Formal letter to pay back money owed to someone

Hello lovely people of Cambridge,
I'm going to Birmingham next week for Tool's concert and was wondering if someone is also going and what is their form of transport?
Concert is on Thursday 30. and it starts around 7pm with support Night Verses (which is more important for me than Tool itself).
I'm wondering if someone is going by car and have 2 free spots and could take me and my friend (obv we'll pay for petrol)?
And if not, then what is the best way to get back to Cambridge from Birmingham after 10:30pm?
I've checked trains and it looks like all of them terminate in London after 1am on Friday and then you have to wait until 6am for London - Camb train.
Buses are not leaving after 8pm from what I understand.
I don't have credit card or British driving licence so can't rent a car.
Is there really no way to get back to Camb from Birmingham in one go after 10pm?
Thanks for all the help.

Hi I’m attempting to do my own self assessment this year as last year I paid an accountant and he messed up. I ended up having to call hmrc myself to fix it.
I am in the 40% tax bracket and just looking to tell them money I made from freelance outside my normal job and that I put all the money into a sipp. I’m confused or generally looking for guidance on two parts atm

1. I have ctg just under 6k last year, same with dividends just under 1k and savings interest under £500. Do I need to declare this on my tax return or it doesn’t matter, they arnt interested as I owe no tax on any of it anyway?
   
2. I have this question on page three of ‘tailor your return’
   

‘Have you had any 2023-24 Income Tax refunded or off-set by us or JobCentre Plus?’
Do I say yes or no to this?
Last year as I said I used an accountant and due to me making money freelance and putting it all into a sipp. I got 20% relief from my sipp and got the rest back from hmrc with a tax code change.
Hopefully someone can help! I think if I get it right this year. I will be fine for the next years!
Any input appreciated:)

I’m 18 and the assaulter was sentenced.
It’s been 1 year and 5 months since I was sexually assaulted or raped, I don’t know which it was.
I was 16 and I wasn’t doing well mentally. I met someone online who made me feel like I actually mattered. Long story short, he turned out to be a predator. He took me to a hotel and raped me. He was 32 years older than me.
I can’t stop thinking about it. I find myself thinking about how much I cared for him. I think about how I poured my heart and soul into our relationship, how much I confessed to him, and how I felt like I was in love. He even talked me down from a suicide attempt. I really did trust him. I thought I meant something to him because he was willing to drive 17 hours from his state to mine, just to be with me.
But I also think about what he did. He got me out of my house and drove me out of town. He got me onto the bed and assaulted me. I was too scared to say no and to frozen to fight back. I couldn’t do anything for 6 hours. I’ve never been in so much pain before. I’ve never been more afraid of anybody.
Even now I still think about it. When I’m in public, people’s voice me remind of his. When I hear a name that’s similar or the same, I’m reminded. Any time I see someone who looks similar, I feel the same. I’m in a constant state of panic. If my hand touches one of theirs or if someone touches me, I feel so panicked.
I feel like I can’t do anything without thinking about him or what happened. I can’t change clothes, shower, sleep, or really even speak without those thoughts.
I’m not allowed to be in therapy because it’s a waste of money. I’ve been doing a lot of self-help though. How can I stop thinking about these things?

I moved from Alaska to Oregon about a year and a half ago and drove my own car down. Within about a month, someone stole the back license plate off of my car, which had my registration stickers. I replaced it with the front license plate and asked my mom if I should report it to the police and she said no, which I questioned, but I ultimately did not report it. My registration needed to be renewed anyway so I did that. Alaska car registration has two stickers that go in the corners of the plate, a month one and a year one. They only sent me a year sticker because I should’ve still had the month sticker and that doesn’t change. I have several worries. 1) I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to have both front and back plates in Oregon. 2) I don’t know if it’s too late to report the plate stolen to police. 3) I don’t know if I need a police report in order to get a new plate from the Alaska dmv. 4) My registration stickers are wrong, not that it’s super likely an Oregon cop would know that. 5) I don’t have the money to get my car re-registered to Oregon and also I just like the Alaska plate better, it has a cool bear! What should I do in this situation?

Throughout our marriage, my partner and I have not had many big arguments or problems. We generally get along well and quickly get over small disagreements. I would say we have a fairly normal relationship, with nothing to hide from each other and 100% trust. We only have each other and do everything together.
**First Argument:**
Recently, we started trying new things and becoming more outgoing. My partner just started a new job and loves her coworkers. Her workplace has a volleyball team that plays for fun every week. We were never involved in extracurricular activities at work or school, so this was new and exciting for us, especially for her, as she had always wanted to do sports and finally found a group she enjoyed being around. I was happy for her because, for the longest time, we had been trying to find something she would enjoy doing.
During the first week, we had such a blast that we decided to participate every week. The second week, she was really looking forward to it, but it coincided with my sister's graduation. I expected the day to be dedicated to the graduation, with a plan to attend the ceremony and then go out to eat with the family (this was not discussed, but I assumed it would be better to focus on the graduation and didn't even consider volleyball).
Right before we left for the ceremony, my partner told me she was putting on her volleyball shorts under her dress so we could play volleyball right after the ceremony and then go to dinner. This is where the tension started. I felt that since the schedule was tight, we shouldn't try to squeeze in volleyball and told her there was always next week. I also dislike being late and keeping people waiting, even though it was at a buffet. She said she wanted to go and that the buffet wasn't that important.
I thought squeezing in volleyball for even 15 minutes was too much. We were both angry, but we agreed to go to volleyball for a bit, even though it was just for 15 minutes. I told her I wasn't going to play because I wasn't dressed for it and was too mad to see anyone, so I just sat at the bar. Fifteen minutes turned into 30, and I called her, telling her we had to go because we were already late and I was really hungry. We made it to the buffet, but when we got home, we started to discuss what happened.
We argued, and she told me she still felt she was right and that I was overreacting. She said I didn't care about her happiness and that she had finally found something she loved doing. I argued that it was ridiculous to try and squeeze volleyball in after the ceremony and then be late to the buffet by 30 minutes. She started crying, and we went back and forth. This was the first time she filled out and printed divorce papers for me to look at. We had fights before where we discussed whether we were right for each other because we thought differently about certain situations, but it had never escalated to divorce papers. We talked it out some more, made up, and put the argument behind us.
**Second Argument:**
We recently purchased a house and agreed to let my 24M cousin live in one of our extra rooms. He pays us rent, and we felt bad for him since he didn't have parents and had been living alone before moving in with us. Also, the rent would help with the mortgage. Though he can be an idiot at times, he is on good terms with both my wife and me. He is almost the perfect tenant: clean, organized, and respectful. However, he has an eating habit he is unaware of and no one has told him about.
He tends to eat things and leave one piece for someone else to finish and clean up after him, or he eats too much, not leaving enough food for my wife and me. Whenever I catch him doing this, I remind him that other people live in the house too and he cannot eat so much at once. He tends to skip breakfast and lunch, so he gets very hungry by dinner and eats whatever he can find. I have had this talk with him a few times, and he understands he has a problem, but it's not the end of the world. Meanwhile, my wife is growing more frustrated with him but doesn't say anything, slowly distancing herself from him.
Yesterday was the day of the argument. My cousin said he would cook for us, and I told my wife on the phone that he was cooking. He went out to get groceries, but my wife didn't want to eat his food due to the growing tension with him. We feel he doesn't buy enough groceries for himself, but when we confront him, he tries to cook for us and scrambles to buy groceries because he feels bad. My wife got home from work, and I prepared some food for dinner, just enough for us two and maybe my cousin since he was out buying groceries for all of us. We had agreed to start making less food so my cousin would not eat so much at dinner, kind of portioning for him.
My wife prepared two bowls of what I was cooking and did not put out a portion for my cousin. She said to not make one as a message that we are not cooking for him anymore. I told her that would be awkward and suggested preparing a small bowl for him so it wouldn't be awkward when he got back since he was out and expected to be cooking for us. I think it is kind of cruel, even though he has upset us with his habit. She thinks it's okay and that she is right. After that, we went on a walk and argued like the last time. She said her job was to worry about her husband and not another man. and then told me that if I was so worried about him getting a bowl why didnt I make one for him? She has been upset with my cousin about his eating habits and other annoying things, and this was her way of telling him we are not cooking for him anymore. I argued that I would have handled it differently to make it less awkward, like preparing a small bowl and then talking to him afterward about buying his own groceries and not cooking for us anymore from now on. She again stated that she was right, also bringing up the last argument and saying I'm overreacting and making it more than it is and that even if I got up and tried to make him a bowl she would be mad at me too because she valued our dinner time together(even though it would have been a quick thing to do, but I backed down because afraid I would upset her) and said that I always try to be the nice and decent person while she is always the bad person.
I feel stuck in the middle because I'm always the mediator in these arguments and feel like our arguments are always at this level of intensity. How do I handle these types of arguments?

Hi, first time having my own health insurance.
So for starters, I have UHC high deductible insurance and have met it already, if that helps.
Sometimes, when I go to a doctors appointment, they won’t bill me up front and sometimes they do. For the ones that don’t make me pay upfront, they say that I’ll get billed through my health insurance. So I go to my UHC portal to pay, and looked through all my claims. And in the claims in the portal, all it shows is the EOB and what I should’ve paid for the service. It also doesn’t have a way to know if you paid up front or not so it has a box that you can check that says whether you paid it up front already. Very unorganized and very confusing because like why wouldn’t they know if I paid it ?? idk?
For example, I got an order for a MRI at a hospital I’ve never been to before. The hospital never sent me a bill, and the portal had a claim that told me how much I should’ve paid for the mri. If the hospital never sent me a bill, and I have the ability to mark that I already paid it. Then is there a way to just not pay for things ??? (I paid it btw like a good citizen but still). And if I didn’t pay it would I just have random debt left and right and my social security score is going to tank? Like is there consequences to this? I’ve been on top of it so far but I’m human and will likely slip soon like will I go to jail? Or be denied a loan in the future because I didn’t pay a medical bill 10 years prior. Who’s keeping track of all this and what’s going on? How am I able to walk out of there without anyone making me pay anything that’s so weird?
Another example, I went to a new doctors office and presented my insurance. At the end of the appointment, they made me pay upfront like $100 or so. When I went to the portal to mark the claim as paid, it said that I should have only paid $75. ??? like ??? This really doesn’t make sense to me like I feel like everyone’s just making up numbers and going with it. I was able to get my money back from the doctors office but this same scenario has happened yet again with a different office where I paid more than I should’ve. And they never told me I paid more than I should’ve too I had to call them !!! Like they’re robbing me atp. Idk what’s happening guys. I don’t understand insurance.
I hope that explanation makes sense. Please help me with this if anyone has any experience.

https://hello.one.app/e/referral-MichaelP-b393309f

Hello. Please bear with me because i just went through a break-up. It's the first time I've ever felt a real connection with a fellow sapphic even though I've dated before and I am seriously tweaking over it. She has told me about her circumstances and how she had to give up our relationship, assured that I'm not the problem why she had decided to end things between us. They are going through stuff right now (pressure from work and family) and I wish I was nearby (we are in a LDR) to give her a crushing hug (she likes it). After several days of no contact, i remembered that I can actually text her. My emotional maturity was never this bad. I stopped having control over my emotions. I was desperate to win her back. I did what I could to get her attention because she had me blocked elsewhere. I know I shouldn't be texting her anymore. Just when I said my formal farewell through text, she replied after ignoring me- and it broke me easily. I went back on my word. I was uncharacteristically pathetic. I word vomited how I am still very much in love with her even when she was mean to me. I'm not getting a reply anymore and I wish it will stay that way forever because I see myself begging again. The power she has over me is incomparable to anyone I have ever been with. I think I'm being toxic about the whole situation. Can I please get an advice on how to take it slow or how to cope from this? Because if I'm being honest, it feels like I'm grieving over someone's loss. It's devastating yet I still want her.

(please note that i can remove this if this is against guidelines!)
hi everyone! i wanted to post this here to possibly get publicity for my mom’s campaign (see below):
Currently, my family of 10 is in a contest called “SuperMom”. This is a public contest for $20k and the winner is decided through rounds of public votes - hence me posting this here!
My mom has made it to TOP 5 in her group so far, but for this new round and so on, she needs to maintain 1st Place to advance!
That being said, I would love any help at all to get votes in! (More information on my mom’s backstory and the contest itself can be found by pressing the link as well!)
You can cast a free vote once every 24 hours (so please refer back to this!). All you need is a facebook to verify that you are a real person and not votes bought by someone!
Thank you for reading, I hope you consider voting! Sincerely, any vote helps. Have a good day y’all 🙂 - Also, if anyone has questions, I’m free to answer anything!
(This contest is not a scam - it's run by Colosses who is a US registered fundraiser for non profits. Purchased votes donate money for Children's Miracle Network!)
https://thesupermom.org/vote/free/2024/christine-olea-aquino

Apologies for the long-ass post and any formatting issues as I’m on mobile.
Backstory: I graduated college 2019 and got a graphic design position at a small publishing company shortly after. All around, no complaints. They weathered covid well and ended up going full-remote in March of 2020 so I was working from home the majority of my career thus far. Early 2021 was promoted to Senior Designer. Mid 2023 I started getting antsy. Wanted more money, more career growth, etc. It’s a small company that operates on cash so they’re not the most competitive with salary but I was always happy with the people I worked with and bragged about company culture/politics and how they handled themselves during covid and with political shit all throughout. Fast forward to earlier this year, after applying to places here and there and never hearing back, I finally got an interview which turned into an offer. Before accepting I told the company I was at how much I appreciated them and loved working there and asked if they could be competitive. They offered an Assistant Art Director position to me that would be ready in a few months but the new place heard the offer and upped the salary to where my old place couldn’t compete (only a 2k difference but still).
Fast forward: I’m at my new gig and it’s….fine. I’m in office 9-5 with two other ladies (they are not designers). I’m working in the restaurant industry now trying to get some bars open and doing everything from logos to neon signs to window vinyls, etc. It’s all over the board and definitely exercises parts of my brain that went somewhat dormant while working in editorial for almost five years but I’ve had issues with the business itself. One of the ladies I work with is apart of the family that owns the company so she’s a partial owner and always has the news on, constantly talks about politics, trump, anti-trans, etc. It’s hard to bite my tongue but there’s no real HR to go to and if I did I know she’d just have a vendetta against me. On top of that she has snapped at me and talked to me in ways I’ve never been talked to in a professional environment and it was all because she misunderstood what I said. She apologized after but I couldn’t help but feel she had it locked and loaded and jumped at the slightest hint towards a reason to go off. Outside of dealing with people I don’t jive with, I hate the way they conduct business. The timelines feel made up and nothing is planned out, everything is “needed like yesterday” and so when we go to print stuff we push our printers and make them rearrange their workflow and their planned out schedule to get our stuff in and printed fast and it’s not uncommon that once it’s done it’ll just sit there for weeks, maybe even months before we use it. I’ve already had a printer come to me and tell me he’s no longer doing rush orders for us and the way we treat him is disrespectful and all I could say is “fair”.
Now onto where I need advice: when leaving my old place they told me to reach back out if in a few months i’m not happy and still interested in the asst. art director position. It’d be a 2k pay cut but my work/life balance would improve and I’d be around people I like and working with a like-minded company who respects our vendors and people we rely on. When talking to my dad he chalked up my complaints to “that’s just work”. I don’t want to jump ship if it’s because I have unrealistic expectations but I’m still early in my career and everything feels scary. I’m sure I could muscle through here for a year or two and find something else but the idea of going back is getting more and more enticing.
As design professionals what do y’all think of this situation? is it worth it to stick it out and beef up my portfolio with big names? (all the restaurants I work on are celebrity-affiliated) or would it be more beneficial to have the assistant art director on my resume and really just hone in on editorial design?

Salutations, fellow petty revengers!
This is a story from my youth. To briefly sum up the situation: nearby where I live there is a road that goes all around my city. The particular section in this story comes up a slight hill then it goes downward for quite a while, maybe a full mile, and at the end of it there is a big parking area for a local big store.
One of those days, a traffic cop had made that downward mile stretch his "feeding trough" spot. He parked his car behind some bush and hid behind it, waiting for a passing car to suddenly jump out and stop. Note: this is not in the US, so the cops here don't need a probable cause to stop cars.
So, one night, he stopped me in my car. Very rude, very condescending, very sure of himself, arrogant, I-am-above-God attitude. He checked my documents (all in order), checked the car (all in order), checked everything and all was in order. Then he showed me his radar gun and it showed way over the speed limit.
Now, I knew for a fact that I wasn't speeding. I don't know what he had done to the instrument, maybe he didn't reset it from the previous reading, maybe it wasn't working at all, I don't know. But he wrote me a ticket for driving 32km/h (20 mph?) over the limit.
Same thing happened the next night when I was going home from a gathering with friends. This time I knew he might be there, so I was extra careful with my speed. He saw my lights, jumped out to stop me, and showed me the radar: 32km/h over the speed limit. The exact same number from last night. And I knew the jig is on.
It's a big part of our "cop culture" here that the first thing a cop says when he comes up to your window is not "License and registration", it's "You're speeding, what are we gonna do now?" And most people prefer to give the cop some part of the ticket's value instead of paying it to the state in full. This cop has made this spot his personal money maker.
I knew that I can't prove anything or do anything about it back then. Remember, this is not the US, we don't have your guys' luxuries. My word against his would always end with him winning in those days. Exceptions were truly rare. So, I knew I had to get him another way.
That weekend I gathered my friends, and we cooked a plan. We waited for the evening, and I was ready at the start of the stretch. We confirmed the cop was again there, and we began. I drove down, he stopped me, I said "Good evening, officer "Mike", he looked at me and said "We know our lesson now, do we?" I nodded, gave him a 20, and he let me go.
I drove to the parking area, parked my car, jumped in a friend's car, we went out of the parking area, made a U-turn, drove the mile back up the hill and switched places. I then drove down again, he stopped the new car, came to my window, I said, "Good evening, officer "Mike" with a 20 in my hand. He was stunned and just waved me to go.
I went to my friends, we laughed for several minutes, then I got into yet another car, did the same drive and the same switch. This time he didn't even come to the window. He shone his flashlight, saw it's me, and waved me to go.
He knew me now, so I had to up my game. Wigs, scarfs, hats, hoodies, even a fake moustache, all went into play. He stops me, flashlights the masked me, walks up, hears "Good evening, officer "Mike" with the 20 in hand, and waves. One of those times he actually asked me "What are you doing?! Don't you have something better to do?" and I said, "No, officer "Mike", we got aaaaaall weekend free".
Eleven times we did that, in the span of like 3 hours. On the 12th run he wasn't there anymore, and I never saw him again.
I wish we had camera phones, dashcams and Go-Pros back then, it would be so much easier to load my car with cameras and annihilate his ass in court, but I don't regret it much.
It definitely wouldn't be so much fun.

Hey all, does my Mother owe Consumer Claims money based on the below? Any help would be massively appreciated as she is disabled, and does not have this kind of money just lying about! We are in England.
08/05/2016 - sent off a form to Consumer Claims (Harrington Jones Ltd) to consent to them to get money back from M&S for mis-sold PPI
29/01/2018 - letter from M&S confirming PPI payment of £4458.24
22/04/2024 - letter from Consumer Claims stating M&S did not make them aware of the claim and that Consumer Claims are owed £1752.83 (39% of PPI payout), under Clause 9 'Will contact consumer Claims within 10 days of receiving payment from theCompany in relation to a claim'
The dates between the payment & the letter from Consumer Claims is over 6 years - is this statute barred? She has received no contact regarding this since before the payment from M&S.
https://www.stepchange.org/debt-info/can-i-write-off-debt/statute-barred-debt.aspx#:~:text=Court%20action%20can%20only%20be%20taken%20during%20the%20'limitation%20period'.&text=type%20of%20debt-,In%20England%2C%20Wales%20and%20Northern%20Ireland%3A,for%20most%20types%20of%20debt.

2 kids 5,7
Tl:dr moved back Boston area 9 months ago after leaving for 2 years and already regret it, kids seem to love it. Is it wrong to move again in 2 years ( once debt free)? Our only family is in mass/Rhode Island
We are afraid of having our kids build bonds over the next 2 years with friends and family then taking it all away, again. Also her mother would be heartbroken.
We grew up in this area/Rhode Island. End of COVID we moved to Nashville and loved it. After 2 years we decided to move back because the inlaws retired and wanted a relationship with the grandkids, and they offered us free rent to get debt free. They own a duplex (live on first) and second floor was moving out.
Being back just reminded me how much I hated growing up here and the crazy cost of living. Everything is super expensive and Boston in such a hassle to access between traffic, and parking. It is also 45 min away give or take so not the closest.
Pros: Our kids love their school and new friends. My wife’s cousins went to the same elementary school and their 5 grade graduation class picture is on the wall. It was cute too see and kind of cool.
We see both sides of our family about once a month. It’s been nice for get togethers.
I see my brother an additional once a month, and we started playing racquetball on Sundays which I haven’t done since college so that’s awesome.
Grandparents live down stairs and have a huge yard so it gives us a break on weekends when the kids can just play outside or if we have to run they can watch them quickly.
My wife has mentioned she will be taking care of her parents in old age. So we may have to come back, her parents are 68 and 66 and currently pretty active
Although we don’t pay rent right now, we will start to in about a year since we can afford it and plan to pay whether we move or not so they don’t have to worry about finding tenants. Rent is only 900 when we do start to pay. market almost 2k.
We also put about 10k into renovating the upstairs apartment and now is a place we can live in for the next 5-6 years. Space wise. (1/3) of the house is being left to my wife plus almost 2 years total of rent free so we weren’t worried about putting money into it.
Cons: Cost of living, I can’t see myself ever buying a house here or in Rhode Island, they are old and expensive.
We travel 3-5 times a year and Logan is such a hassle, providence is great but typically a lot more expensive. Also flights seem more expensive than when we were in Nashville but that could just be the economy.
Weather sucks here feels grey and gloomy
People are so selfish here and mean, traffic everywhere it feels like.
Kids activities here just seem so unorganized and thrown together. I know they are kids it’s just for fun but I would want them to learn the right way. Soccer been a hot mess, flag football coaches were good but definitely busy and would squeeze a 10 min practice before games. Gymnastics have been awful here, we feel like they are treating our kids like a number not a person. We are moving our kids to their third gym after the summer. My son’s marital arts class has been amazing though.
YMCA here all seem old, outdated, and dirty. We’ve been to 3 in the area, they are in older buildings so maybe that’s why.
Income tax, I know it depends by state but still a con
I also work remote, and didn’t think it would be a con not having an office to go to if I wanted too. Sometimes I just need to get out the house and realize how nice it was to have the office 25 min away if necessary. Now I’ll go to the library if I need to but not the same.

Getting the confirmation and signing the paperwork for my conversion from contract to permanent took a while and so there was about 3 months between my official conversion date and when it was in effect in WIN. Now, payroll is asking for money back as I was still paid 15% in lieu during that period.
I reached out to payroll and asked if the amount could be deducted from the lump sum payment we are supposed to receive for the retroactive pay adjustment and they said the pay adjustments are not due for another few pay cycles and they are not able to wait. They said I will need to pay them back starting the next pay cycle.
The absolute gall of them to say they are not able to wait but I am supposed to wait for money that's owed to me. My pay is already not very high and I cannot afford paying them back in 2/3 pay cycles. I will not be able to afford my bills next month if they recover over 2/3 pays, which is what they said their preference is.
What are my options here? Can I reach out to my union rep?

Hello kindhearted people,
My name’s Ivan and I’m from Bulgaria. I found this group in need of little help. Due to my job position being eradicated I’ve got jobless a week ago. The company still hasn’t payed my last salary and I’m out of resources. I’m looking to borrow 5-10$ to get some bread and cook something. I’ve been hungry for 2 days now and I’ve got no one to ask for help. I’m a bit ashamed writing this. I’ve seen people post amazon wishlists here, but amazon doesn’t operate much in Bulgaria. I have a revolut link if that works for someone https://revolut.me/ivand3cya I will give back as soon as I get my salary which should be about a week from now. Thanks in advance 😣

From a very early age I was usually the one that was more unattractive than everyone else so I was naturally looked down upon and struggled to make friends
This led to attention seeking behavior in school and at home to where I'd do and say silly and dumb things that would get me in trouble and even eventually suspended from school on several occasions
In school for group projects and activities I was usually picked last or not desired at all and forced into someone else's group (as benign as this seems it accurately portrays human and mother nature's tendency to weed out ugly people and leave them to rot and suffer alone)
My depression from being excluded and bullied in school made it difficult for me to focus on my school work and soooo I would end up failing classes that I could pass had I applied myself and had a stable mental health
This eventually made it to where I couldn't go to a good college to be successful and have a high paying job so I can have a good life and pay for surgeries
In college, my roommates bullied and neglected me which led me to drop out of college
I eventually went to community college which I dropped out of due to depression due to a miserable life due to being ugly and lack of focus
I tried to focus on working which eventually led to me being targeted and bullied out of jobs or led to me quitting because I couldn't take the mistreatment
This has led to me not having money to Pay for clothes to upkeep my hygiene or look less ugly
Which makes me be treated even worse
which makes it even harder to get a job
The gaps in employment and the firing / quitting makes it to where I can't get jobs in the future because I'm seen as a red flag to employers even though you can literally be mistreated so badly at work for being ugly that you can get fired or eventually quit
Now I have no hope or vision for the future because it seems like my life will always be a constant struggle just because I'm ugly
Oh also my dream of becoming a voice actor was a flop because voice acting is about having tons of real life experience and relationship experience which I never had which makes it hard for me to portray characters interestingly and believably
I wasn't born talented or exceptionally smart so I have to work hard at everything and call it lazy but the amount of work necessary for that isn't worth the results to me so I don't enjoy it
I can't make friends because people are turned off by my appearance so they are embarrassed / disgusted to be seen hanging out with me
This makes me be seen as a loser and as if something is wrong with me which repulses people more
Everyone I like never likes me back which increases the feelings of loneliness and worthlessness
I can't go out to social places because I'm always laughed at or treated badly so I stay in the house and do nothing all day

Hi everyone, Sorry for the really long post and if these seem like stupid questions but I’m just trying to make sure I’ve covered all of my bases before I pull the trigger. I currently work permanently for ~base 65k plus £5k benefits. I’ve potentially been offered a role based out of a company in Germany for ~£800 a day which is about £142k taxable after accounting for unpaid leave. Obviously that’s a massive jump so I want to work out the implications for me and the best way to manage it. Key points Im thinking about are - inside vs outside IR35 which is my determination as the client is solely outside of the UK - self employed vs LTD- I’m assuming ltd so I can take ~50k income (some as dividends) and leave money in the business to take as top ups in a few years time when I’m expecting to probably go back employed part time - pension contributions- currently get 8% employer matched so that factors in as roughly another 6k per year. - factoring in lack of sick pay as a risk - I’ve factored in 6 weeks unpaid leave per year to account for holiday - The piece of work I’m being brought in to do is a minimum 6 month piece but likely 1-2 years so there is some mitigation for the risk of quitting my perm role. - I currently have a fixed rate mortgage until nov 2026 for ~200k on a ~400k property so don’t need to remortgage any time soon and don’t think this will cause any issues. - I currently have a liquid emergency/house development fund of ~75k
Is there anything I’m missing or which you guys would suggest I look into before pulling the trigger on this? Financially it seems like a no brainer to me to be honest as even if I was paid it all as standard income I’d still take home about 30k a year more.
Thanks for any input!

hey guys! i’m an actor based in philadelphia and im wondering what your opinions are on either:
1.) staying in philly for a year (will be paying rent) to take classes and get experience here or 2.) move back home, save money, and move to LA in a year or two?
i fear that saving money and moving back home for a bit may lessen opportunities for me but also i could save a bunch more money/start paying off loan. but ultimately i want to be an actor in film/tv so whatever will get me to that goal is what i want to do

2 years of experience in QA, and a degree in Chemistry. No certifications as of yet but am willing to do any if it helps. I left my QA job back in 2023 to try and pursue another career but that has currently come to a halt, and I need to step back into the field. I am lacking in practice and have a gap in my resume that I have to constantly explain to employers, and I am having trouble finding a job after trying to return. I have no problem getting interviews or offers but when it comes time to accept it, I usually hear they moved on with someone else or something happened, etc.
don't want to post my resume but if you would like to see it, send me a private message.
Also, if there is a way I can break into another field or a parallel position that has good pay, I'd love to hear it

(please note that i can remove this if this is against guidelines!)
hi everyone! i wanted to post this here to possibly get publicity for my mom’s campaign (see below):
Currently, my family of 10 is in a contest called “SuperMom”. This is a public contest for $20k and the winner is decided through rounds of public votes - hence me posting this here!
My mom has made it to TOP 5 in her group so far, but for this new round and so on, she needs to maintain 1st Place to advance!
That being said, I would love any help at all to get votes in! (More information on my mom’s backstory and the contest itself can be found by pressing the link as well!)
You can cast a free vote once every 24 hours (so please refer back to this!). All you need is a facebook to verify that you are a real person and not votes bought by someone!
Thank you for reading, I hope you consider voting! Sincerely, any vote helps. Have a good day y’all 🙂 - Also, if anyone has questions, I’m free to answer anything!
(This contest is not a scam - it's run by Colosses who is a US registered fundraiser for non profits. Purchased votes donate money for Children's Miracle Network!)
https://thesupermom.org/vote/free/2024/christine-olea-aquino

The walls of Guy’s Cancer Hospital
Haven’t they witnessed enough Haven’t they heard enough Haven’t they wept enough The walls of Guy’s hospital stand alone. Unsupported
An elderly couple walk-in the chemotherapy ward supported by a wooden walking stick. Their youth failed them and decided to leave them behind They stare at the double doors hoping to see a rushed nurse to come out and call their name. One is more fragile and weak, wearing a woolly hat to cover the thin hair that started to depart his head because of the cruelty of the chemotherapy They sit so close to each other holding hands - delicate,debilitated and powerless hands
Another woman walks in, alone English isn’t her first language thus struggles with the receptionist Not sure where to sit she notices an empty chair in the corner Hunched down, she looks for a familiar face to reassure her that she is in the right place She noticed a nurse and hesitantly shows her a letter The nurse nods and confirms “ yes you are in the right place” A short sigh is heard- at the back of her head she must be thinking “ what if the treatment doesn’t work ? What if it keeps spreading? Who is going to look after my kids? Who will kiss them goodnight? Who will iron their school uniform and prepare their packed lunch? Oh God if it doesn’t work, who will they share their playground stories? Who will they ask for pocket money? Oh God help me for their sake, let the treatment work !
The walls of Guy’s hospital maybe coated with colourful paint Green, orange and blue walls to brighten up the atmosphere But if you scratch the paint, trapped tears will be seen Hidden behind the vibrant and radiant walls
Voices of agony, pain, despair and grief is all that is trapped behind these solitary walls Oh for decades and decades these walls kept it all in No one to hear them No one to share their burden Who can support the walls of Guy’s hospital?

A good friend of mine from a fairly conservative evangelical background is considering becoming a pastor at his non-denominational church. As part of the evaluation process, they asked him to write a paper on these topics that he is not an expert on.
He asked for my opinion and I offered to share it online to solicit constructive criticism, notes of encouragement, and or reading recommendations on these topics.
I believe his goal is to be faithful to the scriptures, loving to those outside the church, and challenging to those inside the church, as most of us could do better.
What he wrote is in the quotation marks below.
“1: Scope of the Issue
Sexual immorality has become a besetting and ubiquitous issue in our culture and in our churches. While many aspects of it are not novel or unique to this time and have clear scriptural input, there are others that bring challenges to our church for which we don’t have obvious precedent. The main point of these comments is to try and answer three questions with some degree of specificity: (1) how do we make ourselves a place where people who do not know Christ will feel welcome to come and learn of Him regardless of where they come from, (2) how do we pastorally care for people who have come in to the church with pre-existing circumstances related to sexual immorality, and (3) how do we equip our members to represent Christ to those in their lives that are dealing with these issues. We want to do this in a way that does not “walk a tight rope” or compromise to appease, but honors Scripture in its commands to both show compassion and exhort and correct. We must recognize that every individual circumstance is unique, and many will require careful and prayerful consideration, but this is meant to give a framework for that consideration.
2: Scriptural Basis for Corporate Response
There are many references we can point to that discuss and define sexual immorality throughout Scripture and many of these will be used below as we consider specific examples and situations. Let us start, however, by looking at passages that deal with corporate response rather than individual sin. It is clear that the Corinthian church had significant issues in this area, and much of Paul’s first letter was devoted to it. In chapter 5, Paul states that when sexual immorality is discovered in the church we should “mourn” over it and “not to associate with immoral people.” Importantly, he also makes clear in vv. 9-13 that these comments only apply to those “who bears the name of brother.” He explicitly writes, “not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world…for what have I to do with judging outsiders?” This is key in informing our response to those who are not members of the church. If it is our desire to see sinners come through our doors and come to know our Savior through our ministry, then we must be welcoming, accepting them where they are. This is not to say we hide or compromise the biblical position, but it is not an issue on which we want to filter people at the door. There are three categories of people in sexual sin that we need to form a response for. First, those just coming to the church who have not committed to it – these should be treated the same as any we are reaching out to with Christ’s love. They need Jesus, not behavioral change. Next, those who have recently joined the church but have pre-existing sexual sin patterns. This can and should be addressed with patience, dignity, and love. There are often many sin areas in the life of a new believer, and it is prudent to discern how and when to address each of them. Lastly, those who have been members in the church for some amount of time and fall into sexual sin. This is the group that Paul is primarily addressing in 1 Corinthians. While sex within marriage is a private issue, sexual sin cannot be a taboo topic. It needs to be addressed regularly and clearly. We need close enough relationships within the church that such problems do not fester in the dark. We must avoid the typical church pattern to vilify the first group, never see the second group, and pretend the third group doesn’t exist until it all blows up in scandal. May it never be.
3: Consistency Issue
There is a tendency in our Christian culture to treat some sexual sins as worse than others. Like the Corinthians, some things we seem to have accepted as just ubiquitous parts of our culture. Knowing the prevalence of promiscuity and fornication among teens and single adults and usage of pornography even within the church, we tend to address these as issues of indwelling sin, similar to anger or fear of man, with offers of accountability and understanding when someone falls. By contrast, when it comes to homosexuality or adultery, it is often a church discipline issue. We view homosexual marriage as a major problem, but remarriage after a non-biblical divorce is rarely addressed. These inconsistencies lead to stigmatization and polarization and should have no place in the church. The criterion for escalation should be unrepentance, not the nature of the sexual sin. It is clear from 1 Corinthians that all should be taken seriously, but none should be vilified above others.
4: Culture and Identity
The major underlying problem with many of the sexual sin and gender issues is that they have come to be culturally bound up with people’s identities. This is not a new phenomenon and is not unique to this issue. As far back as Acts 19, you see people becoming “enraged” because Paul had threatened the Ephesians’ cultural identity as worshipers of Artemis. People continue to find their primary identities in their employment, hobbies, sports teams, or families rather than Christ. None of these should be accepted, but none should be reviled either. If a person does not know Jesus, they are dead. How they identify themselves is of no concern. Once they have been made alive, they can be taught that “whose” they are is more important than “who” they are. All identity outside of Christ is not sinful, but if it takes paramount importance, it may become so. A person who recognizes a tendency toward same sex attraction may label themselves as gay or lesbian. This should not be considered a sin issue unless it becomes, for them, their defining characteristic or leads to sinful actions. We should recognize the difficulty of this struggle and support such a person rather than get hung up on labels. There must be clear distinction between identifying same sex attraction and engaging in homosexual behavior. These should be the guiding principles underlying everything that follows are regards individual cases.
5: Public Facing Information, Guests, and New Attendees
Considering what we have discussed, and Paul’s assertion in 1 Corinthians 5 that we ought to reserve judgment on sexual immorality to those we call brother, I would submit that public facing information regarding the church (i.e. website, app, etc) should not publish a position on sexual immorality, marriage, and gender identity. Doing so effectively places the filter at the door so that people who do not know Christ may be turned away from it. This is not tantamount to tacit approval. In appropriate contexts within the church, these topics should still be discussed and addressed, but I do not believe it is consistent with a biblical treatment of unbelievers to place it in a public facing forum. If we have guests or new regular attendees who appear to be engaged in a cohabitating or fornicating relationship, a homosexual relationship, or other sexual sin, this should not be a priority to address unless we have discerned that they are believers and join the church. Even then, it is important to draw a distinction between someone who deals with same-sex attraction and someone who engages in homosexual behavior. The next seven points are meant to discuss, in broad terms, how we should address those who join the church with pre-existing relationships or identity issues:
6: Promiscuity, Cohabitation – Hebrews 13:4, 1 Cor 7:1-2, Ex 22:16
Much of the biblical discussion on promiscuity is by inference. Clearly, sex was meant to be inseparably linked to marriage and outside of that context should be considered immoral. For those who join the church already in a sexual relationship who are unmarried we should apply Exodus 22:16 and encourage them to marry as soon as possible. If they do not wish to marry, they should be encouraged to separate. Paul acknowledges in 1 Cor 7:2 that marriage is the best remedy for “temptation to sexual immorality.”
7: Adultery, Divorce and Remarriage – Matt 5:32, Matt 19:9, 1 Cor 7:10-11
This issue is given much more explicit biblical instruction but is often glossed over in our Christian culture due to the messy landscape of divorces and remarriages. In cases where non-biblical divorce has occurred, if reconciliation is possible, this should be pursued. If reconciliation is impossible because one or more parties have remarried, it would not be sensible to divorce again in order to achieve reconciliation. The principle to apply here, I believe, is from 1 Cor 7:17-24 summarized in verse 20: “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” This is not an ideal circumstance, but it is the best way forward in an imperfect world. Of note, polygamy was common in the culture of the early church, and while not ideal, was accepted by the church, as evidenced by the qualifications for elder to be “a husband of but one wife.” We have polygamous cultures even within our local community and if they came to Christ, we should not counsel them to divorce all but one wife and thus disrupt their social structure. It is not ideal and would disqualify them from eldership, but they should remain as they are. Whether marriage after unbiblical divorce in the past disqualifies a man from eldership is a case-by case question for the eldership.
8: Pornography, Sensuality, and Lust – Lev 18:6-18, Matt 5:28
As mentioned above, use of pornography has reached a high saturation point within our culture and within our church. While once thought of as simply a male issue, there is a growing trend toward gender parity in pornography usage. It is an issue that should be discussed with some frequency within our church. For those that join the church and view pornography regularly, it needs to be made clear that while the world has largely destigmatized it, it is still sexual immorality. Furthermore, this isn’t just limited to nudity and pornography, but any sensuality that leads to looking at someone “with lustful intent” is the heart equivalent of adultery according to Matt 5:28. In our culture, it is not possible to avoid such things by just turning away. We need to address the heart issues of idolatry, selfishness, and satisfaction in Christ. Practically, how should we deal with those who have on-going struggles with pornography, sensuality and lust? Should this preclude them from eldership? From deaconship? Taken strictly, this would preclude nearly all men from eldership. These require individual evaluation from the elders, but a guiding principle should be, if the person is repentant and there is evidence of growth in their life, we should consider more responsibility and continued discipleship.
9: Homosexuality – Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13, 1 Cor 6:9, 1 Tim 1:8-11
From the above references and others, it is evident that homosexual behavior is sexual sin. We cannot equivocate on that point. As we have discussed above, if a person who is already a believer and in the church and struggles with same sex attraction, we should approach them as we would handle anyone who is sexually attracted to someone to whom they are not married. If such a person decides that homosexuality is not sinful and begins sexually immoral activity, we should deal with them in the same way as any member who falls into unrepentant sin and go through the processes of correction and, if necessary, of church discipline. It is important that we draw a distinction between same sex attraction and homosexual behavior. We can do tremendous harm by demonizing same sex attraction and creating a taboo around it. A person who is struggling to abstain from homosexual behavior should be supported and encouraged. I believe Paul’s strong statements about not associating with sexually immoral people applies to those who remain unrepentant. Much more nuanced is the issue of how we address those that join the church already in a homosexual relationship. What about the married homosexual couple who join the church with their adopted child? Should we break up their family? I believe, in this case, the same principle should apply as to those who have gone through an unbiblical divorce in the past. We should apply 1 Cor 7:20: “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” We can recognize that this is not ideal, but it is the best we can do in a fallen world just as we do with someone who is married after unbiblical divorce. Whether should apply to a homosexual couple in a long term committed relationship who are not legally married would be an individual discussion with the elders. Again, these are nuanced cases that will need individual prayer, discussion, and discernment. I believe a great deal more patience is called for when a new believer joins the church that has a history or present reality of homosexuality, even if they are unrepentant at first, believing that homosexuality is not sinful, than we would demonstrate to a person who has been in the church for a period of time and then decides to pursue a homosexual relationship.
10: Bisexuality – Heb 13:4
Bisexual attraction is no more or less of an issue than anyone who finds that they are sexually attracted to someone other than their spouse. This is not a rare or unique circumstance, even within the church. Someone who is practicing bisexuality is, by definition, not confining sex to the marriage bed, and this, therefore, qualifies as sexual immorality. The issue, here again, is one of identity and cultural acceptance. If a person “identifies as bisexual,” the real issue is not the bisexuality, but the fact that they identify themselves primarily by their sexual desires, and not by Christ. It would be equally a problem if they “identified as heterosexual” and that was seen as their defining characteristic. If such a person were to join the church, our priority should be in helping them see their identity in Christ rather than focusing on renouncing their sexual preference.
11: Transgenderism/Non-binarism – Psalm 139: 13-15
It should be noted that the next two points should not be considered in the category of sexual immorality, but as they are connected to the same cultural moment will be discussed here. It should further be remarked that transgenderism is a modern issue with no direct reference in Scripture. It is a challenging issue that often falls prey to oversimplification and scapegoating. It is not sufficient to simply state that a person should identify with their born gender. There are those born with ambiguous genitalia and those born with sex chromosome abnormalities such that “born gender” is not necessarily accurate. These occur with a frequency of 1 in 448 births on average which is not particularly rare. The majority of people who consider themselves to be transgender do not fall into these categories, but the fact remains that these categories exist. Unless we plan to embark on genetic testing, we must be careful how we assert someone’s gender assignment. Furthermore, we must acknowledge that much of the gender confusion in our culture is due to a distortion of biblically accurate masculinity and femininity in our culture of which the church has been widely supportive for generations. Many transgender and non-binary individuals consider themselves so because they do not fit into the traditional boxes our culture has created for the genders. The church can start by recognizing that these boxes are incorrect. We can also acknowledge that gender differences and roles are far less important than most human cultures perceive. Christ himself challenged many gender norms in his ministry and Paul maintains “…there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28b) It is much more difficult to recognize this issue as a sin issue than many of the above concerns. If someone wishes to be addressed by different pronouns than they once did or dress differently than they once did, this does not amount to immorality. Once again, this can be an idolatrous identity issue if the person sees it as the central characteristic of their lives. There is often an inherent pride in asserting that such a person does not feel they fit in the body created for them, but if they come to love Jesus and understand and believe that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” then this issue may become moot. Whether or not they revert to dressing differently or using pronouns they did when they were younger is largely immaterial. This also addresses the issue of people who may have undergone permanent physical changes. While we should not endorse such modification if it is being considered, there is no reason to reverse such a thing in order to return to a base state. We must recognize that this is a group that has a high propensity toward mental health concerns, instability, and suicidality. They need love, support and prayer, not scapegoating and extra-biblical expectations of conforming to a cultural norm. We must further note that this group as well as the homosexual group have often experienced psychological and even physical harm from others in our culture, sometimes in the name of Christ. We must foster an environment of champions physical and psychological safety for these people.
12: Asexuality – 1 Cor 7:25-38
Asexuality also should not be considered sexual immorality. There is, in fact, wide support in Paul’s letters such as in 1 Cor 7 for people, if they are able, to remain unmarried and be “anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.” We tend to champion the model of the nuclear family in our Christian culture, but Paul sees chaste singleness as a better way. There should be no pressure from the church to make sure that single people pair off and get married because it is expected of them. As this state has been culturally identified with the LGBTQIA movement, it is seen on the same spectrum as the sexual immorality and gender issues discussed above, but it is not. It can still fall prey to the same issue of an idolatrous identity as some of the above issues, but it need not be so.
13: Glass Ceiling
In the event that God sees fit to bring people from these subgroups into our church, there would inevitably be a glass ceiling. The question is at what point. The four logical points are: regular attender, member, deacon, and elder. Regardless of their background or position, all should be welcome to be a regular attender. It is also clear, from the biblical requirements for eldership, that on-going problems or engagement in any of the sexual sins would disqualify them from that post. The middle two are less clear. I would submit that the bar for membership should be very low. This step, in my opinion, is when they would “bear the name of brother” and not before. Even if they disagree about the sinful nature of homosexuality, this should not disallow them from becoming members as long as they agree to submit to the churches position and not cause division. Allowing them to become members gives us the pastoral authority to speak into their lives, and we would hope that over time the Spirit would work in their hearts to convince them of the truth. Putting such a person in a deacon role would probably not be wise but would need to be evaluated prayerfully on a case-by-case basis. The difficulty here is that, while a position on homosexuality is not a salvific issue and should not be considered a core doctrine in the same way as the deity of Christ, for example, it is a sin issue. There is a limit to how far we can “agree to disagree” and still uphold our duty to root out sin in our midst. Once again, we should also distinguish between a struggle with same sex attraction and engagement in homosexual behavior when we consider our response. There is also a glass ceiling when it comes to marriage. While I believe we should not break up existing homosexual marriages, we should not participate in creating them. The marriage covenant between a man and woman was created, in part, to reflect the relationship between Christ and the church (Eph 5). This should not be co-opted to excuse or normalize immorality.
14: Nuance and Edge Cases
The above outline is by no means meant to be exhaustive or definitive. It is meant to provide a lens, supported by scripture, through which we can view these issues and consider corporate and pastoral responses. It should inform how we view the people that walk through the door from a wide range of backgrounds and how we equip those in our church to be Christ’s ambassadors to those in our community. Every person and circumstance, history and baggage will be different, and any non-nuanced position would be inherently evil. I pray we have many opportunities to talk, think and pray through specific situations that God would bless us with the chance to be a part of. What an honor it would be to be used to reach into broken lives like these with the Gospel of Grace.
15: Action Steps
As we consider practical and philosophical ways of responding to the above, I believe we should start from a position of corporate repentance. If we wish to truly reach out and touch the lives of broken people in need of a Savior who live a life of same sex attraction or gender dysphoria, we need to begin by recognizing that a great deal of harm, emotional and physical, has been inflicted on this group by the Church for generations. There are homeless people living in our area who were kicked out of their homes by parents holding a Bible. There are those who have been subjected to horrific methods that amount to torture under the guise of “Conversion Therapy” from Christian organizations. The only “conversion” we should concern ourselves with is to a regenerate heart. Attempting to change someone’s sexual attraction is very much beside the point. We cannot hope to be a place where such people can hear about Jesus unless they feel safe to enter our doors. We must also fight the tendency to consider sin in this area as something worse than others, even in non-Christians. James 2 says “…For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it….So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” As we consider corporate and pastoral responses to the argument above, we must start by removing our own planks and repenting for the historical actions of the Church.
Practical steps that we could consider taking would include: removing the statements from the website about marriage and sexuality, especially directly under our Core Beliefs. Again, this is not meant to hide or equivocate on the truth, but not to set such a barrier before someone even walks through our door. Secondly, we should consider how to address these topics within the church. A Sunday morning sermon is not ideal as it is time limited and a unidirectional conversation. A small group course format would be a consideration. We need to equip parents and family members of adolescents, teens, and adults with language to talk about these things in loving, humble, God-honoring ways. In the longer term, we need to consider how we can make our church a place where people would feel comfortable inviting friends and family who look, think and act differently than we do. We need to find a way of projecting safety and inclusion even in our public facing information. This isn’t a balancing act where we must make it clear early and often that we “love the sinner but hate the sin” as the saying goes. We just need to love the sinner. Dealing with the sin can come later God-willing. A third application point is to be mindful of what we say and what we allow to be said without being checked. Certainly, joking at the expense of those who are dealing with these issues is unacceptable, but we also need to work to avoid getting dragged in to pseudo-political discussions on bathroom issues, sports issues or other divisive concerns that have no bearing on the church.
I recognize that these proposals have the potential to divide the church. There are some who may leave the body over these sorts of changes. I would argue that it is our responsibility to them as well as to the unreached in our community to have those discussions and risk some of them leaving over it. These are not all things we should change overnight but after ample opportunities for discussions and prayer.
16: Conclusion – Mark 2:15-17
At its core, these are not issues of who someone loves, sexual attraction, or even specific sex acts. The core is idolatry and identity. When acceptance by others, self-determination, or physical pleasure become the central force driving our lives then we have become idolators. Though our idols take on different shapes, the struggles in this space are shared by all. Whether you are identified by your profession, your family, or your gender identity, you are not being identified by your Master. Building fences around or within the church because someone sins in a different way than us cannot be allowed. Making the excuse that we are somehow “protecting our children” by shielding them from people in our community who desperately need a Savior will not show our children who Jesus is. Within the church, we cannot be afraid to “speak the truth in love.” We need not and cannot shy away from sin in the church, but we must recognize that the Spirit works in each of our lives. Often this happens over a period of time. We should be prepared to walk alongside our brothers and sisters in this journey for as long as they need.
There is a significant correlation between this community and their relationship with religious groups, and the “tax collectors and sinners” that Jesus sought out in His ministry and their relationship with the religious leaders of the day. Our heart should reflect His. Jesus responded: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) If our church was filled with transgender people and gay families that loved Jesus, God would be glorified.”
Thank you in advance for any constructive criticism, notes of encouragement to and or waiting recommendations on these topics that I can pass along.