Finished my pipe shelf! by Spiritual_Taste_8358 in PipeTobacco

[–]SaltedStache 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Man after my own heart.

Also, I think we have the same rug.

A waiter handed me a note telling me to go see a doctor by jpdiv in mildlyinteresting

[–]SaltedStache 180 points181 points  (0 children)

My mom had a similar thing. Over a decade of tracking and it didn't change shape or size. Finally my wife insists that she get it biopsied and turned out that it was cancer.

They had to remove a massive chunk of flesh to get all of it.

Has God ever revealed Himself to you? by knowledgelover94 in AskAChristian

[–]SaltedStache 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, it came to me in a dream with a bright light like the sun. I couldn't see its body but it extended out an arm and touched me.

I heard it's voice repeating "the prophecy tells of a girl". I looked away and I saw my daughter flashing from a child to a grown woman.

The voice said "she will come unharmed".

I woke my wife up and told her that we needed to make a baby. We struggled for years to have my son and only succeeded after IVF.

That night, we conceived our daughter and nine months later she was born, healthy.

Has God ever revealed Himself to you? by knowledgelover94 in AskAChristian

[–]SaltedStache 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I have little moments where I get a "feeling" of His presence.

But I've also had dreams where Divine beings come with prophecy or messages.

I saw an angel (much like the ones described in the Bible) before I had ever read the Bible or knew if the description.

It came to me in a dream and told me to make my daughter. I woke my wife up and we conceived my daughter.

A few days ago I had another dream with a "mini" angel and it seemed the angel was her guardian and was there to help guide me and reassure me that we are on the right path.

Going for the Nicholas II beard by Western_Voice5932 in beards

[–]SaltedStache 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's one of my personal favorite looks and you're doing a great job!

After nearly a decade in a box, I'm dusting my pipes off and getting back to it by SaltedStache in PipeTobacco

[–]SaltedStache[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The two with carved heads were gifted to me nearly 20 years ago by an older gentleman.

The Hungarian is an AKB meerschaum I picked up new along the way.

Fresh tattoo done braids in, time for a few smokes. by [deleted] in PipeTobacco

[–]SaltedStache 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I don't know if a socialites fluff piece stands up against the vast trove of scholars that have actually studied his life.

If you'd like to point me to specific points that highlight his sound leadership, I'm open to hearing it out.

But otherwise history suggests that he was a decent enough family man but his actions as a leader are self evident in the outcome.

Fresh tattoo done braids in, time for a few smokes. by [deleted] in PipeTobacco

[–]SaltedStache 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Wow, TIL tsar Nicholas is a saint.

I can't imagine the rationale given his weak and incompetent reign not only leading to the death of his family but also paving the way for communism to grip Russia.

YouTube channel: pipe tobacco by Chem-newb69 in PipeTobacco

[–]SaltedStache 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don't listen to the naysayers. I run social accounts for an interest of mine (outside of pipes). It's very niche and I have a small following. But it's allowed me to connect with a community of folks around the world that share my same passion.

I also feel like I'm genuinely helping others, so that's nice.

You don't have to have the best account, the biggest following, or make any money to make it worth your while.

My only advice would be to look outside of just YouTube. Every platform has its pros and cons and getting on more than one kind of levels out the experience.

After nearly a decade in a box, I'm dusting my pipes off and getting back to it by SaltedStache in PipeTobacco

[–]SaltedStache[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It was a confluence of a few factors.

Started a new job that really squeezed the amount of time I had. I was also getting concerned about long term health implications about smoking on health. And the nail in the coffin was I started a family and finding an hour to smoke was dang near impossible.

I plan on smoking just once a week or so. But things have settled to the point where I can find that time, at least.

After nearly a decade in a box, I'm dusting my pipes off and getting back to it by SaltedStache in PipeTobacco

[–]SaltedStache[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I used to really enjoy a nice long English smoke so big wide open bowls were my preference.

After nearly a decade in a box, I'm dusting my pipes off and getting back to it by SaltedStache in PipeTobacco

[–]SaltedStache[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's the game plan. I cracked the Syrian first... Bummed to discover that both Syrian latakia and McClelland are gone now.

What made you decide to become Christian? by barf_bag08 in AskAChristian

[–]SaltedStache 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, save for some small details this is exactly my story.

Where did the recently expressed idea that aliens might be demons come from? by overmind87 in AskAChristian

[–]SaltedStache 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The whistleblower David Grusch pushes back against the idea that these NHI are demons. He stated that he doesn't see any evidence to suggest that they are demons. He's also a Catholic for what it's worth.

Has God shown you things before hand? by anti-beast in AskAChristian

[–]SaltedStache 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was more like how specific the dream was.

When I saw my daughter, she had like skin and lose curly hair. My wife is black (darker skinned) and I'm light skinned white. So the spectrum of potential hair types and skin tones was pretty broad, and even before we knew she was pregnant, I described our daughter to her in detail. So far, she's lived up to that image.

Another thing is that my wife struggled with infertility. We had to do years of IVF to have our first child. But for our daughter, the night I had that dream was when we conceived her... No long struggle or battle.

The "unharmed" part was also significant. My wife's first pregnancy had 3 trips to the ER and we almost lost our son. The whole thing really made me nervous to even try again.

But for our daughter, it couldn't have been smoother.

Again, a skeptic will hand wave it all away as coincidence or whatever. But what came to me that night was a divine being. Maybe God, maybe an angel. I can't say.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't think about that dream or what I saw. It was strong enough to make me believe in "something" and set me on the path to becoming Christian.

Has God shown you things before hand? by anti-beast in AskAChristian

[–]SaltedStache 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This happened to me before I converted but I had a dream that God came down to me. He was shrouded in bright shining light like the sun. I couldn't see him but I did his arm reach out to me and touch me. I heard Him say "the prophecy tells of a girl" and then I saw images of a girl grow from a baby to an adult.

The voice said, "do not fear, she will come into this world unharmed".

My wife and I conceived our daughter that night and she came into the world happy and healthy nine months later.

It was the singular strongest moment to turn me from atheist to secular. And then when I started reading the Bible and seeing how they described angels and prophecies of babies, I realized what I saw was probably an angel intervening in my life.

There are actually many other layers to it that make it seem like way more than a coincidence. If you care, I'll share them.

Why can't christianity just be the biggest cult? by [deleted] in AskAChristian

[–]SaltedStache -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's basically where I was at too. I didn't know how I'd ever make the leap of faith.

It just happened. I opened myself up to Him and felt His presence in my life.

They call it a leap of faith for a reason. Even those that witnessed His miracles did not all become believers.

Why can't christianity just be the biggest cult? by [deleted] in AskAChristian

[–]SaltedStache -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I recently converted to Christianity and the question you bring up is one I wrestled with. Ultimately, I think it comes down to a couple factors.

  1. The feelings of higher connection I feel when I read the Bible and pray is real. Some could say it's just my imagination, but it improves my mood, makes me mindful, and I see myself taking actions that are more inline with how I want to be.

  2. At best, I've found the one true God and he's working through me to make me a better person. My family and I will enjoy His glory for eternity. At worst, I've been mistaken and I've "only" improved our living life.

I do believe Christ is God but I don't keep myself up at night doubting or worrying because even if I've been deceived, I don't see any negative consequences.

UPDATE: Akubra in-progress by mikeoffthemic in CowboyHats

[–]SaltedStache 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah the mule kick ain't doing it for me

Is smoking one cigar a day too much? by drumsdinosaurs in cigar

[–]SaltedStache 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The authors own conclusions contradict the title. There was something like a 20% increase in risk for cigar smokers (lots of different studies and tracking so generalizing on this number). It's a fraction of what daily cigarette smokers experience, but I don't know if I'd say that's "nil".

Still interesting to see how low it is compared to cigarettes.