O Lord, open my lips,
That my mouth may declare Your praise.
Psalm 51:15
This is gonna be long, so grab that snack and beverage!
This may be unorthodox and perhaps doesn’t quite hit the mark in terms of purpose, but I would like to give thanks to the Lord…for my brethren. I may not have been here when this extension of the CCK opened (a few days late), but I have seen people come and go. I’ve witnessed arguments and strong bonds. I’ve witnessed beauty and ugly. For me, I’ve observed much change in me and an opening of my heart for many brethren that I’d otherwise never know existed this side of Heaven. While I can only tag 10 people in a post, I want it known it does not exclude the importance of all I have been able to get to know one way or another. That’s not to say some of us have had disagreements and in some respects become disliked, I’m fine with being disliked. But I know there are some here who need some sort of notice of what they’ve done in the life of someone they’ve never met (this side of Heaven).
Praise the Lord in all His ways for the journeys we have all traveled led us to interact with one another. To share and to help, to love and to support. Through my time here, some I was leery of engaging in because I didn’t know how I would be received. Some, I was right I shouldn’t have engaged lol, but God brought much knowledge and wisdom from those encounters to prosper understanding and direction.
@jasonacts177 and @Twi not to suck up to either of you, but I am thankful that you two are here and while having to maintain impartiality, are brethren nonetheless and equally need the same love you show upon us in doing what you do (without pay nor vacation time). I am thankful for the humor and wit I have experienced from you both over the years and praise the Lord for inspiring you to leave the prisons you made for yourselves before accepting Christ and delivering you both here to encounter and grow a brotherly even family love for. And through the time written without the past almost 2 and a half years, the wisdom you’ve given knows no bounds.
@JackN You sir are one of my older brethren whom gives me notice of exercising what the Lord has been trying to teach me and through which, know when to share (usually) that knowledge and wisdom with as equally as provided by your counsel.
@Matthew82 My younger brother whom has much to learn and much to teach, all around trying every day to be the best version of himself he can be.
@YosemiteMountainMan - @BayouBushi - @NamDoc
For me personally, I refer to you as the three wisemen. Hey, for you @BayouBushi wisdom doesn’t always flow from actions the way one would think, but a learning experience for the observer to take cues from…both in what to and not to do. You three have instilled upon me things you will never know this side of Heaven that I have needed in recent times but also, wish I had the chance to talk to you (now) when I was much younger (then).
@Stephmerm - Sister, you have accepted my antics with great allowances of patience and temperament and have taught me to come out of my shell and have a little fun as so many have, I just don’t raze them as much as I’ve done you.
@dan and @Kina1234 What can I say about you two that most can’t figure out on their own? You’ve taught me that even through trials that rival that of understanding how George Lucas could screw up something as easy as the definition of a Parsec in the dialog of a movie for the rest of our lives, can be easily found to be joyful even while painful you can always see the glory of the Lord if you’re willing to use your eyes.
That’s ten. I have encountered so many of you on this forum and many of you probably need the accolades far worse than anyone mentioned here, but all I can tell you is that through my 2.5 (almost) years on this extension of a church, I’ve seen us grow and I’ve seen us at our best and worst. I’ve watched us try to help one another even as far as protect one another. You have given me a piece of wisdom that I have begged the Lord to give me so often in my life and not only to give to me, but to make it begin to settle upon my Foundation of Christ that often times…the things argued about don’t matter. We can argue and debate and it ends up the same day and the same time…and it doesn’t matter because we’re still here and we’re still waiting. We’re still loving the Lord, we’re still breathing to utilize and fulfill the purpose He put us here for. Some of us know our purpose, some of us don’t (raises hand) but we’re still trying to listen and hear the answer.
All of this I write in order to Praise our Lord and Savior, the Three in One for the blessing of brethren I would have never known this side of Heaven had it not been the journey to guide me to this church and thus the interest in this extension of this church. I praise the Lord for each work done in all of you and Farag, and Mac and Lietu and everyone to bring them from where they were to where they are and do what they do for the Lord now. For the Spiritual wisdom given to them, and you and that guy playing Galaga over in the corner, and Stephanie even burning her rice to hurl at me later. Each and every decision we’ve made has brought us to encounter one another and help one another look up and keep looking up (for two weeks) till we are called home one way or another.
The sorrow that many have felt over the [past] few years from loss, has brought brethren together and given opportunities to pray outside of our normal circles. To expand our understanding and share compassion that only the Lord could guide us in doing. That’s not to say we’re not having arguments, fights, and the attraction of temptation to do things we ought not…but we’re given the opportunity to learn and listen and put into practice what we’re meant to do.
We use harsh methods and loving methods and we try to understand (well, most of us I’d say) one another and where we’re coming from. It’s difficult. And while in some aspects of the time on this extension of the church, many have left, many question the validity of this statement…it isn’t a shallow claim that I do love you all. It isn’t impossible to make connections on this extension that pass beyond circuit boards and chips (not the good kind, circuit). As we sometimes tend to forget the purpose of why we’re here, we forget the person behind the screen at times. Some people don’t care, they’re here for nefarious reasons, I can admit that. Most, I’d say are here out of genuine necessity to be with the Lord and even like myself, expand our understanding of the Word and through that, become rooted in a position of for example, writing prayers.
So with that - I look up to the Lord with a smile on my face and joy in my heart for what You have provided us in this time of discontent the world is living in. I thank you Father for the ability to communicate with brethren far and wide and know I’m not alone in this world but through You, I am one of many. I thank You LORD for creation of my brethren that I encounter here (even if we don’t agree at times). I thank you LORD for providing me many facets to learn from between Older and Younger, Seasons and Green, Men and Women of all ages and walks of life - I praise You LORD for providing us with the gift no one else could ever give: Soda…NO, I’m KIDDING! The gift of LIFE!
…I can’t. My heart is exploding in gratitude at such touching, sweet words and God gets ALL the glory 
.
). Ok ok all kidding aside ,
) and how great it’s going to be to meet and know you all face to face and not through my phone screen!”
