Hi Susan:

I read in another post of yours that you are interested in a listing of articles, sites, etc. considered excellent and worthy. Have you considered giving a list of particular areas in which people can contribute to such?

From a thread from MJ: (put in alphabetical order)

Addiction — Being enslaved to a habit, practice or substance such that withdrawal causes trauma.

Adoption — Legal transfer from one family or situation into another family, used in the NT to describe believers' relationship to God.

Adultery — Unfaithfulness to another person. It could be used of marital infidelity as well as unfaithfulness to God.

Alcohol — Intoxicating drink, such as wine or beer.

Angels — Messenger of God or supernatural being with superhuman powers.

Anger — A strong feeling of displeasure aroused by a wrong, whether real or perceived.

Apostasy — Denial of faith by those who once held it or professed to hold it.

Assurance — A sense of confidence, security or certainty, especially concerning one's salvation.

Atheism — Disbelief in God.

Atonement — Reconciliation between God and humanity, specifically through Jesus' death.

Baby Dedication — The act of dedicating a baby to God.

Baptism — The act of using water to admit a person into the Christian community, whether as an adult or infant.

Beauty — The state of being attractive or pleasing to the senses.

Blasphemy — Cursing God, or showing contempt or irreverence toward God.

Blessing and Cursing — Spiritual and material benefits given by God to be enjoyed. Cursing is the lack of those benefits.

Borrowing and Lending — Asking for or offering money or goods for temporary use.

Calling — God's summoning of people to himself as well as to particular tasks.

Character — The moral and ethical features that a person possesses.

Church: Fellowship and Unity — How the members of the church relate to one another.

Church: Nature — What the church is; ecclesiology.

Circumcision — A physical sign of membership in the people of God.

Clothing — Anything used as a garment or piece of jewelry.

Comfort — To ease the grief or trouble of someone; console.

Commitment — Devotion or faithfulness to some cause or person.

Complaining — To express ingratitude or discontent in an unjustified way.

Compromise — To make a concession one ought not to make, especially regarding one's morals or relationship to God.

Confession — To acknowledge one's sins, whether to God or another person.

Conflict — Division, confrontation or argument between persons.

Contentment — Acceptance, satisfaction with one's situation.

Conversion — The act of turning to God; new birth.

Counseling — Guidance in resolving personal conflicts and emotional problems.

Courage — Boldness or bravery.

Courtship, Dating and Romantic Relationships — Romantic love.

Covenant — God's commitment to his people, and formal commitments between people.

Creation — All the things God has made; the natural world and the universe.

Creation: Renewal — The new heavens and the new earth. Also, the new creation of the believer (2 Co 5:17).

Creativity — The ability to bring something new into being. Though only God can create something out of nothing, human creativity involves inventive combinations of existing material.

Cults and Non-Christian Religions — Non-Christian belief systems that deal with supra-normal forces.

Death and Dying — The end of life, or awareness of its approach.

Debt — Something that is owed, whether money or an obligation more generally.

Depression — Sense of despondency, hopelessness, loss of meaning in life.

Disability — Physical incapacities resulting from physical or spiritual causes.

Discipleship — The process of becoming a committed follower of Jesus Christ.

Discipline — Training or punishment, whether it is exercised on people by others or themselves.

Discouragement — Being deprived of confidence.

Divorce — Legally dissolving a marriage.

Doubt — Uncertainty about the truth and reality of spiritual things.

Economics — Broadly, anything to do with buying and selling.

Education — Imparting of spiritual, intellectual, moral and social instruction.

Election — God's act of choosing people for any purpose.

Encouragement — Giving someone confidence or boldness to do something.

Envy — Desire to possess another person's gifts, possessions, position or achievements.

Eschatology — Doctrines that have to do with the last days of the world.

Eschatology: Antichrist — A person who opposes Christ. Can refer to a particular person who appears as Christ's principal antagonist.

Eschatology: Last Judgment — The final judgment which occurs after Jesus' return.

Eschatology: Millennium — The thousand years mentioned in Revelation 20.

Eschatology: Resurrection — The act of rising from the dead.

Eschatology: Second Coming — The return of Jesus to the earth.

Eternity — Infinite time.

Evangelism — The act of preaching the gospel.

Evil — Corruption, malevolence or depravity in the world.

Faith — A constant outlook of trust and dependence toward God.

False Teaching — Heresy and false teaching within the church.

Family — People who are linked by marriage or physical descent. Not limited to nuclear family.

Family: Children — Sons or daughters; includes teenagers and adult children.

Family: Fathers — Men who have children.

Family: Husbands — Married men.

Family: Mothers — Women who have children.

Family: Parents — Collective term for a father and mother.

Family: Wives — Married women.

Fasting and Abstinence — Abstaining from something, usually food, because of religious commitment or as an expression of repentance.

Fear — An unpleasant emotion caused by the awareness of danger.

Foolishness — Lack of wisdom or discretion.

Forgiveness — Freeing a person from guilt and its consequences.

Freedom — The state of liberty that results from not being oppressed or in bondage.

Friendship — Feeling of affection or personal regard for someone.

Giving — To make a present of something or to behave generously and unselfishly.

Glory — Greatness, splendor, majesty.

Gluttony — Excessive desire for food and drink.

God: Faithfulness — God's faithfulness to his people, including his actions on their behalf.

God: Father — God represented as a father.

God: Grace — Unmerited favor from God.

God: Knowledge — The knowledge that God possesses.

God: Love — The love that God shows.

God: Mercy — God's compassion on people.

God: Power — The power that God possesses, and displays of that power.

God: Presence — God's presence with people as well as his omnipresence.

God: Providence — God's activity of providing his creatures with what they need. It is a function of God's sovereignty.

God: Sovereignty — The fact that God is free and able to do what he wants.

God: Trinity — God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God: Wrath — God's anger.

Good Works — Good deeds, sometimes connected or contrasted with faith.

Gospel — The message of Christ, the kingdom of God and salvation.

Government, Politics and National Identity — The political exertion of authority, as well as the concept of national identity.

Graduation — The announcement of the successful completion of a course of study.

Greed — Excessive desire for more of something, especially wealth or possessions.

Grief — Sadness or sorrow.

Guidance — The act of seeking God's purposes and plans for people.

Guilt — Remorse over having committed some offense.

Health and Healing — Physical or emotional well-being and recovery from illness.

Heaven — God's realm.

Hell — Final dwelling place of the wicked.

Holidays — Any day set aside for a particular celebration.

Holidays: Father’s Day — A day set aside to honor fathers.

Holidays: Memorial Day — Any day set aside to honor veterans or the military.

Holidays: Mother’s Day — A day set aside to honor mothers.

Holidays: New Year’s Day — A day set aside to celebrate the coming of a new year.

Holidays: Thanksgiving — A day set aside to show thankfulness.

Holiness — Separation from what is unclean; sanctified or consecrated.

Holy Spirit — The third person of the Trinity.

Holy Spirit: Fruit — The fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in a believer's life.

Holy Spirit: Gifts — The gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to believers.

Homosexuality — Erotic activity with someone of the same sex.

Honesty and Dishonesty — Telling the truth; sincerity.

Honor and Shame — Having a good name or public esteem.

Hope — An expectation of the fulfillment of something desired or promised.

Hospitality — Showing generosity or a welcoming attitude toward guests.

Humility — Absence of pride or arrogance.

Hypocrisy — Pretending to be what one is not, particularly regarding false virtue or nominal religion.

Idolatry — Trusting, serving or giving worship to something that is not God.

Image of God — Having God's likeness.

Injustice — Lack of justice.

Jealousy — A strong feeling of possessiveness; intolerance of rivals.

Jesus: Birth — Anything that has to do with Jesus's birth, whether its theological meaning as the Incarnation or its celebration at Christmas.

Jesus: Death — Anything that has to do with Jesus's crucifixion on the cross.

Jesus: Divinity — Anything that refers to Jesus's divinity.

Jesus: Epiphany — Anything that refers to Jesus's manifestation of himself to the world, especially regarding the holiday celebrated in January.

Jesus: Humanity — Anything that refers to Jesus's humanity.

Jesus: Miracles — Miracles performed by Jesus.

Jesus: Passion — This theme includes events from Holy Week from Palm Sunday through the Last Supper up to the crucifixion.

Jesus: Resurrection and Ascension — Anything to do with Jesus' resurrection from the dead and its celebration on Easter.

Joy — An attitude of pleasure and well-being.

Judgment — The particular acts of bringing about justice.

Justice — What is morally right.

Justification, Happiness, Justification, Happiness

Killing — Any death of one person at the hands of another.

Kingdom of God — The kingly rule of God in the lives of people and nations.

Law — Instruction; rules of conduct.

Law: Ten Commandments — The particular laws known as the Ten Commandments or Decalogue.

Laziness and Apathy — Idle; apathetic; slothful.

Leadership — The capacity to guide, mentor or lead others.

Legalism — Having a strict outward conformity to moral and religious practices and an expectation that others have the same.

Loneliness — Feeling alone and not wanting to be.

Lord’s Supper — An act that commemorates Jesus's last supper with his disciples and his death on the cross; eucharist.

Love — Strong affection for another.

Lust — Passionate, inordinate desire for something, usually sexual in nature.

Marriage — The state of being united to another person as husband or wife.

Men — Male human beings.

Mercy and Compassion — Human pity or kindness.

Miracles — An unusual event that manifests God's direct intervention on the world.

Mission — The continuation of Jesus' mission through his followers. This normally includes evangelism as well as humanitarian service.

Money — Something accepted as a medium of exchange.

Music — Ordering tones or sounds in succession, whether with an instrument or singing.

Neighbors — Anyone encountered in life.

Obedience and Disobedience — Compliance with the demands of another.

Parables — A story that is intended to illustrate an attitude or principle.

Patience — The ability to wait without becoming hasty or impetuous.

Peace — A state of tranquility or wholeness; shalom.

Persecution — To be singled out for harrassment, including violence and martyrdom.

Perseverance — Persisting or enduring in spite of opposition.

Philosophy — An understanding of reality; worldview.

Poverty — Lack of money or resources.

Power — Authority and influence, as well as strength or ability.

Prayer — Addressing God directly.

Prayer: Intercession — Prayer on behalf of another person or group of people.

Prayer: Petition — Prayer that makes a request of God.

Prejudice — Preconceived judgment or opinion, whether positive (favoritism) or negative (discrimination).

Pride — Inordinate self-esteem; arrogance.

Profanity — Foul language. Biblically, the concept is very close to blasphemy. In the modern world, they are separate.

Promises — A declaration that one will do something.

Prophecy — Communication of a divine message through a human. Used, for example, when a person says, "Thus says the LORD."

Prophecy: Fulfillment — Prophecies that have been fulfilled in the biblical text.

Prophecy: Jesus — Prophecies about Jesus - his coming and events in his life.

Purity — Having the characteristic of being spotless; clean; innocent.

Reconciliation — Restoration of friendship; resolution of conflict.

Redemption — To buy back; release from bondage.

Repentance — A change of mind leading to a change of action.

Responsibility — Liable to be called to account for one's actions.

Restoration — Returning something or someone to its original state.

Revelation — God's act of revealing something to humans.

Revenge — Retaliation for some injury, whether real or perceived.

Reverence — To show awe or respect.

Revival — Making something alive again; renew.

Righteousness — What is right and pleasing to God.

Sabbath and Rest — Day of rest laid down for God's people.

Sacrifice — An offering of something to God.

Salvation — Deliverance from the power and effects of sin.

Sanctity of Life — The inherent worth of human beings; includes references to abortion and euthanasia.

Satan — The one who opposes God and accuses his people; the devil.

Scripture — The writings collected in the Bible.

Service — Helping or assisting others.

Sex — Sexual intercourse.

Sexual Immorality — Sexual activity contrary to biblical commands; fornication.

Sickness — Poor health; disease.

Sin — Transgression of God's will, either by doing what he forbids or failing to do what he requires.

Singleness — Not being married.

Slander — Idle talk or rumor about others.

Slavery — The state in which one person legally owns another or one person is excessively dependent on another person or thing.

Speech — The communication of thoughts using spoken words.

Spiritual Warfare — The struggle against forces of evil, including personal forces like demons.

Stealing — Wrongfully taking the property of another; theft.

Stewardship — Responsible use of wealth, land or possessions.

Stress — Feeling physical or mental pressure; worry.

Submission — An attitude of yielding or surrender.

Substitution — Putting one person or thing in place of another; replacement.

Suffering — The endurance of pain or affliction.

Suicide — Killing oneself.

Superstition — A belief or practice that results from belief in magic or chance; a false understanding of causation.

Tabernacle — A physical space that serves as God's dwelling place; refers to both the tabernacle and the temple.

Temptation — To test or to entice to do wrong.

Thankfulness — Conscious of benefit received; gratitude.

Tongues — A spiritual gift that involves ecstatic utterances.

Truth — Something which is in accordance with fact or reality.

Union With Christ — The state of believers being "in Christ."

Victory and Defeat — The overcoming of an enemy; success.

Violence — A use of physical force so as to injure or abuse.

Vision — A visual form of revelation through which God communicates.

War — Armed hostile conflict between groups of people.

Watchfulness — Being carefully observant, attentive or aware.

Weakness — Lack of strength.

Wealth — Abundance of material possessions; prosperity.

Wisdom — Insight, knowledge and good judgment.

Women — Female human beings.

Work — Labor or occupation, whether it is a person's primary means of livelihood or not.

Worship — Praise, adoration and reverence of God, both in public and in private.

Just to give you an idea. Maybe you can pick some that really interest you, and use them as a way to have people contribute with links to info related to that particular topic and that they found particularly interesting, insightful, applicable, etc.

Kind regards.

I think I understand your point Susan:

In Faithlife groups not many persons participate if you start a group because maybe they do not realize it exists or do not see many followers at the beginning.

In the Forums, many high caliber believers can participate, but most shy away from good theological discourse due to the restrictions in the forums.

Reading lists, and logos topics are interesting but not user friendly for content developers and are not interactive.

I am not sure if it is permitted, but you could always start a thread here, about a topic, and then list subtopics that interest you. Then ask if anyone knows of good articles, sites, resources, etc. applicable to the particular area. I think you could do that, but need to be topics that persons have investigated, or are of practical concerns to have more contribute.

I find the Emmaus reference you make very interesting. I will not be able to have access to such Journal until 

Galaxie's Theological Journal Library, vols. 1–20 

comes out on the 22nd.

I do have a large Logos library, and do not make super good use of it unless someone comes up with a good topic in the Forums or FL, and then I start researching to see what I find.

I just bought a book on FL e books about self directed learning, to see if I can design a more systematic curriculum for myself.

That is one of the reasons I liked so much Christian Discourse site (now defunct), because it gave me many leads to do good research.

If you post threads on particular topics, time permitting, I would be willing to contribute, just remember that it may take a little time to find good info, I try to post as soon as my other obligations allow me to.

Kind regards.

P. S.  Parenting is not easy. We can share what we believe, and why, but should not impose our beliefs to our children?

We can recommend them to be Christians, but they have to make the decision themselves.

As someone said: "God does not have adopted grandchildren". Each generation needs to make the decision to follow Him voluntarily. 

All I can do is try to be a good example, live the Christian values, and give the child thinking skills to be able to analyze critically different worldviews for validity.

Then is the Holy Spirit's job to cut to the hearts of the children and move them to make the right choice.

That is why we dedicate children to God, but allow them to choose baptism when they grow, if they want to commit themselves to Jesus' requirements for the New Covenant.

Yes Susan:

FL ebooks= old Vyrso.  https://ebooks.faithlife.com

I looked up in a basic search: " absentee NEAR father".

Very interesting information came up. I ordered already the Galaxie theological bundle, I will read the article you mention first thing after getting it.

https://www.logos.com/product/156048/galaxies-theological-journal-library-vols-1-20

To me is not that expensive because I already have a lot of the journals from other bundles that I have gotten before.

With respect an absentee father: I read long time ago that in antiquity, a tutor raised the children that were then presented to the Father at certain age.

The rationale for that is that if you grow extremely close and familiar to your children, they will see you as just another play partner, and not as an authority figure.

Some even say that when the transfiguration of Jesus happened, the representatives of Law and the Prophets were the tutors presenting the Son to the Father.

So, as a person in charge of the household and the family, there has to be certain distance, so that familiarity does not bring contempt, or so goes the folk philosophy on that.

What is your take on the matter?

Blessings, and thanks for bringing the absentee subject to the limelight.

Susan W. Murphy said:

For example today I've been reading the Emmaus Journal, Volume 19.  It is such an interesting journal.  It talks about Marriage Makes a Home: Divine Counsel for Fathers and Children.

Great article.  Thanks for pointing it out.  There is a lot of great material in our Logos Libraries and the bulk of it does not get seen.  So it is nice on this thread to learn of some resources, articles that someone has found helpful.

Hi Susan, what you wrote makes sense.

I read long ago that there are different kind of persons, and they express love differently depending on their main perceptual channels:

Visual, aural, kinesthetic.

To know which one you are, you have to ask the question: how do you know someone loves you?

If you say that the significant other shows it, most likely your primary perceptual channel is visual.

If you say that the other persons tells you so, then most likely your primary perceptual channel is aural (hearing).

If you say "I feel it" then probably your main perceptual channel is kinesthetic.

Most athletes are kinesthetics. They can be in a room totally in silence doing something, and yet love is moving between them kinesthetics.

I would guess that if the hypothesis is right, the problem arises when the persons in a relation have different main perceptual channels. If the man is kinesthetic, but the woman aural, she will complain that he never tells her that he loves her, and he will be surprised because all his love is sent in energy when in her presence.

I would imagine is the same with children. Maybe some children think that they are not loved because they do not receive the "proof of that love" in accordance with the primary perceptual channel that they have.

Is complicated, and I wish more study would be done on the topic.

Do not worry about the article, I will read it first thing as soon as I get it in Logos.

Nice topic, thanks for bringing it up.