I could not decide whether to put this here or in ethics, but how do you feel about the fact that in many places a landlord may (legally) refuse to rent to those who rely on section 8 housing? This is so long as section 8 is the only reason they cannot use section 8 among with a protected class, but they may have a blanket policy to not rent to anyone who relies on a section 8 voucher for rent.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Senate Democrats cited advances in artificial intelligence and automation Thursday in their argument for a bill that would mandate a 32-hour federal workweek.

“Despite massive growth in technology and worker productivity, millions of workers in our country are working longer hours for low wages,” Sanders said after gaveling open a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

“The sad reality is Americans now work more hours than the people of any other wealthy nation,” the committee chair and Vermont independent said later."

Exodus 20:9-11
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Yes, they involve evil beings in the spiritual reality.

Does it work every time?

No. Satan is not omnipresent. when someone is practicing witchcraft somewhere on this planet, Satan might not even know about it. His resources are finite. He needs to allocate them effectively. The demons are just not always present when invoked.

Some people are more open to spiritual manipulations than others, e.g., Balaam and the fortune-telling slave girl in Acts 16:16. Others are difficult for demons to penetrate. Though the demons are there, they fail to communicate with the difficult witch.

Satan is not omniscient. When you ask an established witch a question, her associates/evil spirits may not know the answer.

Satan is not omnipotent. The witch and her evil associates can try to make something happen and it doesn't because of circumstances.

Finally, the good spirits may stop the evil spirits. This is spiritual warfare.

Banishing Rituals:

A banishing ritual is often performed at the beginning of a ceremony in order to rid the ritual area of negative or unwanted energy or entities that may interfere with magick or unbalance energies that will be raised or summoned during the ceremony. Most magical paths prescribe a banishing ritual of this type prior to any spellwork or magick of any sort.

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That's when the witch wants to get rid of the good guys.

How to get rid of an evil (voodoo) curse?

Proverbs 26:2b

2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.

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If you are innocent, the curse will not work.

You have been born of the Spirit/Paraclete. The peace of Jesus dwells in your spirit.

Isaiah 41:

13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

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Romans 12:

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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Luke 6:

35a But love your enemies, and do good.

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Romans 12:

19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

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If you need to participate in spiritual warfare, contact your local church.

In a sweeping move expected to reduce the cost of buying and selling a home, the National Association of Realtors announced Friday a settlement of landmark antitrust lawsuits by agreeing to pay $418 million in damages and eliminating rules on commissions.

In November, a federal jury in Missouri found the NAR and two brokerages liable for $1.8 billion in damages for conspiring to keep agent commissions artificially high. The NAR had pledged to appeal the case, but other brokerages settled.

This settlement opens the door to a more competitive housing market. Realtors could now compete on commissions, allowing for prospective buyers to shop around on rates before they commit to buying a home.

I watched a movie called American Fiction. It made me think about the difference between empathy, sympathy, and personal visceral experience, and that made me think about wisdom in distinction from being learned about a matter, learned yet without personal visceral experience.

The movie is about telling people what it is like to be <substitute a subject here, in the movie the subject was "being black"> in distinction from actually being <same subject here>. And that lead me to think about the gospel.

Our Calvinist brethren like to emphasise God's grace in conversion, while Catholics like to emphasise human choice within the confines of God's grace in conversion. The two are not so different. There are differences, but not the obvious ones. And the Calvinist Vs Catholic perspective on salvation isn't my topic here but it leads to the topic I am addressing. That topic is:
I ask readers to respond prudently.

So as a US Citizen wondering what the rest of the World thinks of the Biden/Trump 2024 Presidential race? I think most Americans think no matter which one wins we lose. So disappointed with both parties.

There's a deep emotional attachment to Israel as an idea, as the called-out people of God, made incarnate through the act of remembering ancient scriptures in the 20th century and now in the 21st century and substituting the Israelite refugees of Europe's holocaust for the indigenous people of the British protectorate of Palestine. Thus, at its heart Israel is a religious-refuge state - a very poor apology for the holocaust - that has become a vengeful angel against terrible terrorists and millions of ordinary Palestinians.

Christians cannot come to terms with the reality of what is seen and heard in media reports today and the promises of God regarding his covenant people that are read in the Old Testament and echoed in some of the language of the New Testament.

Others, who read the Old Testament scriptures, have therein a rich mine of examples of vengeance meted out against the Canaanites, and by substituting for Canaan the people of the Levant today, easily justify the bloodshed. "Vengeance is Mine says the Lord", some who read those words will place great emphasis on vengeance. A Christian must place great emphasis on the Lord.

Her post came in response to a clip of Republican strategist Scott Jennings on CNN’s “NewsNight” in which he said he is “surprised, that in the year of our Lord 2024, there is a public relations agent for Hamas sitting in the United States Congress,” in response to an earlier interview with Omar.
What happened to freedom of speech?

The apostles of Christ had been arrested for healing a man and for teaching about Jesus Christ and his gospel message. They were brought before the authorities and they were questioned about what they had done and were doing. And Peter used this opportunity to share with them the gospel. But then the authorities ordered the Lord’s apostles to speak no more in the name of Jesus. So Peter and John replied, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (See Acts 4:1-22).


We live in a day and age when there is a tremendous effort being made to mischaracterize God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit – in order to make him/them more appealing and acceptable to the ungodly and to human flesh. Especially this effort is being focused on Jesus Christ, where he is being mischaracterized in TV programs, TV ads, movies, cartoons, song lyrics, sermons, social media memes, and all sorts of forms of media. And many people are following after this false persona of Jesus Christ and of his gospel and of his church to their demise, because they are believing the lie.

For we live in a fast food society, at least here in America, where biblical messages are often now being conveyed in altered, diluted, and twisted forms, and in some of the shortest forms, and thus they are often missing necessary context for correct biblical interpretation. But it appears that more and more people are preferring the quick and easy to anything of length and detail, and so they are accepting these messengers and messages, which are being altered, shortened, and taught out of context, without testing what they are hearing by studying the Scriptures in context for themselves.

So, if you are someone who is still sharing what the Scriptures teach in context, to the best of your understanding, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and so you are sharing the unadulterated truth of the gospel as was taught by Jesus and by his NT apostles, then you are probably in the minority, not the majority. And you are most likely up against much opposition and even personal attacks against you because you still hold to the truth of the Scriptures and you have not compromised the truth to be popular and well liked and well received.

And your opposition may be coming from the same kinds of people who opposed Jesus Christ – some from his family, his community, his own race, people who professed to be of the same faith as him, and the religious rulers within the gatherings of the faith community. And they may reject you, persecute you, be mean and cruel to you, hate you, cast you out, abandon you, and plot evil against you and even betray you. And they may attack you because you are speaking the truth of God’s word and not the lies which are tickling people’s itching ears and which are easing their consciences.

So, we need to have the same mindset as these Christians who understood that what happened to Jesus was necessary for our salvation. And we need to understand that we will also be hated and persecuted as he was if we follow him in truth and if we do what he says to do and if we speak what he spoke and what his NT apostles spoke (in the proper context). But this is to humble us and to make us strong and determined to keep speaking the truth and to not yield to opposition. And so we need to pray, too, for the boldness to keep speaking the truth of God’s word despite all opposition.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

And what is the truth of the gospel that we must be sharing? Jesus said it well when he said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), then we have the hope of eternal life. For Jesus also said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God.

[Lu 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23; 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 5:16-24; 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]

I Surrender All

Hymn lyrics by Judson W. Van De Venter, 1896
Music by Winfield S. Weeden, 1896

… Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee. (Mark 10:28)

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow;
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame;
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!

I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

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I feel it is only those who are filled with faith from scripture are those who experience answered prayer directly that a person needs to deepen one faith to be regarded as believer that nothing in the future will shake one faith that God is with one that those who believe overcome all things.

For I know enough to put my faith in christ because there is many prophecies that only relate to the type of messiah He is such that He needs to be priest according to order of melchizedek that also only God can be sacrifice to take mans sins even though I may have not understood some bible verses such as that God will take some gentiles or jews as priests and levites yet i have not considered such as reason not to believe as it could have been done in the second temple since it had not been built in prophecy or can mean the new covenant where the pastors most called are functioning as priests as they are servants interceding though all can be but they have matured and levites are evangelists or in the new earth there would be in the milenium in temple there there will be sacrifices to those who will be in that world when jesus does not rule anymore when satan is released for the people born in new earth.

Anyway i am saying as i want to have more confirmation of my faith though i believe it is right that i am regarded as a believer because I do believe I am because i believe there are prophecies of messiah that only jesus can fulfill but sometimes i feel i dont feel jesus presence and maybe why Jesus isnt blessing me because God sees that I dont have as depth of faith as before to be pleased maybe and i look for apologetic books but I dont quite know what is my issue.

I am not looking for intellectual arguments for the faith that i dont know what my issue is I think I want christ to let me experience Him personally as I read old testament like when i first believed so I can receive His Spirit which will then see Him all in the scripture not just to be told where He is so I am looking maybe for apologetic books not as arguments but to help the seed of faith be sown in discovering what I am not seeing and havent seen in scripture if it shows in a book so i can know to believe more deeper but I think I just need to read old testament more.

I have tried to explain what i think i am looking for in apologetic book that I am looking for one to strengthen my faith for I dont know what else i could be looking for why i am looking for an apologetic book.

EX 35:1-38:20

I was not able to write in the past three weeks. I had to return to Houston, TX for paperwork for immigration and doctor visits. I'm OK, Just returned home to El Salvador this afternoon. I need to catch up on the Bible study portions. This is this week's.

These are the final chapters of Exodus (Shemot) and Moshe talks about honoring the Sabbath day, the prohibition of lighting a fire on the Sabbath, gathering an offering to build the Tabernacle and its furnishings, the appointment of persons to make certain items, and finally, the building project in detail and the outcome. All these are worth talking about.

” Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to YHVH”

” You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”

These are very important statements, commandments repeated from before. Even before the building project begins, YHVH wants His people to know the work days, rules, and regulations. In this “work-a-holic” world in which we live, the believer should know when to stop and rest. YHVH commands it, for our own good and mental soundness. Too many people work all seven days a week, perhaps 10 or more hours each day to make a “lot-of-money” only to spend the extra money at the hospital when they have a nervous breakdown because of all the extra work hours.

The Sabbath is a day to spend with the family, at the family’s place of worship at a synagogue or church. It is a time to spend with the LORD, to worship, learn from HIS WORD, and fellowship with other believers. It is a time to leave the things of the house alone, perhaps eat out, and return home at the end of Sabbath. It is intended as a “day of rest” so, “rest” means exactly that, “rest”.

When we look at the commandment; “Thou shalt kindle no fire through
ut your dwellings on the Sabbath” we need to ask ourselves, what was fire used mainly for? Probably for cooking! To boil water, prepare food in different ways. Manna fell from the sky and the Israelites perhaps ate it as is, or boiled it, or made it into bread, they probably roasted goats or lambs from the flocks, heated ovens for “Manna flat bread” It was a task and a half to start and maintain a fire, cooking, preparing and all that. So, YHVH is saying STOP! just for the Sabbath, and take a break from it all. Stop slaving over the hot stove and rest, prepare something on Friday, that is why HE gave a “double-portion” of Manna on Friday.
Today, how can we put that “mitzvah” into good use without “overdoing it” as some Jewish sects do, not, turning on a light switch, not driving a car, etc. Well, to start, we can prepare meals for Saturday on Friday, and on the Sabbath, just heat them. Another idea, eat something light like salad and sandwiches.

Many churches and synagogues have the custom of eating out or eating “in”. Some Jewish synagogues have “Oneg” a lunch prepared for the members and guests after service. Some church Sunday school classes go out to eat as families after services on Sundays. Why not? Give the housewife or house-husband a break from kitchen duty! Don’t they deserve it? Anyway, the Sabbath was made for man and woman, to “rest” and take it easy, and mediate on YHVH.
Another way we can look at this commandment is that “kindling a fire” could also refer to our “tempers” many have very hot tempers which flare up. The Sabbath is a time of peace, not to sow arguments over this and that, just take it easy and relax, let our temperaments be cool and calm. If someone wants to start an argument on the Sabbath, just walk away and leave it alone. It can wait for another day.

Now we need to look at the Tabernacle. The order to build it, to take up an offering of materials, to assign workers, to “build it” to “put it all together” and finally, to invite YHVH to come down and dwell in it, which he DID, at the close of the book of Exodus. So, go ahead and read the chapters. How can we look at this in light of our lives as born-again believers in Messiah Yeshua? (Jesus Christ?)

The “tabernacle” today is YHVH’s dwelling place which is every “Kehilah” (congregation) where born-again believers meet to worship the LORD, singing praises and teaching his WORD. The tabernacle is also the body of all believers, with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) dwelling inside of us! YHVH has given each and every believer some gift and talent to “maintain” the “Body of Believers” as YHVH chose different individuals to build the furniture of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) , so HE has selected different believers with different talents to maintain the many congregations in this world.

The root word of “Mishkan” are the letters SH+K+N, (Shaken) meaning to “dwell with” or one could say “to live among” This is the Hebrew word for “Tabernacle” (Mishkan).

1. The Mishkan itself with the curtains, poles, staves, etc. = A “fence” to keep holiness in and ungodliness out!
Once inside, you are in the holy place, where YHVH dwells, and where the priests minister. Our Kehilot are “holy places” where the LORD dwells and where we join for fellowship with other believers.

2. “Aron HaKodesh” (The Ark of the Covenant) the “heart” of the Mishkan, where the tablets of the commandments are kept, together with a pot of Manna, and Aron’s rod. It symbolizes the believer who “should” shine like “gold” both inwardly and outwardly. We should be mindful of the commandments to put them into action as “unto good works” Yeshua is our “Manna” the “Bread of Life” and the Rod of Aron as our “Rod of authority, our high priesthood of believers” the “Shekinah glory” which rested above the mercy seat is the everlasting presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

3. “The Table of Incense” it symbolizes our prayers as they go up “like smoke” unto the heavenlies, even to the Throne of Grace. One thing to point out, all the furniture except the Menorah, was made of Acacia wood overlaid with gold, the wood symbolizes the humanity of Yeshua, and the gold “purity”. The incense was made of various ingredients but making an exact replica of the original substance is forbidden, most worshippers today who use incense use a mixture of Frankincense and Myrrh, which is readily available. It is a relaxing aroma that helps one to sleep at night.

4. “The Golden Menorah” was made of one solid piece of gold, hammered, and formed into a seven-branch candlestick. It had seven lamps filled with olive oil and burned all night. In the morning, the priest would come into the Holy Place, trim the wicks, and re-fill the lamps with olive oil. We look at the Menorah as “Yeshua Ha Or Olam” (Yeshua who is the light of the world, the Eternal Light) we are the 6 branches that are on either side of the “Shamash” the helper lamp which is in the middle, Yeshua said, “Ye are the light of the world” that means “every believer is a light in dark places” but our light comes from Yeshua” we have no light of our own, like the moon, moonlight is sunlight reflected off the lunar surface. The oil symbolizes the Ruach Ha Kodesh, (The Holy Spirit) and the wicks are “us” we need to be in contact with the “oil” to have brightness.

5. “The Table of Shewbread” was made of hardwood overlaid with gold. Had 12 loaves of bread, symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel. The table and bread symbolize “Yeshua HaLechem Chayim” (Yeshua the Bread of Life) Even the “unleavened bread” of Passover symbolizes “Yeshua” who is the unleavened bread”

6. Outside the holy place are two items, the bronze laver and the Brazen Altar. The bronze laver was a huge bronze bowl filled with water. The priests would wash their hands and feet after offering blood sacrifices. It was made of bronze which symbolizes “judgment” When the water was still, the priest would see his reflection in the water. When we look in still water, or in a mirror, we see our reflection, we see who we are, sinners saved by grace, yet we still have the sin nature, and Yeshua went through “judgment” in our place, we have been “washed” in his blood and made clean. Remember that Yeshua washed the feet of his talmidim.

7. “the Bronze Altar” (Mizbeach) (pronunciation = “ach” like Johann Sebastian Bach) not “beach” which is by the ocean, NO! It was made of hardwood overlaid with bronze, symbolizing the humanity of Yeshua who was judged in the “fires of our sin”. The animal sacrifices were performed on this altar, the blood was poured out at the base of the altar and the animals were roasted on a grill. Think of the Mizbeach as a big BBQ pit. The brazen altar symbolizes the cross of Messiah Yeshua, and the animals symbolize Yeshua himself who poured out his blood for us sinners, who incurred “our judgment” in his own body.
We see the materials that went into building the Tabernacle; gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, wood, blue, purple, scarlet, and animal skins, They all have symbolic meanings; Gold=purity (of Messiah) and the goal of every follower of Mashiach, Silver=redemption (Yeshua redeemed us from the curse of sin) bronze=Judgment (Yeshua was judged for our sins, Fine linen= our new nature and our walk with the LORD, wood=Humanity of Messiah
Blue=Heaven, Purple=Royalty, (we are royalty in Messiah Yeshua, part of his royal family) Scarlet=blood. Animal skins=the covering of our sins before, but now, our sins have been erased, not just covered.

At the end of Exodus, in 40:38 it says that YHVH settled upon the Mishkan in a cloud. Now his presence is visible. Messiah is still with us in the form of the Holy Spirit, WE are the living Tabernacles and the Spirit of God lives in our heart, as well as within the “Kehilot” of believers who come together for worship.
We read that “Bezaleel” was chosen by Adonai to build many pieces of the furniture that went into the Mishkan. He was filled with the “Ruach Elohim” (The Spirit of God) so as to fulfill this tremendous task. He was given “Knowledge” (da’at) “Understanding” (binah) and “Wisdom” or skill (Chochma).
Today, we acquire knowledge from books, or through listening to others, we can read the WORD and acquire knowledge, but hopefully, it will not stop there. From knowledge we get “understanding” and from there, we put those to use in the form of “wisdom” or “skills”.

“Bezaleel” is introduced as “Bezaleel, son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Y’hudah” the rabbis say that he is given three names, or three identities, Bezaleel, Son of Uri, Son of Hur. Even though we know that it is the same person. In a way, we have three names or three identities. One name is the name that our parents gave us. Another name, could be how the community around us may call us, like “teacher” or “helper” or “counselor” “pastor” “rabbi” etc, the third name is that name that Adonai will give us in the World to Come. We will have an “eternal name” that perhaps, may reflect on the kind of life we lived on earth.
“B’tzel’el” means “in the shadow of EL” (God). So, he walked in HIS shadow, as an obedient servant, and was given the blessing of building a great part of the Mishkan.

Remember that YOU are the Tabernacle of God where the Holy Spirit resides. Take care of yourself. Keep yourself in service for HIM!

Ben Avraham

Hello beloved saints. I hope this is a good place to find fellowship with like minded believers in Messiah Yahshua. Look forward to hearing from brothers and sisters in Messiah soon

Yes, God is all sovereign. He is in full control and nothing happens or can happen without his knowing.
However, this doesn't necessarily means he "causes" all things to happen and not happen does it?

I know in Scripture it said that God numbers the hairs on my head and so he has also numbered my days,
but does this actually mean He determines exactly when you will die or how long you will live?

Again, is this to say that we have no say in our own mortality? In other words, if God does determine to exact
year, month, day, hour, and second when you will expire on this earth, then if you live an unhealthy lifestyle,
you can't change the date God chose for you to expire? If I wanted to live healthier and did everything in my
ability to live a healthy long life, it won't matter because God has already determined you will expire on "X" date?

So if God determines this, then what point is there to live wisely or recklessly, you will still live long or still live short
depending on what God has already determined for you.

OR

Does God adjust the plan mid-flight based on your choices and how you live? So maybe God intended someone to live
95 years but since you decided to be reckless and have bad habits, God decided you should expire at age 35 in some accident
or unfortunate event due to your reckless ways? Isn't that still us who determines how long or short we live? Aren't we a major
factor or agent in the causation of something happening and not happening or do we have no say in the result because God
determines it?

Is this something Biden voters should be concerned about, or not?

After a meeting at the White House this week, Polish Primer Minister Donald Tusk called on Mike Johnson to pass the Ukraine Aid bill that he has refused to bring to the House floor for a vote (even though most political observers think it would pass).

..Tusk warned Johnson’s failure to act could cost “thousands of lives” in Ukraine, including those of women and children.

He said he hoped “the voice of Poland will influence and change the attitude of the Speaker of the House. Mr. Johnson, me must be aware, and I hope that he is already aware, that on his individual decision depends the fate of millions of people — in fact on his decision depends thousands [of] lives in Ukraine.”

Tusk recognized the political differences in Congress over funding Ukraine but argued Johnson’s decision would have a global impact.

“This is not some political skirmish that only matters here in America. The absence of this positive decision of Mr. Johnson will really cost thousands of lives there: children, women. He must be aware of his personal responsibility,” the Polish leader said.

I know, He always does. The problem is, when the West puts their guard down and says "it's just all talk and bluster". One of these days, one or several of these Axis power will strike, and imagine if Russia, China, Iran, and N Korea, with their proxies all struck at once!

North Korea’s Kim test-drives new tank during military drills​

Kim Jong Un tells soldiers to complete ‘preparations for war’ during military demonstration as South Korea and US wrap joint drills.
Leader Kim Jong Un has joined North Korean soldiers training in operating a new battle tank, according to state media, as rivals South Korea and the United States wrapped up joint military exercises.

Sporting a black leather jacket, Kim watched live-fire “training march” exercises from a field command post before mounting the new tank and driving it himself, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday.

North Korea’s Kim test-drives new tank, orders troops to prepare for war

Kim tells troops to complete ‘war preparations’ during military demonstration as South Korea and US wrap joint drills.

www.aljazeera.com

The tank does look pretty formidable.

While passing out Gospel tracts, I handed one to a man who said he was a pastor. How would you have responded if you were a pastor?

Judd Blevins, a city commissioner in Enid, Oklahoma, marched in the 2017 white nationalist Unite the Right rally. Now he faces a recall vote.

ENID, Okla. — The photo of Judd Blevins was unmistakable.

In it, Blevins, bearded and heavyset, held a tiki torch on the University of Virginia campus, on the eve of Unite the Right, a 2017 coming-together of the nation’s neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups.

Vickers had it enlarged at a local print and copy shop. On a January night in 2023, she and Nancy Presnall, best friends, retirees and rare Democrats in a deeply red Oklahoma county, brought it to a sparsely attended forum where Blevins, a candidate running to represent Ward 1 on Enid’s six-seat City Council, was making his case.

As his campaign manager whisked a red-faced Blevins away, Vickers and Presnall followed, yelling, “Answer the question, Judd!”

“He ran away from two little old ladies,” Presnall recalled.

Two weeks later, on Valentine’s Day, Blevins won his race, unseating the Republican incumbent, widely viewed as a devoted public servant, who died from cancer later that year. Voters seemed to appreciate Blevins’ bio: a veteran who’d served in Iraq and who’d worked a manual job in Tulsa before moving back to his hometown to take over his father’s roofing business. Blevins described himself as a man of God and extolled the city as a place where “traditional values” remained the norm.

Blevins has declined multiple interview requests. (In response to questions about his white nationalist ties, he told a reporter, “I hope you find God.”)

What is clear is that from at least 2017 to 2019, Blevins was an active leader in Identity Evropa, one of the largest among the white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups that collectively made up the alt-right.

Wade Burleson, former president of the Southern Baptists of Oklahoma and a retired pastor of Enid’s largest church, was an early supporter of Blevins on Facebook. Burleson, who also sits on the faith advisory committee of the state’s controversial school Superintendent Ryan Walters, said attempts to unseat Blevins are a “race-bait trap,” an attempt by “communists” and the “mainstream media” to “divide the world over race.”

From the office of his new ministry, an old Pizza Hut remodeled by his wife, Burleson explained that Blevins’ time with white nationalism was a response to his service in the Marines and a reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement.

“He made some mistakes,” Burleson said, “but he’s not a racist.”

FBI agents raided a federal women’s prison in California this week so plagued by sexual abuse that it was known among inmates and workers as the “rape club.”

The action coincided with the ouster of the new warden from the federal correctional institution in Dublin. Warden Art Dulgov — just a few months into his tenure — and three other top managers were removed from their positions Monday by the federal Bureau of Prisons. Dulgov was the third new leader of the low-security prison since Warden Ray T. Garcia, who, along with more than half a dozen employees, was convicted of sexually assaulting multiple women serving time there. [Garcia was sentenced to 70 months in prison.]

Dulgov and staff are accused of retaliating against an inmate who testified in January in a class-action lawsuit that alleges “horrific abuse and exploitation” at the prison, with rampant sexual assault of incarcerated persons, according to a court filing.

Since an FBI investigation was launched and resulted in arrests in 2021, eight FCI Dublin employees have been charged with sexually abusing inmates. Five have pleaded guilty, and two have been convicted by juries.

In 2022, one-time prison chaplain James Theodore Highhouse was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting a female inmate at FCI Dublin. Highhouse engaged in predatory conduct with at least six women from 2014 to 2019, according to prosecutors. He claimed God had brought them together, quoting the Bible and referencing King David’s many wives as justification for his actions.

What sort of facts could prove it?

Does anyone have any?

Genesis 3:

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

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God used the serpent to test Eve.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

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Eve misquoted God's words but that's an innocent mistake.

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

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The serpent formally contradicted God according to First-Order Logic.

5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

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God knew everything. God knew evil existed. But at this point, has anyone done anything evil?

I think so. Contradicting God was an evil act. I think the serpent was a manifestation of the devil Satan. Jesus said in John 8:44 he was a liar from the beginning.

The innocent Eve was no match for the evil serpent. She failed the test. Immediately, she and Adam experienced bad thoughts that were not bad before. They saw that being naked was no good. They developed their independent definitions apart from God's.

What about today? How do we decide what is good or evil?

Well, I have been born of the Spirit. The more I grow in the Spirit, the more the Paraclete councils me and guides me in my conscience.

Honestly that is what this opinion piece advocates. No retirement. Not no mandatory retirement, which I'm OK with. No retirement at all.

Here is my proposal for their official theme song!

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