I am at a point in life where staying single the rest of my life is a real possibility. Not because I am too old, but I have been alone for 15 years now and gotten use to it. I hate dating. I am a homebody, so coming up with date ideas is painful. There is not much I want to go out and do. I mostly love doing things at home, lots of bicycle riding (used to race so ride a lot), and then I travel as much as I can. When I am not traveling, I am very content at home. I have been single more of my adult life than married so quite used to living alone. All my hobbies and interests are things I can do alone. Company would be nice at times, but I don't that it's enough to sustain a relationship. I am very quiet. I can be talkative, but most of the time I don't feel the need to be talking. I also have social anxiety.

My life is very unusual. I can go weeks without talking to anyone. I attend church from home due to social anxiety. I am retired now, so I don't need to drive a lot. I have put 12,000 miles on my car in 2.75 years since I bought it. Occassional longer trips are the only reason it has that many miles. Most weeks, I put no more than 10 miles on it. I am not sure I would make a good husband. I would love my wife to death, but might not be much company. Hard to say. For now, I am not looking, and given my lifestyle, I am highly unlikely to meet anyone.

Lol, this guy makes me laugh.

Cardinal Pierre turns 80 on Friday. Who will follow him?​

The long-serving apostolic nuncio to the United States, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, turns 80 on Friday. While the cardinal’s replacement may take a few days, or even a week to be announced by the Holy See, there is no doubt that the guard will soon be changed.

Media reports continue to speculate on who might be named to replace Pierre in one of the Vatican’s most senior and visible diplomatic postings — one made all the more sensitive by the ascension of the second Trump administration and the election of the first American pope last year.

While nothing is certain until the official announcement, some names have emerged as rumored or theorized front runners — among them current Vatican sostituto Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra — even if there appears little to recommend the logic of their prospective appointments.

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The temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitian migrants is set to expire on Feb. 3. Catholic bishops are asking the Trump administration to reconsider the plan and extend those protections.

Two committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) are urging President Donald Trump’s administration to extend legal protections for Haitian migrants living in the United States.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced in November 2025 that the United States would terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian migrants on Feb. 3. It is expected to affect more than 300,000 Haitians, many of whom are Catholic.

TPS provides temporary legal protections that allow the migrants to live and work in the United States as long as the status is in effect. Noem determined Haiti “no longer meets the conditions for the designation,” which means those migrants will lose those protections and will be required to leave the United States.

Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, issued a joint statement urging the administration to reverse its decision and extend Haiti’s TPS status.

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There is already a small café serving coffee, drinks, and gelato on the roof of the historic church.

The Vatican has said it is considering enlarging a small coffee and drinks bar already present on the terrace of St. Peter’s Basilica and has denied reports it plans to open a restaurant atop the historic church, according to Vatican News.

Italian newspaper Il Messaggero claimed earlier this week that renovations are being carried out to open a “bistro” on the roof area of the Vatican basilica.

“To cope with the increased number of visitors, an extension of the terrace area accessible to pilgrims is being considered,” the basilica communications office said, according to Vatican News.

There is already a small café serving coffee, drinks, and gelato on the roof of St. Peter’s Basilica. Above the church and below the dome, the bar is situated at a halfway point for pilgrims climbing the stairs to visit St. Peter’s cupola.

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The legendary coach led the Fighting Irish to a perfect season and a national championship win in the late 1980s.

Lou Holtz, the storied football coach known for leading the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a 12-0 perfect season including a national championship win in 1989, has entered hospice care, according to media reports.

Sports writer Kyle Sutherland wrote on Jan. 29 that he confirmed Holtz’s entrance into hospice. Multiple other news outlets subsequently confirmed the development.

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As bishop of Chicalyo, Peru, Pope Leo XIV was a strong and unambiguous advocate for the right to life and marriage between one man and one woman.

The defense of life from conception, marriage defined as the union between one man and one woman, and the development of public policies in favor of the family were pillars of the pastoral ministry of Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, when he served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015–2023, according to those who collaborated with him in northern Peru.

“He insisted that young people should understand that forming a family is a good thing and that they should prepare themselves for it,” Erika Valdivieso López told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Valdivieso is the academic vice rector of St. Ignatius of Loyola University and former director of the Institute of Sciences for Marriage and Family at St. Turibius of Mogrovejo Catholic University (USAT) in Chiclayo.

“He said that scientific research should also help strengthen public policies that benefit the family,” the university professor recalled.

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Evangelist Shane Pruitt, the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) director of next gen evangelism for the North American Mission Board (NAMB), shared a social media post outlining what he described as the key differences between biblical Christianity and Islam.

In the post, Pruitt stated plainly that “Christianity is true. Islam is not.”

According to the Pew Research Center, Christianity is the largest religious group in the world, consisting of more than 2.3 billion followers. The United States has the most Christians, with more than 217 million, representing 9.6% of Christians worldwide.

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Yep I was taught that as well.

wing2000 said:

In a Truth Social post late Thursday, Trump accused Canada of “wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly” refusing to certify models of Gulfstream jets and “effectively prohibiting” the sale of the American-owned business jets in Canada.

“We are hereby decertifying their Bombardier Global Expresses, and all Aircraft made in Canada, until such time as Gulfstream, a Great American Company, is fully certified, as it should have been many years ago,” he said.

....oops

The Bombardier Global Express is a private jet made by the Quebec-based manufacturer, which has facilities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico and makes planes used commercially as well as by governments and militaries, including the U.S.

“Bombardier is an international company that employs more than 3,000 people in the U.S. across 9 major facilities, and creates thousands of U.S. jobs through 2,800 suppliers,” it said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/30/us-trump-canada-aircraft-tariff/

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Oh lookie, a “regulation” that Trump favors.

Texas will immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions across all state agencies and public institutions of higher education in response to reports of abuse in the federal program and to prioritize jobs for Texas workers.

The freeze, which applies to entities under gubernatorial appointees and public universities, will remain in effect through the end of the Texas Legislature’s 90th regular session on May 31, 2027, unless the Texas Workforce Commission grants written permission for exceptions.

In a Jan. 27 letter to agency heads, Gov. Greg Abbott stated: "The economy of Texas should work for the benefit of Texas workers and Texas employers. In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa program, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that program to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter.”

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'Let go of me': Cuban man who died in ICE custody allegedly slammed by guards, witnesses say​

Several detainees at a Texas immigration detention facility claim in sworn court declarations that they heard a Cuban immigrant, whose death was later ruled a homicide, pleading for medication shortly before hearing what sounded like guards slamming him to the ground.

Attorneys for the Campos family filed an emergency petition last week to prevent alleged witnesses from being deported. The petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cites reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos.

Richard T said:

Trade does generally expands growth. However, the USA has better productivity (output per worker). So if times were normal I would still say the USA grows faster. For the next couple of years it is anybody's guess. I would suggest a possible contraction worldwide is likely. Also trade with India is far different than trade with the USA. The EU ran surpluses with the USA, it currently runs trade deficits with India. I would expect more of the same with free trade.

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We have “industries” that make no actual “goods” except money; hedge funds are making billions but you can’t make a call without a phone.

ChubbyCherub said:

Scientists understand that theory isn't fact. The big bang theory is called 'theory' for a reason

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Yes that is why I wrote "The big bang theory is the best working model based on current understanding of the available information derived by modern scientific methods, according to the consensus of appropriately qualified people (scientists with credentials in the relevant feilds)."

Not one mention of "fact" there.

ChubbyCherub said:

It's interesting how lay persons just digest information and not really understand the context of the delivery.

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Do you have some grounds for thinking you are not a "lay person" yourself. Are you a scientist?

ChubbyCherub said:

I will share on the Christian only board but withdraw from this one.

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FYI, I will see you in there then.

iluvatar5150 said:

When have blue states been soft on the murderers of rich white people?

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The jury is still out on Luigi Mangioni. The death penalty is already off the table. What's next?

Pommer said:

The thread drift has been impressive.

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It makes me wonder what was removed. The non-removed material is pretty wild and off topic.

Laodicean60 said:

I noticed you left out leaders. You think those countries that are forking out a billion, can't subcontract work for the cheapest bidder?

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If they can pull the miracle of making a Dubail skyline in Gaza very sustainably affordable to the remaining Gazans who lost their livelihood, why not?

If 2026 already feels heavy, the reason may not be what you expect.

Now that we're a few weeks into the new year, we thought we could take stock of how galvanized we truly are for the year ahead. After all, there’s often a quiet pressure to reinvent yourself when we leave the last year behind: New habits, new goals, a cleaner slate. But what if the most powerful reset for 2026 isn’t about doing more — but about letting go?

A short message that’s been circulating on social media lately offers a surprisingly timeless insight: if you want to live fully in the present, there are four groups of people you may need to forgive. It’s not a new idea. In fact, it’s as old as the Gospel.
And it begins closer to home than we might like.

First: Your parents — whether they’re still living or not​

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Peace in Christ.

IF we lift up the Son of man from out of the earth, He will draw all unto Him.

He will draw a “great multitude” of people towards Him ….through us who will lift Him up in this world.

Joh 12:32-33 KJV
(32) And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

We lift Him up by the keeping of His death in our mortal bodies….the keeping of His “daily” sacrifice. This is the “death” that we should die as we are to be faithful unto death…unto His death that we keep in our mortal bodies.

The 144,000 stand with the Lamb upon the mount (the looming up). They keep the daily sacrifice of the Lamb-slain are raised up in His glory.

(33) This he said, signifying what death he should die.

The “death” that we should die is to ALWAYS bear about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus so that His life might be made manifest/SHINE in our body…our MORTAL flesh.

We partake of His sufferings….and His exaltation...His glory. He is lifted up. If we suffer with Him (the cross), we shall also be lifted up with Him in glory (the “ascension”). We shall reign with Him in this earth.

This shining of His life in our mortal bodies will then attract a “cloud” of people of the outside world who are in deep spiritual darkness. They will see His glory light shine through us and come to it.

2Co 4:10-11 KJV
(10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
(11) For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

IF we suffer with Him (the Son of man on the cross is then lifted up), then we shall also be glorified together with Him (the exaltation …the “ascension” unto His glory). We shall then be raised up together with Him to His glory.

Rom 8:16-19 KJV
(16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
(17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
(18) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
(19) For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

If we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings (lifting Him up, the cross), then we shall share in His glory that shall be revealed…in the exaltation of His glory in this dark world.

1Pe 4:12-13 KJV
(12) Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
(13) But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
This lifting of the Son of man (by His people) brings salvation to the people of this dark world (the people of the wilderness).

If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.

2Ti 2:12 KJV
(12) If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

He shall RAISE US UP together....in His glory above the heavenlies. We shall reign with Him in this earth now in this mortal body in this current age we are living in.

Eph 2:5-6 KJV
(5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)
(6) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, all that LOOKED upon the serpent were healed. This same principle applies today as they will then “see” Him through those who “lift Him up” so that His life is seen by them.

Whosoever (those people in the outside world…in the wilderness) shall believe into Him should not perish but have age-lasting life. They will SEE Him and believe when we raise up the Son of man so that the world might be saved through Him.

Joh 3:14-17 KJV
(14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
(15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
(16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

When He is “taken up,” a cloud shall receive His FROM the “sight” of us. When we lift Him up, then the people of the outside world (those of “Galilee”…the circle of the nations around us) will then “see” Him by looking at us.

This is the “cloud” ...a “great multitude” of people of the nations around us (Galilee so-to-speak)... who will then “see” Him by looking at us. They….the believers who see and believe among them…will then receive Him. A “cloud” receives Him from the sight of us. The Son of man comes upon the “clouds”….the cloud of eyewitnesses of His elevated glory (the ascension) as we are raised up together by Him in Christ.

Act 1:9-11
(9) And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of (FROM) their sight.
(10) And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
(11) Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Abraham….father of a multitude….. “lifted up” his eyes and “looked” and saw (behold) a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. The ram is a type for Christ. He is caught or seized a “thicket.”

With Christ lifted up, we seize a dense, thicket of a multitude of people of the outside world. We seize them with the “horns”…that is RAYS OF LIGHT…His light that shall shoot forth from His manifest glory in us.

The Hebrew word for “horn” is "qeren" - From H7160; a horn (as projecting); by implication a flask, cornet; by resemblance an elephant’s tooth (that is, ivory), a corner (of the altar), a peak (of a mountain), a ray (of light); figuratively power: - X hill, horn.

Abraham took the ram and offered HIM UP for a “burnt offering” which is the word for ASCENT or “to go up”. "burnt offering" = ascent. We lift up the Son of man which is the "offering" we make. We keep His daily sacrifice...the dying of the Lord Jesus (the Son)..in our mortal bodies.

Gen 22:13-14
(13) And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

When we lift Him up…the “mount of the LORD,” then He shall be “seen” by the "thicket" of people who will then "see" His light rays (horns) shine to their seeing eyes. The “mount” = to loom up. “Jehovahjireh” = Jehovah shall be seen.

(14) And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it (HE) shall be seen.

Accomplished liturgical scholar dismantles guidance to the Sacred College by the prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship.​

ROME, 28 January 2026 — A skilled liturgical scholar has exposed serious flaws in Cardinal Arthur Roche’s recent briefing document to the College of Cardinals, offering a detailed critique ahead of their next meeting with Pope Leo XIV in late June.

In a systematic, point-by-point analysis, Dom Alcuin Reid, an Australian-born Benedictine monk, priest, and internationally recognized liturgical scholar, concludes that Roche’s briefing document “lacks intellectual honesty,” “displays a woeful ignorance of liturgical history,” and is “embarrassing in the extreme.”

Although the document was not discussed at the Jan. 7–8 consistory of cardinals due to time constraints, it drew widespread criticism after circulating in the media. The liturgy is expected to be addressed at the next consistory convened by the Pope on June 27–28.

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Satan’s greatest deception is to convince the world that he does not exist. Unbelievers are given strong delusion because they love not the truth and are given a lie to believe.
Do not let their taunts trouble you. Satan’s kingdom is real, and it is the truly naive that say it does not exist.
Science is real and we do not disagree with any of the data that has been collected. We disagree with the narrative of that data. If one has a truly scientific mind, what we find is that what is put forth as fact is merely inference, aka the imaginations of men.
Let’s look at what is called science. They tell us that light was created first, and there was a big bang. Genesis tells us that water was created first. Any data? Yes there is water everywhere, on the moon, the surface of the sun, mars, moon of Jupiter. Why is there water? It is not a logical progression form a singularity and a nuclear explosion. Where did the water come from? Could it not be that it was there from the beginning?
When we think of science, we often think of outer space. Much of what we think we know about space is based on what we think the speed of light is. In reality we do not know the speed of light, we know the speed of reflection. No experiment shows the one way speed of light
My little girl brought home her third grade homework and she had to say true or false. The statement was Galileo proved the earth revolves around the sun. I told her it was false because Galileo observed that moons revolve around Jupiter and that Venus revolves around the Sun. He inferred that Earth revolves around the Sun, but that cannot be proven observationally. Most scientists believe it, but we can’t know it, therefore the statement is false.
I am not saying that I know the Earth does not move either. What I can say is that there is no observational data to say it does. Other than ridicule and peer pressure, is there a way to convince me that it does? Is it necessary for me to believe that it moves? My faith is in my Creator who loved me, gave Himself for me, died and rose from the dead. His word says in the Psalms that He has made the Earth which shall not be moved.
I don’t see modern science as credibly contradicting the word of God, but Satan likes to use ridicule, he loves to isolate us as sheep and laugh us to scorn. I am not saved by demonic or arrogant human laughter. I am saved by the grace of God

Firstlightdawn said:

So we choose if we want to be free or if we want to be a slave.

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Yes.

God does not force a person to do good, and he does not force a person to do evil.

A person's choices will determine whether he inherits eternal life or not.

John 3:36
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.

Colossians 3:4-6
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

Ephesians 5:5-7
Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not associate with them,

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-23
Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, 21 envy. drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.

Benjamin