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bbbbbbb · Monday at 8:12 PM

book table

Hans Blaster · Monday at 7:14 PM

Always in His Presence said:
What does a stadium deal in 2025. Have to do with a budget from 2024?

As noted in post #27, a land transfer for the stadium was a bill passed right after the budget bill passed. (As I recall, it was at one point part of the budget itself, but didn't make it.)

Pommer · Monday at 6:40 PM

essentialsaltes said:
Ex-officer Brett Hankison sentenced to 33 months in prison in Breonna Taylor's death
Hankison is the only person to be convicted in relation to Taylor's death.

The appeal (of the sentence) will be interesting.

Michie · Monday at 5:49 PM

Pope Leo XIV spoke on the phone with President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine, who called the pope on Monday morning regarding the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.

According to the Vatican, the Holy Father repeated his appeal for the protection of “civilians and sacred places” during his conversation with the Palestinian president.

Besides reiterating his concern that international humanitarian law be “fully respected,” the pope specifically called for the prohibition of the “indiscriminate use of force” and the “forced transfer” of people in the region.

He also emphasized “the urgent need to provide assistance to those most vulnerable to the consequences of the conflict and to allow the adequate entry of humanitarian aid,” according to the Holy See Press Office.

Continued below.

Palestine’s president calls Pope Leo XIV concerning Holy Land conflict

Pope Leo XIV on Monday spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who called the pope to discuss the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Michie · Monday at 5:35 PM

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that reports claiming up to over 70 Gazans were killed by Israeli fire in Gaza didn’t align with information available to the military, while acknowledging that some warning shots were fired.

In the latest of a string of near-daily reports of mass casualties allegedly caused by IDF soldiers opening fire at Gazans near aid distribution sites, Hamas-affiliated sources claimed that up to 73 people were killed on Sunday.

According to the IDF, soldiers identified “a gathering of thousands of Gazans” in the northern Gaza Strip, and some troops “fired warning shots in order to remove an immediate threat posed to them.”

Continued below.

IDF disputes latest Hamas claims that ‘dozens’ were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for aid in northern Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces IDF announced on Sunday that reports claiming up to over 70 Gazans were killed by Israeli fire in Gaza didn t align with information available to the military, while

www.christianpost.com

Ain't Zwinglian · Monday at 5:34 PM

Hentenza said:
particularly infants, cannot make that commitment it is

John the Baptist did. Scripture clearly states he was "filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb (Luke 1:15)" therefore regenerated. Scripture has many words for conversion/regeneration such as faith, repentance, justification, Sanctification, glorification, calling, filled with the spirit, adoption, hiers, etc.

It is clear, therefore, that God is able to save infants in an unusual way, apart from their hearing and understanding the gospel, by bringing regeneration to them very early, sometimes even before birth. This regeneration is probably also followed at once by a very early, intuitive awareness of God and trust in him at an extremely early age, but this is something we simply cannot understand....a true mystery.

Michie · Monday at 5:31 PM

Two parents have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop a Massachusetts school district from hiding and not disclosing the so-called social gender transition of their child.

In a petition for writ of certiorari filed last Friday, Stephen Foote and Marissa Silvestri urged the Supreme Court to act on what they consider a threat to parental rights and child mental health.

The couple filed a lawsuit against officials with Ludlow Public Schools, accusing them of encouraging their middle school daughter to identify as nonbinary against their wishes.

Continued below.

Parents ask Supreme Court to stop school from pushing child's 'gender transition' behind their backs

Two parents have asked the U S Supreme Court to stop a Massachusetts school district from hiding and not disclosing the so-called social gender transition of their child

www.christianpost.com

Michie · Monday at 5:28 PM

This picture taken on June 8, 2025 shows a protestor shattering the window of a Waymo vehicle during a demonstration following federal immigration operations in Los Angeles. Demonstrators torched cars and scuffled with security forces in Los Angeles on June 8, as police kept protestors away from the National Guard troops President Donald Trump sent to the streets of the second biggest US city. | BLAKE FAGAN/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are facing an eight-fold increase in assaults, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security blaming politicians and the media for stirring up "anti-ICE rhetoric" and promoting what it says are misleading stories about immigration enforcement efforts.

ICE officials have experienced an 830% increase in assaults between Jan. 21 and July 14 compared to the same period in 2024, the DHS stated in a statement. The timeline coincides with the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said it's "reprehensible that our officers are facing this threat while simply doing their jobs and enforcing the law."

Continued below.

'Reprehensible': DHS blames Dems, media for fueling 830% increase in assaults on ICE agents

U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are facing an eight-fold increase in assaults, with the U S Department of Homeland Security blaming politicians and the media for stirring up

www.christianpost.com

Richard T · Monday at 5:06 PM

Sorry that you feel empty but I am glad that you are seeking help. The foremost goal I think should be to restore your spiritual state and mind to a position that is at peace with God. Peace as in knowing that he is on your side and that there are as few impediments as possible that can stand in the way of your fellowship with God. I assume from your post that you do know Jesus and have at least some Christian teaching. Still, it seems like your status is impeded by some of the things you have experienced. I pray you can get the breakthrough that you need to have a vibrant and fulfilling life in Christ.
Specifically some things to look at include forgiving people that have hurt you in the past. If this is an issue, you can pray that you forgive even confess out loud that you forgive and even if you do not feel it in your heart, it is a step that will help bring forgiveness nearer. We are to love our enemies as an example. This might be from a distance so we are not hurt anymore, but love in the sense that we pray and wish that they too reconcile things with God. We also leave it up to God to do any judging. We can trust him for that.

Another issue that often occurs to break off our fellowship is an inner desire to earn the love and acceptance from God. The fact is while it is nice to do good things, salvation is a gift given to us. So don't let the devil accuse you of failing God. As you call on Him, he does forgive you and desires to bring you out to better pastures so you are not alone and in a place of hurt. So know that you have his acceptance and forgiveness as you have asked. That there is no need to feel condemned or unworthy before Him. This is because your grade to Father God is based on what Jesus did, not what you can ever do. So your grade in Jesus is 100%, a real source of relief because every other human has failed.

Hopefully others can offer their advice, but your daily bread (the word of God) and your walk with Him each day is important. Help with this includes good daily habits like reading your bible. Being aware of his presence, going to church, prayer including listening and fellowship with other Christians is also going to make a difference. Knowing too that you have things inside of you to give to others is important as well. Perhaps not right now but James says to pray for others that you may be healed. So you don't need to be perfect to have a part in the body of Christ, you just need to be willing as God shows you or your heart compels you in love. Already your desire to help your family shows this type of giving so that is great, you are on the right track.

That's about the basics that I can think of at the moment. Just don't forget and pray (Often even) that you know the depth of God's love as Paul does in Ephesians 3:14-19. With certainty I can say that God does love you and cares for you. May your journey go well in unpacking the things of God and in some cases distributing them to others. God bless!

Michie · Monday at 4:58 PM

Puerto Rico has banned so-called gender transition procedures for minors, joining more than two dozen states in prohibiting trans-identified youth from obtaining the life-altering surgeries and drugs.

Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon, a Republican, signed Senate Bill 350, also known as the Law for the Protection of the Health and Well-being of Minors in Puerto Rico, into law last Wednesday. Her signature follows the approval from the Puerto Rico Senate in a 24-2 vote and the Puerto Rico House of Representatives in a 47-4 vote.

The bill is now in effect as Public Law 63-2025.

Continued below.

Puerto Rico bans sex-change procedures for minors

Puerto Rico has banned gender transition procedures for minors, joining more than two dozen states in prohibiting trans-identified youth from obtaining the life-altering interventions

www.christianpost.com

Michie · Monday at 4:55 PM

John Herring, a 12-year-old with a chronic heart condition, poses with Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, whom he got to meet as part of a partnership between ESPN and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. | YouTube/ESPN

A 12-year-old boy with a chronic illness got to meet his favorite athlete, whom he admires because of the athlete's Christian faith.

John Sperring, a 12-year-old from Dallas, Texas, who suffers from Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome that has required him to undergo multiple surgeries, was featured on the "My Wish" segment of ESPN's "SportsCenter" last week.

The segment profiles children affiliated with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which works to make the dreams of children with chronic and/or terminal illnesses come true. ESPN partners with the Make-a-Wish Foundation to help children meet their favorite athletes.

Continued below.

Make-a-Wish kid gets to meet NFL star he admires because he's a 'great Christian'

A 12-year-old boy with a chronic illness got to meet his favorite athlete, whom he admires because of the athlete s Christian faith

www.christianpost.com

Bradskii · Monday at 4:47 PM

Clare73 said:
...or to form organizations for those interested in doing so.

That's actually a good idea. The US could put aside a tiny fraction of the money it has available to help those in countries that need help. The money could be allocated by congress, it would keep the bad guys out of the picture, encourage others to help, have long term benefits for the US, save countless lives and...well, it's the morally correct thing to do and fulfills Christ's teachings. You could call it AidUS or something.

I mean, what would the mentality of the people be who could possibly argue against that? Especially on a Christian forum.

linux.poet · Monday at 4:47 PM

Dear Lord,
I pray for Your hand of blessing on the courageous witness of your saints in Salzburg, Austria, especially this March that is being planned. I pray for the safety of all involved and that your name would be glorified through it.

Lord, we remember that death is not something that we as believers in Christ need to fear, for to be absent from the body is to be present with You. It is a form of mercy, rest from sin and its consequences until Your triumphant return. But it is not to be glorified. It is a consequence of sin. Guide the hearts and words of these believers as they march and witness for You.
In Christ’s Name,
Amen

.Mikha'el. · Monday at 4:23 PM

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fide · Monday at 4:09 PM

Michie said:
Chesterton was half-right: America is a “nation with the soul of a church.” The other half of the truth is that many of our churches lack basic features of historic churchiness: sacraments, liturgical forms, settled creeds, authority. Like America itself, the American church seems a novus ordo seclorum. Our churchy national soul weirdly inhabits a body of peculiar, borderline-heretical actual churches.

In some respects, our unchurchy churchiness is no surprise. We’re Protestant, and Protestants have always been, as Alec Ryrie writes, radicals, lovers, and fighters, restlessly carrying on a centuries-long “open-ended, ill-disciplined argument,” churning out new ideas and rehabilitating old ones with “a certain generic restlessness, an itchy instability.” A “self-perpetuating dynamo of dissatisfaction and yearning,” the Protestant churches have been “one of the engines driving modern history.”
America was founded as a post-Christendom Christian nation. Christian, yes, profoundly so, but never Christian in the way Europe was Christian. Europe became Christian century after plodding century. We started out Christian. The Reformation battered and splintered European Christendom. Colonists brought their European splits with them, and proceeded to split even more. The church was the unifying reality of medieval Europe; after the Reformation, most European nations established one or another variety of national church. Free church Christianity was a late development in Europe. Free church Christianity is American Christianity. States retained established churches into the early nineteenth century, but that was a long time ago. Our default ecclesiology is Lockean and Baptist.

Continued below.

https://archive.is/2025.07.11-080813/https://firstthings.com/the-genius-of-american-christianity/

Reading fast through this essay leaves me wondering, today, if there ever was such a place as his "America." Or is this snippet from academia merely that, a club publication discussable sipping a strong drink gently. It is heart-breaking. America today is Laocedia, making God Himself sick to His stomach. A mixed blend of aged religiosity with a sandwich-spread of idolatrous consumerism.

"So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see."

God, come to our assistance; Lord, make haste to help us.

caffeinated.hermit · Monday at 4:01 PM

Bobthebomb said:
Did you ever have a moment where He might have answered you?
If I had experienced what I did while sober I would have no doubts.

I have. This is a weird experience, but I was going through a period of intense, awful anxiety and anguish due to past abuse. Sometimes all the "awful" just bubbles up to the surface. There's an old, T-shaped wash pole in the yard behind mine that kind of looks like a tau-cross. I like to sit in front of it, and just kind of relax, gaze at nature, and pray quietly.

Anyway... was having an especially awful day and I swear, out of the wash-pole cross I heard a voice distinctly emanate that said "I love you". It was very distinct. Soft, but distinct, and not a thought that I had. But rather, a sound that proceeded out of it. I've only had a handful of experiences like that but yes, sometimes.

MehGuy · Monday at 2:21 PM

MehGuy said:
PlayStation 4 Pro, then the Nintendo Switch. At least as far as exclusives are concerned.

Answer pretty much the same, but PS5 Pro this time. Like many other people the PS5 just feels like an improved PS4, lol.

RocksInMyHead · Monday at 2:04 PM

iluvatar5150 said:
But if there is no list, then he didn't threaten to kill anybody.

View attachment 367612

I think it's more likely that the three specific politicians he threatened (unnamed in the indictment, but presumably not in his tweets) caught him these charges.

peaceful-forest · Monday at 2:04 PM

The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry.

I had read the first book, Giver, when I was growing up. I ended up finding out she had written three more books in the series and wanted to know what happened.

pastorwaris · Monday at 1:52 PM

Alan pavelin said:
The Pew Research Centre conducted a poll a few years ago asking people why they chose the church they did, after for example moving to a different area. The most common reasons were the quality of the sermon, the welcome they got, how much they liked the style of worship, and the location of the church. Well behind these was the specific teachings of the church.
So what I’d like to hear people’s views about is whether “doctrinal purity” is, or even ought to be, a consideration in people’s choice of a church. If it’s not, doesn’t that make the religious wars of past centuries quite pointless, and no church should claim to be “the one true church” or whatever?

Thank you for bringing up this important point. The Pew Research data does give us a sobering glimpse into how modern Christians often prioritize comfort, experience, and convenience when choosing a church. While things like a warm welcome, inspiring worship, and a relatable sermon certainly matter, I believe doctrinal purity should not be left as an afterthought it should be foundational.

In Acts 2:42, we see that the early Church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Teaching came first, not as an accessory but as a pillar of faithful worship. If the gospel message is distorted even slightly it can affect salvation itself. Paul warns in Galatians 1:8, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!”

The sad irony is that many believers today would rather attend a church that "feels right" than one that teaches what's biblically true. But emotion and truth are not always the same. A loving welcome and beautiful worship cannot replace the truth of God's Word rightly taught.

Regarding your point about religious wars and denominational claims yes, history has its excesses. But the pursuit of truth was not always wrong in itself. If there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Eph. 4:5), then it follows there is a faith worth preserving. That doesn’t mean we divide over every secondary issue but it does mean that what a church teaches about salvation, Christ, Scripture, and the gospel does matter.

In short, while community and worship style are blessings, the doctrinal faithfulness of a church should be a Christian’s first concern because eternal truth is more important than temporary preference.

What are your thoughts on how we balance grace and truth in our church search?

Trust_Jesus · Monday at 1:13 PM

@orbiter my brother,

I diligently read your threads and agree with what you say: God is a Spirit and we must worship in Spirit and in truth. Snares have been laid out for us not after this. Rebuke and reprove with all longsuffering but do not let judgment, mercy and faith forsake you. Love your enemies let not your love wax cold, like our Lord warned. The Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit.

- Lucas

RileyG · Monday at 1:03 PM

Ugh! Children shouldn’t be treated like guinea pigs! Awful!

linux.poet · Monday at 1:01 PM

Dear Lord,
I pray for strength for the authorities that You have appointed in Syria, that you would help them negotiate an end to this conflict. I pray for strength to forgive to be given to both sides, that You may begin the complex work of establishing love and peace.
In Christ’s Name,
Amen

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Ex-officer Brett Hankison sentenced to 33 months in prison in Breonna Taylor's death​

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Ex-officer Brett Hankison sentenced to 33 months in prison in Breonna Taylor's death