Ever since this "gay marriage"/transgender nonsense took hold, Lucifer is sitting down there in hell, laughing hysterically. It is truly distressing that so many people have obediently walked right into his deceptions, without even knowing the source of their ideas.

Please pray that Jesus Christ protects His flock from the demonic activities and callings of the Satanists movement which is really really scary:

A survey of recent headlines highlights a fascinating trend: Celebrities are publicly embracing Catholicism at an increasing rate. This phenomenon raises the question: Why are those who seemingly have it all — fame, fortune and influence — turning to a faith that calls for humility and service? The answer may lie in the very nature of our digital age and the spiritual hunger it exacerbates.

Even more encouraging is that these high profile cases mirror increasing conversions to the Catholic faith in the population at large. Although not all dioceses have reported data for 2024, those that have are reporting significant increases in conversions this year anywhere from 30 to 70%. The dioceses of Fort Worth, Marquette, and Des Moines all saw increases upwards of 70%, with Des Moines topping the charts at 84%.

What is it that is driving people to return to the Faith that our culture promotes at best as traditional and outdated, and at worst as abusive and corrupt?

Continued below.

Priests and deacons of the Society of St. Pius X walk to Mass in Econe, western Switzerland, on June 29, 2009. | Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

A group of Carmelite nuns in Arlington, Texas, announced this month that they would henceforth associate with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a traditionalist group that is not in full communion with the Catholic Church and has a canonically irregular status.

The nuns have been at the center of considerable controversy since last year after an investigation was launched by the Diocese of Fort Worth over reported sexual misconduct by the order’s reverend mother superior.

The nuns defied a Vatican decree on their monastery’s governance and sought a restraining order against Bishop Michael Olson, the bishop of Fort Worth. The nuns’ rejection of authority “is scandalous and is permeated with the odor of schism,” Olson said this week.

Continued below.

Relationship was 'emotional and digital in nature'

The Washington correspondent for New York Magazine was placed on leave Thursday after revealing that she had a "personal relationship" with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while she was covering the 2024 presidential campaign.

Olivia Nuzzi, 31, told her bosses about a personal relationship she had with an unidentified person "relevant to the 2024 campaign," according to a Thursday statement from the magazine titled "A Note to our Readers."

A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed that the person involved was Kennedy, whom Nuzzi profiled in November 2023, according to The New York Times. Kennedy suspended his independent presidential campaign last month and endorsed former President Donald Trump.

Continued below.

A Christian forum where some clamor for the right to murder babies????? Is there something wrong with this picture?

I met him and was impressed by his loving nature and humility.

Good to see some Christ like character behind a teacher.

Pommer said:

I didn’t look at the image, I responded to your assertion that the image was to deflect from people noticing his peculiar pastime.

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Yes, that was the joke which included subtle innuendo. Is Mr. Walz's affinity with butter supposed to be a touchy subject?

BTW if you're unable to see the image I was responding to, there's no way you're going to understand my post.

There has only been a few times when God poured His wrath on earth. He poured many judgements, punishments etc. But wrath : The flood, where Noah and his family and some animals were spared. At that He waited for Noah to finish the ark. The rest were swept away to destruction. Then Sodom. Lot and his family were lead out of Sodom, angels sent to get them out before the time of God's wrath was poured out. Everyone in the city was destroyed. These events are the wrath of God, just as God's wrath is poured out in the Bowl judgements, pure wrath. Revelation describes those bowl events as His wrath. It is written as " full strength".

I notice many here like to quote from the Gospels, the visible appearance of Jesus' second coming , to where He comes with His saints, landing feet on the ground. Those aren't the pre trib rapture scriptures though. Pre trib rapture scriptures describe meeting Jesus in the air. He never touches down, feet on the ground in the rapture event. In the pre trib event, we go alive to be with Him. In His second coming, literally back to earth, we come with Him. There is a difference between being caught up alive to meet Him in the air from earth, and being with Him coming back to earth.

As to the mark of the beast: first you need the beast, not just need him, but have him in authority. He causes/ requires all to renounce Christ, claim him ( the beast) as God , and for followers to take the mark. Understand, that Satan set the standards for this and that only the deceived do it. And it happens around mid tribulation. So, first we need to be in the tribulation period at least. And we need the beast, which scripture clearly states is a man. He could be with us right now for all we know, but Satan hasn't taken him over yet.

Mr. M said:

The Law is our schoolmaster for therein lies instruction in righteousness.

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indeed, while in school we are under a schoolmaster. So are we still in school?

Galations 3:24-25
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

the question that remains is has that faith come?

Paidiske said:

As someone in ministry, this is not really my concern. Ministry is not a "job," and if there are ways that we can be more effective in meeting people's needs at lower cost, that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially in places where there is not the money to pay someone whether this is in place or not.

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Indeed, ministry is a calling, a vocation. Sometimes I use shop terminology with regards to it, for example, praising clergy for their professionalism (which usually means skillful pastoral care and admirable qualities), or mentioning those denominations I personally would feel comfortable “working for”, but this should be understood as pure idiosyncratic rhetoric on my part, motivated by a certain cheerfulness I have about the work.

But AI is not a person, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It does not have the gifts given to real people to be and build up the church. It might become very smart, but it will not be able to function in the same way. It cannot love, cannot rejoice, is ultimately faithful only to its programming, rather than to God.

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AI cannot do what clergy do in terms of caring for the faithful - I don’t think it could even if we had fully self-aware general AI like, say, C-3PO of Star Wars or Lt. Cdr. Data of Star Trek, the Next Generation, or what seems more likely to some, something like the sinister AIs of much of SF (among others, these include but are not limited to HAL-9000, Colossus and Guardian from the Colossus: The Forbin Project, the city computer in Logan’s Run, Alpha 60 from Alphaville, the Landru and M-5 computers and the Nomad space probe from the original Star Trek, the Terminator, or Agent Smith or the Architect or the other machine intelligence from The Matrix films. Part of the problem is because the inner workings of these hypothetical superintelligent AIs are black boxes, it becomes impossible to know how they would feel about computers, whether or not they have a soul would be a philosophical debate, and they would have the potential to be extremely dangerous, able to defeat the safety and alignment measures taken with current AI.

Additionally it seems clear that ministry of all forms should be done by humans and angels, in service to God, with the ministry of the latter normally invisible.

honey badger said:

first off God did not ask for an offering ...

Cain labored as in he tilled the ground to bring forth his offering which his laboring (by the sweat of his brow) in picture is his own reasoning unto gain ...

or as you rightly put it

"Could mark of the beast be obtained only by those who feel they need to go to work to support themselves ? Is it about trusting yourself and not God for your needs ?"

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Well that's where the translations differ. Personally I think He did ask Cain for an offering, which Can did not labor for, and he rejected it. Probably still being wroth that the fruit of his labor wasn't accepted.

ARBITER01 said:

Not to change your topic/subject,......but a lot of times people will tend to trust in only what their mind can conceive.

Faith can be a somewhat hard thing for people to learn. Faith goes beyond the mind into the realm of eternity with GOD,....and some folks really have a hard time trusting outside of what they "know."

Instead of asking GOD about a subject and waiting on His answer, a lot of people try searching out the answer from other people instead.

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I don't disagree with that. God is "other." To have faith in Him, we need to trust in His own self-revelation, and not in what our minds conceive of Him.

A lot of what we get about God, of course, utilizes the knowledge we acquire as we grow up. But we are still called upon, by God, to meet Him in His "other" place, outside of our own dimension. We sense Him, but words probably don't do Him complete justice?

Are you struggling against sin?
Does a battle rage within?
Have you forgotten ‘bout God?
He helps us with His discipline.

Be not weary when reproved.
Discipline of God is love.
We have need, need to endure.
God is treating us as His.

If not disciplined, we’re not His.
God does for us what is good –
We may share His holiness,
Bear the fruit of Righteousness.

Therefore, lift your drooping hands,
Strengthen then, too, your weak knees,
Make straight paths now for your feet,
So that what is lame now’s healed.

Based off of Hebrews 12:3-13
An Original Work / May 2, 2024

As soon as I read these words, I thought of my nation, the United States of America. I do believe that we, as a nation, are under the judgment of God. For we, as a nation, are touted to be a “Christian” nation. And according to statistics, 63% to 66% of the US population claims Christianity as their religion of choice. And we are also touted as “one nation under God,” which the presumption is that this is speaking of the one true and ONLY GOD, the creator of the universe and of all living creatures on the earth.

Edifices of human making, which are called “churches,” are all over the place in the USA. And in some places, like in the “Bible Belt” (midsouth to southeastern USA), they are probably much more predominant. Where I live in S. Carolina they are definitely all over the place. But just because such a high percentage of the population claims to be “Christian,” and just because we have an enormous amount of “houses of worship” across the USA, that is no measure at all of the number of people of genuine faith in Jesus Christ.

For one, the church is not a building called “church.” It is not an institution of human origin. It is not incorporated under the state as a “state church.” It is not a social club nor a civic center. It is not a family-oriented fun place to take your kids for fun and entertainment. And it is not affiliated with a particular church denomination. All that is of the flesh of man, and not of God. Yet, that is what so many “Christians” today have turned “the church” into, and so they are marketing the church to the world, appeasing the flesh.

But the true church is not all of that. The true church is the universal body of Christ, the people of God by genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And the purpose of our gatherings is for the mutual encouragement and edification and exhortation of one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in holy living.

And we are then to go out into the world with the message of the gospel of our salvation so that many people will hear the truth, so that they will believe the truth, so that the truth of the gospel will deliver them out of their lives of slavery to sin and now empower them to live holy lives, pleasing to God, in submission to God, and in obedience to his commands. And by faith in Jesus Christ, they then become one with Christ and with his body, the church (the only church), so they are now members of The Church.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Gal 6:1; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Eph 6:10-20; Php 2:1-8; Col 1:9; Col 3:12-16; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6; Jude 1:22-23]

But that is not what is largely taking place. So many people are professing faith in Jesus Christ who have not died with Christ to sin, for they are still living in addictive and deliberate sin against the Lord. Thus, their lives are not surrendered to Jesus Christ, to do his will, but they are still living to please their own flesh. And that means that they are also not walking in obedience to his commands in holy living, because they want their sins more, and because they are largely being given permission to sin.

So, even though America is touted as a “Christian” nation, and as “one nation under God,” and even though such edifices called “churches” abound in the USA, and many people attend these gatherings in these “churches,” not many, it would seem, have really died with Christ to sin and are living to God and to his righteousness. And not many of these “churches” are teaching the true gospel of salvation, but many have altered the gospel message to make it less offensive to those they want in their “churches.”

So God has rejected these “churches” which are incorporated under the state and which are marketing their gatherings to the people of the world using worldly means and methods, following after marketing schemes and goals, objectives, and gimmicks, while they are also diluting and altering the gospel message and the character of God/Christ, in order to make them more acceptable to human flesh. And he has rejected all who give lip service to him but by their actions they deny him. They have not forsaken their sins.

And so this is a prayer for restoration, which is a prayer for revival. For the Lord will not restore those who do not want to be restored to him, but who want to continue in their sins and in their rebellion against his commands. He is not going to restore his church which has forsaken him if they are not willing to surrender their lives to him and to submit to his will and purposes for our lives. God cannot repair its “breaches,” if the church is still “tottering,” and is not willing to change and to obey the Lord, in truth.

I believe, according to what I understand of the Scriptures, that it is going to take the judgment of God on my nation to turn the hearts of those still walking in sin to a place of genuine repentance and genuine faith in Jesus Christ, which results in dying daily to sin, and self-denial, and walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And I believe we are already in the beginning stages of that judgment of God, which I believe is evidenced by all the chaos and upheaval and rebellion in our nation.

[Matthew 24:1-51; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13; Revelation 21:8,27; Revelation 22:14-15]


The Lord does not say that we will be free from trials and tribulations, or that we will not have to suffer for the sake of righteousness, and for the sake of his name, and for the sake of his complete gospel message (the whole counsel of God). [See verses above.] But for those of us whose lives are surrendered to him, who are NOT walking in deliberate and habitual sin, but who are walking in obedience to the Lord’s commands in holy living, he promises to keep us safe spiritually so that we have salvation and life eternal with God.

In Harmony

An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17

Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;
Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil –
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

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Not I, but Christ

By Ada A. Whiddington / A. B. Simpson

… I no longer live, but Christ lives in me… (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

Not I, but Christ be honored, loved, exalted,
Not I, but Christ be seen, be known, be heard;
Not I, but Christ in every look and action,
Not I, but Christ in every thought and word.

Not I, but Christ to gently soothe in sorrow,
Not I, but Christ to wipe the falling tear;
Not I, but Christ to lift the weary burden,
Not I, but Christ to hush away all fear.

Christ, only Christ, no idle word e'er falling,
Christ, only Christ, no needless bustling sound;
Christ, only Christ, no self-important bearing,
Christ, only Christ, no trace of “I” be found.

Not I, but Christ my every need supplying,
Not I, but Christ my strength and health to be;
Christ, only Christ, for spirit, soul, and body,
Christ, only Christ, live then Thy life in me.

Christ, only Christ, ere long will fill my vision,
Glory excelling soon, full soon I'll see;
Christ, only Christ, my every wish fulfilling,
Christ, only Christ, my all in all to be.

Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord,
Oh, to be lost in Thee,
Oh, that it might be no more I,
But Christ that lives in me.

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Nice to see you David.
Kids are growing wow.
Where did the time fly?
Glad Covid wasn’t too bad.

CC you had me worried for the last year or so.

marycherry3 said:

My last job I was constantly given more work and because I did it without complaining it never stopped. When I moved to a new company I was much more vocal when they gave me work so I didn't get into that situation again.

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Lol... yup.
I worked in IT. One of my co-workers kept telling me I had to mess up once in a while and not have such a fast turnaround because everyone would be calling me. But I liked the work and wanted to satisfy. Being an old military Sgt, I knew it was my job to make my boss look good. I even told my supervisor that. Needless to say, my goldbricking friend did not last long. I retired after 17 years.

We are not wise just if we have a lot of book smarts. A scholastic education does not make anyone wise, necessarily. We can be some of the smartest people on the planet, with high IQs, and know all kinds of stuff other people don’t know, but that doesn’t mean we are wise. For wisdom has to do with applied knowledge, but applied rightly in a way that is wise (sensible, prudent, having good and correct judgment and discernment). For wisdom is the opposite of foolish (thoughtless, reckless, senseless, irresponsible).

So, wisdom is not shown by how intellectually smart we are and what all we know, or think we know. Wisdom is shown by what we do with what we know, i.e. when we respond with good judgment and right conduct. And good conduct is not defined by the flesh, nor by the world, nor by our culture, but by God and by his Word (the Scriptures). And the Scriptures teach that we are to be morally pure, upright, godly, righteous, faithful, honest, trustworthy, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands.

Therefore, if our conduct reveals that we are people whose hearts are filled with bitter jealousy (like Cain with regard to his brother Abel) and with selfish ambition, which stem from earthly, unspiritual, and demonic wisdom, we are to face this reality head on, and not be false to the truth, and not deny what is reality. For those who deny their own sinful conditions and what is stored up in their hearts, and who trivialize their own offenses, or who blame others, will never know the wisdom of God, but will continue in evil.

And pride is one of the hindrances to anyone having and putting into practice godly wisdom and right judgment and good conduct. For pride is selfish by nature, and does not like to be confronted with wrongdoing or to be corrected in any way. So pride stubbornly goes one’s own way, despite knowing the right way to go. It refuses good judgment and wise counsel in favor of having its own way and stubbornly holding on to its own self-will. So humility is necessary if we are to have and to exercise godly wisdom.

But where bitter jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. And that is because the people giving in to these, who are letting these character traits overcome them, are being led by their sinful flesh and not by God, and not by his teachings. And the Scriptures teach that “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” So the evil person, out of the evil treasure of his heart, produces evil (Matthew 15:17-20; Luke 6:45).

So, if you who are practicing evil want to live godly and morally pure lives, you have to get rid of the evil that is stored up in your hearts. You have to forgive all who you believe have offended you. You have to forgive God, who did no wrong, for not performing for you the way you thought he should. You have to let go of all bitterness, resentment, hate, anger, lust, and all that evil, which is stored up in your hearts, and let the Lord fill your hearts with his love and grace, and with uprightness, moral purity, and love for others.

And you do this only by genuine God-provided, and God-gifted, and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ as Lord (Owner-Master) of your life. And this faith requires death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness. We must die with Christ to sin so that we can be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For if sin is what we obey, what we practice, it leads to death. We will not inherit eternal life with God if we practice sin.

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

Near the Cross

Hymn lyrics by Fanny J. Crosby, 1869
Music by William H. Doane, 1869

Jesus, keep me near the cross;
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary's mountain.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o'er me.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

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So would love it on video start to finish.

Bradskii said:

Taj Mahal. Stunning.

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Man, I want to go there. It was one of the larger buildings of the time (mid-17th century).

Vambram said:

The first time that I heard this song was about 8 years ago. I love this song so very much but sometimes I forget to listen to it when I might need it the most.
Matthew West has a few more great songs that I ought to keep on my playlists.

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Yeah, the song was released in 2015. Remember, if you ever feel down, listen to Matthew West, or other classic Christian songs from the 1980s-early 2010s.


Also, I remember this song from Matthew West - You Are Everything, as I looked up his discography. It was released when I turned 8 years old:
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Christsfreeservant said:

It is not me you must agree with. You must agree with what the Scriptures teach, and I am teaching what they teach. Read Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Galatians 5:16-21; 1st John 1:5-10; 1st John 2:3-6; 1st John 3:4-6, just for starters, and read Ephesians 2:8-10 and Titus 2:11-14, etc.

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I hear ya, but i have to listen to the Spirit of the Lord that breathes his life into those scriptures. I'm not saying I don't agree with you totally, just that works is the product of faith and sonetimes it doesn't sound like you are saying that, to me anyway.

Either way, you have wonderful things to share.