Brightfame52 said:

Draw is the spiritual application of salvation

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Or the drawing to salvation, to He who is our salvation.

Michie said:

America is caught in a tug-of-war that feels like it’s pulling the nation apart at the seams. On one side stands the radical left (woke left), proudly flying the banner of Marx’s vision of communism under the modern guise of “wokeness.” On the other side, a growing segment of the radical right (woke right), fed up (and hey, fair enough — their frustration with the left isn’t wrong) with the institutionalization of the Left’s agenda in our schools, media, and government, is beginning to embrace the rhetoric and logic of fascism.

What’s happening here is not new — it’s a dialectic at work. Philosophers like Hegel, and later Karl Marx, explained history as a process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. An idea or system (the thesis) is challenged by its opposite (the antithesis), and out of that clash comes a new state of affairs (the synthesis).

In the 20th century, we watched this play out in real time. The old monarchies and empires of Europe collapsed after World War I, and into that vacuum came two radical opposites: communism and fascism. Lenin’s Bolsheviks took Russia and promised a classless utopia by abolishing private property and dissolving traditional institutions. Fascists like Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany rose up as a direct reaction, promising to crush communism with nationalism, authoritarian control, and corporatist economies.

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How can we save America from the radicals?

Both extremes use the other as proof of their own righteousness

www.christianpost.com

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Vote for moderates.

DragonFox91 said:

I always wanted to be married. It's been a struggle. Sometimes I hear people tell me 'you just got to accept it.' To me, that always sounded depressing. It also sounded like something someone who's ticked off at everything would say. It didn't sound 'right.' So it made me wonder what does the Bible say about when you 'lose' at something? It says God still has something for you & that's better for you. He sees things from his perspective, not the world's.

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Marriage is often like a business transaction even from a Biblical perspective. Everyone's got a price and there's always something you can offer.

As cold as that sounds. Jesus discussed about it as little as possible and the most important part of marriage it seems is not breaking it just like a business contract. The presence of "romance" doesn't seem as important.

The modern world turns it into an overrated hype because a lot of money can be made from it.

What would be wrong in the concept of marriage is investing too much of your mind and heart in it. That would be idolatry.

If you struggle at being single, there's only two choices, either you wait for the Lord's return or get married. No need to overthink it. God only got involved in people's marriage that constituted the bloodline of Christ. After that, it's every man for himself. For you, that's entirely your decision to make with Godly wisdom ofc. If you're already financially stable, you've already done most of the work. The rest is how far you're willing to go to get married.

GoldenBoy89 said:

I wonder if OP has learned anything from this thread.

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He's paying too much.

Shawn Ryan had a pretty good interview recently with Nathan Apffel (SRS 233). Long story short? The CIA wrote the tax law that churches use and modeled it off of the Salvation Army. They did that so that all churches would be easy to control, and limited from being able to afford to really have an impact. It hits everybody the same, satanists, islam, mormons, christians, etc.

The main reason you can't find the type of church you are looking for is because it's functionally impossible for one to exist. In order to have that type of church, it would need to be fairly small, and run by someone who owned their home or ranch, and let people come visit for free. But never registered as a 501(c)3 for the tax breaks, and bore the expenses involved in hosting so many people themselves. This can be done, it's not impossible, but it's hard enough that almost no one does it.

Vambram said:

Nope.

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Nope to what? Phone records don't need a subpoena?

sjastro said:

The technical lingo is 'AI offloading' can weaken cognitive plasticity—the brain’s ability to strengthen circuits through effortful use.

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"Low level" analysis makes you good at low level analysis.

But offloading workload on low level analysis lets you do more "high level" work and actually become good at high level (strategic, long term analysis) work as well as greatly improving situational awareness of whatever situation you're dealing with.

The world does not have a shortage of geniuses but rather an abundance of them who can crunch complex equations in their head or on tissue paper.

And yet, we still managed to steer the world towards a path of self-destruction. Lack of situational awareness. What is the advantage?

dms1972 said:

Symbolical and represent something literal in the sense of something really taking place, but I think maybe real or actual rather than literal. In this regard I think the numbers may not be literal, but they have a significance. 1000 years may signify God's Reign itself, rather than a literal duration?

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Well, that's a long subject! We could be here for a very long time discussing that one!

But I think there's something to what you're saying, even though I personally believe in a literal Millennium and in the literal restoration of the nation Israel. That is, I don't believe the Church is "Spiritual Israel."

RileyG said:

None. Their religious life is based on begging and taking care of the elderly.

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Then what do they have to do with a public business (the hospital discussed in the thread)?

BPPLEE said:

What about the Confederate states?

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They were dealt with.

Sounds like the ICE agents are taking the low road as a form of professional retaliation.

While I can understand ICE being frustrated with the directives from 'upper management' (mayor and governor) telling local PDs to not assist them... when they do stuff like this, they're taking it out on people who could very well be on their side.


If I (on the DevOps side) and my counterpart on the database team both have Directors that are making boneheaded moves to spite each other due to some sort of anatomy measuring contest, me and my counterpart wasting each other's time doesn't address that issue.


They're having that UFC event at the White House soon...

I'd say let's just have a heavyweight bout Trump v. JB Pritzker... four, 20-second rounds (allowing for the 10 second walk to the middle of the octagon)
-- with a McDonald's break between rounds two and three, let the chicken nuggets fall where they may.

Clare73 said:

A false conflict when the Holy Spirit does not contradict himself in his own God-breathed word (2 Tim 3:16). . .

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The Word of God never becomes the scriptures and Jesus never refers to scriptures as the Word of God. Because the Word of God has always manifested as a living entity - God >> Jesus >> Holy Spirit.

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us...

John 14:17
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

The Word became flesh (Jesus) and made His dwelling among us (Holy Spirit). The Word of God never became the scriptures and it already dwells inside those the Holy Spirit finds its dwelling.

2 Corinthians 3:3
It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Hebrews 10:15-16
15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says: 16“This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”

It's ironic I have to quote scriptures about verses telling the Word of God did not become scriptures and rather telling us, if we have the Holy Spirit in us then we already have he Word of God in us.

That girl is a political pawn

Pope Pious XI saw it back in the early 1900s. And Pope St. John Paul II saw it still in 1985 – the loss of the sense of sin was becoming more and more widespread.

For centuries, most Catholics understood that actions or thoughts contrary to right reason, God’s truth, and right conscience are sins. Such actions or thoughts could imperil one’s soul.

In more recent times, however, many seem to have forgotten what sin is. Or perhaps sin has been so downplayed since Vatican II that sin is not something about which too many are very concerned.

A More Pastoral Church​

Pope St. John XXIII stated in his opening address prior to Vatican II that “In our time . . . the Bride of Christ prefers to use the medicine of mercy rather than severity.

“. . . the Catholic Church, by raising through this Ecumenical Council the torch of religious truth, wants to show herself to be a kind mother of all, benign, patient, full of mercy and kindness for the children separated from her.”

So following Vatican II, God’s love and mercy took center stage. For many bishops and priests, being pastoral – focusing on God’s love and mercy – was ‘in’ and talking about sin was ‘out.’

And, just as an aside, even the “New Mass” became pastoral. It was no longer a bloodless re-enactment of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Instead, it had become a community celebration of Christ’s victory over death. The altar was no longer an altar, it was a banquet table, and all are welcome at the table.

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David Lamb said:

I think I will continue trusting what God says in His word about apostles.

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Ephesians 4:11-16 tells us apostles are always need in the church, maybe until Christ returns. For the perfecting of saints, to measure up to Christ, to resist false teachings, wolves, for love.

And the Roman Catholic church did not perform all so well. But had many bishops and also the Greek Orthodox...

And Pope Leo wears the most beautiful cope, with deacons wearing matching Dalmatia’s or tunicles. It is the most beautiful cope seen on a pope since, well, Pope Benedict XVI!

Please note Pope Leo’s alb made of his grandmother’s lace!!!
















Beautiful ad orientem altar arrangement, no? And I have to say that the ambo is perfectly placed and quite stunning and the right size!

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Lord have mercy!

May God bless the holy father!

Institutionalize it, it becomes of the world and further from the Kingdom. Happens every time.

boughtwithaprice said:

The devil is an immitator. So what if we share postures with Hinduism? Should we study Hinduism to imitate more of their postures and worship of their false gods?

We are to relax and rest in the peace of Christ

It serves no purpose for a Christian to learn Hinduism in order to bring its practices to Christianity. It is a distraction and takes our eyes off of Christ our redeemer. We have so little time in the world, it makes no sense to study or imitate the worship of false gods, unless we are called to understand them and bring the love of Christ to them.
I don’t need my Christian friends teaching me about Hinduism. Your quote from John of the Cross is interesting because it reveals the danger of yoga. If we do not practice idolatry, then the devil has no power over us, but if we imitate the motions of idolatry and try to claim it is not wrong, then the devil can use the memories of our actions against us
Claiming to do yoga without idolatry is the same as claiming to watch porn without lust. It serves no godly purpose

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We can study things in order to discern, distinguish and better articulate Orthodoxy from heterodoxy.

The Truth John 1.1 said:

Not so fast Marily C. First the Scriptures are silent on infants and the still born that died who never had an opportunity to perform any work. So Thier fate in Scripture is not described. The passage implies that judgement can only be applied only if one performs a work. (Which by the way just means how they lived their life on earth).Otherwise no judgement can be imposed because their book when opened has nothing written in it as to how they lived their life to judge them by

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Romans 9

...they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;
7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants shall be named.”
8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.
9 For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”
10 And not only that, but there was also Rebekah, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? Far from it!
15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.”
16 So then, it does not depend on the person who wants it nor the one who runs, but on God who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the earth.”
18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

essentialsaltes said:

BONDI: you're so concerned with money. gibber dark money groups you take money.

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What's that last sentence mean?

Vambram said:

I see that you are still enjoying your liberal cookies and kool-aid.

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If winning a debate is vacuous assertions with no data or quotes from successful government agencies and universities, then you win

Enjoy your bedtime stories.

RDKirk said:

When the answer to the questions "What could I have done better in the situation?" or "What did I do wrong in the situation?" is "Nothing."

Is an apology owed when nothing wrong was done?

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Hello RDKirk, most failures of this sort, in and of themselves, are not sins, of course. However, if you said/promised someone that you would do something for them but ended up being unable to, for whatever reason, I think that that is one of the situations that does warrant an apology.

Praying for her (and for you and your wife, too)!

God bless you!!

--David
p.s. - this was a blind post, just FYI.

edit: Now that I've read more of the thread and have seen the specifics about daughter's complaint, I'm afraid that I can't give you a helpful answer w/o more information.

I don't think that you and your wife did anything wrong! Life is very tough for us all, but that's just one of the reasons that we put the Lord at the very center of our lives, yes .. e.g. Psalm 46:1 cf Romans 8:28

I wish that our schools were teaching kids to be thankful for all that they have (in spite of the troubles that we all face in this life) instead, but so many today have come to see themselves as victims, rather than as the very blessed individuals that most of us actually are in this country (very blessed, but not w/o problems too, of course).