The historic trial centered on what happened in and around the Secretariat of State’s 350 million-euro purchase of an investment property in London between 2014 and 2018.

Judges delivered a verdict in the Vatican’s financial corruption trial on Saturday sentencing Cardinal Angelo Becciu to more than five years in prison and convicting five other defendants.

Cardinal Becciu, the Pope’s former chief of staff, is the highest ranking Vatican official ever to face a trial in the Vatican’s criminal court. The 75-year-old Italian cardinal was found guilty of several counts of embezzlement.

The cardinal was sentenced to five and half years in prison, a permanent disqualification from holding public office, and a fine equal to more than $8,000.

The Vatican court’s president, Giuseppe Pignatone, read aloud the verdict on Dec. 16 in the culmination of the nearly two-and-a-half-year-long saga of the Vatican’s “Trial of the Century,” which sat for 86 sessions.

Continued below.

The Congress recently voted (along party lines, of course) to open an official impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. I know that this post is in the politics category but I don't wish to make it a partisan political discussion but rather a constitutional one about the process itself. It should not be a partisan issue as while it affects one party at the moment the precedent it sets may affect political figures on both sides of the aisle for generations to come.

This is uncharted territory and a true precedent. First of note is that they are not calling it an "Impeachment Investigation" but rather a "inquiry". There have been 6 impeachment investigations against 4 different Presidents. Those investigations have led to 4 impeachments, 1 for Andrew Johnson, 1 for Bill Clinton and 2 for Donald Trump. Andrew Johnson had one investigation that did not lead to impeachment and a second which did and James Buchanan had an investigation which did not lead to impeachment. So, what is so different this time? It's all in the reason it's an inquiry.

In every impeachment investigation to date, it was an investigation into credible evidence of alleged acts. In the case of Johnson, it was a direct violation of the 'Tenure of Office Act" over illegally firing the Secretary of War and appointing a interim one without congressional approval. And a second one for a violation of the "Command of Army Act". Clinton was accused of lying under oath when testifying about the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Donald Trump's first impeachment was on 2 charges. The first was "Abuse of power by "pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals ahead of the 2020 election while withholding a White House meeting and $400 million in U.S. security aid from Kyiv." The second was "Obstruction of Congress by directing defiance of subpoenas issued by the House and ordering officials to refuse to testify." His second impeachment, of course was based on several acts he engaged in relating to the Jan 6 riots. Note the one thing that all these had in common. The investigation was into an identified act that the President had done. It was simply a matter of whether that act rose to the level of warranting impeachment. The difference this time is that while the House has spent the last 3 months investigating to see if they can find anything on the President and to date has alleged no act that might warrant impeachment. They simply opened an "impeachment inquiry" to see if they can't find an act that they haven't yet found, all with no evidence that such act even exists.

If you think of the Congressional Impeachment process as the court of law for federal employees, then this is analogous to a court saying, I think we'll hold a preliminary hearing to determine if you might have committed a crime even though there's no evidence you have and no one has credible assertions that you have. What are the implications for such a precedent? My research indicates this is the first time an American citizen has had a formal inquiry from a law enforcement agency or congress into whether they committed a crime with no evidence and even no credible allegation that they have done anything wrong. Is this precedent dangerous? Any thoughts on the future implications?

There are seven visible colors of the spectrum.

A member here at CF just pointed out this rudimentary fact

It got me to thinking.

All of the colors are contained in white light; and darkness is the absence of light.

When we break down white light into its' components; red is at the low end of the spectrum, with violet at the high end of the spectrum.

אדם means red; and violet is associated with royalty.

Years ago, at my Messianic congregation, one of the members brought forth a teaching.

He claimed that red represents Yah's fury; and that blue represents Yah's love.

In color mixtures, mixing true blue with true red will yield purple.

Comments?

Thoughts?

works salvation people will say that the Thief was extra biblically water baptized by John beforehand, or believed in Jesus before. but in Matthew 27:44, Mark 15:32 the thieves both Reviled Lord Jesus Christ, cast the same in his teeth. they were clearly both unsaved. Yet we see revealed in Lukes Gospel, one of the Thieves repents (changes his mind) and calls on the name of the Lord to be saved Luke 23:39-43, and Jesus saves him.

Matthew 27:38-44

38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

Mark 15:27-32

27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,

30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.

31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.

32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

Here we see in verse 32 that the thieves did in fact revile Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 23:39-43

39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Here we see one of the thieves repented (changed his mind) and Believed on Lord Jesus, called on his name to be saved. Nothing is put in the Bible by accident, this story was clearly put in by God as a picture of salvation.

And the people who say "The thief couldn't haved been saved by faith because Jesus didn't die yet" that is false because all throughout the Old Testament we see people justified by grace through faith, calling on the name of the Lord. Abel Genesis 4:4, Noah Genesis 6:8, Abraham Genesis 15:6 . Hebrews 11 lists Abel Enoch, Sarah, Moses, Jacob, Isaac, Joseph, Gedeon, and of Barak, Samson, and of Jephthae; of David, and Samuel, as being justified by faith. Salvation has always been by grace through faith. Always. There has never been different ways of salvation, it has always been by grace through faith.

Romans 4:2-5

2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

I see a lot of people quote Luke 23:39-43 and rightly so, but I never see anyone bring up Matthew 27:38-44, or Mark 15:27-32 which is frustrating because one of the things works salvationists, lose your salvation people will hit you with is "Oh the Thief on the cross was saved beforehand, or water baptized beforehand" but that's biblically false and that is extra biblical nonsense.

In an attempt to dispel misinformation, the advice of the World Health Organization has offered it’s explanation over pro and con non-vaccine treatments for the Covid virus. Missing are those two leading remedies such as Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin, others in their rundown?


From the cry of thousands of physicians, medical scientist (17K) observing the tenet FIRST, DO NO HARM, those who ordinarily should not be restricted from prescribing safe and effective treatments, have themselves this commitment to address C19, starting in September, 2021 carried that loyalty central to the public’s need in one voice:


Anyone with information to update, please include in comment.

Here's Wendy Bagwell. He says it better than I ever could. Login to view embedded media

Psalm 10 v 4
The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.
-----
are some people more prone to search for God?

Do others actively try to avoid the things of God?

Sorry folks I don’t have the literally skill set to condense this subject no more than I have.

If Christians or anyone does not understand the ages they cannot fully grasp the WORD of GOD. Just as scientist are locked into darkness who don’t take from the WORD of GOD and make up non-truths to explain the ages. The only way to get truth is through the Biblical accounts.

There are 3 Heaven and Earth ages; called dispensations of time.

To say the first days were literal 24 hour days cannot be when the lights that institute a 24 hour period: the sun, moon, and stars that causes seasons and days were not even created until 4th day. At very least we can deduct that these 4 days were not 24 hour periods.

Biblical inspirations show the Apostles and prophets knew of the mystery of these ages. There is the 1st age that GOD created when HE created all the living Souls (Ruach) at once for HIS pleasure. The earth was created and filled with life and HE created the Ruach in HIS own image-SPIRIT form to rule over her. Lasting millions if not billions of years. If true scientist are correct and no reason not to believe their dating of the earth being 4 billion years old. We have proof of the 1st age when we see dinosaur’s skeletons all over the world that are billions of years old.

It was a perfect paradise with no jet streams or any kind of weather or geological formations that cause catastrophic events we have in this age. We have found Dinosaurs with buttercups still in their mouths under the frozen tundra of Alaska. We Find Sea shells just as created billions of years ago embedded in rocks on tops of mountains because of the firmament that once was above us crashed down at an instance.

A majority of Christians have denied and many still believe because they never have been taught that the Bible does not say the earth is 6k years old, but billions. However, our dated time started with the 8th day creation of- Heb. eth-haadam-the man Adam: The Bible declares this age of flesh man began around 13k years ago. Science and the Bible agree with the account; the ice age ended with the last woolly mammoth dated to the timeline. .

The first 5 days were at least 1k year periods for a day with the LORD is as a 1k years with man. First 4 days could have even lasted thousands of years. I personally believe that this age began 13k years ago. That is when GODS SPIRIT moved over the re-created earth age melting the ice covered earth.

2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

This age was created in 6 days then GOD rested the 7th from HIS work and then on 8th day formed (Heb. Eth-haadam=The man Adam). By Peter’s reckoning we can say from where our dated time starts with Adam 8th day; 7k years of creation until now some 6k years we come to 13k years. This is the time scientist and archeologists say that period ended (glacier age). Bible is accurate in stating this too. Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Period doesn’t say when but we know its millions to 4 billion years old.

2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Old=Gr. Strong’s 1597- ekpalai- of old, long time ago; Heavens =plural in reference to 3 ages.
Peter saying some people are willingly ignorant of the fact even though science and the Bible proves of a 1st earth age before this age, a time of perfect creation that lasted eons of time.

2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

Strongs: Perished Gr. apollumi-root of Satan’s name Apollyon: (to destroy fully); from Apo=575 and base of 3639=olethros from primary (ollumi-to destroy, death, punishment, destruction). A total, complete destruction, not the flood of Noah where it was localized to the giants and the fallen with their abominations of seducing flesh women with a sole purpose of destroying the seed line that the CHRIST child would come from. Rev 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (GR. Appollyon=a destroyer) Abaddon in Heb. identified in names of old and New Testament so no one is deceived by who is the cause of the destruction, his name is destroyer/death. Apol'lyon. Apollyon or, as it is literally in the margin of the KJ Authorized Version of Rev_9:11, "the destroyer", is the rendering of the Hebrew word.

The first flood to destroy the first age of a perfect earth, a paradise; because of the perversion of Satan and those that fallowed. It was perfect when the dinosaurs roamed with 16 billion perfect beings (us) no huge bodies of water on the land; the ocean was above us protecting all of earth from dark space. We were living in houses made of precious stones and metals that would last an eternity, no such word as death until the falling star (Satan).

2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Earth and heaven that are now the 2nd age, flood of the 1st earth age was a total destruction of that earth age. This time GOD will destroy both Heaven and Earth in a consuming fire that consumes the wicked, and all negative evil rudiments; a consuming fire that totally consumes where there will not even be a remembrance, just as while in the flesh we have no remembrance of the 1st age.

perdition Gr.-apoleia-destruction, die, perish = Lucifer is only entity named by name and sentenced to perish, the idiom ‘dead man walking’ comes from this; the perishing (consumed by fire because God is a consuming fire) of those that choose not to fallow God, perish forever never to be thought of or heard of again Apollyon.

Isaiah 24:Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

1st age GOD had completely destroyed, the perfect paradise where nothing survived. We were created in this age innocent and have no remembrance of it to start this age with a clean slate, so to speak; Ecc 1:11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

Heb 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. GOD shook the earth turning completely upside down; continents that once were connected split apart causing massive continental shifts that separated the land and continents we see today. Geological plates crashing together creating turmoil in the atmosphere and earth causing volcanos, earthquakes atmospheric disruptions; volcanic explosions killing off dinosaurs, causing mountains to explode.

The firmament (ocean above) fell in HIS fury And the ocean that once above crashed down at 1 very instant of time washing everything with a rush of fury. GOD shook the earth in 1st age at the rebellion of Satan and destroyed everything on it. (Gr. Kataballo-from Gr. 2596 and 906; -to throw down-cast down- fall down) from or sense foundation-GR. Katabole=founding; conception-conceive- Foundation. Destroying everything on earth; not the geological flood of Noah where the purpose was not to destroy 2nd age but the abominations of the fallen angels.
Firmament that was over head (oceans as we know it) was cast to the ground; The oceans we see today that make up 70% of the area on earth cast down in a swift total destruction and froze over because GOD was not here to warm, light the world. Nothing to protect her, the cold darkness of space was a swift icing of the earth-led to what man termed glacier period. Not as Noah’s flood that was a regional flood to destroy the abominations of the 7k fallen angels.

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Manuscripts tell us the 1st word was =it became void, wasn’t created that way. 2nd was –omit, (was added); it became void when Satan and his cronies rebelled; God doesn’t create anything in vain.

Isa_45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

GOD formed the earth with HIS own 2 hands in 1st age, just as 8th day man “The man Adam” HE formed while the others were created. 1st Adam GOD formed with HIS hands because through him would become the 2nd Adam –our MESSIAH. 2nd age was a re-creation of the 1st formation but was no longer perfect paradise as 1st. 1st formation was perfect without storms, jet stream or volcanos etc.

Without form; (Heb. Strongs 8414-tohu; to-hoo-utterly destroyed); God did not create it that way, he created it beautiful with his own hands to be inhabited forever as a perfect paradise. This explains Gen.1:2 where it says was void and without form...it became that way, God doesn’t create anything void- Heb. Strongs 922-bohu =an indistinguishable ruin and Heb.-tohu-utterly destroyed! It was a total destruction where everything was destroyed because of downfall of Satan; everything! Plants, animals, cities.

Paul was fully aware of the ages and explained them to the Ephesians. Many scholars have proclaimed that the first 3 chapters of Ephesians are hard to understand, confusing many would be Christians. if they just took the blinders off and come to the full knowledge that there are 3 earth and 3 heaven ages the confusion would be erased and easy to understand fitting like a glove on the hand.
Eph 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Foundation of the world ( from Companion Bible-Bullinger)
To arrive at the true meaning of the expression you have to know there are 2 definitions for it> NT=themelios; and katabole.
The noun themelios occurs in Lk 6:48, 49;14:29. Acts 16:26. Rom 15:20; 1 Cor. 3:10,11,12. Eph. 2:20. 1 Tim. 6:19, 2Tim. 2:10. Heb. 6:1; 11:10. Rev. 21:14,19.
It is never used of the word (kosmos) or the earth (ge). The corresponding verb (themelioo) occurs in Math. 7:25; Luke 6:48. Eph. 3:17; Col.1:23. Heb. 1:10 and 1Pet.5:10. The verb is only once used of earth (ge) Heb. 1:10.
A comparison of all these passages shows that these are proper and regular terms for the English words "to found" and "foundation".

The noun, katabole occurs in Math13:35; 25:34. Lk. 11:50. John 17:24, Eph. 1:4, Heb. 4:3; 9:26; 11:11. 1Pet. 1:20, Rev 13:8; 17:8 and the corresponding verb (kataballo) in 2 Cor. 4:9; Heb. 6:1 and Rev 12:10.
A comparison of all these passages (especially 2 Cor4:9 and Rev 12:10) will show that kataballo and katabole are not the proper terms for founding and foundation, but the correct meaning is casting down and overthrow.

Consistency, therefore, calls for the same translation in Heb. 6:1, where, instead of "not laying again", the rendering should be "not casting down".
Accordingly the noun katabole ought to be translated "disruption" or "ruin".

On November 28, detectives with the Mount Dora Police Department seized Brett Baldwin's iPhone while executing a search warrant on his home, court records show.

A complaint from Homeland Security alleges that a Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agent discovered that Brett Baldwin possessed multiple videos of child you-know-what on his phone.

The November search warrant was executed after his wife, Nicole Baldwin went missing on November 2.

ESV, Gen 3:

17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

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Were there thorns and thistles before the fall of Adam?

Probably not. Before the Fall, there were species of the progenitors of the thorns and thistles. When God cursed the ground, they mutated to produce thorns and thistles to protect themselves against some animals. It signifies the beginning of the struggle between plant life and animal life.

A lot of what is taught to us in the Old Testament is repeated for us in the New Testament, so we can certainly learn from both the Old and the New Testaments with regard to how we should live our lives as followers of Christ, and with regard to how we should NOT conduct our lives, in practice. For God’s moral laws never changed. Sin is still sin. For we are still not to lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, murder, hate, and bear false witness, etc.

So we would do well to listen to these words of wisdom and to heed their warnings to us so that we don’t end up going in the wrong direction away from God, and away from his divine will and purpose for our lives. For as followers of Christ we are not to enter the path of the wicked. And how might we enter that path? It could be as simple as allowing ourselves to be entertained by what is contrary to God’s commandments.

For so much of what is called “entertainment” today is full of lust, greed, sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, hating, and mocking those different from us, etc. So much of it approves what God disapproves, and encourages us to make compromises with our faith and practice in order to be liked by other humans and to “fit in.” So much of it mocks God and his word, too, and that is horrible!

So, we must be people of God who are discerning, and who exercise biblical wisdom, and who avoid what is contrary to God’s will and what he calls evil and sin, refusing not only to participate in it but also to be entertained by it. For what we willingly take into our eyes and ears and minds goes into our hearts, and from out of our hearts will come what we are taking in on a consistent basis. So we should be those who practice much discretion.

For the more we consume the attitudes, actions, behaviors, thinking, and philosophies of this sinful world, the more we will become like the world in all those areas, too. But when we choose to not consume those types of things, and instead we are those who are feeding on the word of the Lord and on his teachings and his counsel, the less like the world we will become, and the more we will become like Jesus in his thinking and character.

For the truly wicked, which includes many professers of faith in Jesus Christ, too, are those who make sinning against the Lord their practice. So many of them do so without conscience, too, and without compassion for those they regularly sin against. For they are living in slavery to sin and not in slavery to God and to his righteousness. Evil is what they eat and drink and breathe in and out, for it consumes them, even if they know the right way to go.


We are not to be like the wicked. Evil should never describe the life of a true follower of Jesus Christ. And “follower” goes hand-in-hand with “belief.” For the kind of faith which saves comes from God, is gifted to us by God, and is persuaded of God and is not of our own doing, not of the will nor of the flesh of mankind. And God persuades us to leave our lives of sin behind us, to die to sin, and to now walk in holiness and in obedience to his commands.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26]

So, we are not to follow the popular teachings of today, so many of which give the “believer” permission to keep on in his deliberate and habitual sin while claiming Jesus as his Savior and heaven as his eternal destiny. But if we do not turn away from evil, and if we do not turn to the Lord, in truth, to now follow him in obedience to his commands (New Covenant) then it doesn’t matter what our lips profess. We will not have eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

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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Hi all, feel free toremove if in the wrong spot.

Four years ago on the 14th, my grandmother, whom I loved very much, passed away. She also died in a time when I was away from God and I lament not being a better witness to her while she was alive. My mother's best friend, who has been my mom's friend since they were very young and who knew my grandmother all her life and is herself a professing Christian seems to believe that she was, and I know some things about my grandmother that give me hope that she might be....

When my mom was a little girl, their family attended a Lutheran Church near where they lived every single Sunday until my grandfather was moved to working night shift. They stopped going after that because with the number of children in the family, it was too difficult for my grandmother to get herself and all of the kids ready for church without my grandfather being able to help, and I also know that while they were going there, my grandmother taught Sunday school and was baptized, though it was through sprinkling as opposed to immersion. My mother's friend also states that she became "disillusioned" with church as she and my mom got older, but what she meant by that, I don't know. But, from my own experience, I also know that going to church and doing all of those things doesn't necessarily mean a person is saved, especially since my grandmother didn't really show much of it as I got older...I do however, have things that tell me God was definitely drawing her to Himself...

My grandma at times would watch sermons on TV (yes, I do understand that some of them teach ilk) and at one point in time, a cousin of my mother's who is a very devout believer sent my grandmother a letter concerning faith based things, which my grandmother said "really affected her" in a way that I could tell was positive and joyful. My own beginnings as a Believer were difficult and very traumatic (I was sucked into a cult that spiritually and psychologically abused and manipulated me for two years and drove me nearly committing suicide) and after my grandmother passed away, I also found a notebook where she'd written things down about what I was going through during that time, things I'd been dealing with that she'd been looking into out of love and concern for me (one note she'd made was about "religious trauma syndrome"). Additionally, the way she died gives me some degree of hope that God gave her one last chance to repent before she passed...

My grandmother died in the hospital in a way that was very traumatic...she'd coded due to a medical error and after an hour of having resuscitation methods applied to her, was revived and lived for several hours afterward. Each of us in my family had a chance to say goodbye to her individually and when it was my turn, I stood at her bedside, told her how much I loved her, that I was sorry for anything I'd done that may have hurt her in my life and that ididnt want to get to Heaven and have her not be there with me, begging her that if she didn't know Jesus, to call on Him then and there..

The doctors had given her medication to make her comfortable which also made her thrash around a little bit....but when I was speaking to her, it was like her body went still and even though I'm not sure if she knew what was going on as I did, it was almost like she "sat up" in bed and looked at me....the corner of her mouth went up a little as if she was trying to smile at me and she was like that the entire time I was talking to her. I held her hand as she passed from this life into eternity and prayed the whole time that God would save her and take her home to be with Him...

It's foyr years later and I've recently started a journey back to God after being away from Him since about 2016-ish, and I wonder about where my grandma went all the time. I know the Bible says not everyone goes to Heaven and many more will be in hell than with Jesus, and I hate the thought of my grandmother being one who didn't make it. I also hurt because I feel like if I'd been a better witness to her, then she would have professed faith in a way that I could be sure of...I pray to God a lot to tell me whether or not she's with Him, but can't get a straight answer...sometimes I believe and have peace that she is, but I know it could also just be me telling myself what I want to hear...also, I have had God "speak" to me about whether or not she could be and about my witness to her, once impressing the idea on my heart that "how did I know that something I said or did when I was really walking closely with God (after I left the cult and got into a good, Bible believing church) didn't reach her heart somehow?" I know it's not much, but it's comforting.

Anyway, thanks for allowing me to at least vent this. If it's too much, feel free to remove...

I need to talk about what it’s like after 43 years as a Christian.

I know there are those that come in here to troll and flame and have egos that they have to bignote themselves by attacking others. If that’s you please go elsewhere as I’m now 50 and too old for that nonsense.

So after growing up in a Christian home, knowing my whole life God is real and making Jesus Lord of my life. Having been active in missions, evangelism and ministry there are things I need to talk about and get off my chest.

Firstly, I can no longer stand religious Christianity. The Pharisee and Sadducee spirit is now strong in the church. People have a form of godliness but deny his power. As a friend said “Christianity is a mile wide and an inch deep.”

Where are people truly following Jesus as disciples these days? Of loving God and loving neighbor as themselves? It’s rare and I’ve only really seen it in one major city. People dying to selves and loving like Christ.

I’m terms of church, the Christianese and religiosity and church programs just get up my nose. The churches are so busy with programs and marketing and congregation building they’ve forgotten their first love.

In terms of “Christians” I meet, they’re not disciples and mostly are just American. They elevate the constitution above Jesus and my goodness the hypocrisy and selfish ambition and vain conceit is sickening. Backstabbing, lying, adultery and sexual immorality.

Then there’s trying to find a mature church that teaches meat not milk. Trying to find pastors that can deal with real life issues. But most aren’t equipped to handle life other than the surface.

Then there’s militant evangelicals who are stuck on the message of sin and repentance, where Jesus said let’s move on from the elemental teachings of sin and repentance and acts that lead to death and move on to maturity in the faith. These same militants attack more mature pastors and call them heretics and false prophets. What the heck?

Most of all I’m done with religion, Christianese, programs, selfishness and hypocrisy. We are called to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. It’s the greatest commandment that Jesus said and it fulfills ALL of the teachings in the Bible.

I want to live my faith in Christ, not for man, not for religion, but to hear the words, well done good and faithful servant once I reach heaven.

Former congressional candidate and immigratnt from Mississippi Michael Cassidy was charged with frenzied attack on the religious freedoms of Iowans in Iowa.

Iowa’s revered Satanic Temple of Iowa's display depicting Baphomet at the Iowa State Capitol in Iowa was attacked by Cassidy who soon took to racist cess pool social media X to defend his aggressive behaviour against people of faith in Iowa.

Cassidy who holds a liberal arts masters degree and advocate of socialised medicine refused to respond in a shrill response to the Desmoines Register’s requests for comment shrieking “…………”

Are religious freedoms under attack from liberal socialists? Or is this a lone wolf acting alone?

As yet it it unknown whether Cassidy has been seen in drag, being affectionate to a male, riding a bicycle or being a person of colour.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say maybe.

I'm not understanding the context of the highlighted

Little help, please


1And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

I have always recited the apostle's creed with "holy catholic church". I am Methodist (GMC), but my child goes to an LCMS elementary school and after the Christmas program the apostles creed was said with this part as the "holy christian church". None of this bothers me. I see no serious issues with the distinction. We (GMC) even have an asterisk in our church bulletins for the service explaining that this does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church. It just threw me for a loop, considering the Lutheran church is probably the closest to Catholics when it comes to the eucharist, and that your more liberal denomination (ELCA) uses the word catholic in the creed. So just curious if there is an explanation?

Thanks

Hello folks. The probability of getting sick from oats is extremely low, but there is a recall for Quaker oats branded products with the specified LOT numbers listed on the FDA recall (linked below). But hey, Tesla recalled 2 million vehicles a few days ago. Bad products happen, but at the expense of folks' lives, we need better quality control in my opinion. Stay safe guys and gals, and be sure to follow instructions for any cereals that require cooking, and adjust cooking times to your preference.

Source: Quaker Recalls Granola Bars and Granola Cereals Due to Possible Health Risk

Behind the Scenes at the Dismantling of Roe v. Wade

On Feb. 10 last year, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. showed his eight colleagues how he intended to uproot the constitutional right to abortion.

At 11:16 a.m., his clerk circulated a 98-page draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. After a justice shares an opinion inside the court, other members scrutinize it. Those in the majority can request revisions, sometimes as the price of their votes, sweating sentences or even words.

But this time, despite the document’s length, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote back just 10 minutes later to say that he would sign on to the opinion and had no changes, according to two people who reviewed the messages. The next morning, Justice Clarence Thomas added his name, then Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and days later, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. None requested a single alteration.

The author of the brief that transformed Dobbs into a full assault on Roe, Scott Stewart, the newly appointed solicitor general of Mississippi, was a former law clerk who, like many others, maintained close ties to the court.

The month it was filed, Justice Thomas and his wife, Virginia, held a gathering for his former clerks and their families at a West Virginia resort. Mr. Stewart, who had worked for the justice from 2015 to 2016, was among them. He had attended reunions in previous years, and now he was about to argue his first case — one of surpassing importance — before his former boss and the other justices.

Jeffrey L. Fisher, a Stanford law professor who helped represent the abortion clinic in the case, was struck when he read Mississippi’s brief. “The state’s going for the jugular,” he remembers thinking. “This is it.”

Benjamin Reese, a 51-year-old seventh grade teacher at Warner Robins Middle School, was arrested on charges of making terroristic threats and cruelty to children in the third degree, according to an incident report from the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, which lists more than 20 witnesses.

The incident report – written by a sheriff’s deputy who was on duty at the school when the incident occurred – cites several witnesses who said they heard Reese shouting profane threats at three female students in the seventh-grade hallway on December 7, including, “You [parentloving] piece of [poop]! I’ll kick your [butt]! I should cut your [parentloving] head off!"
...
Reese began walking back to his classroom, the teacher added, when she says she heard him yelling, “She is a stupid [parentlover], and I will drag her by the back of my car and cut her [doggone] head off for disrespecting my Jewish flag,” the report stated.

The student [told the deputy] she entered Reese’s classroom, pointed to the flag and asked him why he had it hanging there. According to the student, Reese responded he was Jewish and had family members who still live there, the report stated.

The student told him she found the flag offensive due to “Israelis killing (Palestinians),” and then claimed Reese became angry, she told the deputy.

Hi,

So there are sermons about discovering God's plan for your life, They say God has a plan for each christian. But thing that the sermons don't talk about is this, maybe I haven't listen carefully who knows ?
What if God's plan for your life isn't what you really want, what if God's plan for your life isn't really motivating you ? Can we ask God to change the plan and give you a plan that is more motivating for you ?

The plan that all christians want is, is what they preach in prosperity gospel, health and wealth, don't we all want this, right ?
To be healthy and to have as much wealth as possible, but gaining the wealth in a way that is not sinfull, through hard work offcourse.

Few like this plan, to be some missionary in some poor third world country.

Let's me think of the story of Jonah, Jonah didnt want to go to Nineveh, God told him clearly to go but he didnt wanted to.

Br,

In Acts 10 Peter has a vision in which a sheet filled with unclean animals is let down from heaven three times. Let's look at what Peter learned from this vision,

Acts 10:
1 There was a certain man in Cesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:
6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.

So what was Cornelius told by the angel to do? He's told to send for Peter and where Peter is to be found.

7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
8 And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 ¶On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate,
18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
19 ¶While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

So Peter is puzzled by what this dream meant and while he is thinking this over the messengers sent by Cornelius arrive and the HS tells him to go with them.

21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 And the morrow after they entered into Cesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.

So Peter goes with the messengers from Cornelius and goes to Cesarea

25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.

So after Cornelius had sent the messengers to Peter he had called together many of his friends and relatives.

28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

What does Peter tell the people? That it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with people of another nation, but God had shewed him that what he should not consider any man unclean.

29 Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?
30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.
33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.

Then Peter understands the meaning of his dream.

34 ¶Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all
37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

What happens next?

44 ¶While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 answered Peter,For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

So what was the meaning of Peter's dream? That any food a Gentile chooses to eat is OK? Not even. It's that the Jewish Christians should preach the gospel to anyone and everyone. That they should no longer be prejudiced against the Gentiles as the Pharisees had taught them.

Everything Paul taught makes sense in this context.

Republicans in New York designated Mazi Melesa Pilip, a local legislator in Nassau County, to run to replace expelled representative George Santos (R-N.Y.) in Congress during a special election next year, setting the stage for a high-profile race that could be consequential in helping determine the party balance of the House.

Pilip will face off against former congressman Thomas Suozzi (D), whom New York Democrats selected this month to be the party’s nominee.
Suozzi — who represented New York’s 3rd District in the House before Santos and left the seat to run an unsuccessful campaign for New York governor — had already said he would run for a full term in his old seat in November 2024.

A relative political newcomer, Pilip was first elected to her position on the Nassau County Legislature in 2021. She has said her family was evacuated to Israel from her home country of Ethiopia in 1991 as part of Operation Solomon, a secret 36-hour airlift to transport about 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. She served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces and immigrated to the United States in 2005.

China​

Please pray for a fifth Christian from Shingjia Church, elder Zhu Longfei, who was arrested in August, on suspicion of illegal business practices. He is detained at the same centre as his sister and brother.
Number of Prayers 23
YES - I WILL PRAY
China

China​

Pray for four Christians from Shingjia Church in Shunde, including Pastor Deng Yanxiang, who were arrested in May on suspicion of ‘illegal business practices’. They were detained beyond the term of their 30-day ‘administrative detention’.
Number of Prayers 27
YES - I WILL PRAY
China

China​

Among the members of Golden Lampstand Church, Linfen, on trial for fraud are Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and his wife, Yang Rongli. Pray for this faithful couple who are said to be in poor health after two years behind bars.
Number of Prayers 24
YES - I WILL PRAY
China

China​

Pray for several leaders and members of Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen who are currently on trial for ‘fraud’. Their building was forcibly demolished in 2018.
Number of Prayers 30
YES - I WILL PRAY
China

China​

Xuncheng Reformed Church and its leaders have long suffered persecution: Pastor An Yankui and Zhang Chenghao were detained for a year after attending a conference in Malaysia in 2020. Ask God to encourage them in their faithful ministry.
Number of Prayers 29
YES - I WILL PRAY
China

China​

Officials raided a children’s summer camp run by the Xuncheng (Zion) Reformed Church. Four leaders were given 15-day ‘administrative detention’. Pray that the children, who witnessed the raid, will stand firm in their faith.
Number of Prayers 32
YES - I WILL PRAY
China

Laos​

Pray for a dozen Christian families and their pastor who were driven out of Mai, a mainly Buddhist village in Luang Namtha province, following their conversion to Christianity.
Number of Prayers 28
YES - I WILL PRAY
Laos

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Over the centuries, things have been stated by the church and it's leaders based on ignorance that were later proven to be false. I'm not taking about those instances but of things that are totally fabricated by someone who either knew better or could have known better with just a little precursory research. Here's just a couple of examples from 2 different generations. The first is a story told by an evangelist (who shall remain unnamed because the point of the post isn't to judge anyone) in the mid-60s. It was a time when computer science was becoming better known generally but few knew the actual workings of computers or the limitations, so there was much speculation and fear surrounding their actual capabilities. It was also a time when the church was in an all out war on Darwin's theory of evolution. The story was that NASA had undertaken a project to confirm the age of the earth by using a "super-computer" to go back to the beginning of time. According to the story, the computer was able to go back and determined that the Earth was exactly the 6000 or so years that are indicated by a literal reading of the OT "begats", or lineage except that it found there was exactly one day missing. This puzzled the scientists until a Christian colleague reminded them of the story in Joshua Chapter 10 where God held the sun still for one day until Joshua could finish a battle. The story goes that once they fed that data into the computer it verified the exact timeline of the beginning of the earth from the Bible. We now know that computers have never had such an ability and so someone had to make up that story knowing that it wasn't true.

The second example is more recently an evangelist, in an effort to bolster the argument that America is a Christian nation, stated that 29 of the signers of the Declaration of Independence held seminary degrees. This is patently false, but despite that I've heard many others repeat it as true in many 4th of July or Memorial Day sermons. For the record only one, John Witherspoon had a seminary degree and was actually a preacher. Actually 27 didn't even attend college, 4 received secular degrees from Penn, 3 received secular degrees from Princeton, 8 received secular degrees from Harvard, 4 received secular degrees from Yale, 1 attended Westminster, 3 received secular degrees from William and Mary, 3 received secular degrees from Cambridge, 1 attended Oxford and Charles Carroll did was a graduate of the College of Louis the Grande in Bourges.

Recently I've noticed that this has become more prevalent since pastors began getting involved in politics from the pulpit. So, the question is what do you think is a pastor's responsibility to research their claims and refrain from sharing them from the pulpit unless they are proven true and is there ever a justification for telling something that is patently false from the pulpit?