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Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
Holding Fast to His Promises
- By Anne69
- Daily Devotionals
- 0 Replies
God’s assurance of eternal life brings a quiet peace to our innermost being. It is a promise we can rest in, knowing that our future is held securely in His hands. This certainty steadies us in seasons of uncertainty, lifts our hearts when burdens grow heavy, and reminds us that our story does not end in this world. Because Christ has overcome, we can face each day with confidence, anchored in the unchanging truth that we belong to Him now and forever.
Scripture tells us that eternal life is God’s gift—found in His Son and already given to all who believe. Jesus declared that the one who believes “has everlasting life,” a present reality rather than a distant hope. When doubts arise, they often point us toward our own failures or inconsistencies, but true assurance turns our gaze back to Christ: His sacrifice, His promise, His faithfulness.
1 John 5:11–13 (NKJV): “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
This passage shows us that our assurance rests on God’s testimony. Eternal life is hope for the future beyond life as we know it here on this Earth. John writes so that believers may walk in certainty rather than doubt, grounded in what God has declared. Eternal life is not something we earn, achieve, or maintain by our own strength, it is a gift given to us by God, our Father. Jesus Himself said, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life” (John 3:36) - present tense, a settled reality.
This passage gathers every fear, accusation, and weakness we carry and answers them with the unshakeable truth of God’s love in Christ. Paul speaks from a life marked by hardship, yet his conclusion is unwavering: nothing can undo what God has done for us. God did not spare His own Son - that alone settles every question about His heart toward us. If He gave His very best, every other need will be supplied. No accusation can stand, because God justifies. No condemnation can hold, because Christ died and rose again. No circumstance can separate us from His love. The love of Christ is not fragile; it holds steady through tribulation, distress, persecution, and even death itself. Paul’s persuasion becomes our encouragement: nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Him, we are held. In Him, we are secure. In Him, we are more than conquerors - not because of our strength, but because of His love that never let’s go.
The Holy Spirit also plays a quiet, steady role in assurance. He bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children and heirs with Christ. His voice is not loud or dramatic but a deep, settled knowing - a peace that rises when we read the Word, pray, or simply sit before the Lord. Jesus promises that His sheep are held securely in His hand and in the Father’s hand, where no enemy, circumstance, or weakness can reach. Assurance rests on His promise, not our worthiness. Salvation is secured by God’s power, not human effort. Grace saves us, the Spirit seals us, and Christ keeps us.
Romans 8:16–17 (NKJV): “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
Holy Spirit reminds us again and again that we belong to the Father and that nothing can separate us from His love. God’s assurance shapes the way we live. When we know we are secure in Christ, fear loses its grip. We pray with confidence, face trials with hope, and walk in obedience not to earn salvation but because we already have it.
John 10:27–29 (NKJV): “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”
Nothing can separate believers from the love of God - not suffering, not spiritual forces, not death, not life. Eternal life is found in the Son, and whoever has the Son has life. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God - secure, protected, and awaiting full revelation when He appears. Eternal life is not something we cling to buy effort - it is something Christ holds for us. So, this week, let your heart rest. Let the assurance of your salvation quiet your thoughts, steady your steps, and fill your days with peace. You are His, and He keeps what is His.
Trump’s Domestic Use of Military Set to Get Worse, Leaked DHS/DoD Memo Shows: LA "hasn't been perfect" but indicates what's coming "for years to come"
- American Politics
- 129 Replies
Still are, six months after this 'rebellion' began. The courts have been batting it back and forth, but here's the latest shot over the net.
Trump must end National Guard deployment in L.A., judge rules
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration must immediately end the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles, the latest legal blow to the president’s embattled efforts to police American streets with armed soldiers.Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer said in his ruling that command of the remaining 300 federalized National Guard troops must return to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sued the administration in June after it commandeered thousands of troops to quell protests over immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
The order was set to take effect on Monday, though it was all but certain to be appealed to the 9th Circuit.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is weighing an almost identical challenge to the deployment in Illinois.
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Secretary Rubio orders diplomats to return to using Times New Roman, ousting Biden's 'wasteful' 'Woke' Calibri
- By seeking.IAM
- American Politics
- 10 Replies
Fonts are woke? Who knew! Make fonts great again, because 'Murica!" 
We don't have universal health care, but we got .gov paying attention to the whole font crisis on our behalf.
We don't have universal health care, but we got .gov paying attention to the whole font crisis on our behalf.
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Historically & Theologically Absurd to Compare The Holy Family to Illegal Aliens
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
The Holy Family fleeing from one Roman-controlled region to another in the first century is in no way a mandate on whether America has a right to enforce immigration laws.
Last week, a Catholic church in Massachusetts made headlines with its Nativity display — in which Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus were replaced by an empty manger and an anti-ICE poster. Now, it seems the church’s pastor is refusing to take down the display for the time being, against the wishes of his church authority.
St. Susanna, located in the Boston suburb of Dedham, “displayed a Nativity scene outside the church with an empty manger and a sign that says, ‘ICE was here,’” Fox News reported Wednesday. The implication, of course, is that the baby Savior was either apprehended or threatened by federal immigration agents.
“The Holy Family is safe in The Sanctuary of our church,” the sign below the “ICE was here” poster reads, “followed by contact information for a group that monitors immigration operations in the state.”
Continued below.
thefederalist.com
Last week, a Catholic church in Massachusetts made headlines with its Nativity display — in which Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus were replaced by an empty manger and an anti-ICE poster. Now, it seems the church’s pastor is refusing to take down the display for the time being, against the wishes of his church authority.
St. Susanna, located in the Boston suburb of Dedham, “displayed a Nativity scene outside the church with an empty manger and a sign that says, ‘ICE was here,’” Fox News reported Wednesday. The implication, of course, is that the baby Savior was either apprehended or threatened by federal immigration agents.
“The Holy Family is safe in The Sanctuary of our church,” the sign below the “ICE was here” poster reads, “followed by contact information for a group that monitors immigration operations in the state.”
Continued below.
It's Ridiculous To Compare The Holy Family To Illegal Immigrants
Casting the Holy Family as modern-day immigrants is historically flawed, and anyone who has actually read the Bible knows it.
thefederalist.com
Catholic bishops in Europe express concern over EU ruling mandating recognition of same-sex unions
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has expressed concern about a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which obliges all member states to recognize so-called "homosexual marriages" legally performed in another country.
In a Dec. 9 statement, the president of COMECE, Bishop Mariano Crociata, warned that the ruling could have an impact on the legal sovereignty of each nation, since the recognition of these unions is mandatory even if they are not valid under a country’s own legal system.
The ruling concerns a same-sex Polish couple who “married” in Germany in 2018. Upon returning to Poland, the authorities refused to record their union in the civil registry. The European court has deemed this refusal contrary to EU law, meaning that all member states are now obligated to recognize the rights stemming from this bond.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
In a Dec. 9 statement, the president of COMECE, Bishop Mariano Crociata, warned that the ruling could have an impact on the legal sovereignty of each nation, since the recognition of these unions is mandatory even if they are not valid under a country’s own legal system.
The ruling concerns a same-sex Polish couple who “married” in Germany in 2018. Upon returning to Poland, the authorities refused to record their union in the civil registry. The European court has deemed this refusal contrary to EU law, meaning that all member states are now obligated to recognize the rights stemming from this bond.
Union between a man and a woman
Continued below.
Catholic bishops in Europe express concern over EU ruling mandating recognition of same-sex unions
Europe's Catholic bishops expressed concern over the Court of Justice of the European Union obliging all member states to recognize same-sex marriage.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
New Orleans Diocese issues Mass dispensation for migrants due to arrest fears
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond announced a Sunday Mass dispensation for migrants fearing deportation amid heightened presence of immigration enforcement officials in the state.
“As I write to you, our immigrant sisters and brothers are facing real fear and anxiety in the wake of an increase in immigration enforcement actions,” Aymond wrote in a Dec. 8 letter.
Aymond is the fifth U.S. bishop to announce dispensations for Catholic immigrants from Sunday Mass. Bishop Michael Duca of Baton Rouge granted the same dispensation in his diocese earlier this week. Bishops in the dioceses of San Bernardino, California; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina, also granted a dispensation this year.
Aymond’s move comes amid the deployment of 250 Border Patrol agents to the region with plans to arrest 5,000 individuals across Louisiana and Mississippi as a part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Catahoula Crunch.”
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
“As I write to you, our immigrant sisters and brothers are facing real fear and anxiety in the wake of an increase in immigration enforcement actions,” Aymond wrote in a Dec. 8 letter.
Aymond is the fifth U.S. bishop to announce dispensations for Catholic immigrants from Sunday Mass. Bishop Michael Duca of Baton Rouge granted the same dispensation in his diocese earlier this week. Bishops in the dioceses of San Bernardino, California; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina, also granted a dispensation this year.
Aymond’s move comes amid the deployment of 250 Border Patrol agents to the region with plans to arrest 5,000 individuals across Louisiana and Mississippi as a part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Catahoula Crunch.”
Continued below.
New Orleans Diocese issues Mass dispensation for migrants due to arrest fears
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond announced a Sunday Mass dispensation for migrants fearing deportation.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Trump to create sanctions plan for Nigeria, congressman says
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
U.S. President Donald Trump is crafting a sanctions plan to increase pressure on the Nigerian government amid ongoing Christian persecution, according to a leading member of Congress.
President Trump “ “is in the process of crafting a comprehensive action plan including sanctions to pursue reform,” according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who described Nigeria as “ground zero,” and the “focal point of the most brutal and murderous anti-Christian persecution in the world today.”
Smith, a Catholic who chairs the house Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, mentioned the plan during his Dec. 9 speech at “The Emergency Summit on Crimes Against Christians,” organized by For the Martyrs, a nonprofit that aids persecuted Christians. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Rep. Marlin Stuzman, R-Indiana, also spoke at the event.
The veteran New Jersey congressman praised Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and affirmed that “Religious freedom will now be at the forefront of the U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relationship.”
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
President Trump “ “is in the process of crafting a comprehensive action plan including sanctions to pursue reform,” according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who described Nigeria as “ground zero,” and the “focal point of the most brutal and murderous anti-Christian persecution in the world today.”
Smith, a Catholic who chairs the house Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, mentioned the plan during his Dec. 9 speech at “The Emergency Summit on Crimes Against Christians,” organized by For the Martyrs, a nonprofit that aids persecuted Christians. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Rep. Marlin Stuzman, R-Indiana, also spoke at the event.
The veteran New Jersey congressman praised Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and affirmed that “Religious freedom will now be at the forefront of the U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relationship.”
Continued below.
Trump to create sanctions plan for Nigeria, congressman says
President Donald Trump is crafting a sanctions plan to pressure the Nigerian government amid ongoing Christian persecution, according to a member of Congress.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
