And now, I am a singer in the Diocesan Choir of the cathedral in Washington D.C.! Went to my first practice today. What a fine group of singers! The music is wonderful and I'm looking forward to the first concert in which I get to sing!

The humorous thing for me is that when I introduced myself to the choir director, who is amazing! she asked me to sing with the bass section rather than the tenors. I can do this, since my tenor voice has dropped down into the baritone range, and I was fine with the music since I can read music. 21 years in the BCC choirs I was in didn't hurt either, since there is some Slavic music and familiar composers in the folder I was given.

All in all, a wonderful Saturday morning and a real encouragement to me as a singer. I'm hoping this will also help my singing in the parish choir!

who would have guessed?

I have a desire to chase money and always have. I often hear that greed is always showed as sin a very bad sin in the Bible and to give up all your wealth. Yet I still feel some sort of unknown motivation to acquire wealth (like large amounts millions[but not in any bad or evil ways]) I have sworn to myself no matter what to donate money during my life and leave all of it when I die like building a church, shelters, or starting a charity. Is this the devil trying to make me feel good about greed or a true calling by god to acquire wealth for a positive reason?

With the advent of online services and bountiful supplies of religious teaching and broadcasting the question comes to mind, "Why do I go to 'church' rather than watch 'church' on my video screen?"

No one knows anything about this.

When did she die (if she did)? Where did this take place (if it did)?

That's all. Discuss.

Border Patrol agents reported nabbing 132,652 people at the southern border in July, up 33% from June.

The Homeland Security Department released the numbers Friday afternoon, which is a standard Washington move to bury bad news.

Mr. Mayorkas has encouraged unauthorized migrants — those without a visa or other entry permit — to forgo jumping the border and instead schedule their arrival at a port of entry, where he uses his “parole” power to catch and release them.

This isn't about me as much, but a friend of mine. She revealed her thoughts, coming from a Christian upbringing, going to church, she met a new person in the faith who asked a lot of questions. She then found out, that she wasn't actually sure if she believed in the good news of the Bible.
It feels more like a fairy tale story with some symbols she feels, and that it seems naive that one historic event in a small geographic location in history could be the saving act of God for all humanity. She's worried about Muslims, the Hindus etc. But she also sees great value in the faith, but has a hard time accepting it as The Truth, and finds it a bit silly it sounds like.

I get where she is coming from, as someone who had felt the same at some points.

How do you guys deal with these questions to someone who in uncertain?

Much could be said as to why I believe, but would love to hear your thoughts on how you would approach someone like that, and perhaps what convinced you?

Cain spoke to the LORD in Genesis 4:

14 "Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

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Cain was afraid of his own relatives: brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, etc. They, the avenger of blood (Numbers 35:19-27) might attempt revenge killing.

See Where did Cain's wife come from?.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is intensifying demands that Anheuser-Busch InBev hand over a trove of documents for his investigation of whether Bud Lite’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney was marketing beer to children.

The requested documents include communications between the company and Dylan Mulvaney, scripts for social media content, the company’s corporate policy for advertising on social media, and any data that the beer giant possessed on the age demographics of Dylan Mulvaney’s social media following.

Matthew 23:

26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

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inside
ἐντὸς (entos)
Adverb
Strong's 1787: Within, inside, the inside. From en; inside.

Surprisingly this adverb appears only twice in the Bible. Outside of the Bible, ἐντός appears frequently (BDAG).

Greek Word Study Tool:

within, inside

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Wiki agrees exactly:

within, inside

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BDAG:

① pert. to a specific area inside someth., inside, within, within the limits of. ...
Lk preferring ἐντός in the sense among you, in your midst, either now or suddenly in the near future

② pert. to what is inside an area, content τὸ ἐ. τοῦ ποτηρίου the inside of the cup=what is in the cup

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ESV Luke 17:

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you [plural].”

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I think the New King James Version provides a better translation:

nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

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The kingdom of God can be among us and inside each one of us. The Paraclete dwells in each one of us.

2 Corinthians 13:

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion [G2842] of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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HELPS Word-studies:

2842 koinōnía (a feminine noun) – properly, what is shared in common as the basis of fellowship (partnership, community).

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The same Greek word is in (NIV) Philippians 2:

1Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

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Aramaic Bible in Plain English:

If you have, therefore, comfort in The Messiah, or the filling up of hearts with love, or communion of The Spirit, or tender care and mercy, 2 Fulfill my joy, that you would have one conscience, one love, one soul and one mind;

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I think communion of the Holy Spirit refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit in our spirit to accomplish oneness with God.

Leviticus 19:

28 “’Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

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Does it apply to Christians today?

There is no NT command against it. I think it is a freedom we have. If you are thinking of having one, consider

1. Size: I think smaller is better than bigger.
2. Content: Would your Christian circle of friends be offended by it?
3. Taste: You don't want an obnoxious or offensive image on the body.
4. Once it is done, it is not easy to get rid of it. When you are 70 years old, will you still like your tattoos?

I would not have one on me myself. I'd advise my kids and friends against having one. It is up to them to decide.

See also Tattoos and piercings are more common among those who experienced childhood abuse and neglect.

Weigh all these factors and decide for yourself.

"If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
(1 John 1:8, 10)

One is about "having sin" and one is about "committing sin." In either case, the conclusion is the same.

Sin is in us. It is not only something we do.

I’m sure we won’t know until we get to heaven how much the prayers on this forum, and our prayers in general, have helped others and us.

But here are just a couple of examples for me personally.

Some here on the prayer wall may remember that, for some weird reasons, though i filed my IRS taxes on time with Turbo Tax and owed nothing, and even had a refund coming, I didn’t get my refund. They ignored my inquiries during that time. But this week they did finally sent the money!

At the same time, again, weirdly, my state sent me a letter, saying that I had not paid my taxes, and that interest was owed! But I had paid them and on time, filing on time through Turbo Tax. They, too, dillydallied. They too ignored my written inquiry, in fact, after I explained to them, with details, that I had paid my taxes, they sent me two more letters, which basically were saying pay up!

In both case when facing the IRS and the state, what power did I have to change anything? I felt all I had was my own prayers and the prayers of others.

But I finally got ahold of someone who said that I had a zero balance, and that a letter to that effect was on the way.

The second issue was about my sister. She has had a history of very verbally abusive behavior, so that no one in the family has really wanted contact with her, except me. And I had gotten so I didn’t want any contact with her either.

I do love my sister, and prayed here on this forum and elsewhere for things to turn out right. For a few years things only got worse, and there was no contact for months.

But recently, she has been acting like a real sister, and we have had some great interactions. Please pray for that to continue.

Blessings to all, and in particular for those who make this forum possible.

5 minutes for China

Please click on the links to pray for China

Hmong Dou

Hmong Dou in China

Hmong Leng

Hmong Leng in China

Hmong Njua

Hmong Njua in China

Left-wing Cardinal Blase Cupich is set to appear at a scandalous ecumenical event in Chicago this week. The conference is coordinated by a Wiccan priestess and features more than 6,000 representatives of various forms of pagan and non-Catholic sects.

The 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions is being held at McCormack Place convention center from Tuesday, August 14 until Friday, August 18. Its theme is “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom and Human Rights.”

Cupich will appear on a “luminary” panel alongside Presbyterian minister Jennifer Butler and Rashad Hussain, who serves in President Joe Biden’s State Department and who previously worked in the Obama administration.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres as well as dissident Catholic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi are also scheduled to address the conference.

The event’s first meeting was held in 1893, also in Chicago. Cardinal John Gibbons of Baltimore controversially attended that gathering along with several other liberal U.S. clergy who later came to be associated with what then-Pope Leo XIII called “the heresy of Americanism.”

In 1895, two years after conservatives voiced their opposition to the meeting, Leo condemned the conference and forbade Catholics from attending future ones out of fear it would give the impression the Church viewed other religions to be true or good in themselves.

Continued below.

Disclaimer: In this thread, I am not arguing whether or not the Father draws everyone. I am arguing about the logical usage of the word "unless". For the former, see No one is able to come unto me, if the Father who sent me MAY NOT DRAW him.

John 6:

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

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Let's try to translate the above to the first-order logic language. The trouble is that there is more than one way to express the English concept of unless. The word carries two senses.

1. the weak sense:

2. the strong sense:

John 6:

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

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Jesus raises him up on the last day iff the Father draws him.

40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

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He has eternal life iff the Father draws him.

There exists a person who does not have eternal life.

Therefore, the Father does not draw him.

According to this interpretation of the word "unless", the Father does not draw everyone. In either case, John 12:

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

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By the Cross, Jesus does draw all people to himself.



===========================================================================

Sometimes the context tells us which sense is being used. Let's apply these two senses on 2 Timothy 2:

5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

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1. If he does not compete according to the rules, he is not crowned.
Method 1 is a valid interpretation.

2. He does not compete according to the rules if and only if he is not crowned.
⇒ If he is not crowned, then he does not compete according to the rules.
⇒ If he competes according to the rules, then he is crowned.

Method 2 implies that competing according to the rules is a sufficient condition for crowning. This is not true. Method 2 is not a valid interpretation of 2 Timothy 2:5.

Philippians 3:17-21 ESV


Imitating the Life of Paul

Now, according to what I hear many proclaim today, the apostle Paul was someone who was “struggling” in sin, and was someone who regularly gave into sin, for they misinterpret his words in Romans 7 because they don’t read them in the context of Romans 6 and Romans 8. For there he said that if sin is what we practice or what we obey, and if we walk according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit, that we will die in our sins. And he said that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.

So, why do they misinterpret Paul’s words, in truth? Many do so because they are being led to do so by their leaders and because they are still walking in sin, and so it gives them an excuse to keep walking in sin without guilt. But if Paul was truly someone “struggling” with sin, i.e. who was regularly giving in to sin, how in the world could he possibly with a good conscience teach what he taught to others? And how could he in good conscience tell us to join in imitating him? He would have to be the biggest hypocrite of all. But he wasn’t!

Paul, in Romans 7, did give us a picture of what his life was like before he was transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, but then he immediately followed that by telling us that Jesus Christ delivered him from that body of death. And in chapter 8 he said, “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

So, if you are going to imitate the life of Paul, read Acts through Philemon. Some people believe Paul also wrote Hebrews. And read all of what Paul wrote and all of what he said about his own life, and you will see that he was not a man of the flesh who gave in to the flesh on a regular basis, but he was a man of God whose life was fully surrendered to God and who did the will of God regardless of what it cost him, and it cost him plenty! For he endured all sorts of beatings and imprisonments and false accusations against his character for the sake of Jesus and for the gospel of Christ.

See: Was Paul a Hypocrite? II

Enemies of Christ

And who are those who walk as enemies of the cross of Christ? They are those who are still walking according to the flesh and in sin, for whom sin is still their practice, their habit, and for whom righteousness and godly living is not their habit, their practice. So they can fully be many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who believe all their sins are forgiven and that heaven is their eternal destiny. And they can easily be pastors and elders of church congregations (or of what is falsely being called “church”).

So, how do you know if you are someone who practices sin? For one, you desire sin above God and above obedience to the Lord, and so you choose your sin over God on an addictive basis. For your mind is set on earthly things, not on things above (see Romans 8). And to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. So, you lust after the desires of the flesh, and you don’t thirst for righteousness and holy living. For your heart is still evil and so it produces evil, for your heart has not truly been transformed of the Holy Spirit of God.

And even though you know right from wrong, you continue to deliberately and habitually do wrong and not right. You continue to deliberately, habitually, and even premeditatedly not only sin against God but against other humans, even those closest to you, for sin is what you crave. It has a hold on your life. And you repeat the same sins over and over, and on and on, and you make excuses for your sin, and you lie to cover up your sin, and so you also sin in your lies. And you try to justify the wrong that you do even to those who you habitually sin against, so without compassion at all.

But does this mean we will never sin? No! We might still sin on occasion, but sin should not be what we crave, what we hunger after, what we long for above God and even over our relationships with other humans, even over our spouses. It shouldn’t be what we dream about. We should not be those who plot out sin on our beds and who devise evil. We should not be those who regularly give in to committing adultery, who are sexually immoral, who are liars, thieves, gossipers, and those who envy and hate others, etc. But we should be those who practice righteousness and obedience to our Lord.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

My Sheep

An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

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May Jimmy and Rosalynn have a few more years.

Federal Officials Blow the Whistle on Biden's Plan for New COVID Lockdowns​

(8/18/23)

Whistleblowers from the TSA and Border Patrol have raised the alarm to Infowars that the Biden administration is setting the stage for full Covid lockdowns that will begin with incremental restrictions like masking TSA employees in mid-September.

The first source, a high-level TSA official confirmed and known to Infowars, reached out to Infowars and cited a Tuesday meeting (8/15) in which TSA managers were told new memorandums & policies were being completed that would reimplement masking, starting with TSA & airport employees as early as mid-September.

The TSA official also said next week they will receive new guidelines on how the policy will escalate: by mid-October, mask-wearing will be required by pilots, flight staff, passengers, and airport patrons.

After hearing from the TSA manager, Infowars reached out to our trusted Border Patrol source who is also a manager. This source confirmed the same directives were being given to Border Patrol.

They were told it was not a matter of “if” but “when” official Covid numbers will go back up and they expect by mid-October a return to forced-masking policies that the Biden administration previously only reluctantly ended after massive pressure.

Both whistleblowers were told this rollout will be in tandem with the new Covid “variant” hysteria that the MSM has been reporting on this week.

Timeline
As early as Mid-September - Begin Incremental Rollout of Covid Protocols (TSA, Border Patrol, and Airport employees required to wear masks)
By Mid-October - Everyone flying must wear masks
Sometime in December - A Return to the Full Covid Protocol of 2020/2021

More here ...

My youngest son is going into senior year of high-school, and is looking at colleges and universities for next year. He has good grades and should be able to get into 80% of the schools out there.

But while I am Christian, and my wife is a devout Christian who is heavily involved with our church (EFCA), my son is ambivalent about God and religion. It is the only "rebellious" thing about him I suppose. Teenagers see what their parents do and resolve to do the opposite. I don't press him on this, as I believe he needs to come to God on his own (I think he will ultimately)

The problem is, he is very reluctant to attend a Christian college, while I like the idea quite a bit. I will be paying for his education (no loans)

so while I think places like Cedarville University or Hope College would be great --or maybe Wheaton College, he would prefer a secular liberal-arts school, or maybe a state school. We have visited a bunch of places, and even some of the Catholic schools have gone off-the-rails politically, spiritually, and ideologically. Its bad when you see a banner over the admissions office that says "Trans Rights are Human Rights"

so I am not sure what to do. Should I insist he attends a school the aligns with the religious and cultural values of the family, or allow him to go his own way? Part of me says "let him go where he wants and find his own way, even if he is exposed to things I don't like", and the other part of me says "I am the one paying the bills, and am the one responsible for his moral and religious education--it is irresponsible for me to not give him guidance"

any advice would be great

Upon whom is the Wine of Yah’s Wrath Poured out upon? Who are they that Drink of it? and what other alternative is there, (if any)?

I think so, 1 Corinthians 7:

1Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

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A husband and his wife should yield to each other and do things for each other and not be selfish.

Many say that the GREAT COMMISSION so called , in Matt 28:19 is for all BELIEVERS ,

#1 So when is this GREAT COMMISSION TO BEGIN ? And some say it is already in operation ?

#2 Who are these people that will carry this GREAT COMMISSION forward .

#3 I wonder if any one has seen it in operation , YET ?

#4 All should TEACH / MATHETUO and what are they to TEACH , pray tell ? That Jesus is coming for them and to REPENT .

#5 And they are to teach all NATIONS / ETHNOS ,

#6 You are to BAPTIZE / BAPTIZO , in the PRESENT TENSE , ACTIVE VOICE , PARTICIPLE , NOMINATIVE CASE , and PLURAL .

#7 BUT verse 16 Christ is speaking to the 11 disciples , NOT TO THE BODY OF CHRIST as the B O C has NOT yet been formed .

#8 The Greek word NATION / ETHNOS is also found in John 11:48 , and they want to be rid of Him and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and NATION / ETHNOS , so what does NATION means then ?

#9 NATION / ETHNOS can be translated b y the following words , PEOPLE , HEATHEN , NATION , GENTILES , so which one is IT ? Read John 11:48 and 51 and tell all what NATION / ETHNOS then means ?

#10 I believe that the so -called GREAT COMMISSION is to the Jews that are scattered all over the world i.

#11 And that preaching will happen BEFORE the GREAT TRIBULATION , which makes me a PRE - TRIBULATIONIST.

dan p

Records obtained through the Committee’s subpoenas to date reveal that the Bidens and their associates have received over $20 million in payments from foreign entities.

1) Romania: On September 28, 2015, Vice President Biden welcomed Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House. Within five weeks of this meeting, a Romanian businessman involved with a high-profile corruption prosecution in Romania, Gabriel Popoviciu, began depositing a Biden associate’s bank account, which ultimately made their way into Biden family accounts. 5,000,000

2) China- CEFC: On March 1, 2017—less than two months after Vice President Joe Biden left public office—State Energy HK Limited, a Chinese company, wired $3 million to a Biden associate’s account.

4) Kazakhstan: On April 22, 2014, Kenes Rakishev, a Kazakhstani oligarch used his Singaporean entity, Novatus Holdings, to wire one of Hunter Biden’s Rosemont Seneca entities $142,300. The very next day—April 23, 2014—the Rosemont Seneca entity transferred the exact same amount of money to a car dealership for a car for Hunter Biden.

5) Ukraine: Devon Archer joined the Burisma board of directors in spring of 2014 and was joined by Hunter Biden shortly thereafter....The total amount from Russia to the Biden family and their associates is $3.5 million.

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Bank-Records-Memo-3.16.23.pdf

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Bank-Memorandum-5.10.23.pdf

Remember this is just the beginning.