Hi, I'm someone who may procure a book and then leave it on the shelf indefinitely - this is one such book. I'm not saying that the book has false teachings but then again, I'm not sure. Maybe no one here has read this. I'm not even on page 20 and I'm kind of struggling with feeling hopeless and scared, when I don't think that these are healthy feelings to have. It is not until literally page 131 of this book that it finally starts talking about heaven, but a few "decades" of pages before that, you "have to" read the complete description of what hell will be like, and even if the description is true, I'm not sure if I can handle reading it. I don't want to feel so terrified every day, just because of reading it. I do like that the reading style is very articulate and interesting, but then what? Something tells me that this is not a book I will read from cover to cover (or at all).

After I have rebuked the sickness and released a healing into my body in Jesus' name, should I daily thank God for my healing, or daily keep releasing healing in the name of Jesus'?

What to do if the symptoms return?

Thanks!

Shalom

Today I'm bringing the German rapper Lacazette (Emanuel Karageorgoudis), a "superstar" among young people.

Please pray for his salvation, may God give him new life in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3).

"Lord Jesus, you reap where you have not sown and gather where you have not planted. (Matthew 25:24)

Please pray that the Lord will reap a mighty harvest of souls through Emanuel, in Jesus' name. Amen.

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).

Helping one another
Is a thing that’s kind to do.
Seeing what is needed
So our giving’s not too few.

Seeing smiling faces
When their needs are being met,
Causes much rejoicing,
Even helps some out of debt.

It gives us much pleasure
Knowing we helped meet some needs.
Giving them some groceries
Helps some mouths we get to feed.

We are now encouraged,
For in giving, we are blessed,
Knowing that we helped them
When in them we did invest.

Sharing now with others
What our Lord has given us,
Follows His example,
And this now should be our thrust.

Loving them like Jesus,
How He sacrificed for us,
Gave His life up for us
So in Him we’d put our trust,

Ministers to others,
Shows them love of Jesus, too,
How much He does love them
And their lives he would renew.

On that cross He suffered,
Put our sins to death with Him
So we’d die to our sins,
So in love, we’d live for Him.

An Original Work / April 23, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I didn't write this, I'm not a poet.
I have hardly read mote than 3 poens in my life.

Might be the worst poem you've read...
When life is hard and skies are gray, It feels like joy has gone away.

But deep inside each trying test, A hidden gift will show its best.

The struggle bites, it can feel rough,
But you grow strong through things so tough.
And as you climb, you start to see, The sweetness of adversity.

Its lessons bloom, its wisdom stays, And paints with light your future days.
For bitter turns to sweet, you’ll find,
And peace will fill your heart and mind.

The very definition of saving faith is actively trusting in the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.

Is He the perfect Lamb Who lived a sinless life and fulfilled the law for us sinners? Yes.

Is His blood enough to purchase our adoption and secure us firmly as *one with Him* from this day unto eternity? Yes.

Did He not promise that HE HIMSELF is the Author and *Finisher* of our faith? Yes.

Did He Himself not promise that HE who began a good work in us WILL COMPLETE it unto the day of Christ Jesus? Yes.

Did Jesus not say that the one who comes to Him He will not cast out - and that no man is able to snatch us from His hand or the Father's hand? Yes.

Indeed, cognizance that we are, though in spirit a new creation, and yet still burdened by the old sinful nature, the flesh, the body of death - grieves us immensely - and causes us to groan in eager anticipation for the day of our final redemption.

But let us not be deceived until then into worrying that if we don't overcome sin sufficiently in our *own* effort, and bear enough fruit in our *own* effort (and particularly according to our *own* judgement) - that we will nullify His Covenant of Grace with us.

The very fact that 1) We *still* hear His Spirit testifying with our spirit that we are His children (Romans 8:16), and 2) we *still* hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and 3) we *still* find our true joy in pleasing Him with the exercise of our FAITH (His Gift that is *still* free and necessary to even do so), and 4) delight in greater intimacy with our Father as we journey toward our Heavenly Home (even despite occasional dry spells to test our faith), and 5) can perceive being further cleansed from our impurities after every refining fiery trial, and 6) *appreciate* when the Holy Spirit convicts us in order to *free* us - not condemn us, and finally 7) find immense satisfaction in watching God bear fruit through us, His broken vessels - as that is Jesus' stated desire and we long to please Him - well...

Is this all not enough for us to remain at peace under the secure wings of our Heavenly Father - safe from accusations from without and from within?

Yes, Jesus teaches that those who love Him: do the will of the Father, obey His commands, and love His laws. And He is our High Priest Who intercedes when we fail.

And Scripture guarantees that there will be a day when we sin no more. Most poignantly though, it is our Righteous Judge Who determines when we, like the Apostle Paul, have finally finished the good race, kept the faith, and fought the good fight - and awards us our crowns of righteousness.

*Not we ourselves*.

What then is the source of our occasional fear and doubt? What disturbs our faith in His promise? Is it God condemning us? Is it Jesus? Is it others? Is it ourselves? (see all of Romans 8).

Or is it the Accuser of the Brethren, appearing as a being of light, trying desperately to discourage and muzzle us from sharing, you know, Good News?

Does God not say that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy?

The Father of Lies has been ironically accusing Almighty God of being a liar Himself since the very beginning - that amongst His temptations to doubt God's goodness - is that God will betray His promise to us on some technicality we haven't foreseen. This, and all of the devil's deceptions in this world (blinding the eyes and deafening the ears) will only perpetually work on the ultimate permanent unrepentant - who truly wants to remain separated from and unaccountable to God - who loves their secret sin (or not so) and remaining in darkness.

Is that our desire? No.

In fact, we desire to be perpetually welcome in His presence - set *free* to always boldly appear before His Throne of Grace - as *He Himself* encourages us to do. What joy!!!

With God's children, the Accuser cannot stand in the full Light of God's Grace - personified by the presence of His Son within us. Thus why there is such power in the Name of Jesus - and that old serpent must flee when we flash our signet ring and declare Jesus' Name before him.

Who is conforming us into the image of Christ - ourselves in our own effort and initiation - or the Holy Spirit of Promise Who has sealed us, indwells us, and confers upon us the very Godly desire that we now possess to be like Jesus?

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Full confidence in the goodness of God. And dogged determination to declare as much before men until our last breath. To love the Lord our God with all of our mind, body, soul and strength - and our neighbor as ourselves.

Saved by grace, sustained by grace. There is absolutely no other scenario that could possibly work to guarantee we have eternal life *right now.*

Our assurance is all upon the faithfulness of the Great Covenant Keeper alone.

Need additional ammo to wield against our enemy? Check out the following 133 NT Eternal Security passages below and be blessed! The offer extends to all brothers and sisters in the Lord!

We can trust the Personal Voice of the Author of Scripture and Shepherd since we recognize Him and *continue* to follow Him. And encourage our brethren to have the same confidence for all of the same reasons.

Those who do not overcome and endure to the very end were tragically never really His - as He will declare.

As Paul tells the faltering Galatians though - we have every reason to be persuaded of better things - His voice!

God bless us who do, and will, believe!

This is what the APOSTLE to the GENTILES WROTE TO THE BODY OF CHRIST !

# 1 BUT // ALLA is a conjuncation

# 2 AS // KATHAS is an ADVERB

# 3 IT IS WRITTEN // GRAPHO , is in the Greek PERFECT TENSE , in the PASSIVE VOICE , in the INDICATIVE MOOD , in the SINGULAR

# 4 EYE // OPHTHAIMOS , in the NOMINATIVE CASE , in the SINGULAR

# 5 HATH // EIDO , is in the Greek AORIST TENSE , in the ACTIVE VOICE , means Christ is speaking , and in the INDICATIVE MOOD ,

means you better m belter believe it , in the SINGULAR , means it will happen

# 6 NOT // is a DISJUNCATIVE PARTICILE NEGATIVE , that no one has seen

# 7 SEEN // EIDO , in the AORIST TENSE , means seen in past time , in the ACTIVE VOICE , in the INDICATIVE MOOD ,

in the SINGULAR .

# 8 SEEN // is another DISJUNCATIVE NEGATIVE

# 9 EAR // OUS , in the NOMINATIVE CASE , in the SIGNULAR in the NEUTER , meaning MALE or FEMALE , ear ever heard

# 10 HEARD // AKOUO , in the AORIST TENSE , ACTIVE VOICE , in the INDICATIVE MOOD in the SIGNULAR

# 11 HAVE ENTERED // ANABAINO , in the AORIST TENSE , in the INDICATIVE MOOD , in the SINGULAR

# 12 INTO // EPI , is a PREPOSITION

# 13 THE HEART // KARDIA , in the ACCUSATIVE CASE , in the SIGNULAR

# 14 OF MAN // ANTHROPOS , in the GENITIVE CASE , in the SIGNULAR

# 15 THE THINGS WHICH // HOS , is a RELATIVE PRONOUN , in the ACCUSATIVE CASE , in the PLURAL , in the NEUTER

# 16 GOD // THEOS , in the NOMINATIVE CASE in the SIGNULAR

# 17 , HATH PREPARED // HETOINAZO , in the AORIST TENSE , in the INDICATIVE MOOD , in the SIGNULAR

# 18 FOR THOSE THAT LOVE // AGAPAO , in the PRESENT TENSE , in the ACTIVE VOICE , is a PARTICIPLE , in the DATIVE CASE

in the PLURAL .

# 19 HIM // AUTO , is a P;ERSONAL POSSESSIVE PRONOUN , is a ACCUSATIVE CASE , in the SINGULAR .

dan p

It is time to end ALL racist policies set by the federal government.

Recently there has been a couple of threads in the Spiritual gifts section that advocated the use of AI technology into understanding certain Spiritual gifts. One thread advocated the use of this technology to try and understand what was being said by the gift of tongues, and another here popped up within the last week or so showing how a person was trying to train one of these programs to sort out what prophecies from people were true or not.

It seems that this has become a new distraction for the body of Christ, at least for some people, but as scripture says, Spiritual gifts require The Holy Spirit to discern them,....

1Co 2:12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but The Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which The Spirit teacheth; comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual.
1Co 2:14 Now the natural man receiveth not the things of The Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are Spiritually discerned.

GOD has already provided the means into properly understanding Spiritual things from Him. GOD provided the gift of interpretation to understand the gift of tongues, and He has also provided the discerning of spirits gift to know what is being spoken by The Holy Spirit.

I would say this really amounts to people who are not filled with The Holy Spirit improperly trying to make sense of the Spiritual things from GOD, and in turn failing in the process because they are immature spiritually and not dedicated to scripture.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put out a detainer for his arrest following his likely release by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. However, the Golden State’s sanctuary laws lead to questions about whether the state will adhere to that detainer. CDCR does typically cooperate with ICE detainers.
Before the tragedy, Ortega-Anguiano had multiple felonies on his record, as well as several convictions for driving without a license. Border czar Tom Homan vowed on Fox News to honor the detainer and swiftly place him into federal custody upon his release.

I don't understand the liberal approach to crime.

WASHINGTON — Wael Elkoshairi, a Muslim parent who unenrolled his daughter from a Montgomery County, Maryland, public school last year, believes his local school district is "watering down" parental rights and trying to indoctrinate children.

He was among several parents of varying religious backgrounds who spoke outside the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday to advocate for the right to opt their children out of lessons featuring books that celebrate gender transitioning and same-sex relationships, which they say contradict their religious convictions.

Speaking before oral arguments in the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor, they say that the Montgomery County Board of Education violated their rights by refusing to provide an opt-out for their children, although the county provides opt-outs for other reasons.

Continued below.

As a non-Catholic, I find the history of the different names Popes have chosen to be interesting.

Some have chosen a characteristic, like Pius, Innocent, or Honorius.

Others chose a name reflecting someone important in Christendom, like John or Paul.

But there have been many Popes with, at least to our ears, names which are unusual. What prompted Popes like Urban, Conon, or Zosimus to choose those names? And, with the obvious exception of Judas, why have only a handful of names of the other Disciples had their names used?

Japan Can’t Get an Answer on What the US Wants From a Trade Deal: Report​

I am literally at a loss for words of how incompetent this whole Trump administration is, as it leaves the market in dire straights and as American companies one after another announce layoffs.

Dr Fazale Rana spoke about the Neanderthals:

The claims that they make art [and] they made jewelry … are unsubstantiated claims.

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Four scientists thought the opposite and published their research paper "Evidence for Neandertal jewelry" in PubMed:

We describe eight, mostly complete white-tailed eagle (Haliaëtus [Haliaeetus] albicilla) talons from the Krapina Neandertal site in present-day Croatia, dating to approximately 130 kyrs ago. Four talons bear multiple, edge-smoothed cut marks; eight show polishing facets and/or abrasion. Three of the largest talons have small notches at roughly the same place along the plantar surface, interrupting the proximal margin of the talon blade. These features suggest they were part of a jewelry assemblage, --- the manipulations a consequence of mounting the talons in a necklace or bracelet. An associated phalanx articulates with one of the talons and has numerous cut marks, some of which are smoothed. These white-tailed eagle bones, discovered more than 100 years ago, all derive from a single level at Krapina and represent more talons than found in the entire European Mousterian period. Presence of eight talons indicates that the Krapina Neandertals acquired and curated eagle talons for some kind of symbolic purpose. Some have argued that Neandertals lacked symbolic ability or copied this behavior from modern humans. These remains clearly show that the Krapina Neandertals made jewelry well before the appearance of modern humans in Europe, extending ornament production and symbolic activity early into the European Mousterian.

Click to expand...

Similarly, Smithsonian Magazine:

Artifacts pulled from a cave over a century ago demonstrate not only Neanderthal’s bold fashion choicces, but also their likely ability revere symbols and plan ahead.

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Contrary to what Rana said, I'd say that there is substantiated evidence that Neanderthals made jewelry.
====================================
Archeology Magazine:

This week, Palestinian Arabs and their supporters around the world have declared a “Day of Rage.” Again. Their “Days of Rage” along with “Nakba Day” are pretexts to rally support for Palestinian Arabs, my heart sinks — not out of fear, but out of a profound sadness for the moral bankruptcy it reveals.

This phrase, dripping with venom and incitement, is not a call for justice, peace, or progress. It is an orgy of anger, a glorification of destruction, and a stark reminder of timeless failure of Palestinian Arab leadership to ever build anything meaningful for their people. Instead of fostering hope, they peddle blame, perpetuate and celebrate violence, and tear down what others have painstakingly created, throughout Israel and across Western campuses and cities.

This has left the Palestinian Arabs mired in suffering. This endless blaming of Israel as the singular source of all their problems is their legacy. Sadly, for them, these are the equivalent of their Super Bowl, the only event that distinguishes their “culture” as a distinct ethnic group.

A “Day of Rage” is not about building schools, hospitals, or infrastructure for their own long-term well-being. It’s about channeling fury — often violently — against Israel, the Jewish people, and anyone who dares to support the Jewish state’s right to exist. The organizers, whether Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, or their international gang of cheerleaders, are not rallying for Palestinian statehood or prosperity; they’re stoking hatred to distract from their own failures. This exploits genuine pain to fuel a cycle of violence, rather than offering them a path to a better future.

Continued below.

From the Independent: Sarah Sanders begs her old boss Trump to reconsider after president rejects Arkansas’ request for disaster relief funds

[indent[In an appeal to Trump, her former boss, Sanders and the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management wrote again on April 18 and pleaded with the president that Arkansas is “in dire need of federal assistance.”

“The severe storms and tornadoes that occurred on March 14 and 15, 2025, produced catastrophic impacts across the state. The sheer magnitude of this event resulted in overwhelming amounts of debris, widespread destruction to homes and businesses, the tragic loss of three lives, and injuries to many others,” Sanders said in the letter, the Arkansas Times reports.

She described how a second wave of severe weather hit Arkansas less than three weeks later.

“Given the cumulative impact of these events, federal assistance is essential to help our communities recover,” Sanders said.[/indent]

Trump says no while contemplating the complete elimination of FEMA. State disasters are state's problem.

“A man becomes a solitary at the moment when, no matter what may be his external surroundings, he is suddenly aware of his own inalienable solitude and sees that he will never be anything but solitary.”
― Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude


In "Disputed Questions" Thomas Merton has a chapter entitled Notes on a Philosophy of Solitude. I wish I could cut and past some of that from my Kindle version but I can't. I will be sharing some simply by typing it. I think Solitude is an important topic for us. It is not something just for hermits. It is an aspect of our existence. Some of us are more distracted from it than others. There is plenty to distract us... to alienate us from ourselves and from God. It is in solitude that we encounter our own mystery and find that it merges with the mystery of God.

I desire a local church government set up with Pauls teaching in mind but even approaching the subject is like wacking a nest of hornets and brings out dark spirits. Why is his way so hated among Christian leadership?

Yuan falls to 2007 lows as US tariffs on China kick in​

I remember so vividly Speaker John Boehner's leaving Congress the day after Pope Francis spoke in 2015.

But Friday, one day after the emotional, historic visit by Pope Francis to Capitol Hill, Boehner found his moment.

“I decided today is the day I’m going to do this, simple as that,” Boehner said at a Capitol Hill press conference, saying his decision came after a night of sleep and prayers. https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/25/politics/why-john-boehner-quit/index.html

Click to expand...

He was Catholic, and I believed that his encounter with the Pope made him question many (if not most) of the causes he was working for in Congress.

Biden, who was VP at the time, also seemed to be affected. I saw ABC's memoir of Pope Francis this morning, and when I saw Pope Francis spending hours comforting and weeping with the refugees I was reminded of Biden, who visited grieving families who had lost children--in war and in other tragedies--and even gave them his phone number and told them they could call him if they needed support.

So I am hoping against hope that perhaps VP Vance's encounter with Pope Francis may result in a transformation of his soul. I see him as the self-described hillbilly, desperate to reinvent himself, and perhaps falling into the wrong influences with the oligarchs of the Silicon Valley who shaped his ascent into politics. If he is still open to this process of reinvention, perhaps God called him to visit Pope Francis at that moment, and he may have been given the grace to see his role in the world through Pope Francis' vision--as a servant leader, serving those who need him most.

Am I too optimistic?

It looks like the Supreme court may rule in favor of parents wanting to protect their children from the LGBT agenda.


"The school district introduced the (LGBT) storybooks in 2022, with such titles as “Prince and Knight” and “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” as part of an effort to better reflect the district’s diversity.

Parents initially were allowed to opt their children out of the lessons for religious and other reasons, but the school board reversed course a year later, prompting protests and eventually a lawsuit."

We should pray for respect for religious liberty, support of parents who want to teach Bible morality to their children and not have it undermined in elementary school class rooms.

The Law of Moses, in the Old Covenant "Obey and Live" chapter of Gen 2 - we are told that marriage is between one man and one woman - by definition.

Whether one is religious or not, there are still men and women and marriage. The Bible deals with actual life, not merely preference.

Dr Francis Collins said:

Barring a theoretical resolution, which I think is unlikely, you either have to say there are zillions of parallel universes out there that we can’t observe at present or you have to say there was a plan.

Click to expand...

That's a false dichotomy.

Option 1 pertains to the concept of the multiverse. Option 2 describes God as the intelligent designer of the current universe.

Let proposition P1 = We observe a universe compatible with our existence.

Collins and supporters of Option 2 are surprised that P1 is true.

Why should anyone be surprised at all to find P1 to be true? By definition, if we had not existed, we wouldn't have been observing this universe. It is unnecessary to affirm or deny multiverse for P1 to be true.

Furthermore, it is unnecessary to find a scientific theory to justify P1 ("barring a theoretical resolution"). P1 is true by definition. Logically, we do not need to search for a natural mechanism to support the fine-tuning of the universe in order to justify P1.

Dr. Collins’ framing of the issue as a dichotomy between the multiverse and God reflects a misunderstanding of the nature of P1 and the role of the anthropic principle. Neither the multiverse nor divine design is necessary to explain why we observe a universe compatible with our existence. The weak anthropic principle provides a sufficient explanation: we observe this universe because it supports life, and we could not observe otherwise.

If the gravitational constant changes slightly, life as we know it wouldn't exist.

Right.

Now, imagine that this universe, as we know it, had not existed. In its place, a universe with a slightly different gravitational constant exists, and life thrives in that universe. The intelligent life of that new universe will assert the same statement: If the gravitational constant is changed slightly, life as they know it wouldn't exist.

Note that I have not appealed to multiverse. I only appeal to P1.

And how does God communicate with each & everyone of us ?

King James Bible
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Very few people in the Old Testament are said to have found favor in God's eyes. Noah was special, and that favored status before God would mean the difference between death and life for future humanity.

It has to be through the blood/DNA & what an intelligent design it is, created by God.

Everyone's DNA is unique just like our finger prints

I thought it would be interesting to discuss different blood types.

The rarest blood type in the world is Rhnull, also known as "golden blood." This extremely rare blood type is characterized by the absence of any Rh antigens on red blood cells. Fewer than 50 people globally are known to have this blood type.

Deceiving spirits all around
And liars plenty now abound
They take and twist the Words of God
And do not give to God a nod

Their goal is to deceive the world
Throughout the world they are unfurled
To pacify the sins of flesh
To leave the people in their mess

And so they alter gospel truth
For they are those who are uncouth
They leave the people in their sins
While promising a life in heaven

And then they say the truth’s a lie
And so the truth they do deny
They cut, cut, cut the words of God
For they, in truth, are great big frauds

They shorten truths to make them say
What they don’t say in any way
For out of context, this or that,
The truth is not fully intact

So they teach lies to the people
They intend to be their sheeple
Many follow them in practice
Making the lie now their status

But the truth of Jesus’ gospel
Makes the many to it hostile
It requires of us denial
To our self and sin in cycle

Jesus calls us to obey Him,
Give our lives to Him, forsake sin,
Live for Jesus now in service
And His grace it will preserve us

An Original Work / April 22, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love