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  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Trump's reputation will age like fine wine

I'm inclined to think the same way as the OP, in that the passing time will do that as well.

Many of the past presidents revered to this day would be considered terrible people by modern standards.
Okay, if we are looking at that timeframe, then anything is possible I was more thinking about the mid-term, like 10-30 years. You know, something we might actually live to experience.
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SpaceX Starship 9 breaking apart

So ends Starship V2 with Starship 11. I don't believe the V3 will fly until next year.

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The Conjunction of Opposites

Nope. It's nothing more than robotic action. The switch will be turned off at some point and the antispiritual machinery will be shut down and tossed aside into the eternal fire junk pile

And on we will go
Then good and evil are just arbitrary constructs. Both equally of God and of his will.
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Is the way you worship important?

do you believe that God cares about how you worship him?
Yes.

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (Jn 4:23–24)​
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If sins were to be ranked by how bad it is, what would be the top 10 sins?

Which sin would be worse than murder
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. (Mt 22:37–38)​

If this is the first and greatest commandment, wouldn't it follow that breaking it would be the first and greatest sin?
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Labor Dept warns Immigration Policies Threaten Stability of the Domestic Food Supply

Have you ever been a farmhand or did work of that nature? I spent a season on a local production farm to learn how to garden but I wouldn’t want to do it for a living nor are young people required to follow suit. Automation is the future and I posted articles from WSJ acknowledging the same and they’re already doing it. Most farmers don’t want to pay a livable wage. They want the cheapest labor they can get.

~bella



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We are One Body in Christ

“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:3-8 NASB1995)

My husband brought up the subject of “church” with me this morning, so we talked together about that and what it means and what church is biblically, and what it is supposed to be like and operate like biblically speaking. For he was looking into that subject for himself. And we also discussed the subject of what church is not, from a biblical perspective. Then later I read the next passage of Scripture in line for my daily reading, and this passage of Scripture is one very good biblical example which answers those questions.

First of all the church is not what so many have turned it into being. It is not a building which is called “church.” It is not a physical place you go to once or twice a week and then you leave and go someplace else. It is not a church denomination ruled by denominational heads. It is not a business incorporated (merged, joined, united) with the government and the world, being marketed to the people of the world, following worldly means and methods of what to do to draw in large crowds of people from the world.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

The church is the body of Christ, the universal body of believers in Jesus Christ who by faith in Jesus Christ have died with Christ to sin and who are now to be living to please God in walks of surrender to God in obedience to his commands. Collectively we are the church. And we are to gather together for the teaching of the Word (not just one teacher), for prayer, for biblical Christian fellowship, for the breaking of bread, and in order that we might encourage and exhort one another to walk worthy of God.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

And all of us within the body of Christ have been given gifts of the Spirit which we are to actively be putting into use for the building up of the body of Christ to maturity in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. And we have all been given spiritual ministries (our body parts) within the body of Christ, the church, which we are to be doing for the strengthening and encouraging of one another, within the body of Christ, in our walks of faith, in obedience to our Lord in holy living and in the forsaking of all sins.

The purpose of our gatherings is not to be lopsided, where only a few get to do the ministering while the majority sit as spectators who get to sing along with songs picked out by only one person, and who get to listen to sermons usually taught by only one person (their sermons not usually tested by anyone). There is not to be no room for the rest of us to utilize the Spiritual gifts we have been given in the body parts which God assigned us for the mutual encouragement of one another in our walks of faith. We all matter!

And this passage of Scripture does not list all the gifts of the Spirit or how they are to be used. So also read 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 and Ephesians 4:1-16 and the other Scriptures posted above to get most of the full picture.

The point is that the church is not what is commonly being called “church,” but it is the collective body of believers in Jesus Christ throughout the entire world. And it is important that we gather together in the sharing of our gifts and ministries, assigned to us by God, for the mutual encouragement of one another in our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus. But we can have as few as two of us or more in a gathering, and we are supposed to gather daily, and location can be anywhere appropriate, including on the internet, like now.

Zeal for Your House

Based off Jn. 2:17; Ps. 69:9
An Original Work / August 1, 2016
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love


Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.
Lord, I love my times with You.
I love to worship You and sing Your praises.
Time in Your Word brings me closer to You,
List’ning to You speaking to me,
Gently guiding me in truth.

Lord, You are my life’s example,
Showing me how I should live.
I love to walk with You where’er You lead me.
No greater joy have I when serving You.
Loving, giving, resting in Your strength,
I’m yielding to Your will.

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.
See the church turned upside down:
Marketing ventures taking place of worship,
Men of the gospel turning into clowns.
Gospel message made appealing,
So the world will feel at home.

Lord, we need a great revival.
Turn their hearts, Lord, back to You.
Open the blind eyes, turn them all from darkness,
Lord, to the light. May they return to You,
Turn from their sin, forsake idols,
Be restored to God again.

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We are One Body in Christ
An Original Work / October 14, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Trump's brokered peace - phase 1 being celebrated

President Trump Ushers in an Era of Peace With Historic Deal Signed in Egypt


President Trump on Monday signed a major peace deal in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in front of more than 20 world leaders, characterizing the moment as the first step towards wider peace in the Middle East, calling on nations to "put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us."​
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CP event tackles ethics of AI, urges Christians to be engaged: 'We have to be the shapers'

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — An expert panel that gathered last week to discuss the ethical implications of AI technology urged Christians to prepare for seismic changes while harnessing the capacities of the new technology for good.

Speaking last week to an audience of mostly college students at Colorado Christian University during "AI for Humanity: Navigating Ethics and Morality for a Flourishing Future," which was hosted by The Christian Post and tech company Gloo, panelists urged Christians to be mindful of AI while not shying away from its potential.

'Wake up and prepare'

James Poulter, an author who serves as head of AI and innovation at the London-based advertising agency House 337, likened AI's arrival to an impending alien invasion. He said he believes most people "drastically underestimate the speed of change that we are not only already experiencing, but are about to experience."

"If you listen to the creators of this technology in Silicon Valley at the moment, that's essentially what they're telling us: that there is an alien intelligence ... and it's coming, and it's going to be infinitely available, scalable — and at some point, if Elon [Musk] gets the technology nailed down correctly, it's going to be embodied, as well," he said.

"It'll have a physical manifestation, and it will be around you. And so, if that is the case, then we have to wake up and prepare for this in a way that I don't think we are."

Continued below.

The law, the commandments, and Christians.

It diminishes of course, because he's no longer partaking of it.
It's a Slow Fade, right (as in the 2007 Casting Crowns song)?
  • We are one with the Father and the Son (Jn 17:22),
  • We are in Him and He is in us (Jn 17:23),
  • We are joined to the Lord and are one Spirit with Him (1 Cor 6:17),
  • We have eternal life because life is in Jesus and Jesus is in us (1 Jn 5:11–12),
  • We shall not come into judgement because we have passed from death into life (Jn 5:24),
  • With an unveiled face, we behold the glory of the Lord and are transformed into the same image (2 Co 3:18),
  • We who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan within ourselves, and eagerly await our adoption (Ro 8:23),
  • We earnestly desire clothing from above and have the Spirit as a guarantee (2 Co 5:1–5),
  • We have the mind of Christ (1 Co 2:16),
  • We have come to know Him because He lives in our hearts (Jn 14:19-23),
  • He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5), and
  • We are partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4).
If you look closely, all these things (and this is not a complete list) are true for a person only if Jesus is residing in that person's heart. If Jesus is in there, all these things are true for him. If Jesus is not in there, none of these things are true for him.

Maybe our dissagreement is not on the effect, but on the residency of Jesus in a person's heart.

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Ga 4:6)​
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The Nobel Peace Prize went to Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado - why not Trump? He's solved 8 wars!

He is not a peacemaker if he wages war against American citizens in DC, Chicago and Portland, for starters. My comments are in regard to peacemaker.
BTW Biden arranged the release of 6 times as many hostages and had begun to build a dock on the Mediterranean so that Palestinian food relief could not be blocked, etc.
I recall the morning following the death of Osama Bin Laden. Upon arriving at work, many colleagues expressed relief that justice had been served. However, one coworker, known for his strong Republican views, appeared noticeably reserved. When I asked him about this, he explained, "Did you not hear last night's speech? President Obama used 'I' frequently instead of 'we.' He seemed to take all the credit, even though it was the SEALs who executed the operation while he was in his office."

There was no point in trying to persuade my coworker about the situation and the relief that Americans experienced that day. His negative view of President Obama influenced his perspective, making it difficult for him to recognize any positive aspects of the event. Unfortunately today, many Americans feel similarly about President Trump.

If the United States is to return to its previous standards of political discourse—where individuals can disagree yet maintain mutual respect—we must overcome partisan divisions and seek common ground, recognizing and celebrating what truly matters.
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Mississippi School Homecoming Celebrations Turn Deadly as 8 People are Killed 20 Injured in Separate Shootings

Sadly, that's all they know. That's why early education is very important for young kids. Free mommy classes would be a good. Teaching about BC. Having free BC and condoms available. Drug programs. It would be nice if churches and the government would help these people.
Or we could just stop incentivising single motherhood and perpetuating a culture that glorifies how much money they can scam off the government and baby-daddy child support. This was LBJ's plan all along in his so called "war on poverty."
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Stranger Things

9 Million Americans Have Left the U.S. – Why Even Americans Don’t Want to Stay, Here’s Why

This documentary explores why Americans move abroad and how the growing U.S. migration crisis ties into broader narratives of America in crisis and even fears of a possible US collapse. We analyze the push and pull factors driving this shift. Rising costs, housing struggles, and limited opportunities are all reasons Americans leaving the U.S. seek new lives overseas. For many, this reflects visible signs of American decline, raising concerns about a looming U.S. economy collapse and intensifying discussions about the potential collapse of America.

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There’s a Giant Flaw in Human History

Actually I was not alluding to anything like Atlantis. If you have this in your mind then I think you are the one elevating this to conspiracy or something unreal.
Are you not attributing the precision of these vases to the now lost technology of a previous superior civilization? You don't like Atlantis? How about the Lost Continent of Mu?
I was using the same logic as yourself. You are obviously explaining the capabilities of a strap lathe or similar. That they can somehow fix the setup to be stable to to get better symmetry and circularity. Your more or less trying to build a modern style lathe but with primitive ways. Same thing.

I am not saying it must be a modern type CNC lathe.
No, you've backed down from that at least.
I am saying the signatures are the same as modern machining on a lathe of some sort. A lathe that has to be very stable with a stable cutter that will maintain the high tolerances.

We are actually saying the same thing. Your just trying to create a more elaborate version of the rudimentary one orthodox methods claims on the wall and in experiments. Which is the bore stick that wobbles.

The logic being the more precise and tight the tolerances are the more sophisticated the lathing. Whether that be made by some sticks, hemp rope and tar or a modern machine. They are achieving a similar result. Either way its far more advanced than what the orthody claims. Which is there was no potters wheel or lathe at all.
No, that's your line--that the Naqada people made stone pots which would absolutely require a lathe but they absolutely did not have the lathe, Atlantis QED.
That's your crap argument which is why you are being accused of ignorance and illogic.
Does the orthodox view actually say the Naqada people had some sophisticated lathing which was very stable and fast turning like a strap lathe. I think you will find they say they did not even have the potters wheel and made pts by the coil method. They assume that they must have somehow made them. But they have never found any laths or potters wheels. Found plenty of vases though.

Common sense recognises that good to excellent symmetry and circularity is achieved on a potters wheel or lathe. So its not conjecture. But it is conjecture to say that obvious signatures that point to machining and lathing are not pointing to machining and lathing.

How that was done is conjecture. I am just saying the signatures are on par with modern machining such as CNC lathing because of the tight tolerances ect. That they match modern vases.
Yet you insist that the Naqada people could not have developed any such technology for themselves because they were too primitive, You're not even interested in exploring how they might have developed the technology because that would spoil your fantasy. Which is too bad, because the question is quite an interesting one.
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How is the Economy Doing Right Now?


Oct. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. consumers will likely pay for more than half the cost of tariffs this year through higher prices, according to a new Goldman Sachs analysis.

Goldman Sachs economists predicted Sunday that U.S. companies will shoulder 22% of the tariffs, implemented by President Donald Trump six months ago, with foreign exporters taking an 18% hit by cutting prices.

"If recently implemented and future tariffs have the same eventual impact on prices as the tariffs implemented earlier this year, then U.S. consumers would eventually absorb 55% of tariff costs," according to economists.
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Sept 23rd Rapture

I do recall things my brain dismissed as luxury activities requiring proof of vaccination. But nothing like buying groceries or household essentials.

I’d forgotten as well. Travel restrictions were put in place in various countries. If you weren’t vaccinated you had to quarantine for a specified period. We saw similar mandates for employment, access to local attractions and school enrollment. One of the lessons I learned during that time was the importance of online options for higher education. Many institutions didn’t have them in place and the lockdowns had a negative impact.

But it also produced a lot of entrepreneurs, pantry tours and the sourdough trend which isn’t bad. I remember when yeast wasn’t available and I grabbed some from a lesser known source. I’d put together a list of vendors over the years off for that purpose.

~bella
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Are the Jews Israel, or is the church Israel? Or does it depend on the context of the passage?

Consider the verse below when thinking about the modern nation of Israel.
Isaiah 54:9 To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.
The Apostle Paul declares the obvious in Galatians 4:26-27. That Isaiah 54 is a prophecy about the New Jerusalem. The context of that chapter is Old Testament believer’s being illustrated as the wife of God suffering at the hands of their own wicked kings and the gentile nations; someday winning the nations by the gospel and through that inheriting the world. This is why Paul called the New Jerusalem the mother of all New Testament believers. OT saints in Ancient Israel gave birth to NT saints, both Jew and Gentile.

Here is how Isaiah 54:9 ties into the debate over the two extremes between those who teach the name Israel IS ONLY referring to the Jews and modern Israel and God's covenant with them. Verses those who say Israel is now the church and God's NT covenant. In both the OT and NT we see God is almost continuously angry with Ancient Israel for its sin. The reason for this is God chose both the saints and sinners out of one nation, Ancient Israel, to bring his word and the Messiah into the earth. It was his Normandy beach head for his long-planned invasion of planet earth to spread the influence of his invisible kingdom.

Once the mission God chose all of Ancient Israel for was complete. His focus became the expansion of that influence worldwide. First through Jewish believers that naturally added Gentile believers to that mix. This new mix of believers, illustrated in the Bible’s prophecy was given a new name- The New Jerusalem

Isaiah 62;1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. 2 The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; YOU WILL BE CALLED BY A NEW NAME that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.

That is why God would no longer be angry with his people. They are no longer a mix of ethnic Israeli's who had the faith of Abraham along with the ethnic Israeli's who refused that faith. Instead, his people, illustratively spoken of as God’s bride and the New Jerusalem consist of a mix of ethnic Israelis and gentiles who have embraced the faith of Abraham- in and of the Messiah.

Speaking to both extremes about this issue. This IS the Bible’s OT and NT doctrine on the matter. God will not smile upon anything else that is taught.

Does this mean ethnic Israelis, or Jews, who do not have or refuse the faith of Abraham are no longer God’s chosen people? That would depend on narrative you look at Bible's prophecy through. Which by the way is the main point of friction between the two extremes. One extreme says yes because there is end of the world prophecy in the Bible that revolves around a modern nation of Israel. One says no because only believers count as the children of Abraham by faith so the modern nation is an aberration not mentioned in scripture.

But what says the scripture? Well, according to many chapters of prophecy like Isaiah 54, 60, 61, 62, 65 Rev 20-22. Daniel 2 & 7 They say billions would come to Christ after the Roman Empire ends which happened in 1453 AD; and the natural result of that would be a world transforming for the better. We now know this was due to the general public, (illegally) beginning to gain access to their own Bibles to read themselves right when that empire ended. This is what the Bible means when it said the meek, or the saints, shall inherit the earth. It's why we went from the perpetual rule of kings and emperors to a growing free world of republics as it states in the passage below.

Isaiah 29:18-20 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrannical oppressor is brought to nothing…….

Now we have the key to understanding why modern Israel exists. The process of meek inheriting the earth would providentially lead to the world having mercy on the Jewish people and bringing them back to the land promised to Abraham. NOT for some end of the world apocalypse. But rather as part of the process of the meek inheriting the earth. As stated in the prophecy below. The regions future is 10’s of millions of Jews, Arabs, Egyptians and Syrians finding the faith of Abraham in Jesus their savior. The natural result of theirs and the Bible’s influence will be the transformation of the region. It's how the prophecy below is being fulfilled. All the war, death and destruction is Satan’s doings through darkened hearts to try to stop this from happening. Over the long run, it is not going to work.

Isaiah 19: 23-25 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Good news is it not? Peace on earth, good will towards men news.
God has no people who are not in Christ and, therefore, are not the seed of Abraham (Gal 3:29).
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‘Day of unspeakable joy’: Evangelical leaders react to release of Israeli hostages by Hamas

After two years of war, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in which the remaining living hostages the terror group abducted during its Oct. 7, 2023, surprise invasion of southern Israel were released on Monday.

Many celebrated what is believed to be the start of a more lasting peace in the region, with President Donald Trump addressing the Israeli Knesset in response to the agreement between Israel and Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades.

“Today, the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace, a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity,” Trump told the Knesset on Monday.

“The forces of chaos, terror, and ruin that have plagued the region for decades now stand weakened, isolated, and totally defeated. … Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

Continued below.

Turkey labels Christians ‘national security threat’ to deport them, rights group warns

Turkey has been deporting hundreds of foreign Christians and blocking their return by labeling them national security threats, according to an international legal advocacy group.

ADF International Legal Officer Lidia Rieder told a gathering of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Human Dimension Conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday that such designations are issued through internal security codes and have left local Protestant communities without leadership.

Since 2020, at least 200 foreign Christian workers and their families, totaling around 350 people, have been barred from the country under internal security codes N-82 and G-87, ADF International reports.

Continued below.

I can see why they're labeled as such. .......... 'cuz with the presence of Christians in their country, someone might turn their back on the teachings of Mohammed and instead turn to Jesus Christ, the Resurrected Son of God, as Lord and Savior............ and those Turks can't allow that kind of 'shirk.'
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