New Posts

BCP1928 · 2025-12-12T10:35:32-0600

comana said:
The reasonable approach would be to not allow new applications from a certain date forward. For someone who is already vetted and approved it is just cruel and punishment for being born in the “wrong“ country.

If we want to encourage immigrants to do things the right way, we don’t succeed if we deny them at the last step without cause.

I don't think there is a "right way" for MAGA. The policy seems to be that anyone who wasn't born here of citizen parents is somehow a contamination of "American values" whether they are legal or not, law abiding or not.

Unqualified · 2025-12-12T10:30:27-0600

snow building up, icy roads.

Belk · 2025-12-12T10:29:21-0600

ThatRobGuy said:
It's not just this case though, we've seen numerous erosions in the past decade or two.

We've seen things from the right like:
The storming of the capitol building due to not liking election outcomes
Red county sheriffs brazenly saying they're not going to enforce new gun laws passed in blue states (Oregon)
Sketchy redistricting plans to carve out fresh seats (which then sparked a tit-for-tat battle with Cali)

We've seen things from the left like:
Prosecutors using "discretion" to preemptively announce their refusal to prosecute cases for new abortion laws they don't like. (Florida)
Juries letting people off the hook (in this case... and there was another case where they let some dude off the hook for stabbing another guy, because the victim used a racial slur after he got stabbed)
The administrative bureaucracy in various federal agencies reaching out to their old bosses to see if there's ways they can obstruct the president's agenda. (WaPo even covered that one, where federal employees were reaching out to their old Obama-era bosses for advice on how to impede Trump's initiatives in his first term)

And both teams have engaged in forum shopping for friendly district courts so that a single judge can halt initiatives in a sweeping fashion when the other team wins...as well as labelling the other "a existential threat to democracy".

We're no longer in an environment where everyone is cool with the "you win some, you lose some...take your lumps and try again in 4 years"

Now it's much more of a
"When we win, we should be able to do whatever we want and foist our positions on everyone with no limits"
"And when we lose, we'll find any shifty way we can to make sure we can do what we want anyway"

For all of the "Democracy is sacred" talk we hear from people, many don't actually believe it. It's "sacred" when they win. When they lose, they look for any way to obstruct and pull any lever they can to avoid the consequences of democracy.

Fair, those are valid concerns, but it is not a new phenomenon. It is also not proof against the safeguards we have built into our judicial system. The bigger item of concern to my mind is the increasingly limited jury pool as citizens attempt to bypass the process in order to not participate. I think the idea that we have somehow reached a critical mass where jury nullification will be the norm or even prevalent is a valid conclusion.

samaus123456789 · 2025-12-12T10:28:29-0600

Something else interesting from one of those texts

The former scribes, however, could not find a good lineage for the Virgin and her father, or kindred; wherefore did the Jews crucify Christ, and taunt Him, and mock Him, and say to Him, " Show us the fathers of Mary the Virgin and her people, and what is her genealogy.'* Therefore did they blaspheme her and Christ. But henceforth shall the mouth of those unbelieving Jews be closed ; and they shall know that Mary is of the seed of David the king, and of that of the patriarch Abraham.

In gospel of Nicodemus the OT Judeans are accusing Jesus of being born of fornication also, and then later on the talmud says the same.

wing2000 · 2025-12-12T10:23:11-0600

...more shenanigans from the "Justice" dept early today:

A federal judge on Friday barred U.S. immigration authorities from re-detaining Kilmar Abrego García, acting on fears raised by his lawyers that officials intended to take him into custody just hours after he was ordered released.

....

Xinis’s Thursday ruling hinged on the fact that at no point in Abrego’s immigration proceedings — from 2019 to today — had there ever been a final deportation order entered in his case.

Hours after that ruling, an immigration judge entered such a deportation order, and ICE officials notified Abrego he was required to check in at a Baltimore field office Friday morning.

“The Government chose to pursue this path only after losing … and only through a process that denied [Abrego] any opportunity to be heard,” his attorneys wrote in a court filing early Friday morning.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/12/12/kilmar-abrego-garcia-ice-baltimore-judge/

Jan001 · 2025-12-12T10:20:46-0600

CLEEB said:
Jeremiah 3:3 KJV A harlots forehead, Revelation 17:5 I am thinking that the worlds churches will be led by the man of sin into Judaizing, basically denying Christ. They already see Israel as GODS only chosen people and some go as far as using things out of the law to increase church revenue, tithes and offerings. With this mindset already in place it would not be difficult for the false prophet to deceive them by calling fire down from heaven to burn the sacrifices at the temple.

I agree that Judaizers will always be among us.

I think the final false prophet will be the leader of the counterfeit worldwide "Christian" church, claiming to be Christian but denying Jesus Christ the Lord by their works/actions. Titus 1:16

I don't think the final false prophet would have the power to actually cause fire to come down from heaven. 1 Kings 18:30-39
Perhaps he will manipulate natural elements to make it appear as if he is doing this.

essentialsaltes · 2025-12-12T10:17:37-0600

Say it aint so said:
Yes. In the 90s when and where a second dose was recommended.

And before measles was declared 'eliminated' in the US circa 2000, because of our vaccination efforts.

Welcome back, measles!

Hentenza · 2025-12-12T10:05:43-0600

HIM said:
Saying things like this doesn't help prove anything..

Sure it does . It s typical legalist hermeneutics.

HIM said:
Unbelief here is the obstinate stiff-necked type.

Saying things like this does not help prove anything.

HIM said:
The sinning comes from the evil heart of unbelief. And the more one sins the more this evil hearted obstinate condition grows. It isn't that they did not believe in God. The issue was they did not believe God because of their rebellious nature.

And yet those that hear His voice are His sheep and He will never loose them.

HIM said:
Yes. I don't think anyone has said different in respect to that verse.

Really? You might want to read the thread first.

HIM said:
No, that is not what the verse is saying. The Good News here that did not benefit them is in respect to The Good news preached to those who were being spoken of in chapter three who were hindered from entering into the promised land. The writer of Hebrews is saying they in his time have had Good News preached to them as those who were in Moses time did. But those in Moses' time did not heed because of their evil heart of unbelief. They did not believe what God said. They did not have faith in God therefore their carcasses fell in the desert because of their sin.

Partially but the main point follows in verse 8 and 9. The example of the Israelites that did not enter the rest with Joshua (not Jesus) is brought forward to the present set of believers and since this book is called Hebrews for a reason you can’t divorce the historical and linguistic context to force an interpretation.

HIM said:
Yes, the rest we have in Christ Jesus being His House. If we hold fast in confidence we will remain His house as He succours (helps) us when we are tempted. We just need to listen to His voice as we hear it. This is the Gospel. Part of it anyway.

Do you know what Justification means and the result it has on all believers? Do you know why Paul says in Rom. 8:1 that there is no condemnation for those in Christ? Have you read 1 Cor. 3 and what happens at the judgment? I’ll posit that all with saving faith will always remain in Christ.

HIM said:
Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour (helps) them that are tempted.

Heb 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

Keep reading. He explains this in Hebrews 5.

HIM said:
Bad translation, the word if needs to be in the text as it is in the verse three below. Go to your Greek to English Interlinear you will see yourself.
Heb 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

That would only apply to the Masoretic text only used to translate the KJV if in fact it was translated correctly. This version is not updated and is incorrect as evidenced by their error in quoting Psalm 95:11 where the KJV omits the “not” referring to enter His rest.

Psalm 95:11 KJV
“Unto whom I sware in my wrath That they should not enter into my rest.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭95‬:‭11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Psalm 95:11 (KJV) - Unto whom I sware in my wrath That | YouVersion

Unto whom I sware in my wrath That they should not enter into my rest.

bible.com

Heb. 4:3
“For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, If they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Hebrews 4:3 (KJV) - For we which have believed do enter | YouVersion

For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, If they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

bible.com

No other updated translation, including the NASB, uses the “if” and matches the Psalm quote.

HIM said:
The Rest here in verse 3 is that of the Good News, the rest we have in Christ Jesus being His house. There He helps us when we are tempted if we listen to His voice. The works of this rest were finished from the foundation of the world is what these verses are saying. This is brought out even more in verse 4 where he starts the verse with the word "for" which adds a reason to that which was previously stated. There it states that when God spake in that certain place Mt Sinia, that He said that He rested from all His works. That would include resting from the works for the rest which is the Good news of Christ Jesus. Verse 5 continues in that it says, "in this again".

You only come to this conclusion because of the KJV translation error.

HIM said:
In this again what? This brings us back to verse 4 where it says, He speaks of the Seventh Day, if we shall enter into the Rest which we have in Christ Jesus being His house listening to His voice.

Heb 4:5 And in this again, If they shall enter into my rest.

I disagree.

HIM said:
Why does he say that? Let's continue and we shall see.

Let’s not. I don’t do preachy or talk down type of talk. Let’s talk about your interpretation and translation error up to here and then continue once this is settled.

Jan001 · 2025-12-12T09:56:53-0600

Lost4words said:
The Church. That is the true church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe the true church of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Catholic Church; otherwise, I would not be a member of it.

BlessedDisciple · 2025-12-12T09:42:47-0600

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Here's a short video I made for Christmas. Hope it blesses you!

fhansen · 2025-12-12T09:37:38-0600

DamianWarS said:
Your argument hinges on interpreting all these references to mean the 10 where the texts never say this. Mat 19:17 we have a familiar account of someone asking Christ which commandments he should keep, Christ's answer seems to cover only the second half of the ten and adds an extra to love your neighbour as yourself. But the takeaway is not how justified the man was for keeping these, but that he still lacked. This exposes the 10 as lacking itself, not to mention it was only 5 commandments. Jesus uses these as a segue to expose the real problem, which addresses the heart.

No one is arguing that murdering, stealing, lying and adultery are wrong or that respecting your parents is a good idea. These are well-established morals that preexist the 10 itself and can be found in any culture. But the bigger question is not how profound these ideas are, but what follows in v20, "what do I still lack". The issue is not what the man kept, but what he was lacking that could not be answered by the 10 (or in this case, the 5)

We can conflate all these references and say "what they really mean is to keeping the 10" but this needs to be injected into the text, not to mention we are missing the point. The tablets are a seal of the covenant relationship first established in Ex 24 (the 10 were spoken in 20 and the tablets were received in 31). This is the covenant, and Hebrews 8:13 says it has been made obsolete.

Deut 5:2-3
The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today

The rest of Deu 5 is quoting the 10. The 10 had a unique relationship as a covenant relationship with Israel, "not with [their] ancestors." This shows us the 10 were never designed for outside the covenant relationship and explicitly for Israel. Coupled with Hebrews 8:13 it's hard to understand why our eyes are still fixed on the 10. It is Christ that we should be looking to and keeping "his commandments" which surpass the 10 in all ways as they address the root of the heart using a heuristic approach. Monotheistic values (commandments 1-3), we can say, are about loving the Lord with all our heart, yet "with all our heart" implicitly reaches further, so it's not just about no other gods, no idols and not taking his name in vain, but it goes beyond. These can all be mechanically observed and divorced of any heart action; Christ's law addresses the depths of our hearts that that's the point, not a list of rules. This is the same with loving your neighbour as yourself, it goes infinitely beyond the actions of the 10, no longer motivated with simply not harming our neighbour from a preset list but a charge to actively pursue love.

The 4th seems like the oddball one, but it really is a monotheistic claim, rescuing pagan 7th-day claims to point to the one creator. ANE (ancient near east) cultures already had a lot of these values in place. Hebrews had a strict 7-day week system, which was unique to them; other cultures used moon phases that may have aligned to a 7-day week but were reset with the lunar month (unlike the Hebrews, who decoupled the two systems). The decoupling is important because the weeks align with no observable phenomena (like moon phases), leading to pagan beliefs. But 7-day iterations already had established practices and values among surrounding cultures long before Israel was formed. It wasn't unique to them, and they inherited these values over being the first to introduce them. It wasn't unusual that the Hebrews had rituals or veneration practices on this day, and surrounding cultures would have overlapping agreement. But the difference is that Sabbath aligns with creation/monotheistic claims over using it to highlight pagan 7-day claims, and is also used redemptively, pointing to Christ. It is deeply rich with meaning, but these point to and are fulfilled by Christ, who is the source and meaning of the sabbath day. Where the physical observance is a part of the old covenant that no longer needs to be repeated.

I think you're over-complicating things a bit here. By listing an example of the ten, Jesus was implictly referencing the ten-as Paul was in Rom 7 and 13 even tho he, as well, only listed a number of them. Neither were suggesting that one need not place and worship God above all else, for example. And both understood and taught that love fulfills the law to begin with, naturally excluding the kinds of sins that the decalogue prohibits or fulfilling those injunctions that it specifies- even as love accomplishes much more than that.

So I don't quite understand. In your previous post you seemed to acknowledge that we're enjoined to take things a giant step further, no longer compelled by the law but compelled by love. In this, the "righteous requirement of the law" (Rom 8:4) is met in us, fulfilled, but the right way, the only right way. And this virtue, this love, is only attainable in the way God desires and justice demands by means of union with Him.

As to the young man in Matt 19, Jesus meant exactly what He said; the ten commandments must be obeyed (otherwise love would obviously be ignored, opposed, destroyed). The problem was that the young man, himself, would only be satisfied by seeing himself as already absolutely perfect, something all humans tend to desire to believe of ourselves at any one point in time. But Jesus is telling us all that perfection in this life involves giving up everything to follow Him, to follow God. And He's offering that as an option: "If you want to be perfect..." And that should be our goal: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48), even if that won't be attainable in an absolute sense in this life. The principle: the more we give up for the kingdom of God the nearer we are to Him, and nearness to God is what the gospel is all about. Union with God is our perfection, our wholeness, our purpose, our telos-and our uncompromised happiness, even, incidentally.

chevyontheriver · 2025-12-12T09:37:37-0600

Michie said:
One year after the 2024 presidential election returned him to the White House, President Donald Trump remains popular among Catholic voters ...

It may not be that Donald Trump is 'popular' but that he's still seen as better by a mile or two than the failed administration he replaced.

samaus123456789 · 2025-12-12T09:35:08-0600

David Lamb said:
Do you have biblical evidence for the book of Enoch being only for those who are wise? If, as you say, it is a hallucination anyway, how can it be the inspired word of God?

You are right, and I am wrong. You are the expert not me. You have wasted my time before on my Enoch threads. I will not allow my time to be wasted anymore.

Michie · 2025-12-12T09:34:50-0600

The head of the Anglican Church in North America should be put on trial for allegedly violating ordination vows and for sexual immorality, a denominational investigative body has concluded.

The Board of Inquiry issued a short statement on Friday stating that there was “probable cause to present” ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood “for trial for violation of Canon 2 of this Title.”

According to the board, Wood should be charged with “Violation of Ordination Vows,” “Conduct giving just cause for scandal or offense, including the abuse of ecclesiastical power” and “Sexual Immorality.”

The Board of Inquiry will refer its decision to The Court for the Trial of a Bishop, a seven-member ACNA court that oversees proceedings against bishops.

In October, The Washington Post published allegations that Wood had engaged in sexual misconduct and abuse of power while serving as rector at St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

Continued below.

ACNA inquiry board finds Archbishop Steve Wood should be put on trial for allegedly violating vows, sexual immorality

The head of the Anglican Church in North America should be put on trial for allegedly violating ordination vows and for sexual immorality, a denominational investigative body has concluded

www.christianpost.com

Michie · 2025-12-12T09:24:09-0600

A look at popular Eastern Orthodox objections to Catholicism—and why many of the same critiques, from papal authority to ecclesial scandals, apply across both apostolic traditions. The video urges viewers to move beyond online polemics and toward serious theological dialogue aimed at eventual unity...

15:08

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I Hate When Eastern Orthodox Apologists Do This...

A look at popular Eastern Orthodox objections to Catholicism—and why many of the same critiques, from papal authority to ecclesial scandals,...

blog.newadvent.org

Soyeong · 2025-12-12T09:14:29-0600

Jeesuspelastaa said:
When we take the concept of the Sabbath from the message of the Letter to the Hebrews, which states that it is a STATE OF REST and not a weekly Sabbath, the matter becomes clear in the light of the new covenant.

The text notably does not state that there is no longer a weekly Sabbath but that there remains a Sabbath for the people of God, that we should rest from our work as God rested from His, and that we should be careful to enter that rest so that no one might fall away by the same sort of disobedience. There is nothing in this passage that we can enter into God’s rest while having the same sort of disobedience that prevented the Israelites entering into it.

Jeesuspelastaa said:
Hebrews chapter 4 is a continuation of the teaching in 3:13-19 about the rest promised by God, which the Jews did not attain at that time "because of unbelief":
"For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
And to whom sware he that THEY SHOULD NOT ENTER INTO HIS REST, but to them that believed not?
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." Hebr. 3:14-19

So we see that because of their unbelief, they—the disobedient—were unable to enter that rest. Hebrews 3:13-19.

The Bible repeatedly connects our belief in God with our obedience Him or our unbelief with our disobedience, such as with Hebrews 3:18-19. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law. In Romans 1:5, we have received grace in order to bring about the obedience of faith. In Romans 3:31, our faith upholds God’s law. In James 2:18, he would Shia faith through his works by setting. In John 3:36, obedience to Jesus is equated with believing in him. In Psalms 119:130, he chose the way of faith by setting it before him. In Revelation 14:12, those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God’s commandments. In Numbers 5:6, disobedience is described as breaking faith. Likewise, the Bible connects someone hardening their heart with disobedience and there is nothing in this passage indicates that we can enter into God’s rest while hardening our hearts as the Israelites did in the wilderness. We can’t enter into God’s rest by refusing to obey His instructions for how to do that.

Jeesuspelastaa said:
But the promise of entering into rest is still valid for those who come to faith. 4:1-3. Coming to faith includes the fulfillment of the weekly Sabbath. The promise of rest is then valid (Heb. 4:9 apoleipetai). It is a matter of the fulfillment of the weekly Sabbath:

The Bible notably doesn’t state anything about this being a matter of fulfillment of the weekly Sabbath.

Jeesuspelastaa said:
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days" Col. 2:16

That verse leave room for two scenarios:

1.) The Colossians were not celebrating God’s feast, they were being judged by Jews because they were not, and Paul was encouraging them not to let anyone judge them for not celebrating them.

2.) The Colossians were celebrating God’s feast, they were being judged by pagans because they were, and Paul was encouraging them not to let anyone judge them for obeying God.

In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul described the people who were judging the Colossians as promoting human precepts and traditions, self-made religion, asceticism, and severity to the body, which means that the second scenario is the case. Those promoting asceticism and severity to the body would be judged people for celebrating feasts, not for refraining from doing that. Paul was encouraging them not to let anyone prevent them from obeying God, which makes it especially ironic that you are trying to use this verse to justify your refusal to obey God.

Michie · 2025-12-12T09:12:21-0600

…CHRISTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

In this centenary year of the establishment of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology, it is both my responsibility and my pleasure to share some reflections that I consider important for the Church in our present time. I do so with a grateful heart, knowing that when our memory of the past is illuminated by faith and purified by charity, it nourishes hope.

In 1925, the “Jubilee of Peace” was proclaimed with the intention of easing the terrible wounds of the First World War. Significantly, the centenary of the Institute coincides with another Jubilee, which also seeks to offer a new vision of hope to a humanity troubled by numerous wars.

The present age is marked by rapid changes, humanitarian crises and cultural transitions, and requires that we not only draw on ancient and new knowledge, but also search for a profound wisdom capable of preserving and passing on to future generations what is truly essential. In this light, I strongly wish to reaffirm the essential role of archaeology in understanding Christianity and, consequently, its application within catechetical and theological formation. Archaeology is not just a specialized discipline reserved to a few experts, but a path accessible to anyone who wishes to understand how faith is embodied in time, place and culture. For us Christians, history is a vital foundation. Indeed, we journey through life in the concrete realm of history, which is the same setting for the unfolding of the mystery of salvation. All Christians are called to ground their lives in the Good News that begins with the Incarnation of the Word of God within human history (cf. Jn 1:14).

As our beloved Pope Francis once reminded us, “No one can truly know their deepest identity, or what they wish to be in the future, without attending to the bonds that link them to preceding generations. This is true not only of us as individuals, but also as a community. Indeed, the study and writing of history helps to keep ‘the flame of collective conscience’ alive. Otherwise, all that remains is the personal memory of facts bound to our own interests or sensibilities, with no real connection to the human and ecclesial community in which we live.” [1]

The house of Archaeology

Continued below.

Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV on the importance of Archaeology on the occasion of the Centenary of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology (11 December 2025)

APOSTOLIC LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE LEO XIV ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ARCHAEOLOGY ON THE OCCASION OF THE CENTENARY OF THE PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF CHRISTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

www.vatican.va

essentialsaltes · 2025-12-12T09:11:40-0600

Vote to overhaul FEMA canceled after leaked report

The FEMA Review Council was scheduled to approve its recommendations for overhauling the agency Thursday.

The move came after Trump officials were angered that CNN had obtained a copy of the FEMA Review Council’s final report and published an article on its website Wednesday, according to two people who are close to the panel. One review council member told a person close to the panel that officials canceled the meeting to demonstrate that the leaked report has not been finalized and is subject to change.

The Trump-appointed 13-member council, led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been working for months on recommendations to streamline FEMA and speed up disaster aid.

The cancellation apparently occurred at the last minute.

Shortly after noon Thursday, Noem was testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee and left the hearing before it ended to attend the review council meeting.

“I have to actually leave this hearing early because the FEMA Review Council is giving their report today on suggestions for changes to FEMA, and I have to co-chair it,” Noem told Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), who had asked her a question.

--

Council members were expected to vote on proposed cuts that would alter the way the federal government responds to declared emergencies.

The draft of the report signaled the review council’s plan to dramatically cut the agency even as climate change-fueled disasters increase, provoking swift condemnation from advocacy groups and emergency management experts. Critics panned the draft as a blueprint for weakening the nation’s primary emergency-response agency and shifting responsibility onto states unequipped and unprepared to manage crises alone.

The Washington Post reported that senior administration officials were displeased with the document’s abstract plan to restructure FEMA, prescribing huge cuts without providing specifics.

“It is time to close the chapter on FEMA,” the leaked report states, according to CNN, which reported that the draft calls for the most sweeping transformation of FEMA since its creation nearly five decades ago, including cutting half of the agency’s staff.

FEMA’s annual workload has more than doubled over the past two decades, as the warming climate supercharges Atlantic hurricanes, accelerates wildfire seasons and drives inland flooding with record rainstorms. What happens next with the review council’s recommendations may determine how the United States navigates a worsening era of climate extremes

Shana Udvardy, a policy analyst for The Union of Concerned Scientists, warned in a statement Thursday that the reported recommendations would “gut FEMA, leaving states to shoulder the burden of disasters and putting disaster victims at risk of serious harm.”

Many of the government’s most seasoned FEMA staff were already pushed out or sidelined in recent months, replaced, in some instances, by officials with minimal disaster management experience.

d taylor · 2025-12-12T09:05:42-0600

-

No person knows what heaven is like, so how do they know that they are experiencing heaven on earth.

Michie · 2025-12-12T08:57:18-0600

Almost 500 years after the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe — whose feast the Church celebrates Dec. 12 — the image of Our Lady has become the subject of several popular myths and legends, especially in Mexico, where she appeared.

Father Eduardo Chávez, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mexico, was the postulator for Juan Diego’s canonization and is a renowned expert on the apparitions. He is also director of the Institute for Guadalupan Studies.

Speaking to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, in 2019, Chávez separated fact from fiction.

Is it true the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has the same temperature as a human body?

Continued below.

Fact or fiction? 9 popular myths about Our Lady of Guadalupe

In the almost 500 years since Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared, her image has become the subject of several popular myths and legends, especially in Mexico.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

CLEEB · 2025-12-12T08:55:48-0600

The 144000 are the elect Christian saints. The church is GODS Israel, the Israel of GOD. The church is the olive tree in Romans 11 from the root to the branches. Remember the Gentiles are grafted into the olive tree, the church. The people in Hebrews 11 are the root of the olive tree in Romans 11.

chevyontheriver · 2025-12-12T08:52:49-0600

FaithT said:
Do you think this will become a thing again?

I think it is a little bit more of a thing than it was, but I think it will be a slow thing. I see a lot of it in the Ordinariate. A little in my parish. And among younger women too.

Michie · 2025-12-12T08:52:40-0600

Rapper and country artist Jelly Roll testified to God’s work in his life throughout his recent conversation on Joe Rogan’s podcast, which was released Wednesday, Dec. 10. At the end of the podcast, an emotional Jelly Roll learned that a dream of his has been fulfilled: He was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Editor’s note: This video contains language some might find offensive.

“I just never thought this was the journey, dude. I thought I’d die young or I thought I’d kill myself. I didn’t think I was going to be able to figure it out,” said Jelly Roll.

“You figured it out, and you’re figuring it out more every day,” Rogan told him.

Continued below.

Jelly Roll Shares on ‘Joe Rogan’ How God Has Worked in His Life—Then Gets a Surprise Opry Invitation

Rapper and country artist Jelly Roll testified to God’s work in his life throughout his recent conversation on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

churchleaders.com

NewLifeInChristJesus · 2025-12-12T08:49:44-0600

WordSword said:
I like what you said, but I'm not sure of what you mean here. Thanks!

I was just thinking about Romans 8:1. It comes right after chapter 7's discusion of the conflicts inside a person who serves God with his mind but serves sin with the flesh (Ro 7:25 b) and it expounds upon the victory Christ gives us over the wretchedness we feel for being so close to sin (Ro 7:24-25a).

The point is that God corrects us whenever we go astray (Heb 12). His correction does not come with condemnation. Instead, It comes with love. And His correction is not pleasant, but painful. But it still does not come with condemnation. Yes, the sin is condemned, but the child is still loved. And the pain of His correction goes away and peace is restored when His correction has it's intended effect.

We all sin (even though a select few deny it). If a preacher does not preach the whole truth about sin including that those who are in Christ face no condemnation even while they are being corrected, then they are not preaching the whole gospel. They are just preaching against sin but don't help their flock understand how to deal with their sins. This makes for a legalistic congregation that I have no desire to be a part of (unless God gives me that mission). Been there, done that.

Michie · 2025-12-12T08:49:33-0600

Stryper frontman Michael Sweetrecently informed fans that he has been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer.

“A lot of you have been asking about my health and well being so I wanted to give you an update,” Sweet said in a social media post on Tuesday (Dec. 9).

Sweet cofounded the iconic Christian metal band in 1983. The band has influenced many Christian rock bands and artists today, including Skillet frontman John Cooper. Throughout the band’s career, Stryper, a name inspired by Isaiah 53:5, has received a Grammy Award nomination and won two Dove Awards.

After thanking his social media followers for their “thoughts and prayers,” Sweet shared that his endocrinologist told him that a nodule in his right thyroid that was biopsied on Nov. 17 came back positive for cancer.

Continued below.

Stryper's Michael Sweet Has Been Diagnosed With Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Stryper frontman Michael Sweet recently informed fans that he has been diagnosed papillary thyroid cancer.

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Vote to overhaul FEMA canceled after leaked report​

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Council members were expected to vote on proposed cuts that would alter the way the federal government responds to declared emergencies.​

Is it true the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has the same temperature as a human body?​

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Vote to overhaul FEMA canceled after leaked report

Council members were expected to vote on proposed cuts that would alter the way the federal government responds to declared emergencies.

Is it true the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has the same temperature as a human body?