Shots were fired from a vehicle driving past St. Aloysius Catholic Church on Saturday at about 1:30pm local time. A funeral Mass for a 20-year-old woman and her mother had just ended inside the church.

A parish priest of a Catholic church in London where six people — including two children — were injured in a drive-by shooting Saturday described the panic that ensued after the attack.

Father Jeremy Trood said he heard the gunshot Saturday shortly after mourners left St. Aloysius Church in Euston, North London, to release doves following a memorial service for a young woman and her mother who died within a month of one another in November.

“I was inside the church, and, suddenly, there was an enormous bang, and people rushed back into the church screaming and saying shots had been fired,” the Catholic priest said, according to Sky News.

“There are no words that can describe what had happened, and I can't imagine why anybody could possibly do such a thing. There were hundreds of people in the church coming out. It was pandemonium.” Shouting and sounds of panic can be heard on a video taken from inside the church.

Continued below.

I am interested in some discussion on the similarities and differences. There are many biblical exhortations to be watchful, vigilant, 'Keep watch". In my reading the seem to contain a moral element. Watch that you are ready for the coming. Watch and pay. Watch for the Adversary.

• Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
  Matthew 24:42
• Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
  Matthew 26:41
• But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
  I wait for God my Savior;
  my God will hear me. Micah 7:7
• Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
  Luke 12:15

Meanwhile, Buddhist mindfulness seems to be more about nonjudgmental awareness. Starting with breathing and then thoughts and feelings. Just awareness without guilt or getting involved with them.
As the popular concept of “mindfulness” has grown exponentially over the past three or four decades, the term has been defined and interpreted in all sorts of ways and applied to all aspects of life, from business transactions to eating to sex. Indeed, being “mindful” is often viewed as an end in itself.

That, however, is not a Buddhist idea. It’s worth remembering that the Buddha never said that mindfulness can solve our problems—it’s just one skill among many that he taught on the path leading to cessation of suffering.


So While Buddhist Mindfulness is the recent trend, Christian vigilance is an ancient and perhaps at times forgotten discipline.

Thoughts?

What's up folks, my name is Nick, I'm a musician, and I also love to cook.
I play piano, and I'm learning some guitar, enough to kind of fake it ya know, mostly I compose though.
I also play a little too many video games than I prolly should.

There isn't much to me, I'm just your average everyday fella.
I look forward to meeting everyone.

A 56-year-old woman stabbed an 18-year-old Indiana University student while riding a public bus in Bloomington and told a detective she did it because the victim was “Chinese,” according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Billie Ranard Davis of Bloomington approached the Carmel, Ind., woman on Wednesday as she was waiting to exit the bus and began stabbing her repeatedly in the head, according to a probable-cause affidavit. Security camera footage showed that Davis and the woman had not interacted before the attack, the affidavit said. The footage showed Davis stabbing or attempting to stab her about seven times before returning to her seat on the bus. A witness later followed Davis on foot until police were able to arrest her sometime after 4:45 p.m.

According to the affidavit, Davis mentioned targeting the woman “due to [her] being Chinese” and “made statements that race was a factor in why she stabbed her.” Davis also told the detective that she attacked her because it would be “one less person to blow up our country.”

Okay, picking up from the "What should we call ourselves...?" topic. Now what?

We want to share the gospel with those in our sphere of influence. (for whom we are most responsible, I suppose)

How do we proceed from, "I'm a Christian."?

I suppose, even the statement, "I'm a Christian." will beg some questions. (but probably not unless they ask?)
That may be enough for the time being. Unless they want to talk more about it. (thinking out loud here)

Assuming this is friendship evangelism, you don't have to "go for the kill" in one meeting. Give it time.

I suppose the key is to read the situations to know when they are ready for more.
As a friend you have the RIGHT to talk about what is important to you.

You can tell them you went to church if they ask what you did over the weekend.
Religion is part of your life. They know that. BUT you need to show interest in what they are doing as well.

Anyway, enough about me. - LOL
Where do go from there? Or was I off on the wrong foot already?
How do YOU get from, "I'm a Christian." to a gospel presentation?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh wait... this is supposed to be controversial somehow... Hmm... ???
Oh, got it. I'm a Universalist. Why should I care about evangelism? I believe everyone is already saved, right?
So why bother? Good questions...

How do I present the gospel WITHOUT the threat of hell?
Can you do it? (double dare you)

Please pray for my nephew’s son who is having temperature, cold, congestion and bad cough. Please pray for his healing.

"How can Christians remain faithful in a rapidly changing society? Today, W. Robert Godfrey appeals to the Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper to address our responsibility to honor God in the family, the church, and the state."

Click to expand...

50 Minute Podcast: Renewing Your Mind - Abraham Kuyper and Faithfulness in a Changing World

Great discussion on current events and the Christian's response.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am here to ask for your help.

As I get older, I notice that my memory is not as good as it once was. This is probably a normal sign of aging, but I am concerned enough about my current experience that I have scheduled an appointment with a neurologist on March 6th. I hope to have my memory, perception, and cognition all tested to see if there is something wrong with me.

Without going into all the details, I will just say that my memory of certain things does not align with reality. Since I’ve always been very capable, this is very troubling.

When I was growing up, my family (and our circle of friends) were careful to always use only the King James Version of the Bible. As I got older, I learned to use various study guides, reference books, and so on. Nowadays, I like using the Interlinear Bibles.

Here is my dilemna: There are certain words that I remember being commonly used during my younger years, that are not in my copies of the KJV Bible. I am here to ask if these words are in your copies of the King James Bible:

Wineskins
Demon
Hallelujah
‘Holy of Holies’

James Taylor wrote a song in which one of the lines is “My wiring is mis-firing”. Maybe that is what is happening in my old head. If it is, then I hope the neurologist will be able to identify the problem.

But if you will humor an old man, and check your copies of the KJV for the words I listed, I will appreciate your help.

If it turns out that those words have never been in the KJV, then that is one more piece of information for me to consider.

When I have been checked over by the neurologist, I will try to remember to revisit this page and tell you all what I learned from him. Meanwhile, I wish you all the best and hope to meet you in Heaven.


Your brother in Christ,

Howard

"When upwards of 50 public libraries told Kirk Cameron they were “not interested” in hosting him to read his wholesome new children’s book to kids, the actor-turned-children’s author didn’t take no for an answer."

In the New Testament we read of love feasts, but that all that meant and means is the mass is something I am skeptical about. I am sure the mass is not a love feast, nor really any feast.

Down through the years, Holy Spirit manifestations have made a difference in many people. But are not recorded, the saying of the revivalists are redacted. There are gaps, and they usually remain unexplained. In which people are full of joy or can't speak... I'd say the love feasts involved people quaking as they received love. And that this happens again in revival meetings.

the PAOG, Salvation Army and CCR began with Holy Spirit manifestations and that is more of a love feast.

Psalms 34:1-3 ESV


At all times. In the good times and in the bad times, I must bless the Lord. For he is God. And he is the one who made me. And he is the one who gave me salvation from my sin and the hope of heaven when I die. And he is worthy of my praise because he is holy and righteous and good, and in him dwells no evil at all. I must praise him and thank him for all that he is and for all that he has done to save his people from their sins.

And this praise that must be continually on my lips is not to be lip service only. We can praise the Lord with our lips but our hearts can be far from him, for words are just words unless they are backed up with action and heart change and walks of obedience to him, and submission to him as Lord. But yes, we need to be verbalizing our praise to him, but the praise is only genuine when our lifestyles follow suit.

So, if we are to truly magnify the Lord and to exalt his name, this will be evident by how we live. Are we still living to please the flesh? Or are our hearts truly dedicated to following the Lord in obedience to his commands? Are we walking in his ways and in his truth, or are we still doing our own thing? So many people have this idea of worship of God as just singing songs of praise and worship. But true worship of God is giving our lives to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him (Romans 12:1-2).

Psalms 34:4-5 ESV


As followers of Jesus Christ we are not to be fearful people. Now this is not to say that we will never feel fear. We may feel fear in our emotions sometimes, but we are not to give in to those feelings. We are not to yield to letting fear overtake us. For when we respond in fear to our circumstances, and not in faith, it shows we are lacking in faith and that we are not trusting the Lord entirely with our life’s circumstances.

So, when we come up against situations in our lives that may put fear within us, in our emotions, we need to pray for deliverance, and then we need to reject those feelings of fear and trust the Lord. And we can feel the fear but go against it, too. And sometimes it is that act of faith in stepping out in faith and in obedience to the Lord despite the feelings of fear that alleviates the fear. I have seen the Lord do this in my own life where I went against the feeling and then the feeling of fear disappeared.

I was brought up by a very abusive father when I was growing up as a child, so I had a lot of fear instilled inside me. I know I prayed and prayed over his treatment of me and I sought the Lord for comfort and help to make it through each day. But living with a man who was like a time bomb and you never knew when that bomb was going to explode was a fearful situation. And I ended up with much fear I didn’t even know I had. And then one day the Lord did deliver me and my face was absolutely now radiant.

Psalms 34:6-7 ESV


We all have troubles. And the Lord doesn’t always deliver us out of our physical troubles. For he said if we follow him with our lives that we will be hated and persecuted as he was. And he said we would have trials and tribulations which come to test our faith. But the Lord will deliver us through our troubles. He will give us the strength we need to endure, and he will carry us through, and he will give us wisdom and discernment in making wise choices. So he saves us from the troubles destroying our lives.

But sometimes he physically rescues us from our troubles, too, but sometimes that might be after he has let us suffer for a while, because he is working his purposes in our lives through our suffering. But the main thing here is that the Lord saves us from our troubles having devastating impacts on our lives in the negative to where we end up caving to the troubles and yielding to them rather than trusting the Lord through them. But he can only save us so much as we are willing to be saved.

Now the Lord takes care of his own. He will provide for us who walk in the fear of the Lord, who honor God with our lives and who take him and his word seriously. Those who fear the Lord are those who honor him as Lord, who walk in his ways and in his truth, and whose lives are dedicated to following the Lord in obedience and ceasing with sin. He will carry us through every trial and every difficult circumstance so that our circumstances do not get the best of us, but so that we are able to rise above our circumstances to keep following the Lord in obedience.

[Matt 5:10-16; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Matt 28:18-20; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Acts 1:8; Acts 14:22; Acts 26:18; Rom 5:3-5; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; 2 Co 1:3-11; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Phil 3:7-11; Col 3:16; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; Heb 3:13; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Pet 4:12-17]

Eternal Father, Strong to Save

William Whiting

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm does bind the restless wave,
Who bids the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Savior, whose almighty word
The winds and waves submissive heard,
Who walked upon the foaming deep,
And calm amid the rage did sleep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Holy Spirit, who did brood
Upon the waters dark and rude,
And bid their angry tumult cease,
And give for wild confusion peace;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and pow'r,
Your children shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire, and foe,
Protect them where-so-e'er they go;
Thus, evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

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This video reminds me of the outrage after Jan 6 and the national guard was called in to protect our capitol, where they were eventually made to sleep in a parking garage sometime later in February. Meantime, Biden had reversed Trump stay in Mexico policies and under the cover of night was not just bussing in illegals around the country, but also flying them in, and paying for their lodging sometimes at expensive hotels all on the public's dime. We seem driven to spend a lot of money on bringing in new homeless people, when we already got plenty of our own domestic ones.


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Came back from Japan from a vacation. Great place, great people and great weather. Thing about Japan is every prefecture has its own distinct look, feel and atmosphere. What I was not quite ready for was finding a somewhat stereotypical Texas eatery in the heart of Tokoname. Single story rectangle building with an outstretched porch and a white pickup on the side. Cacti inside with wooden stools and chairs.

If it was opened I would have went in to sample but alas it is not to be. Just want to share it here for fun.

But kinda give me a sense of nostalgia, back when I was a kid watching 70s & 80s American movies. A place where truckers and bikers stopped for a bite. And usually proceeded with a fight started by the protagonist trying to escape from someone. To be honest I have never been to modern Texas. Is there any eatery like this still existing in Texas? Any Texans?

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We can’t see magnetic fields in space directly; instead, their presence is established via the polarization of light. The team were able to infer these fields by using the movements of stars provided by the Gaia observatory and the location of galactic dust revealed by the Planck Space Telescope.

I am single with virtually no friends.

How can I live a life of prayer so I do not feel so lonely?

Hello. I am curious about something. Who is Lady Wisdom, and who is my Brother Knowledge? Are they entities or spirits? God designed them just for us, right?

I want/desire to get to know Lady Wisdom and Brother knowledge. Lady Wisdom is my close friend, and Brother Knowledge my companion. I know these things, but I don't really know who/what they are.

Here is my reference verse :

Proverbs 2:9-15-9-15 The Message (MSG)​

So now you can pick out what’s true and fair, find all the good trails! Lady Wisdom will be your close friend, and Brother Knowledge your pleasant companion. Good Sense will scout ahead for danger, Insight will keep an eye out for you. They’ll keep you from making wrong turns, or following the bad directions Of those who are lost themselves and can’t tell a trail from a tumbleweed, These losers who make a game of evil and throw parties to celebrate perversity, Traveling paths that go nowhere, wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends.

Thoughts?

From a biological/scientific perspective, why do humans die?

the last time i went to a church was to receive blessing, they made out a show yelling and praying crying for my convertion to christianism, i am Christian since my birthday

on the other church i went was for a disease i have i wanted to be heal, among 6 men begun to pray against a demon out of me and the demon never existed

so church is not a good place for me, i have no patience for these kinds of sins

Hi, I wasn't really sure where to post this but just needing some advice on my living situation. So I moved into an apartment that was above a dance studio without knowing it.... The building is shared with several businesses and it didn't jump out to me that one was a dance studio...

I am slowly losing my mind. Our windows are super thin but it's also coming up from the floor since the dance studio is right below us.

They dance M-F from 4 to 9:30pm and some hours on Saturday and Sunday. It's not horribly loud but it's very annoying. Just imagine having to listen to the worst (usually pop) music for that many hours a day. You can't wear ear plugs in your own home that long. Sometimes, I want to just lay in bed to start unwinding for the night around 8:30 or 9, but the music is so loud, it's horrible. I just want peace and quiet.

I've tried calling the dance studio 3 times asking to turn the music down, but I can't really tell if they have or not. I left a voicemail with my landlord the other day about it... She hasn't replied yet but I'm hoping she calls back soon.

I was thinking of emailing my town's zoning people. I just don't know what to do. It's driving me crazy. I am hoping to move out, but we can't seem to afford much else in our area as the other apartments are in sketchy places or more luxury apartments than we can afford. Until our lease is up, though, I am literally going insane. I get so angry every night... I can't relax... It is physically and mentally draining.

Have you guys ever heard of a dance studio being put in an apartment building? I just don't know who thought that was a good idea.

Anyway, any advice on how to deal with this in a Christian manner?

Thanks.

Revelation 12:9 "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to earth and his angels were cast out with him."

Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom

Matt 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

If Satan has deceived the whole world and Christ's flock is a little flock and there are few who go in by the narrow gate, have you ever wondered, if you could be deceived? Have you ever wondered if you really are following the truth or if you could be "of your father the devil" as many people like to accuse each other of?

If you have, what approaches have you taken to undeceive yourself, so to speak. What made you think or wonder if you were deceived in the first place?

God seems to prefer masculine pronouns...
+ But what about angels...
Should they all be considered male? Or should gender not be applied to them?
+ Does gender have s spiritual significance?

A GOP postmortem: What went so wrong in Pennsylvania?

PHILADELPHIA — The Pennsylvania GOP is trying to figure out what went so horribly wrong in 2022.

After the party’s disastrous midterm races, Republicans in the critical battleground state are conducting a postmortem, holding focus groups throughout the state and interviewing thousands of voters about everything from abortion to former President Donald Trump in hopes of getting to the bottom of their losses. As a sign of the seriousness of the effort, the state party has enlisted Public Opinion Strategies, a D.C. area-based firm, to conduct the review of the 2022 election.

Republicans also said their analysis isn’t shying away from examining how the end of Roe v. Wade affected the election. Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, made a central part of his campaign his Republican opponent Doug Mastriano’s support of an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. In exit polls, a plurality of voters in Pennsylvania ranked abortion as their top issue. “Clearly that issue played more of a role than most political pundits, particularly Republicans — no, let’s just rephrase that, Republican pundits — gave it weight,” said Meuser. The question, he added, is, “What’s the way you can say it without being offensive? … To me, there’s definitely a reasonable way of maintaining my pro-life position without being offensive to others.”

Other initiatives that Pennsylvania Republicans are embarking on in the wake of the 2022 midterms include establishing a vote-by-mail strategy.
After last year’s races, many Republicans in the state and nation came to the determination that their recent war against mail voting cost them. The state GOP is launching a mail-in ballot task force to look at the problem. “Most folks now on the Republican side recognize that if one party is voting for 50 days and the other party is voting for 13 hours, the party voting for 50 days is going to have a higher turnout,” said Andy Reilly, a Republican National Committee member in Pennsylvania who has also been tapped to sit on the task force. “We have to embrace it and convince the Republican voters that there’s integrity with the mail-in voting process, i.e. that their vote will count.”

Much more at the link.

@spicoli I haven't checked in on Timothy Gordon on YouTube for awhile but just got the itch to catch up with him and his presence has basically been scrubbed from YouTube? Do you know anything about this? What happened? Is he anywhere else other than Spotify?

Ke Huy Quan was a face known to millions across the globe after starring in two huge movies as a child actor in the 1980s... before slipping from the limelight.

The Vietnamese-American actor played the James Bond-loving tech geek 'Data' in the 1985 blockbuster The Goonies, alongside co-stars Sean Astin, Josh Brolin and Corey Feldman.

But his star was already on the rise after playing Indiana Jones' sidekick Short Round in the Steven Spielberg classic the Temple of Doom in 1984.

The 51-year-old, who starred in only six movies after the Goonies, has just picked up a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the absurdist multi-verse movie Everything Everywhere All At once.

So where have the stars of The Goonies squad ended up today?

Continued below.