Long Time No See

You all might have noticed that my presence here has been lacking as of late. Except for Tuesdays and Thursdays (and next week Wednesday-Kareoke night) when my social life is active I am just too lazy and unmotivated to do much but watch TV, sleep, etc. I have also not been very active in my faith which has put a damper on my life. I have an addiction that I tend to feed too much and it has strained my relationship with God. Sometimes it just seems easier to give in to temptation than to fight it despte how much it drags me down and I very rarely pray anymore. Though things are going fairly well, I am disatisfied with how my life is. I have friends and I'm doing more than just sitting around the house all day but there is so much I'm missing and despte knowing that it ultimatly leaves me wanting, I turn to other things to fill the void. The fact that I know what I'm doing wrong gives me hope but I just don't seem to try to change things. In the end the only thing holding me back is myself but it doesn't hurt to get some outside help. So those of you who are fellow believers, I ask for your prayers that I may return to practicing my faith and get back into prayer and obedience to the Lord (and those who aren't at least keep me in your thoughts). Until then, I will be chimming in on certain threads here and there but I won't be here very often. Until next time, peace.

I was wondering about you, I notice when Sherman's Lagoon isn't around. Hang in man. Do you have friends that can be an encouragement to you?

TheNazgul wrote:

I was wondering about you, I notice when Sherman's Lagoon isn't around. Hang in man.

Ditto. Hope you work it out DB.

Been in (possibly) the exact same place....well wishes...

I too hope things get better for DB.

good luck to you bro.

Don't feel bad, DB. Your human, just like the rest of us.

kmorg wrote:

Your human, just like the rest of us.

The rest of us are humans? I could have sworn of few of the members were from another planet...

All joking aside, hope you can work things out dude! I know what it's like to hit a phase when you just don't like how your life has gone. Been there more than once myself.

I've been there too DB, I'll lift you up man.

Best of luck to you DB.

Thanks guys, I'm sure things will get better and I'll come back to my senses. In about a month I will be (hopefully) starting my internship which will lead to me leaving the retail business and give me weekends free to hang with my friends. Once I get back on track with my obedience to God I will also search for a new church, one that is not so big and has a better singles program. Currently except for a few, the singles at my church are either much older than me or much younger than me so I didn't have much people to make a connection with. Though I enjoy the company of my friends, a believer needs some friends who are believers as well to keep himself accountable and that can't happen if I stay in my current church.

Hope things get better for you bro.

Best wishes to you!

One thing that helped my best friend when he was feeling like this, he went on craigslist and called a hooker. He felt pretty great after that...

ZetaReticuli wrote:

One thing that helped my best friend when he was feeling like this, he went on craigslist and called a hooker. He felt pretty great after that...

Not an option, I am saving myself for marriage and the temptation to give up on that and the fact I have nobody in my life is part of the problem I am struggling with (of course I've made it too far to waste it on some one night stand with some floosey [sic] but the temptation is there). It didn't help last night at the pool over at John's apartment where a group of other Lincoln Tech students and a bunch of teenage sluts hanging out with them (and I'm not being mean if you saw how they were acting and heard how they were talking you'd agree with me). It got so bad that I left and sat in John's apartment watching TV. I started to go to sleep but members of the party came back to John's to watch a movie in which I went into my car and slept.

What can help me feel better and get my mind out of the gutter is Kareoke night tonight (if my allergies and sinuses clear up in time that is-I hate this damn time of the year).

Hey, keep holding on dude, I'd probably rather be where you are than where I am. With the same brimming optimism no less, talk about a distant memory..

Still in a slump but hopefully things are starting to look up. I'm looking for ways to get myself free from my addiction and get back to practicing my faith. I also am getting to the point that I want to start eating better and start a work out regimine apart from swimming and walking. I have also taken a step towards meeting women by getting a 3 month membership to Eharmony and my friends are going to help me open up when we go out (to Kareokee with Bob and Randy or a bar-called Cowboys-with John and his group).

I shall also start learning more information on my internship (only 42 days until I am able to start one). I just need to keep my grades up and hopefully get picked by a good company. Once it happens and after one month it looks like things are going to work out I can quit the crapfest I call a job (I actually wish they'd just fire me so I could live off unemployment til my internship).

Once things get moving I will try to once again start participating regularly here. Until then I will try to wish people happy birthday, post my new CDs, and keep yall updated on my progress. I will also try to post some more drawing copies which I still do from time to time (whenever my fickle talent decides to rear it's head-still comes and goes). And of course review any concerts I see (only one in the near future-Maiden and Dream Theater ).

As has been said before, were all human (well, some of us at least).

What you are struggling with is nothing new. Chances are, most of the guys on this forum have struggled with it in the past and probably still struggle with it on one level or another. Most of us just don't want to admit it.

"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will." (I know, I'm a nerd.) This statement is so true. We expose ourselves to various things that seem innocuous at the time (alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, or the uh... "the Big 'M'."). Then we wake up one morning and our appetite for these things has grown to a point where we can't even remember how we got addicted. Even when (with help) the addiction is overcome, it is still there. We never really get rid of it. The best we can do is strive to bring it captive to the authority of Christ.

Obviously, keeping busy, staying around people who can build you up, distancing your self from whatever it is will help in that regard. Connect groups and support groups are great, close friends can be even better, to help keep you accountable. "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." I know it is hard, especially when you have an odd schedule. I work afternoon and evenings and weekends. It is hard to connect with people with that schedule.

The church has really dropped the ball on such issues. Fortunately there are some that can offer a helping hand rather than condemn. The important thing is to keep getting back up after your addiction comes and knocks you on your ass. AND DON'T LET IT GET YOU DOWN no matter how often you give in!

Thanks for the words of encouragement, you've hit the nail on the head right there. It has gotten out of control and one thing that can help is to keep myself more busy and that is something I'm working on. I need to keep myself busy and one thing I can do (apart from some mentioned above) is stop living like such a slob and try to get better organized. I'm going to spend some good hours today tyding up.

Even though the people I hang with aren't believers (John is the closest to being one) God put them in my path for a reason and I believe they can help me to overcome my problems. Also I'm hoping that Eharmony can lead me to meeting someone (as they say, "Behind every good man is a good woman.") and I can maybe find a church that can address the issues I'm having with my other one (it's not a bad church but they are more community oriented than member oriented-not a bad thing but not what I need right now). That's the big problem with large churches (especially when a majority of it's members are either students, parents, or in their later years), it's easy to get lost in the shuffle.

I have always found it best to surround myself with positive people and weed out the negative people in my life. People that keep your spirits up will be the people that help you through tough times. Keep your head up and remember that life can be hard but you're alive and breathing and that in its own right is the greatest gift of all.

I hope you pull through and if I could be there to help I would.. take it easy my friend..

It sounds cliche but tough times show what we're made of. Of course that doesn't make them fun and we all need encouragement. Keep the faith man, it will get better.

ZetaReticuli wrote:

One thing that helped my best friend when he was feeling like this, he went on craigslist and called a hooker. He felt pretty great after that...

Ever heard of "22 Acacia Avenue?"

Good luck to you DB... God be with you.

DallasBlack wrote:

Thanks guys, I'm sure things will get better and I'll come back to my senses. In about a month I will be (hopefully) starting my internship which will lead to me leaving the retail business and give me weekends free to hang with my friends. Once I get back on track with my obedience to God I will also search for a new church, one that is not so big and has a better singles program. Currently except for a few, the singles at my church are either much older than me or much younger than me so I didn't have much people to make a connection with. Though I enjoy the company of my friends, a believer needs some friends who are believers as well to keep himself accountable and that can't happen if I stay in my current church.

You and only you can keep yourself accountable; your friends, believers or non-believers, have nothing to do with it. Don't complicate things. Be happy, be a good person to yourself and others, and everything will be fine.

You keep mentioning addiction. If you don't mind my asking, what is it?

Quote :

You keep mentioning addiction. If you don't mind my asking, what is it?

I think he mentioned something about porn in the past... correct me in i'm wrong DB.