The Baptist, then, was not standing at the crossroads warmly greeting the pilgrims, saying, “All you need is faith alone, and you are saved! All are welcome! Have a nice time in Jerusalem!” No, he didn’t say that because merely being a member of a particular race of people, even the race chosen by God, was not good enough.

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From our morning coffee routine to scientific research, we are a bundle of habits. Good habits are virtues; bad habits are vices. Whether good or bad, our habits govern the faculties of our souls and shape our emotions. At times, vices intermingle with virtues like poison ivy hidden among flourishing foliage. Healthy introspection, aided by God’s grace, helps us identify and distinguish our virtues from our vices. The classic teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, rooted in the wisdom of the great pagan philosophers, provide a stable framework for self-understanding.

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“We thank God for the safe return of 100 children and the government’s efforts in this,” said Jo Newhouse*, Open Doors spokesperson for work in sub-Saharan Africa. “We continue to pray and trust that all the children and staff will be safely returned home before Christmas.”

Update: 100 children released from captivity in Nigeria

What’s happening here is so obvious. CNN doesn’t want to know the truth and they don’t want their viewers to hear it either. They would prefer to just keep pushing all of their anti-Trump lies without inconvenient interruptions.
Miller could easily destroy all of their talking points and they know it.

This article nailed it, it was the same with Charlie Kirk and so many others.

I am not intending today, in this writing, to go into the full story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, and of Jesus’ false arrest, his mock trial, his beatings, and his ultimate death on a cross to take away our sins and to give us the hope of eternal life with God. You can read all the details of that in the gospels, if you would like. For what I believe the Lord is leading me to do today is to look at the subject of betrayal in our world and in the church today, at the hands of those who are deliberately betraying both Christ and his followers.

So, I Googled a definition of what it means to betray someone, and I believe this covers the subject well. This is what Google’s AI rendered:


So, who are some of those who betray Jesus Christ and those of us who are followers of Christ today? Some (or many) of them are pastors of churches (or what are falsely called “churches”), while some (or many) others are politicians and government heads. Others are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who claim to know him as their Savior and Lord, but who betray both Christ and the body of Christ through lies, deceptions, disloyalty, infidelity, and false claims of living righteous and holy lives, pleasing to God.

When they want to make a good impression on someone of faith, they might put on a performance of godliness and holiness, as though they are living the life that God has designed for them to live, but while, in truth, they are living the opposite of that, in practice. They are like the Pharisees who put on a good show outwardly but while inwardly they are full of all kinds of evil and wicked deeds. For they want to be thought well of by those who don’t know the difference. But their performance does not match their actions.

But there is another way in which this betrayal is taking place in the world and in the church today, and it is deadly. And it is through people taking Scriptures out of context, and twisting them to say what they do not say if taught in the correct biblical context, and by them teaching a twisted and altered “gospel” message which makes no requirements of sinners to repent of (turn from) their sins to now follow Jesus in surrender to his will in walks of obedience to his commands, but while promising them life in heaven.

They are not only lying to the people, but they are betraying their trust by teaching them lies and while (willfully and deliberately, in many cases) they ignore the truth in the Scriptures which teach what they do not want to hear, and what they will not accept. Thus, many people are professing faith in Jesus Christ, believing that their sins are forgiven and heaven is their eternal destiny, but who never deny self, die to sin, or follow Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to his commands, living to please God with their lives.

And Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, 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 as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

So, we need to be discerning people who are not gullible and easily persuaded by others who call themselves “Christians” or “Pastors.” For not everyone is who they say they are, doing what they say they are doing, or not doing. Liars, and those who willfully deceive others, abound. And we should be students of the Scriptures who study them for ourselves, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, who do not rely on others to tell us the truth. For many teach lies, and many betray, and not all can be trusted.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Recording Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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Those Who Betray
An Original Work / December 11, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

President Trump has issued a new deadline for President Zelensky to sign the U.S.-backed peace deal with Russia, giving him days, some say until Christmas Day to sign the agreement.
"US President Donald Trump's envoys have given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a fresh deadline to respond to Washington's proposed peace plan, unnamed officials told the Financial Times. The officials said Zelenskyy has only "days" to reply, even as the Ukrainian leader insists he will not accept any deal that redraws Ukraine's borders." MSN

Trump also criticized the European Union's efforts in influencing what was a US plan in which they seem to be urging Zelensky to take a hard stand against giving up any territorial concessions to secure a peace agreement. It seems that the EU wants to 'trump' the Presidents peace negotiations and impose a more comprehensive security protection for Ukraine and piece-meal annexation such as the Sudetenland by Germany which was a cause of WWII. But much as they dont want such a capitulation on Ukraine, it seems that is the only path to peace, at least in Trumps view..

"US President Donald Trump has criticized European leaders as "weak" and suggested the US could scale back support for Ukraine.

In a wide-ranging interview with Politico, he said "decaying" European countries had failed to control migration or take decisive action to end Ukraine's war with Russia, accusing them of letting Kyiv fight "until they drop".

He argued that Russia held the "upper hand" and urged Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky to "play ball" by ceding territory to Moscow.

In the UK, Downing Street rejected Trump's claim that Europe had failed to act, citing the UK's leadership on sanctions and reiterating support for the US-led peace process."... MSN

But Zelensky seems to be digging in against any concessions on Ukrainian land..
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine will not give up any territory to Russia and said components of a plan to end the war between the countries are ready to be presented to the U.S.

"Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don't want to cede anything," Zelenskyy said in an online press conference Monday, the AFP news agency reported.

"We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law. And we don't have any moral right either," Zelenskyy said after leaving London, where he met with the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Zelenskyy's remarks suggest he will not bend to pressure from Russian President Vladimir Putin or President Trump, whose negotiators had proposed Ukraine give up its eastern region of the Donbas – about 20% of the country's territory – as part of a plan to end Russia's war on Ukraine, according to a draft shared publicly by a Ukrainian opposition politician and confirmed by a White House official.... MSN

And even the Pope has weighed in on the situation...
"Pope Leo has hit out at President Donald Trump’s Russia-Ukraine peace proposal and has warned that the administration risks destroying the longstanding alliance between Europe and the United States. As Ukraine faces growing pressure from the U.S. to accept major territorial losses and other concessions as a trade-off for Russia to end its years-long incursion, the pope has weighed in with a stinging rebuke to America’s approach."... Pope Leo Takes Shocking Swipe at Trump Over Old Friends

Something has to give, and it looks like the EU allies and their backing of Ukraine's hardening stance..

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“He Did What?
Philippians 2:8 NLT
When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

We have all had many times in our lives when we are surprised, whether in a good way or bad way, at something someone else does that we would never expect. We’ve often said, “She really did that?”, or maybe, “ He really said that?” When someone does something that is totally unexpected, it really leaves us in complete shock and we don’t know what to say or how to react. The situation can often leave us dumbfounded and with no words.

We all have often put so much energy and emotion into how we react and respond to these times in our lives. We have easily turned these times into gossip with others. We can’t believe what we’ve heard or seen and we want to tell others. It can become the talk of the group or the town. This could be very good or very bad.

This past Sunday, our pastor had a sermon talking about this chapter of Philippians and how Jesus came to do what He did and how unbelievable and amazing it actually was. What struck me was how our pastor said that we often do routine things at Christmas as we talk about how Jesus came into the world. And, in general, it’s often easy for us to become desensitized to all the emotion we should have at what Jesus did for us. It becomes commonplace and we totally miss the real emotion and meaning it should still hold for us.

I pulled up the NLT version and the phrase, “died a criminal’s death” completely captured my attention. Jesus did not belong on that Cross, we did. He went up there and died to save us all. He willingly gave it all to give us a future with Him. Nothing about what He did makes any sense. We deserved what He got. I don’t think I’ll ever read this passage the same again. He became nothing and died a criminal’s death for us. He wasn’t a criminal, but He definitely went through all the torture a criminal would experience.

I sure hope that we all experience the real emotion of what Jesus did for us. It should daily grip us in our hearts and we should take time to remember and be truly thankful. We should be in awe and be dumbfounded and say, “He did what?” Yes, He did that for you and for me? It should leave us speechless every single day. We should be filled with great emotion and awe for what He did for us. The world needs to see that raw emotion and gratefulness in our lives each day.

What Jesus did should leave us in complete awe every single day and we should be deeply thankful for the life He gives us.

CHOOSE UP TO TWO:

1.

2.


3.

4.


5.


6.


7.

Go, lay your life down.
It’s not yours to own.
It’s bought with a price,
With blood, shed, atoned.

Our Lord paid the price
So we could be free
From slavery to sin,
His servants to be.

We now die to sin,
And obey our Lord,
And walk in His love,
All in one accord.

Sin must not control
How we are to live,
For we now serve Christ,
Our lives to Him give.

We go where He says,
And speak His commands.
We follow His lead.
On Him we depend.

He now rules our lives,
Not flesh and not self,
For by his good grace
We put self on the shelf.

So living for Him
Is now what we do,
For our sinful lives
He came to undo.

All praises to Him.
From God comes His grace,
So we can now run
And win in the race.

An Original Work / December 10, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says hundreds of schools across the state are ready to host chapters of Turning Point USA's (TPUSA) high school program, which promotes conservative values for young people.

At a news conference Monday at the Governor's Mansion, Abbott highlighted the need for programs like Club America, the high school arm of TPUSA, the conservative youth organization founded in 2012 by activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September during an event on a Utah college campus.

Joined by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, TPUSA Senior Director Josh Thifault, Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath and other officials, Abbott announced that more than 500 high schools in Texas already host Club America chapters, including dozens in North Texas, and touted the state as having the most such chapters nationwide.

Continued below.

Trump Personally Intervenes to Block Release of January 6 Documents​

Donald Trump is blocking access in a lawsuit brought by police officers injured in the January 6 riot.​

The Department of Justice has confirmed that President Donald Trump blocked the release of more than 4,100 documents related to the deadly riot on January 6.

In a court filing Monday night, lawyers for the DOJ revealed that Trump had stepped in to prevent the release of some material requested as part of a lawsuit brought by police officers injured by violent rioters at the U.S. Capitol. The materials were originally subpoenaed from the National Archives and Records Administration in February.

Most might know the Federal Reserve lowered their overnight lending rate to banks to be in the 3.5 to 3.75% range. But what surprised me was that the Federal Reserve did not stop there. "Notably, the Fed announced it start buying short-term bonds, expanding its balance sheet. Short-term Treasury yields moved lower as a result."
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/09/stock-market-today-live-updates.html

So where does the Federal Reserve get those billions that it uses to buy back debt of the U.S. Government? I creates the money. So now the USA is not just lowering interest rates, it is back to basically printing money through their good friend the Federal Reserve. Now if done at the rate of growth, it may go unnoticed, but if it is starting to be 40 billion a week, then these buybacks from the Federal Reserve are likely to cause inflation. (Some theorists say this is not true, others suggest a direct link with a bit of a time lag.)

Currently the Federal Reserve has 7.4 trillion dollars of government debt on its books. As recently as a couple of months ago, they were retiring their their holdings of U.S. debt with the additional debt being financed by others. Thus, the amount of debt is not being lowered as the USA is spending 1.30 for every dollar it collects. So to avoid pain and borrow at market rates, the USA is back to EASY MONEY. The U.S. Fed suggests they will do the bond buybacks for several months, but during covid it was for years, not months and it contributed to the 9 plus percent inflation in 2022. In 2019, the assets created from money printing stood at 3.8 trillion. In 2021 they peaked at 8.8 trillion. So by this money printing both Trump and Biden were on baord and both responsible for inflation. I say this because the serious money printed started under Trump and continued until 2022.

Since june of 2022, the Federal Reserve was tightening and retiring some bonds until a couple of months ago. So Biden should get credit too for reducing inflation because the policies that reduced it were started in the middle of his term. The Fed Reserve over this three year period, got their balance sheet back to 7.4 trillion this year. If they create 40 billion a week in dollars, that pace is two trillion a year SO HERE WE GO AGAIN!.

Such money printing not only paid for your covid rebates for Americans but cash infusions are highly correlated to stock market gains. "Academic studies confirm a long-term positive relationship between the Fed's balance sheet size and future market performance. One analysis suggests an R² (a measure of correlation) of 0.8832 since 2009, indicating a strong long-term association." Source google ai.

My point in all of this is to suggest that the renewal of essentially printing money during a time when inflation is already running around 2.9 percent could create more persistent and elevated inflation. So while you are being taxed on the tariffs you also are taxed by the higher prices due in part, to excessive money printing. I will say too that Trump is going to install his own Chairman and some new Governors that will be even more dovish at lowering interest rates and printing money. IF you notice too that while the Fed lowers rates to their banking members, the mortgage rates actually climbed. A solution that worked during covid was to have the Federal Reserve buy back mortgages. So I suppose they could do that again to artificially lower mortgage rates but the markets are not setting interest rates at all when this occurs and yes such intervention causes distortions that can be harmful.

You should realize too that when inflation is 3% and your only getting 2.5% interest on your money from loaning it to the government or member banks, you are losing money while at the same time paying tax on the 2.5% gain. The USA is not there yet but she may soon be back to negative interest rates on short-term government debt and on longer debt when inflation reignites.

If you study nations that expand the money supply even more significantly, the value in some cases has gone down to nothing. For the U.S. "By Consumer Goods (CPI): According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data, what cost $1 in 1913 required approximately $96 to $100 to purchase in recent years. This reflects a loss in value of about 96% to 97.5%."

So is there anyone that even cares in the U.S. government? I mean giving it more than just lip service. Saying they want interest rates at 2% but failing to make that happen since 2001. That is deception, not true concern. So I asked google AI. This is where AI currently has issues with discerning intent and motivation. The Fed says they want 2% inflation, but they won't take the action to make even that occur. In questioning google ai I asked for names, and it gave me former congressman Ron Paul. I pressed him about Senator Rand Paul and it answered. "High Stringency on Fiscal and Monetary Policy: Senator Paul has a reputation as one of the toughest votes in the U.S. Senate on spending issues. He has voted against major budget deals and debt ceiling increases because, in his view, they do not cut enough spending or address the underlying fiscal imbalance. His consistent reintroduction of legislation like the Federal Reserve Transparency Act makes him a leading figure in the push for stricter monetary discipline." Google ai.

I am not trying to make this too political, yet it is a serious economic and political issue. Inflation is theft too, and the framers were quite aware of it.

"George Washington: He observed the consequences of paper money in Rhode Island, stating in a 1787 letter that paper money "has had the effect in your State that it ever will have, to ruin commerce – oppress the honest, and open a door to every species of fraud and injustice". Google ai.

On the banking system - "Thomas Jefferson & James Madison: They vehemently opposed Alexander Hamilton's plan for a national bank. Their primary concerns were that such an institution would centralize power in the federal government, favor wealthy commercial elites and financiers over common farmers, and undermine state banks. Jefferson feared a financial monopoly that could adopt policies contrary to the public good. He believed the bank was unconstitutional, as the power to create a corporation was not explicitly listed in the Constitution."

So there you have it. A new round of money printing that is going world wide. The system will hold only as long as investors see value in buying government debt. Even the USA Federal Reserve cannot buy all the debt to target interest rates for loans at all intervals from 1 month to 30 years.

As always we can be dismal for a nation, yet as individuals we can prosper if we hold dear to God's principles on giving the use of money and His grace. May each of us be stay free from the love of money and fix our eyes on Jesus as the wrold's economic system is thrashing in these times. Goid bless!

God’s assurance of eternal life brings a quiet peace to our innermost being. It is a promise we can rest in, knowing that our future is held securely in His hands. This certainty steadies us in seasons of uncertainty, lifts our hearts when burdens grow heavy, and reminds us that our story does not end in this world. Because Christ has overcome, we can face each day with confidence, anchored in the unchanging truth that we belong to Him now and forever.

Scripture tells us that eternal life is God’s gift—found in His Son and already given to all who believe. Jesus declared that the one who believes “has everlasting life,” a present reality rather than a distant hope. When doubts arise, they often point us toward our own failures or inconsistencies, but true assurance turns our gaze back to Christ: His sacrifice, His promise, His faithfulness.

1 John 5:11–13 (NKJV): “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

This passage shows us that our assurance rests on God’s testimony. Eternal life is hope for the future beyond life as we know it here on this Earth. John writes so that believers may walk in certainty rather than doubt, grounded in what God has declared. Eternal life is not something we earn, achieve, or maintain by our own strength, it is a gift given to us by God, our Father. Jesus Himself said, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life” (John 3:36) - present tense, a settled reality.

Romans 8:31–39 (NKJV): “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long.

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”​

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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This passage gathers every fear, accusation, and weakness we carry and answers them with the unshakeable truth of God’s love in Christ. Paul speaks from a life marked by hardship, yet his conclusion is unwavering: nothing can undo what God has done for us. God did not spare His own Son - that alone settles every question about His heart toward us. If He gave His very best, every other need will be supplied. No accusation can stand, because God justifies. No condemnation can hold, because Christ died and rose again. No circumstance can separate us from His love. The love of Christ is not fragile; it holds steady through tribulation, distress, persecution, and even death itself. Paul’s persuasion becomes our encouragement: nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Him, we are held. In Him, we are secure. In Him, we are more than conquerors - not because of our strength, but because of His love that never let’s go.

The Holy Spirit also plays a quiet, steady role in assurance. He bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children and heirs with Christ. His voice is not loud or dramatic but a deep, settled knowing - a peace that rises when we read the Word, pray, or simply sit before the Lord. Jesus promises that His sheep are held securely in His hand and in the Father’s hand, where no enemy, circumstance, or weakness can reach. Assurance rests on His promise, not our worthiness. Salvation is secured by God’s power, not human effort. Grace saves us, the Spirit seals us, and Christ keeps us.

Romans 8:16–17 (NKJV): “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

Holy Spirit reminds us again and again that we belong to the Father and that nothing can separate us from His love. God’s assurance shapes the way we live. When we know we are secure in Christ, fear loses its grip. We pray with confidence, face trials with hope, and walk in obedience not to earn salvation but because we already have it.

John 10:27–29 (NKJV): “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”

Nothing can separate believers from the love of God - not suffering, not spiritual forces, not death, not life. Eternal life is found in the Son, and whoever has the Son has life. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God - secure, protected, and awaiting full revelation when He appears. Eternal life is not something we cling to buy effort - it is something Christ holds for us. So, this week, let your heart rest. Let the assurance of your salvation quiet your thoughts, steady your steps, and fill your days with peace. You are His, and He keeps what is His.

To the Holy Spirit — thank You for guiding every word, guarding every step, and glorifying Jesus through it all. All glory, honour, praise and worship goes to God Almighty, for He alone is worthy to receive it all.

May these words echo grace, healing, and truth wherever they are read.

Acknowledgement: Testimony reference from Richard Wurmbrand, Tortured for Christ (Living Sacrifice Book Company, 1967).

Acknowledgement of Bible Scriptures: New King James Version (NKJV), Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982; Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV), Cambridge University Press, 1769: verses sourced using Bible Gateway.

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We can't let Venezuela ship oil to Russia or any other country with an international ban.

How many ladies here who attend the N.O. wear a Chapel Veil or Mantilla to Mass? And how common is wearing one in your parish? I’m starting to see more women wearing them…..there used to be just one lady that I saw. Now, I’ve seen maybe three or four. I’m wondering if it’s going to become a trend? I dont wear one nor do any of my friends but I remember as a child wearing one and mine had sparkles (rhinstones?on it. It was beautiful.

Thank you, Erika Kirk. May the Lord God bless you, your family, Turning Point, and the United States of America.

The Holy Family fleeing from one Roman-controlled region to another in the first century is in no way a mandate on whether America has a right to enforce immigration laws.

Last week, a Catholic church in Massachusetts made headlines with its Nativity display — in which Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus were replaced by an empty manger and an anti-ICE poster. Now, it seems the church’s pastor is refusing to take down the display for the time being, against the wishes of his church authority.

St. Susanna, located in the Boston suburb of Dedham, “displayed a Nativity scene outside the church with an empty manger and a sign that says, ‘ICE was here,’” Fox News reported Wednesday. The implication, of course, is that the baby Savior was either apprehended or threatened by federal immigration agents.

“The Holy Family is safe in The Sanctuary of our church,” the sign below the “ICE was here” poster reads, “followed by contact information for a group that monitors immigration operations in the state.”

Continued below.

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has expressed concern about a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which obliges all member states to recognize so-called "homosexual marriages" legally performed in another country.

In a Dec. 9 statement, the president of COMECE, Bishop Mariano Crociata, warned that the ruling could have an impact on the legal sovereignty of each nation, since the recognition of these unions is mandatory even if they are not valid under a country’s own legal system.

The ruling concerns a same-sex Polish couple who “married” in Germany in 2018. Upon returning to Poland, the authorities refused to record their union in the civil registry. The European court has deemed this refusal contrary to EU law, meaning that all member states are now obligated to recognize the rights stemming from this bond.

Union between a man and a woman​

Continued below.

New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond announced a Sunday Mass dispensation for migrants fearing deportation amid heightened presence of immigration enforcement officials in the state.

“As I write to you, our immigrant sisters and brothers are facing real fear and anxiety in the wake of an increase in immigration enforcement actions,” Aymond wrote in a Dec. 8 letter.

Aymond is the fifth U.S. bishop to announce dispensations for Catholic immigrants from Sunday Mass. Bishop Michael Duca of Baton Rouge granted the same dispensation in his diocese earlier this week. Bishops in the dioceses of San Bernardino, California; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina, also granted a dispensation this year.

Aymond’s move comes amid the deployment of 250 Border Patrol agents to the region with plans to arrest 5,000 individuals across Louisiana and Mississippi as a part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Catahoula Crunch.”


Continued below.

U.S. President Donald Trump is crafting a sanctions plan to increase pressure on the Nigerian government amid ongoing Christian persecution, according to a leading member of Congress.

President Trump “ “is in the process of crafting a comprehensive action plan including sanctions to pursue reform,” according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who described Nigeria as “ground zero,” and the “focal point of the most brutal and murderous anti-Christian persecution in the world today.”

Smith, a Catholic who chairs the house Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, mentioned the plan during his Dec. 9 speech at “The Emergency Summit on Crimes Against Christians,” organized by For the Martyrs, a nonprofit that aids persecuted Christians. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Rep. Marlin Stuzman, R-Indiana, also spoke at the event.

The veteran New Jersey congressman praised Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and affirmed that “Religious freedom will now be at the forefront of the U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relationship.”

Continued below.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has suspended Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley from receiving federal funding, according to the charity group.

The Catholic Charities group is the charitable branch of the Diocese of Brownsville and is part of Catholic Charities USA and Caritas Internationalis.

The charity is located in South Texas and operates the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen. The migrant shelter is run by Sister Norma Pimentel, known popularly as “the immigrants’ nun.” Pimentel and the center offer immigrants awaiting court hearings shelter and food before they travel to meet relatives in other cities and states.

The nonprofit reported in a statementthat the organization learned that the government "temporarily suspended” its "eligibility for federal funding pending a further determination."

Continued below.

Billionaire Elon Musk reiterated his belief in the existence of a Creator during a recent podcast, claiming God is the figure he most admires and that the universe could not have created itself.

Speaking during an episode of "The Katie Miller Podcast" that aired Tuesday, Musk spoke extensively about the effectively defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), AI, and other topics, but also briefly touched on his views about the divine.

“Who do you look up to the most?" asked Miller, who is the wife of presidential advisor Stephen Miller and served as a spokesperson for DOGE from January through May of this year.

"The Creator," Musk said, prompting Miller to ask what his present position on God is.

"God is the Creator," he said.

"You don't believe in God, though, do you?" Miller asked, to which Musk replied, "Well, I believe this universe came from something. People have different labels."

Continued below.

A new documentary by Lee Strobel titled, “The Case for Miracles,” aims to provide evidence that miracles similar to those that are recorded in the Bible do indeed take place today. The documentary will be in theaters Dec. 15–18.

Strobel recounts how investigating the historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection transformed him from an atheist to a Christian. Today, he believes miracles still occur and outlines four criteria he uses to verify credible cases: medical documentation, multiple eyewitnesses, lack of natural explanation, and whether the event happens in the context of prayer.

“If I see those four things together, depending on the circumstance, I can be persuaded that, yes, God has intervened supernaturally today in his creation,” Strobel told ChurchLeaders.

Strobel shares scientifically documented studies from Mozambique and Brazil—published in a secular, peer-reviewed medical journal—showing dramatic improvements in hearing and vision immediately after Christian prayer. Strobel does admit that fraud, coincidence, placebo, and spontaneous remission exist but cannot account for many well-evidenced cases.

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Democrat Eric Gisler defeated Republican Mack Guest IV in the special election in Georgia’s House District 121, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Gisler’s victory is a major upset, as President Trump won the district by 12 points last year, Decision Desk HQ data shows.

“I absolutely agree with President Trump that we need to redirect subsidies from insurance companies and give patients the power,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told The Post.
“Republicans want real solutions that actually make health care affordable and put money in families’ pockets. I applaud the president for his leadership on this issue,” added Cassidy, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and introduced the legislation with Senate Finance Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).

We do need to stop funneling taxpayer dollars to wealthy insurance companies.