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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.

Catholic priest holds Halloween service dressed as Dracula - video

Open coffin and chaplain in a Dracula cape: Church receives hate comments for "Halloween service"

A Halloween service with an open coffin, artificial fog, and a chaplain in a Dracula cape: This pleased around 50 residents of Freising – and angered many others.



But the Latin Mass is the problem



Halloween and the Catholic Church, do they somehow go together? Yes, says Freising parish vicar Michael Korell, pointing to the Catholic origins of the evening before All Saints' Day and therefore advocating for a "Halloween service" on October 31 in the Mortuary chapel at St. George's Cemetery. With plenty of artificial fog, a semi-open coffin, and a touch of spooky atmosphere.

Under the Dracula cape, Chaplain Michael Korell wore his official vestments.

Continued below.

Bless The Lord at All Times

Rabbi's Daily Devotion ...

BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
—Psalm 34:1​

David resolved to praise his God “continually.” He awoke each morning with prayer and praise: “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”

I love that the priests of Israel were commanded to praise God every morning and evening: “They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening.” Our praise and prayer are to be perpetual, which means we must be bold enough to say, “Praise God,” in public. Through our praise, we become lights revealing Father to the world.

I realize there is a time and place for everything, but too often we aren’t conveying God’s praise to the world as we should. Beloved one, don’t let anyone keep you from acknowledging your Creator! David didn’t compartmentalize his life so that he only praised God in specific places or at certain times. All David’s talk was seasoned with praise to HaShem.

Likewise, we need to love God so much that we don’t hesitate to speak of His goodness. May His praise be continually in our mouths, for we “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood…a people for God’s own possession, so that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
___________________________________

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Entering His Presence (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2023), Used by permission.

Revelation 4 interpretation

Rev 4.4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”


In 1 Chron 24, David set up 24 head priests, descended from Aaron. This was just the random number that developed from the number of families descended from Aaron at that time. It may have been God's way of expressing a double witness to the significance of Israel's 12 tribes. Everything was confirmed, as legitimate testimony under the Law, when there was a minimum of 2 witnesses. Aaron had two surviving sons, from whom these 24 leading priests were taken.

So the 24 elders appear to serve as representatives of the priestly order of Christ, whose atonement opened the gate for our entry into Heaven. They were dressed in white to show that Christians, who have access to Heaven, are made pure in the blood of Christ. And they had gold crowns, indicating that Christians have the authority of Christ, their head, to judge the world.

The lightning and thunder indicate that the purification of the Church leads to judgment of this world. The 7 blazing lamps are representative of the 7 churches in John's time, among which the faithful live by the Spirit of God. This brings conviction and judgment to the world around them.

I would suggest that these agents, ie the 24 elders and the 7 spirits, are angels, who represent what Christ has done for and in the Church. And the same follows for the 4 living creatures. They are angels representing something with respect to Christians, whom Christ has redeemed by his sacrifice.

These 4 creatures have the face of a man, which hearkens back to the Creation, when God gave Man rulership over the earth and over its creatures. These particular creatures serve the purpose of Man, after his redemption, to bring judgment upon the earth.

This judgment has been ongoing, from the time of the Fall, and even after the redeeming work of Christ. And it will be consummated at the Return of Christ, when the world will be judged in the Battle of Armageddon, and in Eternity through Christ's final sentencing.

The 4 creatures include both a lion and a flying eagle, both signifying God's predatory judgments against sinners, whether nations or their rulers. The "flying" eagle signifies that the judgment is already in process.

The 4 creatures also include an ox, representative of the plowing up of hardened land. The hardened land indicates nations, including Israel, who have resisted the Gospel of Christ, and must be plowed up in order to fulfill God's purposes on earth.

All of these things, before God's throne, indicates what transpires from the time of Christ's death to the consummation of His purposes at the Return of Christ. Judgment is ongoing, but delayed, until final judgment falls at the Return of Christ.

Mexican authorities thwart Iranian plot to kill Israel's ambassador

Mexico thwarted an Iran-directed terror attack aimed at harming the Israeli ambassador to the country, the Foreign Ministry shared on Friday.

The announcement by the ministry came hours after N12 published that American and Israeli officials confirmed the IRGC planned an attack against Ambassador Einat Kranz-Neiger as part of a wider attack on Israeli and American interests in the region.

Planned throughout 2024, the IRGC planned to kill the ambassador in early 2025 in a now-thwarted plot. American officials assured N12 that there is no longer an active threat.

Israel's Foreign Ministry, in a statement, thanked the security and law enforcement services in Mexico for "thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran that sought to attack Israel's ambassador in Mexico."

[Iranian ambassador denies the plot existed.]
  • Informative
Reactions: DaisyDay

Why I might suspect there`s a god

There is a theory that before the Big bang, there were hot plasma, gasclouds with electricity. But what perhaps happened, was that there appeared a big sun in empty space. Because of it`s weight, it collapsed, and spread matter evenly througout space. It didn`t explode, but imploded because it collapsed. Some seconds before it collapsed, it made matter like iron at the core; like orbits around a nucleus in an atom, the different matter was made because of the different orbits.

Why I suspect the first sun was made by a god, is because it just suddenly appeared in empty space. There could have been plasma which just grew bigger and bigger, building up a sun until he laws of psychics made it collapse, but it kinda offers the same problem; where did the energy come from?

But there`s a problem with the plasma-theory: if there were electricty before the Big bang, there must have been matter to create it from friction. Electricity is probably just an result of matter rubbing against eachothers creating heat. So in my mind, there just popped up a sun suddenly in empty space from nowhere. Strange isn`t it?

I`m still not sure about black matter and black energy, it isn`t proved it exists. The extra gravity around galaxies could just be from old energy, like when you use your owen at home, the heat becomes old energy with less quality, but it still exerts gravity.

I don`t buy into the whole the universe will just be cold and empty ether. Since energy has been created once, I think it can be created again. I have a theory that since black holes sucks old energy into itself, it`ll eventually be so heavy at the bottom that it collapses and makes a new sun. Sort of it recirculate it.


What do you think, did a god create the first sun?

Speaking Life over Death to break a cycle.

November 8, 2025

1 Peter 2:24 KJV
[24] who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

My Interpetation:
To be set free from checks and balances scales through Jesus Sacrifice on cross death 3rd day rise again from grave.

Provided - Hand of God Taking Authority over our words and minds speaking faith , living your life like God, Christians. Giving abilities to perform and performance.
Mark 1:15 KJV
'“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” '

To believe I'm Jesus Christ to be the truth also healing God's spoken words

Interpetation Written and Spoken by Reginald Taylor Jr

Do some religiosities originate in a flaw ?

Do you think, please, it's possible some people's minds could be such that they consider their sins or flaws so irrepressible that they consider them like their god, just because these flaws are stronger than they are.. A kind of devotion to the flaws, just because they feel unable to deal with their strength (the strength of flaws) ? (It would be like a kind of respect they develop for something just because this something is stronger than they are).

A guest opinion : Trump Is Pushing Us Toward a Crash. It Could Be 1929 All Over Again.


....Published a century ago, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” captured the culture of an overheated economy on the brink of demise. Just as Jay Gatsby fell from the height of fortune to an ignominious death, the 1920s roared with financial overindulgence until the markets drowned in the Wall Street crash of 1929. The Great Depression followed, and the consequences for the global economy proved calamitous.​
Today we find ourselves again dancing toward new highs in the stock market. Speculative money is once more pouring into risky investment schemes, with staggering sums of money being thrown at artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies. But rather than heed a century of hard-won lessons, the Trump administration’s financial regulators are embracing dissolute policies to keep the punch flowing.​
The financial excesses of 100 years ago teach us how high the costs of negligent oversight of our markets can be. When sentinels sleep, fraudsters flourish; their frenzied celebration of unreal profits pumps froth into the market; ultimately, with panic and pain, bubbles will burst. As stages of that cycle are recurring, we must decide whether to intervene now — or to mop up the mess later.​
The parallels between the 1920s and the 2020s are numerous — and ominous. The 1920s economy boomed while America recovered from a deadly pandemic, the flu of 1918. Americans used installment plans — the precursor to today’s ubiquitous “buy now, pay later” plans at online checkouts — to spend liberally on consumer products, and they poured money into speculative new investments. Automobile and telephone stocks were the high-flying tech investments of their day; Tesla and Apple are two of ours.​
The prevailing interest rate was around 5 percent, as it is today. And as with today, masses of Americans took advantage of easy credit and ubiquitous stock brokerages to speculate in finance. In 1929, a New York Times editor quoted a major newspaper’s financial expert who said that the “huge army that daily gambles in the stock market” had come to include, in the editor’s words, “the woman nonprofessional speculator,” whose share of market trading grew by one estimate from less than 2 percent to 35 percent. That influx of buying from 1919 to 1929 drove the stock market up more than sixfold over the decade — a growth rate our market has actually surpassed over the past three years.....​
It is a good read, and he is not the only one believing Trump's decisions are leading the USA into a financial crisis.
  • Informative
Reactions: LizaMarie

WHY IS THIS SAME APOSTLE LIFTING UP PAUL. ??

#1. AS. // HOS. is an. ADVERB

# 2 ALSO. // KAI. is a CONJUNCATION

# 3. IN. // EN. is a PREPOSITION

# 4 ALL. // PAS. is. in the DATIVE CASE. an. in. the PLURAL

# 5. HIS EPISTLES. //. EPISTOIE. inch DATIVE CASE in the PLURAL

# 6. SPEAKING. // LALEO. in the PRESENT TENSE. , in. the ACTIVE VOICE. is a PARTICIPLE. in the NOMINATIVE CASE a SINGULAR

# 7 IN. // EN. is. a PREPOSTION

# 8 THEM // AUTOS. is a PRESONAL POSSESSETIVE PRONOUN. in. the DATIVE CASE. in. the PLURAL

# 9 OF. // PERI. is a PREPOSTION

# 10 THESE. THINGS. // LOUTON. is a DEMONSTRATIVE PROMOUN. in. the GENITE CASE in. the NEUTER in. the PLURAL

# 11. IN. //. EN. , is a PREPOSTION

#12 WHICH. // HOS. is a RELATIVE PRONOUN. in. the DATIVE CASE. in. the PLURAL

# 13 ARE. //. ESTI. in. the PRESENT TENSE in. the INDICATIVE MOOD. in. the SINGULAR

# 14 SOME THINGS // ESTI in the PRESENT TENSE in. the INDICATIVE MOOD in v the SIGNULAR

# 15. HARD TO BE UNDER STOOD. //. DYSNOSTOS. in. the NOMINATIVE CASE , in. the PLURAL in. the NEUTER

# 16 WHICH. //. HOSis a RELATIVE PRONOUN. in a NOMINATIVE CASE. in. the PLURAL. is a NEUTER

# 17. THEY. THAT. // HO. is a DEFINITE ARTICLE. is a NOMINATIVE CASE. in. the PLURAL

# 18. ARE UNLEARNED. // AMATHES. in. the NOMINATIVE CASE in. the PLURAL

# 19 AND. // KAI. is a CONJUNCATION.

# 20 UNSTABLE // ASTENKTOS

# 21. WREST. // STREBL. in. the PRESENT TENSE. in the ACTIVE VOICE in the INDICATIVE MOOD in. the PLURAL

# 22 AS. //. HOS is an ADVERB

# 23. ALSO. // KAI is a CONJUNCATION

# 24 THE //. HO. is a DEFINITE ARTICLE. in. the ACCUSATIVE CASE in. the PLURAL

# 25 OTHER // LOIPOS. in. the ACCUSATIVE CASE in. the PLURAL

# 26. SCRIPTURES. //. GRAPHE. in. the ACCUSATIVE CASE. in. the PLURAL

# 27. UNTO. //. PROSis a PREPOSTION

# 28 THEIR // AUTOS is a PERSONAL POSSESSEITIVE PRONOUN. in. the GENITIVE CASE in. th PLURAL

#29 OWN //. DIOS. is a ACCUSATIVE CASE in. the SINGULAR.

# 30 DESTRUCTION. // APOLEIA. in the ACCUSATIVE CASE in. the SINGULAR

as they. do also the rest of the SCRIPTURES

# A. This just shows that Peter was teaching THE LAW

# B And Peter did not a GRACE teacher as was Paul

# C And Peter was WARNING all that. there though that had the TRUTH and were also doing destruction to. the

rest of the. SCRIPTURES .and even. Peter sees the difference between LAW and GRACE !!
dan p

Why Christians can't look away from Israel

The story of Israel is not just the story of a modern nation in the Middle East. It is the story of a people chosen, scattered, and returned. It is the story of a promise that runs like a thread through the Bible, binding Christians and Jews to the same history and the same hope. For Christians, standing with Israel is not an optional gesture of goodwill. It is a response to Scripture, to conscience, and to covenant.

We live in a time when the Jewish people once again find themselves under assault. Antisemitism is rising in ways unseen since the 1930s. From college campuses to city streets, from the rhetoric of political leaders to the talking points of late-night television, Jews are being singled out, and Israel is being delegitimized. The claim is often that this is about politics, but in reality, it is about people. It is about the right of the Jewish people to live in safety and dignity, in their land and across the globe.

Christians cannot look away. We cannot claim to love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and remain silent when the children of Abraham are maligned. To do so would be a betrayal not only of our Jewish brothers and sisters but of our own deepest beliefs.

Standing with Israel is not about agreeing with every political decision of its government. Israel is a democracy, and like all democracies, it wrestles with division, debate, and imperfection. But its core identity — as a Jewish state, as a home for a people who have endured exile and persecution, and as a force for life in a region scarred by death — is not negotiable. For Christians, affirming that identity is part of affirming our own.

The contribution of Israel to the world is a story that deserves far more attention than the headlines of war. Israeli doctors have pioneered cancer treatments that save lives across the globe. Israeli scientists have developed water technologies that feed the hungry and bring clean drinking water to the thirsty. Israeli innovators have led in cybersecurity, agriculture, and renewable energy. And Israeli culture — from food to music to film — speaks a universal language that connects peoples far beyond its borders.

Continued below.

Feds Tell Faith Leaders ‘No More Prayer’ Outside Broadview ICE Facility

BROADVIEW – Federal authorities told demonstrators Friday that there would be “no more prayer” in front of or inside the Broadview ICE facility, in a move that mystified local leaders and raised legal questions.

During the call, which took place with a Block Club reporter present, the anonymous representative told a group of faith leaders and activists that “There is no more prayer in front of building or inside the building because this is the state and it’s not [of a] religious background.”

Protesters expressed concern that the direction from federal officials could be in violation of the First Amendment, which guarantees both freedom of religion and assembly. The move also comes days after the AP reported that Pope Leo XIV urged authorities to allow pastoral workers to be able to access detained migrants.

The call followed an 11:30 a.m. interfaith service in the free speech zone near the facility at 1930 Beach St., that called on federal immigration officials to let faith leaders into the building to provide interfaith services to detainees.

Roughly 100 demonstrators gathered in the free speech zone with colorful signs and costumes while being penned in by concrete barriers. The religious processions were entirely peaceful, with no arrests and minimal interaction between protesters and law enforcement.

Organizers weren’t allowed to deliver a letter requesting entry to the building between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday.

“Members of our religious delegation have served in a pastoral and ministerial capacity in jails, prisons and detention centers for many years, and are more than willing to provide pastoral care to those who desire it inside of the ICE facility in Broadview,” the letter read. “We are willing to meet with a member of your staff today to discuss the logistics of our visit … inside of the Broadview ICE facility.”

see also:

Faith leaders blocked by ICE from delivering Communion to immigrants speak out

The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), a Catholic and Christian-rooted nonprofit, organized a Mass by the immigration processing center on All Saints Day and Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead.

Okińczyc-Cruz told ABC News the nonprofit plans to again ask for a meeting and submit another request to offer communion to people inside the Broadview facility. He stressed that without that opportunity, officials are "infringing upon people's religious freedom and religious liberty."

Right-wing media expresses concern about young women voters following Democratic election wins across the country

Right-wing media escalate attacks on young women voters following Democratic election wins across the country

A nice selection of pull-quotes following Tuesday's election.

Clay Travis: “They've all gone insane, young women are actually insane in this country”

Fox anchor Martha MacCallum on young women voting for Democrats: “I find that very frightening.”

Newsmax host Rob Schmitt: “Young women in this country have become a very scary demographic.”

Watters ranted: “You’re in a tiny apartment, and the apartment’s getting really expensive because all of these migrants are here now. And it's also expensive because of the Green New Deal, so your utilities are high, and you've got the wrong degree. You should have gotten a degree in, like, chemistry, biology, finance, computer science, something useful in this high-tech AI economy. No, but you got a degree in, like, Southeast Asian feminist literature.”

Fox host Will Cain: So, I've been asking this question for quite some time: What's wrong with white women?”

Newsmax’s Carl Higbie: “This is why I say liberal white women are the biggest threat to America — they will literally vote for their own destruction and take everyone down with them.”

Fortunately, they have a solution for this perfidy.

On Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade agreed with Fox Noticias host Rachel Campos-Duffy that the conservative movement should “encourage marriage early” to “get more conservative young women.”

end the filibuster?

I am not American, so there is something you need to explain to me.
Trump on Truthsocial
1762612218280.png


The Democrats will terminate the filibuster once they can . So it seems to be that the Democrats don't like the filibuster. Right.
Also Trump, on the same Truthsocial:


1762612386774.png


Do I understand this correctly that it is Republicans that are playing games and hinder the re-opening of the country by not giving Democrats what they want?
But also:
1762612606626.png

So Democrats want to terminate the filibuster, which would allow Republicans to pass legislation and sail to victory, yet the same Republicans block this?

I am confused.

Maybe you'd never guess...

but many of us probably would have...
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/us/politics/argentina-bailout-investors.html


That the reason billions were chucked at Argentina was to help american billionaire investments in Argentina far right government keep from going cheeks up.

Trump administration: protecting American Billionaires again!

Hey! Maybe American conservatives will look through Argentina's shopping cart and suddenly care where there tax dollars go!

21 Volcanoes Awakening: Alaska to California Chain Reaction Explained

I only stumbled across this by accident. This sounds pretty ominious. It seems some ancient volcanoes are awakening. Not just one but a chain of them from Alaska to California. Some of them ancient monsters that have been dormant for almost a million years.

Some engulfed in ice and potentially could cause massive flooding and mud slides. Many earthquakes and tremors are occurring and there could also be massive earthquakes.

Nevermind global warming this is happening now and soon and will poison the atmosphere more than any human made pollution in one week if it goes off. Let alone the potential devastation from all the natural disasters that come as a result.

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The deity of Jesus Christ

In the beginning was the Word

And the Word was with God

And the Word was God

He was in the beginning with God

All things came into being through Him

In Him was life

And the life was the Light of men

The Light shines in the darkness

Jesus, the Christ

Messiah of the Most High

Blessed be the Lord

Blessed be the Lord indeed

#45 in Christian persecution Türkiye.

There is a strong sense of nationalism in Türkiye today, which regards being a Muslim as necessary to being a loyal Turk. This puts considerable social pressure on Turkish Christians.

Although Christianity has an extremely long history in the country, it is still seen as a negative Western influence, even by moderate Muslims and secular Turks who are proud of their national identity. It's not illegal to leave Islam and become a Christian, but most people who convert face strong pressure from their families to change their minds. They may be threatened with divorce, loss of inheritance and being disowned by their family.

Christians in Türkiye face everyday discrimination for their faith. Foreign Christians with Turkish spouses and children have been banned from entering or re-entering the country. Religion is recorded on the Turkish ID card, making it easy to discriminate against Christian job applicants. Even Greek and Armenian Christians who attend traditional churches aren't considered full members of Turkish society. Their churches struggle with legal obstacles and red tape intended to obstruct the practice of their faith.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?​

Historical Christian groups, such as the Armenian and Assyrian (Syriac) churches, face high pressure and hostility in the southeastern region of Türkiye. For decades, they have been caught between the rivalries of the Turkish army and Kurdish resistance groups. Most Christians from those churches no longer live in their ancestral regions but have moved to western areas of Türkiye.

Most Turkish Protestant communities are located in the western coastal cities, including Istanbul. Those cities tend to be more liberal and secular, while inland areas are more conservative, Islamic and socially hostile toward Christians. However, some urban areas within the bigger cities are conservative as well.

What has changed this year?​

More church buildings were targeted than in previous years, in addition to two reported killings. Overall societal attitudes toward the church and the Christian community have not significantly changed, and average pressure remains at the same very high level. Societal hatred continues to be of serious concern for all Christians, regardless of their church background.

In addition, the Protestant community continues to be targeted with entry bans, with several expatriate Christians again being forced to leave the country. Asylum seekers and Christian refugees in particular (including converts from Islam to Christianity) from such countries as Iran, Afghanistan and Syria faced significant discrimination and abuse.

What does Open Doors do to help Christians in Türkiye?​

Open Doors raises prayer support for persecuted believers in Türkiye. Through local partners, Open Doors supports Persian-speaking refugee believers with training, resources and practical support.

How can you pray for Türkiye?​

  • There are some in Türkiye who seek to tie Turkish identity to Islam. Pray that there would be an openness to accepting people of all faiths as true Turks.
  • Ask God to draw close to converts from Islam, particularly those who are rejected by their families.
  • Praise God that many believers in Türkiye can worship Jesus openly and without fear.

Former DACA recipient with violent criminal past flees ICE, tries balcony jump during Chicago arrest

Garcia’s criminal record includes arrests and convictions for felony strangulation, domestic battery, disorderly conduct, battery causing bodily injury, aggravated battery against a handicapped or pregnant woman and unlawful use of a firearm.

Fortunately activists did not stop his arrest.

We Will Serve The Lord

Today I am reading in the book of Joshua, chapter 24, taken from the Old Testament. Joshua was speaking here to the children of Israel, and he was giving them the words of the Lord. And much of this is a rendering of historical events, beginning with Abraham, all the way through to the Israelites entering into the land God had promised them. And, although this is Old Testament, there is still something we can learn from it, for it speaks, in character, some of the same truths as are in the New Testament.

God’s people Israel (Jew only at that time) were being held captive in slavery in Egypt for a very long time. So God sent his servants Moses and Aaron to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt. And God plagued Egypt by what he did in its midst, and afterward he brought his people out of Egypt. And they lived in the wilderness for a long time. But not all of the Israelites survived the wilderness, and got to go into the Promised Land, because of their rebellion against the Lord and their refusal to obey his commandments.

And Moses disobeyed one single command of God, so he did not get to go into the Promised Land. But he was not among those who deliberately and habitually sinned against God in open and deliberate rebellion against God’s commands, who God then killed in the wilderness and who did not get to enter into God’s eternal rest because of their unbelief, i.e. because of their disobedience. Moses died, but he did get to enter into God’s eternal rest, and then God replaced him with Joshua as the leader of his people Israel.

Then God gave the Israelites a land on which they had not labored, and cities which they had not built, and his people lived in them. And they were eating of vineyards and olive groves which they did not plant. All this was given to them by God. They did nothing in themselves to earn it or to deserve it. But they did have to obey God’s commands and follow his leading, and they did have to refrain from living in rebellion against the Lord and from immorality, idolatry, and wild living, so as to receive the promise.

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15 NASB1995)

And all of this parallels over to the gospel of Christ taught us in the New Testament. For we who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives are now God’s people Israel, Jew and Gentile by faith in the Lord Jesus. And the way we get to be God’s people is through faith in Jesus Christ which must result in us obeying our Lord’s commands, in practice, and in us putting sin to death in our lives, by the Spirit. For if we live in open rebellion against our Lord, as did the Israelites then, we will not get to enter into God’s eternal rest, either, because of our unbelief, i.e. disobedience.

And we did nothing to earn or deserve our “Promised Land,” either. Our salvation from sin and the faith to believe in Jesus Christ are gifted to us by God, and they are empowered by God, and they are persuaded of God. All we have to do is to surrender our lives over to God, to believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior, and by his grace and in his power now die to sin and obey our Lord and his commands, in practice. For if we refuse, as did most of the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness some 40 years, we will meet with the same punishment. We will not have eternal life with God.

So, as those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we are to honor, respect, and obey our Lord and his commandments. And we are to serve the Lord in sincerity (no fakery) and in truth (according to the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles, taught in the correct context). We are to put away all idols of this world, and all sinful practices, and now obey our Lord in daily practice. And we are to serve him with our lives in surrender to his will in obedience to his calling upon our lives to live holy lives, pleasing to God. And then say with Joshua, in sincerity and in truth, “We will serve the Lord!”

[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]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1


As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

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We Will Serve The Lord
An Original Work / November 8, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Pre-incarnate Christ

Logos

By Him, the first light was shone forth

Through Him, constellations were set out

For Him, humans were made

The Word Is God, creator of all things


Melchizedek

Without father nor mother

He was like unto the Son of God

Being the King of Peace

To rule the realm of His kingdom sovereignly

Being the High Priest of God

To make intercession for His people perpetually

He Is the God's anointed, ruler of all realms


The Angel of the Lord

God's messenger equal to God Himself

To the wicked, He brought judgment

To the blessed, He brought good tidings

With Him, the Word of the Lord ruled

With Him, the oracles proclaimed

With Him, the promises fulfilled

He Is the Lord, the Sovereign One of all mankind

ICE arrests illegal immigrant in Massachusetts accused of stabbing coworker with scissors, trash bin attack

"Despite ICE law enforcement officers’ several attempts to deescalate the situation and repeated requests that the father take custody of the child, both parents stated they were willing to put the child into state custody," a DHS news release states. "Once Zapata Rivera realized he would be arrested for immigration violations if he did not agree to take custody of the child, he suddenly decided to be a good father and left with the child."
During the arrest of Ojeda-Montoya, she resisted arrest and a crowd of agitators formed, authorities said.

It's important to get past the initial major media stories and reveal the truth.
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Mytho-History

Mytho-history is a theory that claims Genesis should not be understood literallt (or at least not literally in the modern sense.) instead, it is largely a figurative account that expresses important theological truths and to establish Yahweh as the one true God vs the pagan religions of the Ancient World.

One argument for this view is that the Israelites would not have shared the same worldview that we modern 21st Century Westeners do. The fantastical and so-called scientific inaccuracies are accommodations rather than errors. That is, God met primeval humans at their level, and used language they would understand. Also, since the Israelites were an Ancient Near Eastern Semitic people, they were likely influenced by their surrounding neighbors such as the Caananites, Egyptians and Babylonians, and thus their texts all share similar themes and genre conventions.

God was not concerned with presenting an accurate view of cosmology or science so much as he was with correcting the theology of the Israelites. That is, he wanted to show that sun is a creation and not a god to be worshiped, and therefore more powerful than any pagan deity.

Genesis contains a lot of figurative language. For instance, the account Creation week draws parallels with the ancient world practice of seven days of ceremony when constructing a new temple. This is because the cosmos is God's temple.

I have only recently switched to this view from Old Earth Creationism, so there are many things I am still unsure about, but I do think this view best accounts for both a high regard for Scripture and compatibility with modern science.

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