Dont lose hope. Cling to hope. Hope is powerful. The enemy tries to destory your hope. he lies to you. cling to hope as if it is your precious treasure.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean in heart,
for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This was a prayer of King David, but I do not know if he was king at this time or not. David was a man of God who followed the Lord in obedience to his commands, as his life practice. He was not a perfect man, and there was a time in his life when he sinned against God and other humans grievously, but God used Nathan, the prophet, to point David to his sin, which then brought him to genuine biblical repentance. And I do not know if this Psalm was written before or after David’s moral failure, but God did forgive him.

Here David states that he himself was a godly man, so this was not the time in which he sinned grievously against the Lord. This was a time when his life was committed to obeying the Lord and to doing his will and to walking in his truth and righteousness. His heart and mind were surrendered to the Lord to do as he commanded. But it was also a time of trouble and distress, for he had enemies who sought to take his life, who did not honor God. But he had confidence that God would hear his prayer, and would answer him.

Now, perhaps some of us can relate to what David spoke of here and to some of David’s history. I know that I can. I also had a time of moral failure, but God brought me back around, and he forgave me, and not too long afterwards (4 years) he called me to writing down what he teaches me each day from his word and to post these writings on the internet. I can identify a lot with David’s heart and with his love for the Lord and with his desire to serve the Lord with his life, and with having people come against him, too.

But we read in the New Testament that if we follow Jesus Christ with our lives that we will be hated as he was, and that we will be opposed, mistreated, slandered, thought ill of, and persecuted for the sake of the name of Jesus, and for the sake of righteousness. We will have enemies if we are serious about our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord, and especially if we are verbal about our faith and the true message of the gospel of Christ which teaches us to die to sin and to obey God’s commands.

And when David wrote that God is good, and that he is ready to forgive, and he is abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon him, he was not speaking of giving lip service only to the Lord or just asking God for favors. For all who call upon the Lord must call upon him in truth with a sincere desire to have a change of heart and mind resulting in a change of behavior, i.e. to truly repent of their sins. We must want to have our sins put to death so that we can now live for the Lord in walks of obedience to his commands.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

You are Loving and Forgiving

Based off Psalm 86
An Original Work / February 19, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

You are loving and forgiving,
Jesus, Savior, King of kings.
You provided our redemption.
By Your blood You set us free.
You are gracious; full of mercy.
No deeds can compare with Yours.
Great are You; there is none like You.
Glory be to Your name.

Teach me Your way, and I’ll walk in it.
O Lord, I will walk in Your truth.
May I not have a heart divided,
That Your name I give honor to.
I will praise You, O Lord, my Savior,
For great is Your love toward me.
You have delivered me from my sins.
Your grace has pardoned me.

You, O Lord, are full of compassion,
Slow to anger, bounteous in love;
Faithful to fulfill all You promise;
Glory be to Your name above.
Hear, O Lord, and answer Your servant.
You are my God. I trust in You.
Turn to me and grant Your strength to me.
You are my comforter.

Login to view embedded media
Abundant in Lovingkindness
An Original Work / January 31, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I thought the comments section was interesting... not what I expected. Lots of people sympathetic to the church's outreach.

Nice work!

I am a complicated being. I am honest and blunt with people in my life when it comes to my beliefs and journey. But my emotions, my deep raw emotions, i pour out to god. I believe the best way we can know, that we know the father. Is having the ability to be emotional with him. By our prayer being more than "bowing our head, clasping our hands together". I believe true prayer, is the pouring out of your soul "emotions" to god. Not simple words, but raw spirit filled emotion.

My schizophrenia makes me believe I'm michael the archangel fighting demons and spirits and wrestling and powers and principlaties. You are not alone in thinking you've been to hell/ gone through hell.
Whatever you do, DO NOT LOSE HOPE!, The struggle is real, the diagnosis is real. And god knows your true heart and feelings.

Nithavela said:

Don't worry, Trump will settle with himself and park that money in his qatari bank account, right next to the venezuelan oil money. When the traitorous congress turns on him, that money will be very useful in financing his paramilitary during the takeover.

Click to expand...

I wonder if he gets “free-fuel” for it too?

Read your story. The lord works in mysterious ways. I have 3 people in my life that seems to be "jesus's to me". One guy name is Phoenix Jenkins, the only guys name is PJ. (patrick joseph). They are "Personal Jesus's" in my life.
The Lord can work through people to help others, it doesnt mean that that person is the actual Jesus christ or lord, but they could be a reflection of him, being used for some purpose.
The first Jesus, Phoenix. I misplaced my love for my ex girlfriend onto his wife. And by the grace of god, this man, forgave me and didnt hold it against me. He was friendly with me afterwards, and we made it into a positive relationship between us two after i came to my senses and realized the root of my feelings for his wife came from my heartbreak over my ex girlfriend. He showed me the maturity of a real man, and the forgiveness rather than jealousy or strife.
The second Jesus, or Personal Jesus (Patrick Jospeh) was my uncle. Because i am schizophrenic, i have been or went homeless several times. My uncle PJ took me into his home or moved in with me to give me stability on 3 seperate occassions, saving my life.
Another instance is my other uncle, being a kinsman redeemer, and redeeming me and getting me onto Social Security.

THe lord uses our life to mirror or use lessons from the bible directly on our life to build our faith. At least that is how i see it with me.

godisagardener said:

My favorites are:

rocket larkspur (very prolific and last into the hot summer);

iris (have a short blooming season but are great year round in garden areas where nothing else might grow, loads of lovely colors too);

and black-eyed susan (long growing season and withstands heat).

Click to expand...

My mother loves Black Eyed Susans as well.

Michie said:

I’m praying and please keep us all updated. I’m pretty invested in all you have been going throw and I think your story is pretty amazing.

Click to expand...

Thanks, and likewise. Your fam's been through the wringer, praying the Lord delivers your family from their trials and showers your family with blessings. You all deserve it.

Michie said:

It’s a new year, and many people have started a Bible-in-a-year reading plan.

Click to expand...

I have read all of the Bible at least 5 times but not on a random program. I like to decide for myself what book I am going to read and study. I underline so I know what I read and what I still need to read. I have books I do not remember reading but I underlined them so it is obvious that I did read them.

I'll keep an eye on that one, even though reviews are just average. I thought Popovic's Man of God was good eastern Christian hagiography, in the traditional style, but probably wouldn't connect with a wider audience very well.

I thought Scorsese's portrayal of Moses the Black in his miniseries The Saints was actually very good, true to the spirit of the setting of the desert fathers.

Michie said:

the waves of anxiety can roll in: "Am I a bad parent?" "Am I doing this right?" "Is there something I could be doing better?"

Click to expand...

We do the best we can and we esp try to be better parents than our parents were.
My wife says do your best and trust the rest to God.

Good. Far too often, misogyny and sexism get sort of brushed over because we're meant to be kind, gracious, and so on. But we need also to be honest, and to name the hostility and harassment that women face, and challenge it.

Please pray for such children to have protection from bullies, because of their Christian faith. Pray for them to get a good education in schools that want to exclude them.

What does persecution look like in Colombia?​

Many regions in Colombia are riddled with criminality – and that can make life very dangerous for Christians, especially church leaders who are involved in activities that threaten the influence of gangs and cartels. This could be helping former gang members rehabilitate, protecting young people from recruitment to gangs, or engaging in humanitarian work. It can lead to threats, extortion and even murder.

Christians living in indigenous areas can also face opposition. Faced with accusations that they have betrayed local traditions by choosing to follow Jesus, Christians can be targeted for threats, discrimination, legal complaints and imprisonment. Given these dangers, some believers choose to stay under the radar.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?​

Whilst Christians from all denominations can face opposition for their faith in Colombia, those from Baptist and Pentecostal churches are particularly vulnerable to persecution from criminal groups. Those who convert to Christianity – especially gang members and people from an indigenous background – can be especially at risk.

Meet "Camilo"​

"They treated us as if being Christian were a crime."
"CAMILO", A CONVERT FROM ISLAM.

Click to expand...

What has changed this year?​

Very little has changed in Colombia since last year. There’s continued danger for Christians living in places where criminality is pervasive, as two incidents that happened last year show.

In July 2025, the bodies of seven Christians were found buried in a mass grave in Guaviare. They had been kidnapped in April and subjected to interrogation. The Christians were leaders of two evangelical denominations and were known for their good witness within the community.

The previous month, 24 coordinated terrorist attacks devastated local communities in Cauca and Valle de Cauca, killing seven people. Whilst Christians don’t appear to have been targeted, the attacks have only added to the fear already felt by many local believers and disrupted church activities.

What does Open Doors do to help Christians in Colombia?​

Open Doors supports our persecuted family in Colombia through various initiatives. These include trauma care, legal advice, education support, emergency aid and biblical training.

How can you pray for Colombia?​

• Ask God to bring about peace, and that He would give His people strength to be peacemakers. The armed conflict has once again intensified. It’s a reminder that any peace in the country is tenuous.
• Pray that God would protect believers who find Jesus in indigenous communities. Pray they would be accepted rather than oppressed.
• Christians living in places ruled by drug gangs are at risk. Pray with them for their protection.

DOWNLOAD SUMMARY REPORT

A PRAYER FOR COLOMBIA
God of all comfort, surround those affected by persecution in Colombia with Your unfailing peace. Give them strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Continue to embolden them amidst opposition and protect them from harm. Help Your children to be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16), and through their shining and persevering witness, draw people to Jesus and transform communities. Bring peace to conflict-ridden regions, we pray. Amen.

BonaVel5490 said:

As I asked the other...

Did angels know about the incarnation before it happened? Because some traditions say they didn't.

Click to expand...

Saint Gabriel did because he announced it. I'm not so sure there's secrets in heaven so the heavenly host possibly knew, they're also participating in the divine relationship so they probably knew the second person of the trinity was condescending from heaven to be incarnate and save the world.

Why did Christ give us some as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers? It wasn’t so they would do all the work of the ministry, so that they would be regarded as “THE ministers,” and so they would be the ones doing all the preaching (prophesying). He gave them to us so that they would train us for the work of the ministry, but not with worldly means and methods and marketing schemes, but via the Word of God and what God instructs his church, the body of Christ, that we should all be doing.

“The Church” not only is not a building, and not a place you go to and then you leave until you go to it again, but it is not a place where the bulk of the body of believers in Christ sit as spectators while a handful of “professionals” do all the “ministering.” It should not be like going to a theatre. For the biblical church is the universal body of believers in Jesus Christ, and all of us are necessary to the proper working of the body, as EACH PART does its work. And our gatherings are to be participatory, not stage productions.

All of us who are of genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ, who have died with him to sin and who have been reborn of God to walk (in conduct) in obeying him and his commands, have been given spiritual gifts of the Spirit of God, and we have been assigned our body parts by God, and we each have a part in the proper working of the body of Christ. And we are to be speaking the truth of God’s word to one another, in love, for the spiritual growth of the whole body of Christ, which happens when EACH PART is working PROPERLY!

We speak the truth of God’s word to one another so that those who believe in Jesus will no longer be influenced and led astray by some humans who in their cunning, craftiness, and deceitful scheming teach false doctrines and altered gospel messages which do not teach the truth. We speak truth so no believer will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, too. And we are to stir one another up to love and good deeds. As well, we are to be helping fallen brothers and sisters in Christ back to biblical relationships with our Lord.

[Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

Servant of the Lord

Based off Romans 1:1-17
An Original Work / July 26, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Servant of the Lord;
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.
Through Him, and for His name alone,
We receive His grace
To call people, Him to obey;
Coming from their faith.
Servant of the Lord,
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.

You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ;
Always praying for others’ needs;
Helping hand to lend;
Giving courage to others’ faith,
For the praise of God.
You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ.

Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.
In the gospel find righteousness:
Being right with God.
Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.
By faith, live in Him.
Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.

Login to view embedded media
The Church Working Properly
An Original Work / January 30, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Login to view embedded media

Inhocsigno said:

Greetings rebornfree and lismore,
Agreed that use of music and simple lessons are often the best ways to go here. One of our ministers recently was providing lessons to an individual under generally similar circumstances, it was not Alzheimer's but one of the other forms of dementia (I believe it may have been vascular dementia or similar, apologies as I'm not too versed in the medical terminology).

He was facing generally similar challenges, the key he found was to break things down and keep them simple. And where needed, to start with the verses and teachings that were easier to grasp, and then build little stories and examples from there that were easier to follow. As analogy, many Biblical concepts and teachings are quite challenging even for Biblical scholars, hence the detailed exegesis and multiple levels of interpretation in seminaries and commentaries, to make the concepts relatable and understand the underlying and varied meanings. So there's nothing inherently awry with challenges in communicating difficult teachings, especially for individuals with cognitive challenges as well. In his case talking with the church member with vascular dementia, he would often start with a verse from ex. Psalms or Corinthians that might be more familiar or easier to grasp, and then build out from there, not unlike a carefully put together but simple Sunday school lesson. And yes music helps! Especially if the person being addressed has musical experience or loves to sing, one of our chaplains mentioned this is often good way to reach individuals as this part of their minds functions well even with dementia. Gospel music often works well. We've also found some simple, moving hymns work very well.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply Inhocsigno. Yes, it does seem to be necessary to keep things simple. Using a scripture and building on it is a good idea. I appreciate that music is also a good way to go. but in this particular case, with my cousin, I can't see how I can do it.

At times she is quite coherent, but then at others she can keep asking the same question, having completely forgotten that she'd already asked it. A friend, who was a social worker, told me that family history and photographs can help keep the memories alive, so her son and I have been looking at those with her. Her father had dementia and my aunt would say that he could remember his school Latin but was confused about current things. I suppose it's because older memories are more deeply embedded in the mind.

I like your little picture of a cherub. It's cute.

I think High Functioning Autistic people like me don't like small talk too much. Especially if you are introverted, like me. We like deep and meaningful conversations. Something of value and substance.

A few nights ago I was talking to some skateboarders somewhere else on the Internet, but they weren't saying stuff of much value and substance, and after awhile I lost interest in them. I thought the shallowness of their conversations was funny and I asked myself: "Are skateboarders really this stupid?" Because I hope not! I kind of like them. I'm sure a few of them have huge brains in their heads.

No offense if you are one.