Hello my name is Linda and I am a wife and mom of 4 boys. I hope to find support and advice on parenting teen boys as well as other topics. I hope to connect with some lovely people on this platform.

What are the Orthodox Church's stance on Tertullian and Origen?

I know neither one are considered Saints by any Christian Church (with the exception of the Evangelical Church in Germany, which is a Lutheran, and Reformed Union for Origen).

Are their early writings still influential?

Even though I am not Orthodox, I am Catholic, I often see them quoted in many theology books and prayer books.

Thoughts?

Peace and blessings!

One-night Tholms got into a desperate plea with an effigy in his reclusive mind, he was talking in his sleep.
Tholms; “If you can give me one good reason why I should trust you make it be tomorrow and I will see to it that I don’t curse myself.”
“Tomorrow you will get your wish, but it won’t be what you expect,” the effigy declared.
September 11th, 2001--
Fast forward to July 27th, 2002, on up to 2012;
We all know what “Didn’t happen” on Dec 12th, 2012. But are you even aware of what did happen in Destin Florida on July 27th, 2002?
A young man identified as Tholms is frantically trying to brush of an uncontrollable raging smile in the aquarium parking lot, on a mission to place his hands on the skin of a dolphin somewhere in his endeavor. On this day, he had failed. And with that failure sparked a war so to speak.
This war lasted up to October 2013, But the hostage was not free, and the demon still had control. Then 2016 came and there was a shakeup.
It was a miracle in progress; There is a paradox, or does it make sense now? Douglas Adams just writes a jumbled-up pile in 1979 that happens to end up on movie screens in also his late year of 2001 just in time for the real-life event in 2002, where I eventually view the movie for the first time in 2004? But the astounding coincidence is that the numbers 67 and 42 just happened to have been chosen as well in a movie starring Eddy Murphy titled “Beverly Hills Cop” -- this innuendo goes on in a web like perfect circle, should I say?
Something had to be done about it. In the end I can concur with this one reality about the New Earth, aka Heaven, “Time traveling WILL be a thing”. Because I’ve seen this happen myself in real life, I know it will have to be done again. I almost threw out the factions within one day, if it weren’t for the right name in the right place, at the right time...
Must I relive my past? A word from Nesher, the fourth guardian of the throne of heaven, “No, absolutely.” meaning; there’s no such thing as a coincidence. But when the eagle said, “Let go of your problems and let God act first.” He wasn’t talking about the event that happened on November 8th. He was talking about the ‘main’ event, which we are all in the middle of right now. That’s why the clash with my curse had to be shut down.
However, God wasn’t angry at me, it was all more of an insurance policy, it wasn’t about Him much as it was the demon’s threat towards Big O. When I was led to lay my weapon down, the good Lord promised me guilt free protection. However; because of my current singleness condition, I cannot allow her “The single person responsible" to share in whatever rewards I may have been given in return. Pray this reward is not exclusive to Yeshuah...
I didn’t want this thing to turn out the way it did but now at this moment it was too late, “and I was sure terrible things were in the making seeing how I got there that day.”
Steve
Columbia
Jackson
Strickland
Horne
Who cares why or how, just know that “I Know”, This was the limitless anger of a fiend that put many in its crosshairs, and all over the events that happened on July 27th, 2002. That’s nine whole individuals that lost their lives because of this evil fiend. Little wonder I had any fear at all when the angel I met was stood down by my sheer faith at the time.
Nesher also told me in a whisper one day, “Fear not brother, you are stronger than you think you are.”
Something empowered me during these fifteen years, I’ve also managed “because of my experience” to learn the ability to counter mind control, which kept me saine all these years. Nothing lasts forever. The angel couldn’t rob me of the faith I had for God in the first place; he could only repair it to where it wasn’t so dangerous. Shifting from genocidal cataclysms to an actual conference with the Holy Ghost in a dream alongside Gabriel in the dining room of a large mountain castle.
But this was not the end of Tholms’ journey. Need he remind himself that the angel met him in a dream on what other day than Patriot’s Day, could he be trusted?
God knew this had to be done. So, He had a fruit vine planted. In between the crevice of a steppingstone and the patio foundation. What else would’ve this reminded me of? Nesher’s Bible has been taken to church and flipped through many times. I almost ran away when the first signs of trouble started. If it weren't for the story of Balaam in the last days. But this was not the Lord’s will for me, I still will leave east one day, but I would lose her if I acted prematurely.
Statement 8; A Little Old Hawk Named Littlerock.
I still remember that day in June 2016. When I stared into her beautiful yellow eyes, I didn’t feel threatened at all. More likewise it felt more like an invitation to be with her for a while longer. But without a hunting or falconer’s license, I had to turn her down for the moment. However, when I remembered what I asked my dying hen in the bomb cyclone of 2015. I can only guess the intentions deep within the wild bird I always needed to help me fulfill my passion for birds one day.
I’m just a farseer, like a bird of prey, we have a lot in common. Hawks, eagles, owls, ospreys. I wonder if they ever feel the same prison I feel. It hurts me to know these walls that separate me from the Lord also separate me from the Spirit at the same time. The cats don’t even trust me. There's a lone hummingbird that greets me every year because I saved her life from the web in 2013. This year has seen some strange encounters with butterflies, four or five all coming to me, and one of the birds tried to chase one away from me it seemed. God gives what is needed at the right time, I guess.
Even though my war has ended, and the binds between me and planet have been dispelled, and God has me at his side once again, it’s only going to happen any moment now. God will lead me back home so I can complete this unfinished business and live the life of lives with Him forever, thank you Jesus for keeping Yourself on my mind...

Roberts, who entered the country in 1999 on a student visa, was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024, according to DHS.

At the time of his arrest, he was “in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife,” the agency said. It’s a violation of federal law to own a firearm and ammunition if an individual doesn’t have legal status in the US.

President Donald Trump’s 18-year-old granddaughter is following in the family’s tireless tradition of leveraging their presidential connections to enrich themselves.

Kai Trump, the eldest daughter of Donald Trump Jr., showed off her new line of eponymous merchandise by wearing one of the sweatshirts on the South Lawn of the White House alongside the president on Friday.

The sweatshirts, which feature Kai’s name or initials in three different places, are available on her website for the low, low price of $130.

Schumer’s Bid To Shut Down Government Exposes Democratic Fissures​

Senate Democrats blocked a clean extension of government funding late Tuesday evening, but a handful of Democrats bucked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in an effort to avert a looming government shutdown.

Three members of the Democratic caucus — Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Angus King of Maine — voted with Republicans to fund the government. The bipartisan spending bill still failed to clear the upper chamber’s 60-vote threshold during a vote of 55 to 45.

The vote highlighted internal disagreement among Senate Democrats over whether to plunge the country into a government shutdown. The trio notably voted with Schumer to prevent a government funding lapse in March.

“ cannot support a costly government shutdown that would hurt Nevada families and hand even more power to this reckless administration,” Cortez Masto said in part in a statement following the vote.

Democrats’ $1.5 trillion counter-proposal that would undo cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting as well as reverse GOP reforms to Medicaid also failed to get the requisite 60 votes to clear the upper chamber.

Senate Republicans hounded Democrats on Tuesday over their hypocrisy on rejecting a short-term spending bill despite rubber-stamping 13 similar measures under former President Joe Biden.

Please pray that my dr appointment that I'm very worried about goes well and my blood pressure is low and I can go home happy. I really need your prayers. Thank you and God bless you. I ask in the name of Jesus. Carmen.

President Donald Trump has struck a multi-pronged deal with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to lower the price of some of the company’s medicines, while clearing a path for the drugmaker to receive a three-year reprieve from certain tariffs.

The drugmaker will participate in a new direct purchasing platform named TrumpRx.gov that will let American patients buy a “large majority” of its primary care treatments and “some select specialty brands” at a discount. Those drugs will be offered at “savings that will range as high as 85% and on average 50%,” Pfizer said in a press release Tuesday.


The deal comes after Trump demanded that 17 of the largest drugmakers voluntarily offer their medicines at levels similar to what they charge other nations.

My cousin (from dad's side) lives near my brother and invited the latter to his house for dinner (not sure the exact day this will be happening). I have a "good" excuse not to go (being that I feel that I can't go there and return in a single day - and the cousin's family wants me to stay there for days - yeah right - heck I feel cooped up in my OWN house, what would I feel in someone else's?). However, if I keep giving this excuse, they will use that excuse as a means of saying "Well then, we're coming to you" and I have no desire to deal with them. His sister seems to be a very conservative Muslim as well and has texted me from time to time asking to visit his house and I have given her the same excuse as well.

I don't like that the cousin lives in the same state as me. I wish none of my dad's relatives lived in the same state. The cousin's sister doesn't live in the same state, but I'm still on the hook of "having" to see her once a year (at least) or two years. She's the same one that tried to come to the house on Good Friday of this year. Another one of her (hence mine) cousins tried to come on Christmas Day a couple years ago. My dad made some excuse as to why she "couldn't" come but I don't remember what the excuse was.

I do feel like I'm languishing without relatives but when I say relatives I'm not meaning my dad's relatives. I want to stay away from those ones but they are a lingering shadow over me as long as the cousin lives in my state and his sister comes to visit him every now and then. I'm not getting a good feeling that these people will "allow" me to have my freedom. The nicest way to put it is that they need to F off

According to this article, these are 9 signs that the US and NATO are preparing for war against Russia.


Do you guys think this war and potential WW3 will happen soon or is this just fear mongering? Some of these examples are concerning like:

#6 French hospitals have been instructed to prepare for mass casualties by March 2026…
and
#7 Germany is preparing to treat up to 1,000 wounded troops per day…

But I could also just see that as preparation just in case, instead of it being a literal thing that will happen. What do you guys think?

Please pray for our 35-year marriage. My believing wife has moved out and filed for divorce. There is no adultery, abuse or addictions of any kind. This is breaking my heart. Pray for softening of hearts and a turn towards the Lord for the restoration that only He can provide. I fear others, even within our church, may be fanning the flames of this choice. I would humbly ask for prayers of protection for my spouse if this is happening. May all influences not of God or not aligned with His will, be muted/silenced so that my spouse hears and knows His truth clearly. May He move in the hearts of both of us in restoring what He joined together long ago. I pray He directs her heart towards home and that reconciliation happens.

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 struck the Central Philippines around 10 p.m. local time, according to the US Geological Survey, raising fears about damage and the possibility of a localized tsunami.

The earthquake occurred only 10 kilometers (6 miles) underwater, just west of Palompon in the Philippines.




Fortunately this earthquake occurred in a part of the Philippines that isn't as developed as other areas, but it was close enough to Cebu City and some other medium-sized cities where there will no doubt be some serious damage. I'm already seeing evidence of this on social media. Hopefully the number of casualties will be low.

Then there's this:

China prepares for long US soybean stand-off with huge Brazilian imports​

China expands Argentina soybean buying to 20 cargoes​

It is clear China understands it can not depend on the US for what they import the most by all measures. They are multi sourcing with everyone but the US.
All it takes is voters who vote against their best interest to continue to enact that definition of insanity "Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result".
So here we are, just like the last Trump trade war where US soy beans are rotting in their silos, Trump et al are going to have to bail out farmers again.
I mean since he's going to bail out Argentina to the tune of 20B while his voters hospitals close as US farmers take a beat down, it would insane not to bail them out.

And btw, as I mentioned in previous conversations; the Dems are just horrible at messaging. Just imagine if these event took place under Obama or Biden. It would be unison wave of media sprees denouncing and condemning this fiasco. But what does one hear from the Dems? .....crickets.

Deal calls for ‘immediate end’ to Gaza War but Hamas' response remains unclear

Taking the podium alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump presented the outline of a plan to end the Gaza War.

Hailing “a big, big day, a beautiful day, potentially one of the biggest days ever in civilization,” Trump said there was a chance to achieve “everlasting peace.”

Shortly before the press conference, Washington released the 20-point plan, which calls for the immediate end of the war, the release of all Israeli hostages within three days, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops as a new international body assumes governance and demilitarizes Gaza.

Continued below.

During two separate pregnancies, Rachel Harrison’s water broke at just 17 weeks — a condition that can cause deadly complications. An abortion is typically the course of action recommended by doctors, but on both occasions staff members at Dignity Health hospitals refused to act because they detected a fetal heartbeat, the lawsuit alleges.

previable preterm premature rupture of the membranes, or previable PPROM ... is fatal for the fetus and dangerous for the mother. Miscarrying the fetus naturally comes with higher risk of infection and blood loss, both of which can lead to permanent loss of reproductive function or even death.

The lawsuit alleges that the denials violated California’s Emergency Services Law, which requires hospitals operating a licensed emergency room to treat patients suffering from emergency medical conditions, including previable PPROM.

The second time it happened, Harrison experienced life-threatening sepsis and had to travel to a hospital outside her insurance network to receive a blood transfusion, the complaint states.

The 24 Catholic hospitals within the Dignity Health network follow a set of “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services,” which caused Harrison to be turned away from an emergency room during the loss of a high-risk pregnancy, the complaint alleges.

Last September the state filed a similar lawsuit against a Catholic hospital in Eureka after a woman whose water broke at 15 weeks was denied an emergency abortion. That hospital then agreed to provide emergency abortions in cases where a woman’s health is at risk.

If you have to resort to violence, you’ve lost the debate. The assassination of Charlie Kirk almost three weeks ago was a case in point. They couldn’t defeat him in debate, so they killed him.

Charlie’s slogan, as seen on the white tent he was in when he was shot, says it all: “Prove me wrong.” Anybody who may claim he was “proved wrong” by being shot subscribes to the view that might makes right.

I once read about an English tourist visiting China about a 100 years ago, recounting how two laborers were having a heated argument in the street. After watching and listening for several minutes, the tourist remarked that he expected the two men would begin fighting any moment, but his guide replied, “I doubt it, you see, the man who strikes first admits he’s lost the argument.”

Reformer Martin Luther said: “I will preach, speak, write the truth, but will force it on no one, for faith must be accepted willingly, and without compulsion.” Also, he said about those who light the wooden sticks to burn heretics at the stake: “If fire is the right cure for heresy, then the [stick]-burners are the most learned doctors on earth; no need we study anymore; he that has brute force on his side may burn his adversary at the stake.”

Continued below.

While I absolutely appreciate the effort and time the "worship" teams put in at the various churches I have attended...there are two things that bother me.

Why does it have to be so loud? When I see people wearing ear plugs, something is wrong. Part of the joy of worship music is singing as a congregation. The problem is, I can rarely even hear myself sing, let alone another brother or sister in Christ.

Next, is it a performance or an attempt to get the congregation to sing along? Most songs are impossible to sing along with due to the style of the group on stage.

Anybody else agree with me?

Hello all,

I hope that you are all well.

I work for my Dads business with my brother and another lad (Jamie). I have shared the gospel with Jamie many times and he even started to attend my church fairly regularly. He even professes to be a Christian now. However, he has a habit of muttering very disrespectful things under his breath. I have addressed this with him many times over the past year or so, and now i am finding it very hard to forgive him and very hard to even be around him. It is at the point where it is affecting the business adversely and i am strongly considering leaving the family business.

In the past, i found it much easier to forgive him, and to let these insults go; however, i am finding it very difficult to keep forgiving him. Of course, Jesus told us to forgive a brother, or anyone who asks us to forgive them, an infinite amount of times, but does this mean that i need to stay in the same job to have the same thing happen repeatedly? Additionally, Jamie, never acknowledges that he has wronged me, making it even harder to forgive him.

I am hoping to get the opportunity to speak with one of the elders at my church about this (as they also know Jamie) to seek their counsel, but am struggling with waiting, so i hoped posting on here, and receiving others' wisdom will help me in the meantime.

I have also been wondering abut forgiveness, and what it would practically look like. would it mean that i am friendly with him once more, or would it be wiser to be on my guard with him; if on my guard, would that allow me to be loving towards him? i.e. be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves comes to mind.

Thank you,

Blessings,

James.

Paul wrote this letter (including Timothy) to “the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi.” And a saint is a holy one of God. And to be holy means to be different (unlike) the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of nature and character of Jesus Christ, the Lord, by God, as we cooperate and participate fully with God in his work of grace and transformation in our minds, hearts, attitudes, and behaviors. And this begins when, by faith in Jesus Christ, we die with Christ to sin and we now obey his commands.

For this is what it means for us to participate (fellowship, share in, in partnership with, in a contributary role) in the gospel, not that we add to or that we take away from it, but that we live it in practice, first and foremost, and then that we are sharing the truth of the gospel of Christ with the people of the world. But it has to be the gospel message taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles in its correct biblical context. It cannot be the altered and diluted “gospel” so many are sharing in today’s world.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

Now our salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life with God are not anything that can be self-produced. We can do nothing in our flesh to earn or to deserve our own salvation. Only by the grace of God, and because of Jesus’ sacrifice on that cross, and because of his bodily resurrection, can any of us be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God. Even the faith to believe in Jesus is gifted to us by God and is not of our own doing. But faith is not lip service only, but it is dying to sin and it is obeying God, in practice.

For, even though the faith to believe in Jesus is not of our own doing, but it is from God, and it is gifted to us by God, still it means to be persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of the necessity that we deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. And it requires that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as servants of Christ and of his righteousness.

So, yes, God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – is the one who began the good work in the lives of his saints (his holy ones), and he is the one working within our lives who will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus, but not without our cooperation with God in his work of grace in our lives. Our lives must be surrendered to the Lord to do his will, and we must be subject to our Lord’s rulership over our lives, and we must be following him in obedience to his commands, following him wherever he leads us.

The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

And we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Recording Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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In View of Your Participation in The Gospel
An Original Work / September 30, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I am posting under “New Christians” because I keep trying to become a Christian and hoping I have become one. I have confusion and concern both about God’s will for me and my salvation.

Assuming I already am a Christian, I should be seeking, as they often pray, “Your [God’s] will be done, not mine.” I want to be saved and I want to do my will, not God’s. This contradiction causes me much doubt and confusion.

Luke 22:39-42 reads:

“Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”

My Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible note on this passage says: “God does not ask for absolute perfection from his people, only a desire and determination to do His will.”

In recent hours I have been praying things like, ‘God, I do not have a desire and determination to do Your will,’ ‘How can I have a desire to do Your will when in reality, I want to do my will,’ ‘God, I need to have a desire and determination to do Your will.’

I really want to be saved. I want to pass from death to life and be secure in Jesus’ arms forever. I have sought “the moment of salvation” for decades, because I know that, after that moment of salvation, one is secure forever, no matter what. But assurance of salvation is always fleeting for me. Part of the problem is that I have Religious OCD. But another part of the problem is that I have, at best, wavering faith. My faith wavers on a moment-by-moment basis. I may give my life to Christ at one moment, but the next will be continuing to live for myself, going after my own will, the same as if nothing happened. Part of that problem is probably that I seek to be saved but also seek to do my own thing. So, I suppose, that I envision my potential salvation like this: I turn to Christ, get saved, then pull back and let him work on me over time to get me in line with His will; but in the meantime – I’m safe! I’m saved! Some Christians would say that is seeking a “fire insurance policy,” so that I avoid hell, but that’s it. I know that one cannot just get a “fire insurance policy” from God and go on to live for themselves, like any non-believer. If I have that cynical of an approach to salvation, I may be unsavable.

So I do some thinking about doing God’s will. Besides my natural proclivity to do my own will, not God’s, I have honest confusion about how God’s will relates to me and my will. I am confused about the line, or the chasm, between God’s will and mine. I know about “Love your neighbor” and “love your enemies,” but what is God’s will for me in the next five minutes, being that it is before 6 AM and no one else is about?

I have an agenda and a proposed schedule. Every time I think I get saved, I think, ‘Great! Now, if it be God’s will, I can continue to work my schedule and my agenda.’ But my schedule and my agenda are MY will. Should I just go about my schedule and my agenda, and let circumstances dictate what I think is God’s will for me? When I set out to do my schedule and my agenda, the thought comes, ‘I am not doing God’s will, I’m doing mine, and I may not be saved.’

I really want to be saved. If that means I need to do God’s will, I need to be seeking to do His will. But I wonder about things in relation to God’s will. Can God’s will and mine sometimes dovetail? If I have a career agenda, should I just follow it?

If doing my schedule and agenda means I am not saved, then I must revert to what I have been doing for decades. I must cease all unnecessary activity and seek salvation full time. Give my life to Christ and let the chips fall where they may after that.

I’ve supposedly given my life to Christ hundreds of times. But assurance of salvation is always fleeting.

I have an invention idea and a business idea, besides other projects. But if pursuing those means I am not going to heaven, then I must cease all activity and seek salvation full time.

I am reading in John 4:1-30. It is a very long passage so I will summarize some of it and I will quote some of it.

Jesus Christ, on his way to Galilee, had to pass through Samaria, but not just because of geographical reasons, but because he had a divine appointment with a woman at a well waiting for him there. Jesus, wearied from his journey, sat down at Jacob’s well. And there came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus asked her for a drink of water, and the two of them got into conversation. But since Jews did not typically associate with Samaritans, who were a mixed race, the woman was surprised at this.


What or who is the “gift of God”? Jesus Christ, his death on a cross, and his resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God are the gift of God. Our salvation (deliverance) from sin and obedience to God are gifted to us by God. Even our faith to believe in Jesus Christ is God’s gift to us. For none of this is of ourselves, but it comes from God, and it is gifted to us by God, but we must receive all this by faith, denying self, dying to sin, and via walking in obedience to our Lord, in his power, wisdom, and strength.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Now Jesus was speaking, not of physical water, but of spiritual water to satisfy our spiritual thirst for new life in Christ Jesus, our Lord, cleansed of our sins, forgiven, renewed of the Spirit, and born again to new life in Christ Jesus in dying with him to sin, and in obedience to his commands. For when we believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within us, changing us to be more like Christ, counseling, helping and guiding us in how to live for God. And we are empowered of the Spirit to walk with God.

The woman asked Jesus for this water of which he spoke, but she was still thinking in physical terms, and not in spiritual terms. Then Jesus told her to go and call her husband and “come here.” The woman admitted she had no husband. Jesus knew that, and he acknowledged the correctness of her statement and that he knew that she had had five husbands and the one she had now was not her husband. And that led to a discussion of the proper physical place of worship of God, either in Jerusalem or another location.


Do you get what this is teaching us today? Worship of God has nothing to do with a physical location. For true worship of God has to do with us giving our lives to Jesus Christ, as living sacrifices to God, holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual worship of God. We are to no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but now we are to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God in death to sin and in obedience to our Lord’s commands, so that our lives testify to God’s grace (see Romans 12:1-2).

And to worship God in “spirit and in truth” has to do with our changed lives of the Spirit of God, and with our sincere faith which comes from God and not from human flesh. True worship of God is not in the raising of hands and in the singing of songs if our lives are not surrendered to the will of God in dying to sin and in walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands. And we don’t have to go to a building in order to worship God. For we should be in a continuous state of worship of God if we are of genuine faith in Christ Jesus.

Going back to the passage of Scripture..

At this point Jesus’ disciples arrived, so the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They left the city, and were coming to Him. And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Jesus Christ because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” And many more believed because of the word of Jesus, not just because the woman’s testimony. Praise God!

May we all who believe in Jesus Christ give testimony to the biblical gospel of Christ (taught in the correct context), as to what Jesus did in dying on that cross that we might now die to sin and obey his commandments and live holy lives, pleasing to God, in his power, wisdom, and strength. Amen!

My Jesus, I Love Thee

Hymn lyrics by William R. Featherstone, 1864
Music by Adoniram J. Gordon, 1876

My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine;
For thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou;
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

I love thee because thou hast first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree;
I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow;
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say, when the death-dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight;
I'll ever adore thee in heaven so bright;
I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

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They Believed in Jesus Christ
An Original Work / September 29, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I know that my experiences don't speak for everyone but whenever I stray from listening to only Gregorian Chant and veer toward certain secular music, the same things happen to me: I feel extremely carnal, my depression gets worse, and I start getting insomnia because the song beats are in my head constantly. It takes literally three days (I've timed it) for the effect to subside. I keep hoping that the results aren't the same every time, but they are. I'm really struggling right now with the effects.

Israel prepares for Iranian attack amid harsh new sanctions

There is concern in that the Islamic Republic, like a "wounded animal," will misread Israel or try to lash out amid economic distress. Preparations are for two months of heightened tension.

With the snapback clause now in force and new economic sanctions imposed on Iran, Israel is preparing for a particularly unstable two months with Iran, including the possibility of a miscalculation that would lead Tehran to initiate an attack on Israel.
The worry is that Iran, cornered and humiliated, will misread Israel and the worlds reaction to their response, or try to retaliate in all directions, given its predicament.

The economic sanctions imposed on Iran, effectively mark the end of the JCPOA, the previous nuclear agreement. These are draconian measures, including bans on the export and import of defence materiel to and from Iran. They also apply to countries that sell to Iran or buy from it, and to secondary sales and purchases designed to route goods through a third country to Iran.

Iran's leadership is deeply troubled by the sanctions, not least because the country is already grappling with economic fallout.

The concern is that under intense economic pressure, in light of the blows it suffered during the war, and perhaps out of fear that Israel plans to surprise it, a wounded Iran will decide to strike first, reasoning that the side that springs the surprise is the one that gains the upper hand. Reference:- Israel Hayom 30th Sept

Basically: the desperate Mullahs of Iran, have to make the next move and it will be with the main weapon of their might; Jeremiah 49:35-36, which will cause the Lord to bring against them His fiery wrath, Psalms 83:13-18, 2 Peter 3:7, +

That Iran will attempt to fire nuke missiles at Israel, is sure; because the Lord actually encourages then to do it; Isaiah 21:2.Go up and besiege….do not hesitate!
Open your quiver, [the arrow holder] and prepare for war. Isaiah 22:6

Thinking that Iran has been ‘Trumped’, and is now unable to make a nuke missile, is a bad mistake. They do have the means and the ability to attempt what they openly say they intend to do;- Wipe Israel off the map

We Christian Bible believers should be aware of, and prepared for what will happen.