188

Sandals

Hot dogs or burgers

Heel

Don’t we all feel a little different as we get older?

It's the West that helped PRC to become so strong and arrogant today, under the pretext to have an ally in "fighting against Soviet Russia".

Lukaris said:

USAID was reduced particular to its elimination as an agency. US foreign aid was reduced by less than 20% which is not including funds being applied to health partnerships with other African nations.

Congress passes $50 billion foreign aid bill, despite Trump's cuts in 2025

Congress allocated $50 billion for initiatives aimed at supporting democracy, scholarship programs, U.S. embassy operations and health and humanitarian programs around the world.

www.wusf.org

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With everything that's been going on in the last month or so, that flew under the radar as far as I'm concerned. I don't want to be petty and argue the fact that it's dropped 20%. All things considered, especially as this was a bi partisan effort, it can only be described as a good thing compared to what Trump actually wanted.

ThatRobGuy said:

Conspiracy would imply that it's something that's being kept secret.

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The conspiracy would be that there is any unknown influence or secret instructions to police and prosecutors to not start a case against a french AI startup even if they thought they could get a conviction.

ThatRobGuy said:

When the president of France has openly stated they're seeking "Euro tech/AI Sovereignty" and "European preference" over American companies...

And there are two companies (one American and one French) that both have similar issues...and both with CEOs that have expressed a hands-off philosophy with regards moderation and both asserted "it's a tool, it's on the users what they decide to do it".

And he takes one to court, and takes the other one out to dinner...

It doesn't exactly take Columbo to solve that mystery.

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Neither of that is evidence of that the french police and prosecutors are looking the other way.

ThatRobGuy said:

Contrary to popular belief, Americans aren't the only ones that are susceptible to tunnel vision with regards to nationalism and global supremacy-based economic goals.

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Cardinal Timothy Dolan will work part time as co-lead of the NYPD’s chaplain unit, the archdiocese confirmed.

Continued below.

The Apostasy

The day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first. So, what is “the apostasy”? What does it look like? Well, it means to depart from the faith of the gospel of our salvation and from obedience to our Lord. It is a defection, a falling away from true faith and true biblical worship of God to go after the gods of this world. It is a defection or a falling away from the truth of the gospel to go after the lies that this world and the enemy of our souls are offering. And has that already come? In the USA it certainly has!

For, in the USA, where I live, a cheapened and altered and diluted “gospel” message has largely taken the place of the gospel taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles, taught in the correct biblical context. In the USA the most popular “gospel” message is teaching that a mere verbal confession of Christ as Lord, and of his bodily resurrection, is enough to secure for the “believer” salvation and forgiveness of all sins, and eternal life with God, but regardless of how the person lives in lifestyle, by habit.

But…

Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[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]

The Man of Lawlessness

Now, I make no claims to being a prophet of God. I am a servant of the Lord, as all should be who profess faith in Jesus Christ. And my assignment from God is just to write down what I am learning from the Lord each day during my times with him in his word, and then to post these writings on the internet for the encouragement and strengthening of the body of Christ in their walks of faith, to inform of world events which are or may be impacting the church, and to share the biblical truth of the gospel of our salvation.

So, what I am sharing here are just my observations, and you can take it from there and pray about it to see what the Lord is revealing to your spirit. This “man of lawlessness” could, indeed, be just one man who raises himself up to god-like status to be worshipped by other humans, who makes golden statues of himself to put on display, who is loud mouthed, hateful, boasting of all his accomplishments, egotistical, arrogant, blasphemous, immoral, and who thinks he owns the world and that the world should bow to him.

Or the man of lawlessness could be more than one person…

Now, first of all, “the temple of God” is not a physical building, and it will never again be a physical building. For God does not live in buildings built by human hands (Acts 17:24). Ever since Jesus Christ died on that cross in taking upon himself the sins of the world, and he was resurrected from the dead, the temple of God has been the people of God who have, by faith in Jesus Christ, died with Christ to sin, and who are walking in obedience to him and to his commands, by God’s grace, in the power of God within them.

So, we need to translate this passage in 2 Thessalonians in that light. This is speaking about the “man of lawlessness” taking his seat in the hearts and minds of the people of God who by faith believe in Jesus Christ. Collectively we are the church, so the man of lawlessness is taking his seat in the gatherings of the church, the body of Christ, the temple of God, God’s only temple. And this man of lawlessness is displaying himself as being God, to be worshiped as though he is a god. And he is deceiving many people.

When I was a young child in the 1950s, those who professed faith in Jesus Christ (plus family) met together in a building which they called “the church.” There was a large room in this building which was then called “the sanctuary,” which is where the church services were held. And we were taught that coming into that building meant that we were now entering “the house of God.” And the room called “the sanctuary” was regarded as “holy ground.” So there were some definite carryovers from the Jewish temple.

So, here is where it gets interesting. In “the sanctuary,” at the very front of the room, largely displayed on one side of the platform (from where the preacher taught his sermon), was the flag of the United States of America. And in some of these gatherings we were taught to put hand over heart and to pledge (vow) our allegiance (loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness) to the US government, as though they were a god to be worshiped. And we were taught to sing patriotic songs of worship of the government and to honor our military as though they were our saviors who protected us from evil.

And as I was contemplating this, then in my mind I heard these words, “the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.” And then I remembered that, in such gatherings where we pledged our allegiance to the flag, that there was another flag on display, and it was called “the Christian flag.” But we always vowed our fidelity first and foremost to the government, and the Christian flag second. And all this took place in the gatherings of “the temple of God.”

Then, also in the 1950’s, the church at large (not every congregation) in the USA was talked into incorporating (merging, combining, uniting, partnering) with the state (with the government, with the world) via the 501c3 tax exempt nonprofit organization status, which puts them underneath the rule of the government and answerable to the US government for what they do or don’t do. So, overall, there has been no more separation of church and state, as a general rule. And the government was now put in a position of authority over the church (“he takes his seat in the temple of God”).

So, take this to the Lord in prayer, and ask the Lord to lead you to all truth. Study the Scriptures in their correct biblical context, and then obey them.

The Apostasy
An Original Work / February 9, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Magi’s response to God can be understood as GPS leading them by another way.

It’s been one month since we celebrated Epiphany. Even though the Magi and all the other statues in our Nativity scenes are now packed away again in storage, we can imagine that if the real Magi had left Bethlehem in January, by now they might be back in their home countries.

We call them Magi, Wise Men or the Three Kings, though we may not know exactly who they were. We may not precisely know their roles in their home countries, but traditiontells us their names were Gaspar, Balthazar and Melchior.

These men studied the stars and probably prophecies of their faith traditions, and having identified a star they hadn’t seen before, they decided to see where it would lead them.

They arrived in Jerusalem, a place where they thought the king of the Jews would reside. But from their encounter with King Herod (who was not born a Jew; historians believe his family were converts) and the Jewish leaders there, the Wise Men learned about the Jewish prophecy indicating that the Christ Child would be born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem.

Continued below.

A small group of Lutherans and Catholics are leaving urban society behind to build a close-knit fellowship on rural Lolland.

LOLLAND, Denmark — While many Danes are formally affiliated with the national Lutheran Church (Folkekirken), actual religious belief and practice are much lower. According to the most recent study, only about 35% of Danes affirm belief in God.

Despite the gloomy statistic, some remain steadfast in their faith.

In recent years, several traditional Lutheran and Catholic families have come together in a small rural community, where they — despite their theological differences — have found more common ground with each other than with modern society.

In The Remnant: The Last Christians of Denmark, American filmmaker Matthew Engset out to explore the lives, hopes and challenges of these traditional Christian families.

Continued below.

Meticulous reporting on the Vatican’s complex relationship with the island democracy.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — For decades, Taiwan has watched one ally after another cut diplomatic ties under pressure from China. Since 2016 alone, 10 countries have switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing, leaving only a dozen states that maintain full formal relations with Taiwan today, among them, the Holy See.

The island democracy’s only embassy on European soil looks onto St. Peter’s Basilica from the Via della Conciliazione, making the Vatican one of the most visible places in the world where the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is flown publicly in defiance of the Chinese Communist Party’s view that Taiwan does not exist as a country.

“The Vatican is the only country in Europe that still recognizes Taiwan,” said Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister François Chihchung Wu in an interview with the Register. “And we need to maintain this kind of diplomatic relation because it is the source of the legitimacy of our government. So we are continuing to work very hard to work with the Vatican and trying to maintain this diplomatic relation, which is crucial for us.”

That political tension surfaced again in the last days of 2025, as China launched its biggest ever military drill around Taiwan after the U.S. announced an $11-billion arms sale to Taiwan. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, told U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call on Nov. 24 that “Taiwan’s return to China is an important part of the postwar international order,” according to Chinese state media.

Continued below.

SabbathBlessings said:

Jesus answers this question, in my view, our only response should be to believe and do.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus was baptized in water, fully immersed, because He always led by example. I do not believe only being baptized saves us, just like I don;’t believe when one makes a wedding covenant that they always keep those vows, but water baptism is like a wedding ceremony with Christ. A public declaration of being changed through faith and wanting to walk a new life in Christ. Jesus baptizes with the Spirit, we need both according to Jesus . We can never go wrong in following what He asks and following in His example through faith.

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1st where we agree, Water baptism is a faith motivated response, a public declaration of identifying with Jesus death & resurrection.

A commitment to walk a new life in Christ.

We have many disagreements (no harm no foul).

I don't believe Scripture teaches that water baptism is the moment of salvation. I believe it is a commanded act of discipleship, not the cause of regeneration. That said, every believer should be water baptized as an act of obedience & partake in communion as well.

I believe the only prerequisites for salvation are repentance from unbelief in who Jesus is & what His sacrificial, sin‑atoning work accomplished; recognizing that we are sinners in need of rescue & trusting in Him the only One that can save us.

Anyone can be immersed in water. Jesus knows the true heart & only He can baptize a person with His Holy Spirit. This Spiritual immersion is one of eternal protection.

The moment this born again event happens, you are granted eternal life & FOREVER SEALED (Jn 14:16, Eph 1:13-14, 4:30, 2 Cor 1:22, Jn 10:28-29, 2 Tim 1:14 Rom 5:5, 8:1, 38-39)

ETERNAL LIFE is a GIFT GIVEN thru FAITH: Rom 6:23 & Jn 5:24. Gifts are not earned.

Salvation isn't about how obedient we are, how hard we work or how much we give. It's about howe obedient He was (Rom 5:19 & 6:23) His finished work & what He gave. To Him be all praise glory & honor.

As for our works, even a cup of cold water given in His name will receive a reward (Matt 10:27). Earned rewards can be lost but not salvation (1 Cor 3:12-15).

I appreciate the conversation. I've shared my understanding as clearly as I can & I respect that you see it differently. At this point, I'm content to leave it in the Lord's hands & let each reader study the Scriptures for themselves. Grace & peace to you. JJ

The gift of tongues and the gift of interpretation work perfectly fine in my church.

Its pitiful it had to occur, definitely, but
Think of how and why they felt forced when
Pretti came there filled with rage, kicked in a taillight from unprovoked anger of anything Agents did to him, but
When Officials found he also had a weapon
On his person and he reached into his pocket,
That becomes a forced action in having to be defended against.

I recall something of this happening previous times where kids had fake guns but in not recalling all details, the circumstances led
To one of the kids being shot, also warnings on news and in schools, to not even have any fake guns on their person, because we all know guns fire bullets and bullets kill and if such
A situation where there is a bluff involving
Police and someone goes into their pocket,
The perceived threat is real in select situations.

Gone are the days when kids played cops and robbers with fake guns for this very reason why i believe fake toy guns arent even made anymore!

More checking:

Beware AI here: I just looked into leaching, and an AI search result warned about lead from plastic pipe because of lead solder. You don't solder plastic pipe; you solder (sweat) copper pipe. Modern solder for that purpose doesn't use lead (maybe silver).

Note: Doing this part-time, my old boss was leery of soldering because of torches used close to wood, which is where I learned flaring and using connectors to join copper pipes. I have zero experience sweating pipes and am very careful with sweated joints lest I break them.

Anyway, another source of lead is brass made with lead as part of the alloy, and brass is common in plumbing fixtures.

Leaching is interesting. Low PH water will do it; heavy mineralized with high PH is less likely. But high levels of chlorine can cause leaching. Apparently, a scale can form in lead pipe that can slow or stop leaching, but low PH can do a number on it. Didn't find mention of it, but if you bang on old galvanized pipe you often end up with rusty water, and my guess is banging on lead pipe will do the same thing to the scale, so it might not necessarily require chemical means to remove the scale and renew leaching.

Linda426 said:

As far as anyone else if forced and could defend themselves, otherwise, they become a victim, right?

The whole point is having to feel forced
To defend yourself, thats why those
Officials were forced to do what they otherwise
Would not have to do!

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People react as if they didnt see the videos

Smart man, but that is what is not
Being enforced by all the ppl who
Have an issue of Officials forced to
Defend against their very lives?

Bob Crowley said:

I don't know of any reason why you would not be able to marry the lady in question.

Your first wife committed adultery which is sufficient grounds for an annulment anyway as far as I know.

You validly married your second wife in the Catholic Church, but she has since died. As the vow states, marriage is "till death do us part".

As far as I can tell you are now free to marry the lady you are interested in.

But to really put your mind at rest, talk to a priest. They know the ins and outs of canon law as it is part of their training.

PS - I notice one of your other posts has to do with the Eucharist. If you still haven't sorted that one out, then I'd suggest you talk to the priest about that as well.

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Not sure why my prior reply doesn't show up but here goes nothing...

I do not believe Adultery in itself was grounds, it was the pattern of adultery and what they called intention against fidelity. I.E. she had zero intent to be faithful in marriage before or during...

My second wife and I married in the Baptist church, although as I understand it the Catholic Church considers it a valid marriage that was terminated by her passing.

The annulment from my first wife has been granted, still waiting on the final letter but to my understanding she did not nor would she have any reason to appeal / contest it...

Lastly the issue with the Eucharist was explained by someone here in a manner that actually makes perfect sense... (Sorry Father Bob... )

Working through the Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz and he is answering most of the sticking points well...

Day 144, so I have a long way to go and at least for now, I have some serious questions that need to get resolved...


For what it's worth. The whole marriage / divorce / annulment thing is not high on my recommendation list. Going through this process does open up a lot of old wounds, but as they say, light is the best disninfectant...

Did they miss seeing the videos?

Noone is FOR violence, yet they found themselves creating what led to Officials having to defend against their own life,
So id like to seriously ask Clinton and Obama
( who i respect very much) why not support
The Officials who are out in the streets
Advocating for Peace and finding themselves
In danger for their own lives?

Why wouldnt these brilliant men advocate
Citizens to stay home and allow them to
Do their jobs, btw, are for our Security!

Always in His Presence said:

And there are some who think the issue is incompetence

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Yep.
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Last night was a wonderful night. My son felt well, was laughing and talking to friends and I am very thankful for it. Tonight he is feeling bad again. Please once again pray for my son Jakeb. Please ask God to heal him mind and body and give him happiness. I'm so sad. I ask in the name of Jesus. Thank you and God bless you.

GodAndChocolateVanilla said:

Hi bella!! @bèlla

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Thank you answering and for your transparency. I want to preface my comments with a scripture I'd like you to keep in mind.

"The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it]."

When I read your post that's what came to me and the scripture was followed by a quiet acknowledgement which said, that's the problem. Before I touch on the what in relation to your statement I think it's important to begin with the who instead. Your light has overcome the hardships you've faced and if you read your posts you'd see it. No matter what's said or done two things remain. Your love and trust in God appear unshaken and your resiliency will probably land you on The New York Times Best Sellers List or a stage or both. ;-)

Like the boxers of old you keep coming back. You're laughing, smiling and happy about simple things. This is the difference between victims and overcomers and you're in the second group although it may appear otherwise. Much like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz you don't see yourself clearly or realize you're carrying what you need to move ahead.

You're not a victim nor do you behave like most in your situation. You don't speak of him too often or look for sympathy or pepper the board with prayer requests. Your problem isn't your primary talking point which says a lot about your heart. And the light within you is your saving grace and the reason he hasn't broken your spirit and he can't. You keep bouncing back.

You can't break the cycle until you see yourself. If you believe you're powerless you'll fail to draw upon your strength and lean into the Lord's instruction. You're asking why he does what he does but that's the wrong question. The real question is why you? Why has he chosen to afflict you and return repeatedly? Like a bee with honey he's drawn to the light although it angers him. And that's your solution.

Do not diminish the joy of the Lord. Amplify it every way you can. Fill your space with worship music and create a playlist for the start of your day, another that gives you energy for tasks or makes you want to jump around in celebration and a third for the evening that helps you relax with gratitude for His goodness. Three lists and three weapons. Once you set them up start playing them in that order. You don't have to listen all day but pay attention to the effect and journal about it later. After a week has passed review your entries and look for changes. What has improved and what has fallen aside?

I'd like you to read the piece I've attached. I found it long ago and the words were memorable and I never forgot them. This is the reason you'll nurture your light so you don't fall prey to the unnecessary cycles the author describes before the truth takes root. Only the truth sets us free and it's my hope the mirror I'm holding before you will enable you to take a step in the right direction. And when you doubt click your heels just like Dorothy.



Once you've implemented worship into your daily routine you're ready to bring in prayer. True breakthroughs begin with us. Not the other person or the source of our hardships. I rarely pray about problems. That's countercultural I suppose. But the vessel is the starting point and the more we emulate the Father the easier it will be to address our mountains like the Son. In other words, it's through doing what He says that we're able to follow Christ. We learn obedience from our parents after all. Relate to God as your Father and much like children do, tell Him everything good and bad and your walk will get easier.

I want you to spend some time praying for yourself. One month of uninterrupted focus on you alone. I'm going to recommend a resource and I'd like you to pray one or two entries each day. And answer one question in your journal as well. What have I learned about myself today? His mercies are new each morning and ripe for discovery if we look closely.

That is your prescription for hope and homecoming. You must come back to the woman God created you to be not the person others defined. Did you notice I didn't say become her? Because she's already there! When He knit you in your mother's womb everything you were destined to do was endowed. All you need to decide is who gets the glory of your workmanship. The Father who loves you or the one who craves your demise.

I didn't say you could be a best selling author or speaker haphazardly. That's what the devil is trying to stop by crushing your spirit. If he can break you now the victory is lost and the souls who need your message will never hear it. If the one who walks beside you isn't an ambassador of light what remains? He may not be consciously working with the evil one but he's the greatest weapon he has to prevent what follows. Your testimony is the door to your liberation and that time draws near.

I want you to read these articles on the spiritual gifts of writing, faith and mercy. I'll include the fourth on music with a caveat. I don't see it in the sense of becoming a singer but more along the lines of a lyricist or psalmist like David. It wasn't included with the trio and is something that comes forth later on. Writing and speaking are first.

The book I want you to read is The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian. You can find it at the library or if you like ebooks sign up for Hoopla Digital and check it out there. Don't worry about anything you see on that page. You are the focus for a month and the foundation must be sure before other things are taken on.

In respect to your response, do all you can to remain silent. Don't argue or defend yourself. Put his messages on mute and direct your attention to the Lord through prayer and worship. If he says something upsetting say this aloud. Father, you know his heart and mine. Forgive us for our sins and the pain we've caused one another. May Your will be done in his life and mine.

Keep affirming that. It removes the situation from your lap and places it where it belongs. If you meet his insults with prayer you'll, force the Lord's hand and heap coals of shame upon his head (Proverbs 25:21-22) in the process. Let the Lord fight on your behalf and He will if you stay out of it.

And since you're fond of music I leave this as a gentle reminder lest you forget all I've said. God bless you dear one.

~bella

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