Heavenly Father,

The death of Charlie Kirk weighs heavily on my spirit tonight.

The reactions from your people and others show how viciously opposed we remain to putting You in the fore of all things.

Lord, I know You said these things would happen and You experienced them Yourself. Politics and the division of people were a driving force of evil even in the time You were crucified.

James 1:2-4 — New Living Translation​

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

We are slow to learn, God. We need You. Please keep us focused on what is important to You. Please help us to remember that we, as Christians, represent Your will on Earth.

We are not here to be heard, but we are here to assist those who are willing, to listen to Your word. We are here to support our brethren so they do not fall to the temptations of an evil world and derail us from our purpose which You gave to us .

Jesus, in our sorrow, please deliver us through Your spirit so that we are not lost in anger, confusion, chaos, revenge and deliver us from the evil of the world by allowing our hearts to focus on You and Your will. Let us remember why we are here and honor You in our thoughts and behaviors so that, through Your glorification, we are redeemed.

In your heavenly name I pray, Amen.

Perseverance rover turned up biosignatures of what could be ancient microbial life on Mars.

More work is needed to bring stronger confirmation, but this is the best evidence yet of extraterrestrial life.

…killing Charlie Kirk is just meh.

MSNBC did the right thing here, this is a good sign. Conservatives have been urging people to pull back on the hatred and violent rhetoric.

I don't even know where to start or where I'm going so this may be a convoluted mess. But if you don't know, I didn't have any friends growing up (except in rare, short circumstances). And I never really felt connected or close to anyone. But today when I heard Charlie Kirk had been assassinated it hurt. I've watched Charlie's debates for years and I know it's not reciprocal or anything but I felt close, like he was a friend.

And when I said it hurt, it's what I imagine losing a friend would feel like. But all I feel now is anger, a very strong anger towards the person that did it, towards the media, l that political group, and all the people that caused this. I'm struggling with my belief in God as well, and this didn't help that fact either. I was ready to shout and scream at Him for letting it happen.

And I know according to what Jesus taught that anger isn't the right thing. And even Charlie Kirk would not want people to respond with anger. But I just feel so much anger and I can't help it.

According to astronomical news, on September 7–8, 2025, a total lunar eclipse lasting 82 minutes will occur. This rare blood moon will be visible in many parts of the world.

In recent years, blood moons have appeared repeatedly, like constant warnings to the world:

On April 15, 2014, the first of a tetrad of blood moons made its stunning appearance, dyeing the sky blood red.

On October 8, 2014, the second blood moon appeared, and the alarm bells continued to ring.

On April 4, 2015, the third blood moon followed, with unusual sights becoming frequent.

On September 27–28, 2015, the fourth blood moon coincided with a supermoon.

On January 31, 2018, the rare “super blue blood moon” trifecta appeared in the sky.

On January 21, 2019, the “super blood wolf moon” shook the night sky, with a red moon being accompanied by a “wolf moon”—another rare celestial event.

On May 26, 2021, a blood moon once again coincided with a supermoon.

On May 16, 2022, the “flower blood moon” rose in the east, and people once again witnessed the moon turn to blood.

On March 13–14, 2025, another blood moon appeared—the full moon known as the “worm moon” turned blood-red.

Are these recurring blood moons really just astronomical phenomena? Or are they reminding us that the great catastrophes are drawing ever closer?

Many prophets believe that the appearance of blood moons signifies extraordinary and great events to come. There are also many Bible experts who firmly believe that the appearance of blood moons is the fulfillment of the prophecy in the Book of Joel 2:29–31: “And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes.” Also, in Revelation 6:12, it states: “And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, see, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.” “The great and terrible day” mentioned in the prophecy refers to the great catastrophes. We have all seen disasters growing in scale over the past few years, with frequent occurrences of such disasters as earthquakes, famines, plagues and floods which are truly horrifying; the world situation is in turmoil and constantly changing, and there are frequent eruptions of wars, violent incidents and terrorist attacks which continue to escalate; the global climate is getting warmer, and extreme weather and various astronomical wonders are occurring frequently. The signs of the last days prophesied in the Bible have appeared one by one. The frequent appearance of blood moons is not a spectacle, but a warning of the last days!

'Here we go': Trump reacts after Russian drones shot down over Poland​

"What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones?" Trump said.

Polish airspace was violated by at least 19 Russian drones overnight, the country's prime minister said. The Russian action prompted NATO to scramble a response, as two Polish F-16s and two Dutch F-35s were deployed to shoot them down.

It marked the first time in the alliance's history that fighters had engaged potential targets in allied airspace, according to Col. Martin L. O'Donnell, a spokesperson for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

In response to the overnight incursion, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, posted a short message on X: "We stand by our NATO Allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory."

Hello, I hope I'm posting in the right place. I'm experiencing some problems with trusting my husband. I have heard him saying good morning beautiful at night when he thinks I'm sleeping, He stands in the kitchen and makes weird faces at his phone and mouths words so that he's silent but still conveying words, has said in his 'sleep' ... Don't tell my wife but I think I love you..
After experiencing those things, I decided to record him sometimes when I'm not around. I told him I heard more than he knew I did and I knew more than he thought I knew. He knew that if I heard a woman's voice that I would freak out. So, as I listen to the recordings most of the time you can't hear another voice but on occasion I hear a thank you when he tells her that she looks pretty!, or things like that. I have confronted him 3 times about this and he just gets mad. He always says that he didn't do it and I'm playing games. I feel like I'm crazy because he says I'm hearing things that aren't there. He won't listen to the recordings. My question is... If I spy on his phone, would that be wrong? I feel that somehow this will allow me to catch him in a lie and I feel that I need to prove to myself that I'm not crazy.

*Please keep this thread respectful. A young husband and father was just murdered* Lord have mercy.


Updated at 4:45 p.m. EDT, Sept. 10, 2025: President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social account that Charlie Kirk has died and did not survive the fatal gunshot by an assassin at the "The American Comeback Tour” hosted by TPUSA at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

The president wrote: "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"

The president has also called for all U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff.

It is unknown at this hour whether or not the shooter has been apprehended.

Original report:

Republicans and Democrats reacted Wednesday to the shooting of conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk, who was reportedly shot in the neck during a Turning Point USA event in Utah.

Continued below.

What do you think about death? We've all heard things like "Death is part of life" or "Death is necessary to give life meaning" or even people talking about death being a beautiful experience. But from a scriptural standpoint, "The wages of sin is death". Is death really for our benefit? Or is it a punishment we all must face? Didn't death enter the world as a result of our sin? I'd like to hear some Christian perspectives.

I can see looking forward to the afterlife to be with our Creator. And certainly there is the relief and release from pain and suffering that death brings, and how it can be a blessing in that respect. But the process itself certainly doesn't seem pleasant. I've seen death in different aspects, sudden heart attacks, motorcycle accident, plus the slower lingering kind. It seems some suffer quite a bit while others don't.

The reason I brought this up was I recently saw a documentary on a man, Ethan Sisser, dying from a brain tumor, and he wanted his death documented on film, and that's what the documentary was about. And I saw a lot of people commenting on it being beautiful and all, and I just didn't see anything beautiful about it. I mean it was nice that he was brave and courageous about it, and humbly accepted his fate, and that he had loving people around him to comfort him. But I thought the process was nothing less than horrifying. Especially this one part near the end where it sounded like he was growling fiercely. Maybe he was unconscious by that point though, I don't know. I just kept thinking that you can't separate death from sin, and that's why it isn't beautiful.

Another day in America. 3 in critical condition. Unclear if shooter is one of the 3. All teenagers. Don't worry 2A'ers, this one won't register even a blip. The guns are safe.


[Staff Edit]

Can't wait to hear his thoughts on this one.

Please pray for Charlie Kirk who was assassinated.

May God grant him eternal rest, full forgiveness of all his sins, and console those who mourn!

May the Mother of God intercede for him!

Amen!

*You are in the Catholic forum*

An appeal against Catholic arguments to ‘historic Protestant positions’ is doomed to fall flat​

I can understand and appreciate why some Protestants might be annoyed at the way that conversions from various Protestant traditions to Catholicism are often covered in Catholic (and even secular) media. There is a certain triumphalistic brand of Catholic apologetics, which especially proliferates on social media, that seems to share the attitude of an SEC football team running up the score against Kent State. In your face, Southern Baptist Convention!

This is not good, as my friend Mike Sabo, a Protestant editor and writer, argues in a recent piece at American Reformer that has attracted even Catholic media attention. Sabo expresses his frustration with Catholics who unfairly caricature and simplify Protestantism, and I wholeheartedly agree and sympathize with that frustration. As someone who was persuaded to leave Presbyterianism for Catholicism fifteen years ago through the evangelistic witness of other former Protestants, I believe that ecumenical debate (and really, all intellectual debate) demands that we engage with the very best arguments our interlocutors can offer.

Yet I think Sabo overreaches in his complaint, largely because he engages in the same kind of rhetoric in his criticism of Catholics and Catholic apologetics. He writes, “Catholics are regularly outraged when Protestants try to convert them, or talk as if they aren’t part of the one true, catholic, holy, and apostolic church. But these pro-Catholic apologists have no problem with proselytizing evangelicals.” What Catholics are we talking about? Sabo offers no examples. And even if some Catholics present a double standard when it comes to Catholic and Protestant debates, so what? Do Catholic claims stand or fall because some Catholics are hypocrites?

Sabo continues: “However, when Protestants, especially in the political arena, question the leading doctrines and dogmas of the Catholic Church, that’s seen as a social faux pas that will likely get you locked out of the upper echelons of the institutional Right.” I presume Sabo has examples to substantiate this claim, one also found in a recent book by prominent Protestant scholars Brad Littlejohn and Chris Castaldo, but he doesn’t give any. It also seems overwrought, given that there are twice as many Protestants in Congress as Catholics, and our president, secretaries of Defense and the Treasury, and speaker of the House are all Protestant.

Continued below.

Breaking now.

​

I have another topic for our consideration.
Again I want to touch on a matter that is at the heart of our being effective as Christians.
Can we look this time at what should be the central resource for us yet we neglect drawing on this divine provision.
We often give heed to its centrality symbolically but rarely draw on its resources in practice.
Some will have guessed that I am referring to… the Cross.
The Cross is much more than a historical event to be remembered, it is a timeless event happening now. God in Jesus subdued every dark power, conquered every sickness, defeated death, disempowered sin, and secured our freedom, at the Cross then, for us now.
This event though spiritual in nature is no less real than the chair we sit on.
We can literally kneel in belief before the Cross and for example, give over our stress, He wants us to have a light burden and an easy yoke.

The key to understand is that Jesus on the Cross experienced our individual struggle and stress for us. If we can receive the truth of this and apply it, our lives will be much easier and the Chemist’s bill much lower. But there is a cost, we may need to pray for brokenness because the Lord detests a proud heart.

Paul spoke of dying daily, taking up the Cross daily. He clearly came back to the sacred hill often and I believe this was a key to his being able to endure extreme hardship.
So often today, hardship is seen as the fruit of a disobedient life, somehow indicating a separation from the blessings of God. We counsel those who struggle, not so much by kneeling together with them and appropriating the grace of God, but rather by encouraging self realisation, self esteem and self help. Many Pastors in fact have been taught to professionally manage their relationships with those in need, as if survival depends on it. In my life I have met few who will offer to kneel with me, and fewer that will weep.

I recall a vision I had about 25 years back. In the vision there was a throng of believers all walking in the same direction with indescribably beautiful music in the heavens overhead. On either side of this company of believers were well meaning officials indicating which way to walk. I was strongly aware that they in fact did not themselves know the way. As we walked there appeared on the horizon a single destination for all of us, you guessed it, it was the cross.

It is a travesty that Jesus went to so much trouble to provide release from all manner of impediments on the Cross, made available conquering power through the Cross, yet we generally seek release and power elsewhere.
Modern Christianity tends to be success orientated, ‘Knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection’ is often taught but the verse goes on… ‘and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death’. Jesus said ‘I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life’.

Paul speaks of a very different ministry than that to which we have become accustomed today, he summarises in this way… “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christs afflictions, for the sake of His body which is the church.”
No one looking for a career in Christianity would be attracted by this job description.
In modernising Christianity, we have departed from the very guts of what it means to walk as Jesus walked, we have substituted for the call of the cross sophisticated methods of Christian service assisted by every electronic aid imaginable.
As a result of this we have a disempowered church.
May the Lord have mercy and bring us back to the cross.

Pretty obvious.

I have a pair of scissors that stretches from Earth to Alpha Centauri.

By opening and closing them, I communicate to someone there via morse code.

Is this an example of faster-than-light communications?

Italian operatic vocal trio! WOW!!!

​

May I have your attention for a moment? I write as a lay person with a deep concern for Christianity in the modern world.
I am inviting comment and reflection, maybe some will share my passion, some may disagree. However, let us review how we practically live out our Christianity in this age.
Where do I begin? Back in the mid 70’s I made a very conscious decision to refer to the Christian scripture as the last word on matters of faith and reality. I had experienced a prodigal’s return and building on my Christian roots was crucial to the journey back to normality.
It became clear to me early on, that pride in its various forms was a very basic trap, so I resolved to keep matters simple. It was clear to me that our God does not judge on the basis of intelligence therefore the truth had to be simple and understandable.
If the bible was indeed God’s roadmap for life then its understanding was not confined to the scholars, but rather the keys for understanding were available to all.

From my learning about Church history I found that repeatedly, when God impacted a whole society and there was wholesale repentance, everywhere bibles were being dusted off, as everyone intuitively knew that when things got serious with God, the bible was the place to look for understanding.
And so it is today, we are in need of a fresh visitation; our society is progressively and rapidly rejecting Christian values and truths.

But it is us I would like to talk about. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, how does our mode of living compare to the simple teachings of the scripture?
There is general agreement that wherever Jesus reigns the Kingdom of God is present.
God in Jesus was quite specific about how we should recognise this. He sent word to John, in order that these would be no doubt, “the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”

Now the reality is that these signs of the Kingdom are almost totally absent in New Zealand Christianity today yet these signs confirm the presence of Jesus.
What then has happened? This evidence of Jesus was clearly present in the early church but is noticeably absent in modern day Christianity for the most part.
I have to say that there are some simple reasons for this.
Those committed to our church work have become sophisticated and professional. They are generally well trained, talented individuals, able to lead, good managers, but are usually unfamiliar with the power of Jesus at work.

Why has this happened?
Looking back on the last thirty years, the times when Kingdom miracle signs have been evident in New Zealand certain conditions have been met.
Firstly there has been a God given unity among the believers involved.
Management and motivation were not predominant but simple Faith and Love was.
There was generally a lay ministry flowing, the believers would come together to share what God had done, there was a credible manifestation of Jesus in everyday life.
Being part of such an exciting experience meant that things of earth did grow strangely dim… we held onto our possessions more lightly, and there was supply for those who stepped out in God’s purpose without visible support.
The body of believers owned the vision which was planted in their hearts by Jesus rather than being sold by the leaders.
It seems that in the absence of God’s power we have built better programmes to compensate, become better organised so much so that it would be business as usual whether Jesus turns up or not.
Of course we have modified our theology to justify what isn’t happening, but this only masks the problem.
How then do we return to a vibrant biblical Christianity with conversion growth, and transformed lives? We need to return to the early church model clearly represented in the first Jerusalem Church (Acts 2:42-47), and the writings of Paul.
Start small with your close friends, read the scripture together and give God a blank page and room to move. Say less and pray more. Believe and act on the words of promise in the scripture. Confess your sin to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed…

How is everyone doing out there?

With NATO getting more involved, we can possibly look at much more warfare in the world, even possibly end times, or at least much suffering.

There could be food chain supply problems and such in the US or in Europe or elsewhere, greatly increasing the sufferings of People in general.

What do you have to say about this as far as missionary work?

My thoughts are that we must simply encourage unsaved peoples to repent and be baptized!

Please help with your experiences and also any Bible verses.

Shalom

Can you please pray for me that the Lord will teach me to pray?

Thank you for your prayers!

May the Lord bless you abundantly (Luke 6:38, Job 42:10) and may he bless Israel in Jesus' name. Amen!

Soli Deo Gloria

PS And I pray that the Lord will send out harvesters into his harvest (Matthew 9:38).

Please pray I have stomach and back pain, please pray the cause of it will go away miracle in Jesus Name

"Israel has launched a missile attack against Qatar's capital Doha, aimed it says at Hamas leaders. The Qatari government has responded with outrage and shock, accusing the Netanyahu government of “state terrorism”.

President Trump maintains that he was only made aware of the strike by the US military, and tried to warn the Qatari leadership. '

Just...what? Netanyahu has lost his mind.

I am experiencing pain throughout my whole body, and even strong painkillers cannot completely take it away. Yet my true desire is not to give up, but to encounter God in my lifetime and to witness Him restore what concerns me, just as it is written in Psalm 138:8. While I wait for His Word, I pray that He will block the works of the enemy, open every good opportunity before me, heal my pain, and grant me wisdom to walk in fellowship with Him. Please pray for me sincerely, bless me, and ask that peace may be upon me. And if the time has not yet come for me to receive this peace, may that blessing return to you.

Understanding how salvation relates to divine sovereignty and human responsibility has been a source of tension and struggles for many centuries. Calvinism is one of the most influential theological systems in church history, shaping how many Christians understand the gospel, grace, and God’s purposes. But what is Calvinism, what do Calvinists believe, and how does the Bible speak to these issues?

Historical roots​

Calvinism is a branch of Protestant theology that emphasizes the sovereignty of God in salvation. It is named after the 16th-century Reformer John Calvin (1509–1564), whose writings helped shape the Protestant Reformation alongside Martin Luther and others. While Calvin himself didn’t invent all of its ideas, his teaching systematized doctrines of grace that became central to Reformed theology.

Calvinism teaches that salvation is entirely a work of God—planned by the Father, accomplished by Christ, and applied by the Holy Spirit. Calvinists believe that left to themselves, people would never choose God, but through His sovereign grace, God calls and saves His people.

Strictly speaking, Calvinism is synonymous with the broader Reformed tradition, with specific teachings on the sacraments and other doctrines, but on the popular level, Calvinism has been summarized into the Five Points of Calvinism, or TULIP.

The Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP)​

Continued below.

What is Calvinism and its beliefs?

But what is Calvinism, what do Calvinists believe, and how does the Bible speak to these issues

www.christianpost.com