The Church of England’s General Synod has voted to end plans for stand-alone blessing ceremonies for same sex couples in churches after extended debate. The decision also closes a years-long process that had examined whether such ceremonies could be introduced.

Members this week approved a motion from bishops to conclude the Living in Love and Faith process and halt further work toward permitting special services for same-sex couples in civil marriages, The Telegraph reported.

The vote followed hours of discussion and confirmed that agreement between conservative and liberal factions had not been reached.

The Synod supported forming new working groups on relationships, sexuality and gender to continue discussion in the future rather than advancing blessing ceremonies now, according to Church Times.

Continued below.

Fantastic news! One of the many steps by the Trump administration that saves lives. The decrease in drug deaths in the U.S. has been dramatic.

Long before he became a cancer survivor and marriage mentor, Montell Jordan shot to fame in 1995 with his chart-topping hit “This Is How We Do It,” a song that helped define an era and launched a career marked by fame, fortune and global tours.

But according to the 57-year-old California native, the version of success he chased in his early years proved fleeting.


“Earlier in my life, success was dictated by the world’s definition: houses, cars, accolades, fame,” he told The Christian Post. “When I finally recognized that success is counterfeit, that was the turning point for my life. I decided I would rather be significant than successful.”

That shift in perspective was tested anew over the past two years, as Jordan faced prostate cancer, a journey he and his wife, Kristin, say ultimately strengthened their marriage, deepened their faith and reshaped their purpose.

Jordan announced over Christmas that he is cancer-free, news that arrived at a moment he described as nothing short of miraculous.

Continued below.

Puerto Rico passed a new law amending its penal code on murder to include the killing of unborn babies.

Puerto Rican Gov. Jenniffer González-Colon, a Republican, signed the amended Senate Bill 923 on Thursday, also known as the Keishla Madlane Law, which recognizes unborn babies as human beings.

The legislation was named after Keishla Madlane Rodríguez Ortiz, who, along with her unborn child, was murdered in 2021 by her lover, former Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo-Sánchez.

González said in a statement on Thursday that “the legislation has the purpose of maintaining coherence between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the unborn child as a human being.”

Continued below.

God created us to thrive in His creation.

He gave us a few guidelines for your own good - not to bind us to law but to protect us from harm.

He had set up creation with natural laws and consequences for their violation.

There were Spiritual laws to be followed as well to help us avoid calamity with the unseen.

He cared about our wellbeing as a loving Father.

Sadly we blew it and ended up living in a giant mess of religion and rules rather than Love and understanding.

So He sent His Word in living form to demonstrate His Love and Wisdom, but our lives had become so twisted that we hated Him and rejected His message.

This did not change His love for us one tiny bit - the invitation to walk in life with Him still stands.

You want a blessed life? Then listen to the Fathers love letter and let it guide you in Truth and Peace.

Fire your doubts and questions upstairs and watch what happens.

This is not to suggest walking in this way with Him is always an easy life - and many prefer their own foolish ways.

Yet His invitation still stands -

Jeremiah 6:16
This is what the Lord says: “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find a resting place for your souls.

Hearing His livIng, loving, Word personally and directly was always the plan leading to peace beyond belief.

The above passage of Scripture is the “Verse Of The Day” on Bible Gateway, which is the Bible source I use for writing on the internet. My first thought was, “I just taught on the subject of ‘love’ recently,” so I began to look at the other verses to see if I should write on something else. And, as I was contemplating this in my mind, I looked over to my left, to a little sign made for me by one of my grandsons which says, “A Little Sign to Say I Love You.” But partly covering the word “say” was a red lady bug with dark spots.



And here’s the thing. When Jesus lived on the earth he often spoke to the people in parables. So, parables are not anti-biblical as long as they agree with and support the teachings of the Scriptures. I like this definition:


So, when I see something like this bug, and the Holy Spirit prompts me, I know to look at the meanings of the words in the image. So, what is a bug? It can be many things, but what stands out to me is that it is an infection, a poison, an impurity of some kind. And “spot” (in this case multiple dark spots) is also a blemish or a moral flaw (sin), which are multiplied. And dark is used consistently throughout the Scriptures to symbolize the opposite of light, such as lies, deceptions, immorality, wickedness, i.e. sinful behaviors.

Okay, so this “bug” is positioned on the word “say,” which has to do with expressing thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and/or information, either in verbal or in written form. So this would seem to indicate that there is an impurity, a lie, a deception in the words spoken, “I love you.” (This has nothing to do with who gave me this sign. This is a parable only!) And “a little sign” could be a slight (an insult) and/or an insignificant indication of actual love being present in the words spoken. So, “I Love You” is a lie, and thus an insult.

Now in the USA today, February 14th is traditionally referred to as “Valentines Day.” This celebration has pagan roots to it, and the “love” being spoken of is typically of romantic love, not the kind of love being referred to in this passage of Scripture. But it is also used in the context of friendship love, too. And the color “red” is the color associated with the holiday, which interestingly enough was both the color of the little sign and of the lady bug. Like, “though your sins be as scarlet,” so symbolic of sin (Isaiah 1:18).

So, when Jesus gave the commandment to love one another as he loved (loves) us, he was not speaking of romantic love, and he was not speaking of fake artificial love (the sign was made of plastic) spoken falsely in words only but with little to no evidence of actual love being put into practice. For how did Jesus demonstrate his love for us? He sacrificed his life for us on a cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live to God in walks of surrender to him in obeying our Lord.

And this word “love” is agape, which has to do with preferring what God prefers, i.e. all that is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. For the believer in Christ, it involves us denying self, dying to sin daily, and walking in obedience to his commands, in practice, by the Spirit. So, when we say that we love God, or that we love other humans, it should be this kind of love which is honest, faithful, and pure, and not fake, impure, and deceptive.

So, if you claim to love God, and to be in fellowship with him, but while you walk in darkness (in sin), and while you do not obey his commands, in practice, the Bible says that you are telling a lie. And if you say to your spouse, “I love you,” while you deliberately and habitually sin against them via addiction to sexual sin and adultery, don’t call it love. Don’t lie. Don’t give your spouse a valentines card and a hug and a kiss if you are secretly looking at sexually explicit images and committing adultery in your minds.

Don’t call it love if it is hate in disguise. For adultery against your spouse is hate, not love. And refusal to obey our Lord’s commandments and to walk in love and in moral purity is also hate, not love. For biblical love is not based in emotions and in lies to cover up sin. And a valentines day card is not proof of love. If cheating is what is taking place in the background, it is an insult. Be honest. Be sincere. Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Repent of sins of adultery and idolatry, and now love purely as God, as Christ loves us and sacrificed for us.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

In Harmony

Based off Romans 12:9-21; 1 Peter 3:8-17
An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;
Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil –
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

Login to view embedded media
Don’t Call It Love If
An Original Work / February 14, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Unspoken prayer request.
God knows all the details, thank you for any prayers

I am always asking for prayers for my son jakeb so here I am again. Please pray that God heals him. That Jesus holds him and heals him and that he can have joy in his life. Please pray that everything will fall into place medically. I'm mentally exhausted. Please ask God if my son can have a long thriving happy life and that the doctors can help him with that. I'm so sad and I feel broken. Please ask God to touch our lives. I also ask God for his forgiveness for letting fear fill my head. I ask in the name of Jesus. Thank you and God bless you. Carmen.

According to sworn statements filed in those cases, the FBI agents were investigating a shooting by an Immigration Customs Enforcement Officer on Jan. 14 when protests made the area unsafe and they had to flee on foot, leaving behind two of their vehicles. The vehicles were vandalized and broken into, and several things were stolen including guns, FBI identification cards and documents that included addresses, phone numbers and other personal information of some FBI employees.
That personal information was then posted on social media, according to the court documents, and that’s when the officers began receiving threatening phone calls, text messages and emails.

In other incidents their spouses and children have been threatened as well. Also this was not the only report of a woman biting an officer. I wish there was more reporting on the "mostly peaceful" protesters.

Chelsea Clinton's decade-old claim that she left a Baptist church as a child because they were talking to her about abortion in Sunday school when she was 6 years old has prompted fresh backlash.

On Thursday, pro-life news outlet LifeNews drew more than 1 million views on X for reposting its 2016 story about the only daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushing back against those who question her family's faith.

“My mother is very deeply a person of faith," Chelsea is quoted as saying in her reported comments at the 2016 fundraiser for her mother, which first came second-hand in the "Page Six" gossip column of the New York Post. "It is deeply authentic and real for my mother, and it guides so much of her moral compass, but also her life's work."

Chelsea, whose mother was raised Methodist, reportedly claimed she joined her mother's denomination after leaving the Baptist church over abortion, even before her father. She said she found it "quite insulting sometimes when people say to my mom, my dad or me ... that they question our faith."

Continued below.

Hello, I just had a job interview earlier today. Please pray that I did well enough that they will offer me a position, or that I will soon find another job that will.

Thanks!

Judge blocks Hegseth, Pentagon bid to punish Mark Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ video

I've been going around with this for a while--for instance, my copy of the Manual for Courts-Martial is right here at my right elbow. I got ChatGPT to format it for me and do some legwork, but this is what I knew weeks ago, just waiting for a judge to bear it out.

This roadmap summarizes why every plausible path to punish Senator Mark Kelly — whether via court-martial or administrative action — was legally blocked. Citations to U.S. Code, DoD regulations, and case law are included for reference.

---

A. Court-Martial Route​

Steps Attempted / Hypothetical:

1. Recall to Active Duty
   • Needed because retired officers are generally outside court-martial jurisdiction unless recalled.
   • Roadblock: Kelly is a sitting U.S. Senator → involuntary recall would violate Separation of Powers (Article I protections).
2. Court-Martial Charges / Military Trial
   • Charges would be based on participation in a politically controversial video.
   • Roadblock: First Amendment protects political speech by retired officers and elected officials.
3. Conviction
   • Roadblock: Grand jury already refused to indict; likelihood of conviction extremely low.

Outcome: Court-martial path blocked.
Citations:

• 10 U.S.C. § 1402–1413 – Jurisdiction over retired officers
• U.S. Const. Art. I – Separation of powers

---

B. Administrative Punishment Route​

Steps Attempted / Hypothetical:

1. Reduce Retired Rank / Pension
   • Attempt to use administrative corrections to “punish” speech.
   • Roadblock: 10 U.S.C. § 1552 allows corrections only for errors or injustices, not punishment.
2. Administrative Censure / Reprimand
   • Roadblock: DoD Instruction 1332.14 and DoD Directive 1320.04 prohibit using administrative mechanisms to punish.
3. Enforce Penalty
   • Roadblock: Federal courts can enjoin improper administrative actions; Judge Richard Leon blocked Pentagon enforcement (Feb. 12, 2026).

Outcome: Administrative path blocked.
Citations:

• 10 U.S.C. § 1552 – Correction of military records
• DoD Instruction 1332.14 – Administrative correction authority
• DoD Directive 1320.04 – Limitations on administrative punishment
• Bickley v. United States, D.C. Cir. 1986 – Administrative corrections cannot serve punitive purposes

---

C. Hybrid / Creative Approaches​

• Any combination of administrative threats plus coercion (e.g., recall threats) is blocked by:
  1. Separation of powers
  2. First Amendment protections
  3. Judicial review

Outcome: No feasible hybrid path exists.

---

D. Summary​

• Court-martial: blocked by recall requirement, constitutional protections, and grand jury refusal.
• Administrative: blocked by statutory/regulatory limits and judicial review; cannot punish for speech.
• Overall Conclusion: The Pentagon had no legal path to discipline Senator Kelly without violating statutory, regulatory, and constitutional law.

Bottom Line:

“No Viable Path to Punish Kelly — Legal Barriers Prevented Discipline From Every Angle.”

Click to expand...

---

Of course, Kelly's own lawyers would have worked out these likelihoods before the Group of Six even made their video.

According to the Journal, President Donald Trump and his advisors are “uncomfortable” with Noem and Lewandowski’s “close relationship.”

“Lewandowski had initially wanted to formally serve as Noem’s chief of staff, but Trump rejected the idea due to reports of a romantic relationship between the two—which he has continued to bring up, officials say,” it reported. “After tabloid photos of Lewandowski showed him going back and forth between his apartment and Noem’s across the street last year, the secretary moved into a government-owned waterfront house on a military base in Washington that is provided to the leader of the U.S. Coast Guard. ... Lewandowski also spends time at the house. ... Lewandowski and Noem, who are both married, have publicly denied the reports of the affair, but people said they do little to hide their relationship inside the department.”

Per the Journal, the White House Counsel’s office “opened an inquiry into Lewandowski’s potential abuse” of his position last year, and officials say his involvement in awarding government contracts while still being employed in the private sector [Corey is a special government employee like Musk was] ... “has raised alarm bells inside the White House and DHS.”

“Noem routinely berated staff if she saw Homan on TV and kept track of both their appearances to make sure she was on TV more than him, according to people familiar with the matter."

In one instance, Noem “had to switch planes after a maintenance issue was discovered, but her blanket wasn’t moved to the second plane.” She is alleged to have tried to fire the Coast Guard pilot responsible for flying her, who was told to take a commercial flight home. The pilot was reinstated, though, after Noem and her team realized that they didn’t have another pilot to fly them home.

In an incident last year that rankled some senior staff at the agency, Lewandowski made it known to top ICE officials that he wanted to be issued a law-enforcement badge and a federally issued gun, according to people familiar with his push. Officials are typically only issued a badge and a gun after undergoing law-enforcement training.

[One guy interviewed to be head of ICE, but when he wouldn't make with the gun, he was not selected. A top ICE lawyer also declined to sign off on it. He was put on leave, demoted, and shipped to FEMA. Ultimately Corey got his gun, with Noem's autopen finishing the paperwork.]

Todd Lyons, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, accused two federal agents of lying under oath regarding the mid-January shooting of a Venezuelan national in Minneapolis.

The two officers have been placed on administrative leave and an internal investigation is underway, Lyons said in his statement.

"Video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements. Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation. Lying under oath is a serious federal offense," Lyons said. "The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law. ... Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated."

The announcement comes a day after the Department of Justice abruptly dropped charges against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who had been federally charged with assaulting ICE officers. The filing entered by U.S. Attorney in Minnesota Daniel Rosen cited "newly discovered evidence" that was "materially inconsistent" with the charges against them.

An ICE officer shot Sosa-Celis in the leg on Jan. 14 near North Sixth Street and North 24th Avenue, inciting anger in a city where just a week before, an agent had shot and killed Renee Good.

In the hours after the shooting of Sosa-Celis, two dueling narratives emerged. Cellphone video shared by Democratic state Sen. Erin Maye Quade shows a woman calling 911 shortly after the shooting. The woman says her husband was chased by ICE agents before he reached his home, and was shot in front of his family.

The Department of Homeland Security, however, said that Sosa-Celis fled and crashed into a parked car, and then tried to flee on foot.


When an officer caught up to him, Sosa-Celis "began to resist and violently assault the officer," the original statement says. According to DHS, two other men then came out of a nearby apartment and attacked the officer with a snow shovel and broom handle. The officer feared for his life, the DHS said, and "fired a defensive shot" at Sosa-Celis, who was hit in the leg.

The government's account of the shooting has since changed; in an affidavit to support charges against Aljorna and Sosa-Celis, the FBI said that Aljorna — not Sosa-Celis — had fled the scene in a car. It goes on to say that Sosa-Celis was the one who initially struck the ICE officer with a broom stick while he tried to arrest Aljorna.

The FBI alleged that Aljorna then broke free and started attacking the ICE officer with the same broomstick. The affidavit also says that the officer "had poor or sporadic lighting" and "had difficulty seeing the assailants."

Attorney Frederick Goetz, who represents Aljorna, said, "It is my understanding that the video surveillance evidence that captured the incident was materially inconsistent with the federal agent's claims of what happened; i.e. the agent's claims of being assaulted were not backed up by the video evidence."

LINK

Donald Trump has nominated the hospitality executive Scott Socha – whose company once sued to claim trademark rights to the name “Yosemite National Park” – to lead the National Park Service.

The nomination of an outsider with business ties to the agency he’d oversee comes at a pivotal moment for the service, which lost a quarter of its staff under the so-called “department of government efficiency” civil sector purge and which has been the subject of the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to erase mention of historical events from its sites that portray Americans in an unfavorable light, such as regarding slavery.

[This is an obvious ethical monstrosity.]

[Socha's company] Delaware North is well-known in conservationist circles for a trademark lawsuit involving Yosemite national park. After the company lost a $2bn bid to renew its contract to operate Yosemite’s hotels and restaurants to competitor Aramark in 2016, Delaware North sued, arguing that the company held intellectual property rights to various names used at the park worth more than $50m – including the terms “Yosemite National Park”, “Ahwahnee Hotel” and “Curry Village”.

The two landmarks were briefly renamed, until the lawsuit was settled in 2019.

See also:

Jobs report recap: US added 130,000 jobs in January, beating expectations​

"It was a January job surge. The surprisingly strong job gains in January were driven mainly by health care and social assistance," Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said in a statement. "But it is enough to stabilize the job market and send the unemployment rate slightly lower.

‘Um…Lemme Think’: Trump’s Pick For Top State Department Post Sputters When Challenged On His Belief in the ‘Erasure of White Culture’​

In the video, [Senator] Murphy asked, “Tell me how you define white identify and white and what you think is being erased about white identity.”

--later--

CARL: I would say the white church is very different from the Black church in terms of its tone and style, on average. Um, food ways can often be different. Um, music —

MURPHY: And those are being erased?

CARL: Music can be different, if you look at the Super Bowl halftime show that was not in English this year.

MURPHY: So, our ability to access white churches or white food or white music is being erased?

Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) said in a statement Thursday, “After reviewing his record and participating in today’s hearing, I do not believe that Jeremy Carl is the right person to represent our nation’s best interests in international forums, and I find his anti-Israel views and insensitive remarks about the Jewish people unbecoming of the position for which he has been nominated.”

--
In the past, Carl has appeared to endorse the “great replacement theory,” slammed the Juneteenth holiday and called for the execution of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, according to CNN. He deleted nearly 5,000 social media posts since before his nomination, the outlet reported in September.

“We are essentially moving,” he told conservative media commentator Tucker Carlson in April 2024, “to what is effectively, a post-White America.”

Screenshoot speaks for itself, comments aren't needed.

Ephesians 2:19-22 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

1 Peter 2:4-6 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."

How did God's dwelling evolve to become what it is today? What happened?

Dave

Pope Leo XIV urges Catholics to listen more closely to God and others — and to “disarm” their language by fasting from words that wound — in his message for Lent 2026.


Continued below.

NAYEREH ARJANEH​

IRAN​

On July 7, 2025 Nayereh Arjaneh and her husband Qasem Esmaili were arrested at their home for attending a Christian seminar in Turkey. She was initially released on bail and later convicted of “promoting deviant propaganda and teachings contrary to Islamic law” and “providing financial and material support to groups affiliated with Zionist Christianity.”

Nayereh received five years in prison for each offense, plus two years internal exile in Kerman province and a two year travel ban. She is serving both sentences concurrently. Her husband received a prison sentence of three years and six months but has been given permission to delay his prison term as he is currently undergoing chemotherapy.

Nayereh began serving her 10-year sentence in December 2025.

Click to expand...

Semnan Central Prison
Semnan Province
Region 1
Iran

SAMPLE LETTERS TO PRISONERS


Please DO
Write in English and write as neatly as you are able to. Your letter must be legible to be translated (Many people study English, so there will often be someone to translate your letter).

• Express your Christian love and tell them that you are praying for them (then do!) They, in turn, will be praying for you!
• Keep your letter brief and loving – one page is enough.
• Include Bible verses.
• Hand write the address on envelopes accurately and mark it AIRMAIL; make sure the postage is correct.
• You may include a snapshot of yourself, your family or your prayer group if you want to make your letter even more personal and special.

Please DON'T
Do not write about politics or criticise the government.

• Never mention the source of your information or the name of any organisation such as Voice of the Martyrs. It is not dangerous for a prisoner to receive letters from an individual, but if an organisation is mentioned, they may be accused of links with “foreign organisations” and receive even harsher sentences.
• Use words that might imply some kind of hidden activity e.g. “thank you for the Christian work that you have done in Vietnam” might imply that the prisoner had done some covert work for a foreign organisation to subvert the government.
• Build up hopes and expectations of prisoners – and likewise, don’t make any offer of help unless you intend to act on it!
• Use religious jargon, sermonize, or be presumptuous about the prisoner’s situation, needs or feelings.
• Quote verses which refer to war, fighting, armour, weapons (eg ‘the sword of the spirit’, ‘fighting the good fight of faith’, ‘the armour of God’ etc).

Click to expand...

President of all Americans my foot.

• The Trump administration is seeking to cut $600 million in federal grant funding for HIV programs in California and three other states.
• The cuts targeted a slate of programs aimed at tracking and curtailing HIV and other disease outbreaks.

A federal judge on Thursday blocked a Trump administration order slashing $600 million in federal grant funding for HIV programs in California and three other states, finding merit in the states’ argument that the move was politically motivated by disagreements over unrelated state sanctuary policies.

U.S. District Judge Manish Shah, an Obama appointee in Illinois, found that California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota were likely to succeed in arguing that President Trump and other administration officials targeted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for termination “based on arbitrary, capricious, or unconstitutional rationales.”

"plaintiffs have made a sufficient showing that defendants issued internal guidance to terminate public-health grants for unlawful reasons; that guidance is enjoined as the parties develop a record.”

The White House said the cuts were to programs that “promote DEI and radical gender ideology,” while federal health officials said the programs in question did not reflect the CDC’s “priorities.”

see also:

Target has been a focus of protest since they pulled some of the LGBTQ+ Pride items displayed prominently in their stores a few years ago. Parents complained their children should not have to see that stuff and once Target scaled back it did not go well with that community. The anti-ICE people are very much the same crowd.