I'd argue it wasn't his high numbers but his opponents incredibly LOW numbers that got him elected.

Dead Eye said:

Healings​

Jesus Healed Everyone of Everything

Mat 4:24 And his (Jesus) fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he (Jesus) healed them.

Mat 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Mat 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you (Christians) have received, freely give.

Mat 12:15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

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Under the Law, God literally promised Israel that if they obey him, they will never fall sick (Deuteronomy 7:15, Exodus 15:26)

Under the promised kingdom of heaven on Earth, no one in Israel will be maim or sick too (Isaiah 33:24, Psalms 103:1-5.

Israel broke their covenant of Law that was given at Mount Sinai. They killed or ignored all the prophets that God repeatedly sent to them when they were separated into 2 kingdoms and went into captivity under Babylon, and then under Persia. (Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19).

Thus, at the time of Jesus's first coming to Israel, many people in Israel are sick, demon possessed, precisely because they have forsaken that Law covenant. (Luke 13:11, Acts 3:2)

Jesus thus healed all of them as a sign to show Israel that he is their promised Messiah that will usher them to that promised kingdom (Deuteronomy 18:15, Luke 7:20-22, Acts 3:22-23, John 11:45-48).

Acts 10:38 is an especially beautiful summary by Peter to show that

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Dead Eye said:

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

1Co 12:8-10 For to one (Christians) is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 1Co 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 1Co 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

1Co 12:8 For to one (Christians) is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom;

to another (Christians) the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

1Co 12:9 To another (Christians) faith by the same Spirit;

to another (Christians) the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

1Co 12:10 To another (Christians) the working of miracles;

to another (Christians) prophecy;

to another (Christians) discerning of spirits;

to another (Christians) divers kinds of tongues;

to another (Christians)(Christians) the interpretation of tongues:

Gifts to the True Church from God

1Co12:28 And God has set some in the (True) church, (1) first apostles, (2) secondarily prophets, (3) thirdly teachers, (4) after that miracles, (5) then gifts of healings, (6) helps, (7) governments, (8) diversities of tongues.

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But now, God no longer relates to us under the Law (Romans 6:14, 1 Timothy 1:9).

So when we believers are sick nowadays, we can be rest assured that it is not because we have disobeyed God in anyway.

Conversely, if we find ourselves getting better, it is NOT because we are currently doing something that pleases God.

That is what I believe Paul is teaching us now when he shared with us Romans 8:18-25 and 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, and when he gave Timothy common sense advice regarding his frequent stomach aliments.

2K 22:

3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord.

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8 And Hilkiah [H1] the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.”

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H1 found the Book of the Law in the temple.

Jr 1:

1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah [H2], one of the priests in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.

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Were H1 and H2 the same person?

2 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

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H1 and H2 were probably two different persons.

1. H1 was the high priest. H2 was one of the priests.
2. H1 was in Jerusalem. H2 was in Anathoth, a few km northeast of Jerusalem in the territory of Benjamin.
3. Anathoth priests likely descended from Abiathar. Solomon removed his line from Jerusalem temple service. They would not have been eligible for high priesthood.
4. The name Hikiah meant "YHWH is my portion." Levites received no land inheritance because YHWH himself was their inheritance (Jos 13:14). There were a few Hikiahs mentioned in the OT. There was a priest named Hikiah in Ne 12:7 and a Levite in 1Ch 6:45.

Michie said:

From the article:

But in every meltdown, one thing is clear: their despair isn’t just that the vice president failed, but that the country is too stupid to understand that famous people know better. It’s the same campaign of condescension that led to the demise of woke corporations. And with a little luck, celebrity endorsements will meet the same fate.

Of course, as plenty of news outlets are pointing out, using star power in politics isn’t new. More than 100 years ago, “Al Jolson led a march of fellow actors through the streets of Ohio in support of Republican Warren G Harding’s bid,” The Guardian explains. “Endorsements from Babe Ruth, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand have all been coveted by the candidates of their day.” But that was before the vast majority of Hollywood and pro athletes became an arm of the socialist Left and lost all touch with the average American.

“Even though Harris’ slogan was, ‘We are not going back,’ the campaign was firmly in reverse,” the New York Post’s Kirsten Fleming insists, “taking the DeLorean to 2008 … back when Hollywood A-listers meant something … Before the Democratic Party completely abandoned the working class. Talked down to them. Told them they were racist or bigoted for not putting their pronouns in their bio.”
*************
I tend to agree. The majority of these celebs are clueless and are just going with the flow for selfish reasons. But lately, it’s backfiring. I do not know of one single person who is swayed by these endorsements.

Clooney comes to mind about asking Biden to step down and now he’s being blamed in part for the loss by some. Oprah accused of taking money, etc. Seems to be a sideshow we can do without.

What do you think?

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I think that using the celebrities was fine but really stupid to pay them as much as she did. If they were really about helping Harris they would have donated their time.

As far as being clueless, Trump is a celebrity, is he as clueless as Clooney?

Michie said:

'Everyone is psyched for Trump to be back in the White House, including Biden,' one conservative account joked​

Continued below.

Social media erupts after Biden appears jubilant in Trump White House meeting

President Biden's smiling demeanor during a White House meeting welcoming President-elect Trump on Wednesday sparked social media speculation.

www.foxnews.com

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Biden showed Trump how a President was supposed to behave.

It'll be interesting when certain states will refuse to comply with Trumps order's to do this. Including the recently sworn in LAPD chief.

We have the city level and gubernatorial level that would have to comply with this as well.

I'd be curious to know how that will turn out.

Valletta said:

As to the rest, I expect that incentives will be given to those who leave voluntarily. Perhaps make it clear that anyone here illegally who does not leave voluntarily will be banned from entering our country for the next twenty or thirty years.

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So those who came illegally in the first place will not be allowed to re-enter legally in the second.

Lord have mercy! May St. Michael protect the future President from all harm.

chevyontheriver said:

She expresses dangerous thoughts. No wonder she is being unfriended by people a bit scared to be 'friends' with such a dangerous person.

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I think she feels like this thing reeks of McCarthyism. And it does. History tends to repeat itself. As far as celebrities, they do it for their careers. It’s all self serving. It’s all to stay relevant and still employable. To the powers that be. When you got so-called friends saying they must publicly shun you… well, what is that? It’s not freedom.

The only celebrities that actually speak against the machine are the one’s that have basically fallen from the limelight and do not care too deeply about returning to it imo.

It’s a big masquerade party.

Jeshu said:

Who can tell me what this means and what, if any, realities in a child's life it demonstrates and how does the teaching of original sin fit into this?

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footnote for research: the "teaching of original sin" is not found in Scripture. The dogmas, teachings, and doctrines developed by carnal (sinful) men should not even be considered (studied nor used).

Two senators are demanding answers from the Federal Bureau of Prisons about why it rejected several offers from faith-based organizations looking to help convicted offenders avoid relapsing into criminal behavior.

Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., requested documents detailing the BOP's process for selecting applicants and other information in a Tuesday letter to the agency's director, Colette Peters.

At issue is the agency's implementation of the First Step Act, signed into law in 2018 by former President Donald Trump.

Continued below.

Mark51 said:

The Bible does not state just what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was.

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I thought it says it was an evil spirit ?

We are being attacked from outside and with-in the Church. Time to hunker down and cling to the Truth.

On the first day of the week, after Jesus' Resurrection, how many people did Jesus appear to ?
I believe Jesus did not appear to anyone who was not one of His disciples.
Even today, in 2024, how often does Jesus appear to His followers ?
Why does the enemy appear more often (daily?) to those who are not Jesus' followers ?

On the road to Emmaus, I do not think the disciples had "trouble recognizing" Jesus - they simply could not recognize JEsus UNTIL ABBA or Jesus (Opened their eyes). This is true every day today,.

The Catholic Church's hope lies in the next Pope, I'm afraid. I pray this Pope's eyes are opened to the Truth, but if he doesn't, praying the next Pope is a true follower of the Word. Someone who will reign in these actions that throw mud in God's eye.

2P 2:

20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

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They knew better than to go back to their old way of life of defilement.

21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

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What was this holy commandment that Peter had in mind?

Peter used a singular noun here but I don't think he had any single commandment in mind. He probably was referring to the Gospel teaching collectively. They had known the Gospel that Christ died for their sins. They knew better not to go back to their sinful life before. They knew Jesus and then they abandoned him.

There are 33 years in Jesus’ life and 33 weeks in Ordinary Time in the Church. Soon we will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, and then the cycle starts over with Advent.

But first comes the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, the dramatic end of the liturgical year. The Gospel for the day is dire, insisting that the end really is coming, and we should be ready for it. Here are takeaways from the readings from previous This Sunday columns.

First: Jesus is revealing the end game of Christianity.

In the Gospel Jesus speaks about a tribulation, after which “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” But then “the Son of Man” will come “in the clouds with great power and glory.” The angels will be sent out to gather his “elect.”

Continued below.

This complex question is addressed in a complex, fair feature in The New Yorker​

Soon after becoming president, Democrat Jimmy Carter signed the Hyde Amendment into law — barring the use of federal funds for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake.

When the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration attempted to kill the Hyde Amendment, a small — but symbolic — group of Democrats appealed to the elderly Carter for help.

"We are asking President Jimmy Carter (who signed Hyde into law) to please help us in saving it. We are so grateful for your humanitarian work and for everything you did for women and families in office," said a tweet posted Monday, March 22, by Democrats for Life of America (DFLA).
"America needs you again, Mr. President. Help us save Hyde," the group added.

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Battles over the Hyde Amendment, and other issues linking tax dollars going to abortion providers, have continued, even after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationdecision in 2022. That reality played a big role in this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, which focused on a complex, fair-minded Emma Green feature in The New Yorker: “The New Pro-Life Playbook — Under Trump, a new vision of conservative family policy is ascendant.”

Hold that thought, because we will come back to it.

Continued below.

PARIS (OSV News) — Miraculously missed by burning beams falling from the roof on April 15, 2019, and waiting for five years to make it back to Notre Dame Cathedral, the 14th-century statue of the Virgin of Paris made it back home Nov. 15, accompanied by thousands of Parisians praying, singing and lighting candles as they walked their Virgin to Paris’ most iconic church, restored after the fire.

Since the fire, the statue, also referred to as Virgin and Child, or the Virgin of the Pillar, has been housed near the Louvre in the Church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, from where the procession started at 6 p.m. local time.

For Auxiliary Bishop Philippe Marsset of Paris, the statue represents “a kind of miracle.”

Continued below.

Democrats in Michigan’s state House are attempting to ram through “radical” sex education changes in the weeks before control of the body flips back to Republicans.

Earlier this week, nearly two dozen Michigan House Democrats introduced HB 6068, which seeks to make major changes to the Revised School Code Act of 1976. The changes range from allowing schools to distribute condoms to giving schools a green light to teach students that abortion is a “method of family planning” and “reproductive health.”

Continued below.

ANALYSIS: Here are four important takeaways from the bishops’ most recent gathering in ‘America’s Premier See.’

With the dust still settling from both the U.S. presidential election and the universal Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality, the U.S. bishops’ just-concluded Nov. 11-14 assembly in Baltimore came at a critical juncture for both the Church and the nation.

And while the bishops addressed several important matters of business, such as the conference’s budget, a new translation of the New American Bible, and the causes of canonization of two American women, several other moves offered important symbolic indicators of where the conference currently stands in relation to both Pope Francis and President-elect Donald Trump.

Here are four important takeaways from the bishops’ most recent gathering in “America’s Premier See.”

1. The bishops are ready for a second Trump administration.

Continued below.

Sudan​

Pray that the 5 per cent of the Sudan population that is Christian would stay strong in the face of intimidation, arrest, imprisonment and other forms of persecution. Pray that many Sudanese Muslims would come to know Christ.
YES - I will Pray

Sudan​

Sudan has experienced more than 50 years of Islamisation including the destruction of numerous churches and the imprisonment of Christians. The Government seeks to eradicate Christians and ethnically African people around its border with South Sudan. Pray for an end to this repression.
YES - I will Pray

China​

Children in China are not permitted to attend any church or profess faith in Christ. Pray that Christian families will have the resources, conviction and encouragement they need to continue to nurture their children in the faith.
YES - I will Pray

China​

Pray for Hunan street evangelist Chen Wensheng who was recently sentenced to one year and seven months in prison for ‘organising and funding illegal gatherings’. Give thanks for his commitment to sharing the gospel and pray that he would know God’s comfort and strength in prison.
YES - I will Pray

China​

Pray for Elder Zhang Chunlei of Guiyang Renai Reformed Church whose wife recently discovered that he has developed cirrhosis of the liver while in prison. Zhang was one of the first church leaders to sign Pastor Wang Yi’s ‘Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith’ and was detained in March 2021 following a raid […]
YES - I will Pray
China

Pray for Pastor Hao Zhiwei who was arrested in July 2019. She was charged with fraud for preaching the gospel without approval from the state-sanctioned church and sentenced to eight years in prison. Her case may have been the first of its kind in China.
YES - I will Pray

China​

Pastors of unregistered churches in China are increasingly being arrested on spurious charges of fraud simply for accepting payment for their work. Pray against this new oppressive and unjust tactic.