3 rd Survey

mike_henain

Please answer honestly, I need honest answers to make a fairly accurate assumption that I will add to my article.

arubaiscrazy

i think that the reason why many people go to church is either to hang out with friends...and to be honest thats a small part of it becauase thats the only chance of me seeing them since we live 2 different areas...of course thats not my #1 reason...i God to experience mass...but i think another reason why people dont attend church is because they dont understand whats going on and that leads to you becoming bored....just wondering what the rest of u r thinking :) :) :)

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!

HKelley

Though I do not attend an Orthodox Church, as a Christian in the protestant tradition, going to church and spending time in the presence of God, and in fellowship with the family of God, brings me the greatest joy and sense of community. My relationship with the Lord is pivotal and principle to me! Not only is my partipation in the worship important, but my partaking of the Eucharist and my oneness with God is primary. I also find fulfillment in doing what the Lord has called me to do through teaching Scripture and the ministry of the Word of God.

I just returned today from ministering for (3) days in a city approximately 140 miles from my home. I ministered two messages: "Divine Strategies" taken from Judges 6-7 regarding Gideon; and "Slaying the Giants" taken from 1 Samuel 17 regarding David & Goliath. I am finding it more and more important to show that the Word of God is as much or more relevant today, as it always has been. Not only the canonized Bible, but also applying biblical history to further enhance its application to our daily lives.

Oh that we may taste and see that the Lord is good, and that His mercy endures forever.

God's blessings continue to be with you.

Magnoona4lyf

to be honest i dont reqally go to church cuz i want to...its cuz i need to. Now before i go any further i dont anyone to think i'm trying to sound smart or "holy"cuz Lord knows i'm no where near that, but i'm just speaking out of complete honesty because I just love God sooo much but neways.....for six full days i'm running around studying and worrying about how we're gonna boycott uniforms and projects and yadda this and yadda that but out of all those days sunday during the mass is the only day i get away from everything else...thats y if sum of u mite see, i sit all the way in the back behind the wall cuz i dont wanna c any1 and i dont any1 2 c me cuz i kno i'm going to talk like crazy and not pay attention to the fact that God is standing in front of me. So to answer ur question...y do u go to church.....4 me personally i got to church because its the only source of comfort outside this world, its the only food that our spiritualities feed on, i mean if ur dying of thirst and a glass of water is in front of u, ur not just going to walk by as though it doesnt exist, u cant, and once u get a taste of that water u cant stop drinking....lets just say church is what quenches every thirsty person ;)


GOD BLESS ALL~! :-*

Magnoona4lyf

sorry i kno ur referring this to meryam but i think that its not wrong at all....if ur going to church and the main reason ur brain is that ur going because ur best friend is going to be there then thats not exactly wrong or right....whether or not u go to church is only a benefit or destruction ONLY to ur life not anyone elses. If ur going to church BECAUSE of ur friends and not because of God then thats ur problem... theres no wrong or right we say its wrong or right because thats how we view it..."oOOOo my god she doesnt go to church shes bad" blahblahblah.....but its really not wrong or right, why? Well because i can be forced to go to church every single day of my life, which is considered "right"...that does not mean it'll stop me from being a serial killer, u kno? The only wrong ur doing is to urself, i mean honestly does God really need us? No, of course not....if u go to church because u love him then u benefit if u dont, u dont benefit....so in my opinion i honestly dont think theres a right or wrong :-\


GOD BLESS ALL! :-*

mike_henain

Hey guys,

Just as Magnoona ( :-\, is there any other name you would prefer?) said, I 'm no where near holy or smart....but Church is or at least has been where I always feel comfortable, whenever I feel like running away from this world I go to Church, and the hymns are awesome and sometimes I wish that I would go to a Coptic school where there are Agpeya Prayers in lunch hours and in the morning and even at the end of the day and there would be a class Mass and school Mass like Catholic schools and that we'd have Hymns class.....oh how I wish for something like that where you feel the Presence of God in the classroom and outside of it with no pressure... and I would certainly love hymns class and class and school Masses. But sadly it was and remains a dream.....just a dream.

Lately I have felyt hostility from my fathers the elder deacons, a weird kind of hostility.....hostility for no reason.... and since then I go home either crying (which is pretty embarressing) or depressed causing my family loads of worries and depression. My Priest said it's just a test and I'm too sensitive, I would hope so, and I think he understands that I didn't do anything wrong.... but I don't know how longer I can stay without bursting out in anger and saying everything I think of these people....I hope that this test would pass, and through Christ who strengthens me I will succeed.

I'm very open to any of your comments and suggestions...

Khen PiEkhrestos Icos Penchois,

mike

mike_henain

That is absoloutley true, esp. that some of them act all good and nice, yet in reality it;s just a MASK and that's what my article is about, it's called the Mask and I hope that whoever wears one, not wear it around me....

Mike

HKelley

Mike:

A mask is what we wear when we fail to be transparent before God and before the fellowship of believers we are a part of. Many times the source of the mask is "fear"--fear of not being loved once someone sees an area of struggle; fear that they will see that you are not all that; fear their weaknesses will be seen; fear of rejection; fear of misunderstanding. It is so unfortunate that we have not walked in 'agape love' as Christ commands us to to. I firmly believe that in this time of the church age, that the Lord is bringing many in the Body of Christ to a place of brokeness in order that the church truly reflect Christ to those around us.

You also mentioned that you are struggling with speaking "how you really feel." Is that a type of fear you may be experiencing?? I don't know, but I ask that as a question to reflect on. Is the source of your true frustration the 'mask'? As I have walked with Christ for the past 19 years, and my involvement in ministry for the past 12, I have often observed the following: the thing that may anger/annoy us about others, can often be seen in ourselves. As you write your article, there will be much for you to meditate on in order to present a true, balanced view, and not allow anger to cause your article to be a diatribe and therefore, lessen its' impact on the reader.

God be with you in your thoughtful endeavors.

mike_henain

;D, thanks Kelley.

I will start writing my article today and I hope that it won't be offensive or would tick off anybody.. Yet I think that fear isn;t just the only type of mask, sometimes people wear masks to 'fit in' whereever they are, for example, a mask of a good person at Church and a mask of a bad person with friends...

Well I hope my article will be good with your prayers...

Mike

HKelley

Mike:

The mask you mentioned is unfortunately one of the common problems among many Christians; that is why the world gets mixed messages from us. I firmly believe that your article has a place in what we see today, and I know that it will challenge us all to walk worthy of our call in Christ Jesus.

Peace,

Helen

mike_henain

Thanks Helen;
1. For giving me info and advice
2. For telling me ur name.... ;), because I wasn;t sure wether to call you Kelley or HKelley or something else.

Thanks MarMar for ur intrest of reading my article and sure I will post a copy up.

Helen,
I hope that my article would engage the reader, questioning him about his life and how they can identify wether they are wearing a mask and how to take it off and be free of it...

God Bless.

Mike

mikhail_90

hey, i dont think to have the pole on this website is a good idea, maybe if u ask the ppl at ur church or sumsing....
because everyone on this site is most likely and obviously close to the church, etc...we all have the same interests, if u ask outside the net, u will find ppl who go to church to meet frends, etc...
GBU ;)

mike_henain

Haha, that is very true, that was what I was thinking, by the way I am in the process of writing the article right now. I guess it's going to be long though, because of all the surveys I did, by the way in my school the majority put down I'm forced to, or just for Public Apperance.... sadly ofcourse.

By the way this is considered my 800th post, God Bless.

Mike

Magnoona4lyf

Hey my dudes ;D....i have just a slight view on the whole "mask"issue thingie....i think that whether or not u admit it to yourself, we all have masks in one way shape or form. Not masks like ur an angel in church and once u step outside u grow horns, i mean masks like we're never who we are ALL THE TIME. Speaking personally, who i am with my mom and dad is not who i am with my friends in school. With my mom and dad i'm amal and hossams daughter, with my friends in skewl i'm just sylvia, u kno? I dont really consider it a mask though u kno? I think its just like u but in a different dimension. When i'm around my parents theres a sense of over respect and control...when i'm with my friends i'm just .....ummm.... ??? i cant find a word 2 describe me, lolx :-[.....i'm just sylvia, loud, funny, sorta in charge of me....but once my parents r there its lyk ur so more contained of urself, u kno wut to say and wut not to say, so to be honest i think we all have "masks"just not the halo/horn type of two-faced masks....just in another dimension masks.....wut do u guys think? :-\


GOD BLESS ALL! :-*

mike_henain

Hey Sylvia,

I understand what you mean but later when you read my article you will understand what I mean by THE mask, the mask that hides ur wrongs and sins.... hopefully you guys will like it, I am almost done but when I read it.....I felt it SUCKED, so hopefully I will edit it enough times for you guys to like it.....

God Bless.

Mike

Magnoona4lyf

OOooOO, yay i'm so excited, i really wanna read it now, lolx....and i know for a fact it doesnt "suck", i just really really wanna read it ;D


GOD BLESS ALL! :-*

mike_henain

Thanks Magnoona....I am just about done, I have it written just need to type it and then print it and ofcourse copy it here.....

God Bless.

Mike