These words were penned by the apostle Paul, as he was carried along by the Holy Spirit. But the letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy, and to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And at least this section of the letter was for the purpose to encourage the church, the body of Christ, the body of believers in Jesus Christ who were of genuine God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in the Lord Jesus.

Paul stated that the Christians were chosen of God from the beginning to be saved, and the Scriptures bear that out that those who are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus were chosen by God even before the creation of the world to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. And that last phrase there is critical to our understanding of what true salvation from sin really is. For it is not generated by our own flesh.

And this salvation is not what is commonly being taught today. For we who believe in Jesus with God-provided faith in him were predestined to be conformed the likeness of Jesus Christ. And we were saved and called to a holy calling, by God’s grace, and to be holy is to be separate (different) from the world because we are being made to be like Jesus. And we are to be obedient to God, no longer conformed to the passions of our sinful flesh.

[Jer 1:1-19; Psalms 139:13-16; Acts 26:18; Rom 1:6-7,18-23; Rom 6:15-21; Rom 8:28-29; 1 Co 1:9; 1 Co 12:1-31; Gal 5:13; Eph 1:3-4; 1 Thess 4:1-8; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 10:26-31; 1 Pet 1:14-16; 1 Pet 2:9; 2 Pet 1:3]

So, this salvation does not come about by us giving lip service to the Lord and claiming faith in him and in what he did for us on that cross. It is persuaded of God and is gifted to us by God, as is the faith to believe in Christ, and not one of us can be saved by our own human effort. For our faith and salvation are not of the flesh of man, not of our own doing, but we are saved from our sins only because the Father drew us to himself.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44]

Now let me go back to that highlighted phrase. We are saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. And sanctification is a process of the Spirit in making us holy, different from the world, because we are now being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. But this involves our cooperation with the Spirit’s work of salvation and sanctification in our hearts and minds, resulting in godly behavior.

And we are saved through belief in the truth. And this is where it gets sticky, for “the truth” that so many are teaching today is not the truth that Jesus taught and that his NT apostles taught. It is partially the truth, but which dilutes and alters that truth to make it more acceptable and appeasing to human flesh and less offensive to the ungodly of the world. So they teach that you can profess faith, but still continue in sin, and still be saved.

But Jesus taught that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to (save) our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self (lose our lives), die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands, in practice, then we have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God (Luke 9:23-26).

For we are called to faith in Jesus Christ through the preaching of the gospel that Jesus taught and that his NT apostles taught, as taught in the appropriate biblical context. And they taught that, by faith in Jesus Christ, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, and that constitutes genuine salvation.

Now when Paul said, “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us,” these were not human traditions passed down to us by our ancestors from generation to generation. These were biblical instructions of God, given to the apostles, and then handed down from the apostles to the people, which then have been handed down to us from generation to generation. We are to hold firm to the teachings for us of the apostles.

But let me add a word of caution here. So many people today are teaching the Scriptures out of context. They pull certain verses out of context and then they twist them to make them say what they don’t teach if taught in context, and believe me when I say that is absolutely deliberate! At least it is deliberate by those who initiated the teachings of these Scriptures out of context, but it is negligent for teachers to not teach them in context.

And please know that the grace of God is not free license for us to continue living in sin. God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” “which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!

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Eleven children and two adults have been knifed at a Taylor Swift-themed event in Southport

A knife-wielding attacker has injured eleven children - two of them fatally - and two adults at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga event in the town of Southport in northwestern England.

Channel 3 named the suspect as Ali-Al-Shakati, an asylum-seeker who arrived in the UK by boat last year.

A RADICAL religious group has raised more than £3 million to buy an entire Scottish island, with the aim to create a closed community which practices sharia law.

On Sunday, the Daily Mail reported that the London-based preacher Sheikh Yasser al-Habib and his followers were in “advanced talks” to purchase the island of Torsa, in Argyll.

The Daily Mail reported that, in a video calling for donations to help buy Torsa, al-Habib says he will negotiate with the UK Government to allow Muslims “from all over the world” to get a visa to live in their new “homeland”.

Wow, a rock version of Hosanna? This is awesome. Now, we have all heard of the Hillsong scandal, but as Starfield is not connected to Hillsong, we can enjoy the music.

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Hosanna Lyrics (Original by Hillsong, cover released 2008):

[Verse 1]
I see the King of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes, yeah

[Verse 2]
I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

[Chorus]
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

[Verse 3]
I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith

[Verse 4]
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

[Chorus]
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

[Bridge]
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

[Chorus]
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

[Outro]
Hosanna in the highest
In the highest,in the highest
Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest

This has been one of my favorite pieces of Scripture so far

" However the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infermaties. So He himself often withdrew in the wilderness and prayed."

My interpretation of this is that even Jesus needs a break and to take time to be in solitude and pray. This shows the true mercy and human qualities that God bestowed. Despite being the Lord, He must still be present and mindful as we all must.

This passage struck me as we must also do the same in order to embrace God's love and Word.

Ok, how did I make it to 63 and never noticed this before? Is there no end to God's little prophetic gems? Brilliant!

=======

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”​

- Luke 2:4-5​

Mary and Joseph were betrothed and living in Nazareth, where the angel Gabriel had announced the coming birth of Jesus. But Bethlehem, not Nazareth, provided the environs for Jesus’s birth. A Roman census initiated by Caesar Augustus required everyone who owned property to register it in person for taxation purposes. Because Joseph was from Bethlehem, the census set them on the road to that village.

The Gospel writers make special effort to be sure we know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, as it happened there to fulfill a promise the Lord had made through the prophet Micah. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2).

Many babies were born in the Promised Land, but only a child born in Bethlehem qualified for consideration as the promised Messiah.
Why did the Lord pick Bethlehem? This was David’s hometown, a village that had enjoyed a long association with David’s ancestors, including his great-grandmother Ruth. To think about Bethlehem was to think about David. To think about David meant to think about the powerful promise the Lord had given him. One of David’s descendants would rise to sit on Israel’s throne and rule an eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12–16). Thus an important link was forged through family history and prophecy. From the town of Bethlehem, which means “house of bread,” would come King Jesus who said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35).

Prayer​

Lord Jesus, we thank You for fulfilling Your Father’s promise to be born
in the city of David, Bethlehem, “the house of bread,” and for inaugurating Your rule on earth as the King of Kings for eternity.

Amen!!!

From: Holy Land: Born in David’s Hometown, the “House of Bread” - C.S. Lewis Institute

I KINGS 18:46-19:21

In this study, we see a second example of “zeal” for Adonai. Israel was again, bowing down and worshipping Baal, and Eliyahu (Elijah) had enough and decided to do something about it. He initiated a contest between YHVH and Baal. Whoever answers the prayers and brings down fire to devour the animal sacrifices, that “god” would be GOD, who the Israelites would worship from then on.

Of course, we know who won the contest. Yet as soon as Jezebel, the queen and wicked wife of King Ahab, heard this, and was told that Eliyahu had the 450 priests of Baal slain, she sent a “death threat” to Elihayu. Well, he ran to Mt Horeb in Saudi Arabia, hundreds and hundreds of miles away. There he hid out for a while.

There are times when a “man of God” or a “woman of God” can pretty much be tired out, exhausted, and they need a rest. Eliyahu was no different. Adonai understood that. He allowed him to rest, sending an angel to cook for him and reassuring him that there were 7000 Israelites that did not bow the knee to Baal! Elihayu’s mission wasn’t quite over yet, he still had a job to do before being taken up to Heaven in a chariot of fire. Now that was quite a hot exit!

When we serve the LORD, we work to the best of our anointed abilities, yet we need to know when to rest. Not quit mind you. Quitting and resting are two different things. Serving Adonai in ministry is a life calling, ending only at death! So, continue to serve YHVH, in this way, we show our zeal. Always allow yourself a time for personal "Shabbat" time, a time for rest and relaxation. A walk in the woods, a trip to the beach, leaving the cell phone at home, or turned off. Even a trip to the desert would be interesting, that's where Yeshua/Jesus went to be alone with the Father. Just remember to bring water.


LUKE 23:1-24:53

We have seen in the above cases, “zeal” for YHVH, yet in this case, we see YESHUA himself, who the zeal was directed to, in his case, he was the “lamb to the slaughter”. Remained silent in front of his accusers, before Pilate and Herod. There is a time for a believer to protest, to speak out, and there is a time to remain silent. For this reason, Yeshua came into the world. Not to claim kingship then, yet the whole earth was his to rule. His mission was to teach the Torah, heal the sick, and to die for our sins.

Yes, there were times when he got incensed and angry, and there were times when he showed his power, yet on the final day of his earthly life, it was a time to be silent, yet a time to forgive his accusers, to accept the nails, and to say; “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!’ “Aba, Sh’vook l’hoon la ge’ir yadeen mana av’deen” (Aramaic) and “It is finished” “ha m’shalam” (Aramaic) seems like the translation is saying “the peace’ (is restored)

Zeal can come in two forms, aggressive, and passive, we need to know when to use them.

Is there any proof that what is carried on today by the Catholic faith, carries on from the teachings of Jesus and his apostles?


The Didache is a brief anonymous early Christian treatise (ancient church order) written in Koine Greek, dated by modern scholars to the first or (less commonly) second century AD

Dating the document is thus made difficult both by the lack of hard evidence and its composite character. The Didache may have been compiled in its present form as late as 150, although a date closer to the end of the first century seems more probable to many.

Baptism
The second part (chapters 7 to 10) begins with an instruction on baptism, the sacramental rite that admits someone into the Christian Church. Baptism is to be conferred "in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" with triple immersion in "living water" (that is, flowing water, probably in a stream). If this is not practical, baptism in cold or even warm water is acceptable. If the water is insufficient for immersion, it may be poured three times on the head (affusion). The baptized and the baptizer, and, if possible, anyone else attending the ritual should fast for one or two days beforehand.

Fasting
Chapter 8 suggests that fasts are not to be on the second day and on the fifth day "with the hypocrites", but on the fourth day and on the preparation day. Fasting Wednesday and Friday plus worshiping on the Lord's day constituted the Christian week. Nor must Christians pray with their Judaic brethren; instead they shall say the Lord's Prayer three times a day. The text of the prayer is not identical to the version in the Gospel of Matthew, and it is given with the doxology "for Yours is the power and the glory forever." This doxology derives from 1 Chronicles 29:11–13; Bruce M. Metzger held that the early church added it to the Lord's Prayer, creating the current Matthew reading.

Daily prayer
The Didache provides one of the few clues historians have in reconstructing the daily prayer practice among Christians before the 300s. It instructs Christians to pray the "Our Father" three times a day but does not specify times to pray. Recalling the version of Matthew 6:9–13, it affirms "you must not pray like the hypocrites, but you should pray as follows." Other early sources speak of two-fold, three-fold, and five-fold daily prayers.

Church Organization
The local leadership consists of bishops and deacons, and they seem to be taking the place of the itinerant ministry. Christians are enjoined to gather on Sunday to break bread, but to confess their sins first as well as reconcile themselves with others if they have grievances (Chapter 14).


From this, we can see quite a number of differences between what the Bible teaches, and what this document alleges is "The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations (Διδαχὴ Κυρίου διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, Didachḕ Kyríou dià tō̂n dṓdeka apostólōn toîs éthnesin)".

Baptism
Matthew 3:16, 17; Romans 6:3-7;

Fasting
Luke 18:9-14;

Praying
Matthew 6:7-13; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 14:22; Romans 15:30-33;

Church Organization
Matthew 24:14; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 5:41, 42; Acts 20:20, 21; 2 Timothy 4:2-5

Olympics commentator fired for making controversial John Lennon statement
MSN

Truth hurts.

One major question
While Biden's first two proposals will likely never become law, that Biden is choosing this moment to demand Supreme Court reform raises a major question.

Would Biden and Democrats be demanding change if the Supreme Court had ruled the way they wanted on abortion, presidential immunity, executive-branch power, student-loan forgiveness, the Second Amendment, and a host of additional issues?

The answer to that question likely reveals the motive for their demands.

I thought I would make a sort of "master list" of the podcasts that are out there for us to listen to, maybe this could be a sticky. Feel free to contribute suggestions! All the links I'm including below are from Apple Podcasts, but these can usually found just about anywhere that has podcasts (Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, etc). If anything is suggested in the replies I'll try to edit the post so it's included in the list.

I don't personally listen to all of these, I just tried to list as many as I could think of. Right now the only thing I've been listening to is Avoiding Babylon. But in the past I've listened to Bible in a Year, Crisis Point, Dr Taylor Marshall, Meaning of Catholic, OnePeterFive, Rules for Retrogrades and occasionally Pints with Aquinas. My wife used to (and still does when she thinks of it) listen to Abiding Together, she loves the hosts and she's gotten my protestant mother into it.

Abiding Together
This is a podcast geared toward Catholic women featuring three hosts who have been friends a long time: Michelle Benzinger, Heather Khym, and Sr Miriam James Heidland (whom some might recognize as one of the emcees from the recent Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis). The podcast description reads:


As of this post they appear to be currently doing a sort of book club series going a few chapters at a time through C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Which and the Wardrobe. Episodes range from 30-50mins long.

Among the Lilies
Hosted by Cameron Fradd, wife of Matt Fradd, this is another podcast geared towards Catholic women. It doesn't appear to be currently active as she hasn't posted a new episode since November 2, 2023 but I imagine there's still a library of episodes worth listening to at any rate. Her last episode is called POTS where she shares that she has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) though she doesn't say anything about stopping the podcast. So maybe she'll resume it eventually. The episodes are a wide range in length from 15 minutes to nearly an hour. The podcast description reads,


Avoiding Babylon
Hosted by Anthony Abbate and Rob. Lately they've had a pseudo third host, Nick Cavazos. These three are lay Catholics, like just about all of the other podcast hosts but I think what separates them is they don't purport to be experts of anything. They're Anthony is a blue collar construction worker from Long Island and he and Rob just have frank and conversations in every day language about current events (in the world and the Church). There's often quite a bit of humor, Anthony tells some good stories (including one about an awkward encounter with Kevin James who attends the same Mass as him). Their profile is growing rapidly and they've been booking good guests on their show. The show description reads,


Episodes typically range from 1-2 hours but they're engaging conversation. The format is usually they livestream one hour on YouTube where all viewers can engage and ask questions in the chat, and then the second half of the show is carried on Locals for subscribers.

Bible In A Year
I think everyone knows about this one. It topped the charts for weeks, if not months, the year that it was released. One of everyone's favorite priests, Fr. Mike Schmitz goes through Holy Scripture according to Jeff Cavan's bible timeline. Episodes are relatively short and easily digestible. They consist of Fr. Mike reading the scriptures for that day, giving an breakdown of the text and closing with prayer. Episodes are about 20 minutes long and are perfect for a morning commute (great way to start your day no matter what!). On a few occasions Fr. Mike is joined by Jeff Cavan to have a deeper explanation of the text.


Catechism In A Year
The follow-up to Fr. Mike's Bible In a Year, Catechism In A Year seeks to aid in the formation of Catholics by going through the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the same methodical but easily digestible manner that he went through the Bible. Like Bible In A Year, episodes are about 10-20mins long so they're good for your commute as well! The description reads,


The Counsel of Trent
Trent Horn has been a part of Catholic Answers for a long time and I think is well known amongst many Catholics. He likes to address a lot of logical flaws in the claims and arguments made against Catholicism and intellectually dismantle them to expose their problems. He often invites opponents, secular and Catholic, to participate in formal debate which he's done on numerous occasions. Episodes range anywhere from 10mins to nearly an hour. The description reads,


Crisis Point
Hosted by Eric Sammons, EIC of Crisis Magazine. Eric's got a colorful background in the Church having worked at the diocesan level and published several books as a layman. This podcast is a pretty basic format and like the magazine, he focuses on addressing current events in the world and the Church. Offering analysis and criticism, featuring guests maybe 30-50% of the time. Episodes range from 30-60mins long. The description reads,


The Dr Taylor Marshall Podcast
Taylor Marshall has probably been one of the more controversial figures in Catholicism over the past 6-7 years. Some blame him for the creation of Traditionis Custodes, others think he has been and continues to shine a light on corruption in the Church. Marshall has a PhD from University of Dallas and offers analysis and critique of primarily Church matters: current events, new papal documents, developments in the various dicasteries, etc. Originally the show was co-hosted by Tim Gordon and they called it "TnT" (if you go back to episodes from 2018-2019 most of them were like that, but the two parted company in early 2020 during Covid). The episodes range around 40-75mins, the podcast description reads,


The Meaning of Catholic
This is Timothy Flanders first podcast, it's geared towards traditional Catholics and goes deeper into theology than I think a lot of other podcasts do. It hasn't had a new episode since last December, and I've heard some rumors that made me wonder about the status of the podcast. Namely I think there was some falling out between the host and one of the regular guests on the show (Jeremiah Bannister who hosts a show of his own). At any rate, this was a theologically rich show, Flanders has a lot of integrity and offers deep insight into the Catholic conversation online. The show's description reads,


Mere Tradition with Kennedy Hall
Kennedy's a traditional Catholic from Canada who writes and speaks on Church matters as well as both American and Canadian politics. I think he got his start on Meaning of Catholic where he established himself as a friend of the show and regular guest. This show is/was also known as The Kennedy Report. Fair warning: Kennedy is an SSPX member, but I think he does a good job of not making "a thing" out of it. So if you feel squeamish about listening to someone from the SSPX, I get it, but you have nothing to worry about with him. And perhaps it's good to consider the questions he raises. The episodes range from 10mins to about a hour, the show description reads,


OnePeterFive Podcast
This was originally hosted by Steve Skojec, who was the EIC of One Peter Five before he sold to Crisis Magazine and left the faith altogether. Shortly after that transition, Eric Sammons (head of all Crisis Media and its subsidiarities, including 1P5) appointed Timothy Flanders as the EIC of 1P5 and he has taken over the podcast. I think this may be where Flanders focuses most of his energy right now rather than Meaning of Catholic. Episodes range from 45mins to an hour. It appears that previous episodes featuring Skojec may have been purged from their library but I could be wrong. The show description reads,


Pints With Aquinas
I think everyone knows about this one. Matt Fradd is up there with Trent Horn as possibly one of the biggest Catholic internet personalities on the web. Fradd has a chill interview style and just about all of his episodes feature a guest that he has a conversation with. Episodes range from 15mins to over three hours. The show description reads,


Poco A Poco Podcast
My wife introduced me to this one. It's a chill podcast for everyone, I kind of think of it as my male counterpart to my Abiding Together (even though, as I said, it's for everybody). It features some of the friars from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR). I believe these hosts are from the NYC friary specifically. Episodes range from 30mins to an hour or so. The show description reads,


Reason and Theology
This podcast seems kind of controversial like Taylor Marshalls. I've never really been able to get into it but some people appreciate host Michael Lofton's approach. The show description reads,


Timothy Gordon Rules for Retrogrades Podcast
I was really into this podcast for a long time but I gave it up almost two years ago. Host Timothy Gordon definitely has a unique style. He doesn't pull any punches on his opinions or in his analysis. He has very traditional views not just on Catholic spirituality but on all matters of Catholic life (specifically on the roles of men and women). Episodes range from 30mins to 1.5 hours but are typically more in the one hour range. The show description reads,

There is no way for me to reality check the things I am going to present below. But one way or another I hope you will consider these issues worthy of prayer for light from the Lord.

World rulers used have cup bearers who would taste their kings’ food so that there was no chance of anyone poisoning them.

I am praying for Trump to have a cup bearer, in a modern sense.

And here is why. Again, please just pray about it to get the Lord’s guidance.

Over a week ago, I suddenly had this vision of Trump in a coffin, from the chest up. There were no visible wounds. There was no explanation. But at about the same time I kept inaudibly being brought the word “poison”. Finally, I put two and two together.

I would certainly not be the first person to be concerned that Trump‘s enemies might try to poison him. Poison can mimic illness, especially for an elderly person. It wouldn’t leave visible wounds on the outside of the body.

Funny thing, as I was pondering whether or not to leave this post, I felt told inaudibly that milk would be the greatest source of danger. So I researched to see if Trump even drinks milk. And apparently he loves raw milk.

And come to think of it, raw milk is not all nice and bottled up to prevent tampering, unlike, I assume,standard milk is.

Once again, why should you believe me? But if you feel so led, please pray for Trump not to be poisoned. (I know a lot of you are praying for his safety already, of course.)

And by the way, I’m really not a political fan of anybody. But I sure wouldn’t like to see our nation being traumatized by an assassination of a major political figure. And of course murder is breaking a major commandment.

2 Chronicles 25:19 KJV
Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

My Respond:
It's best not to do what you believe in yourself if not of God to say and do. Because it can turn into pride that can lead to a defeat.

2 Chronicles 25:18 KJV
And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

My Respond:

"Our strength and success, should always be grounded in obedience to God, not in your abilities & pride." My interpetation what has blessed me not to believe in thistle but to Trust in God ‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭KJV‬ having obedience not to go astray staying aligned with God's will.

Ephesians‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭KJV‬
15 and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

When it comes to our own logics and preparations we must see logic as the set of rules we must follow to think like God thinks , when is to think rightly . Logic undegirds morality , making decisions between right and wrong. Gives a clear conscience to speak and behave and helps you making decisions not to be bitter and harm people. To help have preparations is to read your bible (Romans 12:2 KJv)


Preparation- In a general sense, to fit, adapt, or qualify fir a particular purpose,end, use, service, or state, by any means whatever.

Romans 12:2 KJV
'And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. '




Ways your logic can be in God's logic is come to God in humility to receive Jesus Christ in your heart (Romans 10:9-10 KJV) believing in his death burial , resurrection.-Matthew 27:50 KJV, Matthew 27:51 KJV, Matthew 28:9 KJV .

Romans 10:9-10 KJV 'that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Matthew 27:50
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.


Matthew 27:51 KJV
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;


Matthew 28:9 KJV
And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Hello. My name is Joseph and I live in Argentina. I do not belong to any religious denomination although I feel closer to the Catholic Church but disagree with some of its dogmas. Thank you for accepting me into this Christian community. God bless you.

It seems the fire is also spreading to Canada. Please pray for the fires to be extinguished quickly through rain or by any means.
And for the safety and peace of the firefighters, for peoples lives and health, homes, property in general, and safety in general.

And please pray for the animals, domestic and wild to escape the fire.

Also for arsonists to be stopped just in general around the world.

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord warns of using uncivil and/or hateful words such as “Raqa” and “fool.” And yet the same Lord Jesus often used very strong language toward some of His opponents, sometimes calling them names such as vipers and hypocrites.

We live in a world that often insists on the use of gentle language and euphemisms. While doing so is not a bad thing, we also tend to manifest a kind of thin-skinned quality and a political correctness that is too fussy about many things, often taking personally what is not meant personally.

What is the overall teaching of Scripture when it comes to this sort of colorful language? Are there some limits and ground rules? Let’s take a look.

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I’ll never forget where I was when I received the news that Father Jacques Hamel, a French parish priest, had been murdered by two ISIS loyalists. On July 26, 2016, I was in Krakow, Poland, with tens of thousands of young American pilgrims. As word spread, we offered a prayer for Father Hamel. We prayed for peace.

It was unthinkable to me that a priest could be murdered in Europe. And yet, while offering Mass in a suburb of Rouen, not two hours’ drive from Paris, Father Hamel was brutally killed by Muslim extremists. All of France mourned. The next day, a Mass was offered by the cardinal archbishop of Paris for Father Hamel at Notre Dame. Then-president of the French Republic, François Hollande attended. At Pope Francis’ instruction, images of Father Hamel were placed in local churches. He was widely acclaimed a martyr.

Not 10 years to the day of Father Hamel’s murder, the Church in France again finds herself attacked. During the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympic Games, a blasphemous depiction of the Last Supper portrayed a woman as Jesus surrounded by drag queen “disciples.”

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McDonald's says $5 value meal sales are hot as consumers feel 'pinch' of inflation​

When I was a kid they had a five and ten cents store. Then latter on they had a Dollar store. Now $5 is a good deal. In the army they paid us $98 a month. Wages were set up so we took home $100 a week. I like to work and I would work if I got paid or not. But is good I did not care because we did not get paid much.

They use to talk about a shave and a haircut was two bits or 25 cents. My dad made 35 cents an hour and that was very good money because the going wage was 25 cents an hour.

A half-million records and one app: The group behind a massive effort to ‘clean’ voter rolls​

CNN —
Police officers in Texas, senior citizens at a nursing home in Pennsylvania and people who had registered to vote at a Marine base in California.

They are among the thousands of voters whose right to cast a ballot has been needlessly challenged ahead of this November’s election by activists — many of whom have been inspired by conspiracy theories — seeking to prevent voter fraud.

Election officials across the country have been inundated with dubious complaints about inaccurate voter rolls, which have wasted government resources and sapped taxpayer money spent reviewing lists of registered voters that officials say are already carefully maintained, a CNN investigation has found.

One of the main drivers of the fruitless challenges is a conservative Texas-based nonprofit group called True the Vote, an election-monitoring organization that has long peddled debunked voter-fraud theories.

About a dozen people in Denton County, Texas — outside of Dallas — have submitted what has sometimes surpassed 1,000 challenges a day, according to the county elections administrator, Frank Phillips. Records show at least some of them have used IV3 [the True the Vote app].

Phillips said he has sought to review all their challenges but added the effort has become “a little time-consuming.”

Some election observers have argued that even if the activists submitting mass challenges are operating in good faith, their efforts waste election officials’ time, promote false notions about the maintenance of voter rolls and could prompt the inappropriate removal of some registered voters. In Waterford, Michigan, for example, an activist’s lobbying last year led to what the state called the improper removal of 1,000 people, including an Air Force officer’s registration that was later reinstated, as reported by The New York Times.

“A lot of these people are people of goodwill. They have just been fed a constant diet of lies,” said David Becker, founder of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research, who added that one of the “great ironies” is that “the voter lists are more accurate than they have ever been” because of modern data-sharing technology.

Melanie Patterson, the Fayette County woman who submitted those challenges [to people living in a nursing home] after doing research with IV3, told CNN that she wanted to help clean the rolls to deter potential fraud in future elections. Despite an absence of evidence, she said she believes voter fraud in Pennsylvania influenced the 2020 election.

“Dirty voter rolls mean dirty elections,” Patterson said. “If you don’t protect that vote, we are going to lose the foundations this country was built on.”

Patterson’s views were largely reflected by a handful of other IV3 users who agreed to speak to CNN.

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True the Vote was also involved in convicted felon Dinesh D'Souza's 2000 Mules (which has been dropped by its publisher for false information) and earlier this year the group admitted in court it had no evidence of election fraud.

It is okay to praise God with musical instruments. Psalm 150:

3Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

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Some churches do not allow any musical instruments, not even a piano. I visited one like that. I'd not debate them about this point. Romans 12:

18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

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I visited some churches where their guitars and drums were so loud that I had to put my earplugs on. I anticipated the need I didn't complain to them about that either.

That’s right. The same propagandist who reported Kamala as in charge of the border, several calling her the border czar. Are changing their stance and actually editing and in some cases deleting their past articles.

.

I've brought up this friend before, I'm often troubled by his financial situation which he overshares about.

Today out of nowhere he texts me to say he was speaking with someone who coordinates new clients for him (he basically takes care of elderly people on a part time basis who can't fully care for themselves).

He said a little bit later this person shows up at his place with an envelope for him and after she left he looked and there was over $1,100 in it. She said if the clients she has for him don't work out then she has more cash for him. We've been friends over 15 years, and I've always felt he has a very lazy work ethic. He was a full time volunteer with the local YWAM base for seven years, so in that time he had to raise his own support. He left YWAM the year we met but I feel like he never got rid of that mindset of letting other people support you. He's never had a meaningful job, and the one thing I saw him apply himself too really hasn't panned out because of workers comp stuff and lingering injuries (he went into massage therapy, got licensed at a school and everything to do sports massage but then had a shoulder injury and couldn't work for like three years due to workers comp proceedings). Even now that he can work again he doesn't really, instead he does this caretaking gig and leans on his wife to be the breadwinner for their family of four.

My issue comes with the fact that he broadcasts their financial problems to everyone. I think I posted about this a couple years ago when he asked people for "prayers" (AKA help/money) when the transmission went out on their car. And his immense circle just throws money at him. For a family that always seems to be barely getting by, they also seem to waste a lot of money like a $2-3k trip to Disneyland they just took a few months ago.

What is that? Is it jealousy on my part? I work 75 hours a week across seven days, no days off, between two jobs to earn about $94k/year which is much more than my friends family brings in but still isn't enough for my family to be comfortable. We rent a house and have one car, we're often overdrawn in our bank account, we never take vacations or even day trips unless we can do it nearly for free.

I feel like I work my behind off day in and day out just to tread water, while he has it easy and then still gets handouts on top of that.

I'd rather just not know about any of it in the first place, I don't talk about finances IRL with friends regardless of circumstances. That's just always been private in my family. So the fact that he's always sharing this stuff makes it feel like he's flaunting his good fortune.

How do I let it go?

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Debate in video

Jeremiah pronounced judgment on the Ammonites in 49:

5 Behold, I will bring terror upon you, declares the Lord GOD of hosts, from all who are around you, and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him, with none to gather the fugitives.

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That's the bad news.

6 “But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the LORD.”

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That's the good news.

Next, concerning Edom:

10 But I have stripped Esau bare; I have uncovered his hiding places, and he is not able to conceal himself. His children are destroyed, and his brothers, and his neighbors; and he is no more.

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That's the bad news.

11 Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive; and let your widows trust in me.”

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There was a bit of new news concerning some women and children.

12 For thus says the LORD: “If those who did not deserve to drink the cup

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those innocent women and children

must drink it,

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they suffered like the wicked

will you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink.

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New American Standard Bible:

For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, those who were not sentenced to drink the cup will certainly drink it, so are you the one who will be held completely blameless? You will not be held blameless, but you will certainly drink it.

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Everyone suffers but God will keep the innocents alive in eternal life. Jesus drank the cup of suffering (Lu 22:42).

Despite the onslaught of legislative efforts to legalize physician-assisted suicide in many U.S. states, defenders of the disabled and others who oppose the devaluation of vulnerable lives are expressing optimism about the tide beginning to turn in their favor on the issue.

“If we hold back two more states that are still left in play, Massachusetts and Delaware, there will be three years in a row with no new legal states [permitting physician-assisted suicide],” Matt Vallière, executive director of the Patients’ Rights Action Fund, told CNA following a panel on the subject at the 2024 summer conference of the Napa Institute.

Vallière pointed to a number of reasons the tide is turning on the issue, including the growing number of “horror stories” coming out of Canada, where legal assisted suicide, dressed up by the euphemism “medical assistance in dying” (MAID), is rampant.

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