fhansen said:

The real problem is people in general. Even the holiest of us will be imperfect relative to God. So some degree of corruption or compromise will always prevail here on this earth. But does that mean we should just give up and isolate ourselves?

Humans are both individual and social beings. Our relationship with God is individual but also corporate as the Body, with a unity, also yet imperfect in this life, that we were created to have.

So do we ignore injustice in this world, or, alternatively, simply depend on the goodwill of believers to somehow prevent or rectify injustices? Or, instead, does a just socieity unite together under some model of government and legislate against immoral behavior such as, say murder? Or against the excesses that capitalists might go to maximize profits, including the exploitation of labor, creation of monopolies, etc? Anyway, as long as people are involved there can be no perfect political or governmental system; they're all compromises that we must nonetheless use in order to promote the common good, hopefully guided by Christian principles to the best we can.

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Well again, since Christ did say to give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, then that’s how I expect Christians to solve politics. Of course there is some confusion as to who is actually Caesar, but that’s just coming from ignorance.

Just saw this...sure, I'll be glad to pray for you both. Just remember when it comes to adversity: God may not have brought you to it, but He is faithful to get you through it!

But man is obsessed with making everything in our own image, mini gods that we are.

Ah well God has raised many a fine mighty warriors in the Bible.

They were let in after the floods in 2010. Sixteen years is more than enough Temporary Protected Status. The question to be asked is why so long?

rambot said:

My biggest question mark is whether or not that money would be shieded from guardians.

I mean, if parents can't afford groceries for a month, suddenly that investment money seems like a necessity.

It seems odd to save for a retirement when you can BARELY afford to live for the next week.

Again, it seems like a positive idea....

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No worrries on this. "Generally, it’s not possible to withdraw Trump account funds before age 18. But there are limited exceptions, including certain rollovers, distribution upon death and for excess contributions, according to the IRS." https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/05/trump-accounts-free-money.html

For those following the Dell donations will provide an extra 250 dollars to qualified children. Also there is 250 dollars going to children born before jan 1, 2025 that are under the age of 10 if I read this correctly.

AV1611VET said:

Ray Palmer

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AV, that is the only post of yours that I will call legitimately funny.

timewerx said:

Thanks, are you saying they're just sensitive to the Holy Spirit in a different way and they're just reacting differently to the same spirit? I hope you're right.

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I think that's true for some of them. I also think some of them are pretending to fit in or acting it out hoping to fake it until they make it.

I think some people need or want a more emotional experience and they tie that in with movement and interaction to the Holy Spirit.

I need calm, steady, quiet interactions. I think to some extent the Lord interacts with us in ways that we can receive and understand.

But I also question the validity of what they do and expect from others when comparing what they say and do with examples given to us in the Bible and what that might mean.

I do firmly believe there is nothing wrong with me in that regard. I think there probably isn't anything wrong with you either.

Here is the footage of the destruction of the camera in a video clip. (The original camera has been taken off line.)

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Another news report:

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A few short clips, starting with the break-up of the south cone:

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All three Persons of the Trinity are the Ancient of Days. In Daniel's vision, it's God the Father.

Yttrium said:

I've been reading lately about suggestions to denaturalize legal immigrants. The Trump administration has already been working on revoking green cards and deporting legal immigrants in certain cases. I'd like to know what people around here thing about this, and specifically how far the government should be able to go.

Should the government be able to denaturalize legal immigrants if they've committed crimes in the US? Or for any reason at all? For that matter, should the government be able to revoke the citizenship of citizens born in the US and deport them? Although discussion of babies born in the US of illegal immigrants would deserve another thread, I wouldn't consider it to be off topic here.

Personally, I am currently against denaturalization unless fraud was committed during the application process (as per 8 U.S.C. Section 1451). As far as I'm concerned, once you're a citizen, you remain a citizen unless you voluntarily move out and revoke your citizenship.

Now, this isn't meant as a criticism of the Trump administration. They're exploring the legality of denaturalization, and that's fine. I would just hope that they run into a hard legal wall.

MSN

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I would say that it depends on the crime and how many offenses they’re committing. I’m not sure but if they’ve renounced their citizenship in their previous country then I don’t know where the US government could deport them to. I don’t think the US government can just drop them off in a country that they are not a citizen of, so I’m not sure how that would work.

WordSword said:

I believe the Law for the Jews passed away "when all was fulfilled" by the Lord Jesus (Mat 5:18); when He said, "It is finished" (Jhn 19:30), He fulfilled all the Law. Jesus and His disciples taught the Law until His ascension!

The Law was for the Jews and nobody else. Even after His ascension I believe the Jews continued in the law until Rome destroyed the second Temple (40 years after His ascension), after which there could be no more sacrifices nor any ceremonies. The Jews no longer have a Covenant with God but are to receive a "New Covenant" latter (Jer 31:31-33; Eze 36:24-27). This Covenant will still involve new "statutes, judgments, ordinances and Law.

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Jesus did fulfill the Law, He was prophesized to magnified it Isa 42:21 which means makes larger, not smaller and He gave examples of this right from the Ten Commandments Mat5:19-30 relating with thoughts of anger that lead up to breaking the commandment of thou shalt not murder. If our heart is changed, the actions would be changed and thou shalt not murder would be kept. I find it odd that Jesus would come so we can now worship other gods or murder our neighbor. This is a man-made teaching, nothing Jesus taught, why He said not to break the least of these commandments Mat5:19 and doing so I would consider His warning because it shows our heart is still in the flesh Rom8:7-8 instead of walking and abiding in Him John15:10 John14:15-18

The New Covenant is the location of His Laws changing- from tablets of stone (Ten Commandments Deut4:13) to tablets of the heart 2Cor3:3 Heb8:10 God keeping His promise of not altering His words Psa89:34 not a jot or tittle Mat5:18 God’s Laws are not the issue they are perfect Psa19:7 and holy Rom7:12 the issue is man and our harden heart, rebelling against the law of God. Rom 8:7-8 Heb3:7-19. Why the NC is established on better promises Heb 8:6 not all new laws, it has God’s law Heb8:10 just placed in the NC believers heart. We need to enter into His covenant promise through faith, having our Fathers Laws written in our heart obeying Him through faith and love Exo20:6 John14:15 which reconciles us Rev22:14

Michie said:

Pastor and bestselling author John Piper recently addressed how Christians should view their body image without falling into a state of dishonor when it comes to obsession with one's own outward appearance.

In an episode of the podcast "Ask Pastor John," posted to the Desiring God website last Thursday, an unnamed listener asked whether it was "sinful to enjoy how I look as I continue this healthy routine."

“I know it's good to be healthy, as it gives me more energy and makes me feel better day-by-day, but I don't want to fall back into obsession or dishonor God with my focus," the listener noted.

"I understand He should be first in all things, including my fitness. But if I notice my body changing, is that wrong? And if so, how can I turn away from that?"

Piper, chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church for over 30 years, encouraged listeners to reject statements like, "I enjoy how I look," or "Is it OK to notice how I look?" when talking about one's own appearance.

"Even though both of those sentences might be totally innocent in general, that way of talking is going to go hand in hand with a perception — maybe not a reality, but a perception — that this person is a little excessively concerned about personal appearance, even if that's not true," Piper said.

Continued below.

Should Christians obsess over body image? John Piper answers

Pastor and bestselling author John Piper recently addressed how Christians should view their body image without falling into a state of dishonor when it comes to obsession with one s own outward

www.christianpost.com

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The Patristic answer would be no, as anyone who has read The Sayings of the Desert Fathers can attest. This also corresponds with what St. Paul wrote.

Michie said:

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven? Can he or she be in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, one of those who is a genuine believer?

A Christian educator once said that the faith of a child — up to age 12 — could be called a “borrowed faith”; this faith could be borrowed from his parents or a Sunday school teacher. Then, in his early teens, the child would develop their “chosen faith,” ultimately moving on to their “owned faith.”

Now, when we think of a borrowed faith, do we also think of it as a saving faith? Not exactly, and not something you’d want to count on when you’re not totally confident.

Let’s see what Jesus had to say about children’s salvation. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-4).

Okay, so the disciples have a different question than I originally posed; they want to know who’s the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus calls a little child. In case you question whether this really is a young child, the Greek word is paidión, which means “little” or “young.” So, he didn’t just call a child, he called a little child. Now remember, in that culture, a 13-year-old boy enters manhood. Young people were married at 16. So, if they are calling a child little, they mean little.

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Can a young child become a Christian?

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven

www.christianpost.com

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The answer is yes - both through Baptism as an infant (ideally followed immediately by Chrismation and the Eucharist as in the Eastern praxis; we do not refuse our children the Eucharist until the age of 7) and also of their own accord.

For example, St. Abanoub is venerated as a great martyr in the Coptic Orthodox church - he was orphaned when his parents died of natural causes, became a Christian, and was martyred at age 12 during the Diocletian persecution.

NewLifeInChristJesus said:

Yes, you are right that Jesus saves us "all at once". The "mechanism" that transforms us from lost to saved is that Jesus saves us (Rom 10:13). It is difficult to choose between spiritual baptism and spiritual birth as the specific means He employs to save us, but I don't think we need to choose between the two. We can see that receiving Jesus into our hearts is what it means to be born of God (Jn 1:12) and we can see that receiving Jesus into our hearts is what makes us baptized into Christ (Gal 3:27).

Spiritual baptism brings in the concepts of death because of sin but new life through resurrection from the dead (Rom 6:3). Spiritual birth brings in the concepts of being a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) and partaking of God's divine nature (2 Pet 1:4). But the end of both is the same -- being joined with the Lord and being one spirit with Him (1 Cor 6:17). Both concepts are valid, but they point to different aspects of the same event.

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NLIChristJesus

Nice post. I think Peter answers that question. There is a placing into that saves (1Peter 3:21). Saves pertains to both the positional and the practical, or the legality of it and being born again. "Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ". Receiving the Holy Spirit indwelling by Jesus as a result of our faith is what places us in Him (1 Corinthians 12:13). The results of that spiritual union can be seen in (Romans 6:1-11, Colossians 2:9-14) to name a few. Being placed in Him also places us into His death, and we are then raised up with Him, born again, as a result of this placing into Him. Anything speaking of us being "in Christ, or "in Him" is speaking of that spiritual union which results from our being placed into Him. That placing into is summed up with the phrase 'baptism with the Holy Spirit'. Or the placing into [Christ Jesus] with the [indwelling of the] Holy Spirit. It's that spiritual union that saves us. When we become one with Jesus, we have all the things needed to save us from that spiritual union, including access to His death and resurrection so that we can also die and be raised with Him, born again, and we also receive the imputed righteousness of God (Romans 10:4), and His atonement applies.

Do you think us dying and being raised with Him is just a metaphor, or does this really happen spiritually? Like when Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ". Does He mean that literally?

Dave

Aryeh Jay said:

Totally amature, possibly a false flag. Who handcuffs a corpse?

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Yeah, usually you want to take the handcuffs off so it doesn't look like they died in custody.

Just over two years ago, when some pastors began experimenting with artificial intelligence to generate sermons, a majority of Christians didn't think the technology was good for the Church.

Fast-forward, and the use of AI has increased by 80% across all ministries in churches, and a growing number of people have been turning to apps like Text With Jesus for spiritual guidance.

While he doesn't see the use of AI by Christians as a threat to faith in God because "God is much bigger than AI," Pastor Ray Miller of First Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas, warns that the rapid adoption of the technology in the faith arena could become "another type of idol pulling at our attention."

"The interactivity that AI brings will feel more like a personal deity that seems all-knowing. When a company tries to sell you on texting with Jesus, I believe we have walked into dangerous, perhaps idolatrous waters," Miller told The Christian Post.

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It looks like he was trying to buy loyalty, but it backfired. I'm not into voting for a criminal. It's looks like this world is becoming Trump's way only. If not you're branded as a evil person. That needs to be gone.

essentialsaltes said:

Somali American Republican Rebukes Trump's Xenophobic Attack: ‘My Children Are Not Garbage’​

A Somali American living in Minnesota who voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election condemned the president’s latest xenophobic attacks against his people as federal authorities plan to launch a targeted immigration enforcement operation in his state.

“I’ve been a Republican for over 25 years. I’m not going to stop being a Republican, and now we are being called ‘garbage.’” said Mohamed Ahmed to CNN’s Whitney Wild.

“I got five children. My children are not garbage,” responded Ahmed, the Somali American Republican and Minnesota resident, to Trump. “We campaigned for you... We have hope in you. We see hope in you. Please differentiate between good, bad and evil.”

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Face, meet leopard.

RocksInMyHead said:

Praise the God-Emperor of Mankind!

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Can’t wait to see what his golden throne runs on.

The Turkish government calls Trump's Gaza plan indispensable while ignoring its own role as a protective power for Islamist actors. The discrepancy between aspiration and reality is growing.

The latest warning from Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan that a failure of the US-backed Gaza initiative would be a ‘huge mistake’ for Washington and the world exemplifies the contradictory role Ankara has been playing for years. Ironically, a state that offers Hamas officials refuge, logistical support and a political platform is now presenting itself as a guarantor of stability. For Israel, this construct is difficult to comprehend and for many Western observers, increasingly questionable.

In the interview, Fidan emphasises that a functioning "Palestinian" civil administration, flanked by a police force that is ‘not Hamas,’ is crucial for the plan's progress. At the same time, he claims that the organisation is prepared to relinquish control of the Gaza Strip. Israel has seen for years how unreliable similar assurances have been in the past. Hamas has never voluntarily relinquished its power; it has consolidated it through repression, intimidation and violence.

The fact that Turkey is one of the loudest critics of Israeli military action and yet sometimes plays a key role in brokering ceasefires is part of this political double movement: moral distance on the outside, strategic self-interest on the inside.

Ankara has declared its willingness to participate in an international stabilisation force. Jerusalem clearly rejects this option. Israel's concern is understandable: a force coming from a country that has harboured Hamas politically and organisationally for years would not be a neutral player. Such a mission could instead create new areas of tension especially if Ankara interprets its mandate in line with its own regional ambitions.

President Donald Trump is visibly pushing ahead with the Gaza peace process himself. Ankara says there is no alternative to this path. But what matters is not Fidan's rhetoric, but whether Turkey is prepared to change the political conditions that have kept Hamas in a comfortable position for years. Words alone cannot create a new security architecture.

The fact that Fidan is simultaneously promising an early lifting of US sanctions over the S-400 deal and commenting on the war in Ukraine shows how broadly Ankara interprets its interests. This is legitimate but it explains why Israel views Turkey's role with caution. Turkey is not a hostile state, but an actor that always writes its own script, even when it claims to support someone else's.

For the Gaza plan, this means that only a realistic view of the regional balance of power will determine whether the second phase is actually achieved. And realism begins with not ignoring Ankara's dual role as a self-appointed mediator and, at the same time, a long-standing protective power for Islamist networks.

Delvianna said:

I get it... I've had seriously bad experiences with church and the people in them. What I decided on, is to count my blessings where they are. I may not have "friends" but I do have people that I can fellowship with. I have a high standard for friendship, so I can help others, be there for others, for the acquaintances that I do have while I pray and ask God to bring a friend into my life that he knows is good for me.

Ask God to lead and direct you to where you need to be that is fruitful to both your spiritual walk with him, and the people that he can surround you with. I think it helps that if you stop trying to figure it out and let God do all the heavy lifting by intersecting your path with someone that could be a friend, you can learn to appreciate the people in your life that you have now and it makes that journey a bit more peaceful. Just let God direct you.

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Christ did not come for the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance. I think the desire for friendship is a good one.

BOSTON (AP) — A Harvard visiting law professor from Brazil who told police he was shooting at rats when he fired a pellet gun near a synagogue during Yom Kippur has left the United States after his visa was revoked, federal officials and his lawyer confirmed on Thursday.

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So here is a puzzle for you:

In what day did the thief on the cross enter paradise? Christ clearly said, “today”, and yet, it was the day before the Sabbath. Or was it? Did the women who came after enter the Sabbath by their works, or by their faith? Will their works count to them as righteousness, or their faith?