As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to beef up apprehension efforts and the Texas legislature prepares to allocate nearly $5 billion to border security efforts, Hobbs has vowed to defund Arizona’s Border Strike Force, which would negatively impact local law enforcement the most, Jobe Dickinson, president of the Border Security Alliance, told The Center Square.

“Currently in Arizona, Governor Hobbs is recommending cutting funding to the border strike force that helps local law-enforcement supplement Border Patrol’s responsibilities. This makes an easy decision for the cartels to start shifting their smuggling routes, more and more into Arizona,” he said.

What will our country look like in another two years?

So...I dont really know how to start this. Ive seen other people say stuff like this before, but I figured its my turn.

Lets start at the beginning. I am new to Christ. I went through hell last July and ended up turning to Christ for comfort. So im not even a year in the faith yet. However there is one thing that is really holding me back from Growing in Christ. I dont long for heaven. I really dont. However I dont long for this world either. I hear about these Christians who are talking about how they can't wait to be at the feet of Christ in praise and worship forever and ever. And I just can't get excited about that!

Now please, dont get me wrong, I long for Christ. And I most certainly do not mind bowing down and worshipping him. This isnt a problem of pride or anything like that. I have no issue submitting to Jesus as Lord. But forever? Thats it? Thats all we do? No, I just can't look forward to that...and I feel like a bad Christian. Like I shouldnt be thinking this stuff.

I love Earth, I dont want to be a spirit, I long for a worldwide community where we still create, and invent and things like that, but with out sin. I love life, and yet "Life" and "Eternal Life" seem to be different. Life is what we have now with variety and differences. Eternal life is...eternal praise...? But why? Thats not life. And as hard as I try to look forward to it, I find myself clinging to this earth, not for the sin, not for the suffering, but for the freedom. The freedom for imagination and creativity (Im sounding like a third grade teacher now), but its true. Why would I desire anything else? Thats what I WAS MADE FOR. To have "dominion over the earth" to be able to create and explore. To desire anything else would be to go against what God created me to be.

Anyhow, im now ranting. Any help is greatly appreciated. Cause I love Jesus, I really do. But...this just flattens me everytime I think of it.

I’m a third year college student and about six months ago I met this wonderful Christian girl who loves the Lord and loves people. She’s gone through some of the toughest health problems and some of the toughest family problems I’ve ever seen someone go through and she’s come out on top through all this. I’d like to take the next step in our relationship to care for her and ask her to be my girlfriend but there’s just one thing holding me back.

She believes that the Bible is silent when it comes to homosexuality. Now, I believe that being gay is not a sin, but engaging in sexual conduct is. However, I’m respectful and understanding of those who are part of the gay community. Growing up, she’s got some extended family members who are gay and are Christians that are married and are raising a kid. She sees no wrong in what they’re doing, which has shaped her views on this, to the point where the many ideas about the mistranslations of the “Clobber” passages are her central point of contention. I’ve tried to show her that even without considering verses, since the dawn of human beings, God specifically created each gender for the other, to be complimentary and to enjoy each other’s company/affection.

Although we differ on this matter, and what it could possibly mean down the road with potential marriage and children and how we raise them, she still wants to enter into a relationship with me, and I do as well, but this is making me think and pray about things a bit harder. She is quite literally the greatest woman I have ever met in my life. What would you do if you were in my case? Would you continue into dating or end things? Or am I completely wrong in my understanding?

What is your favorite end times passage that gives you hope ?

I will start.

Mine is 1Corinthians15:51-55

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

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Elise Stephanic's statements at the House Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

She describes evidence. Good listen - well worth the 5 or so min.

Describes that there were so many former intelligence officers working at Twitter, they developed their own onboarding.

Definitions?

I have heard the term "Apostolic Power" used a number of time over the last 35 years or so.

I thought this would be a good discussion to have.

1. What is it?
2. What does it look like in real life?
3. Was it only for the 12?
4. Did the 84 other Apostles in the New Testament operate in it?
5. Is there a modern day Apostle flowing in this power?

Let's do our best to be kind to one another - tender hearted

Universal Restoration includes major premises of Calvinism and Arminianism, while avoiding their flaws.

This breakdown is based on a sermon by Elhanan Winchester as found in A Larger Hope? by Robin Parry and Ilaria Ramelli (pg. 119)

1. God loves all
Calvinism- No
Arminianism- Yes
UR- Yes

2. The objects of God's love will come to salvation
Calvinism- Yes
Arminianism- No
UR- Yes

3. God desires all to be saved
Calvinism- No
Arminianism- Yes
UR- Yes

4. All God's purposes will be accomplished
Calvinism- Yes
Arminianism- No
UR- Yes

5. Christ dies for all
Calvinism- No
Arminianism- Yes
UR- Yes

6. All for whom Christ died will be saved (his blood was not shed in vain)
Calvinism- Yes
Arminianism- No
UR- Yes

Calvinists hold that God only loves some, that only some will be saved. In other words, God is unwilling to save all. Arminians hold that God loves all, but only some will be saved because human freedom will thwart God's will. In other words, God is unable to save all. Classical Universal Restoration (Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, et al) asserts that God loves all, is willing to save all, and is able to bring all to salvation willingly. In other words, God is willing, God is able, and God will save all. The UR position is the more fitting account of God's love, will, and power.

I was "saved" as a child. I grew up thinking I was saved. I believed in God and Jesus and believed that Jesus dies for my sins. I wanted more than anything to be saved. I have sinned and quit going to church for many years but still prayed and always asked myself "What would Jesus do?" Now, I go to church all the time, read the bible daily, witness and really try to have a closer relationship with God. I believe that I am saved by grace, through my faith. However, I still really do not feel the Holy Spirit in me. I want to more than anything and sometimes think I do but may only be imagining it.

In my husband's case, he was also saved as a child but quit going to church. He was a good man. He was the first to forgive, he had a huge heart, and he told people he believed in God. However, he did not pray regularly and never read the bible. I know he believed though. He passed away two years ago. I often cry because I cannot bear the thought that his being saved as a child may not have been enough if there were no faithworks after that.

When the bible says in Matthew that many will think they can enter but God will say he never knew them because they did not have a relationship with God, what does that mean? Is the relationship based only on faith? Is it true faith if there are no works after the fact? Is faith real if we cannot feel the Holy Spirit?

Sometimes, I feel so confused and a mess. I pray for clarity, but... I am just looking for insight.

Friday’s report from the government made clear that the nation’s job market remains fundamentally healthy, with many employers still eager to hire.

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see also:

Continuing the saga from: Prayer Request: My brother is in the hospital Summary: My brother had an intussusception removed that contained a cancerous tumor. One of the lymph nodes they also removed in the surgery also came up with cancer. His next medical treatment is a colonoscopy on April 24. Please continue to pray for him, as he may have to go through chemotherapy (ouch). He is 26 years old.

Meanwhile, also pray for guidance and wisdom for me as I navigate through what promises to be a complex situation. My dad wants to evict me from the house that I'm currently staying at, so I called my boyfriend (who knows how to move houses) and got a quote for the move. Then, right after my boyfriend left, my mom called and begged me to stay at the house that I'm currently at because she needs me to take care of my brother and drive him to chemotherapy. I'm not going to leave town so maybe I can move out and still take care of him?!

Part of me wants to tell my mom no, but my brother hasn't done anything wrong and my mom may need dental surgery as well which could keep her 400 miles away. Still, my mom would do a much better job of taking care of my brother than I would. Prayers appreciated, still.

Artist John Emmett

1 John 5:16 (NIV)

There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.

Christians are often confused when they are commanded to pray for their enemies (Matthew 5:4). We need to understand that Christ isn't commanding us to pray for the well-being and prosperity of our enemies so that they continue to do evil as much as to pray for their salvation and deliverance from sin. Some sin in many ways and can be delivered from their sin through prayer. However, some blasphemed against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-30, Acts 5:3-4), and we should not pray for them as we would be asking God to bless evil. Satan, Judas Iscariot, King Saul, the Pharisees, and others would be examples of blasphemers and apostates who we should not pray for, as we would be asking God to bless evil, which He does not. There are times when, like King David, we can and should pray that God will destroy our enemies (1 Chronicles 14:10-11). Some have not blasphemed against the Lord like Simon Peter, who we should pray for (Luke 22:31-32). Some are apostates like Judas who hang themselves instead of repenting, whom we should not pray for (Matthew 27:5). Such people should be handed over to Satan to be taught not to be blaspheme, not prayed upon (1 Timothy 1:20).

In orthodoxy would you who are Orthodox Christians agree that this is an accurate summary of the Epiclesis in the divine liturgies.

The epiclesis is a central part of the liturgy in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. In Orthodox liturgies, the epiclesis is often recited by the priest or bishop in a loud voice, and it invokes the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Here are a few examples of the epiclesis in Orthodox liturgies:

1. From the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Eastern Orthodox): "Send down Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here presented, and make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ. Amen. And that which is in this cup, the precious Blood of Your Christ. Amen. Changing them by Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen."
2. From the Anaphora of St. Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox): "And make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ. Amen. And that which is in this cup, the precious Blood of Your Christ. Amen. Changing them by Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen."
3. From the Liturgy of St. James (Oriental Orthodox): "Send down, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, that being overshadowed by His grace and sanctified by His power, we may be made worthy to partake of this divine and holy mystery of the Body and Blood of Your Christ."

In all of these examples, the epiclesis is a prayer for the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist.

During a radio interview with Fox News host (and longtime confidant) Sean Hannity on Monday, the twice-impeached ex-president finally revealed how he personally would have prevented the war. According to Trump, all he needed to do was let Russia “take over” parts of Ukraine.

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As part of the on-air interview, the former president congratulated himself for the fact that Russia didn’t invade its neighbors during his White House term. Trump quickly added, “That’s without even negotiating a deal. I could have negotiated. At worst, I could’ve made a deal to take over something, there are certain areas that are Russian-speaking areas, frankly, but you could’ve worked a deal.”

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In other words, the brilliant plan of Trump for peace in our times would be appeasement. Who thought that foreign politics could be so easy?

Who eats all the animals sacrificed to the Lord? The lord? Leviticus

I have my thoughts on this. Many churches are struggling with this today. Although neither determines your salvation, it’s a hot topic today. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this topic, please be kind. Thanks!

Right now, in the eastern US, it's about 10:00pm. Chances are, if you're not asleep right now, you're just chilling with your phone or laptop or TV. Which is fine; God built is in such a way that down time is good for our bodies, which are temples of His Holy Spirit.

Even so...a little too much down time is a problem. We know this instinctively; spend a few hours watching TV, and that feeling of unfulfillment afterwards is a good cue that we were made for more. If only there was something more meaningful to do...if only there was a way to do the noblest of duties, that of spreading the news that eternal life is offered to all, in this quiet time of winding down after a long day.

You may be familiar with random chat rooms. Some are websites, some are apps, but either way, these are places where people go for human contact when human contact is hard. Sometimes, it's just to do something fun. But from my experience, I went to these random chat rooms years ago as a little cry for help, when I was feeling very lonely. And random chat rooms became very popular during the pandemic!

Some people are called to be missionaries to the military; some are called to be missionaries to a particular religious group. But all of us, with a little free time & decent Internet, can be missionaries to the lonely. Now not everyone comes to these chat rooms out of loneliness...but lonely or not, these are people who want some kind of conversation. I assure you that quite a few ditch you as soon as you mention anything religious; count it all joy, you just got rejected like Christ was by so many. But maybe those are the ones who need it most. Simply being kind & present when we bear the name of Jesus carries a lot of weight. Pray for success, for yourself & for all of us, and take a leap of faith.

Here's an article that talks a little about chat rooms. You can use one of the rooms mentioned in the article, or look up some more to go be a very limited, but very real missionary for Christ. What, do you have something better to do?

Peace to you all.

A deadly shooting erupted at a Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall in in Hamburg on Thursday evening, leaving several dead, according to police.

At least six people are dead and seven people injured, CNN affiliate RTL/NTV reported.

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"We only know that several people died here; several people are wounded, they were taken to hospitals," police spokesman Holger Vehren said.

Vehren said police were alerted to the shooting about 9:15 p.m. and were on the scene quickly.

He said that after officers arrived and found people with apparent gunshot wounds on the ground floor, they heard a shot from an upper floor and found a fatally wounded person upstairs who may have been a shooter. He said police did not have to use their firearms.

Vehren said there was no indication that a shooter was on the run and that it appeared likely that the perpetrator was either in the building or among the dead.

When I was 14, in high school, there was a boy in my grade who was a tiny bit intellectually disabled. Tiny bit; I barely knew him but he was a nice kid and he was pretty normal over all.

Anyway, one day during passing time (the 5 minutes or so to get from one class to another) I was behind him (kind of to the side) in the hallway with a bunch of other kids. And for some reason, I decided to whisper "kill yourself, [kid's name]." I think he heard me because I was close to him, and I remember him being startled; he went down the stairs and looked back up at me. I'm not sure why I even did this horrible thing!

Not long after, we found out that one day he'd been hit by a car and killed. It was a very open stretch of road, there's no way he didn't see the car. And even some other kids were saying he killed himself (a rumor got started that another boy told him to kill himself). And the boy who died would bike to go take care of chickens, but he was on foot when he walked out in front of the car. Even the driver in the report was like "he just walked out in front of me."

I'm convinced this poor boy killed himself. And I'm convinced I contributed to it. It's been 13 years, and every few years I remember it. I feel like I need to turn myself in to the police or something.

I just don't know what to do. I know God forgives me, but there has to be some kind of human repercussion for this.

Boebert, who called to cut funding to schools that teach students comprehensive sex education at last week's CPAC, announced at a Moms for America event that her son Tyler and his girlfriend are expecting a baby boy.

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Israel is in a turmoil as the governing right wing coalition wants to limit judicial review of proposed laws. I'm surprised these events have gone under the radar here. Maybe Christians arent as interested in Israel as they were in years past when end-time pastors would have the ear of the White House, etc.

Explainer: Uproar over Israeli judicial changes - what's it all about?

There's massive protests on many fronts. The country seems badly divided.