Fervent said:

It's funny how different paths come to similar conclusions. For me, I've never concerned myself with being orthodox though I didn't want to invent beliefs whole cloth. In the end, I found myself in agreement with a lot of EO doctrine regarding soteriology, the role of tradition and Scripture, and other key issues...but find the mytho-history position compelling(and fits nicely with an iconic/canonical view of Scripture) largely from drawing on a variety of unnamed sources. So to be in agreement with someone who is staunchly reformed is interesting to me.

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I've always admired Orthodox Christianity. I find the mystery and mysticism appealing. However, I am still a staunch Protestant in some of my convictions like sola scriptura and justification by faith alone.

I find the Orthodox view of the afterlife intriguing, but idk enough about it to actually have an opinion on it either way.

I always figured I'd make a good monk, but that's not really a thing in evangelical Protestantism.

I guess I'd describe myself as Evangelical in beliefs, but prefer Eastern styles and aesthetics.

Michie said:

No need to be sorry LB. I get it. There just comes a point in time where we have to just go with the honor system. Be assured that the Lord knows. I’m one of those people that won’t take communion because I do not want to heap anymore condemnation on my head. I know there are a lot of Catholics that may not even be aware of that.

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My friends’ husband never goes up to Communion because for some reason he won’t go to Confession.

Chesterton said:

...

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That we're talking about your priest does set a new light on all this.

Even in the biggest game of Chinese whispers I doubt the calming of the tantrum could be misunderstood as something sinister. And from a safeguarding point of view, sounds you handled it perfectly.

The "you can hang around us here" all hangs on the intonation. It could actually be a very open, positive invitation to get to know the family better.

And maybe the family simply have rules for themselves about not mixing church social time and family time.

Speak to the Father if you’re still weirded out. Maybe ask him if you're overthinking all this.

In any case, if there's other ways to view Little League, there's your answer to that part.

God bless you, brother.

FAITH-IN-HIM said:

Do you believe that if the United States reduces its military spending, US adversary such as China, Russia, or Iran will also decrease their military capabilities?

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Irrelevant.

rachelrising said:

Well for me in my life I go by (Galatians 3:28) that we are all equal before God, there is no Jew or Greek. God appears passionate about though about trying to call the Israelites which I will support him with, some may wonder why given history how they left him but that is what it looks like in the Bible. I love the lion of Judah really as that represents Jesus and David line roots as well. I find geography interesting, especially how the world was shaped and where my parents descend from. I cannot claim to be an expert on all the other tribes. My parents come from a country with tribes and I am not into them.
I have read that some say that Jesus will not return until more take up the Cross which I find interesting to.

I like Romans 11 and the image of the Olive tree. I have changed it to God's Olive as someone wrote. Some people may want to claim it for themselves though and their own portion.

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We're one in Christ and equal before God (heart-to-God), but that doesn't mean there are not still different roles/responsibilities in this life. In Christ master and slave are one, but Paul still exhorts slaves to obey their earthly master, and masters to treat their slaves well and remember they also have a heavenly master. Man/woman are one in Christ but Paul and Peter still emphasise their asymmetric roles towards one another in marriage and in the Church. Being one in Christ does not mean we all have the same station or identical (earthly) obligations in life.

Israel is not an abandoned project by God.

Be blessed!

Tuur said:

Trump gets something that many miss: Those who voted for him enjoy the discomfort of the Left when he tweaks them and they jump on cue. Those who voted against the other candidate instead of for Trump enjoy it as well. I know an elderly couple who, on election night 2016, stayed up not for the returns but to watch the unhappiness of news anchors reporting the results. That was what they enjoyed seeing. They aren't alone. And that's how various mems about schadenfreude got to be a thing. The Left's not going to like what anyone on the Right does, anyway, whether they troll them or not.

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Donald J. Trump could oversee and help find the cure for all cancer and the left would complain about that

I enjoyed watching the recent Nobel Peace Prize winner (Maria Machado From Venezuela), she dedicated the prize to President Trump knowing well he deserved it, showing herself receiving it was a big political disgrace to the deserving recipient Donald J. Trump

i would reply, but i'm not catholic, so, i highly suspect you do not want my opinion.

Not for nothing but Taylor Marshall just put out a book called Christian Patriot, and I know he stresses the distinction between nationalism and patriotism, and says patriotism is a good whereas nationalism not so much. It's either problematic itself or can at least lead to other modes of thinking that are.

Oompa Loompa said:

Sure. If I just quit my job

Yeah. Like I said previously. My household can be "at or below the poverty level" if I were to legally divorce my wife and continue living with her. She would be legally left as a single, unemployed mother of four and just raking in all the benefits and subsidies while I just kept working my same home and bringing home the same income. This is the game that so many people are playing. This is the political incentivisation of the single mother. Heck, why should a woman not get herself knocked up by multiple men and rake in thousands of dollars in entitlements and child support? Would it not be foolish to get married and lose the additional income and subsidies? I will tell you that I personally have family members who are single mothers with multiple baby-daddies who refuse to get a job and live better than I do, who consider people like me a "sucker and loser" because they have manipulated the system more than I.

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If you can make more money living on welfare than you can by working then your employer is screwing you over. Quitting and living on welfare would be the right thing to do if you can't get a better paying job.

BPPLEE said:

Makes one wonder how an ignorant, dim witted old man became a billionaire

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Inheritance

BPPLEE said:

and was elected president twice

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he's not the only one.

Anonymous0210 said:

why is that?

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I have a lot going on right now, and I am feeling just a little drained, that's all.

Douggg said:

Randy, the 24 elders were wearing crowns of gold - Revelation 4:4.

So I don't think they are angels, but significant figures in the bible who loved and worshiped God. We are not told each one's specific personal identity.

In Revelation 5:10, the 24 elders said...

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

So, I don't think the 24 elders are angels.

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The symbolism carried by the 24 elders may symbolize something that they're doing on behalf of men, or they may be keys to identifying who they are. I happen to believe they are angels because I don't believe this heavenly scene conveys the presence of men, but rather, of angels in the millions, and probably many more.

In the OT we have the cherubim who are thought to be angels with special callings. And they also had appearances with symbolic inferences to men.

The cherubim in the garden of Eden were associated with a flaming sword that guarded the way to the Tree of Life. A sword infers a human weapon.

In Isa 6, seraphim had faces, feet, and carried a live coal in their hand. These anatomical features also infer something human.

In Eze 1, the cherubim had human faces and had feet that appeared like bronze. Again, the inference is human, though we know these were angelic creatures. The fact the cherubim in Rev 4 had crowns of gold infers something human, but is also likely angelic.

The centerpiece of the story of Revelation is the Lamb's sacrifice on behalf of men so that we may enter the Kingdom of heaven. So, these angels around the throne, including the cherubim, are carrying out acts on behalf of mankind, who were called from the beginning to rule on earth.

We are called to be lords, in a sense, over a chaotic earth, by remaining true to the judgment of God and true to the image of God for which we were created. Once man fell, it became the job of those redeemed by Christ to reflect God's truth and righteousness, through which He will judge the wicked earth.

Gen 1.26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

I am watching The Twister: Caught in the Storm now

Dikaioumenoi said:

What are you talking about? Who says "the means is strictly His regenerating them"?

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Well, not according to me but I believe your theology maintains that a person is regenerated first? And then believes, repents, etc. as a result?

Dikaioumenoi said:

Are you intentionally being obstinate? You're not even listening to what it is I'm saying. Look at the verse:

"No one can come to me..."

That is a statement of inability, not unwillingness. How does one obtain the ability to come to Christ? The verse continues:

"...unless the Father... draws him."

So who is able to come to Christ? Those drawn, and only those drawn. If you are not drawn, you cannot come. You said, "He gives enough grace for them to come." Yes, that's called drawing:

"No one can come to me... unless the Father draws him."

If not A, then not B. If not drawn, then not able. The drawing is the grace of God that enables sinners to come to Him. So, is it possible for someone to come to Christ if the Father does not succeed in that enabling activity?

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Why? Methinks you're the one being obstinate here. Enabling someoone to do something simply doesn't mean they'll do it! So of course the Father can enable without succeeding. I've worked with drug addicts and they can be given all the reason and means to change, but that doesn't mean they will. They have to want it, as we must with God once we see the treasure He offers, and then continue wanting it, continuing to value that treasure, to value Him and our relationship with Him.

Dikaioumenoi said:

What does the rest of the verse say?

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The group He's speaking of: those who came, and in light of the fuller counsel of Scripture, remained and persevered to the end in doing good, being holy, producing good fruit etc, He will raise up.

Dikaioumenoi said:

I'm asking out of curiosity; the point isn't a relevant one. Plato is Classical, Modern is Modern. Neither is Koine. The language has changed significantly between those three periods. Words in Classical Greek frequently carry specialized meanings limited to philosophical contexts, and Modern Greek is even further removed, with vast lexical and semantic drift. Appealing to Modern Greek usage is like using Modern English to define the meaning of words in Shakespearean English. It's anachronistic.

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But it's a case of a certain possible meaning from the two time periods I referred to, that sandwich the period in question, with both at least offering or establishing a reasonable pattern, while you've maintained that the word must adhere to a certain meaning only, without offering anything other than opinion as far as I know. Anyway, from my understanding, being no expert in either Greek or Plato, he said this in line 238 of Phaedrus as one instance of his use of the word:
"Now when opinion, guided by reason, leads and prevails, this is called temperance; but when desire, leading unreasonably and dragging (ἑλκούσης) us toward pleasures and having become the master within us, is given the name hubris (wantonness/arrogance)."

Dikaioumenoi said:

And in all of this you still fail to recognize that this whole line of argument -- trying to attach a softer meaning to ἑλκύω -- is undermining your position, not helping it.

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Ok, except that I don't see how God, making it possible to come without making it inescapable, such that there's no excuse for a person to fail to come other than their own prideful willfull stubborness, and as if justice, itself, demands that they do come, that they accept the light after all He's shown and done for them, should be a problem with all of Scripture in general or specifically here as the word is used in the sense of "appeal", "coax", "persuade". Maybe you can point me to your post where you explained it and I'll reconsider.

Rabbi's Daily Devotion ...


David resolved to praise his God “continually.” He awoke each morning with prayer and praise: “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”

I love that the priests of Israel were commanded to praise God every morning and evening: “They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening.” Our praise and prayer are to be perpetual, which means we must be bold enough to say, “Praise God,” in public. Through our praise, we become lights revealing Father to the world.

I realize there is a time and place for everything, but too often we aren’t conveying God’s praise to the world as we should. Beloved one, don’t let anyone keep you from acknowledging your Creator! David didn’t compartmentalize his life so that he only praised God in specific places or at certain times. All David’s talk was seasoned with praise to HaShem.

Likewise, we need to love God so much that we don’t hesitate to speak of His goodness. May His praise be continually in our mouths, for we “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood…a people for God’s own possession, so that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
___________________________________

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Entering His Presence (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2023), Used by permission.

Both knew, and Jesus also recognized that the temptations were a recapitulation of Israel in the desert. Every temptation Satan presented was a test the Israelites faced and where they fell short, Jesus succeeded and quoted the passages from Deuteronomy that were relevant to the temptations.

In passing...https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/08/senate-republicans-trump-obamacare

'...a social media post on Saturday from Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma senator. Mullin posted four photographs of himself and two other Republican senators meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, with the caption: “Working through the weekend with President Donald J Trump. It’s always an honor to be in the Oval Office– I never take this opportunity to serve Oklahoma for granted.”

Well, at least Trump is there in the Oval Office, nose to the grindstone, working whatever hours needed to end this dispute on behalf of all Americans. Except...

'...the photographs were taken on Friday, before Trump left for a weekend golf trip at his Florida resort.'

Let them eat cake!

What is the knowledge of God’s will? Well, there is his expressed and definite will for our all of our lives expressed in the Scriptures, which is for all of us who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives. And then there is God’s will for us individually, which is not expressed in the Scriptures, but which is discerned of the Holy Spirit as he calls us and directs us in the ways of the Lord in doing the specific will of God for our individual lives, but which must never contradict the written will of God in the Scriptures.

For God has assigned each of us specific body parts within the body of Christ, as a whole, and he has given us gifts of the Spirit individually which are to be used of God to minister to the body of Christ to encourage one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. For we are all necessary parts to the proper working of the body of Christ, his church, as each of us fulfills our God-given assignments under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and in the power of God, but never from our own flesh nature.

[Acts 2:14-18,42-47; 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 5:15-21; 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]

And this is not to be led of man, but of God. Certainly what we do within the body of Christ must be in line with the will of God, which is expressed in the Scriptures, and if done in a group setting, it should fall under the authority of the church elders (overseers) who should be men of God of great integrity and spiritual maturity. Or it should fall under the authority of whoever is leading a gathering of the church, the body of Christ, but still according to the will of God and according to the teachings of God and not of flesh.

But please note that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord,” is a child of God and a servant of the Lord and of his righteousness. There are many “wolves in sheep’s clothing” among us disguised as pastors and elders and ministers of the gospel who are not of God but are of human flesh. And so they are not under the authority of God and his Word, but they are under human authority, often being led by marketing literature on how to “grow their churches” and how to attract the world to their gatherings, so not of God.

So be wise and be discerning in who you listen to and who you get your direction from, and make sure what you are hearing and believing is truly of God. And we do this via prayer for spiritual discernment and by being serious students of the Scriptures who study them in their appropriate biblical context, comparing Scripture with Scripture to make certain that what we are believing is the truth of God’s word, and not the teachings of human wisdom and knowledge that is separate from the will of God.

And the purpose of us discovering the will of God, via the Scriptures, is so that we will walk in a manner worthy (proper, suitable, fitting) of the Lord, to please him all respects. And no, we are not pleasing to God merely because we once made a verbal profession of faith in him with our lips. But we are pleasing to God when we are obeying his commands, and when we are doing his will (both the collective and individual will of God), and when we are putting sin to death in our lives, by the Spirit, and we are living holy lives.

And if our faith in Jesus is genuine biblical faith, and we are walking (in conduct) in a manner worthy of God, to please him in ALL respects, it should be obvious by what we produce, by us bearing fruit (spiritual results) in every good work, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them (see Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14). But all of this is not of human flesh, but only as led by and empowered by God, as he teaches us steadfastness and patience, giving thanks to God for and in all things, “who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light (Christ).

[Matthew 10:37-38; Matthew 22:8; Luke 9:23-26,62; John 15:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1; Philippians 1:27; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-14; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 2:11-14; Titus 3:8; James 2:17]

Your Servant Witness

An Original Work / March 13, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Humbly I bow, Lord, before You,
Bringing my requests to You.
May I listen; hear You speaking.
May I follow You in truth.
Gently lead me in Your service.
Guide my steps and strengthen me.
Fill me with Your love and mercy.
May I live for Thee!

Let me be Your servant witness,
Telling others of Your grace.
May I always share the gospel
With those I meet face to face.
May I show the love of Jesus,
Caring for the needs of men;
Be Your servant witness always
For my Lord, Amen!

My desire to be like Jesus,
Living for Him ev’ry day.
May I obey all His teachings
Given me, so I’ll not stray.
Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master.
You are the King of my heart;
Follow You where’er You lead me;
Not from You depart!

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Walk Worthy
An Original Work / November 8, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

It is also linked to “preferential option for the poor” which came later as a Catholic concept along with “structural sin”. That kind of rings a critical theory bell. I suppose the Latin American theologians took note of the Frankfurt theorists.