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Hello Everyone, Grateful to Be Here

Hi everyone! I’m excited (and a little nervous) to be here. I’ve been learning to quiet distractions and focus more on God lately, and I’m grateful for a place like this to grow and connect with others who love Jesus.

A little about me: I love quiet mornings with coffee and the Word, walks outside to clear my mind, and finding small ways to serve others. God’s been teaching me a lot about trust this year, especially Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” It’s been keeping me grounded.

Looking forward to learning with you all and encouraging each other here. How do you all like to start your mornings with God?

Trump announces 50 percent tariff on Brazil, citing Bolsonaro trial

“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace,” Trump wrote Wednesday in a letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “This Trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!”

"Last year, the U.S. trade surplus with Brazil reached $6.8 billion."

The Brazilian government is holding a former presdient accoutnable for his actions. Apparently, that's too much for Donald Trump to swallow.

Candace Cameron Bure opens up about marital struggles, the 45-minute sermon that saved it

Candace Cameron Bure is opening up about a difficult period in her marriage to husband Valeri Bure, and how their son played a key role in helping them through it.

The 49-year-old actress discussed the rough patch on the July 8 episode of her podcast, "The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast," revealing she once feared her marriage might not survive.

“Val and I went through a really, really rough season in our marriage. And we were like, ‘I don’t know, don’t think ... we’re gonna make it through,’” she said.

Bure said their middle child, Lev, ended up playing a crucial part in helping them reconnect.

“At one point, Lev preached, like, a 45-minute sermon on marriage to us. Just had his Bible open on the couch and just talked about it,” she said.

The actress, author and producer recalled Lev’s words during that conversation.

Continued below.

Randall County (TX) party chair charged with felony election fraud

The chair of the Randall County Republican Party was booked into jail Monday on a state felony election fraud charge.

Kelly Kenten Giles, 64, is accused of providing false information on his application and petition to run for the Randall County Republican Party Chair seat in December 2023 for a spot on the 2024 primary ballot, according to the grand jury indictment signed late last month. It is unclear what about his application or petition was considered fraudulent.

The offense is typically classified as a misdemeanor, but because Giles is accused of doing it while serving as an elected official, it becomes a felony.

Giles' arrest comes after years of Texas Republicans cracking down on election integrity in the years that follow the 2020 election, despite no such evidence of widespread fraud. This crackdown escalated days ago when a former Democratic state House candidate was indicted alongside nine others for alleged vote harvesting in South Texas.

[That latter event seems connected with this: see also]

Arrests made after tire spikes found in LA sabotage attempt against Border Patrol

"During the arrest, one individual assaulted a Border Patrol agent and was subsequently arrested for assaulting federal law enforcement," DHS added. "Our officers are facing a surge in assaults and attacks against them as they put their lives on the line to enforce our nation's laws. Secretary Noem has been clear: If you obstruct or assault our law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

This is small stuff compared to what is to come. The radical- Muslim/radical- left coalition will continue to participate in acts of violence against our government.

Fmr. Archbishop of Wales laments heavy drinking culture in church, choir and clergy playing ‘7 shots of Christ’ in pub: report

The former Archbishop of Wales has expressed regret over a “drinking culture” within his diocese after reports surfaced that priests and choir members took part in a “seven last shots of Christ” game at a pub following a Good Friday concert. Andrew John, who retired suddenly late last month, said the revelations were “a shock” and described the behavior as saddening and inappropriate.

John announced his immediate retirement on June 27, days after the Representative Body of the Church in Wales met in Cardiff and called for a change in leadership, procedures and governance in the Diocese of Bangor, according to Church Times.

Former choristers described a pattern of excessive alcohol use tied to religious events at Bangor Cathedral, including drinking during Sunday services and after concerts.

Continued below.

NT Wright refutes claim that early Christians expected immediate End Times

New Testament scholar N.T. Wright recently pushed back on the assumption that Jesus and the apostle Paul expected the world to end within a generation, saying their primary focus was the coming destruction of Jerusalem, not the final return of Christ.

“I think that Paul was aware, like all early Christians, because Jesus had said so, that Jerusalem would be destroyed within a generation of Jesus’ own time,” Wright said during a recent episode of his “Ask N.T. Wright Anything” podcast.

“That’s a major theme in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It’s hinted at elsewhere. And I think it’s hinted at, for instance, in the Thessalonian correspondence in Paul and also in First Corinthians Seven, when he talks about the appointed time being constrained.”

Continued below.

Baylor U prof. doubles down on LGBTQ+ inclusion grant, alleges ‘far-right media’ attack

An English professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, who has drawn scrutiny for previous public comments regarding gender and sexuality, expressed support this week for the school’s recent $643,000 grant to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in churches.

Professor Greg Garrett, who serves as the school’s Carole Ann McDaniel Hanks Chair of Literature & Culture and teaches theology classes, also claimed conservative media have been attacking him for obeying Jesus by affirming homosexuality and transgenderism.

“When the far right media comes for me, my colleagues, or [Baylor]? I can only say: I serve the Jesus who said ‘If you’ve loved the least of these, you’ve loved me.’ Grateful for this grant that will help us love better,” Garrett tweeted Monday, linking to an article from The Christian Post.

Continued below.

Can ChatGPT interpret speaking in tongues?

Can ChatGPT interpret speaking in tongues?

Shawn Bolz, who was recently accused of fabricating prophecies in his ministry, recently shared that it appears OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, can translate speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia.

In a recent discussion about God and technology shared on YouTube, Bolz highlighted what is being called the “ChatGPT Tongues Challenge,” which a number of Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians have been engaging in online.

“This week, one of my friends reached out to me who's also a journalist and a writer, and she said, ‘Have you done the ChatGPT tongues thing yet?’ And I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ She goes, ‘I spoke in my prayer language on ChatGPT and it actually interpreted some of my prayer language in different languages around the world,’” Bolz said.

Continued below.

New belief among teenagers. What do you think?

Good morning, what do you think about the rather disturbing belief that's currently trending among young people on platforms like Tumblr, TikTok, and Reddit, in which members believe they are animals and record themselves walking on all fours on TikTok?

They call themselves Therians, and they truly believe they are animals, most often dogs, cats, or other popular mammals. Many of them believe they have "species dysphoria" and that their souls are not human souls but animal souls. I even heard of a case of a teenager who wanted to rip off her skin because she felt she was a dog, and dogs have fur.

Am I the only one who finds this a bit terrifying? Not to mention the large number of children and teenagers who follow this trend. Even ten-year-olds are posting about it on TikTok and even creating special masks to sell on platforms like Vinted or Etsy. I've even seen adults walking on all fours in the mall or barking at strangers or howling.

-Marlena Telep.
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Reactions: DragonFox91

Florida officials deny accusations of inhumane conditions at Alligator Alcatraz

***First, do not call this prison anything but Alligator Alcatraz. Remember the flaming rule and this link.



They deny inhuman conditions, but the stories coming out of it say different.

Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, arrested last week in Miami-Dade on assault charges, was transferred to South Florida's new immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades, the singer confirmed in a phone call.​
He and other detainees claim they are enduring inhumane conditions at the site, including lack of access to water, inadequate food and denial of religious rights.​
One inmate complained that his Bible was taken from him. What danger is there in having a Bible to read?.

"They're not respecting our human rights," one man said during the same call. "We're human beings; we're not dogs. We're like rats in an experiment."​
"I don't know their motive for doing this, if it's a form of torture. A lot of us have our residency documents and we don't understand why we're here," he added.​
A third detainee, who said he is Colombian, described deteriorating mental health and lack of access to necessary medical care.​
"I'm on the edge of losing my mind. I've gone three days without taking my medicine," he said. "It's impossible to sleep with this white light that's on all day."​
He also claimed his Bible was confiscated.​
"They took the Bible I had and they said here there is no right to religion. And my Bible is the one thing that keeps my faith, and now I'm losing my faith," he said.​
Giant bugs, heat and a hospital visit: Inside Alligator Alcatraz’s first days

The calls from Alligator Alcatraz’s first detainees brought distressing news: Toilets that didn’t flush. Temperatures that went from freezing to sweltering. A hospital visit. Giant bugs. And little or no access to showers or toothbrushes, much less confidential calls with attorneys.,,,,,,​
“Why would we treat a human like that?” a woman whose Venezuelan husband is housed in Alligator Alcatraz told the Miami Herald. “They come here for a better life. I don’t understand. We are supposed to be the greatest nation under God, but we forget that we’re under God.” ....​


The women told the Herald that their husbands were unable to shower for several days after arriving. On Sunday, two women said their husbands complained that initially there was no water to flush toilets. All three detainees told their wives that the bugs were getting inside, one of them saying that grasshoppers the size of his hand were springing into the tent and that the biggest mosquitoes he had ever seen were flying over them in their cells.​
Katie Blankenship, an attorney and co-founder of Sanctuary of the South, a legal services network, said Tuesday she has been unable to get in touch with a new client whose wife called last week, saying her husband was being transferred to Alligator Alcatraz from the Krome immigration detention center in Miami-Dade County.​
Blankenship doesn’t have a number to call him at the facility. His name isn’t showing up in an online website kept by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.​
She has asked ICE officials to confirm his whereabouts, but she said her emails have gone unanswered and the wife hasn’t heard from her husband since he was transferred. “I think it’s a gross, gross violation of due process to put people literally in this black hole where they cannot be found,” Blankenship said in an interview. “They cannot speak with counsel, they cannot contact immigration court. They are just for all intents and purposes, disappeared.”​

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article310130645.html#storylink=cpy

Apparently cruelty is the point.

My father didn't fight on Omaha Beach on D-Day and go through the Battle of the Bulge so America can forget her Judeo-Christian values and the Constitution which bars cruel and unusual punishment.
My uncle, my Dad's brother, did not fight and get shot down in the Battle of Berlin so his country could be cruel.
Another uncle fought in the Pacific around Burma and Guadalcanal, and he didn't do that so America could copy the worst of mankind.

Many of these prisoners are accused, and not found guilty yet.

Perhaps our 34 time convicted felon - criminal convictions - should check that place out. ..

  • Poll
Budget cuts


This feels like a very simple question.

Do you believe that budget cuts EVER affect the efficacy of an organizations work?

And more specifically, I'm thinking about things like the fda, faa, weather service, fema

Do you think that budget cuts will affect their ability to do their job?

I would think that a 150billion increase to ice is going to help them work better. I'm just wondering if budget cuts would have the opposite affect.

Please answer these questions like I'm as dumb as snot in a jar just so i can understand.

They had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand...

Peace in Christ.

The Lord comes so that we might have life….an age-lasting life….and that we might have it more abundantly (the earth shall then flow with "milk and honey" towards us.)

The people of the outside world will no longer produce “thorns and thistle” towards us if we follow after the true Christ…who is the Head of us. He is the authority. The earth will flow with “milk and honey” instead…if we come out from the man-based churches where they are keeping and serving their supposed authoritative handwritings of ordinances and be separate….no longer attaching ourselves with the unclean body of people who are serving "images"...their governing church documents that are patterned like the nation's documents (such as "constitutions"). The kingdom/government of God is within us where His commandments are written. The kingdom does not come via "observation"...the observing of church external handwritings.

If we are listening to and following after false prophets and their false Christs that they are preaching with their authoritative church handwritings of ordinances (such as “statements of faith” or church "constitutions" , etc, etc, etc ), then the people of the outside world blaspheme His holy name and mock and deride us….producing thorns and thistles towards us….instead of praising God and producing good things towards us.

Joh 10:9-10 KJV
(9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

(10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

His holy name…His holy authority…is being profaned among the nations because of us when we commit adultery…going to a man-based church….and serve their images…their church handwritings. This is "fornication" when we keep company with them as we become one flesh with them...one body...in their abominations.

The Son of man (His manifest life in our mortal flesh) is being given up by the thieves...the false prophets... that come to only steal, kill and destroy. The people of the outside world mock and spitefully entreat us….His body... just as signified by how they originally treated the Lord.

Luk 18:31-34 KJV
(31) Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
(32) For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
(33) And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

(34) And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

They...the outside nation.... mock His authority….His name.

Mat 27:27-30 KJV
(27) Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

(28) And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

They…the gentiles…the people of the outside world…rule over us…instead of us ruling them in Christ.

This is signified by the “crown of thorns” that was placed upon the head of Jesus….His authority. They produce thorns towards us and rule over us when we go to a man-based church.

The “reed” in His right hand is a REED PEN…signifying the church handwritings of ordinances. They used reed pens back in the day to write with.

Reed = Greek: kalamos - Of uncertain affinity; a reed (the plant or its stem, or that of a similar plant); by implication a pen: - pen, reed.

They put it in His right hand….in the place of His authority.

(29) And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
(30) And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

When we keep and serve the handwritings of church ordinances, we are bowing down to its authority rather than His authority….and the outside world blasphemes His holy name….His authority because of it. They smite Him over the head with the “reed”….the writing pen that the church scribes use.

Christ is the Head of us….and not a church handwriting. He is set at God’s right hand…in supreme authority over all.

Eph 1:20-23 KJV
(20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

His name….His authority…is far above all things.

(21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
(22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

(23) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

We are complete in Him who is the HEAD of all principality and power.

Don’t let a many spoil you through his wisdom (“philosophy”) contained in his church handwritings which are patterned after the transmissions of men of the outside world (their handwritings such as “constitutions.” The “rudiments” are their found principles contained int their governing documents. We…as His people…should not have any founding documents (like the outside world has) among us. Don't put a reed pen in His right hand....putting a church document in authority over His authority.

Col 2:8-15 KJV
(8) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
(9) For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
(10) And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
(11) In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
(12) Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

(13) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

He forgives us for this as He nails it to His cross.

(14) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
(15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

They…the outside world…will no longer mock His authority when we come out from among the man-based churches who have their “authoritative” handwritings of ordinances for you to keep and serve. They will no longer bend the knee in their mockery….but will truly bend the knee towards His true authority. They will no longer blaspheme His holy name...authority...because of us.

Php 2:9-11 KJV
(9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
(10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

(11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow announce birth of first child, reveal name: ‘Royalty as His princess’

Tim Tebow and his wife, Demi-Leigh Tebow, are now parents.

The couple announced the birth of their first child, a baby girl named Daphne Reign Tebow, on social media Sunday, calling her arrival a blessing and an answered prayer.

“Our daughter is here! We couldn’t be more grateful for the blessing and gift of this new little life,” Demi-Leigh wrote on social media on July 6. “We are so incredibly thankful for all of the love and support we’ve felt.”

Continued below.

I am living la vida loca

I am living la vida loca
Every single day here on earth
Also I am already used to that
I enjoy living every single day
La vida loca
Yes I am having a busy life
That is la vida loca
Every day first thing in the morning
When I wake up
I pray for my Father
I thank my father
For keeping me alive today
Also I never complained to my father
About my life
Because my Father gave me a beautiful life
To live
Also I don't have no more good health
And every day I am looking after my health
I will not let my health go down hill
I promise you that my Father

Pray that Jesus Christ some how miraculously strengthens Hong Kong disheartened democratic movement who are oppressed by China's communist party

Pray that Jesus Christ some how miraculously strengthens Hong Kong disheartened democratic movement who are oppressed by China's communist party :

Paramount settles Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ lawsuit with $16 million payout another multi million dollar donation to his library.

Paramount settles Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ lawsuit with $16 million payout and no apology


CBS News parent Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to resolve an extraordinary lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” news report last fall.​
The long-gestating and highly controversial settlement payment was announced by Paramount late Tuesday night.​
Paramount said the $16 million sum “includes plaintiffs’ fees and costs,” and will not be paid to Trump directly, but instead will be allocated to Trump’s future presidential library — mirroring a settlement agreement that Disney’s ABC struck with Trump last December.​

The Bible, Age of the Earth and Evolution

I read this website Creation.com and as the name implies, they’re very literalistic, as were the teachings of the LCMS church I used to attend. Something is bothering me. This website and the Lutheran pastors say and believe that you can’t pick and choose what’s literal in the Bible and what isn’t. If you believe evolution is true and the earth is billions of years old then that puts the rest of the Bible in jeopardy. Like you have to believe all of it. What is the Catholic position on this line of reasoning? Because I know that we believe or can believe that evolutiom occurred and the earth/universe is billions of years old so does that puts the rest of the Bible in jeopardy? Why or why not?

Pray that a foreign Indian nurse who was convicted of murder in the nation of Yemen is given a lighter sentence other than murder

Pray that a foreign Indian nurse who was convicted of murder in the nation of Yemen is given a lighter sentence other than murder:

Fellowship Gift of Languages

Acts 2:1-7 ,12 KJV 1 Corinthians 14:13-19 KJV


I Worship God allows me to work with my holy hands. I. My Intrepretation: I Worship God that allows those working with holy hands unto salvation. Verse 2 I Worship God giving a mouth to speak of God. Verse 3 My Intrepretation: I Worship God that gives cloven tongues of fire to sit upon us to be holy and live. Verse 4 I Worship God the Father only way Holy Ghost can work. II. I Worship God that gives gifts to build ourselves up ,elevate self and the church. Verse 16 I Worship God that blesses me to do the same things of God.

Parallels and divergences, Calvin, Luther, and Saint Augustine

This is interesting.

A Danish friend asked who wrote this:
"Now, since the arrangement of all things is in the hand of God, since to him belongs the disposal of life and death, he arranges all things by his sovereign counsel, in such a way that individuals are born, who are doomed from the womb to certain death, and are to glorify him by their destruction."​
My best guess was Calvin, but I thought Luther maybe, if the quote was a little imprecise, and Saint Augustine if it was a biased translation.

An AI said this:
The quote you provided is a paraphrase or close rendering of a passage from John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 23, which deals with the doctrine of predestination and reprobation.​
In this chapter, Calvin argues that God's sovereign will governs all things, including the eternal destinies of individuals.​

I drew up this very brief and not very nuanced comparison.

Comparison with Calvin


ThemeCalvinLutherAugustine
Double PredestinationExplicitly affirmedAmbiguous; often interpreted as singleReprobation as “passing over,” not active damnation
Human WillTotally bound; no role in election or reprobationWill is bound; salvation is monergisticWill is fallen but still responsible
ToneSystematic and judicialParadoxical and pastoralPastoral, focused on grace and humility
Key ConceptSovereign decreeHidden God (Deus Absconditus)Massa Damnata and unmerited grace

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