Episcopal bishops in New York state are vocally opposing a Catholic music group’s usage of a seminary facility in New York City, citing concerns over the purported position of the group’s founders on LGBT issues.

Episcopal News Service (ENS), the official news wire of the Episcopal Church, reported this month that the seven bishops who serve the Episcopal dioceses of New York and Long Island “are publicly opposing the potential long-term lease of General Theological Seminary’s property and facilities” to the School of Sacred Music (SSM).

SSM is “grounded in the Roman Catholic tradition,” the institute says on its website. It offers “support, development, and inspiration to all who value sacred music,” including through a professional choir.

Continued below.

Over 112,000 Americans overdosed in 2023. Over 70,000 overdosed on fentanyl, a particularly dangerous synthetic opioid. While it’s easy to focus on numbers, we can’t forget that these aren’t statistics. They’re people. They leave behind parents, brothers, sisters and children. They’re futures lost. They’re lives squandered.

We owe it to victims of this epidemic to do everything we can to curb the flow of fentanyl from overseas (where the vast majority of it originates) into American cities and towns. This poison is a direct threat to the security of America’s citizens. And, though America’s borders are a point of grave concern, they are also the best opportunity we have to seize fentanyl and damage the cartels responsible.

Click to expand...

This seems like a good idea to me. What do you think?

To see all my reach and teach devotions in Chinese/English and hundreds of devotions in English, please click on this link.

我们有了一种分享灵修的新方式，要查看我所有的中文/英文灵修以及成百上千的英文灵修，请点击以下链接。

TBL China – The Bottom Line, Ministries

DEALING WITH SHORTCOMINGS

From: Karen Parrish


For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works…Titus 2:11-13.”

因为　神救众人的恩典已经显明出来， 教训我们除去不敬虔的心和世俗的情欲，在今世自守、公义、敬虔度日， 等候所盼望的福，并等候至大的　神和我们（或译：　神－我们）救主耶稣基督的荣耀显现。 (提多书 2:11-13 和合本)
那把自己给我们，救赎我们这些他所拣选属自己独特的人群，脱离一切不法不圣洁，他是如此的热情和充满善行。

Wow! That is a mouthful of “right living.” In my early Christian days, I would have said, “no way can I do all that!” However, the longer I walk with Abba Father, I realize that I was totally right! The only way we can deny ungodliness and worldly lusts is to walk with Abba Father, make Him the Lord of every area of our life, and talk to Him constantly! Even doing those three obligations, we still miss the mark!
哇！这是说出了多么正确的生活方式。在早斯的基督徒生活中，我会说完全做到这些是不可能的。然而，当我越长时间的跟随天父，我认识到我是完全正确的。我们唯一可以远离不敬虔和属世的生活方式是与父同行，让天父上帝进入我们生活的每个领域，不断的向父说话。尽管我们做到了上述三种责任，仍然可能没有完成目标。
My dear brothers and sisters, it is a daily walk, one day at a time to keep our focus on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I have said it before, and I will say it again, I believe Satan’s greatest “hit” on Christians is to keep them distracted from what is truly important in the Christian’s life. When we get caught up in this world, as well as the things of this world, and that includes relationships that supersede Christ, we get into big trouble. There should be nothing in our life that we value or love more than Christ. However, we constantly lose focus of that because we are such tangible human beings. Since Abba Father made us this way, I happen to feel He knows our shortcomings on a level we don’t comprehend.
我亲爱的弟兄姐妹，这是每天的行走，每天都要有特定的时间将注意力放在我们的救主耶稣基督上。我以前已经说过，我还要说，我知道撒旦对基督徒的重大打击是，是让他们不能集中注意力在对于基督徒的生活真正重要的事情上。当我们被世界和世界上的事抓住，取代了我们和神之间的关系，我们就有大麻烦了。在我们的生活中不应该有任何价值观或者爱超越了基督。然而我们不断失去对神的聚焦，因为我们是如此真实的人类。自从天父带领我们走这条路，我感觉到天父知道我们的短处，知道我们处在一个不能理解的水平。

My prayer is that I, and hopefully you, will comprehend our shortcomings from Abba Father’s perspective. Why? Because when I understand those shortcomings from His perspective, I can more easily deal with them, and hopefully eradicate them as problems. The closer we walk with Abba Father, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to intercede and interpret for us, and through our walk with Him, we will be able to deny the things of this world. Through the denial, we will be conforming to the image of Christ, and will know and experience peace beyond description! I love the last part of the above verse where you and I are called “special”! I am so thankful Abba Father sees you and I as special! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
我的祷告是，希望你会领悟，从天父的角度看我们的短处，为什么？当我从上帝的角度看我的短处，对付它们会更简单一些。希望我们可以把它当做问题来根除他们。我们与天父走的越近，我们可以依靠圣灵来为我们调解和诠释，我们与父同行，就能抵挡这个世界，通过抵挡我们就会遵行上帝的旨意。我们就会经历难以描述的平安。我喜欢最后几句话，你我被认为是独特的，我如此感谢上帝视你我为独特，赞美天父，神的羔羊和圣灵的大能！




pastor john macarthur



Discernment Between Truth and Error

辨析真理与谬误

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world” (1 John 4:1-3).
“亲爱的弟兄啊，一切的灵，你们不可都信，总要试验那些灵是出于神的不是，因为世上有许多假先知已经出来了。凡灵认耶稣基督是成了肉身来的，就是出于 神的；从此你们可以认出 神的灵来。凡灵不认耶稣，就不是出于 神，这是那敌基督者的灵。你们从前听见他要来，现在已经在世上了。”（约翰一书4：1-3）

God’s children are able to discern false doctrine.
上帝的孩子可以分辨错误的教义。

A sure mark of every false religious system is doctrinal error, particularly about the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Those systems deny that He is Savior and Lord, God in human flesh, the only way to the Father (John 14:6) because salvation comes only through Him (Acts 4:12).
每个错误的宗教体系的标志就是谬误教义，特别是关于耶稣基督的人性和事工。那些体系否认耶稣是救主和主、道成肉身、与父神连接的唯一道路（约翰福音14：6），因为只有藉着祂才能得救（使徒行传4：12）。

A sure mark, then, of all true children of God is that they believe the truth about Jesus Christ and do not deviate into doctrinal error. Although they may be temporarily duped by false teaching, they will not be permanently deceived by it. The apostle John wrote, “[False teachers] are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:5-6).
而上帝真正儿女的标志是他们相信耶稣基督的真理，并不被错误的教义迷惑。他们虽然可能暂时地被假教导欺骗，却不会长久地被蒙蔽。使徒约翰写道“（假师傅）是属世界的，所以论世界的事，世人也听从他们。我们是属神的，认识 神的就听从我们；不属 神的就不听从我们。从此我们可以认出真理的灵和谬妄的灵来”（约翰一书4：5-6）。

When you were saved, you were clear about who Christ was. “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ,” writes John, “is born of God” (1 John 5:1). Had you not passed that doctrinal test, you wouldn’t have been saved. God’s children distinguish spiritual truth from doctrinal error because the Spirit of truth (John 14:16) indwells them.
你若得救，你就清楚知道基督是谁。“凡信耶稣是基督的，都是从 神而生”约翰写道（约翰一书5：1）。如果你没有通过教义考试，你就没有得救。上帝的孩子可以分辨属灵真理和谬误教义，因为有真理的圣灵住在他们里面（约翰福音14：16）。

“O Timothy,” Paul exhorted his beloved son in the faith, “guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (1 Tim. 6:20). I pray that you will guard the precious treasure of truth entrusted to you in the Scriptures and so assure your heart that you belong to the God of truth.
“提摩太啊，”保罗嘱咐他所爱的属灵儿子“你要保守所托付你的，躲避世俗的虚谈和那敌真道、似是而非的学问”（提摩太前书6：20）。我祈求你能保守圣经中赐给你的真理的宝贵财富，保证你的心属于真理的上帝。
【Copyright 2007, Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission.】
Suggestions for Prayer 祷告建议

Thank God for revealing His truth to us in the Bible.
感谢上帝将祂的真理藉着圣经启示给我们。

For Further Study 进深研究


Read John 1:1; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9. What do they teach about the Person of Christ?
阅读约翰福音1：1， 腓利比书2：5-11，歌罗西书2：9。他们是如何教导基督的人性？





SOAK IN SCRIPTURE

God is Eternal, Part 1

Paul Washer | Perfect will of God

HeartCry Missionary Society

sermonaudio.com/sermon/52219711143644

God is Eternal, Part 2

Paul Washer | Perfect will of God

HeartCry Missionary Society

sermonaudio.com/sermon/5221978313774


God is Eternal, Part 3

Paul Washer | Perfect will of God

HeartCry Missionary Society

sermonaudio.com/sermon/5221976387335

How can I not feel bad about it? Bible tells we are saved by grace and we are blamess, but part of me still want to fight the sin, and I feel iam powerless and I have fallen into same sins quiet many many times and I go and ask forgivness again, I feel like I just not sure if God hears me, and why doesnt I have strength?
Is falling into same sins form of tribulation? OR iam just weak christians who dont make it to heaven, coz I struggle with being obedient, I feel far from God, heart gets hardened. I dont want that, I did pray today free times and want to ask God why I fall into same sin, why cant it just be removed and takes away.. What is this all about I dont get that.. iam bit confused and question about if iam being even saved to start with

Jesus did so much for ini that cross, why cant we overcome and love him and be done with this sins allready..
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ..but how then

Conspiracy Theories and Modern Day Gnosticism

The concept of “conspiracy theory” has been thrust to the forefront of our national conversation over the course of the last four years largely due to the presence of a president who demonstrated himself to be extremely susceptible to the influence of what had previously been considered a bit of a freakshow phenomenon restricted to a minority fringe among most Americans. Donald Trump brought the concept to prime time, and in the process exposed a broad vulnerability to conspiracy theory within the American populace and particularly within the conservative Christian church in America. In fact a recent poll found that 15% of Americans (yikes!) and 25% of conservative evangelicals (double yikes!!) currently believe the central tenets of QAnon (15% Of Americans Believe QAnon Theory, Poll Says ). And 15% of Americans currently believe that “true American patriots may have to resort to violence” to save the country. That should scare the bejesus out of anyone who cares about truth and should be yet another high-volume wake-up call to the church that some serious rebuke and correction is direly needed (unfortunately, so many church leaders are caught up at the forefront of this phenomenon that the rebuke and correction may have to come from the grass roots of the church in many cases or simply by lay people of sound mind and heart voting with their feet).

For my part, I care deeply about “true knowledge” whether that knowledge is known to a few or to many. Unfortunately, much of the “secret knowledge” in circulation at any given point in time is false or misleading, such that the possessors of such “secret knowledge” are also purveyors of things that are opposed to truth and reality. As a Christian follower of the One who is “the way, the truth, and the life” and who is “faithful and true”, it is distressing to see so many who profess to follow Jesus so deeply invested in various conspiracy theories to such a degree that it would appear that their commitment to “secret knowledge” takes precedence over their commitment to Christ.

The temptations associated with “secret knowledge” have apparently been present among humans since the very beginning. In the Biblical origin story of the human race and the human fall into sin, Adam and Eve fall prey to this temptation when the serpent (later revealed to be Satan) claims that disobeying God’s command would give access to the “knowledge of good and evil” that God was purportedly withholding unfairly from mankind. The “forbidden fruit” depicted in this ancient story was at least in part the fruit of promised access into the inner circle of Divine knowledge. In the story, Eve notes “that the tree was to be desired to make one wise” in response to Satan’s sales pitch, “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” From that time of beginnings to the present time, humans of all stripes have ever craved and been drawn to the temptations of having access to “secret knowledge” only known to an elite and favored few. As the old saying goes, “knowledge is power”, and possessing the upper hand of power over and against others has been a principal pursuit of many throughout human history. And of course, we all like to think we know something that nobody else knows — just seems to be an aspect of our nature in the present age that gives each of us some amount of perverse, selfish, prideful pleasure in our supposed superiority.

Continued below.

hi all my name is calvin i cannot remember when the last time i was here but many things have happened since im currently going thru some health problems it took me off the road from trucking now i got to do what i can to build up a income base so i have a print on demand store and if it is ok for me to provide the link to it i need to get as much traffic on there as possible i do wall art with bible verses etc. on canvas

Is it immoral to bypass paywalls? This is a question that many of us internet users might have asked. I will provide a secular and theological explanation of why bypassing paywalls is immoral, though I do bypass paywalls myself, often to help others on CF get access to news from New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and others. In the very near future, I will post a companion to this post, discussing why paywalls might be unethical. EDIT April 18, 2024 @ 6:15 PM: I will no longer be using paywall bypassing software to access or to summarize paywall articles, as the wonderful folks on this forum have changed my mind. From now on, all articles summarized by me or AI will be articles that are meant to be publicly available or open-access. For articles behind a paywall, some local libraries have legal agreements with news agencies to allow readers to access articles using a library card code. So, if you folks want to read a WaPo or NYT article for free (legally), please contact your local library for more information.

This type of popup is known as a paywall (Wiki link), for those who have not heard this term. A paywall is used to restrict access to news articles that require a subscription. Some newspapers, such as The Guardian, BBC (news) and the Onion (satire) do not use paywalls, and instead run on an ad-revenue and/or donation-based fee model.



Secular Perspective

1. Intellectual Property Rights: Paywalls are often used by publishers to protect their intellectual property and generate revenue. By bypassing them, one is essentially stealing the content that the publisher has worked hard to produce and distribute.
2. Fairness and Integrity: Paywalls create a level playing field for all consumers who are willing to pay for the content. By bypassing them, one is not contributing to the revenue stream that supports the creation and distribution of quality journalism or research.
3. Moral Responsibility: By paying for content, one assumes moral responsibility for supporting the creators and ensuring that they can continue to produce high-quality work. Bypassing paywalls undermines this responsibility and can lead to a culture of entitlement and disregard for the value of intellectual labor.

Biblical Perspective:

1. Stewardship: The Bible teaches that we are stewards of God's resources and are called to use them wisely and responsibly (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). By paying for content, we are being good stewards of the resources that God has given us and supporting those who produce valuable content.
2. Honesty and Integrity: The Bible also teaches that we are called to be honest and have integrity in all our dealings (Proverbs 12:22, Ephesians 4:25). By bypassing paywalls and taking content that is not rightfully ours, we are violating these principles.
3. Supporting the Work of God's People: The Bible encourages us to support those who labor in the Lord's work, including teachers and preachers (1 Timothy 5:17-18). By paying for content, we are supporting those who are producing valuable work that can help us grow in knowledge and understanding.
4. Fruits of the Spirit: The fruits of the Spirit include kindness, generosity, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). By paying for content and supporting those who produce it, we are exhibiting these fruits in our lives and contributing to a culture of generosity and fairness.

In conclusion, from both a secular logical reasoning/ethics perspective and a Christian Biblical perspective, bypassing paywalls is immoral. It undermines intellectual property rights, creates an unfair playing field, violates moral responsibility, and goes against principles of stewardship, honesty, integrity, and supporting the work of God's people.

The classes “place students into identitarian groupings based on racial, sexual, and political characteristics to create a rigid framework amongst students where they only see each other as either the ‘oppressor’ or the ‘oppressed,’” the executive summary of the 33-page report states.
And now everyone should realize why there is so much division in our country. So many universities are teaching Marxist-based ideology. Will our freedoms survive?

NOTE: Please understand that weaponized incompetence is NOT "I don't know how to do this task," or "I don't know how to do it as well as you do." Weaponized incompetence is "I'm pretending I don't understand how to do this task, in the hopes that you'll give up on me and do it yourself, and then I won't have to."

I don't know how much plainer I can explain it, so I'll explain it here and see if anybody else finds this concept as absoultely baffling as my husband apparently does after 15 years. Plus I have to vent, before I go off on him. I am SO sick and tired of having the same conversation with him, over and over and over, only to have to have it again the next laundry day.

I have three night gowns, all of the same plain, unadorned style. They kind of look like long t-shirts, not quite knee-length, hitting just past mid thigh. They were bought as a set. When they arrived, I even unwrapped them in front of him, showed him each one, and identified them as night gowns. My night gowns go on a hook on my side of the closet. They do not get put on a hanger and hung up alongside my dresses.

Since, despite explaining all of this, he almost immediately started mistaking them for dresses, I held a gown and a dress up next to each other and pointed out the difference. Notice that the dress is longer. It has a sewn-in waistband and buttons down the front. It is also of a sturdier, more ornate fabric than my gowns are. I pointed out that he only ever sees me wearing the gowns at home. Does he really think I would go to church, or the grocery store, or anywhere else out in public, wearing one of my gowns? If not, then why would he consistently mistake them for dresses?

In fairness, a lot of people don't know the difference between pants and leggings, but after I've explained it a hundred times, shouldn't it start to make a dent? What the US calls pants, and other English-speaking nations call slacks or trousers, are full length. I don't wear skinny jeans, so all of my pants/slacks have straight or slightly flared legs. They have either belt loops or a drawstring, and are of a heavier, more substantial fabric than leggings. My leggings are of a thin fabric, fit skin tight, and stop at mid calf. They have no belt loops or drawstrings. I wear leggings under long tunics or short dresses, never independently as slacks. My pants/slacks/jeans go on hangers in the closet, the same as his do. Leggings are folded and put in a drawer, just like the pantyhose they have more in common with than they do slacks/pants/jeans. He wouldn't put pantyhose on a hanger, would he? Leggings are just thicker, more colorful pantyhose, without feet.

He still doesn't understand. Every time he does laundry, if I'm not there to specifically clarify whether something hangs or folds, he WILL get it mixed up. I WILL find my nightgowns and leggings on hangers, and I WILL find pants/slacks among my socks and underwear to go in drawers.

I don't think I can possibly explain it any clearer. Can you?

He doesn't listen or retain what I tell him, is a chronic problem in our marriage. At what point do I give up all hope and accept the fact that he just doesn't want to learn the difference because it's not important to him?

Pearl Harbor 2.0: China-Taiwan War To Drag NATO In Conflict; Fully Armed US Cannot Thwart Attack On Hawaii?​

As concerns over a Chinese invasion of Taiwan intensify, a paper released on April 15 by the NATO Defense College has warned NATO could become involved in a potential conflict involving Taiwan if fighting extends to US territory in the Pacific.

The report, “NATO and a Taiwan contingency,” from the research and education center located in Rome, is academic research and not an official stand of the European security bloc. However, analysts believe that since there isn’t much research about Taiwan’s position vis-a-vis NATO, it could be useful for strategic planning within the alliance.

James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Taiwan’s Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, authored the report. It comes at a time when China has become more confrontational in its rhetoric against American military assurances to Taiwan.

Adm. John C. Aquilino, the outgoing head of INDOPACOM (the United States Indo-Pacific Command is the unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region), recently warned: “All indications point to the (Chinese) PLA (People’s Liberation Army) meeting President Xi Jinping’s directive to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027,” Aquilino said. “The PLA’s actions indicate their ability to meet Xi’s preferred timeline to unify Taiwan with mainland China by force if directed.”

Hawaii Will Not Receive NATO’s Backing​

Hawaii is a US territory in the Pacific that houses some major military outposts in the region, including the Pearl Harbor naval base and the headquarters of the US Indo-Pacific Command, which overlooks adversaries like China and North Korea. It is, however, unprotected – unlike the other 49 states that make up the United States of America.

If an attack were launched on this strategic US territory, the members of the US-led NATO would not be legally obligated to defend Hawaii.

The United States, for example, would be required to defend Sweden – which recently joined the alliance — if Russia bombed the state. However, Sweden and 30 other NATO partners would not be legally required to protect Hawaii if an enemy such as China or Russia struck Pearl Harbor.

Hawaii residents are unaware that they are not protected by the collective defense clause enjoyed by NATO partners, according to David Santoro, president of the Pacific Forum, the group in Honolulu. CNN recently quoted Santoro as saying, “It’s the weirdest thing.”

Pearl Harbor 2.0: China-Taiwan War To Drag NATO In Conflict; Fully Armed US Cannot Thwart Attack On Hawaii?

As concerns over a Chinese invasion of Taiwan intensify, a paper released on April 15 by the NATO Defense College has warned NATO could become involved in a potential conflict involving Taiwan if fighting extends to US territory in the Pacific. Banned Under US-Russia INF Treaty, US Army Deploys...

www.eurasiantimes.com

(Well, now they know if they get on the internet! )

And imbedded in all this news is this - the exact reason why enemy nations view America as the aggressor.
Banned Under US-Russia INF Treaty, US Army Deploys ‘Most Formidable’ Missile System In China’s Front Yard

The United States Army sent its ground-based missile system ‘Typhon’ to participate in the military drills in the Philippines.

The YouTube is from 3 years ago, but I noticed he still had a cig in hand April 2nd in this pic:



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Oh it gets worse. This is all we need is a drunk with full access to the nuclear codes of his country.
Let's hope he has quit this nonsense by now!

Instead of the lights going out they literally turn on.

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it was posted in the one of the Reddit orthodox subreddits. I’m not sure what to make of it. :/

Now before I say anything else, I want to state that this is not just for men. This is for all who believe in Jesus Christ with God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord. For we are all called of God to his service, and we are all given spiritual gifts to use, and we all are assigned of God particular body parts within the body of Christ where we are to minister to one another. For we are all to speak the truth in love to one another and to exhort one another daily and to help a fallen brother or sister back to walks of faith.

And all of us are to shine the light of the gospel to the people of the world and to be those who preserve the word of God in its truthfulness and in its fullness and who are sharing it with the people of this world. We are all called of God to be his witnesses and to make disciples of Christ of people of all nations. And we are all to be God’s holy people who are proclaiming the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness (sin) into his wonderful light (truth, righteousness, Jesus Christ, God).

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]

And so this is not just for people who have graduated from Bible colleges or who have seminary degrees or who have titles of missionary, pastor, evangelist, and/or elder, etc. It is not just for people who are recognized as important in the community or nationally or globally, or who are the spouses or children of someone famous. For look at who Jesus chose to be his closest disciples and companions. They were fishermen and tax collectors, etc. And when Jesus called Paul he was a persecutor and a murderer of Christians.

Now I am going to give you a personal example of this. For I was brought up in a poor family with two parents and four siblings. My father was an abuser who called himself a Christian, and we were not a family that was highly praised or honored in any way. And I was a slow learner and I had a reading comprehension disability, so I didn’t do well in school. I could sing fairly well back then, so I did get some praise for that, but I was greatly lacking in confidence, and I was very fearful about a lot of things because of my dad.

But I believed in Jesus at the age of 7, and I did love the Lord, and I did want to serve him with my life, but I was a little too serious about my relationship with the Lord, in comparison to where a lot of others were, and so from a young age I began to face some persecution and rejection because I was the odd one who took God and his word seriously (not the only one, but in the minority, for sure). And I am not saying that I was perfect, but I was serious about following the word of God and doing what it says.

And I faced much rejection and persecution from others, over multiple years, usually from pastors or elders in institutional churches who did not get me and so they judged me falsely, or who did not want someone like me in their “churches,” and so they would cast me out and turn me away. And it was because I was following the Lord in obedience to his word in doing what he has called all of us to do. And some of them were not doing that, because they were following other men and marketing tricks and schemes, instead.

And then there was a point in my life where emotionally and mentally I just broke down, and I felt like I just could not take it anymore, and I gave into the flesh, and I wandered from the Lord off and on over several years. But the Lord Jesus had a plan for my life from even before he created the world. And he wasn’t finished with me yet. And in 2004 he called me to write down what he teaches me from his word each day and to post these writings on the internet, and that is what I have been doing ever since then.

[Psalms 139:13-16; Romans 8:29; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Ephesians 1:3-4]

So, I am sharing that with you to let you know that you do not have to be anyone of renown. You don’t have to be wealthy. You don’t have to be someone who is widely known or recognized or who is super smart or super talented or gifted in any particular areas. You don’t have to have a college degree or a seminary degree or any kind of title before your name. And you can be male or female. For all you have to do is to love and obey Jesus, and to serve him with your life, and he can and he will use you for his glory.

And even after God calls you, and you begin to do what he has called you to do, you may not get much praise at all from other humans, and you may, instead, get much rejection and persecution, which is what Jesus said will happen to us who follow him with our lives. But you must persevere in doing the work of the Lord, for God will use you to minister to other people and to share the truth of the gospel so that others will turn their hearts to Jesus Christ in surrender of their lives to him. But all the glory belongs to God!

Here is Your God!

An Original Work / July 18, 2012
Based off Isaiah 40:9-31 NIV

You who bring good tidings to Zion,
Lift up your voice; raise with a shout,
And do not be afraid of the people.
Say, “Here is your God!”
See how the Lord God comes now with power.
His arm rules for Him; His reward with Him.
He tends His flock just like a shepherd,
His lambs in His arms.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from beginning?
Our Lord sits enthroned above all things.
None to Him compare.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens.
Who made all of these? Who calls them by name?
Because of His great power and strength,
All accounted for.

Why do you say, “My way is hidden
From the Lord, and my cause forgotten”?
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord, He is your God.
He will not weary. He gives us power.
Those who trust in Him will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings just like eagles;
Walk and do faint not.

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The foreign policy establishment that once thrived under the control of both political parties has used Big Tech and the Biden administration to codify a “war on wrongthink” that stifles dissent from the elites’ narrative, a journalist and an online censorship analyst warned.

“What we’re up against here are not pink-haired, ambi-gendered LGBT-BLM-maximizing identitarian politics when we’re talking about censorship on the internet,” Michael Benz, a former State Department official under President Donald Trump and founder of the Foundation for Freedom Online, said Tuesday at an Oversight Project event at The Heritage Foundation.
It’s not “partisan politics” driving censorship, said Benz, but “the foreign policy establishment.” Conservatives and populists “don’t think about the American empire, they don’t think about the managers of the American empire, which is the foreign policy establishment, our State Department, our Pentagon, our intelligence services.”
“When you go upstream on internet censorship and what’s driving it, you will find that foreign policy establishment,” Benz argued.

Benjamin Weingarten, editor-at-large at RealClearInvestigations, also attributed “the leading edge of all the attacks on Donald Trump as an avatar for tens of millions of dissenting Americans” to the administrative state and the “deep state” within it. (The “deep state” refers to bureaucrats who oppose the agenda of the duly-elected president.) These entrenched bureaucrats “felt most threatened that [Trump] would upend the uniparty foreign policy blob,” he said.
“You also had the tech companies identify that what happened in 2016 could never happen again,” Weingarten said, referring to both the Brexit referendum and Trump’s election victory.

“They kind of used the pretext of Russian mis-, dis-, and malinformation, grafting a Cold War paradigm” to define a new enemy—Americans who disagree with their agenda, he said. “We are the enemy that’s engaging in wrongthink that threatens to undermine their power.”

Matt 5:

29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.

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Like the right hand, the right eye was supposed to be more useful and important.

For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

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Similarly, Exodus 29:

20 and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar.

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1 Samuel 11:

2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.”

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Zechariah 11:

17 “Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!”

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Hebrew culture supposed the right eye was more important than the left one.

Peace in Christ.

Jesus Christ is the Lord of both the dead (those who mortally perish in their bodies) and the living (those who do not mortally perish in their bodies).

Our faith into Him (reaching the point of redemption of the mortal body in Him) keeps our mortal bodies alive to the end of this age.
We, the living, shall not die (perish) but has an “eternal life”…that is, an age-lasting life …to the end of this present evil age we are living in. This is the true good news of our salvation... our mortal salvation.

Joh 3:15-17
(15) That whosoever believeth in (INTO) him should not perish (our mortal bodies shall not die), but have eternal life (AGE-LASTING life).
(16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

We are saved/delivered by faith and hope as we await the redemption of our mortal bodies which happens at the twinkling-of-an-eye moment when our mortal bodies shall be changed/transformed which happens at the very end of this current age

Rom 8:22-25 KJV
(22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
(23) And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
(24) For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
(25) But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

The good news is that we shall not mortally perish (die) while we wait for it.

We have “eternal life”….an age-lasting life…. here in this mortal body until the redemption of it where it shall be changed into immortal. This is the good news.

We shall not all “sleep” by the perishing of our mortal bodies…but we shall be changed (both those who have perished from this earth and those who have remained here mortally alive).

There are 2 groups of people being talked about in 1 Corinthians 15: the believers of Christ who mortally died without having the age-lasting life (not inheriting “eternal life”) because of the false prophets and those who have heard the true gospel and have inherited the age-lasting life.

The first group has mortally perished from this earth. They died. They who have mortally died without hearing the true gospel (because of the “preaching” of false prophets which they believed in) shall be raised incorruptible. They were the “flock of the slaughter” because of their church rulers ignorance of the truth of the gospel (good news).

But we who will not “sleep” in death….who are “alive and remain” in this earth…. shall at the moment of the redemption will have their mortal (subject to die) bodies putting on immortality thereby defeating death AND the grave completely as they are never experienced. We hear the gospel of truth ….the good news of our mortal salvation…and believe unto an age-lasting life. Our faith keeps us here in this earth. The just shall live by faith.

1Co 15:51-55 KJV
(51) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
(52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The first group (the dead who did not have an age-lasting life)..the corruptible…must put on incorruption. They are raised incorruptible in the second resurrection.

The 2nd group are those who have not died as they had an age-lasting life. (they inherited “eternal life”…an age-lasting life) will have their mortal (subject to death) bodies put on immortality. There will be no gap but will continue to live until the moment where they put on immortality. They will have experienced the first resurrection...kept standing here by their faith in Jesus Christ. Happy are those who will experience the first resurrection as this is a NOW thing as our bodies stand up in the newness of life no and never die.

(53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Death is then swallowed up in victory at the redemption moment for all who have died (the dead) and haven’t died for both groups (the living).

The first group (the dead) though experiences death and the grave for the rest of this age. They experience an age-lasting death (“eternal” death) as judgment upon them until the last trump. They experience the “second death”.

But the second group (the living) will not have experienced death at all and will never have gone to the grave in their bodies as they are kept mortally alive by the life of Jesus who gives His flesh for the life of the world: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Death and the grave are completely circumvented.

(54) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
(55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Jesus is the Lord of BOTH the dead (those believers in Christ who have morally perished) and the living (those who remain mortally alive here to the end of the age by them having an age-lasting life).

Rom 14:7-9 KJV
(7) For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
(8) For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
(9) For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Those who “sleep” (the dead) will have experienced the wrath of God. They are the children of disobedience that have died from this earth as His wrath burns their mortal bodies up in their judgment.

But those who “wake” (the living) obtain salvation of their mortal bodies by our Lord Jesus Christ.

1Th 5:9-11 KJV
(9) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

But Jesus is Lord of BOTH the dead and the living . Whether we “wake or sleep” we shall live together with Him.

(10) Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
(11) Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

to be continued...

Pray that India's Opposition parties that are weak, divided, clumsy and hapless some how miraculously make significant election victories against India's Hindu Nationalist party in the upcoming 2024 elections:

Judges 4:

8 Barak said to [Deborah], “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

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Barak was hesitant.

9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.”

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Barak missed the opportunity to demonstrate his bravery. He would be overshadowed by Jael (v. 22).

Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

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Judges 5:1 begins with two persons:

On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

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Then verse 3 shows first person singular:

I, even I, will sing to a the Lord;
I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.

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Verse 7 specifically mentions Deborah only.

7 Villagers in Israel would not fight;
they held back until I, Deborah, arose,
until I arose, a mother in Israel.

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What was Barak's role in this song?

He was the backup singer. He played second fiddle

Two of the four counts against former President Donald Trump in special counsel Jack Smith's election subversion case are also related to the same question, which is whether the statute known as 1512(c)(2) that makes it a federal crime to "corruptly" obstruct an official proceeding applies to otherwise nonviolent protesters.

The politicization of the Justice Department is a tragedy for America.

That I will be guided and provided for in this area.

This Saturday just been, I went with a couple of other Christians to share the Gospel at a festival called, "Baldrics Big Day Out." At this festival, many come dressed in medieval clothing and many do medieval reenacting of battles. Within this festival, there are all manner of people from all walks of life.

The day before the festival the weather was very bad, and it was set to continue through the weekend. But we went along anyway with the hope that we would get to tell some people the Gospel. When we arrived, all the food stalls had come in their sheltered caravans, but we were the only trade stall that arrived (Trade Stalls have gazebos). All the remaining 24 stayed home. (I don't blame them. The weather was really bad.) The place where they had us situated was very exposed to the wind and rain so we asked if we could be moved next to a building where we could tie our gazebo down to the pillars of the building. They said yes and so we were able to move to a place that was reasonably sheltered. We put up the gazebo and we were rearing to go. The rain kept coming in so much that the ground was covered in about an inch of water. But we continued and it was well worth it. We spoke to about 15-20 people (This is good considering we thought that nobody would come).

I spoke to a lady who was about 25 years old. After I had told her the Gospel, she said that she had been through university, and she had studied evolution and so she did not believe in the Bible. She said she knew that evolution was proven and so the Bible had to be wrong. I pointed out to her that no one has ever been able to observe or test evolution as they would have to be millions of years old. Even her tutors could not prove it. She then thought about it and admitted that it was scientifically proven. It was a blind faith. I was really surprised as most people who believe in evolution will put up a big argument. But she seemed to understand. I then told her that I could prove that there must be a God. So, I used the "Builder built the building, the painter painted the painting and the creator created creation" argument. She then looked around at the trees and then turned back to me and said, "You are right, someone had to have made everything." I was amazed. I then spoke to her some more and encouraged her to start honouring God. I had a couple of other good conversations with other people as well as one with lady who said she was a witch.

One of the other people that I was with, Cruise, also had a very good conversation with a Muslim man. They spoke for about 20 minutes, and I wished that I had videoed the conversation. It was great. Cruise was able to speak from a place of authority as he had read the Koran and studied Islam as well as Christianity. Cruise gave the man a lot to think about. So, all we can do is pray for him that God shows him the lie of Islam.

Here are a couple of good quotes for evangelising in the rain.
"There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people" Bill Bowerman
"Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary, use an umbrella" 1Tonne (This made me laugh)

Here are some pics. The first one is the pic where I was talking to the lady who was about 25 years old.
The second pic shows how empty the place is. Normally there would be a heap of stalls and many people. You can also see in the background the rain coming down. In the bottom right of the picture, you can also see how the water was pooling all around us.

Hey all,
So I bought a chromebook for my upcoming vacation to Hawaii next month! This laptop is slick. Its touchscreen and it can act as a tablet (reversable display). Here is a link to what I got. Mind you the one I have has 105gb of HDD and 8gb Ram. But either way I love the efficency of ChromeOS and this device! Have any of you used ChromeOS before? What were your impressions/thoughts on it?

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 13"

Pray that my social anxiety at work will go away and that I will be confident and comfortable and enjoy the job. Also pray that I will do well at my job and that everyone treats everyone with respect Amen