodnight? How do I get past this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg98BvqUvCc
Please tell me I heard this wrong? Between the tape I watched of him talking about his civilian army, (hey, Saddam had one of those!) the America hating friends he has, the America hating church he attended, his wife’s thesis where she clearly states she distrusts white people & a whole bunch of other shady things popping up daily on this guy do people really think they don’t have to pay their mortgage or put gas in their cars anymore? Is he handing out free houses & gas cards I don’t know about? Is this only for people who don’t want to work? Is this why he’s raising taxes so we can put gas in this idiot’s car & pay her mortgage? Do people really beleive this? I have a cousin who is black & she said her whole family thinks Obama is offering free health care then when she expalins to them that is not what he said, his speech clearly says "affordable" health care , She says people are only hearing what they want to hear about him & no one can say different or they are hammered. McCain clearly states he’s giving a K health care credit which is plenty to buy a nice family policy, & he’s doubling the child care tax which will give us a bigger refund at tax time, all great American things for the hard working American. I don’t know about you but I do not want to pay for this womens gas with my hard earned money! & what the hell is she teaching her pretty little daughters?? Freebies & government cheese?? I always thought when you worked hard & got that pay check you were doing alright, now under Obama I’d have to contribute to this loser for her gas………huh, what ? Please only serious answers please , I’m a registered independant & voting in a couple of hours!
My dear Joel, You have no idea what I make or what I’m worth nor do you know what people who make 0K sound like , if that’s the case Brittney Spears should be "making like . like an hour right ya’ll …. now go back to work someone wants fries with that ….

I am trying to help fund raise money for the church that I attend. We are really in need of money to the point where the church got robbed and well they took everything and we can’t come up with the funds to pay the mortgage. I was wondering if anyone knew someone that might be able to help us or if you might know of some good ides to raise money in a clean way. Maybe some organizations that have money put aside for things like this. I know that Haiti is going through a lot overseas and needs the help but we need help so that we can help others. Please give as many as details and opinions as you can. Thank you.
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t really paying attention to the category. I just need ideas. Thank you for your opinions.

I’m a pretty positive and ambitious person. I go into situations expecting the best, but most of it ends in tribulations. Seriously.

I was molested as a baby..yes a baby and later on 3 different guys. At home, school and church. One of them was arrested last year for raping and killing a teenager last year. I told my family but they wanted me to keep this a secret. It get’s weirder..but I digress.

My mom started spreading rumors about me after living with her for only a few months. This was my first time living with her at age 17. She kicked me out two days before my bday 12/17/2000 (winter in NY, yay) and tried to make me homeless by asking ppl not to let me stay with with them. I only talk to her now because of my sister..but i truly do hate my mother.

I used to be an only child..my dad decided to have kids when I was 21. So as selfish as it is I feel abandoned – my mom has replaced me with my sister and my dad with his kids. I was the love of his life. Now we hardly even talk.

I’ve been used and now I have about 30K cc debt. Because someone lied to me about their life and background and used me. So now i’m left with 90k total in debt (mortgage). I’m now 28 and was debt free until I met this U.S. Soldier. ugh!

I bought my own place at the age of 22. I’ve had to change states and within the last 2 yrs I have gone through 3 tenants. 1. was arrested for stealing from his job. 2. There was a fire which meant my tenant had to move 3. The other person just disappeared. Each time i’ve managed to get back on my feet…but this time it’s been 7 months since i’ve been paying rent and mortgage. I can’t sell because now my property value has tremendously decreased.

Funny thing is I don’t have any blemishes on my credit score. Except for high debt, but I’ve never been late on a bill. Other people also think that i’m happy but i’m not. I was suicidal before but as I got older, I’ve pushed through a lot of things. I know LIFE could be worst.

I just want to know how to cope when nothing goes right. Which obviously is everything. My life is actually worse than I mentioned.. I don’t believe in God, my reasons are obvious.

Any advice would be helpful.
Sorry about my errors.

I’ve been with my boyfriend for more than 2 and a half years. Last year he bought an engagement ring and told me although hasnt asked me. He has had it for more than a year and I dont know what to think.

When I mention it, he tells me I am putting pressure on him but truthfully I need to know so I can decide whether or not he is serious about a future with me (although he says he is) and I certainly have tried not to put pressure on him so he doesnt think he has to be obligated to marry me. Although at the same time Im hurt that he hasnt asked me knowing full well he has had that intention but is now procrastinating (at least it seems that way) because of a certain issue (which I am explaining below). He told me he went to propose shortly after he bought it but didnt on that day…that was last May. I love him very much and want to be with him more than anything but not sure how to gage whether he is serious or just making me wait until he does everything he wants to do…which means I am left on hold and I feel extremely frustrated since I don’t want to have to put my life on hold while he makes up his mind. I want to start a family soon.
He also keeps telling me he is saving to buy a house, but whether that includes me, I do not know since he hasnt said exactly if it does.
He also uses the arguement that I wont be able to afford to pay off a mortgage with him since I usually earn considerably less and recently lost my job due to the recession but am trying very hard to find one and went to 8 interveiws in 2 days this week.
To top it all off after recently becoming a christian, he tells me he doesnt want an intimate relationship until we are married and I really don’t know what to do since that is what he believes and what I’m supposed to believe given I have been brought up that way and a christian also.
The truth is that we didnt start out that way and have tried this and found it extremely difficult but have fallen recently on that issue. Idealogy, christianity and everything else aside, we’ve had a really wonderful loving relationship before this issue arose.
Since that issue has arisen, he is now telling me he doesnt want to even kiss me since that will tempt him even more and is thinkin that if I cant take the no sex before marriage issue seriously he wont marry me since he thinks it means I’m not serious about my faith.
I feel like I’ve lost a big part of our relationship and greiving that since we have been really close but now this is turning our relationship a bit sour due to our conflicting feelings on the matter.
I am at a standstill not knowing what to think because I’m supposed to believe in this too but also see that sometimes no matter what you try to do to analyse or idealise the whole issue of sex before marriage according to christian custom, intimacy IS an important essential part of any healthy relationship. The church seems to make it like it is something to be guilty or ashamed about. But why I ask, if two people genuinely love eachother and really do want to stay together?
At least that’s how I feel at the moment and I’m really confused and hurting on the issue here. And we are not teenagers either, we are two consenting adults that are made to feel ashamed or not show any affection at church or in public. It’s seems crazy!
A large part of me feels like we’re losing a really big and special part of our relationship which gives us the chance to re-connect and share on another level beyond what words can describe…and frankly, I miss that. I also miss him putting his arms around me or knowing if he still desires me. Also what if we get married and never get that intimacy back again like we had it because of somebody’s advice?
It’s painful and frustrating because I really do love my boyfriend and trying not to be selfish. I’ve gone along with it to make him happy, thinking also it’s the right thing and we have become better friends also, but really deep down, struggle with strong feelings for him.
All this because somebody at church advised him on how we should conduct our relationship!!!! And now I cant even kiss my boyfriend to show him I love him beyond just being there for him.
So please tell me that as a christian what am I supposed to do? Because what I’m supposed to think about this, is, quite different to how I really feel, and I feel very strongly about my partner whom I desperately love very much and want to be with. We have also been come through a lot of hurdles together and still want to be together and work it out but now on the verge of breaking up.
Although I must also add that I am waiting for him to move out of his parents place as it was only meant to be for 6 months to save and pay off his debts but its now been a year and he is not in his 20′s any longer. I just want us to move forward together but it seems impossible with everybody interferring and telling him what he should and shouldnt do and how we should conduct our relationship.
His
So genuine honest answers from non-judgemental christian people would be most appreciated. Only genuine answers please!

Okay, Saturday I am invited to a baby shower for a member of the church. I am a little bothered that I got an invitation, yet, I am glad that I was invited too. This person that they are having the shower for is the pastor’s wife, who hasnt said a word to me since around the end of June. I’ve seen her at church every Sunday, yet we do not talk to each other when we are there. If I get a hello out of her, I’d be lucky. I dont think I come across to her that I dont want to talk or say hi, but it bothers me that I have to go to the shower and get something for the baby.

I am not a selfish person, but right now, money is tight and I am working a PT job. I am trying to save all the money I can so that I can pay for my mortgage at the end of the month. What would you do? Go to the shower, give a gift and move on? I am all for wishing others all the best in anything they do, its just that money is tight right now. Help!
One additional thing … it will take me an hour there and back to go to the shower. Again, I dont want to sound like a cheapskate, but I would hope they would understand if I dont go but send something in the mail.

I am impending a divorce and have filed in May but am waiting for the property settlement to have my divorce finalized. My estranged husband and I agreed to share the cost of the home appraisal but he never has the money when the day of the appointment arrives(I give him a month notice). He commplains about having to pay spousal support and claims he is "living on crumbs" when after child/spousal support is deducted, he brings home a check of at least 0 weekly. He has always been a poor money manager. I am anxious and want this divorce final.

I wrote an email to my attorney (cheaper than a phone call) and sent it on Friday. I have not heard from him. He has my retainer fee and I rarely bother him. Upon hiring him in May, he didn’t file immediately as I thought he would. I emailed and called him and he was very rude to me and told me to take my check and find another attorney since I was in such a rush to be divorced. Being so sensitive as I am, I began to cry. Then he asked who referred him to me and when I replied that our pastor from church did, he immediately got nice. ??? He must have forgot that we belonged to the same church. He has been nice and very helpful from then up until now in the 3 meetings I have had with him. I just don’t understand why he is not answering my email? Here it is:

Hi Mr. xxxx, I hope this finds you well and that you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday. I know it’s been a while since we spoke and I apologize. If you’ll recall, our last meeting in September with my estranged husband Mr. xxxx and his attorney, Mr. xxxx where we discussed property settlement. Mr. xxxx and I agreed to hire an appraiser (with a shared cost) so he could re-finance, disburse my share of equity and ultimately have my name removed from the mortgage (on which I have been paying). It was agreed (privately) between Mr. xxxx and I that we would have the house appraised after the necessary house repairs were complete, which they have been for over a month. I am financially ready to pay my share while Mr. xxxx persistently claims he is not. I have a feeling he can make this a financial priority but is refusing to out of spite. He knows I am anxious to be divorced from him and it seems he is just being irksome. We have agreed (again!) to have the house appraised after the Holidays to financially convenience Mr. xxxx. My question is can I still proceed to have this divorce finalized, before the marital house is settled? If you could either reply to this email or if you feel we need to discuss this in person, please let me know and I will schedule an appointment. Thank You

I wonder if he is just ignoring me? I am kind of afriad to call him since I have seen his nasty side. Yet, he is my attorney. Any suggestions on how to handle this? Any advice pertaining to my uncooperative estranged husband and ways to speed up this divorce is appreciated.

Thank you for taking time to read this… it is so important to me.

A while back, there was a plan to build a food bank to help those who are hungry. Apparently, after the neighbors found out about it, they protest and complained and did everything they could until it was shut down. In a another area, the city owned some land where they were planning to build a homeless shelter. Well, that got shot down too. Something about property values.

A several years back, I lost some luck and some gracious family at church offered their home to me. I was touched. However, these people are rare – even at a church!!

It seems like when people say "I’m an extremely charitable person", it means they give /mo and bury their heads in the ground saying that will solve all the problems and "DON’T ASK ME TO DO ANYTHING ELSE" oh yes they also yell out loud, I’M A CHARITABLE PERSON. I’m not even sure how throwing money at something will solve anything.

Why are people so uncharitable? Why don’t people invite other people to their homes anymore? Most importantly, if something bad happens to them, who will help them? If all the homeless shelters are now in the middle of nowhere – isn’t that creating a problem if they get laid off and can’t pay the mortgage and are forced to be homeless themselves? It’s even worst when they have to leave everything they know for some abandoned area since that’s the only place a food bank can be built. Even for something as selfish as that, why do people not want places like food banks or shelters built in places they know?
It seems like for most people (especially the noisy ones):

Charity = Throw Money At The Problem
Actually, that’s the problem. You can’t give people stuff/housing/time/etc hoping that it will solve the problem.

In order to get someone out of the hole, you need to have them actively teach and train them to become self independent or you need to see if they are going to be independent on their own. You need lots of people – mentors, staff, successful people to show them the way out, etc – in short sacrifice of time, effort, and energy. If they don’t want to do any of this, then you stop giving them resources (food, shelter, etc) until they are ready and willing and have enough responsibility to accept them.

The last thing someone should do is just throw resources (money, housing, etc) at them hoping things will get better because they wouldn’t have a clue emotionally how to handle it. Unfortunately, this method is also the most popular – especially with the big charities that everyone donates their money too.

Here is the quick story, both of us are 21 married for 3 years dated for 1 year prior to that. Always very close, worked together, went to school together, everything. She has always had low self esteem issues and our fights had gotten physical these last few months. She took a trip with her bf to Las Vegas and cheated on me with a Swiss guy. After she came back she wanted space and told me she loved me and all of this. She took 3 more trips to Vegas and went all the way with the guy and was very open about it. The fourth time the guy bought her a plane ticket to San Diego and she spent the weekend with him. She is not regretful at all of what she has done and only broke down one time saying i didnt deserve that and she was sorry. It has been one month and since then we have met 3 times and got intimate. Its so hard missing her it is the worse. She is into party mode with her friends and I just dont know if my marriage its worth fighting for. To me she is very confused and I told her to cut all communication with me. To make matters worse we bought our home 5 months ago and I told her she still has the mortgage responsibility. Should I have given her the ultimatum to stop talking to eachother? I told her we cant be friends and I wont be her enemy. I feel like I am holding on after all of this. Church and guidance from friends from church has really helped me but it is biased and I need the strength to let go or see what happens. Should I be friends with her from far? We share some online college classes and I want to borrow her book since I never got mine. This is destroying me so much I never thought I was so weak. This might be absurd but do i ignore her and cut all communication with her? I feel that if i do this she will forget about me. Please if you have any advice i will gladly take it

Looking to buy my first house, I have one in mind, I’ve calculated a rough estimate of a payment online, and put together a budget to see if I can afford everything before I go to the bank. Those of you that own a house, look at my list and see if I’ve missed anything. The house has had a lot of work done (carpet, shingles, plumbing, cabinets, sink/stool, furnace) so I don’t see a lot of repairs coming up.

Thanks!

Mortgage
Groceries
Clothing
Car Gas/Maint
Electric
Gas
Sewer/Water/Garbage
TV/Internet/Phone
Church
Other/Misc
Car Insurance
House Insurance

When I factor the above expenses with my income, I have 12% left over, or 5.92.

All advice is appreciated!!!! Thanks!

Why do people insist on regurgitating everything their parents taught them about life and religion?

Why can’t people think on their own instead of just believing what MEN wrote…not GOD…Men wrote the bible people…not GOD…it is not the TRUTH…ever hear of a "big fish story?"

Men tend to exagerate and *OMG* they even lie sometimes…Wow…how profound…

Science is the answer…not what Pastor Bob spits out every Sunday trying to increase the tithes so he can pay off his new car…or his mortgage…

Spend your time on real things that could help make this world a better place…help the homeless or feed starving kids…do something productive with your time instead of wasting it in Church…Damn!!!
Some religious people just sound so brainwashed…it sounds crazy is all…
So far…the answers are as predicted…see above lines
I know where I am spending eternity thank you…Its not not in some place with "pearly gates" nor is it some place with some fictitious red character poking me with a pitchfork…these stories are no more than fables…to make people "better people."

That’s all
Oh…and by the way…this "It’s God’s will" crap is getting old…seriously…Thousands of troops have died because of "God’s will?"

More like the "will" of our President and vice-president
MEN WROTE THE BIBLE…GOD DID NOT…HE DIDN’T "HELP" THEM EITHER…MEN WROTE THE BIBLE!!!
brainwashing sucks doesn’t it?

How sad…believe what you will…however, your soul is going to be sad when it’s simply strolling along the Earth and not in your "mansion" in Heaven with the "Pearly Gates."
thank you megan

1. Give 10% of the money to Jesus.
2. Fix up my home church. (home church is the church that I started out at when I was a little girl)
3. I would first of all NOT quit my job. I would take vacation time to buy me a building for my business. I would open a nail/hair/ salon/clothing/shoe store for women and men. Then after that is up and running I would quit my job and dedicate my time to my business.
4. Finish college in the process of starting my own business.
5. Build my family a 5 bedroom , 3 1/2 bath home, with a gameroom, theater/media room, a pool/jacuzzi.
6. Buy 3 brand new vehicles (a SLAB for hubby, a Harley Davidson truck for both of us, and a Range Rover for me) ( if you don’t know what a slab is google slab car)
7. Pay off my parents’ mortgage and buy them a new house. (they can rent the other out or sell it)
8. Help my family members pay off debt.
9. Donate money to help children all over the world.
10. Invest the money and put up for my children’s education, and their lives.
11. Travel all around the world.
12. Try to be and live happy while serving and Thanking the Lord.
Don’t be rube or mean please….You should have better things to do then be rude.

My house now has a red door, I have always heard there is a lot of meaning behind it including welcoming. I did some more research and this is what I found:

First it is a big feng shui thing, although I don’t know much about feng shui.

In early America a red door was a sign of "welcome." When people had to travel by horse and buggy they had to stop often. If they came upon a house with a red door that usually meant they would be able to spend the night. There is even rumor that a red front door was used in the under ground railroad as a sign for the slaves traveling north that that house was a safe house.

In old Catholicism the doors of a church was painted red to represent the blood of Christ and other Martyrs and once you passed thru the doors the ground (church floor) was holly ground.

I read that in Scotland when you paid off your mortgage you pained your door red.

I heard Albert Eienstein started this tradition because he could not recognize his home without making this change and then his home stood out.

i got baptized in 08 and was singing in the praise team. I voluntered to file music and prepare the teams music books because i wanted to do something for the church since I dont have a job and cant tyth. I enjoyed the time i was spending 1-2 times a month because it was quiet and peaceful in the lords house. My preacher and his wife know that i have been with my boyfriend for 10 years and we have a three year old and we do live together unmarried. the preachers wife is really pushy and basicly detered my bf from comming back to my church because of her pushiness. Since then she has been using the time i file music to shut the door to the room and make me sit and talk to her about my life. basicly giving me christian counseling i didnt ask for. she has basicaly tried her best to talk me into leaving my bf and becomming an unemployed single mother because she thinks my bf isnt a true believer. she went as far to ask if i would be able to move back in with my parents. I am 27 and we are paying a mortgage. When i told her i didnt want to uproot my family she told me i didnt have a family because im not married. I tried telling her that we planned to get married later and that still wasnt good enough to get her off my back because he wasnt a believer and it wouldnt work. I had to stop praise team because of child care, but let her know i could come back because i found child care for wed. night rehearsals. she sat me down and basically asked what i was going to do about my living situation, and i finally nicely said that i might be wrong and didnt expect her to agree but at this point in time i wasnt leaving my bf and i really didnt see the wrong in it. she in turn said i couldnt be in praise team, i was making it public i was living with a man i wasnt married to and had a child with him as well (which i have never told a sole at that church) people in praise team are considered leaders blah blah but she didnt want me to stop comming to church. I told her i couldnt file music last week because i had something come up and i didnt check my email for a while and i dont have house phone only cell. she sends me 2 prepaid phone cards in the mail asking me to come do the free work of filing music for a praise team that i cant be in because im such a sinner on my kids b day and i didnt respond. well today i get a knock on the door and its the preachers wife just stoping by unannounced, and i know she had to mapquest it cause she only had my address. i feel like she is stalking me, if she cant get ahold of me on the phone she calls my family members and today was the last straw. To just come to my house without calling to basically come in tell me she hadnt seen me in church past few weeks, ask me if she offended me, and then ask me to come in the next day to file that freakn music makes me feel like she is harassing me. do most preachers wives just show up at your door cause you missed a few sundays?? am i wrong for being mad about this?

What would you do in this situation?

My husband and I used to live in a small town when we first got married (I grew up there). Four years ago we moved to a larger city..which we love. We love all the conveniences of a larger city, his parents whom we are close to live in this same city and we love our church and the school we send our kids to. We really like our house but the property taxes are pretty high. We love all our neighbors except the ones to our backyard. They are just awful, throwing their junk on our side of the fence, shooting fireworks towards our house, their teenage kids hanging out in our yard and most recently building an above ground pool and deck that overlooks our yard. We feel if we are going to be paying as high of mortgage as we are currently, then we really should feel comfortable in our own back yard, which we don’t because of our crappy backyard neighbors.

Here is our problem. We really like our current house, it’s completely updated. We really like the area, really like our church and school. BUT, It is our lifelong dream to move to a place with a larger yard and where the updates are already done to the house. We would love to live in the country where the nearest neighbors are fields away. Problem is, if we stay close to the city, the kind of property of our dreams would be pretty pricey. Land is really expensive in the rural areas surrounding the city, so finding the house of our dreams close to the area we love is most likely not an option.

We recently found our dream home in the town we lived in when we first got married. This town is 40 minutes north of the city. That isn’t terrible but would force us to find a new church and school. The dream house we found looks like it belongs in a magazine, and is completely renovated. The land it’s on is perfect with a couple of nice outbuildings. It is EXACTLY what we are looking for. We’d have plenty of storage, a large yard for the kids to grow up in and have adventures, we could raise some animals, have a large garden, it has apple trees and is surrounded by corn fields!! Very lovely.

We are struggling with whether or not we should sell our house and buy our dream house. We aren’t so thrilled going back to that town. We’d have to give up most of our conveniences (which we would if we moved to a rural location anyway) and we don’t feel like the church in that town is our "home". If we sent our kids to that school, which we would like to, we’d also have to be members of that church to get affordable tuition rates.

Should we stick to convenience and stay close to the parents and church or move to our dream home and make it work?
Sophie B, love your answer. Would love to buy the neighbors house, but wouldn’t be feasible financially, nor would they sell it. They’d most likely love to stay to be a pain to us. We’ve tried the fence thing. It’s against code to build tall fences and we planted some trees back there. But the neighbors are still there…

I have a friend who wants me to start a Corporation with him for the purpose of purchasing an apartment complex (currently housing mostly students). I’m curious if this is a sound strategy:
He wants to get 20% down payment thru the seller financing it by purchasing what in essence would be a corporate bond. We would get a mortgage for the other 80%. So the seller would give us the money for the bond( payable in 10 years at a 8% coupon rate for example), they would receive 80% of the purchase price upfront and would receive 20% of it in 10 years when the bond is due.
With that 20% we would purchase another income property with mostly cash.
If the seller goes along with this (which is a big if in my opinion) does it sound like a good idea?

i’m talking like a substantial amount… not just like a few dollars. We’ve all heard those stories about the super generous friend or uncle or cousin that we barely talked to and then one day you meet up with them at a bar or something and pour out your problems over drinks and they ended up giving you a ton of cash. But my personal fave is a story i once heard on the 700 club, i think, about this guy and his family who were living on their last 0 and they had been unsuccessfully trying to find help. And what ended up happening is that since they were regular parishoners at their church, they asked for prayers in the church. But then an anonymous fellow parishoner offered to pay their mortgage and food. That story always warms my heart and i think God if something like that could happen to me just once lol. So has anything like this ever happened to you or anyone you know? Who was the most random and unexpected person you’ve received money from?
lol finding money is the best thing ever. When i was a teenager, still living with my parents, my parents were soooo frugal it is not even funny. Our allowance was like 2 cents. But that made it all the better when i found a bill on my way home from school! I couldn’t believe it… i was so excited. I found money in that area twice too. Maybe i should go back there now.. i sure could use some extra cash now haha.

I am a reformed skeptic (if that’s possible) from all the mis-truths I’ve learned about gifting. It’s a pyramid, it’s not legal, only one person gets paid etc.etc,etc. Why is it o.k. for you to tithe to a church but not to a person? I’m asking this question to really get serious answers. I recently was a member at a local church and every week they talked about the importance of giving. When another member asked a clergy for help with their mortgage the clergy responded with "there is nothing the church can do financially but we will pray about it" I’m spiritual but WHATTTTT!!!!! Here you have a member who’s probably tithed for all her life and now she’s about to loose her home and there is no help from the one resource we all give credit to for a place for help?

Any suggestions gratefully received.

I own an apartment in Sao Paulo, Brazil that I am looking to refinance, with a higher loan value (increase the value of loan). The current value is USD 1,000,000 and I have a mortgage with a Brazilian bank. The mortgage is equivalent of USD 500,000 giving a loan to value of 50%. Refinancing is very difficult in Brazil – the main banks DO NOT offer this product. I am therefore looking to find an international lender/private lender who is willing to provide this type of financing.

I am an expat partner with one of the big-4 professional services firms, based in Brazil, with a very good income and credit history. Property financing in Brazil is very different to what I have experienced..

Considering that I may need to consider alternative options (for example, international lender) I will also take appropriate legal advice.

Any suggestions?

My friend’s pastor & his wife live in a house next to the church on the same property. Its a smallish, rural church, with one full time pastor. In the past, all the pastors they have had have lived in that house. When they quit being the pastor they had to move.

So I’m curious, and my friend didnt know: If the pastor keeps on being pastor til he is too old to give sermons anymore, then what? It wouldn’t be very church-like to kick him out in his old age. But if the old pastor keeps living there, what do they do for/with a new pastor? Then, if the old pastor dies in the house, the new one wont want to live there will he? So what does the church do?

Also, since he’s full time and the church pays his salary, does the church pay him less because he doesnt have rent or a mortgage to pay for (since he lives in that house by the church)? Who decides how much he gets paid? It wouldn’t be right if HE did, would it? Do the deacons vote or something, how does it usually work?

Any suggestions gratefully received.

I own an apartment in Sao Paulo, Brazil that I am looking to refinance, with a higher loan value (increase the value of loan). The current value is USD 1,000,000 and I have a mortgage with a Brazilian bank. The mortgage is equivalent of USD 500,000 giving a loan to value of 50%. Refinancing is very difficult in Brazil – the main banks DO NOT offer this product. I am therefore looking to find an international lender/private lender who is willing to provide this type of financing.

I am an expat partner with one of the big-4 professional services firms, based in Brazil, with a very good income and credit history. Property financing in Brazil is very different to what I have experienced..

Considering that I may need to consider alternative options (for example, international lender) I will also take appropriate legal advice.

Any suggestions?

Documents show Wright sold the property to his church, Trinity United, in December 2006, with the proceeds going to a living trust shared with his wife, Ramah.

But further investigation with tax and real estate attorneys showed that the church had actually secured a .6 million mortgage for the home purchase, and attached a million line of credit, for reasons unspecified in the paperwork.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/27/obamas-former-pastor-builds-a-multimillion-dollar-retirement-home/

on top of the proceeds he also got a 10 million line of credit
Do you realize how many needy familys that would help?

cuz then the computer electricity cost would cost more than food + HOUSE MORTGAGE + apartment rent + Car payment + Car insurance + income tax + sales tax + church tax + Governemnt tax + Birthday Party Tax + Internet Tax + High school tax + middle school tax + father’s day tax + independence day tax + mother’s day tax + 4th of July tax + Christmas Tax?

You can be on foodstamps,poor, and barely making it,and they say you’re not loving God if you dont put them,God,The preacher first with your 10% of your income, then an offering of maybe upto 10% more,then bring money or food for fellowships,meetings,programs,of which they take up more offerings?of which you’re cursed it you don’t Mal 3:10 they quote…Don’t forget the time in services Wed,Sundays, fundraisers all day affairs which you donate more which goes to the church the preachers salary/tithe or to pay other preachers…?barely enough to pay the bills of the congregation worship building ?water,gas,lease,rent,mortgage,sewer,phone,trach,ect,? You have to sacrifice more time at home so called in prayer..which i’ve done…while they use you like a fool? they have their income from their business,job, their spouses job,and from the salary/tithe of the church? while you have one income and don’t have enough time to get yourself out of poverty because of their demands? they say they’re

After a nasty court battle my X lost her request to relocate out of the US but still remains the primary custodian for now. She claims she has no money, can’t find employment in her line of work, may lose her home because she can’t afford her mortgage, her name is on church lists of needy families, needs a new car etc., yet she continues to make travel plans for herself and our children to visit for weeks on end to the country she was denied relocation. During the hearing her parents testified, they would continue to financially support her no matter where she ends up living even if the US. She is always complaining she doesn’t have enough money to even afford clothes for our two young children. Not only do I buy some of their clothes, shoes etc., I pay plenty per month in child support to her to be able to provide clothing, food etc for them and I feel she is using their child support for her desires to travel. She even went back to court to try to get more vacation time so she could go on more visits back to her home land for which she hasn’t even lived for 20+ years. (she wasn’t granted – thank god). I don’t mind her taking an occasional trip but shouldn’t she be thinking of the children before herself. I guess what I am looking for is some direction to go in trying to put my children first. After being dragged through the court system for her relocation request and a possibility of more court/lawyer costs if she foolishly tries to appeal the first courts decision I am pretty maxed out. If she continues to spend anymore of our money foolishly the children are the ones who suffer. Any insight on how I can prevent her foolish spending would be tremendously appreciated!

I recently saw "Capitalism: A Love Story", a movie by documentarian Michael Moore.

Moore said in the movie that he is both a Catholic and a socialist. He interviewed several Catholic priests about the unethical investment practices that caused the 2007-2008 mortgage crisis and the subsequent recession we are now in. Each priest denounced those practices and went so far as to say that capitalism is evil, suggesting that those priests are socialists as well.

Here’s my question: Were those the opinions of individual priests or is this the official position of the Church?

When the Church elders go to a Bank for a Mortgage don’t they have to show the Bank that they are Credit Worthy?

Don’t Churches buy Supplies ect. and when they don’t pay they don’t get anything?

Don’t Churches employ people, even self-employ?

Doesn’t a Church have to pay unemployment tax?

Doesn’t a Church provide a Service ? Do they take money for them? They get Paid by Donations…, OK…so:

So does a Waitress, and she has to declare that on her Taxes, doesn’t she?

So why are Churches exempt from Taxes?

Where I’m getting at is the following:

I see religion as a Addiction. It’s very hard to quit once you’re in it. Churches target Children for their SPECIFIC BRAND of religion.

I see this as a parallel to the Tactics used to deal the Tobacco Industry.

Tax the Tar out of them and make them Pay damages for what they have done to the Public.

Pretty soon Churches would be only for the ones that can afford them.

Also it would curb Child & Juvenile Membership, so that they can make their own decisions once they are MATURE enough to understand what they are doing !

I don’t say outlaw Churches, just treat them for what they REALLY are !
Man i feel like saying:

******TORPEDOES AWAY********!!!!
Is that why some Churches grow into MEGA CHURCHES that hold THOUSANDS of People?
Build it and they will come, sorta like a Mall?

I am 19 years old with not much credit (a few credit cards) and I want to by a duplex or another multi-unit apartment. Can I buy a cheap forclosure that needs some cosmetic work and get a decent mortgage, with plans to rehab it and live in one unit and rent the other(s) out? I make around 00 a month, is this possible?

I am too honest and if asked something I tend to tell and explain. I would like to protect my privacy without hurting feelings or making me feel I’m being as rude as the person who asked me the nosey stuff.
Things like how much do you make, how much is your mortgage, why isn’t your husband at church with you today, or even what do you do for a living is a problem for me when I don’t know the person asking very well and would rather not give out details. Are there some standard phrases or vague lines/evasive comments I can reply with?