• 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.

  • 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.

How do intellectual beliefs or doctrines become spiritual

What I am asking is how if one has a non-christian spirituality what can they do to become a christian spiritually. Lets say someone was a christian at one point, but started to explore outside of biblical spirituality, and eventually lost their way spirituality - what is refered to by some as spiritual adultery. What if they really embraced another spirituality eg. some sort of neo-gnosticism / New age spirituality and eventually was no longer a christian spiritually (can that happen?) How does one repent in that case if they really have embraced another spirituality?
  • Optimistic
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This GOP-leaning political polling firm (Rasmussen natch) has turned into a purveyor of anti-vaccine propaganda

Column: This GOP-leaning political polling firm has turned into a purveyor of anti-vaccine propaganda

It’s true that Rasmussen [always] had a detectable pro-Republican “house effect,” in polling parlance — but one that was consistent enough to compensate for in published polling averages.

But something has happened to Rasmussen in recent years. Not only have its results become more sharply partisan, favoring Republican and conservative politicians, but it also has increasingly promoted right-wing conspiracy theories on topics such as race relations, election results and — perhaps most troubling — COVID vaccines and COVID origins.

538, now owned by ABC News, dropped Rasmussen from its polling averages in March. ABC took that step after Rasmussen failed to respond suitably to a questionnaire 538 submitted asking Rasmussen to explicate its polling methodology. Rasmussen published ABC’s query on its website under the headline, “ABC News: ‘Answer Our Questions -- Or Else!’”

[Understanding the methodology is obviously crucial to putting the results in context.]

Earlier this month, Rasmussen tweeted the results of polls it conducted in June 2023 and last month, claiming to find that 1 in 5 Americans believe they know someone who died from a COVID vaccine.

[OK, that's a poll result. I have no reason to doubt it, but it's as meaningful about the truth of the matter as polls about the validity of the 2020 election.]

But Rasmussen has doubled down on its findings. In a series of tweets on June 9, it declared, first: “If the numbers implied by our COVID polling are correct, the vaccines killed more people worldwide than Jews killed in the Holocaust.”

Then it tweeted: “China lied. Fauci lied. People died.” And followed that with: “The government take over of medicine was as deadly as always predicted.”

:doh:

Make no mistake: Rasmussen is responsible for these tweets, and deserves blame helping to foment a mass delusion about the vaccines that may have cost the lives of vaccine resisters. If it ever had a reputation for trustworthiness, it doesn’t have it any longer.

The next phase in the Liturgy Wars?

I saw some tweets from different Catholic personalities yesterday all suggesting that they had credible sources telling them the Vatican was preparing to ban the TLM wholesale once-and-for-all.

I don't really have a dog in the fight, I've never attended one regularly and don't have one within 100 miles of me. I think what's happened since TC sucks and is wrong and pray that justice will rectify the situation with the next pope, but who knows what God's plan is?

What I don't find believable about these claims is that seems to suggest the Vatican would squash the FSSP too after going out of their way to make sure they were set aside to continue offering the TLM.

So I'm not sure I would believe this, but even if it did happen I don't know think it'd last very long either. I mean, I may not see a resolution but I don't think it would last more than 1-2 generations. I mean the TLM disappeared and re-emerged with the indult in the 80s all within one generation so I guess we never know.

Hebrews It! (Legal Study, Chapter 3) Pt. 13b

Link to Table of Contents

Continued from Hebrews It! (Legal Study, Chapter 3) Pt. 13a

We are going to hit this chapter with multiple OP's until it's meaning is so painfully clear that it is seared into our Souls! OP Pt. 13a complete. Chapter 3 is going to get some serious exegetical Love!

Types of Exegesis and study that will be applied to Chapter 3

1- Historical Scripture References from OT passages that are referenced
2- Cross Reference Exegesis
3- Repetitive Verse Inference Grouping
4- Contrast Diagramming

We diagrammed Hebrews Chapter 3 only to find that it reads in a very direct verse to verse way

3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and companions in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession; 2 He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was in all God’s household.

3:1,2 Draws a parallel to an OT verse.​
Numbers 12:7 Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My household.​
Where as Numbers 12:7 reads as it does, Hebrews 3:1,2 reads with the SEVERE warnings to not TURN AWAY from Jesus as foundationally laid by Chapters 1 and 2. Whether a person likes it or not this entire chapter is taking the Stone Covenant of Moses and contrasting it against Following Jesus! All of Chapter 1 lays the foundation to follow Jesus. All of Chapter 2 evokes warnings against turning back to the Stone Law that was a mere shadow used to defeat the work of Satan and Prophesy the Coming of Jesus.​
3:1 and 2 imply "Not so with My servant Jesus, He is faithful in all My household"​
Whatever story that Number's 12 tells, is now being transferred in meaning directly to Jesus.​
Numbers 12:1 Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman). 2 They said, “Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does He not also speak through us?” And the Lord heard it. 3 Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.
Miriam and Aaron judge Moses' Marriage and question Moses' leadership. This verse exalts Moses' as the most Humble man on the face of the earth. Jesus took that CROWN. (Matthew 27:27,28,29)​
4 Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord descended in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them came forward, 6 He said:
The Shakina Glory (Pre-Incarnate Jesus) summoned Moses and his accusers to "His Dwelling Place" (Tabernacle). God "stood" at the entrance of "His Dwelling Place".​
“Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak with him in a dream.
God only shows His Humanoid form to everyone in visions.​
7 Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My household. 8 I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord.
With only Humble Moses, God speaks face to face with him, plainly! This is Pre-incarnate Jesus expressing that He only reveals plain words, void of parables to the HUMBLE.​
So why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?” 9 The Lord’s anger burned against them, and He left.
God was Angry at the challenge of Moses' leadership!​
10 As the cloud moved away from the tent, Miriam’s skin suddenly became diseased, as white as snow. When Aaron turned toward her, he saw that she was diseased 11 and said to Moses, “My lord, please don’t hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Please don’t let her be like a dead baby whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”
God struck Miriam with leprosy for rebelling against Moses in speech.​
13 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “God, please heal her!”
Moses begs the Great Physician to heal Miriam. (Moses CANNOT Heal or Save)​
14 The Lord answered Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”
Under the LAW, God is cursing Miriam and holding her to being "unclean" with Leprosy for 7 days.​
15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought back in. 16 After that, the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.
Miriam had to wait "Outside the Camp" for 7 days, until Pre-Incarnate Jesus HEALED her!​
Now, back to our opening statement: Whatever story that Number's 12 tells, is now being transferred in meaning directly to Jesus.
Verses 3:1-2 are literally warning us against trading our faith and dependence on Jesus for ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING else and especially in light of this specific contrast, Moses and the Stone Covenant.​
Hebrews 3:3 For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house. 4 Now every house is built by someone, but the One who built everything is God.
Immediately following the imperative contrast of being CURSED for turning away from Jesus and to Moses, AGAIN, Jesus (The most Humble of all that are Humble) is Exalted FAR above Moses and then attributed as the BUILDER of EVERYTHING!​
Hebrews 1:2 but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the Heir of all things, through Whom also He created the world.
Hebrews 3:5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household. And we are that household if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope.
Moses only foreshadowed what was to come! Jesus is WHO Moses was the Shadow of! It's this simple! Cast Moses aside, now! Hold on to Jesus Christ as our Confidence and HOPE!​
Hebrews 3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice,
This is not a joke! This verse is THE HIGHEST LEVEL PAY attention kind of verse!​
Isaiah 63:8 He said, “Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me”; and so He became their Savior.
9 In all their distress He too was distressed, and the Messenger of His Presence saved them.
In His love and mercy He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So He turned and became their enemy and He himself fought against them.
8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,
Proverbs 28:14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
Matthew 13:15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, (Repent from Moses to Jesus) and I would heal them.’
Romans 2:5,6 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works:
Impenitent Heart! This is a person that refuses to acknowledge that they SIN according to the Stone Law! This is the person that thinks they can OBEY better than others and actually have a shot at salvation by being OBEDIENT! This person is a Hypocrite! They MUST relinquish their trust in themselves! We are either SAVED by JESUS CHRIST's Perfect work, or condemned by the Mountain of failures that we amass day to day, minute by minute! If a person actually believes themselves to be without sin for 2 seconds, they are Deceiving themselves and the Holy Spirit cannot be within them! (1 John 1:8) It's either Jesus or Self! There is no middle ground! All we can do is REPENT (Change our mind from self to Jesus). There is no MOSTLY JESUS (Partial Law of Stone Obedience) option! It's ALL Jesus or ALL 613 Mitzvah's! NO INBETWEEN!​
Acts 19:9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
The NEW Covenant is THE WAY (Jesus)! This forgiveness of a LIFE DEBT of Sin according to the Stone Law is a call to Love and Forgive as we have been Loved and Forgiven! Unbelief in Jesus Total work is the SIN of the NEW Covenant! Go and Sin (UNBELIEVE) NO MORE! God didn't die for humanity to GIVE THEM THE POWER To OBEY the Stone Covenant! Death (Satan) is the Accuser that KILLS, STEALS and DESTROYS through the use of the Stone Covenant! There are so many Religions in this world that all have Obedience patterns required to get to God! There is only ONE Belief System where God literally DIED to BE with US!​
9 where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works 10 for 40 years.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation and said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.”

Luke 7:22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
This is the Gospel in 5 verses!
Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.​
11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Get the Stone out of our hearts, Please Lord! Give us Hearts of Flesh, Please Lord! Please, Dearest Jesus, Have Mercy on us Sinners! We need you every second of every Day! WE Turn to YOU and YOU Alone! Only You are GOOD! Only YOU are Worthy! Only You are Perfect, Loving and Merciful! Please Purify our Hearts for You, Lord! Let us strive to be HUMBLE, Contrite, Penitent! Dearest Jesus, Please allow us to see our need for you daily and hold no stone charge unto ourselves or any person of this earth, Made in your very Image! Allow us to have opened eyes to see that this very Universe is our Tabernacle made by YOUR HANDS!
11 So I swore in My anger, “They will not enter My rest.”
Isaiah 48:22 “The Lord God said, peace is not to wicked men.”
There is NO REST FOR THE WICKED and Brother's and Sister's, if not for the perpetual Grace of Jesus Christ, we ARE WICKED! It is HIS Righteousness, Alone, that can save us! We SIN! We are SINNERS! We don't cease to Sin until we DIE! We must KNEEL on the BLADE of Repentance every Second of Every Day! We must ALWAYS know we NEED HIM! The Stone Law is only to reveal our NEED FOR HIM! Do you not know that there is an entire world out there that is HUNGRY to hear these very words! Spiritual Starvation is far worse than physical starvation! IN and out of Brick and Mortar buildings, people are STARVING to hear the ONE TRUE GOSPEL! We provide the Repentance of our inability to please Him and HE DOES ALL THE REST! He was born in a smelly Barn! He will Tabernacle inside of ANYONE who REPENTS! The sooner we can ALL agree on the ONE TRUE GOSPEL, the sooner we can physically minister to the needs of this world held by the captivity of Pride, Greed, Malice, Poverty, Pain, Sorrow, Regret etc etc!

OP 13b complete. OP 13c to come, soon!

Teachableness

I want to ask about this, as I find it a bit of a barrier in my settling in a church (i am also not keen on "house groups" which some churches operate - basically a midweek fellowship / teaching session in some members house) In my experience with some churches these are often pushed and I get asked "Are you in a house group"?, and I feel like if I refuse to get involved, people regard me as not serious in my christian walk (well its possible I am not a christian anymore, but when I was going to these churches I was seeking get back. Not saying there is anything wrong with churches having these groups for those who want to go to them, but I don't like being constantly asked "Have you joined a house group?" when have started going to some churches. I am sure for many people they are good, but I seem to wreck the togetherness or sense of community in the group or something when I join (I was a told that once by one group member "I'd upset the group's sense of community", after i had ceased to attend the group) - not sure if I'd upset it by ceasing to attend, or when i was attending. But to me if you run one of these groups you got to be prepared for people joining and leaving. The leader was nice and tried to make me feel part of the group, but the others already knew each other and didn't often didn't speak to me when I attended social events the group was having. One in the group tended to keep posing the question What would Jesus do? WWJD? Well if he'd just have asked himself that in the quiet of his heart, and then gone and done it, he could have modeled what it meant to be a disciple of Christ? I wasn't at the stage of walking over to groups of people on the street and witnessing, I was to an extent postmodern and post-christian in my mindset, though going to church to see if might help me return to the Faith I'd grown up in.

Its quite likely that I am somewhat unteachable even unbelieving at the moment. Part of this is probably I have read widely on my own in various subjects christian and otherwise, so I have acquired a bit of knowledge. I believe some christians as well as being informed doctrinally also hold political and economic views of various stripes. When I was much younger and at school, I leaned somewhat left politically I think, and I couldn't abide direction from some older christians I who i believed supported certain political and economic policies at the time, that I wasn't sure i agreed with. I couldn't put myself in submission to them at the time. It might of course have been as much a teenage rebellion thing, but I also had been influenced by Kierrkegarrd's writting to some extent.

I am much older now. What exactly does teachableness entail / require in church context. How much is one allowed to debate, question, disagree, without becoming unteachable? And how teachable should teachers still be themselves?

Spiritually speaking I am not sure where i am at currently. I don't attend any church regularly.

Illegal Captured After Rape of 13yo


Another asylum seeker caught doing a horrific crime in the US. You might wonder how he got past Biden's vetting system and why would someone from Ecuador even need asylum. The answers are pretty simple. He came in with his kid...and he asked for asylum. That's it. Off to NYC to rape a 13yo girl in broad daylight.

Thoughts?

'You can go straight to Hell': Republicans slam Senate bill's push to make women register for military draft

A push to require women to register for the military draft is generating fierce backlash among members of the U.S. Congress, even as a bipartisan group of senators voted to advance massive legislation containing the controversial provision.

In a statement published Friday, the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee announced that it had voted 22-3 to advance the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 to the Senate floor. While Committee Chair Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., indicated that he voted against it when summarizing the contents of the bill, the identities of the other two senators who opposed the legislation remain unknown.

Reed acknowledged that the legislation makes "important progress in a number of areas, including a well-deserved pay raise for military servicemembers, powerful new security initiatives in the Indo-Pacific, and significant support for technologies like counter-drone defenses and AI" while expressing concern that "it includes a funding increase that cannot be appropriated without breaking lawful spending caps and causing unintended harm to our military."

Continued below.

Cultural Meltdown: The Secular Roots of Our Moral Crisis

About the Book…​


In this incisive work, Bill Donohue pulls no punches as he contends that our moral crisis is a reflection of two competing visions of morality — one religious and the other secular. The former is grounded in our Judeo-Christian tradition, the latter in radical notions of liberty and equality that are tearing us asunder.

Donohue explains how the religious vision acknowledges belief in God, truth, human nature, natural law, moral absolutes, and Original Sin. It understands the limits of the human condition and thus rejects the notion that human perfectibility can be realized on earth. The secular vision believes none of this, and its adherents are bent on destroying the last vestiges of our religious heritage.

Weaving together examples from the earliest centuries to the Enlightenment to modern times, Donohue seamlessly lays out how to restore our moral code so that the mainstreaming of madness is terminated and rolled back.

What They’re Saying….​


“In this much-needed book, Bill Donohue calls on Catholics, Evangelicals, Orthodox Jews, Mormons, and Muslims to stand up for their beliefs—for their own sakes and for the good of the country.”
—Mary Ann Glendon
“As a sociologist, Bill Donohue understands what happens to a society when the ‘sacred canopy’ of religion is ripped away. He offers a way to extricate ourselves and our communities from the nihilism of a society without God.”
—Anne Hendershott, Ph.D.
“Donohue’s response to our advanced cultural meltdown is not pessimism but pugnacity, in a full-throated defense of the Catholic vision of moral law as the basis of a good moral order.”
—Fr. Paul Sullins, Ph.D.
“Like the prophets, Donohue skewers bad guys—doers of evil and sowers of confusion—with consistent vigor and style.”
—Russell Shaw
“Bill Donohue tells us who the thinkers and activists are who are trying to destroy our Judeo-Christian civilization.”
— Fr. Gerald E. Murray

Boeing CEO testifying to the US Senate



I thought that this would have been made into a thread by now.

What do y'all think about all of this stuff coming out today in testimony to the US Senate? How much trust do y'all have in Boeing jets? What should be and what will be the consequences for their actions should the various leaders in Boeing be expected to face?

Evidence that God does NOT love you…

iStock/leolintang
iStock/leolintang

The Bible isn’t shy in declaring that God loves us.

Just a few examples include: “God is love” (1 John 4:8); “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands” (Ex. 34:6–7); “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You” (Ps. 86:5); “You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth” (Ps. 86:15); “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16); plus the very simple: “He cares for you” (1 Pet.5:7).

And that’s just the tip of the biblical iceberg.
And yet, we oftentimes don’t feel that God loves us. We have all these promises on paper but don’t sense His love. Sure, Scripture talks about salvation one day, but what about now? I’m surrounded by tragedy now. I’m hurting now.

We experience constant disappointments, unanswered prayers, gratuitous tragedies, weaknesses, and failings inside us, with it all becoming overwhelming and soul-crushing at times. Maybe this is why Gordon Conwell theology professor Richard Loveless wrote: “It is an item of faith that we are children of God but there is plenty of experience in us against that.”

Ouch.

Tough to read, but certainly relatable if we’re honest, especially if you’ve faced lots of horror around you. Just listen to Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel describe his experience: “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in the camp … Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of children whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever … Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams into dust.”

When you see things like that and then look back on what the Bible says about God loving us, it can be a tough sell to believe it. After all, doesn’t Scripture say, “… let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18, my emphasis)? OK God, you said it, let’s see it.

When we sit in the blackness for a long time, the mind and heart can easily dismiss His promises and leave us in a place where we think: “Yeah, sure, You say You love me. But that’s nothing but words on a page. Meh.”

The biblical reality check

If you’re like me, you’ve been in that dark place more times than you want to admit. Something bad happens and we quickly feel abandoned; pretty much anything but loved.

David felt it — hear what he says in Psalm 69: “I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; my eyes fail while I wait for my God” (Ps. 69:2–3).

Can you identify? If so, welcome to a biblical reality check that’s incredibly helpful. Yes, amazingly good things happen to people in the Bible. And pretty bad things happen to them also.

Just like you and me today.

For example, we read: “For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection…” (Heb. 11:32–35).

We look at that and think, “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! That’s what I expect from God!” But then our face falls as vs. 35 quickly transitions to:

“… and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised” (Heb. 11:35–39).

Yikes, blech, ick. Who wants that?

And it keeps going. How about God’s chosen man (Paul) for evangelizing the ancient world at that time and writing most of the New Testament? What was his daily life like?

“To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now” (1 Cor. 4:11–13).

Yikes, blech, ick. Who wants that?

But here’s what amazes me about Paul and the people cited in Hebrews 11 — they didn’t fall away from the faith or stop trusting that God loved them, even in times of severe temporal hurt and pain. Notice how that section in Hebrews 11 ends: “And all these, having gained approval through their faith…” All these. The ones who had mountaintop experiences plus those who suffered in the valley.

Just like you and me today. Through faith, we can stand firm just like they did.

Many times, ancient Israel felt abandoned by God just as we do today. In Isaiah, we read: “For the LORD has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted. But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me” (Is. 49:13-14).

They, like us now, were thinking the same thing about God’s promises of love and deliverance: “Yeah, sure, You say You love me. But that’s nothing but words on a page. Meh.”

But an interesting thing happens — God answers their charge of abandonment: “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (Is. 49:15–16).

The word “inscribed” is an interesting Hebrew term: it literally means to “hollow out” and create a hole in something. Can you think of a time when God had His hand “hollowed out” for you and me to demonstrate the love He talks about for us tangibly?

The second Gospel in the New Testament says simply, “And they crucified Him” (Mark 15:24).

That historical event shows that His love for us is more than words on a page. And so, we’re able to look through every storm to the cross, because it’s through the Gospel that God shows you and me that He loves us.

Let me now return to Lovelace and give you his full quote on this subject: “It is an item of faith that we are children of God but there is plenty of experience in us against that. So, the faith that surmounts this evidence and is able to warm itself at the fire of God’s love instead of stealing love and self-acceptance from other sources is actually the very root of holiness.”

What he’s saying is that God’s gift of faith will overcome any existential troubles we experience and result in making us like His Son. And there will be a point where, as A. W. Tozer puts it in a famous essay of his, the ministry of the night begins to end:

“There is a limit to man's ability to live without joy. Even Christ could endure the cross only because of the joy before Him. The strongest steel breaks if kept too long under unrelieved tension. God knows exactly how much pressure each one of us can take. He knows how long we can endure the night, so he gives the soul relief, first by welcome glimpses of the morning star and then by the fuller light that harbingers the morning.”

Wherever you are right now, whatever the difficulties you’re facing, the night will end and through it all He’ll remind you in various ways that His light is on the way. Don’t forget: “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5).


Signed up for Spectrum Internet

I recently signed up for Spectrum Internet at only $30 a month for two years, plus they're giving me cell phone service for one year of unlimited data at only $10 a month. It seems like it will save me money because right now with no home internet, I am paying $55 a month with unlimited data. So my costs with switching to spectrum would be only about $40 a month plus tax. I think I want this deal. However I would be switching from Consumer Cellular which is a company with really good customer service. When Spectrum raises my mobile price after the year, I may switch back to Consumer Cellular.

However I recently discovered that with Consumer Cellular, I can use a mobile hot spot. Since I recently discovered this, I have not had time to evaluate whether the hot spot would be enough for my Internet needs, since the only device I need to supply internet to besides my phone is a laptop. I may be able to function well enough with just the hot spot. But I may get a wireless printer too. If I go with Spectrum, I may also get a Roku streaming stick.

When I signed up for Spectrum, I delayed the start of my service and delivery of the equipment until July 1st, so that I would have two weeks to change my mind, if for some reason I didn't really want to go with them. I may enjoy the ride for two years and than just cancel the Internet when they raise the price to the standard rate, unless they can work with me to get a lower price.

High riser and shooting high

Brothers and fellow shooters. I have this gun I purchased. It was on my bucket list - had to have it. It’s got a bent bolt that is over an inch high under the scope. So I figured it all out; and it’s a strange configuration. Like something I would do. But to the center of the scope is over two inches. First shot was about two feet high. I adjust the scope down 12 inches, all it would go, still 8-10 inches high. Used shim under front ring not much effect. Bought a shorter front ring and I’m hoping.

What am I not seeing, is it possible for it to shoot to point of aim. It’s for sale thinking it can’t be done. 6.5x57 Mauser on GI.
Want to keep it if I can. Last gun, ca implements a 11% excise tax on July 1. I need help.




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Peaceful Conversation Sharing The Gospel At Pride Event

Not all conversations have to get heated. I went to the Medina Square pride event and had a quick, peaceful conversation with Lucille. Use this as an encouragement to get out there and share the Gospel!

Hundreds of Experts Call on US

To put a stop to "gender affirming care", puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and surgeries for children.

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Follow the science they said. The data is clear they said. Biological sex is a reality and should be considered important.

It's nice to see the sane doctors of other nations point out that the recent deceptions of the WPATH files (where whistleblowers at WPATH, the pseudo medical trans activists who came up with gender affirming care) and various other studies showing these treatments are in fact harmful to children.

Why are we lagging behind? Politics and money of course. You think that the people pushing this stuff will say "Oops? Sorry we permanently damaged your children." On an election year?

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US Bishops to Draft Document on Transgender People in Religious Life



So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. (Genesis 1:27)
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From Sheol to hell

The word "Sheol" occurs 64 times in the OT. It is always singular.

It is the realm of the dead, Proverbs 7:

27 Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.
Sheol is singular; chambers are plural.

Genesis 44:

29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.
It is a place of the dead.

It is below the ground, Numbers 16:

30 But if Yahweh make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain to them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then you shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh.
At least symbolically, it is below ground. Where is Sheol?

Psalm 139:

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
Heaven was parallel to *Sheol". I interpret both as pointing to locations in the spiritual realm (dimension).

There is a fire at some deep level, Deuteronomy 32:

22 For a fire is kindled by my anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth and its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
God can bring you down and up, 1 Samuel 2:

6 "Yahweh kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up.
Psalms 30 hints about the resurrection:

3 Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol. You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Souls are kept in Sheol.

More hints in Psalms 49:

15 God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.
Psalms 86:

13 For your loving kindness is great toward me. You have delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol.
There are different levels in Sheol.

Jesus borrows the image of worms in the last verse of Isaiah 66:

24 “As they go forth, they will see the corpses of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never be quenched, and they will be a horror to all mankind.
Hosea 13 alludes to the good news:

14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol.
I will redeem them from death!
Death, where are your plagues?
Sheol, where is your destruction?
The OT does not clearly mention the concept of eternal conscious fiery torments for the wicket. It does hint at the good news of the resurrection of the dead.

In the NT, Jesus continues this progressive revelation of Sheol and develops the concept of hell, NIV Mark 9:

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
See also

Is lying a sin?

Exodus 20:

16 You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Leviticus 19:

11b You must not lie or deceive one another. 12 You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. 13a You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
Revelation 21:

8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
On the other hand, there were excusable occasions in the Bible.

Midwives lied to Pharaoh in Exodus 1:

19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
Rahab lied in Joshua 2:

3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from.
Samson lied to Delilah in Judges 16:

6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
7 Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man.”
Is it always wrong to tell a lie or untruth?

No, it partly depends on your motivation and intent, but let the Paraclete guide you in your conscience. As a rule of thumb, we should tell the truth.

See also Did the Lord approve a spirit to lie to Ahab?
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Searching for community

Hi all, happy to have found this forum. I live in a big city in Europe where you don't find a lot of people to discuss faith with. I'm 40 years old, married for 5 years. My dad was a Southern Baptist minister who didn't live by christian values. I've always found myself drawn to Christianity, but have never found a good community. Lately I've been learning about Catholicism. Been doing a course by Mike Mitchell who runs the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. I'm on lesson 6 and so far I really like his approach and line of thinking. But I won't judge anyone who doesn't agree with me and thinks their doctrine is better :sweatsmile: I'm just trying to learn. Looking forward to learning more and contributing to this community!

NJ Democratic power broker George Norcross indicted on racketeering charges by NJ Democratic AG

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin (D) on Monday charged Democratic power broker George Norcross and five others with first-degree racketeering in a 13-count indictment, that, among other things, said he channeled tax breaks to himself and others in his circle.

“The state alleges that George Norcross has been running a criminal enterprise in the state for at least the last 12 years,” Platkin said. “This alleged conduct of the Norcross enterprise has caused great harm to individuals, businesses, nonprofits, the people of the state of New Jersey and especially, especially to the city of Camden and its residents.”

Platkin and his team have been investigating Norcross for over a year in connection with redevelopment projects across Camden, one of New Jersey’s poorest cities. According to Platkin’s office, Norcross and the five other defendants “obtained property and property rights on the Camden Waterfront for itself and others, collected millions of dollars in government-issued tax credits, and controlled and influenced government officials to further the interests of the enterprise.”

Norcross... was charged alongside his brother Philip A. Norcross and former Camden mayor Dana Redd. Philip Norcross is the chief executive of a law firm headquartered in Camden.

Norcross has long been a kingmaker in New Jersey politics, perhaps one of the most powerful nonelected Democrats in the state. A wealthy insurance executive, Norcross is known in New Jersey for being a generous political campaign donor and credited for building a powerful group of South Jersey state legislators, and the Norcross family name is well known among Democrats seeking political office in South Jersey.

From Fake News to Cheap Fake - it's more of the same, just different sides.


White House Attacks “Cheap Fake” Joe Biden Videos As They Spread Across Right Wing Media And Parrot Donald Trump’s Talking Points (Analysis)​


LOL - the newest talking points:

- Cheap Fake

Secret Service agent robbed of his personal belongings


A U.S. Secret Service agent was robbed at gunpoint, per police.​
The robbery occurred on Saturday evening near a Southern California residential community, following a fundraiser for President Joe Biden, according to the Tustin Police Department.​

Hebrews It! (Legal Study, Chapter 3) Pt. 13a

Link to Table of Contents

Continued from Hebrews It! (Legal Study, Chapter 2:16-18) Pt. 12

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and companions in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession;
Fun Fact, we closed OP Pt. 11 with this statement. "We Go HOME! We don't "Sleep" in the earth and wait for the final day! *Editing in* When Jesus came to us, it was the FINAL DAY of the Old Covenant's Condemnation. Even the wicked dwell in realm of shades as shades. Scripture doesn't reveal a world dependent on physical substance. Scripture reveals a physical world dependent on the Spirit of God. Why have so many fallen to horrific fates in the Name of Jesus Christ? Why will so many more willingly fall to horrific fates in the Name of Jesus Christ? Because, we know that this is NOT OUR HOME! We have a better Home that is only a lifetime away. Though many of us desire to be Absent from the BODY and PRESENT with THE LORD, we also know that He has use for us, here. We live out each day waiting for HIM to use us, to build up the very HEAVENLY KINGDOM of God with the very thing that God and the Angel's rejoice over!
Luke 15:7 Jesus continued, “In the same way, there will be a glorious celebration in heaven over the rescue of one lost sinner who repents, comes back home, and returns to the fold—more so than for all the righteous people who never strayed away.”

Now, only 5 verses from where we discussed this, here we are at a statement that reads multiple ways!​
Heavenly Calling: The calling HOME!​
Heavenly Calling: The Gospel Commission​
Heavenly Calling: Jesus Christ and getting to know Him as He gets to know us, more deeply each day!​
Heavenly Calling: Jesus is our Apostle, High Priest, the very Confession of our Soul's and Mouths!​
Heavenly Calling: 1 Corinthians 13 and James 2 - 3​
Heavenly Calling: The indwelling Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ within us!​

Hebrews 3:1 Cross References <- This verse in Hebrews is DEEPLY ROOTED into ALL scripture! It branches out in so many directions that it is almost incomprehensible!

Okay, "The Author of Hebrews" calls Jesus our Apostle. This word Apostle, I have to wonder about this.​
652 [e], Apostolon, Ἀπόστολον, apostle, N-AMS (34 of the 80 usages of this word were used by Paul)​
Galatians 2:20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.​
I'm not going to flat out say it, but Hebrews is one of the most profound books in scripture! The very fact that it's Author remains "Unknown" is beyond amazing! This is a scriptural Masterpiece! I will just say one thing on this matter! It is written like a person with the OT knowledge of a Pharisee wrote it! I'm not talking OT razzle dazzle, here. I'm saying that whoever the Holy Spirit used to write this book must have been so overwhelmed with the final product that they either feared that if the Pharisees who hadn't turned to Jesus found out who wrote it, their ministry would have been insta-ended, or they were rendered to feel unworthy of having their name attached to such a powerful work of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. Either possibility really drives home the potency of Hebrews, for certain!​
(NLT) Hebrews 3:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest.

(MSG) Hebrews 3:1 So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do.


This Book is to a Jewish audience, meant to drive home the utter importance of Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished. Something you may not comprehend, or may comprehend is that the audience of this book, Jews, lived every second of their entire lives dependent on gauging their behavior per the Law of Moses, for their very Salvation! This is no light matter! This verse is captured perfectly in the HCSB and the NLT, but the POINT that the MSG paraphrase author captures is spot on in intent, on this verse, in this instance. This verse is specifically stating that Jesus Christ is the center of TRUE FAITH AND PRACTICE! Jesus is the Final Prophet, Apostle, Messenger, High Priest and author of OUR HEAVENLY CALL!
This chapter of Hebrews is about to ensure that the Jews who are new to the faith, understand Just How Centrifugal Jesus Christ is in respects to everything that they had once held dear. Jesus may have found some Pharisees that were hard hearted to Him, but he also makes a statement about the Jewish culture that embraces Him.
Matthew 13:52 “Therefore,” He said to them, “every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old.
Let's get to a diagram of this chapter, because it carries a Massively specific point that was critical to convey to Hebrews.
Jesus is central to everything that the Jews understood through shadows and prophetic implications.
Therefore, holy brothers and companions in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession; 2 He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was in all God’s household.
Jesus is the CREATOR. Jesus is greater than Moses.
Moses merely pointed to our ONE TRUE HOPE, JESUS.
3 For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house. 4 Now every house is built by someone, but the One who built everything is God.5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household. And we are that household if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope.
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,​
on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works 10 for 40 years.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation and said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.
This following verse is massively Important! This is a Piece of Hebrews 4, which is to come! It is a setup that shows how Moses merely "foreshadowed" Jesus! A severe conversion of understanding is required and the author of Hebrews is supplying it!​
11 So I swore in My anger, “They will not enter My rest.
This next verse is a direct warning to Exalt Jesus and simultaneously eradicate Stone Law Obedience and Especially Condemnation of fellow humanity from believing Doctrines.​
12 Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.
This is a sharp contrast between placing total faith in Jesus or placing any faith in the STONE LAW!​
13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.
14 For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start.
15 As it is said: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it really all who came out of Egypt under Moses?
17 And who was He provoked with for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?​
18 And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed?​
19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

This is a chapter of scripture that reads so plainly in it's literal reading that it is painful! We have diagrammed this passage, yet it didn't even need it! It went past contrast and straight into one of the most brutally plain readings about the Supremacy of Jesus Christ in all doctrine that it is ALMOST Iron clad. However, I'm going to exegete scripture into this chapter 3 until it's plain meaning flies off the page! This is a critical undertaking!

We are going to hit this chapter with multiple OP's until it's meaning is so painfully clear that it is seared into our Souls! OP Pt. 13a complete. Chapter 3 is going to get some serious exegetical Love!

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