Do you think AI can be used for the Kingdom? I mean, I usually struggled to tell people about Jesus, but the app iEvangelize (https://www.ievangelize.app) made evangelizing easier for me than ever before.

It generated amazing conversation starters, and I used to share the gospel with people easily.
Take a look and tell me what you guys think.

I got to say if presented with an advertised boneless chicken wing, I would assume it did not contain bones.

It angers me but more than anything it makes me sad. I'm sad to see Jesus and the last supper mocked this way.

“I will be going back to Butler, Pennsylvania for a big and beautiful rally, honoring the soul of our beloved firefighting hero, Corey, and those brave patriots injured two weeks ago. What a day it will be — fight, fight fight! Stay tuned for details,” Trump wrote.
Other U.S. leaders could use some of Trump's courage.

I'm not talking about the non-deplorable Magadonians, of which no doubt there are legion, but the ones who do embrace the alt-right, have a problem with Usha Vance because too much the racist and misogynistic garbage they want to throw at Harris applies to the wife of the VP candidate and then some - she is a practicing Hindu as well as a Yale educated lawyer. Her parents are immigrants, similar to Harris'.

Will they embrace this not-one-of-them, will they bite their collective tongues for the meanwhile or will they simply ignore the elephant in the room?

In US politics, conspiracies are rife – and many more emerged in the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Tackling them requires us to see conspiracism differently, says researcher Sophia Knight.

Within minutes of Saturday's attempted assassination on former US President Donald Trump, conspiracy theories started to swirl online.Without any evidence, people spread claims that the incident was everything from a hoax to a plot. Swept up in a divisive presidential campaign, online voices spun up explanations to fill in the details of the day's shocking events.

Conspiracy theories are not new in American politics. Adherents of QAnon – a wide-ranging political conspiracy movement – were among those who caused chaos at the Capitol on 6 January 2021, while there are many still invested in conspiracy theories regarding the assassination of former President John F Kennedy more than 60 years ago. From such experiences, we know the division, discord and disintegration of trust they breed can be extremely damaging to a democracy's health.

So, what do we do about this rising tide of conspiracism? Most importantly, the answer is not to just try and prove people wrong. Any attempt to debunk a conspiracy has a good chance of backfiring, playing into established narratives of "the elite" or "deep state" censoring the truth.

Continued below.

Hey there folks, Im Joseph 50ish guy near Glasgow in Scotland.

I became a Christian in 1992 in a charismatic evangelical church in the south of England.

When i moved back to Scotland i found my Christian journey a great deal harder to engage with, and thus over the years ive come and gone from different churches. And am now still in that neverzone.

I work fulltime as a carer for an elderly family member and thus spare time is at a premium.

In the coming days and weeks whilst i get used to this place I may pose some questions that are important to me, and would hope i can become part of this community.

For now thanks for having me and lets see how this part of journey pans out.

Joseph

Bill Barr complicit in misleading voter fraud statement’s release – watchdog​

The former attorney general Bill Barr was personally involved in a decision to release an unusual and misleading justice department statement on the eve of the 2020 election suggesting there may have been voter fraud in Pennsylvania, according to a new inspector general’s report that was released on Thursday.

The 76-page report from the justice department’s Office of the Inspector General focused on the department’s handling of an investigation into nine military ballots that were found discarded in the trash in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. Barr briefed Trump on the ballot issue before it was public and the president subsequently disclosed it in a radio interview. David Freed, the US attorney overseeing the matter, also released a statement and letter detailing the investigation.

The announcement was highly charged because it came at a time when Trump was warning the election would be rigged because of mail-in ballots. It was also highly unusual – justice department policy does not allow employees to comment on ongoing investigations before charges are filed, except in limited circumstances.

[Per WaPo: Barr met with Trump before Freed made his statement, according to the report, and told Trump the discarded ballots were votes for him [later it would turn out that 7 of 9 were for Trump, with the other two unknown] — details that had not yet been made public. The next day, Trump repeated that information on a national radio show.]

investigators quickly became aware that evidence might not exist to support criminal charges. The seasonal employee who discarded the ballots appeared to have a mental disability, FBI agents noted on 22 September, and was “remorseful”, “felt horrible” and “never voted/doesn’t vote/didn’t pay attention to it”. The suspect, who was quickly fired, reportedly believed incorrectly the military ballots were fraudulent and discarded them without telling anyone.

Freed and other justice department employees considered releasing a statement in late October 2020 when they decided to close the investigation without charges. The department’s public integrity section had wanted to issue a press release to correct the false public impression about the possibility of fraud, but ultimately the department did not. It was not until 15 January 2021 – well after election day – that the Department of Justice released a statement saying it was closing the investigation.

Barr’s behavior “was certainly not consistent” with [DOJ] guidance, the report said. Barr did not agree to a voluntary interview and the inspector general does not have the power to subpoena testimony from former justice department employees.

Freed, who was the US attorney for the middle district of Pennsylvania at the time, violated justice department policies on not commenting on ongoing investigations and a requirement to consult with the department’s public integrity section before making a statement.

see also

Hello, im sorry if im posting this in the wrong area I'm new a bit confused with the layout.

I recently got diagnosed with a lifelong illness I will always have to take medication for, after being on short term medication I finally got long term medication.

My problem is I've struggled with various types of intrusive thoughts/obsessive compulsive ideas for years now. This was made even worse when someone I know told me something along the lines of ' be careful, if you take X medication you might corrupt your DNA and go to hell, one reason God flooded the world is because nephilim and humans mixed '. I don't know how much truth there is to this and I don't believe that would happen but my obsessive compulsive tendencies don't care, I can't help but worry, so much so I went through a lot of work to get different medication.

Outside of that I have other worries ' it's the mark of the beast ' even though I know it's not, and among other things. I'm not really sure what to do and I can't overcome this fear, everyday I don't start this medication I get sicker eventually I would have to go to the hospital. Its stressful. I've considered getting professional help but I don't feel comfortable going to a doctor and telling them I feel like I have OCD tendencies.

Thank you for your time please pray for me.

As the title suggests, I want to know how I can reach a humility and faith like David’s in the psalms. Right now I find that I’m double minded and I don’t have repentance or God in mind at all. It’s only when I really think about it that I care. I have a faulty repentance in the sense that I keep going back to my sins even though I know it’s wrong and I know that there’s something hard god wants me to do and it’s the right thing to do (I won’t go into it exactly) however I don’t want to do it as audacious as that sounds. My heart is still very much calloused but I want to try and change without being lazy about it. That’s why i question whether I genuinely want to repent. I also still fear that I’ve reached a point where God would ‘deny’ me repentance because my sins were so bad.

We are looking into new technology atmospheric water generators for a potential drinking water solution. In the deep south, our average humidity is about 70%, making water from air possible (the humidity for the last month has been in the 90s). It is a little expensive. I am concerned about maintenance.

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Before this gets memory-holed, and Democrats start engaging in revisionist history. And this is from CNN

....President Biden made the right decision to exit the presidential race. It's rare for any political decision to rank so high....

"In the latest New York Times/Siena College poll, released on Thursday, 87 percent of registered voters approved of his decision to drop out. Only 9 percent disapproved."


Share of Americans, or U.S. voters, who…

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was fooled into boarding a U.S.-bound private plane with Joaquin Guzmán, El Chapo’s son, who was also detained, a DHS official said.

A longtime senior leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Ismael Zambada Garcia, or “El Mayo,” and a son of famed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán were taken into custody Thursday by U.S. authorities in Texas, according to senior Mexican and U.S. officials. It was a major blow to the Sinaloa federation, a global drug-trafficking syndicate considered the No. 1 supplier of fentanyl to the United States.

A Department of Homeland Security official with knowledge of the arrest said Zambada was fooled into boarding a private plane bound for the United States with the former drug lord’s son, also named Joaquin Guzmán.

The elder Guzmán was arrested in 2016 and convicted of multiple drug charges in the United States. He is serving a life sentence in a Colorado maximum-security prison. He and Zambada were considered co-founders of the Sinaloa cartel.

U.S. had targeted Sinaloa cartel fentanyl production​

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed that U.S. authorities had “taken into custody” both Zambada and the younger Guzmán on Thursday in El Paso. They face multiple U.S. charges, including for involvement in the cartel’s “deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks,” according to his statement.

The operation appeared to be part of a deal with Guzmán; it was not clear what potential benefits his family might receive. The two men were arrested in El Paso by the FBI, officials familiar with the operation told The Washington Post.

El Chapo’s son Joaquin had been under pressure from his family to turn himself in to U.S. authorities, according to a former U.S. official with knowledge of the joint investigation by the FBI, DEA and Homeland Security Investigations agents.

[Zambada] is also in a position to provide U.S. authorities with information on corrupt Mexican officials, Callery noted. “We’ll see who he is willing to give up,” he said.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham dives into what's happening at the World Economic Forum and what the Great Reset means.

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It seems a main contention regarding the function of Church today boils down to the relationship between power and love.

We have those who quote 1 Cor 13 as if its message eclipses 1 Cor 12 - yet the great commission and indeed the actions of early believers confirm that unity and community was foundational and the gifts were operating to confirm the Kingdom coming to both Jew and Gentile.

Sadly neither of the two main camps attempting to grab the attention of believers and the unsaved have successfully combined these two foundational elements of faith.

Firstly, those who insist on Love and deny power - reducing the actions of believers to study, personal devotion and gathering, deny the empowering that evidences the Kingdom.
Such gatherings try to touch the world, but are powerless to demonstrate the Kingship of Jesus over evil bondages, sickness and disease.
Such gatherings do well to preserve fundamental truths but sadly have become little more than a museum to a faith that once was.

Secondly those who insist on Power, in the main lack the Love - the ingredient that in combination with genuine divine power, should testify to the new and living Kingdom.
The very essential foundation on which the gifts evidencing the Kingdom need to operate is Love and Unity.
This requires necessary community in which these gifts genuinely develop, the least are heard and His Voice eventually prevails.
Sadly few make this journey because the cost is high in working through inevitable relationship issues - it is much easier to just Lord it over and present a staged version of the kingdom in action.

There is a third group who stand on the liturgical traditions, as if form and control are essential to true fellowship. They maintain an orderly presentation of His Living Kingdom. In this the transition from temple to meeting house is largely lost and healthy community is also very rare.


So this is a call to review what it means to gather in Him - a return to first Love - sharing and equality - Worship and Love never ceasing - leadership that does not 'Lord it Over'
This will be attractive to the World, this is essential to true evangelism (John 17:23 "I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me".)

Community is a natural response to persecution - this is why the Jews are so good at it.

Let's return to First Love before we are forced to - as hatred of the faith increases.

Salt Lake City was awarded the 2034 Winter Olympic Games and an IOC meeting in Paris. From what I understand, many of the venues used in the 2002 Olympics will be reused, after updates, for the 2034 games. The venues are all still in use, with a trust account of money, from the 2002 games, being used to fund operation and upkeep of the facilities. They are largely used for training, particularly for youth to get involved in winter sports. The hope is to do the same, for the 2034 Olympics to leave a further legacy of facilities that are used for youth training.

One other new idea that Salt Lake is planning is to create a "village," somewhat similar to the athletes village, for the families of the athletes. It is something Lindsey Vonn, a former Olympian who is a part of the SLC Organizing Committee, came up with to help improve things for the athletes -- that athletes won't have to worry about their families being able to find housing (particularly affordable housing) or transportation.

Palmer pilot who flew with revoked credentials claimed to be ‘free citizen,’ feds say​

Alaska’s U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement Monday that William Marsan, 56, is accused of operating an aircraft without an airman certificate, operating an unregistered aircraft and operating an aircraft displaying a false registration mark. The case began in June of 2023, when the close call involving Marsan’s Piper Cherokee was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Marsan did not radio his intention to take off from an airport in Palmer and operated the aircraft against the flow of landing traffic, resulting in a near mid-air collision with another aircraft attempting to land,” officials said in the statement.

The FAA’s investigation led it to issue an emergency revocation of Marsan’s pilot certificate in January. Marsan had 10 days to file an appeal, but did not do so.

“Nevertheless, (Marsan) has continued to operate the aircraft without registration, with an obscured identification number, and without a valid pilot certificate through the date of this indictment,” prosecutors wrote.

Who will help their presidential candidate more? Vance or the Democratic nominee, likely Shapiro or Kelly.

pass the popcorn for the debate.

Maybe Vance can solidify the Republican base in Ohio.

In an effort to deliver the most environmentally friendly and self-sustaining Olympics in modern times, local organizers did not equip the athlete village with air conditioning. Additionally, all furniture is made of pressed cardboard that can be recycled after the Games.

That may be good for sustainability but not so much for athletes in need of recovery and rest.
“I sat on the bed and said, ‘Oh, oh my. Help,’” Landi said. “Additionally temperature wise, it was just a little harsh. We just needed some comfort.”
Many athletes from around the world, including the U.S. gymnasts, brought their own air conditioners to chill the air. The gymnasts, though, are uniquely advantaged by the BedJet topper.

I am a new follower in Christ and am trying wrap my mind around one particular concept in the scripture and I could be way off with my interpretation. In the Gospels they speak of the Transfiguration of Christ. I understand what it was and what happened. However, my question is does the Transfiguration count as a sign that Jesus is the Lord and Son of God? There are many instances where He preaches that a sign will not be delivered because of the wickedness and sinful nature of the current generation and they don't deserve a sign. I could be way off in this thought but wanted some opinions. Thank you all.

I’m planning on going to a new hair salon and I was looking at their website. It has the names, pictures, bios etc. of their stylists. I noticed that two or three male stylists had he/him behind their names. At first I thought it seemed odd but it didn’t occur to me what it meant. Then I remembered it means they’re transsexuals, but I Googled it to be sure. These women’s pictures really look like men. They had me fooled. Has anyone here ever had an experience like this?

Paris Olympic officials attempted to offer more plant-based foods in an effort to reduce the Games' carbon footprint. While there is a variety of cuisine available to accommodate the tastes of different countries — and an abundance of baguettes in France — vegan meals aren't in line with what the athletes prefer to eat while competing.

One British athlete told the Times that the food situation is chaotic compared to the well organized facilities in Tokyo.

The Village provides approximately 40,000 meals a day with 3,300 seats available in the facility's main restaurant. Some countries can't get meals anywhere else but the Village, while Great Britain's athletes are housed in a part of the village near the River Seine that has a separate restaurant and performance lounge.

I've been a Confirmed Catholic for at least ten years now and I'm going to my first Confession in two days.

Does anyone have any advice?

I don't want to take up too much of the Priest's time. Do people normally get into things that they did before their conversion? I know the main thing I struggle with. Do people mostly get into what they continue to struggle with or do they get into everything they have done naming every sin that one can remember?

I know I shouldn't be nervous but I'm a bit intimidated by the process. Can one confess that they want Reconciliation for every sin remembered or not remembered or are we supposed to name each sin one by one? I remember most things that I have done but I don't remember every single one and the ones I do remember, I don't always know when it happened. For example, is it possible to receive absolution when you know that you have committed sins that you don't remember? It would be very difficult to remember every impure or lustful thought. Can one still be absolved in that situation?

I appreciate your feedback

I assume the chef thing is just for identification, not related to the plot.

Paris Olympics: Russian chef arrested over plot to 'provoke hostilities'​

During a raid at his apartment on the right bank of the Seine on Sunday, officers found documents believed to be linked with Russia's special forces, which are a part of the security agency FSB.