Apologies if this is the wrong section to post my thread, but I specifically wanted to hear from Orthodox Christians since I'm already an inquirer at my 'nearest' church as well as inspired to join due to my online research from what I heard from numerous Orthodox monks and fathers who seemed to align with my experience(also forgive my grammar, I was unable to sleep last night). Without further ado, here is how I went from someone who grew up in his mother's new-age "Christian" church, left it for atheism, then "over night" became a Bible-reading, God-worshiping, Christ-believing Christian:

Like most, I've lived a DEEPLY sinful life(think male-St. Mary mixed with some St. Moses minus the m*rder) in addition with struggles with substance addiction. My atheist stint ran from around 12 years old to 37. My current living circumstances see me residing at my folks business miles away from all my hometown friends along with those I made from an out-of-state move. The last remaining friends abandoned me due to my toxicity, so I was alone regarding peers. Depressed due to isolation, living situation, no achievements, and not where I wanted to be in life neither local nor figuratively speaking. My old modes of thinking started to return along with foolish ideas-I understand some of this might be best saved for confession but omitting it will lead to narrative confusion about my story. The foolish ideas included s**cide via volunteering for the ongoing conflicts. Of course that wasn't the only misguided reason for such an insane choice(a desperation for purpose and inclusion among the seemingly growing Left-wing population of the U.S.), yet being well old enough to know what war actually entails and seeing the horrific footage coming out of said conflicts shook me from a irrationality and wreakless inhumanity.

I found myself looking out my bedroom window one evening(May 14 around 7pm) considering my life and the choices that lead up to such crushing loneliness and desperation. It all made me realise not only was I alone due to my inability to trust and love others, but my wanton life of sin that I was actually considering traveling overseas to commit the one last grave sin I managed to avoid-taking a life. I didn't want to harm anyone, in fact it went against some of my previous choices such as attending EMT school. Scared and desperate for an out was where I found myself. "I need a way out. I don't, I *can't* do this! What if I die there, then my parents will have one child left, and my nephews one less male figure in their lives. I absolutely can't do this"! The feeling felt like a literal weight hanging from my sternum(what I now realise was the weight of my sins).

Suddenly I heard what sounded like heavy vehicles driving over gravel. I wondered what in the world was my dad doing, was he having another truck come deliver gravel or dirt? It grew louder and louder until finally, He was upon me. It was like a heavy presence directly above me, and I can't tell whether I cowered in fear or if His very presence is what pushed me down. "What the **** is this? What's going on"? Then I heard, "I'm God".

"God? As in God-God? THAT God"?! I immediately bent over and began to cry because I knew I was in trouble. The guy who spent a good portion of his live being blasphemous, immature, budding criminal delinquent scumbag was about to be taken to hell by God Himself. It was then He suddenly flooded and encapsulated me with love. "You, you...forgive me?! But everything I've done! I don't believe this"! My legs buckled and I felt two arms(the sensation was similar to when a limb falls asleep but no prickly sensation) around my torso caught me, and there was an 'understanding' Jesus Christ was holding me up. Then a bunch of images flashed in my mind-most seemed to be ancient Middle Eastern cities or locales-but what further clued me in on the God I was speaking with was an image of an egg and sperm. Upon seeing that image I said, "sometimes abortion can save a woman's life so are their exceptions?" which I received a firm yet gentle "No". I then asked if it meant I have to hate non-believers, gay people, Muslims, feminists, ect, and there was an "understanding"(seems He doesn't always communicate with words or images) by the love and mercy He was showing me the answer was obviously no. It made me cry even harder while saying, "Oh my God, you ARE good! I'm sorry I was so wrong about you"! He then told me we are all His children, He hates all these wars(they deeply sadden Him), and He wants us to know Him.

Around this time Christ let me go and I paced around my room while he left me with his last bit of info telling me to tell others about Him and never stop believing in Him. The experience then abruptly ended and I felt an other-wordly bliss and sense of peace for the entirety of the week followed by other strange feelings such as intensely and distinctly feeling people's "vibes"(e.g. I could feel my mother's anxious nature and my dad's anger). It was very taxing both emotionally and physically. I'm now back at 'baseline', and have found an Orthodox church to begin the inquirer portion as well as a former Protestant convert(Calvinist to be specific) at the church who was accepting of my story. I plan to put this past my church father since I'm aware of what a prelest is(is it even possible for an atheist to experience prelest?), yet I feel...confident it was our heavenly Father who came down on me that day since much of what He showed me is in line with Scripture. Not to mention stepping into an Orthodox church was unlike any church experience I had before. The Holy Spirit is undoubtedly there; my first visit was like an assuring and safe presence washing over me, and the 2nd(after falling into sin) was like being under a microscope which felt like it revealed my sin to all others present along with cleansing me of said falls.
I sincerely hope this doesn't cause controversy(or at least too much) after all we are expected to be honest in our word and deeds, yes?

Romans 3:20 declares, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Some interpreters have argued that Paul is speaking of two distinct laws: the ceremonial law, which could not justify, and the moral law, which continues to bind believers. This reading, however, is a later development in Christian history rather than Paul’s own intent.​

In the early church, figures like Irenaeus, Origen, Chrysostom, and Augustine typically read Paul’s reference to “the law” (nomos) as the Mosaic law in its entirety. They emphasized that the law reveals sin but does not bring righteousness, and they did not suggest that Paul was distinguishing between two different laws.

A more formal distinction emerged in medieval theology. Thomas Aquinas articulated a tripartite division of the Mosaic law: moral, ceremonial, and judicial. The moral law expressed timeless ethical principles, the ceremonial law governed Israel’s worship and sacrifices, and the judicial law regulated Israel’s civic life. Although Aquinas did not claim Paul himself made this division, his framework shaped subsequent readings of Romans.

During the Reformation, Martin Luther and John Calvin emphasized justification by faith apart from works of the law. To preserve the ongoing authority of the Ten Commandments while rejecting salvation by works, they leaned on the moral/ceremonial distinction. Calvin in particular stressed that the moral law still bound believers, while the ceremonial law had been fulfilled in Christ. This approach encouraged Protestants to interpret Romans 3:20 as if Paul were distinguishing between different kinds of law.

In the centuries that followed, Protestant confessions such as the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) codified this division, and it became common for preachers and commentators to read Romans 3:20 through that lens. The two-law theory thus served as a theological tool in debates over antinomianism, allowing Christians to affirm both salvation by grace and the necessity of obedience.

Modern scholarship, however, has largely set aside the two-law framework as an anachronism. Studies of Second Temple Judaism have shown that Jews of Paul’s day viewed Torah as a unified covenant, not as divisible into moral and ceremonial parts. Scholars such as E.P. Sanders and proponents of the “New Perspective on Paul” argue that Paul’s concern was not with distinguishing kinds of laws but with showing that Torah as a whole cannot justify. For Paul, the law in its entirety reveals sin, but righteousness comes only through faith in Christ.

In sum, the theory that Paul spoke of two laws in Romans 3:20 reflects later theological developments, especially medieval and Reformation attempts to reconcile Paul’s teaching with the continuing role of God’s commands. While historically influential, it does not appear to be what Paul himself meant.

The image:

Renewable electricity use rose to 34.3% of global consumption in the first half of 2025, while coal's use fell to 33.1%, the energy think tank Ember found. Renewable energies include sources like solar, wind and hydro, as opposed to fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.

Populous developing countries like China and India led the charge in making the switch to renewable energies, Ember reports. Meanwhile, Western societies including the European Union and the United States increased their consumption of coal during this period.

China has been the largest driver in the move to renewable energy sources, accounting for 55% of global solar generation growth. The United States' share, by contrast, was just 14%. Renewables might slow as the Trump administration moves to sharply reduce clean-energy development.

"China took technologies that were originally developed in the United States back in Bell Labs in the 1950s and figured out how to scale them up, and just relentlessly year after year make them cheaper and cheaper and slightly better performing each time to the point that the cost of solar panels has fallen by well over 90% and the cheapest solar panels in the world are being manufactured in China," Cohan said.

in related news...

California says goodbye to coal and hello to cleaner electricity​

One of the most consequential moments in California’s drive to beat back climate change will take place next month. The state will stop receiving electricity from the Intermountain Power Plant in Central Utah, meaning our reliance on coal as a source of power will essentially be over.

My colleague, Sammy Roth reported on the historic breakthrough recently in The Times, detailing how the state has gradually been moving away from burning coal, which spews greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, thereby warming the planet and exacerbating droughts, wildfires and other scourges.

As Sammy reported, the U.S. got nearly half its electricity from coal-fired plants as recently as 2007. By 2023, that figure had dropped to just 16.2%. California drove an even more dramatic shift, getting just 2.2% of its electricity from coal in 2024 — nearly all of it from the Intermountain plant.

(CNN)
A Washington Post-Ipsos poll last month showed even about half of Republicans said Trump didn’t deserve one. Just 22% of Americans overall said that he did.

But on Wednesday a Trump Nobel suddenly became more plausible with the announcement of a phase-one ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Much remains to be ironed out, and time will tell how successful it is. The news also didn’t seem to arrive in time for this year’s prize announcement, which happens to be Friday.

But even some nonpartisan foreign policy experts and Trump critics are starting to take the possibility more seriously, albeit for next year.

“If the peace plan moves forward, Mr. Trump may have as legitimate a claim to that Nobel as the four American presidents who have won the peace prize in the past,” longtime New York Times national security reporter David Sanger wrote, “though with less bombast and lobbying.”

And it came after Trump took some remarkable steps. His administration has made a point to build relations with Middle Eastern leaders and make them a key part of the process. And perhaps most notably, Trump has exerted an unusual amount of pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Just curious - Trumps was out incredibly fast and pasted all over - where is Comey's?

Justice Department indicts Letitia James after pressure from Trump​

A federal grand jury in Virginia has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statement to a financial institution

"The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking," Leo wrote in the document released by the Vatican on Thursday.

"Where the world sees threats, she sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges. She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness and welcome. And she knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community."

The pope praised the longstanding tradition in the church to welcome migrants, citing the efforts of the Catholic charities umbrella group Caritas Internationalis. On Thursday, Leo also sent a message to the Catholic Charities USA Network, which has been impacted by the freeze of federal funds for nonprofit organizations, praising their work with migrants and encouraging them to continue their efforts as "agents of hope."

The exhortation, "Dilexi te" (I Have Loved You), divided into five chapters, is addressed to "All Christians." It was signed on Oct. 4, on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi and follows in the footsteps of his predecessors, who starting with St. John XXIII issued forceful document urging nations and believers to care for the poorest in society.

"No Christian can regard the poor simply as a societal problem; they are part of our 'family,'" Leo writes. "They are "'one of us.'"

So I am a 30 year old Christian, I have an older sister who is not and never has been Christian, in fact, she's more the opposite, and is involved in a lot of 'things of the world' including worshipping demonic things and also her own issues regarding her own sexuality and gender.
We are friends on social media as expected from family members, however she has shared a couple of very hurtful posts recently, one stating 'If you can't conceive, then that's God's will' (after I had a loss) and another post insulting the cross and what seemed to be targeted at Christians. I have since removed her from my socials.
I couldn't help but mention to her that her posts are hurtful. It's ok to have opinions, but sharing them with the intention to hurt people when you know your family members fall in to a certain category isn't nice.
I got a lot of hateful messages back and comments such as 'I'll do what I want' and 'I don't care'.

I love her obviously, but I feel like for the past few years, she has become distant and selfish, for example, I have never missed celebrating her birthday and always got her a card and gift, but she doesn't even send a birthday message, which is fine, I don't give to receive. She is also constantly going on about her mental health, but not actively doing anything about it.
A big part of me thinks and probably knows that she doesn't seem to like me or my husband because we are Christians. (she's never like him) and she once stated 'He doesn't like me because God doesn't like gays'

I am a very respectful person and want to live a content, peaceful life. So the easier the better.
After speaking to her about the post, she got her girlfriend to send me a very hateful message saying things like 'You go above and beyond to insult and hurt *name*' and 'you're bullying someone who has only ever wanted to build a relationship with you' and 'Lastly THEIR name is **, If you want to be shown respect, try showing it'.

She has only shortened her name recently, so it is quite difficult to get in to the habit of that name after over 25 years of calling her by her full name. One thing is, I don't and will never follow 'they/them' pronouns, never. I don't follow those beliefs and I don't think its fair for a small minority of people to force others to follow their beliefs.

Just like, I can't (not that I would) say, 'well, you have to come to church, because that's what I believe, and that's that'. I am ok with other people believing what they want, but not forcing it upon others.

TLDR; My sister has disrespected my faith for years, now she is posting insulting, hurtful things on socials aimed at Christians and also my personal circumstances. She hasn't liked me for years and bothered about birthdays or anything (when I have given to her every year) and then expected me to change my beliefs and refer to her as they/them, which is not happening.

My question is; How do I move on from this. Many Christians say to 'change your company' which, I barley see her anyway and I wouldn't want demonic influences in our home and in front of our future children etc.

I know compared to a lot of other people this is going to be minor... but I'm now fighting with my landlord over a bill... A month ago I noticed a broken window on the property I'm renting with my husband. We have no kids and only cats and I noticed the window is double pain glass and broken from the outside. Our landlord is a company, its not a single entity. I put in a maintaince repair request, was never notified of anything as they approved the request, got their own vendor and repaired the window. I then was handed a 1,000 dollar bill. I didn't break the window, it is not due to anything I did or my husband did, I was not notified I would be covering the cost and I also had zero say in the vendor. I'm currently in the process of arguing with them, but also looking for a lawyer because after reading my lease, they can't do this... I'm awaiting a reply from 1 lawyer to see if I have a case.

Please pray for me for a resolution. Thank you <3

Porter is a former congresswoman who ran unsuccessfully for US Senate in 2024. She is a former law professor and protege of Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Former Biden administration Health and Human Services Director Xavier Becerra, one of Porter’s top rivals in the gubernatorial race, responded to clips of the interview picked up by social media, writing, “I’m not interested in excluding any vote. Every Californian deserves affordable health care, safe streets, a roof over their head and a living wage.”

And former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also weighed in, writing that “We need a leader who will solve hard problems and answer simple questions.”

Liberal commentator Mehdi Hasan on X called it a “car crash interview,” while Republican strategist Matt Whitlock wrote, “This Katie Porter crashout is INCREDIBLE.”

The story is pay walled, but I don’t think you need to read it to conclude that this is a monument to modern folly.


For People With Far More Money Than Brains

---

"Adelita Grijalva won a special election on Sept. 23 for the Arizona seat that was long held by her father, former Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.). But despite decisively winning the seat, she has not yet been sworn in.

The move delays a months-long effort to circumvent House leadership on a bill compelling the Department of Justice to release the so-called Epstein files — with Grijalva being the 218th and final signature needed on the procedural gambit called a discharge petition to force action on the measure. "

Why the delay by Speaker Johnson?

In April, Johnson swiftly seated two Florida Republicans after their special election.

In a shift that has become much more noticeable in five of the last six years, men, especially among millennials and Generation X, have been outpacing women in church attendance. The trend spiked significantly this year, a new Barna report has found.

Data collected as part of Barna’s ongoing State of the Church initiative with Gloo show that following the COVID-19 lockdowns, men have been outpacing women in church attendance by significant margins. This year, Barna researchers found that 43% of men reported attending church weekly, compared with 36% of women.

“Across every generation, women are trailing men in weekly church attendance, especially among Gen X and millennials,” Barna researchers wrote.

Married fathers with children under 18 were found to be leading the way in church attendance, while single mothers trailed both married mothers and fathers on the measure. Just 24% of single mothers reported that they attend church weekly.

The gap in church attendance between men and women this year is the largest ever recorded by Barna since they began tracking the trend decades ago.

Continued below.

Recently, the United States has experienced shocking acts and threats of violence against Christian communities and Christian voices that highlight a growing and troubling conflict.

On August 27, a person identifying as transgender opened fire during Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, killing two young children and injuring many others. Authorities are investigating it as an anti-Catholic hate crime. Less than a month later, on September 10, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University during a public event of Turning Point USA.

• Sophie (Nicholas) John Roske attempted the assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on June 8, 2022, in Chevy Chase, Md.
• Audrey (Aiden) Elizabeth Hale was responsible for the mass shooting at The Covenant School, a Christian elementary school, on March 27, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.
• William “Lily” Whitworth, who identified as transgender, plotted shootings against three Colorado Springs schools and at least one church, and was arrested in March 2023 and sentenced on January 30, 2024

These tragedies have intensified the question: why is there such aggressive hostility in some quarters — especially among some who identify as transgender — toward Christian values? To be clear, not all trans-identified individuals share hatred or seek conflict with the Christian faith. But these incidents suggest there is a strand of antagonism that intersects with cultural, ideological, and moral disagreements.

I believe there are seven core reasons why transgender ideology often clashes with biblical Christianity.

1. The Bible teaches binary gender (Genesis 1:27)

Continued below.

7 reasons for the trans conflict with Christianity

These tragedies have intensified the question why is there such aggressive hostility in some quarters toward Christian values

www.christianpost.com

Praise & Thank Jesus Christ for ensuring that a deal so that the 7-Oct-2023 Israeli hostages could be freed by this weekend:

Was listening to a program talking about mental health. (My mental health issues Part #1)

Unlike other people with their mental disorders or disabilities, I can describe exactly what's going on with me, and it's not at all a mystery to me. When I'm around a bunch of different sources of noise, or people talking (including other people's televisions, and media and whatnot sometimes) (or when I'm around a combination of both actually) I am constantly picking up on everything and immediately applying it to something about me, or having to do with me, and applying it it all kinds of different ways all of the time and always, some of which are sometimes very disturbing, although not always disturbing always, but either way, me or mind makes it about me or something having to do with me, or something that I was just experiencing/doing, and it is something that I am not at all doing willingly. And with a lot of different noise/sources/voices around, it is constantly shifting, and changing, constantly and very, very, very quickly. I can shut a single source down almost immediately, but with a lot of different sources/voices, it is happening too fast for me to be able to keep up most usually, or shut them all down immediately or completely, cause the second I pick up on on one voice/source, and shut it down almost immediately, it changes to another one after that almost immediately, and it's too much for me to be able to keep most of the time, and almost always. And it's not ego either, or me willingly desiring to make everything about me, but this all happening/being done to me 100% completely involuntarily, as I've all but completely killed my own ego by now, almost 100% completely. If it's supposed to be some form of communication, then I don't think it is at all meant for us human beings. And even if it was some form of communication, or I could make some sort of sense of it (which I can't, but if I could) then how could I ever be sure of the source really? Like I said, I don't think it's meant for us human beings. But this is why I wear headphones and listen to something else when I'm out in public, and am out among a bunch of these different sources that very much act like a lot of very, very different, always constantly changing and shifting voices to me actually. It's schizophrenic in a nutshell basically, and that is what it feels like when I'm out in public actually. So it's a very great limitation/mental disorder/disability, and there seems to be no way of eliminating it or completely getting rid of the problem right now 100% completely, because it's not me doing it to myself willingly. And even though I say all of this, there are still some of you who are going to think that I am somehow making this up, or am being dishonest, or am lying, or that it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be maybe, but I 100% guarantee you that you can't make something like this up, and unless you personally have or experience these problems yourself always, then you just don't know how debilitating/disabling they can be actually.

God Bless.

Another thing that I probably also need to mention about this, which has been/still is a side effect from some of the times that this has been disturbing, is also having/developing PTSD from it now actually, which also makes me sometimes anticipate any and all, especially unanticipated/unexpected noises, as sometimes potentially disturbing or triggering, so headphones is definitely the way to go for someone like me, as they are like a lifeline for me. I apologize to all of you that I can't seem to deal with it or handle it any better or differently.

God Bless.

(My mental health issues Part #2)

I'm saving this and these for the next time I see my therapist here in a few weeks.

For example, when I was talking with you last time and you mention dogs sometimes, I sometimes identify with them sometimes in my mind mentally, and when you mentioned your church choir leader last time, I identified with that or him for a minute last time temporarily, as if I was him, or was like him somehow, or in some kind of way actually, or that someone or something was trying to tell me that I was in some kind of way actually, but I was able to shut them, or those thoughts, or those voices, down, almost immediately, and so, it wasn't a big deal really, and none of you even knew that that was going on with me and in my mind at the time mentally. But, when I'm around a lot, or a lot of different sources/ones going on/off all of the time around me, my mind is doing this with all of them all of the time and constantly, and very, very fast with everything, and it's always changing or shifting voices/sources very, very, very quickly, and it's hard to shut them all down immediately all of the time usually. And sometimes, something happens with what's happening on the outside of me that let's me know that something, or someone, knew, or always knows, just exactly what was going on with me, or was happening right then to me at the time mentally, or with what I was just identifying with and how I was identifying with it, actually. Which can feel like a very great violation sometimes of my privacy, which can sometimes be very, very intimidating, or scary, and can sometimes trigger me all of the time and constantly, so that I'm always triggered, or am always on edge all of the time mentally, until I am out of that situation again actually. It can't all be true, but when I'm around a bunch of different sources constantly, I don't have the time to try to discern truth from fiction, which is why I just try to shut them all down immediately. Discerning the truth from fiction can take a lot of time actually, so unless I actually have the time to get a break, and sit around and think about it, and can remember a lot of what was just happening, I can't most of the time actually. Over the course of my total amount of time living with this mental disorder, or disability, I've identified as almost everyone and everything over my total course of time having this, and so I don't think there is any kind of way that all of it can be true ever, etc. And if it ever was or is, then I don't have any kind of idea as to what to say to that or about that ever exactly, etc. It took me quite a while to even be able to know that this is what was going on, or happening with me, and those times we're very, very bad, because they were also very, very confusing, so at least I know now what's happening, and can now write about it now, or tell it to the rest of you now, at least somewhat clearly.

God Bless.

When you, or me, or anyone identifies with something, you first have to ask yourself if you are in any way like that person, place, or thing, or animal, or not, in this specific situation or circumstance, or this specific context or not, exactly? And then also how, or in what kind of way (or ways) (multiple or plural) exactly? If there is even any kind of truth in it at all exactly? Which takes at least some time at least to be able to discern that, or figure that all out exactly? But that you also don't have the time for at the time when there is a lot of it happening or going on very, very quickly like it always happens or does to or for someone like me when there is a lot of different sources to potentially pick up on all of the time exactly. So, there is really no mystery anymore as to just exactly what is happening or going on anymore exactly, but it's more just exactly which way should you apply it, or just exactly what you're supposed to do with all of it all of the time exactly? Like I said earlier, I don't think it's possible for all of it to be true, and so that means that at least some of it has to be false, but with the way it happens to someone like me with a lot of different sources to potentially pick up on sometimes, there is not enough time to be able to figure that all out ever, or ever dwell too long on any one thing, or one or more of those things as quickly as they are/it is changing/happening, until you can get back out of that situation once again temporarily.

God Bless.

Was listening to a program talking about mental health. (My mental health issues Part #1)

Unlike other people with their mental disorders or disabilities, I can describe exactly what's going on with me, and it's not at all a mystery to me. When I'm around a bunch of different sources of noise, or people talking (including other people's televisions, and media and whatnot sometimes) (or when I'm around a combination of both actually) I am constantly picking up on everything and immediately applying it to something about me, or having to do with me, and applying it it all kinds of different ways all of the time and always, some of which are sometimes very disturbing, although not always disturbing always, but either way, me or mind makes it about me or something having to do with me, or something that I was just experiencing/doing, and it is something that I am not at all doing willingly. And with a lot of different noise/sources/voices around, it is constantly shifting, and changing, constantly and very, very, very quickly. I can shut a single source down almost immediately, but with a lot of different sources/voices, it is happening too fast for me to be able to keep up most usually, or shut them all down immediately or completely, cause the second I pick up on on one voice/source, and shut it down almost immediately, it changes to another one after that almost immediately, and it's too much for me to be able to keep most of the time, and almost always. And it's not ego either, or me willingly desiring to make everything about me, but this all happening/being done to me 100% completely involuntarily, as I've all but completely killed my own ego by now, almost 100% completely. If it's supposed to be some form of communication, then I don't think it is at all meant for us human beings. And even if it was some form of communication, or I could make some sort of sense of it (which I can't, but if I could) then how could I ever be sure of the source really? Like I said, I don't think it's meant for us human beings. But this is why I wear headphones and listen to something else when I'm out in public, and am out among a bunch of these different sources that very much act like a lot of very, very different, always constantly changing and shifting voices to me actually. It's schizophrenic in a nutshell basically, and that is what it feels like when I'm out in public actually. So it's a very great limitation/mental disorder/disability, and there seems to be no way of eliminating it or completely getting rid of the problem right now 100% completely, because it's not me doing it to myself willingly. And even though I say all of this, there are still some of you who are going to think that I am somehow making this up, or am being dishonest, or am lying, or that it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be maybe, but I 100% guarantee you that you can't make something like this up, and unless you personally have or experience these problems yourself always, then you just don't know how debilitating/disabling they can be actually.

God Bless.

Another thing that I probably also need to mention about this, which has been/still is a side effect from some of the times that this has been disturbing, is also having/developing PTSD from it now actually, which also makes me sometimes anticipate any and all, especially unanticipated/unexpected noises, as sometimes potentially disturbing or triggering, so headphones is definitely the way to go for someone like me, as they are like a lifeline for me. I apologize to all of you that I can't seem to deal with it or handle it any better or differently.

God Bless.

(My mental health issues Part #2)

I'm saving this and these for the next time I see my therapist here in a few weeks.

For example, when I was talking with you last time and you mention dogs sometimes, I sometimes identify with them sometimes in my mind mentally, and when you mentioned your church choir leader last time, I identified with that or him for a minute last time temporarily, as if I was him, or was like him somehow, or in some kind of way actually, or that someone or something was trying to tell me that I was in some kind of way actually, but I was able to shut them, or those thoughts, or those voices, down, almost immediately, and so, it wasn't a big deal really, and none of you even knew that that was going on with me and in my mind at the time mentally. But, when I'm around a lot, or a lot of different sources/ones going on/off all of the time around me, my mind is doing this with all of them all of the time and constantly, and very, very fast with everything, and it's always changing or shifting voices/sources very, very, very quickly, and it's hard to shut them all down immediately all of the time usually. And sometimes, something happens with what's happening on the outside of me that let's me know that something, or someone, knew, or always knows, just exactly what was going on with me, or was happening right then to me at the time mentally, or with what I was just identifying with and how I was identifying with it, actually. Which can feel like a very great violation sometimes of my privacy, which can sometimes be very, very intimidating, or scary, and can sometimes trigger me all of the time and constantly, so that I'm always triggered, or am always on edge all of the time mentally, until I am out of that situation again actually. It can't all be true, but when I'm around a bunch of different sources constantly, I don't have the time to try to discern truth from fiction, which is why I just try to shut them all down immediately. Discerning the truth from fiction can take a lot of time actually, so unless I actually have the time to get a break, and sit around and think about it, and can remember a lot of what was just happening, I can't most of the time actually. Over the course of my total amount of time living with this mental disorder, or disability, I've identified as almost everyone and everything over my total course of time having this, and so I don't think there is any kind of way that all of it can be true ever, etc. And if it ever was or is, then I don't have any kind of idea as to what to say to that or about that ever exactly, etc. It took me quite a while to even be able to know that this is what was going on, or happening with me, and those times we're very, very bad, because they were also very, very confusing, so at least I know now what's happening, and can now write about it now, or tell it to the rest of you now, at least somewhat clearly.

God Bless.

When you, or me, or anyone identifies with something, you first have to ask yourself if you are in any way like that person, place, or thing, or animal, or not, in this specific situation or circumstance, or this specific context or not, exactly? And then also how, or in what kind of way (or ways) (multiple or plural) exactly? If there is even any kind of truth in it at all exactly? Which takes at least some time at least to be able to discern that, or figure that all out exactly? But that you also don't have the time for at the time when there is a lot of it happening or going on very, very quickly like it always happens or does to or for someone like me when there is a lot of different sources to potentially pick up on all of the time exactly. So, there is really no mystery anymore as to just exactly what is happening or going on anymore exactly, but it's more just exactly which way should you apply it, or just exactly what you're supposed to do with all of it all of the time exactly? Like I said earlier, I don't think it's possible for all of it to be true, and so that means that at least some of it has to be false, but with the way it happens to someone like me with a lot of different sources to potentially pick up on sometimes, there is not enough time to be able to figure that all out ever, or ever dwell too long on any one thing, or one or more of those things as quickly as they are/it is changing/happening, until you can get back out of that situation once again temporarily.

God Bless.

The professor and speaker who stood by wife Tammy Peterson’s side during her cancer treatment and Catholic conversion is facing his own health challenges.

Christian psychologist Jordan Peterson, known to millions across the globe, is in dire need of prayer, said his daughter, Mikhaila Peterson, who posted a deeply personal update on social media over the weekend, imploring her followers to pray for her father.

In a viral video posted on Oct. 4, Mikhaila shared that her dad — who joined The Daily Wire in 2022 after rising to the international stage after his public criticism of a Canadian bill that moved to add gender protections to the country’s code of human rights (and subsequently has spoken with EWTN and Bishop Barron) — has spent almost an entire month in the intensive care unit fighting pneumonia and sepsis.

Calling her father’s condition “near death,” Mikhaila shared that “this summer has been exceedingly difficult,” calling the entire ordeal “terrifying.”

The author of the 2018 self-help book 12 Rules for Life, which has sold millions of copies across the globe, also catapulted the professor into the spotlight.

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I’m wondering if anyone here knows of a reputable place I could find any tactile icons? I’m looking for a gift for a blind friend at our parish. Thanks

This teaching is under the Old Covenant God had with his people Israel (Jews only). But much of it is taught to us again in the New Testament under the New Covenant God has with his people Israel (Jew and Gentile by faith in Jesus Christ), the body of Christ. And what is repeated for us under the New Covenant, we are to apply to our lives in obedience to our Lord.

Now under the New Covenant we are taught that in the last days, which I believe began with the birth of Christ, there will be people of faith in Jesus Christ who are filled with the Spirit of God (all who believe in Christ have the Spirit) who will prophesy, see visions, and dream dreams. And to prophesy is to speak God’s messages to the people. So prophecy is not always (or primarily) predicting the future. So, we should not discount prophecy, dreams, and visions, but we should test everything against the New Testament Scriptures to make certain they are not against the truth.


[Acts 2:12-18; Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 24:11-14; John 10:1-15; Romans 16:17-19; 2 Corinthians 11:3,13-15; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 3:2; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:1-25]

For we do have people among us today who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who call themselves prophets and/or teachers, some of whom claim that God speaks to them through dreams or visions, whose words are against the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles. And some of them are indeed leading the people to follow after false gods of man who are lying to the people about what the Scriptures teach. And many people are blindly following them. And they are teaching that we do not have to obey God and his commands and that we can keep sinning and still have life in Christ.

But if we are of genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ, we should be those who love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul, and so we want to obey our Lord and his commands. We want to do what pleases God and to not live to please the sinful desires of the flesh. Yes, obedience to God and to his commands is required of us in the New Testament under the New Covenant God has with his people who believe in Jesus Christ. We are not under the Old Covenant liturgical and ceremonial laws, but we have to obey God’s teachings to us under the New Covenant God has with us.

For, if sin continues to be our practice, and not obedience to God, according to the Scriptures we do not know God, we are not in fellowship with Christ, and we do not have eternal life with God. So, we need to take this to heart.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]


But under the New Covenant we don’t have all the laws about putting people to death that they had under the Old Covenant. We are not to kill anyone, but we are to leave all retribution to the wrath of God. Now we, as the body of Christ, though, are to exercise church discipline on those within the church who are living in sin and who refuse to repent and who are impacting and influencing the rest of the body of Christ to follow suit (1 Corinthians 5 as an example). And we are not to put up with false teaching (2 Corinthians 11:1-4), but we are to be followers of the truth who expose the lies.

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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Test Everything You Hear
An Original Work / October 9, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Genesis just talks about Adam and Eve facing death as a punishment for their sin. I was wondering what would have happened after that? Would they be resurrected and judged by Jesus? If they are saved I wonder what about Cain? Thanks.

article said:

We’ve seen a recent surge in religiosity among young people, along with other stirrings of possible renewal within Western culture. In fact, history, particularly Christian history, consists of a series of near-defeats that give way to unexpected renewal and the emergence of something even better than what came before.

Click to expand...

Let's all pray that this is the case. I remember that St. John Paul II once said that the future of the Church would be from Africa; maybe his prophecy will be proved true.

All hostages to be released ‘very soon’

DENVER — President Donald J. Trump is heading to Israel on Sunday.

He is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and deliver a major address to the Knesset — Israel’s parliament — in Jerusalem.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has invited Trump to visit Israel, given that the final round of negotiations took place in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, and that two years of talks have been conducted in Cairo.

However, at this point, there is no indication from the White House that Trump will visit Egypt.

Rather, he wants to speak directly to the people of Israel — America’s most trusted and faithful ally in the region and the target of Iran’s seven-front war.

"I am expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days,” Trump told a reporter for Axios News.

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A U.S. senator has introduced legislation banning judges from considering an inmate’s self-declared gender identity when determining prison sentences and prohibiting trans-identified men from being housed in women’s prisons amid outrage over a light sentence given to a man who now claims to identify as female, after he attempted to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., introduced the Preventing Violence Against Female Inmates Act on Wednesday. The legislation would prohibit the Bureau of Prisons from putting female inmates in danger by housing trans-identified male inmates in women's correctional facilities and would withhold federal funds from states that fail to comply.

“Prisoners should be placed based on their biological sex, not on what they choose to ‘identify’ as,” Cotton said in a statement published Wednesday. “Documented cases prove that men — including men who ‘identify’ as women — in women’s prisons put female inmates at increased risk of sexual assault. My bill decreases the risk for women by ensuring men and women are separated in federal prison.”

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