Can anyone help me with getting the bible on SD card or on something that I can listen to the Bible with head phones, MP3 player perhaps?

I'm useless when it comes to computers and gadgets so keep that in mind when dealing with me

Hello Brothers and sisters

New to this forum. It will come in handy for the future if I have questions to ask or things on my mind or if I want to educate myself.

First off ( I will make another topic about this but I might as well ask here too) Can anyone help me with getting the bible on SD card or on something that I can listen to the Bible with head phones, MP3 player perhaps?

I'm useless when it comes to computers and gadgets so keep that in mind when dealing with me

Dice likes the terms anti-white racism, and anti-whiteness. I disagree with him there. I think all racism is just racism.

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In this dream, I visited USA in LA as a tourist. We have relatives in LA so I stayed at their house. Then I saw live news of an attack also in LA just several blocks away our relative's house.

At first the authorities say a gas line had ruptured in small business compound and they sent firetrucks and police to handle the situation but they were quickly overcome by what seemed like a deliberate attack and then they sent the National guard who started shooting heavy ammunition towards the compound and they themselves were defeated as well.

It seems whatever they're shooting at inside the building is invulnerable to heavy machine gun fire which penetrated the building structure but not whatever is attacking inside. The National guard then retreated and attack seemed to cease.

With my utter curiosity, me and my sister walked towards ground-zero of the attack which has been cleared of all police, fire trucks, and the army as if nothing had happened. There were people (civilians) who are already at the building that's the source of the attack who appeared friendly and surprisingly invited us in.

We met the owner of the building who is an old man. He had lots of big dogs who barked at us at first but eventually became friendly. Then the old man showed us the source of the attacks and they were 9 to 10 ft tall ape-like creatures with dark gray hair who stood upright who looked like yetis and were very muscular.

They attacked with an unknown energy beam that came from their bodies. The creatures were gathering at the grounds of the building. We approached them but they seemed indifferent. Ironically, they looked harmless and didn't seem to care about our presence.

We then spent the night in one of the nearby houses of one of the people were there who gathered with the creatures. Past midnight, me and my sister returned to the compound where the creatures are gathering. The big dogs came to welcome us. and we saw the creatures who were now in formation, poised to do something. Then simultaneously, they fired their energy beams towards the neighborhood where we took a nap. The ground collapsed beneath the entire neighborhood, including the ground beneath the compound. It caused a massive landslide and took us with it. Incredibly, nobody died but I lost everything we brought with the trip, including my work laptop and phone! I worried a lot about my work that I'm going to miss a day or more and finding a way to let my bosses know without my stuff and having to guess their emails!

It's really ironic when I'm worried about my work more when it seems the world is about to ended by a bunch of bullet-proof Yetis with superpowers.

The yetis then vanished somehow but with the entire USA in panic and the army mobilized expecting another, possibly bigger attack.

humor related to thanksgiving

The Pagan Origins of Thanksgiving lol

For example, in ancient Rome they celebrated the holiday of Cerelia, which honored the harvest goddess of grain called Ceres. ... Let’s begin with the Cornucopia, which was an important symbol in ancient Greece and Rome. A cornucopia is a horned shaped basket that is usually filled with harvest fruits and vegetables. This symbol goes back to a story from Ancient Greece where a goat pulled off his horn and offered it to the God Zeus. This was a magic horn that would refill indefinitely with food and drink ensuring that Zeus would never go hungry. ... Many Native American tribes view Turkey as a symbol of fertility and abundance. ... animal spirits ...Celtic pagan harvest festivals usually included some type of sport or competition. The Pagan Origins of Thanksgiving — ARCANE ALCHEMY

The Roman goddess Abundantia with a cornucopia in a painting by Rubens.... https://medium.com/the-pub/yes-thanksgiving-is-a-pagan-holiday-9cf425af4fb4

In 1621, Native American religions were diverse and often rooted in animism, emphasizing harmony with nature and the spiritual significance of all living things.

But some of the biggest festivals occurred around harvest time.

This was a time to give thanks to the gods for a bountiful harvest and to celebrate the success of another growing season.

There were many different types of harvest festivals, but the biggest three were Lammas, Mabon, and Samhain – each honoring different gods and celebrating different parts of the harvest and the changing of the seasons.

...
Although harvest deities varied from tribe to tribe, many Native American cultures paid homage to "creator gods" that were believed to have helped the Great Spirit complete the earth in its physical form. One such creator god was the Earth Mother, who some tribes believed was the one to bring corn – a harvest staple – to the Native peoples.
The Secret Religious History of Thanksgiving
See how the pagans held the original Thanksgiving, how the Christian Church eventually coopted the holiday, and what symbolic evidence lives on.
www.themonastery.org www.themonastery.org


49. What kind of music did the pilgrims like?
Plymouth Rock.

50. If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
Pilgrims

51. Why do the Pilgrims have trouble keeping their pants on?
Because their belt buckles are on their hats.

What did the turkey say after a big meal?
“I’m stuffed!”
What’s a turkey’s favorite type of music?
Anything with drumsticks.
Why was the Thanksgiving soup so pricey?
It had 24 carrots.
Why did the scarecrow win an award at Thanksgiving?
Because he was outstanding in his field.
What’s the best thing to put into pumpkin pie?
Your teeth.
Why don’t you ever tell secrets at the Thanksgiving dinner table?
Because the corn has ears.

1. Why did Mom’s turkey seasoning taste a little off last year? She ran out of thyme.

2. What did Dad say when he was asked to say grace? “Grace.”

3. What’s the official dance of Thanksgiving called? The turkey trot.

4. What’s one thing that you’ll have in common with a teddy bear on Thanksgiving? You’ll both be filled with stuffing.

5. What was the turkey suspected of? Fowl play.

6. What did the Pilgrim wear to dinner? A (har)vest.

7. What song should you listen to on Thanksgiving? “All About That Baste.”

8. How can you unlock the greatest Thanksgiving experience ever? By making sure to bring the tur-key.

9. With Coronavirus being a possible concern this year, what’s likely to be the most popular side dish? Masked potatoes.

10. What kind of ‘tude is appropriate at the family dinner? Gratitude.

He had been sentenced to seven years in prison after an August 2024 conviction for his role in what the Justice Department at the time described as a scheme to defraud more than 10,000 investors by misrepresenting the performance of three private equity funds.

[He had just reported to prison in November when the sentence was then commuted by the president.]

Roughly 500 miles east of Bali lies the island of Flores, a vocational powerhouse that supplies seminarians not only to Indonesia but also to Catholic communities around the world. Catholicism first arrived here in the 16th century, when Portuguese spice traders brought missionaries to the rugged, mountainous island. Today, the faith is deeply rooted, with more than 80% of the island’s 2 million people being Catholic.

Flores hosts several seminaries, most clustered around Maumere on the island’s northern coast. Religious congregations including the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), the Somascan Fathers, the Rogationists, the Vocationists, and the Carmelites all operate seminaries there, creating a dense network of vocational formation rarely found elsewhere in Asia.

Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD, of Ende and a native of Flores, stressed the island’s importance not just for the Indonesian Church but for dioceses and religious congregations worldwide.

“Many of the alumni of these seminaries are working outside the country,” he noted, highlighting the island’s contribution to the global clergy. A thriving minor seminary system also feeds this pipeline, which currently has 650 students enrolled at the junior and senior high school level.

Continued below.

A beach day, a thick manuscript, and five years of quiet access turned into a book that lets the world step inside a hidden monastery.​

I didn’t expect a day at the beach to turn into a doorway into a cloistered monastery.

The manuscript was thick, intimidatingly so. I tossed it into my bag, with a bottle of water, a towel, and the excuse every work-from-anywhere person knows by heart: “I’m going to work… at the beach.” Ironically, I actually mentioned this very day in a previous piece.

The “work” was a draft by a cloistered Dominican nun friend from Our Lady of the Rosary Monastery in Summit, New Jersey. The title: Joy Within His House: A Cloistered Nun’s Reflections on Following Christ.

I’d already spent years photographing the community. Thousands of frames of their life behind the grille. But that afternoon, beneath a Marian blue sunny sky, with waves crashing on the shore, I journeyed deep into that world through the heart and mind of one of their own, Sister Mary Magdalene of the Immaculate Conception, OP.

By the time the sun started to set, I knew two things.

First: this was not just a “religious book.” It was a brutally honest, surprisingly funny, deeply wise tour through the spiritual life, narrated by a millennial bride of Christ who has lived this vocation long enough to know what it costs and why it’s worth it.

Continued below.

On July 5, 1840, the Flemish Jesuit Pierre-Jean De Smet offered Mass atop a bluff near present-day Daniel, WY. Assembled to witness the ritual was an immense crowd of fur trappers and Indigenous peoples who had convened for the annual trade rendezvous held nearby. The memorable scene marked the first public celebration of the Mass in what is today Wyoming.


De Smet had arrived at the rendezvous to evaluate the prospect of establishing missions in the area. Up to this point, the 39-year-old’s experience as a Jesuit had been characterized by chronic illness, discouragement, and failure. His 1840 journey to the Rocky Mountains, however, launched a transformative phase of his career, one that would catapult him to fame as the century’s foremost missionary to the North American Indians as well as an energetic diplomat, intrepid explorer, pioneering cartographer, and popular author who would leave a lasting mark on the history of the American West.


In a letter, De Smet described the pivotal events of July 5 like this:

I had the privilege of celebrating, to the great joy of all, a Mass which the character of those assisting and the majesty of the wilderness combined to render solemn. The altar was erected on an elevation surrounded by branches of trees and garlands of flowers. It was a spectacle truly moving to the heart of a missionary to see this immense family composed of so many different tribes bowing down with equal humility before the Divine Host. The Canadians intoned hymns in French and Latin, the Indians chanted songs in their own mother tongue; all distinctions, all rivalries of peoples, were obliterated before a unanimous sentiment, that of Christian piety. Oh! it was truly a Catholic ceremony. This place has since been called la Prairie de la Messe. (Translated from Annales de la Propagation de la Foi, vol. 13 (1841), 488.)

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Continued below.

Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.

Q: What is the Church’s position about draping a coffin with a flag for the funeral of a returned serviceman? — P.G-W., Melbourne, Australia

A: The use of national or military flags on coffins at funerals of deceased service personnel is usually permitted, but only for certain parts of the funeral rites. It may occasionally be allowed for other persons who held important civic offices or were otherwise noteworthy public figures who warranted a state or public funeral. The practice does not usually pose problems to the conduct of the funeral Mass since flags or insignia are usually removed during the Mass and, where customary, a pall is placed on the coffin. In some places, this removal takes place at the entrance to the church. Any civic or military rituals usually follow the religious rites. Military funeral honors can be combined with religious rites. Some U.S. dioceses have specific norms for military funerals. One diocese points out, «Typically, religious ceremonies are conducted first, followed by the military honors, such as Taps, the flag presentation, and any optional rites like the three-volley salute or a flyover, before the casket is laid to rest.»

Continued below.
Questions about liturgy: Flags Over a Coffin | ZENIT - English

Keep in mind this report was written by an pro Trump FBI Alliance so much, that it was only submitted to Chuck Grassley and Jim Jordan, but not their counterparts Dick Durbin and Jamie Raskin.

1. Patel “refused” to leave a plane until someone found him a medium size FBI jacket belonging to a female agent

The director, according to one unnamed agent, “refused” to leave a plane that had landed in Utah, following the murder of Charlie Kirk, until someone gave him a size medium FBI jacket. The agent said there were plenty of large and extra-large jackets available, but Patel insisted on a medium sized jacket — which sent agents scrambling to find him one while they were “busy working” on the shooting. Eventually a female FBI Special Agent gave him a jacket that fit his requirements.

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2. FBI agents “laughed at” Patel for ordering the removal of pronouns and messages from email signatures — even though his email signature contained his own message

Another unnamed agent said several agents “laughed at what was perceived as hypocrisy” from Patel, after he emailed agents in August, telling them to remove all pronouns and special messages from their email signatures.
The agents mocked him, because Patel did not follow his own orders — his email signature included “#9,” which FBI personnel interpreted as Patel pointing out he was the bureau’s 9th director.

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3. Patel’s FBI is infected by a “culture of mistrust and uncertainty”

The bureau is “paralyzed” by a lack of confidence in leadership and a general feeling of “mistrust and uncertainty,” multiple anonymous sources said in the report. That mistrust, one agent said, has been exacerbated by Patel’s criticism of the FBI before he took over.
Agents are “afraid of losing their jobs and are making operational decisions based on that fear,” one agent said.
Another unnamed agent said “everyone… is on ‘pins and needles’ about what they are required to do next, who will get fired, and who will get re-assigned for non-specific reasons.”

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4. Feds are tired of Patel and Bongino’s “obsession” with social media

A number of feds said they were sick of the “frequent use of social media” by both Patel and Bongino. One agent lamented they often find out about FBI news first on social media, rather than via internal communication, and another blasted both leaders, saying they are “too often concerned with building [their own] personal resumes” via X

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5. Patel ordered agents to take a polygraph test after they discussed whether he should be issued an FBI firearm

Patel was “upset” after catching wind that a few dozen FBI agents discussed his request to be issued an FBI firearm. Those agents had mixed opinions on the matter — some agreed he should have one, others did not, and still others were “indifferent,” according to one source.
The director, after the discussion was “leaked” to him, ordered those agents to “submit to polygraph examinations to determine their involvement in the discussion and any actions they may have taken after the discussion took place.” The unnamed agent described it as “punitive”; the report does not mention what came of the polygraph tests.

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6. Bongino disgusted agents when he declared “The truth is for chumps”

Several FBI agents were “shocked” when Bongino told personnel at a western FBI office that “The truth is for chumps.” It is unclear what the context was for the statement, but one agent was “offended” and “appalled” by the comment, while several others said they were stunned by it.

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These are the people in charge of keep America safe. May want to say a prayer or rub a rabbits foot.

Look. Ketchup is divinely revealed as a basic food group. I get it. I get it, in fact, by the demijohn.

But this has to stop. Something must be done. I cannot be silent. If not I, who? If not now, when? If not here, where? If not… those other things, then…. I digress.

Divine Revelation provides all things necessary for salvation and human flourishing. Human flourishing clearly includes French fries. And French fries, by natural law, demand ketchup, not mayo, not vinegar, ketchup. So, because whatever is necessary for the proper use of God-given foods is part of God’s providential plan and since ketchup is necessary for the proper use of French fries, which are clearly God-given, therefore, ketchup is part of God’s providential plan. This fact rises to the level of at least sententia certiora: a teaching “more certain” because all right-thinking people accept it without complaint. HENCE, ketchup is not merely a condiment, it is a basic food group, divinely intended, doctrinally secure, and pastorally indispensable.

Except when hot dogs are involved.

What God ordains for a specific purpose may not be distorted for an unholy purpose. But God ordained ketchup for French fries (and related potato-based delights… okay hamburgers, scrambled eggs sometimes, grilled cheese sandwiches perhaps), not for hot dogs.

Therefore, using ketchup on hot dogs is a distortion of divine purpose.

Furthermore, Tradition must be considered.

Continued below.

Father Robert Terence McCahill, a Maryknoll missionary who works in health care for poor, disabled people in Bangladesh, marks 50 years of service in the country in this first week of December.

Over his five decades in Bangladesh, McCahill has visited 13 administrative districts in the Muslim-majority nation, spending three years in each one serving the people there. He left Srinagar in Munshiganj district near Dhaka in late November after completing three years there, though he does not yet know where he will go next.

“I think that just as Jesus was not tied to one place and asked to spread the word of God, I travel around and reach people of all religions with love and work,” McCahill told CNA on Nov. 18.

Continued below.

Please pray that my husband Robb is healthy and happy mind and body and that nothing is wrong. Please ask God that if it is His will He gives my husband good health, less stress and anxiety. I also please ask that you pray for my son Jakeb's health mind and body. I ask in the name of Jesus. Thank you and God bless you. Carmen

Two churches in Port Sudan were defaced in coordinated acts of vandalism, with Islamic declarations painted in red graffiti on their exterior walls. The incidents occurred last week in the center of the city’s market area.

At the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the Islamic Shahadah, which reads “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger,” was scrawled alongside a Qur’anic verse, “There is no God but He, the Lord of the Honorable Throne,” the U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwidereported.

On the walls of the nearby Orthodox Church, vandals sprayed the phrase “Allah is eternal.”

Continued below.

Following the release of “Wicked: For Good,” many people have reacted to the film’s spiritual and allegorical elements and what it says about friendships, morality and the idea of good versus evil.

“Wicked: For Good,” which officially debuted in theatres on Nov. 21, is the second half of the film adaptation of the stage musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2003. The first movie, released in November 2024, covered Act One of the musical, while the latest film is an adaptation of Act Two.

Here are four notable reactions to “Wicked: For Good.”

Plugged In

Writing for Focus on the Family’s Plugged In, which reviews popular forms of entertainment to help families navigate the culture, Emily Tsiao wrote that “Wicked: For Good” is “just as magical and musical” as the first film. She also praised the movie’s “endearing story of enduring friendship,” which she predicted would drive many people to tears.

Continued below.

Just one day before the Terrorist attack against our @NationalGuard, another Afghan national who was paroled into the United States under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome was arrested for threatening to blow up a building in Fort Worth.


Mohammad Dawood Alokozay

We take a look at the conversations between Jesus and Pilate in John 18:38
John 18:38
Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

With all the deviation and the substitution with mans 'ideas' and 'tradition' as we see today, its getting very hard to an answer, that 'rightly dividing the word of truth'. We see how many handle truth today, basically for the sake of appearance. Many 'talk the talk' but do little of the 'walk', its a cosmetic truth for show and not for real. We find how the Jews wanted to receive the Passover, but not receive the One to whom the Passover meal pointed. Their religion was for show but not for real, basically a form of godliness but...

2 Timothy 3:5
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Jesus came to tell the truth about God, the truth in His Word, and the truth about life. So how do we find out the answer to Pilates question?

"The Meaning of Foreknew in Romans 8:29"

You may ask why this is in the dispensationalism forum. It's because it has everything to do with the transition from the old Testament to the New Testament.

I copied this out of a book that I once owned called "The Five Points of Calvinism, Defined, Defended and documented" about twenty years ago. You'll still find it floating around the internet on some forums. I wanted to confront that interpretation that I once defended.

Amazon.com

To my surprise, I found it, but not by me, rather, it was on monergism.com. Perhaps they copied my copy, as it still has some mistakes pointed out in the spell checker, mostly with spacing that I just now fixed.

You should read it, as some of the points made in that article I'll be discussing and using for proof of my position. You can read it here if you like.

The Meaning of "FOREKNEW" in Romans 8:29 | Monergism​

This is from the Appendix of the book "The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, Documented" by David N. Steele and Curtis C. Thomas. THE MEANING OF
www.monergism.com

Romans 8:29-30 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

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QUOTE from the book:
God has always possessed perfect knowledge of all creatures and of all events. There has never been a time when anything past, present, or future was not fully known to Him.* But it is not His knowledge of future events (of what people would do, etc.) which is referred to in Romans 8:29,30, for Paul clearly states that those whom He foreknew He predestined, He called, He justified, etc. Since all men are not predestined, called, and justified, it follows that all men were not foreknown by God in the sense spoken of in verse 29.

It is for this reason that the Arminians are forced to add some qualifying notion. They read into the passage some idea not contained in the language itself such as those whom He foreknew would believe etc., He predestined, called and justified. But according to the Biblical usage of the words “know,” “knew,” and “foreknew” there is not the least need to make such an addition, and since it is unnecessary, it is improper. When the Bible speaks of God knowing particular individuals, it often means that He has special regard for them, that they are the objects of His affection and concern. For example in Amos 3:2, God, speaking to Israel says, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” The Lord knows about all the families of the earth, but He knew Israel in a special way.* They were His chosen people whom He had set His heart upon. See Deuteronomy 7:7,8; 10:15. Because Israel was His in a special sense He chastised them, cf. Hebrews 12:5,6.*God, speaking to Jeremiah, said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you,” (Jeremiah 1:5). The meaning here is not that God knew about Jeremiah but that He had a special regard for the prophet before He formed him in his mother’s womb. Jesus also used the word “knew” in the sense of personal, intimate awareness. “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers’ “ (Matt. 7:22,23). Our Lord cannot be understood here as saying, I knew nothing about you, for it is quite evident that He knew all too much about them – their evil character and evil works; hence, His meaning must be, I never knew you intimately nor personally, I never regarded you as the objects of my favor or love. Paul uses the word in the same way in I Corinthians 8:3, “But if one loves God, one is known by him,” and also II Timothy 2:19, “the Lord knows those who are His.” The Lord knows about all men but He only knows those “who love Him, who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28) – those who are His! ...END QUOTE

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I would add that Calvinism is also adding a qualifying notion. That being, Whom He foreknew [from the foundations of the world]. That simply is assumed into the text. If that was what was meant, it would be easy to just say it, as Peter did in 1 Peter 1:20

1 Peter 1:2 He indeed was foreordained [foreknew] before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (Also see 1 Peter 1:2)

(ESV) "He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you"

The same Greek word for "foreordained" in 1 Peter 1:20 and "foreknew" in Romans 8:29. Also see John 17:24.

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

So foreknown [from the foundations of the world] "Foundations of the world" is assumed by the Calvinist interpretation. It sounds reasonable, right? There is predestination right after that.

Let me offer some context that Calvinism doesn't use because their understanding of Scripture limits that context. In Romans 8:28-29, Paul is speaking of true OT believers. That's the flow of the whole book in context, and the more immediate context is the same. They were foreknown as believers already, and were given to the Son by the Father, so that He would not lose one of them, thus predestined to be what? Conformed to the the image of His Son. These were already appointed to eternal life as true OT believers, and were thus foreknown by God, but would need to make the transition to the Gospel message as believers. These He also called (with the Gospel), His Sheep will hear His voice. Those He called, He also justified [in Christ, Pentecost and beyond] also see Romans 3:25. And those He justified, He glorified.

It's actually fits perfectly. If you think that sounds wrong, consider that Paul tells us who is foreknown in Romans 11:2.

Romans 11:1-5 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, "Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"? But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

It's Israel. That's the same point that the five points of Calvinism was making, they just didn't examine that Scripture with the entire context, since most Calvinists believe that there is no transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. That there is no difference in the way God deals with people from one to the other. That OT believers were saved and already had all the benefits of being in Christ. I disagree with that. Listen to the argument made in that article, it actually supports what I'm saying.

This Gospel that these Jews were hearing was completely different from what they expected and understood. Paul is explaining the Law verses grace. How physical Israel is different from Spiritual Israel. How God chastising the Jews and including the Gentiles was part of His eternal plan. How those Jews who God had chastised could still be a part of that plan of salvation. It's a covenant by faith, not of the Law. Peter makes the same kind of Argument to similar minded Jews of that time who were also ignorant as to what was happening in Acts1-2.

Acts 2:22-23 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know-- Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;

36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

To use the same argument as the article, I think its not part of the Text, and therefore not necessary to add [from the foundations of the world] to the meaning of the word foreknew. I understand why that idea was assumed into the term foreknew from the Calvinist framework, but I believe that framework lacks the proper context. As the writer points out, God is speaking of a particular people who He foreloved. That's Israel. And they, the true believers, spiritual Israel, were predestined to take the next step in that transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament and come to faith in Jesus Christ, thus placing them in Christ, [after Pentecost] and as a result, being justified in Him and being conformed to His image.

Any thoughts?

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.

Minnesota is drowning in fraud.

Billions in taxpayer dollars have been stolen during the administration of Governor Tim Walz alone. Democratic state officials, overseeing one of the most generous welfare regimes in the country, are asleep at the switch. And the media, duty-bound by progressive pieties, refuse to connect the dots.​

​

In many cases, the fraud has allegedly been perpetrated by members of Minnesota’s sizeable Somali community. Federal counterterrorism sources confirm that millions of dollars in stolen funds have been sent back to Somalia, where they ultimately landed in the hands of the terror group Al-Shabaab. As one confidential source put it: “The largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer.”​

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Who is this? An Islamic group that follows a strict Salafi-jihadi ideology. They are seeking to establish an Islamic emirate in Somalia governed by its extreme interpretation of Sharia law. It is strongly anti-Western, anti-African Union, and opposes the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), which it considers apostate.

This coming from a State governed by someone who could have been VP.

"A Muslim father and his two sons tied up his teen daughter and drowned her in a swamp because they believed her “Western behavior” was shaming their family, according to Dutch prosecutors.

The body of Ryan Al Najjar, 18, was found gagged, bound with tape and submerged in a marsh May 28, 2024, six days after she vanished from the family’s home"

The Maduro regime is not going to surrender power, and so now a showdown is looming.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro escalated his confrontation with the United States, rallying tens of thousands of supporters across Caracas as he framed the moment as a historic battle for national survival.

Last week, Maduro held up a sword and urged his supporters: “We must be ready to defend every inch of this blessed land from imperialist threat or aggression, no matter where it comes from.”

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Virginia Mayo had a thirst for joy amid her Hollywood fame. She found it, just in time, in the Church. Today we celebrate her birthday.

Virginia Mayo knew she was destined to be an actress from age six when she began studying at her aunt’s dance studio in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

This great-great-great-granddaughter of Captain James Piggott -- a George Washington underling at Brandywine -- born Virginia Clara Jones 105 years ago today, would implore her childhood friends to “play show,” she said in Virginia Mayo: The Best Years of My Life (as told to LC Van Savage).

It was the roaring '20s. She soon began appearing in local theatrical shows.
Then life took a turn. The Great Depression hit and her father, Luke Ward Jones, a prominent writer at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and president of the PTA, lost his two-decades-long job. He was forced to take whatever work he could just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. These hardscrabble years prepared his young daughter’s soul to seek a joy beyond glittering theatrical lights.

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Four people, including three children, have been killed while several others were wounded by a shooter who entered a family gathering in California and opened fire.

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office posted an update on Sunday afternoon to its official X account, reporting a mass shooting in Stockton on Saturday in which 15 people were shot.

According to authorities, “a total of 15 individuals sustained gunshot wounds during the incident,” including four deaths. The ages of the deceased were 8, 9, 14, and 21.

The sheriff’s office described the incident as an “active and ongoing investigation,” with police believing it was “a targeted incident” rather than a random act of violence.

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