In context, both before this and following this, this is in reference to the Word of God (the Word of Truth). We should be quick to listen to what the Scriptures teach us, in the appropriate context, and we should be slow to forming our own opinions of the matter, especially in anger, for that does not achieve the righteousness of God. For not all of us were taught the truth when we were growing up, or else we were taught partial truths and partial lies, because what we were being taught was being taught out of context.

So, we have to be very careful to make certain that what we were taught, and what we came to believe, is the truth of what the Scriptures actually teach, if taught in their appropriate context. In other words, we should be students of the Scriptures who study them in the appropriate context, and who are seekers of truth and righteousness, who want to know the truth, and who refuse to believe the lies which were handed down to us from generation to generation. We should want to know and follow the truth.

Now, this applies in our conversations with other people, too, especially on personal blogs or Christian discussion sites where we are having interactive discussions with other people on biblical topics. We should be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger. But that does not mean that we have to engage with profanity, hateful and spiteful remarks and false accusations, and that which is inflammatory against God or against the Scriptures, etc. We do not have to listen to such hateful, mean, and cruel rhetoric.

But just because we might disagree with what someone else is saying, it does not give us the right to be nasty and hateful and cruel in our responses. We can learn to disagree respectfully, and with kindness, and to speak the truth of God’s word, in love, one to the other, without lowering ourselves to name calling, or to false accusations against another. It is possible for us to have kind, thoughtful, and reasonable discussions with others without it turning into hate, spite, and to name calling.


We the people who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to be putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, and in humility we are to be those who are receptive to the word of God implanted in our hearts through biblical faith in Jesus Christ. And we are to be those who want to hear the truth of God’s word, and who obey his word, in practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God. We must be seekers of truth and righteousness who obey God’s word, in practice, which is for the salvation of our souls.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; 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 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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Slow to Anger
An Original Work / July 15, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When does the Biblical evening begin and end?

Human life is both a gift, filled with love and beauty, but also with suffering and difficult rites of passage. Most of these experiences are bittersweet, while others are very painful and challenging. I don’t know anyone who does not have them. Sometimes we may not recognize them as rites of passage, but they are, because how we react to them can lead to greater freedom or deeper slavery to our fears.

About a month before graduation from high school, I was trying to get to sleep, but that night my hidden anxiety about graduation came to full consciousness. For me, it was life-shaking because I had never really paid attention to it. I was both happy and deeply terrified about my unknown future because, at that time, in 1967, you either went to college. or you were drafted. Well, I certainly was not college material, and since I believed I had a monastic vocation, I just needed to grow up a bit, so the Navy was what I picked. For me, it was a good choice. I guess I was forced to choose, and I am glad for that. Looking back, it was not that big of a deal, but at the time, it was. It was also a rite of passage for my parents, who had their own way of dealing with another son going off into the world.

This inner split was important, painful, but also exciting. In my monastic life, these so-called rites of passage continue. Some seemed small but were important; others seemed large, but they were a tempest in a teapot. Yet each had to be dealt with. I still have many to go through, even if I only recognize them in hindsight. These events highlight the importance of choice and not just being pulled by rapids without thought.

In seeking to live out a prayer life, I find that it is not as easy as many think. Like any other worthwhile endeavor, there will be many hurdles to overcome. So yes, suffering is involved and cannot be escaped.

Prayer draws us deeper in, and what the Lord brings to our minds and hearts can be heartbreaking but must be faced. There is forgiveness that can be given, but the pain of the wounds remains, as well as the dark thoughts that accompany it. So, prayer allows us to stand back and observe in the Lord’s presence. If not, we can drown in the inner whirlwind that our inner wounds can cause, leading to forms of self-medication that are harmful to both body and soul.

The hardest rite of passage for many is to learn to love ourselves, which is why the Lord commands us to do so. Also, understanding that we have many hidden character flaws, but in prayer, we get a small glimpse of them. Until the time comes when we can face them with the Lord and work through them. This takes time for us to learn and allows us to grow in compassion for others. Lord, protect us from perfect people!

Prayer for a Christian is not a luxury but a necessity, for without it we are adrift. So, pray at all times of life, especially when we enter a painful rite of passage. The Lord walks with us, feels what we feel, but He can seem cruel at times. We are being pruned and must learn patient endurance. I still have a way to go with that. The Lord will never let go of us; it is we who ‘freely’ let go of Him. Trust is a choice, no matter how dark it is to trust. It is not based on emotion but a deep faith that is tested and grows in strength by each rite of passage.

There is always hope, always a path to be chosen, and as we mature and our faith deepens, these choices can be more difficult. Our choices lead to either healing or deeper enslavement to our past and the ways we self-medicate.MD

When it comes to his loyal base Trump is usually sure footed. His attempt to make his Epstein problem go away by using his usual bluster and bloviation is a mistake. Suspicion of the Deep State is an article of faith for MAGA. Trump said that everything about Epstein would be revealed and now his Attorney General and his FBI are saying“Never mind! Nothing to see here! Go about your business!

To quote Talleyrand, it is worse than a crime, it is a mistake. He had his enemies on the run and now he has disheartened his friends and handed a sword to his foes.

Who is “the world”? It isn’t just all people who never profess faith in Jesus Christ. It is all people who have not believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, who have not died with Christ to sin, who are not walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, and whose lives are not surrendered to God to doing his will, but who are still being led and controlled by the flesh. It is all people whose minds are focused on the world and on living worldly, and not on God and on living to please the Lord Jesus.

And who were Jesus’ greatest opponents and persecutors? They were not the people of the world who did not profess to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they were those who professed to believe in God, and to follow his commands, and who performed religious ceremonies, and who taught the Scriptures in the temple of God. They were the religious rulers and people of authority and influence within the temple, and in the synagogues, who professed to know and to worship the one true God.

So, if you are following Jesus Christ with your life, with full sincerity and commitment to God and to his service, and so you have died to sin, and thus you are now walking (in conduct) in obedience to the Lord (although not necessarily in absolute perfection), and so you are following God’s leading and direction in your life, don’t be surprised if some of your greatest opposition is within the gatherings of “the church” and in “Christian” organizations, and even coming from some pastors of “churches.”

For we live in a day and age when the message of the Gospel has been so severely diluted by the majority that it is barely recognizable at all as the same gospel as taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles. And, well, that’s because it isn’t the same gospel. For what they promote is a faith in Jesus that requires no death to sin and no walks of obedience to the Lord as required by God as necessary components of faith which saves. For they have altered the truth to be non-offensive to the world and to the ungodly.

If you are teaching the truth of the gospel, as Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught it, then you may find yourself the object of much hate, rejection, false accusations, and personal attacks against your character, just like Jesus experienced. And you may have opponents, as he had, who are “pulling out all the stops” (making every possible effort or using all available resources) to find a way to accuse you and to silence you so that you stop confronting them with the Holy One of Israel (see Isaiah 30:8-11 NIV).

But no matter what opposition we face, or how much we are attacked or rejected because of our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord, we must not give up! We must stay the course and stand on the Word of God, and keep speaking the truth of the gospel to the people for their salvation from sin. We must obey God and his calling upon our lives, out of love for God and for our fellow humans, no matter how we are treated in return. Satan wants to destroy us. But we must not lose faith! We must keep speaking the truth!

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; 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 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!

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Keep Speaking The Truth
An Original Work / July 14, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Never mind I'm not sure my thread was appropriate.

Essayli said Caravello was charged with “a violation of 18 USC 111,” for allegedly “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees,” according to federal law. The US attorney also denied claims that the educator was “kidnapped” by federal agents.

Again I urge leaders on the left to tone down the rhetoric and protest peacefully. The government had a valid warrant, file a lawsuit if you think they did something wrong but please don't interfere and put people's lives in danger.

Fr. Martin’s true objective is the normalization of homosexual acts via indoctrination into the rainbow mythology of God-willed sexual fluidity. So why are so many Church leaders silent?

A screenshot of Fr. James Martin, S.J., giving a March 2018 a presentation titled "Spiritual Insights for LGBT Catholics". (YouTube)

I am not a “traditionalist”. At least not in the sense that the term has come to mean these days in common ecclesial parlance. I have sharp theological disagreements with the theological tendencies among some traditionalists on a range of issues. Nevertheless, they are a part of the Church, and their concerns should not be trivialized as unimportant or summarily dismissed via the pathway of lazy and breezy caricatures of them as just a gaggle of “anti-Vatican II” malcontents.

However, there are some, especially among the strongest apologists for the Francis papacy, who accuse traditionalists of interjecting a “toxic” divisiveness that undermines Church unity and jeopardizes ecclesial peace. This fact, they say, justifies the draconian restrictions introduced by Pope Francis, in Traditionis Custodes, on the traditional Latin Mass (TLM).

I am not here to re-litigate that debate or to argue that there are not indeed such toxic elements within the traditionalist movement. Instead, I want to call into question the response of the Church to the alleged toxicity of the movement—a reputation that I think is exaggerated—by engaging in the much-maligned practice of “whataboutism”. This practice can, on occasion, be a deflection from examining one’s flaws and should usually be avoided. Nevertheless, it can also be used legitimately to point out double standards, especially when ecclesial authorities are quick to discipline the failures of some while ignoring equally problematic failures in others. And this becomes acutely important when it appears that those authorities have their thumb on the scales of pastoral justice based upon unarticulated theological commitments.

Continued below.

Can you please pray for my friend Connie who is very ill? Thank you

God bless

Pray for those who are tattered and torn,
And for those who are sad and forlorn,
Those who need some encouragement strong,
For the many who are being wronged.

Many facing trials, no escape,
Many persecuted on this date,
Many hurting, though it not relents,
Trusting in The Savior God did send.

Many targeted, in Christ believe,
Died to sin, His pardon did receive,
Following Jesus, Savior, in His ways,
Do the will of Father day by day.

Satan, enemy, he wants them gone,
In his harem they do not belong,
Serve the Lord and Savior with their lives,
And on God the Father they rely.

Speaking truth of gospel, not lies tell,
Many not believe, end up in hell,
Satan, liar, though, convinces them,
They not have to die with Christ to sin.

Speaking lies, he promises God’s grace,
So from hell they surely can escape,
Death to sin, though, they do not require,
For the truth of Gospel they retire.

Satan does not like when truth be told
By those servants of the Lord who’re bold,
So he plots his evil plans to kill
Those who share the gospel, truth fulfill.

Pray for all who follow Jesus Christ,
That on Jesus, Savior, they rely,
Not give in to fear of what men say,
Follow where God leads throughout each day.

An Original Work / July 14, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Yesterday at Mass my priest added a 15-year-old altar server named Sean to our prayers, apparently he was in a bad ATV accident and had to be taken a Level I trauma care center. I don't know the details of his injuries, but father said at Mass it didn't look like he was going to make it. I've been trying to get an update to find out whether he's still with us or not.

Either way, I ask you guys to pray for Sean. If he's passed please pray for the repose of his soul and for peace to be upon his family; if he's still with us we pray for a miraculous recovery.

Thanks everyone.

Hi all,

I had so called “friends” from college. I thought they were some of my closest friends. One completely abandoned me and the other didn’t invite me to his wedding, even after many particular conversations regarding that topic.

I blocked most people from my hometown and from college.

I spend a majority of my time alone, and outside of work, I don’t talk to anyone outside my immediate family.

How do I move on?

Peace

John MacArthur, the 86-year-old longtime California pastor and broadcaster, has been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. The announcement was made during Sunday worship, with a church leader telling the congregation he “may be in the presence of the Lord soon.”

The latest update was delivered by Tom Patton, a staff pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where MacArthur has served for over five decades.

Patton asked the congregation to pray for MacArthur and his family, saying the church was placing their pastor “at the feet of the glorious Savior whom he has served so faithfully for so many years and now awaits his final command to be in his presence forever.”

Continued below.

Please pray that I don't have that horrible pain. God was so merciful yesterday answering so many prayers. Please ask God for my son to have a happy night, My doctor to be healed and well and for the health of my husband. Please pray I don't have pain if it is God's will. I ask in the name of Jesus. Thank you and God bless you. Carmen

Christian reality TV star Chip Gaines has defended his newest television series, which features a same-sex couple, saying it is consistent with the Christian commandment to "love one another."

"Back to the Frontier," a new series from executive producers Chip and Joanna Gaines, which premiered on Thursday on the couple's Magnolia Network, features a gay couple as one of three couples living as homesteaders did in the 1800s, without access to running water or electricity.

Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs appeared on the series along with their two children, Realtor.com reports. Chip and Joanna Gaines, best known for hosting the home improvement reality TV show "Fixer Upper," have been outspoken about their Christian faith over the years.

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It is claimed George Whitefield stopped and stayed for several days at the house of a general in Rhode Island- what a blessed stay for the General!

George Whitefield really liked the General and his family and didn't want to tell him that he believed he and his family had a false proffesion.

One night George Whitefield heard the audible voice of the Holy Spirit say to him "O man of God! If these people perish, their blood be on thy head!"

He still didn't have the guts to tell the General and his family so he did the unthinkable and used his diamond ring to scratch "One thing thou lackest" onto the window.

When he was gone the General immediately realised but he had a great respect for Whitefield so rather than get furious, the General and his family actually believed on Christ because of the etching!

'The Christian treasury' apparently in 1860 claimed the granddaughter of the family had it in her possession (New York location) but today in 2025 its whereabouts is unknown. The problem is this source is not digitised and was lost with other 1800s issues. Lost media of it's day.

If it exists, that blessed glass panel with the etching could be anywhere- in the flat of a 21st century couple who are clueless about it's origin? In the basement of a house lost with the other discarded objects? We may never know in this life!

This is a highly disputed story, so Christians, let me know your thoughts and if you think it exists!

Oh- and I would not reccomend recreating this etching incident unless you want to lose friends!

Why Catholics Can Never Scatter Someone’s Ashes When They Die

Fr. Mike Schmitz via X explains.

Today, the idea of counting patriotism as a virtue makes a lot of people antsy and uncomfortable. But that wasn’t always the case. Aspiring to the love of God and country was the norm for most of human history. And until rather recently, every culture celebrated its great patriots in art, literature, music and film. The classic movies produced during World War II — and then about it — are enduring examples of how we expressed our patriotism before patriotism itself got a bad rap.

But something changed in the United States when the children of the “Greatest Generation” reached adolescence. With body-bag counts from Vietnam reported daily on the 6 o’clock news and the Watergate hearings overriding regular daytime programming on television, almost everyone under 30 struggled to find any reason to be proud. For kids in elementary school like me, the ambivalence permeated everything.

Our fathers and grandfathers fought evil in Europe and the Far East and defeated it at great personal cost. But the society at large was intent on proving that we didn’t owe them anything. The fourth commandment — “honor your father and your mother” — no longer applied. Consequently, I didn’t witness much patriotism until Ronald Reagan was elected president. And when I finally did, it frightened me.

In those years, we were told (in both direct and oh-so-subtle ways) that America’s best days could only be found in history books, but that what was written in those books was misleading.

Our nation was troubled from the start, rife with broken promises at home and prone to arrogant bullying abroad. Strong countercultural forces peddled the narrative that America had little to be proud of and a lot to be ashamed of.

Loving one’s neighbor​

Continued below.

They are arresting farm workers, the gardeners, the day laborers, the people who go to their citizenship appointments but just haven't finished that long process, while seeking entrance in elementary schools and little league practices. Which leads to this:

Trump Loves ICE. Its Workforce Has Never Been So Miserable.​

A “mission impossible” deportation campaign has left many employees burned out and morally conflicted.

James 5:11
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Does suffering ever end, like what God brought about for Job, in the land of the living, emotionally as well as in life, or do we just suffer all our lives until we get to heaven? Does anyone have experience?

I honestly have no idea how long its been since she's been to the bathroom, but it's been a long time and I know she took laxatives yesterday and nothing happened. We're getting suppositories today, so hopefully that might help, but this is really serious because it has been a long time. Please pray for her to get better and pass this before she ends up in the hospital.

FIFA President tries to get Trump to leave the stage with him but Trump, after being heavily booed when he entered the stadium, just stays. Eventually the FIFA president gets him behind the players who were the focus of the moment.

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“Anyone who’s saying that Medicaid cuts is why they’re closing is a liar,” April Roberts said, as she oversaw lunch at the Curtis Area Senior Center.

The retirees trickling in for fried chicken and soft-serve ice cream will be hit hardest when the clinic closes this fall, Roberts fears. Seniors who sometimes go in multiple times a month to have blood drawn will have to drive 40 miles to the next nearest health center

Arriving for lunch, retired Navy veteran Jim Christensen said he’d read an op-ed that “tried to blame everything on Trump.”

“Horse feathers,” he said, dismissing the idea.
--
“They’re huge [fans of Trump] … and so it doesn’t matter what he does - there’s an excuse for it,” [registered Republican but non-Trump voter] Jorgensen said. The retired corn and cattle farmer was used to being the odd one out in Frontier County, where 86 percent of the vote went to Trump last fall.

Many people in Curtis have directed their frustration at their hospital system instead of their representatives in Washington.

Community Hospital, the nonprofit that runs the clinic known as the Curtis Medical Center and a couple of other facilities in the region, plunged into the center of that national story when it announced on July 2 - one day before the bill’s passage - that a confluence of factors had made its Curtis outpost unsustainable. It cited years-long financial challenges, inflation and “anticipated federal budget cuts to Medicaid,” the public health insurance program for lower-income and disabled Americans.

Rural health care facilities run on thin margins to serve small communities in far-flung locations. And they tend to have more patients on Medicaid, many of them self-employed farmers, small business owners and seasonal workers more likely to need public insurance. Hospital groups and executives have warned that some rural hospitals that long operated at a loss won’t be able to stay open much longer, now that the Medicaid cuts have been voted in.

Community Hospital officials said they had tried to find another group to take over the clinic, without luck.

When I was ordained a priest in 1985, my first pastor was about to turn 50 years old; he was a member of the Ordination Class of 1962. He saw himself and others saw him too as a “Vatican II” priest. There were meetings galore, a lot of “co-ministry” with women Religious, and, in discussions, frequent references to the marginalized and minorities of various kinds. But I don’t recall that we had a single Holy Hour in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament in my five-year assignment there, nor do I remember hearing a word against co-habitation in the parish Pre-Cana program. Moreover, I have no memory of any notices in the weekly bulletin announcing seminars on the topic of natural family planning.

There are always going to be different pastoral emphases, even in what might be regarded as not particularly ideological parishes. What developed, however, in many post-conciliar parishes are what we now call “safe spaces,” meaning places you could go and not be reminded of words and ideas you don’t like. When the “safe space” is breached after decades in some cases, you can well imagine the displeasure in certain quarters. But it was bound to happen at some point.

Over the last few years, men ordained priests in the 1970s have been marking their fiftieth anniversaries and are retiring from the active ministry. They are being replaced by men who weren’t even alive in the 1970s! Indeed, the men in the cohort of younger priests now were only ordained in the last two decades. These younger priests are doctrinally more conservative than the priests they are replacing. This is not just anecdotal; the survey research bears this out too.

Continued below.