This is what the trans world is inflicting on sports. The article speaks for itself.

I am in my mid 40s and not in the position of having a tight knit family. I'm currently housebound/bedridden and living with my parents who are extremely elderly. I became ill suddenly on a mission trip as a minor.

I do NOT have siblings who are compassionate, believe in following medical science rather than pushing the body in unhealthy ways in "faith," and in housing situations that would be suited to my particular needs. My SSDI barely covers my out of pocket medical expenses and food--not housing, property taxes, or utilities. Yet I'm ineligible for more helps.

I've been advised that it is extremely crucial to have my parents purchase some sort of small real estate for me in a trust or something like that. It's one of the few things I can legally own without it effecting my eligibility for the program that pays the premium for basic medical insurance.

But I'm still just not seeing how to pull this off, especially if I'm going to be within a couple of hours of ANY family member, as my family members who don't live overseas live in extremely pricey areas of the east coast. Property taxes are HIGH. Suitable housing for my needs (first floor living and laundry only, no carpeting, quiet bc of both my long hours in bed and nervous system issues, etc.) but still small is rare and usually involves steep HOAs (and is usually 55+ to boot!).

Has anyone else faced this? Even though I've connected w disabled folks online, including those w my illness, there was only one person within a couple of hours of me. And she did not succumb to the illness until after she'd had enough years in a successful corporate job as to go 50/50 w a relative on building a new home. She had both savings and insurance from her job in addition to SSDI. My only resources are SSDI. I certainly don't know anyone to go in on housing with. And although I did have some years where I could get out to church while I was living in a different part of the country, I literally don't know anyone in the state I'm now (a state whose border edge is close-ish to some of my siblings) other than medical providers or persons who've been hired at times to assist me.

There is also that matter that I really do need regular help with a variety of things and don't know how to predict the future on the front, as I've gotten weaker trying to do to many things without sufficient understanding support.

Has anyone else sorted these things out?

Has anyone perhaps been in a situation where you were trying to rent out part of your residence perhaps as to cover costs--but a residence that's not on the rental market specifically?

The people of God were under the judgment of God for a period of 70 years. So, the Lord was giving them specific instructions for them only. For they had false prophets lying to them about the 70 years, and so the Lord was correcting those errors. And then the Lord told them that when the 70 years were completed that he would visit them, and that he would fulfill his promise to them to bring them back to their homeland. Then he said:

Jeremiah 29:11-14 ESV


Far too many people are quoting Jeremiah 29:11 out of its original context, and they are interpreting it in ways not consistent with the context, and not consistent with the teachings of the Scriptures overall. For this is not a promise for all people of all generations who claim to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit – that no harm will ever come to us but only good.

And yet we read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV these words:


So, what is this saying? We can learn something from all Scripture, even if it doesn’t specifically apply to us, for there are often general contexts, as well as specific contexts, that we can turn into biblical lessons as long as we are not, in the process, teaching something contrary to Scripture. Like we can use the story of David and Goliath to encourage us in our own battles against our enemy Satan, to use the armor of God to fight our battles.

So, is there a general context that we can use here that will be consistent with the whole of Scripture? I believe there is. For God has plans for all of us who are of genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. But it isn’t that no harm will come to us but only good. For the Scriptures are abundantly clear on that issue that, as followers of Christ, we will have trials and tribulations and persecutions and we will be hated, rejected, forsaken, and forgotten because we follow Jesus and we share his gospel message.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

But what is that gospel message? It is not that we can “pray a prayer” to receive Jesus Christ into our lives and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us when we die, but regardless of how we live. It is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and live for him, and no longer for self, and that he died to free us from our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now honor God with our bodies in walks of moral purity and faithfulness and obedience to our Lord and his commands.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]

And none of this is self-generated. All this comes from God. Even the faith to believe in Jesus is authored and perfected by Christ, is gifted to us by God, is persuaded of God, is empowered of God, and it is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man. So we do not get to determine what that faith looks like. God does. And the faith he provides dies with Christ to sin and lives to God and to his righteousness in obedient walks of faith and in moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and in true worship of God.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Ephesians 2:8-10]

So, if we want to know the plans that God has for our lives, and the good that he has planned for us, and not the evil, we need to read the New Testament books from beginning to end, in context. For his plan is that we die with him to sin, not just once, but daily, and that we walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, and that we no longer make sin our practice. For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord, then we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

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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Hubby and I went to my church Fish Fry for dinner tonight. Fish Fries area big thing here in my town. How about yours? Is this a big Midwestern thing or are they popular everywhere? All or almost all of the Catholic parishes I know of have them here on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent.

The assistant director of Chaparral Baptist Assembly Camp in Iowa Park has been jailed on charges of Indecency with a Child through Sexual Contact.

Nathan Lee McDonald was arrested Wednesday by Wichita County Sheriff’s deputies.

Sheriff David Duke said the accusations came from an underage girl who is associated with the camp.

A monitored phone call earlier in February revealed McDonald making apologies to the girl and saying, "I know you trusted me and I betrayed that trust," according to the affidavit.

-

This is what I have so far.

This paper below shows what I now believe to be the correct number of Israelites in the exodus from Egypt, etc. And instead of 2 million, it shows, and proves in my opinion, that the number was closer to 20 thousand, rather than 2 million, etc.

I could only read all of it by creating an account, and to download it costs money, but it is more than well worth creating an account, and/or doing so in my opinion, etc.


I never believed those numbers of the amount of people in the exodus from Egypt, as they created a lot of logic problems for me, but I now believe this paper is accurate, and shows the true numbers, etc, which is about 20 thousand, rather than 2 million, etc. You'll need to get a look at the whole paper to know how they reached this conclusion, etc, which will require you to at least make an account, etc, but it is well worth it in my view, etc.

This solves the problems of around 2/3 of the Egyptian population being all of the sudden gone, or disappearing, and of the building projects still going on afterwards, and a whole host of other logic problems or issues, etc, a lot of which the paper I linked gets into, or explains thoroughly, or a lot of, etc. And it partially solves the problem of not finding many Israelite dead in the Sinai wilderness today also, etc. And there are also other possible ideas/theories as to why we might not find any Israelite dead at all, etc, which I will name or list for you or post for you if you really want me to, etc.

Pinning down the exact dates of the Exodus from Egypt, and who was Pharaoh at the time is difficult, and there are many different views or possibilities, and the most challenging thing about them is, a lot of them are giving several or multiple different possibilities, and are adding that each one has pretty much equal support both biblically and scientifically and archaeologically, etc. The best I could provide you with right now is maybe a possible range of dates maybe, and of possible different Pharoahs for those time periods, etc.

Why we find no animal remains? The Israelites seem to have lost the animals they took with them from Egypt shortly after the Red Sea, etc, exactly why that is is anyone's guess, but they didn't seem to have them anymore shorty after the Red Sea, when they began quickly complaining that they were going to die of starvation without any food, and that the Bible records is when God started feeding them with heavenly mana supernaturally, etc.

And as mentioned earlier, why not any other archaeological evidence of campsites, or camping activity, etc? Well, they had no need of fire according to the Bible, as they were being provided with food, and fire/light/warmth at night supernaturally according to the Bible, etc. And they also were nomadic, and never stayed in one single place for very long, and dwelt in tents, and never built any more permanent structures, and took everything with them when they went, etc. And firewood, especially in great, or even moderate quantities, etc, is also very hard to come by in a desert, etc.

This is what I've come up with so far, etc.

I will provide more if and when I find more, and will now respond to posts/replies regarding this, but please read the paper I provided before responding if you can please, ok. It really is key, etc. And you tell me if you either accept or maybe reject it, and perhaps maybe why, etc.

God Bless.

I'm just curious, is the SDA the only Adventist denomination currently in existence?

Are there other smaller Adventists?

Blessings

Merrimack Superior Court Judge Andrew Schulman on July 7 approved the consolidation of over 640 civil cases filed by individuals who, as children, were court-ordered to state-run and private contracted juvenile facilities where they allege they suffered physical, sexual and emotional abuse by employees.

Legislators approved a $100 million settlement, but attorneys for the plaintiffs say the offer is inadequate and that they intend to proceed to trial with the majority of the cases.

[Just one] example of a failure to correct occurred around the same time as DCYF’s SYF investigation, when one of YDC’s counselors was prosecuted for criminal sexual misconduct.

Wesley Oates was accused of engaging in sexual misconduct with an adult female victim. The allegation was deemed credible by police, resulted in a temporary order of protection issued against Oates, and was later reported to the YDC administration in 1999. Despite a misdemeanor conviction arising from the criminal conduct, which was reported to a supervisor at YDC in 2000, YDC continued to employ Oates for another 20 years, during which he committed multiple acts of physical, sexual, and emotional violence against numerous child victims at the YDC and the YDSU, the lawsuit alleges.

The crowd, or lack thereof, at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside of Washington, DC raised eyebrows on Thursday as journalists and pundits across the political spectrum documented the poor turnout.

CPAC’s relevance has come under question in recent years as the event no longer includes a cross-section of the GOP and many of the speakers this year are fringe right-wing media figures like Steve Bannon, Mike Lindell, and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec.

The conference, which used to draw top elected Republicans and every GOP presidential contender, is only attended by one sitting governor and a handful of members of Congress this year. Vivek Ramaswamy is the only 2024 candidate – other than Trump – who is set to address the conference.

Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union that puts on CPAC, addressed the conference Thursday. Schlapp is currently facing multiple accusations of sexual assault and a $9 million lawsuit from a former male staffer over alleged sexual misconduct.

...
“I’m here, and it hasn’t been empty. Lara Trump just said that it’s always darkest before the DON. Standing ovation,” wrote one CPAC attendee in response to Kassam, who replied:

You’re posting a picture from halfway up the room. My image shows the whole room. CPAC used to have 13,000 attendees. Your picture shows several hundred. Thank you for making my point. Enjoy your waste of time.

Click to expand...

I'm just curious, it's my understanding that alligators are safe for lents during Friday, but DUCKS are not.

What else is considered safe to eat during Friday?

Its clear in the Bible, you do not go to Heaven or to Hell, when you die..

Scripture says it plainly, you dont go to Hell or Heaven, you go back to dust in the grave, nothing more.

"19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19.

"21 Why then do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust; And You will seek me, but I will not be." Job 7:21.

"10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?..12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." Job 14:10&12.

"17 The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Psalm 115:17.

"4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish." Psalm 146:4.

"19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." Ecclesiastes 3:19-20.

This tells us that what happens to man and what happens to the beasts is the same, as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts. They all go to one place, which is the same. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Solomon decleares in Ecclesiastes:

"5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." Ecclesiastes 9:5-6.

Over and over again the Bible says that the dead know nothing. These are only a few examples. The dead don’t think. They don’t praise the Lord. They have no consciousness. They return to the earth, as dust. The dead are in a completely unconscious state without thought or feeling, just as they would be if they were asleep.

Once people die, it’s like if they were to fall into a deep coma or sleep. They aren’t aware of anything at all, or passage of time in any form or communicating with those they left behind. If they return to dust as scripture says, its clear that the dead aren’t taken straight to Heaven, or to Hell for that matter. If they were with God as soon as they died, there would be no need for a Savior or Christs death at the cross. And if they went straight to Hell, there would be no need for the Second Death at the Lake of Fire as the scripture clearly shows us.

"15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15.

The wicked are not found in the book of life and only at the lake of fire at the end do they find their punishment.

"8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." Revelation 21:8.

Referring to death as a sleep is what we find throughout the Bible and when someone falls asleep, eventually they wake up again. So, what does it say in scripture as if the Bible describes death like a sleep, like something temporary, we can deduce that there must be some way to come back from death, to ‘“wake up,” as it were. But how does one “wake up” from death?

"14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:14.

The idea of resurrection, of someone “waking up” from the dead, is throughout the Bible. Elijah and Elisha, through the power of God, raised people from the dead. Jesus did the same during his time on earth, bringing back a widow’s son, a young girl, and his dear friend Lazarus, proving that God’s power is greater than death. He can get us out of this first death, from this deep coma or sleep in the grave, to life everlasting.

"24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." John 11:24.

Its called the resurrection of the just which scripture tells us will happen at the Second Coming for saints and Christ has the power and has promised to call us from the grave like Lazarus and take us to heaven to be with Him in His Heavenly Kingdom.

"15 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:" John 11:25.

We will be raised in the resurrection of the saints at the first resurrection, and the wicked will have to await the resurrection of damnation. No one goes to Heaven or Hell until these events at the very end at the Second Coming for the first resurrection for the just, and after the 1000 year Millennium, the resurrection of the unjust.

Let me get a few things straight. One I'm being totally serious. 2. I'm not talking about ALL Arminians. And 3. I'm not calling Arminian Protestants, Orthodox, Catholic or any other Christians thst believe in the fundamental basics of Christian theology not Christian. I'm talking about the ones that give Arminianism a bad name. They generally don't believe in repentance and they don't ask God for forgiveness. They just think that they're saved because a pastor told them so because they prayed a prayer once in their life and then never touched Christianity again. Never prayed to Jesus again or God and they go to church every Sunday thinking that they believe in a Biblical God when they in fact, don't believe in the God of the Bible because the real God of the Bible is way to "harsh" for them. Because of that they generally don't read the Bible or they twist it to say whatever their itching ears want to hear. They generally attend a church with a pride flag on it or to a church that completely waters down Christianity and they generally fall away from Christianity because they have no roots in Jesus because God is looking for repentant sinners not prideful "Christians" who love to twist the Bible to say whatever it is they want it to say. They generally sin without remorse and without thinking of the consequences of sin. They generally cling to verses like John 3:16 or some areas of the book of John but completely ignore the rest of the Bible and/or twist it.

If this describes you than I encourage you to defend why this kind of Christianity is biblical. Without twisting the Bible. Without saying that a loving God would never send a person to hell and without spitting in the face of the God of the Bible because that offends me SO much.

Such people are IMO heretics and generally give Arminianism a bad name. It's one thing to claim that God died for the world. Although that is borderline heresy but I'm mostly talking about the people I've described above. This is not a reformed vs Arminian theology thread. The Bible does have one verse that seems to suggest that which is where Jacob Arminius got the idea.

No im talking about a vast majority of the Arminian Christian population who do not believe in God but believe in a God of their own making because that's what Christianity has become these days. Just because you prayed a prayer once in your life does not mean that you are a Christian. It is heresy and God finds it offensive.

Does anyone have any interesting ideas as to what Jesus may have written?

John 8:6 NLT - "They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger."

All ideas are welcome, bickering and fighting is not.

Thanks!

He who scattered Israel, will gather them Jeremiah 31:10
The House of Israel [the Northern 10 tribes] then the House of Judah [the Jewish people] were sent into exile because of their sins and the Lord “hid His face from them’. Deuteronomy 31:17-18, Ezekiel 20:23 However, this ‘hiding of His face’, is neither rejection or replacement. It is their discipline and preparation for eventual rejoining, restoration into the Land that will enable their spiritual renewal. Ezekiel chapter 37, Ezekiel 11:19

There is no change to God’s plan to regather the descendants of the Patriarchs, but as has always been the case: foreigners can join Israel and a great number will be grafted in, all those with the faith of Abraham; Galatians 3:26-29, so they can all finally be what He wanted His people to be; ‘a light to the nations’, and spreading the good news of the coming Kingdom to all the world, by the 144,000 missionaries, 12,000 from each of the 12 people groups. Isaiah 49:7-8, Isaiah 66:19, Revelation 14:1-7

Deuteronomy 30:3-6 The Lord will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you. He will gather you again from all the distant parts of the earth, from there He will bring you back to your own soil. He will circumcise your hearts, so you will love and obey Him, then you may live. Isaiah 43:1-7

There are over 40 separate passages of prophecy that deal specifically, in great detail, with this theme of the full restoration of all Israel. They have never been fulfilled in the past – not in 515BC when a few thousand Jews returned, nor yet in our day. The State of Israel [Judah] is a ‘firstfruit’, as prophesied. The budding of the fig tree.
The complete gathering of all the descendants of Jacob is as sure as the sworn testimony of God Himself. The prophets indicate when this will happen; Hosea 11:8-9

Hosea 3:4-5 For the Israelites will live for many days without a king, without sacrifice, without ephod, etc. [with no Temple] After that, they will again seek the Lord and their King, and turn with reverence to His blessings in the last days. Zech 6:15

Jeremiah 16:14-19 The time is coming...... when I shall bring the Israelites back from a Northern land and all the lands of their dispersion and I shall give them the Land of their forefathers. I will send for fishermen and hunters, who will fish and hunt them from every place. For they are not hidden from My sight....To you, the nations will come saying: we inherited a sham, lies and worthless things. Isaiah 44:9
This is not the glorious Return, it must happen at least 10 years before then. .

Ezekiel 20:34-36 ..I shall bring you out of the nations....I shall bring you to the Meeting place in the desert....as I did with your forefathers, I shall judge you. Amos 3:9

Isaiah 11:11-12 On that Day, the Lord will exert His power for a second time; another Exodus of His peoples from all the world…..and the islands of the sea.

Jeremiah 31:27-34 The days are coming.. when I will plant Israel and Judah, I will watch over them to prosper them....in those days, I shall set My Law within them ......
All will know Me and I will forgive their sins. [known, not by His presence, as yet]

Ezekiel 36:22-38... All Israel regathered... I shall give you a new heart, I shall put My spirit within you...you will prosper in the Land...The nations still left around you will know that it is I, the Lord, who has done this. [again, not by His presence] Ref, REB,NIV



This is all part of the Plan, that through the new nation of Beulah, Isaiah 62:1-5, every faithful Christian, all the world will have an example of how we should all live.

Jeremiah 33:6-9 I will bring Judah and Israel back to the Land and will rebuild their places. I will cleanse them.... then it will be to Me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth.

So I'm just telling some of my personal experience. Especially two scenarios that happened to me when I was young between the age of 18-26. The first I would say is the most dissapointing of the two: I had gone to a Lutheran church for most of my life age 0-17, the pastor changed while I was away for academic reasons from age 18-22, when I returned home there was a new pastor who didn't know me. I went to talk to him for his advice on some family issues and he starts telling me about the 10 commandments, acting like I'm not saved because I didn't go to church from age 22-26 , even though I told him that I should still be considered by him a member since I had gone for my whole life. So you're basically treated as not having existed if a new pastor takes over and maybe you didn't go to church for a few years or you were busy working or going to some other church, they'll just assume you're not a christian and start from square one.
The second scenario was the fact that I had been a member of some campus christian club for years and some friends just ghosted me because I liked some musical videos from some bands that might for a christian be too secular and worldly, which is pretty much anything nowadays unless you listen to only christian musicians, according to 1 Corinthians, if you profess to be a Christian and do certain things, Paul actually recommends that you be ghosted or kicked out of the church whereas if you just don't go at all, people continue to associate with you and can't judge you that harshly because you don't profess to be a member. In your formative years, especially as an introvert awkward shy person, getting hate from everyone including your peer and pastors will just put you in a negative spiral / or hole that you won't be able to dig yourself out of. So what I learned was, you shouldn't profess to be anything as a introvert, you shouldn't talk about anything and just stay secular until financially secure and able to take care of yourself entirely and definitely don't go to church , those friends are not real and a waste of your time. If you're older, married and have a family, everyone will assume the best of you and there's no risk or negative assumptions made about you by the pastor usually. If you need to be "of the world" to be yourself then do that, it honestly is necessary for your mental health and survival, church can wait.

Disclaimer: I don't want anyone trying to manipulate me into straying into unbelief, away from Christianity, or whatever.
Wednesday evening this week, I have a distress episode, about feeling ugly, and wanting stretch my face to make it better. Today, I had another distress episode about my height, ethnic ancestry, and a few other things. Ever since 2021, I've been hating my height and my ugliness, almost every day feeling insecure about one thing or another, along with intrusive sexual thoughts. I have a strong desire for companionship, but I feel my that height (between 5'7 and 5'9) and probably ugly face, along with how I act, admittedly, would restrict me from getting one, especially if it comes to certain kinds of women that I like. In April of 2023, I started to want to get into Eastern Orthodox Christianity. And now, I really want to stray away from technology and social media (I know it's ironic that I'm posting here, but I don't know what to do.) Unfortunately, I've never been able to feel God's presence, and I do pray every now and then. But I can't help but resent God for making me this way. And unfortunately, my mother who claims herself to be spiritual just keeps saying the same thing over and over again. I resent the fact of her marrying my dad, for a number of reasons, including the fact that she's Russian, but I was born only half-Russian, American raised and such. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, and I've never really felt that attractive, even now as a soon to be 20 year-old soon-to-be failure. I'm beginning to lose faith in God, especially with what I've become, and how I am now. And I don't know what to do. My mother would just say the same thing, and we'd get into another fight about my insecurities, if I went to her right, her claiming I can just turn them off and whatever. Well it ain't so easy, is it?!?! Not to mention the fact about how much we fight about my college, and how much I slack at school, even if I'm breaking personal barriers!!! I admit, I haven't really read the bible that much, plus I still struggle with my faith, but I don't know if God really is there. And if he is, but he made me this way, ugly and short, why couldn't he have just made me Asexual and Aromantic, so that I would never have a strong desire for a relationship? I know I shouldn't focus on that solely, and focus on him, but with what I've been dealing with, I'm really beginning to lose it. And sometimes I wish I could just die already, so that I can get over with this life. I don't know about getting therapy or a psychologist, either, because I don't want to have to use my money trying to fix something that wasn't completely my fault, especially in the economy so-called "greatest country in the world," aka America. Please, somebody pray for me, or tell me something sent by God, if he truly is there. I don't know what it is, whether I'm just a bad person, possessed, or whatever... Please help me, someone, God, or whatever!!!...

A friend asked me why his mother died of covid. She was a true mother after God's heart. Her face glowed when she talked about the Gospel. When Mike came to me and said my mom believed and told everyone that God would protect her for she quoted Psalm 91 everytime someone asked her if she had the vaccine.He has been suffering for so long over his mother's death and then this morning he told me this. I am at a total loss of what to tell him. Here is Psalm 91.
My Refuge and My Fortress
Psa 91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2 This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.
Psa 91:3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.
Psa 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Psa 91:5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Psa 91:6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Psa 91:7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.
Psa 91:8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.
Psa 91:9 If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,
Psa 91:10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
Psa 91:11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
Psa 91:12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
Psa 91:13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
Psa 91:14 The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.
Psa 91:15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.
Psa 91:16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

NYT: Arizona Refuses to Send Murder Suspect to New York Over Bragg’s Policies

Is someone running for office?

It's one thing when your country is affluent and has more than enough money to spread around. It's another thing entirely when your own citizens can't buy groceries because of inflation and your national economy is one disaster away from total catastrophe.

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Hi,

Is cooking, baking and boiling prohibited on the Sabbath? I ask this question because of Exodus 16:23 which says, "then he said to them, "This is what the Lord meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."

The Hebrew word for "bake" is "אָפָה" which means to cook or to bake.

Does this verse mean we can't cook, bake and boil on the Sabbath or is it only referring to the context of the Israelites collecting manna at that particular time?

Thanks

Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz tried not to cry as the doctor in the emergency room delivered one of the most frightening diagnoses a pregnant woman can receive.

The 25-year-old college senior was told she likely had an ectopic pregnancy, a highly dangerous condition where the embryo implants outside of the uterus. Without immediate treatment, the fallopian tube can rupture — and the patient can die.

The law that has prohibited abortions in Texas since Roe v. Wade was overturned now explicitly allows doctors to treat ectopic pregnancies. But when doctors at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital evaluated Norris-De La Cruz last week, they refused to terminate the pregnancy, saying there was some chance the pregnancy was still viable, Norris-De La Cruz recalled. Instead, they advised her and her mother to go home and wait, according to medical records reviewed by The Washington Post.

“Does this have anything to do with the abortion law?” [her mom] remembered asking the doctor.
When he didn’t answer, Lloyd recalled, she had to restrain Norris-De La Cruz as her daughter tried to launch herself at him.
“Whenever I [doggone] rupture,” Norris-De La Cruz said, “I’m giving my lawyers your [doggone] name.”

[After the refusal, she went back to the ER doc who wouldn't discharge her. “I do not feel comfortable discharging her home and do not think that is in her best interest,” the emergency room doctor wrote in her records. The next morning a second OB/GYN said no and discharged her.]

Four OB/GYNs who reviewed Norris-De La Cruz’s medical records for The Post, with Norris-De La Cruz’s permission, said she should have been offered emergency surgery.

Norris-De La Cruz ultimately received emergency surgery about 24 hours later at a different hospital in the area, at which point her ectopic pregnancy had already started to rupture. The OB/GYN who performed the procedure said that, if Norris-De La Cruz had waited much longer, she would have been “in extreme danger of losing her life.”

In the nearly two years since Roe fell, dozens of women have come forward with stories of medical care denied because of abortion bans, with the changes in treatment bringing some close to death or affecting patients’ future fertility.

“Treatment decisions are individualized based on a patient’s clinical condition and we believe the care provided to the patient in this case was appropriate,” [spox for hospital #1] wrote in a statement.

I came across this article this morning and feel it's a worthy topic for discussion. In some ways it does seem like everyone is angry nowadays. In reading the story it talks about the prevalence of social media worldwide. And how people like to be included in society.

Social media heightens emotions and strengthens convictions, which may compel us to join in the negative discourse. We don't see the damage we do as anonymous online voices. We can't see the hurt we might inflict on others. They have dubbed our "joining the crowd" of criticism "emotional contagion".

We are all seemingly affected by this emotional contagion online. It appears that the more we are exposed to one-sided negative discourse the less inclined we are to resist listening to alternative viewpoints. This "groupthink" phenomenon has likely been seen by most people online, especially those consumers using social media.

It even appears that algorithms used by social media might be skewed to shape the nature of discourse to further fuel the flames of negativity. Which makes sense because these companies are trying to profit from their platforms. And by appealing to the basest of human emotions sadly increases their profits.

But we humans have the capability to eschew the hate and outrage that is perpetuated on social media. We have the capacity but often we don't have the strength of will to avoid immersing ourselves in this culture of outrage. I have no agenda with this thread but a singular interest in bringing awareness and discussion about the pros and cons of social media on our society.

I need help desperately. I grew up in a Bible believing household, went to a Baptist Church, and made many professions over the years. Without dragging it out with too much detail I got into willful sin (fornication, drunkenness, profanity) from about 14-23 (I’m 29). When I got my first tattoo at 18 that night it felt like something was ripped out of me and I was in a state of dread. Eventually this went away and I went back to my sins. I was convicted many times about it but thought “I’ll repent later”. Also the guilt and shame of my sins began to pile on and make it seem harder and harder to even consider turning to God. Long story short I’m living it up with God being the last thing on my mind when my mother who is a godly woman told me “there’s pleasure in sin for a season” and that small comment sent me into a tailspin. I went forward at the next service I attended and knew I had to get things right, truly right. I did the only thing I knew to do and asked Christ to save me, but still something felt off. I had no peace whatsoever and thought maybe I had tempted God too long and felt completely condemned. This went on for months and eventually (I really can’t explain it) I started to feel some peace about it. My life had definitely changed. I was no longer sinning in a deliberate manner. Fast forward 6 years and I can across something (an article, website, sermon, something) and all this came flooding back but I would say worse. Was I deceived these 5-6 years? I would occasionally have just a general anxiety that I couldn’t pinpoint. Maybe I was being given a short rest only to resume it later. It’s constant mental torment of differing degrees. I literally feel like I don’t sleep anymore. Like something is keeping me up. I don’t know how I’m functioning honestly. It’s like I’m kept on the razor thin edge of sanity. Just constant dread. It just ebbs and wanes. I talked to a preacher and he said “so there’s a lot of anxiety”. I almost had to stop my self from laughing if I could have even laughed. I told him anxiety/depression would be a RELIEF compared to this. At times I quite literally can’t even think. I’ve been praying and reading Scripture it just feels like I’m talking to myself. I WANT to be Christ-like and have fruits of the spirit and witness to people. I’m just holding out for some hope that God will deliver me. I don’t think a person could endure this for very long. I’m married and my spouse just can’t understand what I’ve got going on and that makes it worse. It feels like dying every day the torment is relentless. I know I was a fool for sinning against God in this way. I don’t know what I’m asking for here, I’m just about at the end of myself.

Not everyone is going to like us and to receive us and our message with joy. So many have bought into a false grace gospel which does not require repentance and obedience to Christ as necessary components of genuine faith in Jesus Christ. They are being taught that all they have to do is pray a prayer and they have their ticket into heaven and no one can take it away. But if sin is still what they practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to the Lord, then they will not inherit eternal life with God.

But so many people are not being taught the crucified life or that we have to die with Christ to sin and to self, that we must be born anew of the Spirit of God, and that we must walk in the Spirit and not according the flesh once we have been saved from our sins. So, if you try to teach what Christ and the apostles taught, you may be rejected even by those who profess to have faith in Jesus Christ, and even by church leaders who have watered down the gospel to make it more appealing to the people of this world.

Thus, if you share the gospel of salvation, and those who hear it reject it, then move on. We can’t force anyone to believe in Jesus Christ. All we can do is to share with them the truth, but it is up to them whether to accept it or whether to reject it. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts hearts and turns people to faith in Jesus Christ. His word will never return empty. It will fulfill its purposes.

All we can do is to share with people the truth of God’s Word and trust that the living Word of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts of sin and that they will humble themselves before God in turning from their sin and in turning to faith in Jesus Christ and to living for him by faith in the power of the Spirit of God within them. If they do repent of their sins and trust in Christ as Savior, then we must commit ourselves to discipling them to maturity, where possible, i.e. to also teaching believers in Christ what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to help them to grow in their walks of faith.

Hears or Rejects?


When we are rejected for teaching the truths of scripture and for sharing the full gospel message of salvation, as was taught by Jesus Christ and by the NT apostles, we must know that it is not just us they are rejecting, but they are rejecting Jesus Christ and God the Father, too. Yet, if they hear what we have to say and they accept the gospel message, then it is because they hear the Savior speaking to their hearts via the living word of God and via the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and thus they respond to the Spirit’s voice.

If we have not already done so, we must all make a choice to either accept Jesus Christ and his gospel message or to reject them. One day Jesus Christ is coming back to judge the earth and to take his followers to be with him forever. But accepting his gospel is not a formality or an emotional decision or a formula we must follow. It means to be crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:1-23).

When the day of judgment comes, if not before, many people will die in their sins, having never believed in Jesus Christ and having not made that decision to repent of their sins and to walk in obedience to their Lord who died for them so they would no longer live for themselves but for him who gave himself up for them. They will spend eternity in torment, punishment and eternal separation from God. Yet, if they hear the Word and receive it, repent of their sins and turn to walk in fellowship with their Lord, as his followers, then they have the hope of eternal life in heaven with God.

Time is running out. None of us knows what tomorrow holds for us. Don’t put off until tomorrow to make that decision, because you don’t know when you will breathe your last breath. Make the choice right now to bow before God, to turn from your sins, to allow the Spirit of God to transform you in heart and mind, and then to follow Jesus Christ wherever he leads you, from now to eternity. Your life depends on it! And, you will never regret it!

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

Hymn lyrics by Henry F. Lyte, 1833
Music attr. to Mozart, 1831/ Arr. Hubert P. Main, 1872

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known;
Yet how rich is my condition! God and heav’n are still mine own.

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too;
Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me, show Thy face and all is bright.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn and pain!
In Thy service pain is pleasure; with Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee, “Abba, Father”; I have set my heart on Thee:
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, all must work for good to me.

Man may trouble and distress me, ’twill but drive me to Thy breast;
Life with trials hard may press me; heav’n will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me, while Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Haste then on from grace to glory, armed by faith, and winged by prayer,
Heav’n’s eternal day’s before thee, God’s own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission, swift shall pass thy pilgrim days;
Hope soon change to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

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