Ok, it’s my understanding that Catholicism teaches that heaven is not a physical place in space so I’ve asked this before, either here or on another forum, but where are Enoch and Elijah if heaven isn’t a physical place? They aren’t among the planets. They aren’t floating around in outer space, yet they were taken to heaven and were not glorified. I just don’t get it. Anyone?

Yeah, it's something like this these days, isn't it? We maximize the meaning of other's wrongdoing while diminishing the meaning of what we, ourselves do wrong.

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I mean, politics and business seems to be rife with this sort of erroneous thinking.

Then again, this video above is 6 years old. Maybe people and politics have changed and when people point the finger, they're now right?

Pence called the tariffs the largest tax increase ever.

If the reciprocal taxes are removed (they have been delayed) this will still be the largest tax increase since 1982.
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I expect our overall tax rate to be a bit lower than now after the new wonderful Trump bill. Of course, prices will be much higher except for oil which will be less as it always is during a downturn. Of course, we have among the lowest tax rates in the industrial world with government services to match.

For decades, America has been a place where other nations could safely
invest. And the Republican Party has held the image of fiscal responsibility.

The president's eratic declaring of tariffs, has changed the global perception that
America is a safe and predictable place to invest.

The Panicans are sounding the alarm again, and trying to make the markets plunge!​

The 10 year treasury yield had its largest weekly rise since 2001, and the dollar is devaluing at the same time... so what? When a patient gets out of surgery, they will be sick for a little while before they get better.​

If the president was a democrat, the media would be completely silent about this.

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Fed’s Kashkari says rising bond yields, falling dollar show investors are moving on from the U.S.​

Fossil jawbone reveals mysterious Denisovans lived in ancient Taiwan​

First confirmed fossil found outside Siberia and the Tibetan Plateau shows the archaic human also lived in hot climates​

In 2008, Kun-Yu Tsai was shopping for antiques in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City when an unusual relic caught his eye: a brownish jawbone with blackened, thickset teeth that fishermen had dredged up from the nearby Penghu Channel. An amateur fossil hunter, Kun-Yu recognized the mysterious jawbone as human—but noticed it was distinct from modern mandibles. Intrigued, he bought the fossil and later donated it to Taiwan’s National Museum of Natural Science.

An analysis of ancient proteinspreserved within the fossil, published today in Science, pegs the jawbone as belonging to a Denisovan, a close cousin of Neanderthals that lived from roughly 400,000 years to 30,000 years ago. Previous confirmed fossils of the enigmatic hominin were found only in the cold, high-altitude climes of Siberia and the Tibetan Plateau. But Penghu 1, as the jawbone is known, shows Denisovans were also at home in humid lowland tropics, says Fabrice Demeter, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Copenhagen (KU) who wasn’t involved with the work.

The first Denisovan remains were uncovered by Russian scientists in Siberia’s Denisova Cave in 2008.

Hmmm... that's the same year this jawbone was found.

An official familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News that days after Vance's visit, Col. Sussanah Meyers wrote an email to base personnel that distanced the base from some of the vice president's comments about Denmark, of which Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory.

Military.com was the first to report the contents of the email, in which it said Meyers suggested that Vance's criticisms of Denmark were not shared by Pituffik.

During his visit, Vance accused Denmark of failing to provide adequate security against "very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China and from other nations." The vice president underscored President Donald Trump's repeated suggestion that the U.S. needs to acquire Greenland for national security reasons.

[Without having read the letter, I assume this was indeed a misstep by the commander. If you're non-political, you're non-political.]

Many have made comparisons between Trump and two well-known autocrats from the 1930's-40's, but a new one is making the rounds now: Trump and Mao. It's more novel (at least to me), but also strikes me as being potentially more accurate, with Mao's emphasis on personalist propaganda; his purging and destruction of elite institutions; his revenge after losing and then returning to power; and his exaltation of rural life physical labor over urban life and the knowledge economy.

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.

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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.

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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”.

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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.

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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.

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