A Long Slow Journey

Tenderness has the power to melt the most hardened hearts steeped in pride. As we receive God’s love in our hearts, our identity as His beloved sons and daughters is restored. The tenderness of God heals. The caress of God disinfects and cleanses our wounds. The tenderness of God brings peace, serenity, and rest to the

The Love Crucified Community. The Simple Path to Union with God (pp. 279-280). Kindle Edition.

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It has been a long journey learning to trust in God. Many of our deepest wounds are formed in childhood, hidden in memory yet still shaping our lives in ways we may not see. What others notice in us can remain invisible to ourselves.

In my youth, I had no words for my inner struggles. This led to seasons of chaos, much of which I managed to conceal—though not all. One day, while reading from the First Letter of John (3:20): “If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything,” the words pierced me. I fell to my knees in tears, realizing that my lack of self-love had blocked my growth in self-knowledge. That moment began the slow process of trusting in God’s love for me.

The inner journey requires persistence. Setbacks, failures, even great sins must not keep us down. I have learned to rise again and again, for failure is often part of the path to faith. I am a slow learner, but perhaps that is why I welcome old age—it has brought me a deeper, though still limited, understanding of God’s love for me and for all. We must remember: we are made in His image and likeness; He is not made in ours.

—Br. MD

This is a thread for sharing what you've learned from your reading.

Examples of things to share:
- New words
- Information / facts
- Perspectives you hadn't previously considered

I'll go first: Today, while reading A Separate Peace, I discovered the word "cupola." It refers to those decorative structures that sit on top of buildings.

Simple cupola:


Fancy cupola:

Today, cancelling others is all the rage. But back in the day of the 2nd millennia BCE Egypt, some Pharaohs already figured out that rubbing other people out of history could be good for the propaganda machine they were pushing, such as is seen in the two 'fun' videos below.

In fact, two of the candidates for the Exodus pharaoh were known for cancelling those aspects of written history that didn't quite reflect the popular reading which they preferred.

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November 29, 2025 – Philippines



Pray for the growing number of former Muslims who have come to faith in Christ and are sharing the Good News in their communities. Pray for wisdom, protection and a boldness as they share God’s love.

28 November 2025 – Sri Lanka



Thank God for pastor ‘Alan’, who has expressed his deep gratitude for our partner’s programme which helps church leaders affected by persecution.

27 November 2025 – Sri Lanka



Pray for our partners as they support many pastors who have experienced persecution. Pray that these pastors would know healing, encouragement and growing resilience to remain faithful in this challenging environment.

26 November 2025 – Sri Lanka



Thank God for training seminars that equip pastors and other church leaders serving in contexts of persecution to know how to respond to violations of religious rights.

25 November 2025 – Sri Lanka



Many Christian teachers, and their students, experience significant rejection. They are often marginalised and opposed, even by other teachers in their schools. Pray that they would have resilience to persevere, and love for those who mistreat them.

24 November 2025 – Sri Lanka



Praise the Lord for an annual camp of Christian teachers run by our partners. Pray that the camp continues to offer an enriching time of fellowship and encouragement, and that those attending leave better equipped to serve.

23 November 2025 – Sri Lanka



Pray for ‘Joyce’, a Christian teacher who, along with her husband, is reaching and encouraging young people with the gospel. Pray that the couple would be encouraged, despite the opposition they face.

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There is no eternal torture mentioned in the bible. Annihilation or (preferably) UV are the two real options

A Republican congressman from South Carolina is facing backlash from his colleagues and some Orthodox Christian leaders after he accused Russia-aligned Orthodox churches of functioning as "intelligence operations" for Russia.

The controversy began after U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., reacted to an invitation for a "Legislative Day of Action" organized by the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in a Nov. 18 post on X.

Characterizing the event as a ploy by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which he called "not a separate religious organization but an extension of the Russian state," Wilson urged lawmakers not to "entertain this intelligence operation," citing Russia's suppression of evangelism and attacks on Christians in Ukraine.

Continued below.

11/29/25 DAY 1

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We've had a few storms in the SE Queensland area lately which have produced giant hail.

While isolated incidents are not rare, there have been several storms lately which have done this.

We had big hail ourselves in October 2020 which smashed about 14 of our roof tiles, and damaged the carport and patio roofs. One of the hail stones was about four inches across and smashed three tiles by itself.

But it's rare to have several storms which produce big hail.

For at least the sixth time in as many weeks, parts of south-east Queensland have been lashed by hailstones causing widespread destruction to property and vehicles.

On Monday, giant 14-centimetre hailstones were recorded in Chandler, in Brisbane's south-east, while 11-centimetre stones fell on the city's bayside.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) classifies giant hail as stones with a diameter larger than 5 centimetres.

And while residents of the country's most natural disaster-prone state are no strangers to wild weather, the spate of hailstorms has many questioning if it's going to become a more regular occurrence.

Click to expand...

Please may I ask for a prayer, feeling down. I work two jobs but recently lost a source of income so things are very stretched at the moment. I've applied for and inquired about a couple of jobs recently but haven't heard anything. Please pray for another job thank you

In Kazakhstan, religious freedom is heavily restricted by the country's Religion Law, dating back to 2011. The government continually tightens its control over society, leading to increased surveillance, raids on meetings and arrests. They use the threat of militant Islam to justify these restrictions.

Russian Orthodox churches face fewer issues since they typically don’t engage with the Kazakhstani population.

Indigenous Christians with a Muslim background suffer the most. They face persecution from both the state and their own families, friends and communities. Some converts are locked up by their families, beaten and eventually expelled from their communities. Local imams also preach against them, further isolating these converts.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?

In Kazakhstan, all Christian communities can face rights violations by government officials, regardless of location. However, converts to Christianity experience the most intense pressure from family, friends and the community, especially in rural areas. This pressure is less severe in urban
settings, where they may have more anonymity and support networks.

Meet 'Ailin'

[My family] started to force me to say [the Islamic statement of faith], to renounce my faith, my Christianity. But I said: ‘No, I know my God—it's Jesus. I believe He is God. I’m a Christian; I’m not a Muslim.”

AILIN, A BELIEVER IN CENTRAL ASIA

What as changed this year?

Kazakhstan has jumped nine places on the 2025 World Watch List since last year. This is primarily caused by a higher violence score. Across the board, pressure on followers of Jesus remains very high.

Religious freedom is restricted by legislation dating back to September 2011. The Kazakhstan government has been increasing its control over the whole of society, which has led to heightened surveillance, raids on meetings and arrests.

What does Open Doors do to help Christians in Kazakhstan?

Open Doors helps Christians in Central Asia* who face persecution for their faith. They provide immediate aid and support by distributing literature, prayer, training and various social and economic projects such as rehabilitation centres.

* For security reasons, the name Open Doors cannot be associated with certain activities in this country. When communicating about projects in this country do not use the country name, instead use the region name: Central Asia.

How can you pray for Kazakhstan?

• Pray for Christians who can be targeted for violations of Kazakhstan’s Religion Law. Ask God to protect churches from misuse of these regulations.
• The government of Kazakhstan regularly monitors church leaders. Ask God to protect His servants.
• Many believers in Kazakhstan have trouble getting regular access to Bibles and Christian literature. Pray that God’s Word will find its way to every believer in the country.

So, since this is the moderate forum, I must ask, what makes you a moderate?

I'm personally starting to think I am a moderate, but I also kinda wary of the label due to fear of drifting towards progressive Christianity and theological liberalism.

I come from a conservative evangelical background, so I saw moderates as a slippery slope towards apostasy.

Now, though, I am not sure if I am a conservative anymore. I still hold conservative viewpoints on Nicene orthodoxy and LGBT related issues pertaining to weddings and ordination, but I think I am moderate on most other issues.

I think the Bible is infallible when it comes to matters of faith and practice, and its purpose is to point the reader to salvation. It's not meant to be a science textbook nor an exhaustive source of all knowledge.

I lean towards a complementarian stance on women's ordination, but I also now know there's more nuance to the issue than I had initially assumed. Aside from thinking the office of pastor should be reserved for men only, I think I am a believer in gender equality in all other areas of life.

I guess I realize that some initial assumptions I held were wrong, and I think I am closer to moderate viewpoints, but I worry about drifting towards liberalism.

A minor thing, but I have been told mainline denominations might be a better fit for me, even though I still think of myself as an Evangelical, though that's likely due to the stereotype of mainline = liberal.

What about you? Anyone else have similar concerns?

For century after century porneia in the new testament was translated as sexual immorality. But in the 20th century, romantic poetry and arts leaned towards porneia being love. Romatic love, unrequited love, love at first sight, free love. People moved by lust commit adultery and can't deny their feelings and falll in love with the other woman and leave the wife for the lover. There are stories true and fiction of men falling in love with their prostitute. A lover can be, or become first love. Ladies can be in love with their first love, lover for the rest of their life, despite getting married and having children with the second love.

Is it as simple as saying porneia is sexual immorality?

John the Baptist was called of God, even before he was born, to be “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” And he did exactly as the Lord had called him to do. He came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And people were coming to him to be baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins (see Matthew 3:1-6).


The scribes and Pharisees (and Sadducees, too) of Jesus’ day were skilled at hypocrisy. Jesus described them in this way (see Matthew 16 & 23):


Therefore, when John saw them coming to him for baptism he did not trust their motives. He doubted the genuineness of their actions, and for good reason. So he called them a “brood of vipers.” For they were malicious, treacherous, and venomous in their nature and in their actions. And they were deceptive, and sneaky, and those who liked to trap people with their words, and who got pleasure out of causing other people pain.

So, he knew that they were not coming to have their hearts, minds, and actions altered (changed, transformed) via genuine repentance. He knew that they were not wanting God to change them inside and out so that they would escape the wrath of God to come. And so he let them know that genuine repentance will result in the bearing of spiritual and biblical fruit (results, outgrowth). There will be evidence that a change has taken place.

And the same is true for us today. For repentance is not just mouthing words of confession of sin, but it is a change of heart and mind resulting in a change of behavior. And it is gifted to us by God, as is our faith, as is our salvation from sin. And it has to do with us dying to sin, being changed in heart and mind by God, and us now walking (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord’s commands, living holy lives pleasing to God, by the grace of God.

And just because you attend services at an institutional “church,” and perhaps you went through the waters of baptism, or just because your parents claimed to be Christians, or you serve on some kind of church committee, that does not mean you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Just because you verbalize faith in Jesus Christ, it does not guarantee you salvation from sin or eternal life with God. We must truly repent.

And the Scriptures make it very clear that if we do not have that change of heart and mind, resulting in a change of behavior, and if sin is still what we practice, and not obedience to God and to his commands, we will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. And that was John’s point to the Pharisees and to the Sadducees. And that is God’s point to us, as well. For it is not a verbal confession of faith in Jesus Christ which saves us, but it is obedience to God that results in life eternal with God/Christ in heaven.

[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]

Walking in The Light

Based off 1 John 1-2
An Original Work / November 16, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When I lift up my voice, and
Sing praise unto God,
I will fellowship with my
Lord and Savior, King.
In Him there is no darkness.
He is in the light of truth.
If we walk in His light,
From sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins,
He’ll forgive us now,
When we humble ourselves, and
Before Jesus bow.
The man who says, “I know Him,”
But does not obey His truth,
There is no truth in him.
In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,
For it is hell bound.
If you follow the world, you’ll
Not in Christ be found.
The world and its desires
Will not last; they’ll expire.
The one who does God’s will,
Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from
Christ remains in you.
Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and
In His Father, too.
This is what He promised us –
His eternal life with God.
So, continue in Him, and
You’ll receive a crown.

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Bear Fruit in Keeping with Repentance
An Original Work / November 28, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

It seems that there is a distraction from the things of God among His people, especially His love when it comes to each other. A loss of Godly affection, true brotherly love, the caring for others and any anguish and contrition for harming one another and forgetting what we have been given, to love your neighbor.

Instead Christians, have turned into the type of person who is beyond experiencing guilt, shame, or regret for their terrible actions against others, because all they care about is themselves and nobody else.. They have become ‘remorseless', and 'uncaring', with only the things of self.

A character defined by narcissism with an exaggerated sense of self-importance, looking for others to focus on them and give them worldly 'praise' and 'honor'. Many forget what God in His Word tells us...

1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

2 Timothy 2:24-25
24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

What can be done?

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/28/politics/us-military-second-strike-caribbeanis

While I previously posted thoughts on boat killings and how the law and bible applies to them, This act of killing alleged drug smugglers after the boat was disabled is taking things another step further. It brings into question too, what lengths Trump might go to in possible ground operations.
Critical Issues on Trump Policies in South America. T

Trump Announces Pardon for Honduran Ex-President Convicted in Drug Case​

In other words he is pardoning a ex president who was found guilty of doing the same thing he accuses the Venezuelan president of doing. To me, the pardon power needs to be amended and removed from presidents.

Pray The Holy Spirit Intensely Fights Against & Defeats AI-generated Synthetic pornography:

Praise,Thanks,Glory,&Power to Jesus Christ for ensuring that Airbus company responsibly stated that some Airbus airplanes needed emergency maintenance work:

Here’s what those verses actually mean, and why they aren’t about LGBT people:

1. “Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind.” — Leviticus 18:22 / 20:13
These verses are part of the Holiness Code, a set of purity rules given to ancient Israel.
Important context:

The laws were meant to separate Israel from surrounding cultures, not to comment on sexual orientation.

The Hebrew terms focus on male dominance, ritual purity, and idolatrous temple-sex practices, not loving relationships.

Christians today don’t follow the same code (it also bans mixed fabrics, shellfish, trimming beards, etc.).
So this is not about consensual LGBT relationships as we understand them today.

2. The story of Sodom — Genesis 19
The issue in the Sodom story is attempted gang rape, violence, and violation of hospitality norms — not sexuality.
Even the Bible itself explains the sin of Sodom elsewhere:

Ezekiel 16:49 says the sin was arrogance, greed, and neglecting the poor.

Nothing in the text condemns loving LGBT relationships.

3. “Against nature” — Romans 1:26–27
Paul is talking about idolatry in pagan temples and people acting against their own nature, meaning going against their own desires as part of cult rituals.
Key points:

The word “nature” (“physis”) in Greek doesn’t mean “universal law” — it means “someone’s individual nature.”

Paul is describing people who were heterosexual engaging in ritual acts that violated their own orientation.

Paul had no concept of sexual orientation as we understand it today.
So this isn’t a blanket statement about LGBT identity or relationships.

4. “Arsenokoitai” and “malakoi” — 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10
These two Greek words are often translated poorly.

Malakoi means “soft” and was used to describe laziness, decadence, or sometimes male prostitution — not gay men.

Arsenokoitai is an extremely rare word that likely referred to economic or sexual exploitation, such as trafficking or abuses of power.
There’s no evidence i
t refers to consensual same-sex relationships.

Also, Jesus never mentioned LGBT being wrong. And why would a god create people who are born to be naturally LGBT if he didn't want anyone to be LGBT? It makes no sense why God would create them and then hate it.

DHS is offering $1,000 exit bonus and free plane tickets for voluntary departure by February 2026​

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian migrants living in the United States.

The agency posted a federal register notice stating that the 353,000 Haitian migrants who currently hold TPS will see their status expire in February. TPS protects eligible migrants from deportation and lets them work legally in the United States while conditions in their home country remain unsafe.

"After consulting with interagency partners, Secretary [Kristi] Noem concluded that Haiti no longer meets the statutory requirements for TPS," DHS said in a news release. "This decision was based on a review conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, input from relevant U.S. government agencies, and an analysis indicating that allowing Haitian nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is inconsistent with U.S. national interests."

DHS told Haitian migrants under TPS to prepare to depart if they have no other lawful basis for remaining in the United States.

Continued below.

"I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally."

We can't have a country where unknown people issue presidential orders.

"If you were born or raised in the United States, you have grown up in the Whiteness Pandemic, and you can play a role in halting and reversing this pandemic, especially if you are White because of the power and privilege you hold in this racialized society. If you were socialized into the culture of Whiteness during childhood it is not your fault, but as an adult it is now your responsibility to self-reflect, re-educate yourself, and act."

This may be helpful in understanding the Minnesota political culture.

A little Biblical history and perspective first.

First and foremost is Jesus Christ -



There is the Original 12:

• Simon (Peter)
• Andrew (his brother)
• James (son of Zebedee)
• John (his brother)
• Philip
• Bartholomew (Nathanael)
• Thomas (Didymus)
• Matthew (the tax collector/Levi)
• James (son of Alphaeus)
• Thaddaeus (Judas son of James, also called Jude or Lebbaeus)
• Simon (the Zealot/Cananite)
• Judas Iscariot (the betrayer, later replaced)

Judas was replaced by Matthias - After Judas Iscariot's death, Matthias was chosen by lot to replace him and is explicitly numbered "with the eleven apostles" (Acts 1:26). He is therefore referred to as an apostle. They held a unique position (role) in the Gospels -

Rev 21:14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The Reader will notice that the writers of their Gospels - Luke and Mark were not part of the 12. - yet many refer to them as Apostles



Keep reading:

Same 12 people - their titles changed from disciple to apostle because they were sent out on a specific journey.
EXACTLY the same direction from the Lord - EXACTLY the same authority and results.


Then there is Paul - an Apostle to the Gentiles

Barnabus - Acts 14:4 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out

James - Gal 1:19 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.

None will ever be to the level of the 12 -

But there are numbers called by God and sent who bear the Title Apostle who preached the Gospel, cast out demons and healed the sick.

When I think of modern times, I think of Dr. Billy Graham, who preached the Gospel to over 1 billion people - ministered to Kings and President, who's ministry saw tens of millions come to Christ for Salvation.