Yes, I mean, you all sort of want to feel better about yourself since you sin, and you want closeness, to a real person, but you never really get it because everyone`s busy, but let`s, say there`s a place, where you can just be yourself and talk normally to others, and have something to eat, or drink, just being yourself, I know this place doesn`t exist except from fantasies, but I made something today for you, is this at the same level as being with Jesus, himself, it`s located in Norway, I painted it, and put up some lanterns:

House lawmakers clashed Thursday over gender transition medical treatments for children, which are on the rise despite criticism that the procedures are damaging, irreversible and performed on confused adolescents.

Chloe Cole, diagnosed with gender dysphoria at 12, testified before the committee. She was treated by Kaiser Permanente “gender specialists” in the San Francisco Bay Area from ages 13 to 17 and underwent a double mastectomy at age 16. Ms. Cole reverted to identifying as female a year later and is now an outspoken advocate against gender transition procedures for children.

“I used to believe that I was born in the wrong body and the adults in my life whom I trusted affirmed my belief and caused me lifelong, irreversible harm,” said Ms. Cole, who turned 19 on Thursday. “I speak to you today as a victim of one of the biggest medical scandals in the history of the United States of America. I speak to you in the hope that you will have the courage to bring this scandal to an end and ensure that other vulnerable teenagers, children and young adults don’t go through what I went through.”

I doubt it. Luke 16:

22The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

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This was supposed to have happened before the resurrection of the last day and the final judgment. I believe that after a person dies, he stays physically dead until the physical resurrection on the last day.

I found another factor on Wiki:

We have in fact one of the cases where the background to the teaching is more probably found in non-biblical sources.
— I. Howard Marshall, The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Luke, p. 634

Some scholars—e.g., G. B. Caird,[36] Joachim Jeremias,[37] Marshall,[38] Hugo Gressmann,[39]—suggest the basic storyline of The Rich Man and Lazarus was derived from Jewish stories that had developed from an Egyptian folk tale about Si-Osiris.[40][41] Richard Bauckham is less sure,[42]

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Similar parables were told by rabbis around Jesus' time.

I don't think the story of Lazarus and the rich man was literal/physical. It is a parable to teach morals.

Hi everyone, I just ran across this on the internet, it is pretty slick. It is a solar generator in the form of a briefcase, it has 2 fold-out solar arrays and will charge up in the sunlight and then you can carry it to wherever you need power and hook it up, it would be just the ticket in the event there was a lengthy power outage or natural disaster! I could not find the price on this but if it is reasonably cheap I may pick one up! If you want to have a look the link to the website is here:

Briefcase Backup

139 people were arrested in a sweeping multi-agency crackdown on child sex abuse and child pornography this month, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Wednesday.

The crackdown, dubbed Operation Online Guardian, involved over 100 agencies that comprise LAPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

“Vulnerable children were rescued from further abuse, and victims who had been silenced by the atrocious crimes of child sexual abuse found their voices restored,” LAPD said in a statement.

--

Great police work!

Jesus warned about Judas, Matthew 26:

24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.

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Nevertheless, later:

47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”

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Was Jesus being sarcastic? Was it a cultural idiom?

Jesus called a paralyzed man "friend" in Luke 5:

18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

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I don't think Jesus was being sarcastic. In Middle Eastern culture today, it is not uncommon to call even a stranger "friend". It fulfilled Psalms‬ ‭41:9‬

Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.

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I think Jesus was applying the term to Judas ambiguously. I think that was how Judas understood it.

I've been feeling horrible since May. I broke up with my bf on May 13th, and I've been feeling miserable ever since. I was 27 when we started dating, and we dated for a little over a year. My age is relevant because I waited 27 years for a boyfriend. And what did I get? I got a man who, while he was patient and kind, also had morals that I just couldn't live with. While we never went "all the way" physically, there were several times where we did go farther than I was comfortable with. But I was convinced if I just stayed with him long enough, we'd get married, but after we broke up he told me he wasn't close to marriage.

He moved on about a month after we broke up, started talking to another girl and just the last 2 weeks now he's been bringing her to church.

It was pretty much a mutual breakup, but he left me because my anxiety was too much for him to handle. He told me he cared about me and that I'm going to make someone else happy. And I've tried to meet new people; I went on my first date a couple days ago. I ended up not being attracted to him but also, I wanted him to have the same opinions on some stuff as my ex. I wanted him to be my ex in some ways, but not others.

I can't seem to move on. I'm angry and depressed.

I don't want to go to another church, even though I see him all happy with another girl when I go to my current church. I am dreading Sundays. And throughout the week I just get consumed with anger and sadness. And the anger isn't just "grr someone cut me off in traffic." It's so intense ans powerful, I feel like I'm drowning.

I miss my ex! Even though it was a bad match! It's been over 2 months now and it just hurts so bad. I waited 27 years to find someone and I got hurt, badly. I'm so tired and I want to feel better and I'm just not really feeling better. I do see a therapist but it's just so hard to continue to go through each day.

What Member(s) of the Trinity Live in Us?​

Scripture is clear that each individual member of the Trinity lives in us:

• That God the Father lives in us is the subject of Eph 4:6, 2 Cor 6:16, and 1 John 4:12.
• That God the Son lives in us is the subject of Rom 8:10, Gal 2:20, Eph 3:17, and Col 1:27.
• That God the Holy Spirit lives in us is the subject of 1 Cor 6:19, 2 Tim 1:14, and James 4:5.

There are also several places in Scripture that the members of the trinity are mentioned in combination as living in us.

• Rom 8:11 says, “The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead” lives in us.
• 1 Cor 3:16 and Ephesians 4:30 say the “Spirit of God” lives in us.
• 1 Thes 4:8 says God has “given us His Holy Spirit.”
• Gal 4:6 says, “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son” to live in us.
• Rom 8:9 says the “Spirit of God” and the “Spirit of Christ” live in us.

In my mind, the hardest one of these to fully grasp is that God the Father Himself lives in us. But it isn’t hard to accept because Jesus told us in John 14:23 that after His resurrection, He and His Father would come to us and make our hearts Their home.

The upshot of all these things, of course, is that it does not matter what name we use for God when we say He lives in our hearts. We might use "God", "the Father", "Jesus", "the Holy Spirit", "the Spirit of God", or "the Spirit of Christ". But no matter what name we use, when we say, “God lives in our hearts,” we do not intend to exclude any member of the trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit live in our hearts.

Where Does This Take Us?​

The sheer magnitude of this truth gives us pause and fills us with a sense of awe and wonder. According to Scripture, God’s presence in our hearts is our path to knowing Him (John 14), our path to wisdom and knowledge (Col 2), our path to all truth (John 14, 16), our path to knowing the deep things of God that are otherwise unknowable (1 Cor 2), and our path to receiving other things from out of the vast resources of God (John 16).

I hope this thread will increase our appreciation for the God who lives in our hearts and who plays the most vital role in our spiritual growth and maturity. Unfortunately, we also will likely be confronted by those who think God has withdrawn from active participation in our lives and instead points us to the Bible to get everything we need. Fortunately, God is still at work in us, and the Scriptures are on our side.

Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand: )
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened

Doing an exact phrase search in the KJV for 'holy place' yields the following results pertaining to the NT. Way too many to list pertaining to the OT. So, only going to list the ones pertaining to the NT.

Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand: )

Acts 6:13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

Obviously referring to the 2nd temple per this context.

Acts 21:28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

Obviously referring to the 2nd temple per this context.


Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Involving a temple, yet, not a literal man made one though, since Jesus obviously didn't do any of that in the 2nd temple that was still standing at the time.

Hebrews 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

Referring to literal temples in general, not the 2nd temple in particular, though the 2nd temple obviously involved those things as well. Except high priests also did this before there was even this 2nd temple.

If nothing else, in the NT, Hebrews 9:12 proves that the holy place is not always involving a man made temple.

What happens if we factor the following in?

2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.


Should we assume the temple of God meant here, it is a man made temple, or should we assume it is meaning a temple not made with hands? If we assume that it's the latter, could what is recorded in verse 4 be describing the abomination of desolation, standing in the holy place, standing where it ought not? If no, one then has just made a contradiction if they assume the temple of God is meaning a temple not made with hands, then insist it would not be abominable for one who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God--that this is suppose to naturally occur like this, thus no abomination involved whatsoever.

IOW, the logic would be, an abomination involving the holy place can only be meaning in an obsolete temple that is no longer the holy place once Christ died and rose(a contradiction in even this kind of reasoning), but can never be involving a temple not made with hands? Once again, as if it's a common thing, thus expected, that what is recorded in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 naturally occurs in the temple not made with hands, nothing abominable about that whatsoever. Yet, if one agrees it's an abominable act, yet disagrees that Matthew 24:15 is involving 2 Thessalonians 2:4, what then? It's far more reasonable to agree that 2 Thessalonians 2:4 is involving an abominable act, but that the holy place per Matthew 24:15 is not meaning the temple not made with hands, it is meaning the temple made with hands, that it is still the holy place up until it is literally destroyed?

An abomination in an obsolete temple vs an abomination in a temple that is not obsolete whatsoever, which makes better sense? Apparently, the former, if many of these interpreters around here and elsewhere are interpreting Matthew 24:15 correctly, that it is involving the 2nd temple until it is literally destroyed. Imagine that, once it is destroyed though, which did happen in 70 AD, now all of a sudden like, the holy place can finally mean the temple not made with hands. Wonder why it couldn't mean that at the time of Christ's death and resurrection but can only mean that after the 2nd temple is destroyed? After all, the holy place per Matthew 24:15 is meaning the 2nd temple before it was destroyed, according to many interpreters who are either Preterists or agree with Preterists.

I've been feeling horrible since May. I broke up with my bf on May 13th, and I've been feeling miserable ever since. I was 27 when we started dating, and we dated for a little over a year. My age is relevant because I waited 27 years for a boyfriend. And what did I get? I got a man who, while he was patient and kind, also had morals that I just couldn't live with. While we never went "all the way" physically, there were several times where we did go farther than I was comfortable with. But I was convinced if I just stayed with him long enough, we'd get married, but after we broke up he told me he wasn't close to marriage.

He moved on about a month after we broke up, started talking to another girl and just the last 2 weeks now he's been bringing her to church.

It was pretty much a mutual breakup, but he left me because my anxiety was too much for him to handle. He told me he cared about me and that I'm going to make someone else happy. And I've tried to meet new people; I went on my first date a couple days ago. I ended up not being attracted to him but also, I wanted him to have the same opinions on some stuff as my ex. I wanted him to be my ex in some ways, but not others.

I can't seem to move on. I'm angry and depressed.

I don't want to go to another church, even though I see him all happy with another girl when I go to my current church. I am dreading Sundays. And throughout the week I just get consumed with anger and sadness. And the anger isn't just "grr someone cut me off in traffic." It's so intense ans powerful, I feel like I'm drowning.

I miss my ex! Even though it was a bad match! It's been over 2 months now and it just hurts so bad. I waited 27 years to find someone and I got hurt, badly. I keep daydreaming about ending it, and today I was writing a "goodbye" note in my head. Again, I can't go through with it for various reasons, but I'm so tired and I want to feel better and I'm just not really feeling better. I do see a therapist but it's just so hard to continue to go through each day.

Berean Study Bible James 1:

15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

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desire
ἐπιθυμία (epithymia)
Strong's 1939: Desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust. From epithumeo; a longing.

Matthew 5:

28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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lust after
ἐπιθυμῆσαι (epithymēsai)
Strong's 1937: To long for, covet, lust after, set the heart upon. From epi and thumos; to set the heart upon, i.e. Long for.

These are two different but related Greek words. Looking at something is okay but looking at something to lust after or covet it is not okay. The Pharisees focused on external behaviors but Jesus shifted the focus inwardly to the heart. Your conscience will tell you whether you have sinned or not.

Lust is not just sexual. Acts 20:

33 I have not coveted [G1937] anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.

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The same Greek word G1937 can mean "covet' or "earnestly desire". ESV Luke 22:15

And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired [G1937] to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

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The meanings of G1939-desire and G1937-lust overlap. If you desire a woman so much as to lust after to possess her, then it is a sin.

Hug 100 Trees To Save The Rainforests!

Trees are essential for all life on our planet. Rainforests provide habitat for over 50% of all the species on Earth, and safely store hundreds of billions of tonnes of carbon, helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Put simply, we couldn’t survive without trees – so why not show them some love and Hug 100 Trees for the rainforests!

Hug 100 Trees is a fun, family-friendly way to connect with nature near your home – and support rainforest protection at the same time. It’s also a great way for kids of all ages to get close to nature and play their part in protecting our planet! You can hug any trees you like – in your local park, a nearby woodland, a beautiful forest, your garden, even in the street! You can hug all your 100 trees on the same day, or spread your tree-hugging over days or weeks. The only rule is that you must hug 100 different trees! To see some of our tree-huggers in action, scroll down and click on the video.

SOURCE

Romans 6:

23 the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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We all sin. We all die according to God's law. So, we need atonement, Leviticus 17:

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

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Jesus knew it, Luke 18:

31 Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will flog Him and kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again.”

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Jesus said it was necessary, Luke 24:

25 he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

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Paul explained in Hebrews 10:

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

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It was the will of God that Christ should die.

as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” ...
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

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Jesus was the perfect sacrifice who died for us according to the will of God.

Was there another way around this?

Matthew 26:39

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

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The answer was no.

Philippians 2

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

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As a result:

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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Why did Jesus have to suffer and die?

He died for sinners. He knew it was necessary. There was no other way.

Mark 7:

24 Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice. 25 Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27 “First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

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Matthew 16:

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

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The Peter-rock (Πέτρος-πέτρᾳ) pun only makes sense in Greek.

Peter
Πέτρος (Petros)
Strong's 4074: Peter, a Greek name meaning rock. Apparently a primary word; a rock; as a name, Petrus, an apostle.

rock
πέτρᾳ (petra)
Strong's 4073: A rock, ledge, cliff, cave, stony ground. Feminine of the same as Petros; a rock.

Jesus probably spoke Greek at some level.

Hebrews 6:17-18
NKJV: Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

Hebrews 12:4-13 ESV


If we are going to resist the devil and flee temptation and die daily to sin and to self and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, it will involve much resolve and determination and discipline that we don’t have in our flesh, but that only comes from God. And so the Lord is going to take us through difficult times, and he is going to allow us to suffer for the sake of righteousness. And through the things which we suffer, if we are willing, we will learn righteousness and holiness and godly living.

Now when it says here that we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them, I just want to state here that not everyone has had an earthly father growing up, or if they did, not everyone had a father who exercised loving discipline for our good. Some of us had very abusive fathers who were selfish and bullies and who beat up on people weaker than them, and who took advantage of those under their care. So we may not all be able to relate to having fathers who disciplined us for our good.

And some of us who had fathers as I described here had a difficult time growing up relating to having a loving Father in heaven who disciplined us for our good. And some of us may still have a difficult time even calling God “Father,” and so it is much easier for us to just call him, “Lord,” for that is who he is supposed to be to us. And so some of us have had to work through some issues related to this idea of a loving Father who disciplines us for our good, and we may wonder why he would allow us to suffer so.

For me, God had to bring me to a place in my life to where I had to learn to accept that the things which happened to me, that God allowed to make me who I am so that he can use me in the way he is now using me for his purposes and for his glory. He didn’t invent evil, and he doesn’t approve of evil, but he does allow evil to exist, and he does allow evil people to do bad things even to the righteous. But we are called to a life of suffering, for in our suffering we are humbled and we learn to love and to serve our Lord.

So, I had to learn to accept the sovereignty of God over my life and to trust him with my circumstances even when things didn’t go so well, and even when others persecuted, hated, and mistreated me for my walk of faith and obedience to the Lord. For the things we suffer in this life are all part of God’s divine discipline in our lives in order to humble us and to train us in righteousness and in holy living. But it is painful, indeed!!

But if we respond to God’s discipline in our lives with faith and not with bitterness and resentment, then that discipline will serve its purpose in our lives so that we will share in God’s holiness, and so that it will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in our lives, when we permit God to train us in his righteousness through the things which we suffer. So, although painful at the times we go through these difficulties, God will bring good out of them in the lives of those of us whose lives are surrendered to him.

Thus, if we are those who have been trained in holy living by these disciplines, then we should also be those who are now making straight (holy, righteous, honest, morally pure, upright and faithful) paths for us to walk in, in conduct and in practice, by God’s grace. And if any parts of our walks of faith are lacking or weak, through these disciplines those areas of our lives can be strengthened by the grace of God, in his power, strength, and wisdom, as we yield control of our lives over to the Lord.

A Believer’s Prayer

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.

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WILMINGTON, Del. — The plea deal for Hunter Biden‘s tax crimes collapsed on Wednesday when a federal judge in the case questioned a related deal on a gun charge and whether the plea agreement would shield the president’s son from future charges.

Hunter Biden’s defense attorneys balked at the revelation and the prosecution’s insistence that Hunter Biden remains open to further prosecution

Sinéad O'Connor has died at the age of 56 after years of mental health battles, her 'devastated' family confirmed.


No cause of death given.

" 60 footprints embedded in an ancient lake bed in what is now White Sands National Park in south central New Mexico are strong evidence that humans occupied the New World between about 21,000 and 23,000 years ago. "

"These prints were made during the height of the Last Glacial Maximum, the span between about 19,000 and 26,500 years ago when the ice age was at its peak and glaciers covered roughly one-third of Earth's land."

Fossilized footprints in New Mexico are earliest 'unequivocal evidence' of people in the Americas

"Researchers analyzing ancient deposits in Australia found evidence that Earth's layers started to get mixed up — a fingerprint of plate tectonics — about 1.3 billion years after the planet formed."

Earth's plate tectonics traced back to 'tipping point' 3.2 billion years ago

Is this even legal?

In a brief order Tuesday afternoon, U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika wrote that an employee at Latham & Watkins, a law firm representing the president’s son, had called the court clerk’s office and falsely claimed to work for a Republican lawyer in the hopes of persuading the clerk to remove documents that apparently contained Biden’s personal tax information.

I believe that the body of Christ in its actions, or lack of action, are giving the unbelievers evidence that our God is not real. Our lack of evangelism gives them the evidence.
If you saw a house on fire, you would yell and warn the people inside. You would not let it be on your conscience that you did nothing. Your belief that they will die, will drive you to do something. Likewise, if you truly believe in an everlasting punishment for unbelievers, you will warn everyone you saw. But our absence of action shows our level of belief; and the lost see this. So, our lack of proclaiming the Gospel gives the unbelievers evidence that we ourselves do not truly believe.

I heard a statement from Jordan Peterson about belief. It is a statement I have used on these forums a couple of times. The summation of the statement is that, if you believe something, then you will act in accordance with your belief. Then if what you say and act out match each other, then you are a trustworthy person. So here is the quote:
"Is what you believe, what you say, or, what you act out? In truth, what you believe, is what you act out. But if you are a person of character, then what you say and what you act out are the same thing and then your word can be trusted. So, belief is substantiated in action." Jordan Peterson

Now unfortunately, I have heard Christians say that, if we preach on a street corner or go into the parks and evangelise, in this day and age, then, we will look like an idiot. They say, it is not what we do now. And sadly, this in a way is true. People look at a person preaching on a street corner and think to themselves, "Look at this idiot. He actually believes in what he says.". This is very sad.
When a believer finally does get up and tell the truth, people look at him and scoff. But in reality, this believer is doing what he should be, and he is showing his level of belief.
If more people were doing this, then the preacher would not look like such a fool. If many were proclaiming, then people would then think "Why do all these people believe? Is there something to this belief?" If many people proclaimed, then the evidence would be that the church actually does believe in what is written in the Bible.

If we truly believe that Jesus died for us and we have put our faith in His sacrifice, then because we believe, we should act in accordance with this belief. Our actions will not save us, but they are a result of being saved and truly believing.
So, knowing that the lost will perish in a terrible way, are we willing to risk it all to save them? Will our actions match our belief?

"What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless? Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." James 2:14-26

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10

Ok, a little about me: I'm 41 years old and raised in the U.S. since a very early age (3ish) and grew up there. Had all my "firsts" there. First day of school, first motorcycle, first kiss etc. I am born in Norway though, and beyond a passing memory I had no connection to Norway growing up.

In 2000 I moved back to Norway to go to college, that fell through as I met a woman and got married. We had a child. The mother turned out to be quite physical and verbally abusive and I ended up with full custody. My daughter is now 21 years old.

I have not been able to "live" in Norway, it's like trying to fit a circle through a square hole if that makes sense. I feel out of place, like I do not belong. I've tried so hard to just live my life, however it feels as though I merely exist. My ex-wife and I got a divorce after she cheated on me, this was many years ago but it left me hesitant to pursue any relationships up until five years ago where I met a girl in the U.S. who I absolutely fell in love with. We got engaged, and she comes from a great Christian family which is important to me.

Now the hard part; My daughter doesn't want me to move back, I have offered her to move back with me which was the plan from the beginning but she found a really nice (honestly a nice guy) boyfriend and they're pretty serious so naturally, she doesn't want to leave him behind. So I'm stuck feeling torn, I don't want to leave my daughter here in Norway (we have always been extremely close!) but she's growing up and her dad just isn't as important as I once was which is understandable. But it's not fair for me to just up and abandon my fiance who has been so kind and good to me either. She wouldn't move to Norway as she's got a physical illness that would make living here a little too difficult.

I haven't prayed on this as much as I should have, admittedly. Something I plan on changing. However, I would love to hear your take on this as well. I just feel, if I stay here I'm hurting a very kind and lovely person just so I can exist in proximity to my daughter. But I'm afraid if I move, my daughter and my relationship would diminish. I don't want her to think that my fiance is more important to her or vice versa as they are both equally important in different ways.

Thanks for reading

The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday will consider recommending Congress hold Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena seeking internal company documents involving online censorship.

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