U.S. egg prices increased again last month to reach a new record-high average of $6.23 US per dozen, or about $8.73 Cdn. That's up from about $5.90 US per dozen in February, and about $4.95 in January.

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The U.S. increase was reported Thursday in the Consumer Price Index. Overall, the index for food increased 0.4 per cent in March, which includes a 5.9 per cent increase in the index for eggs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the last 12 months, the index for eggs increased by 60.4 per cent.

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The timing and manner of his guest-starring appearance in the Vatican today will have reminded the Roman Curia just how hard to pin down, or predict, Francis really is.​

VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — In a surprise move, Pope Francis appeared in the Vatican today in an event most notable for the fact of the strikingly disheveled nature of his appearance.

A little before 1 p.m. Rome time on Thursday afternoon, tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter’s Basilica were greeted by a shock sighting of the Pope. Reports, broken first by ANSA, documented how he came to inspect the just-concluded restoration work on the Altar of the Cathedra, before then being wheeled to pray at the altar of St. Pius X.

After that, he returned to the Casa Santa Martha guesthouse which he has made his home for the duration of this pontificate.

But even more striking than the surprise appearance by the Pontiff – of which more further down – was his appearance and that of his assistants.

Continued below.
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I made the mistake of moving out of state with my fiance. He was living out for work and school and i was lonesome for him after a year of long distance. My future mother in law kept pressuring me to move in with him. And I thought I'd try living here despite knowing it was wrong to live together before we married and not being sure i wanted to live here. But i thought id give it a try and have the chance to let our relationship grow. I got a transfer and Turns out my boss and work environment out here is toxic and so is his. We both are barely making ends meet and simply getting a new job would mean i would take a huge paycut and not be able to pay my bills at all (due to state by state minimum wage). My family is welcoming for us to move back home but his are not. His parents are making me feel guilty if I leave but at the same time not offering him to come back. I just want to wait till we get married and things figured out. Before i moved in he couldn't even afford food and me leaving would put him in a bad spot. My folks offered to let him come live with us but his acct like nooooo we moved to there you have to stay! His mom and dad keep guilt tripping me for wanting to go home and it's too the point of me wanting to tell them off but i don't want to make things worse for my fiance. They also made me mad because they were like "just get married at the court house" . That really struck a nerve with me. I don't like someone else making my major life decisions for me

According to the Scriptures, those who love God are those who know God intimately, who are in a faith relationship with him via God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. And they are those who obey the Lord’s New Covenant commandments, in practice, and for whom sin is not their practice. They are the called according to His purpose, and his purpose for us who believe in him is that we will die with him to sin and now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God, in the power of God.

For we are the predestined of God to become conformed to the likeness of the Son of God (God the Son), to be like Jesus in thought, attitude, words, and behaviors. But this does not make us perfect. We still live in flesh bodies. But lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord or for the ignoring of his commands and for living life for self and for self-pleasure, and not for God and for his will and purpose for our lives. For we were made to be like Jesus, by God’s design.

A life of faith in Jesus Christ should be a life committed to obeying our Lord and to serving him with our lives, for he is to be our Lord (Owner-Master) and we are to be in subjection to him and to his will and purpose for our lives. So we should be following him in his ways, and he should be the one directing our paths. And the Spirit will supply us with Spiritual gifts, and God will assign us our body parts, and then we are to utilize those gifts and body parts within the body of Christ in encouraging one another to live for God.

[Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

God has a plan and a purpose for each of us who he foreknew and who he predestined to become conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives. And he wants to show us his plan for our lives if we are willing to listen and to receive his instructions to us and to accept his calling upon our lives. For we are not saved from our sins just so that when we die we get to go to heaven. God saved us so that we will now become who he wants us to be.

Now we live in a crazy world. Chaos and upheaval and lies and liars are all over the place. Wars seem to never cease. Hatred abounds. The news stories are “all over the map,” i.e. in a very confused state. Angst is all throughout the news. Fearmongers are everywhere. So many things are blown way out of proportion and things are being threatened which may or may not ever happen. So if our trust is not in the Lord and in his sovereignty we can end up being very fearful people. So our trust has to be in God and in his Word.

And when he says that he causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose, as already mentioned, these are his followers who walk in obedience to his commands, in practice, and for whom sin is not their practice. And “good” is not necessarily what us humans might consider good, for God says that if we follow him with our lives that we will be hated, and persecuted, and even put to death for our walks of faith and testimonies for the Lord Jesus.

But when God says “for good” he is speaking in his terms, not ours, and he is speaking about what is ultimately going to produce in us what is God’s best for us, even if the process is painful and may not look like “good” to us from a human perspective. But God never promised us that a life of faith in Jesus Christ is going to be “smooth sailing.” He promised the opposite of that, in fact. He promised that we will have to suffer for the sake of righteousness. But God will use this suffering to work good in our hearts.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-39; Matt 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; John 16:33; John 17:14; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

Walk With Me

By Al Langdon and P.J. Zondervan

Walk with me, walk with me,
Lest mine eyes no longer see
All the glory, all the story of Your love;
Talk to me, talk to me,
Like You spoke so tenderly,
When You talked there,
When You walked there by the sea.

Talk to me, talk to me,
Lest mine ears no longer hear
All the wonder, all the beauty of Your grace;
Walk with me, walk with me,
As You walked so lovingly,
When You walked there,
When You talked there by the sea.

Let me follow in the footsteps
That trod the shore of Galilee,
Let me learn to pray like He did
In the Garden of Gethsemane;
Take my hand, take my hand,
Teach me Lord to understand,
All the duty, all the beauty of Your love.

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To Those Who Love God
An Original Work / April 11, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Costa Rica, Mexico among the happiest countries

The annual World Happiness Report, released on March 20 by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, has crowned Finland the happiest country in the world for the eighth-consecutive year. This report assesses life satisfaction in more than 140 countries, based on data collected between 2022 and 2024.

The Nordic countries continue to dominate the top positions in the ranking, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden occupying second, third and fourth place, respectively. The top 10 is completed by the Netherlands (No. 5), Costa Rica (No. 6), Norway (No. 7), Israel (No. 8), Luxembourg (No. 9), and Mexico (No. 10). The inclusion of Costa Rica and Mexico among the top 10 is notable, marking the first time that both Latin American countries have reached these prominent positions.

The report uses six key variables to explain life evaluations: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. The combination of these factors has allowed Finland to maintain its lead in the happiness index.

Continued below.

Maybe the typical Christian isn't "hateful" but are some of them hateful, including preachers? Can things Christians say be classified as "hate speech"?

Apparently the phrase "Hate the sin, love the sinner" is often attributed to St. Augustine, though its exact origins are debated.

This is just like the first letter of a word is the last letter of the previous word. Only it’s not just a word... it’s anything. Like if someone said “Sarah”, the next person could say “Hail Mary”. Or if someone said “Brandon“, the next person could say “New York City”. It could be a place, name, word, or anything you want.

Okay, let’s start with this:

Outer Space

A baby girl has become the first child in the UK to be born to a mother using a donated womb.

The baby’s mother, Grace Davidson, 36, was born without a functioning uterus, and received the womb of her sister Amy in 2023, in what was then the UK’s only successful womb transplant, reports the BBC.

Two years after that pioneering operation, Grace gave birth to a baby girl – weighing just over two kilos (four and a half pounds) – by Caesarean section at Queen Charlotte’s hospital in west London on 27 February. She and her husband, Angus, 37, named their daughter Amy in honour of the sister who provided the womb.

The couple initially wished to remain anonymous, but following the safe arrival of baby Amy they chose to speak to the BBC about their “little miracle”.

Continued below.

A pastor dedicated to strengthening multiethnic Christian support for Israel warned that, just like the Democrats, antisemitism may destroy the Republican Party if conservatives don't push back against figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens.

"How do we expect the blessings of God on our nation, which we've experienced for the length of our nation — and much of that has to do with both our Philo-semitism and our stand with Israel — if we begin to lose support even on the right?" Pastor Dumisani Washington asked in a recent interview with The Christian Post.

Washington is the founder and CEO of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, which works to build relationships between Christians, Jews and people of African descent.

Continued below.

As Bloomberg reported: [via MSNBC]

President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday elevated El Salvador’s travel safety designation to the best possible, putting it above countries in Western Europe, before President Nayib Bukele’s visit to the White House next week. ‘Exercise normal precautions in El Salvador,’ the State Department said in its updated travel advisory. ‘Gang activity has decreased over the last three years. This has caused a drop in violent crimes and murders.’

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The upgrade to Level 1 puts El Salvador ahead of some more traditional travel destinations for Americans like France, the UK and Italy. They’re all at Level 2, a recommendation to ‘Exercise Increased Caution,’ because of threats from terrorists. Some other nations in Central America, including Panama and Costa Rica, are Level 2, with neighboring Guatemala Level 3, which carries a recommendation to ‘Reconsider Travel.’

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Level 1. April 8, 2025
Country Summary: Exercise normal precautions in El Salvador. Gang activity has decreased over the last three years. This has caused a drop in violent crimes and murders.

Notably, US government employees are still prohibited from travel on public buses or travel at night time. I guess that makes it Level 1....with an asterisk. : )

Previously: Level 2 Nov. 8, 2024

Exodus 21:18-19 ("an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,") and Exodus 21:23-25 ("only payment.. for the idleness caused") uphold proportionality of judgment/discipline in relation to the severity of the sin(s)/crime(s).

Please pray that there is proportional judgment in relation to the severity of the crime(s) especially in light of American government's cancellation of many visas for foreigners ( In one case, a foreign student's visa was cancelled merely because of a vehicle speeding ticket that the student received a while back ):

I had a thought earlier today and im curious what you all think of this. Is it possible for satan to deceive us into thinking that certain things are sinful only to have us focus so much on what we are perceiving as sinful that we can fall into something that truly is sinful like coveting over it? Thoughts?

Hi all,

I watched a famous YouTuber/cooking expert for many years now. She recently died from a stomach virus and morbid obesity. She was 45 years old.

Please pray for her soul and family.

God bless

The terrorist organization Hamas has officially asked the United Kingdom to remove it from the country’s terror list, the British news outlet The Guardian reported on Wednesday.

The jihadist organization justified its request by saying that it is “a Palestinian Islamic liberation and resistance movement whose goal is to liberate Palestine and confront the Zionist project."

The senior Hamas political bureau official, Mousa Abu Marzouk, argued that the terrorism designation of Hamas is “unjust” and accused the British government of being complicit in alleged Israeli crimes.

Continued below.

ETA: Try this link instead:

John C. Todaro, 49, of Amherst was arrested for promoting a sexual performance by a child (D felony) and possessing a sexual performance by a child (E felony), according to New York State Police.

Todaro, the vice president and active member of Bikers Against Child Abuse Buffalo Chapter, had opportunities to be around children and child victims, police said.

Just four Democrats voted for the bill. No one should be against this bill. Note the article has the usual Democrat false accusations.

"We can chart a course for Mars in line with the president's vision to return to the moon before the Chinese can get there and figure out the space economy and do the other things."

Donald Trump's pick for NASA chief shares the president's ambitious Mars goals.

In his inaugural address on Jan. 20, Trump said the U.S. "will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars."


Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut Trump has tapped to lead the agency, echoed those desires during his nomination hearing today (April 9) before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Continued below.

When we believe in Jesus Christ with God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in him, which is not of our own doing, but which comes from God, and which is directed by God, we die with Christ to sin so that we can now live to God and to his righteousness, in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living. Our old self is put to death with Christ in order that we will no longer live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For when we are enslaved to sin, we are under the wrath of God, and we will die in our sins.

And how can we be sure whether or not we are, indeed, the children of God? Romans 6 and Romans 8 give us many instructions on that subject so that we can know if we are truly God’s children, or not. And they tell us the true signs that we are the children of God are that we have died with Christ to sin and we are now walking (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, and that sin no longer is our practice. By the Spirit we should be putting sin to death daily and walking in obedience to our Lord.

Therefore we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies so that we obey its lusts, for if sin is what we obey, it will result in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in righteousness and sanctification, and its end is eternal life with Christ, our Lord. So then, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live (see Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14).

So, when this says here that the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him, this is not independent of Romans 6 and Romans 8, in whole. It is not independent of the New Testament teachings under the New Covenant, as a whole, too. We cannot just claim we are in Christ or that we believe in Jesus and then declare ourselves to be the children of God.

We are children of God if we have died with Christ to sin and we are walking in obedience to his commands, in lifestyle, in practice. And this is not saying that we will be absolutely perfect in every way or that we will never sin again. It is not even saying that we could not have a short time when we wandered from our pure devotion to the Lord and needed to be brought back to repentance and to renewed faith in the Lord. But if sin is our practice, and not walks of obedience to God, in lifestyle, we will not inherit eternal life.

For “the suffering” which this talks about begins with us dying with Christ to sin and us putting sin to death in our lives and us now walking in obedience to our Lord. And as we do that, we will also suffer unjust treatment at the hands of those who oppose us and what we stand for and for what we do in obedience to our Lord. For we will have enemies, and they could be anyone, even others who profess faith in Jesus but who are living a lie and not the truth of God’s word, for the lie allows them to keep walking in their sins.

[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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If We Suffer With Him
An Original Work / April 10, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The US tariff war with the rest of the world has highlighted the rise of Chinese trade dominance and the destruction of competitors by Chinese companies worldwide.

The Chinese strategy has been :

1. steal the design
2. reverse engineer the design
3. mass produce in home market and build up corporate presence there
   go international:
4. destroy local competition with subsidized goods
5. raise prices and profits when locals destroyed
6. Buy up competitor firms with profits made

The Western world has been remarkably blind to this strategy and done little to counter it. Now many fear it might be too late for a great many industries. But the USA has the economic weight to take on China and is now doing so in an effort to re-shore jobs and industry. It is doing this for entirely selfish reasons but it raises the question of how Europe should also be dealing with China.

Can Trump break Chinese dominance or is it already too late?
What should America's allies be doing for their part in this trade war?
Should they stay aligned with the USA or adopt their own approach? Should Europe impose a similar tariff regime on competitors and develop a regional self-sufficiency or stay globalized in their outlook?

The consideration here is that in many cases Chinese products help keep prices low for the poorest members of a society versus the destruction of local jobs and industries that often results. Can we avoid a strategic overdependence on China and the wholesale massacre of local industries without losing out on the obvious advantages of trading with this massive and growing market?

A half of a billion dollars worth of cocaine and Marijuana was seized by the US Coast Guard with assistance from the DOJ, and the FBI.

At a time of intense deal negotiations with major world leaders - many of whom do not play by the book - who is profiting from the turmoil?

We all know that it is Trump making the final decision on the various national deals whatever the size of the team behind him, ironing out the details. What sweeteners have been thrown into the mix for Trump to agree to deals? What is he throwing his pals way? The potential for corruption here at this crucial moment in global trade history is enormous.

Why am I worried?

1) Look at the link above where Trump told his people to buy stocks hours before announcing the 90 day pause on sanctions. The stock market rose in response.
2) This president was convicted of Fraud, so we know how he plays the lines between righteous and unrighteous trading and regards the legal system as a tool, not a guide to right and wrong. He has also made very clear his contempt for the international rule book. His Art of the Deal has little to do with honesty and is all about results.
3) A volatile market in which rises and falls occur frequently can be immensely profitable if you have the inside track on what is going to happen. Trump is driving the markets here not the other way around.

Who is getting rich from these troubles? What is their connection to Trump?

So the problem I have now not only am I psychopathic but I was extremely evil u could say worse than some Netflix documentaries I don’t feel remorse or empathy or love I only feel pain, pleasure, anger sometimes enjoyment, I was baptised under Church of Scotland as a baby so if I decided to become catholic I will have to confess all my sins to priest I can almost guarantee what he would here is the worst he has ever heard and most likely never forget a lot of the sins I have committed I also have committed so many since been a baby that it would be weeks maybe months of confession and even then I have done so much I will no way ever remember them all, or if I go the other way Protestant I pray for forgiveness myself and go to church 1 day a week on a Sunday? I just feel being a Protestant seems easier but that does not mean it’s the right path but then catholics believe if u die with even 1 mortal sin you go to hell currently that is unfortunately where I am headed even tho I believe I love Jesus in my own way and believe he is our saviour… honestly it’s a hard one and I want to be a good person I don’t want to be evil but I have been as close to evil than most people.

Isn't it a lovely day today. I am new to the forum but could not remember if I had said, Hello to everyone.
So making it official... Hello to each and every single member.