Imagine a day when altar boys became bishops, monks led wild dances, and hymns gave way to irreverent songs about donkeys.

Welcome to the Feast of Fools, a raucous medieval celebration that transformed cathedrals across Europe into scenes of hilarity and chaos. Rooted in ancient liturgical traditions, this peculiar festival turned the hierarchy of the Church on its head, sparking joy—and scandal—before the Church ultimately banned it.

Emerging in 12th-century France and celebrated primarily on January 1, the Feast of Fools embodied the biblical paradox of “the last shall be first.” It was a day for role reversals, where subdeacons—the lowest-ranking clergy—parodied their superiors in mock ceremonies. Choirboys might be crowned as “boy bishops,” and even a “Pope of Fools” could preside over exaggerated rituals. These antics symbolized humility, reflecting the idea that even the foolish and lowly are favored by God.

But what began as a symbolic and playful reminder of humility quickly spiraled into farce.

Continued below.

ozso said:

I know, because the US government thinks that it's in charge of the world. And the world uses that to make the US their cash cow.

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Right. It's the doctrine of American Exceptionalism.

Nithavela said:

Scholz sets stage for German snap election as government collapses

Germany’s chancellor said a confidence vote will first take place on Jan. 15 after announcing he would fire his finance minister.

www.politico.eu

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I guess the big issues that need dealing with are a response to the challenge of a Trump presidency, the malaise in the German economy, what to do if Trump abandons Ukraine, the rise of the AFD.

If Trump does end the Ukraine war on day one or soon after then there will be domestic pressure to cut military spending at a time when a continuance of the US Alliance depends on a 2% level, a boost to the economy and especially German manufacturing. In the light of reduced uncertainty and restored economic growth the support for the AFD might fade away quite quickly. So whoever gets elected might get a boost immediately following their election anyway.

Some implications of a Trump presidency - different definitions of freedom. American ones will be less supportive of the transgender madness or of killing the unborn than in Europe. Will Europe seek to define itself in opposition to Trump or work with him as far as possible to preserve the Europe-US alliance?

The US Economy looks quite healthy at first glance but the real issues about debt, deficits, and the unequal distribution of the benefits of growth are not being discussed at all. It is a kind of collective con that both Democrats and Republicans seem to buy into. Declining Social Mobility, the extraordinary waste of resources in the health sector are a big problem. No one is talking.

rocknanchor said:

... if He does, I would not advise become hardened against the possibility.

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I agree. Couldn't settle upon a better word.

Great verses. Love them. They need to be preached in churches more often.

Mr. M said:

NASA scientists study and model the Sun to better understand what it does and why.
The Sun has its ups and downs and cycles between them regularly.
Roughly every 11 years, at the height of this cycle, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip —
on Earth, that’d be like if the North and South Poles swapped places every decade —
and the Sun transitions from sluggish to active and stormy. At its quietest, the Sun is at
solar minimum; during solar maximum, the Sun blazes with bright flares and solar eruptions

Solar cycle predictions give a rough idea of what we can expect in terms of space weather, the conditions in space that change much like weather on Earth. Outbursts from the Sun can lead to a range of effects, from ethereal aurora to satellite orbital decay, and disruptions to radio communications or the power grid. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center is the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts: With accurate predictions, we can prepare.

What Will Solar Cycle 25 Look Like? - NASA
Homepage | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center
Solar Cycle 25 Forecast Update | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

Eventually, scientists would like to issue weekly forecasts for the Sun, just like meteorologists do for Earth. But solar cycle and space weather forecasting have far to go. There are still questions about the Sun’s interior to answer and important data to collect.

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My understanding is that this will have a minimal impact on Earth's climate but may mess up high-orbit electronics, power grids and communications for a season.

If you find it easier to watch a video, I have made one with similar content to the OP.

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虽然我出生在北京，但我的語言第一感更接近粵語。如果粵語消亡，中國人就離漢語古音更遙遠，而更像是一個滿族化和共產化的社會，燦爛的古典文化會被破壞和扭曲。香港（粵語和英語地區）會失去自由的國際地位。教會如果失去文化和語言的多樣性，就會減少活力。

Although I was born in Beijing, my first sense of language is closer to Cantonese. If Cantonese dies out, the Chinese people will be more distant from the ancient Chinese sound, and more like a Manchu and communist society, and the splendid classical culture will be destroyed and distorted. HK (Cantonese and English erea) will lose its free international statue. If the church loses cultural and linguistic diversity, it will reduce its vitality.

Michie said:

You talk to a priest. It’s never a good idea to seek important advice on the internet. I’ve not had children and I’m considered married by the Church. There is always more to the story than most think.

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Yup. I 100% agree.

Salt is used for seasoning and for preserving food. And to season is to flavor, and flavor is the distinctive taste of a food or drink; an indication of the essential character of something. And food is often a symbol spiritually of the word of God, of the truth of the gospel, and of Jesus Christ himself.

So we who are following Jesus Christ with our lives are to be an indication to the people of the earth of the essential character of Jesus Christ and of his gospel message. And salt is for preserving this food, so we are to maintain, uphold, continue in, protect, safeguard, and defend the essential character of Jesus Christ and of the truth of the gospel by what we say and by how we live our lives.

However, if we lose our taste, i.e. if we no longer show forth the essential character of Jesus Christ and of the truth of the gospel of our salvation, because we have fallen back into sin, and/or via going back to living like the world and getting caught up in worldly passions, and/or by accepting a diluted gospel message, and being convinced we do not have to repent of our sins and walk in obedience to the Lord and show forth his character in our lives, then we serve no good purpose for the Lord and for his gospel.


Light is Jesus Christ. It is the gospel truth, and it is righteousness, holiness, and godliness. So, in essence, we are to be Jesus Christ to the people of this world, i.e. we are to be like him in character, and we are to be doing and speaking the kinds of things he did and spoke to the people. And we are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness (sin) into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9), which is righteousness, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and obedience to God. And in this way we are the light of the world.

So, we are not to hide that light and to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ and of Christ as our Lord and Savior. But we are to shine forth the message of the gospel and the character of Jesus Christ by how we live our lives. For, Jesus said that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11-14). But these are the works of God, not our only fleshly works, but the ones he prepared for us to walk in.

Thus, if we are living for the Lord, and if our lives are a reflection of the truth of the gospel and of the character of Jesus Christ, then we are those who are doing the good works he prepared for us to walk in them, and we are living holy and godly lives in obedience to our Lord. We are no longer living in sin, making sin our practice, but righteousness and obedience to our Lord are what we practice. We are not perfect people, but we are being made perfect by the grace of God as we yield our lives to his control.

Be The Salt and Light
Video Talk

May 3, 2023

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For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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Flittering here, flittering there,
Idols and idols are everywhere.
No sound of mind there to be found,
Wandering, wandering all around.

No light of day, lives in dismay,
He’s going nowhere from day to day.
Listening not, he’s to be bought,
Slipping and sliding without a thought.

No sense to him, lives with a grin,
Mockery, mockery, all ‘bout him.
Nowhere to go, all is a show,
Comforting, comforting – all he knows.

Not will end well, end up in hell,
While prideful thoughts within him do swell.
All is a game – not him to blame,
While he keeps wandering, all the same.

An Original Work / September 6, 2020

I am reading in Joshua 24 (Old Testament) some of the history of the physical nation of Israel, the Jews, how God led them and provided for them and protected them and fought for them over many years. And now those who survived the time in wilderness, and the battles which followed, were in the Promised Land that God had prepared for them. And Joshua then spoke these words to the people:


Now we read this in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV:


Now, not all Scripture applies to us specifically today, such as we are not under the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions, including the requirement of circumcision of all males. All that was done away with when Jesus Christ died on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin and to empower us to live holy lives, pleasing to God. For we are now under the New Covenant relationship God has with us who believe in Jesus Christ (Jew and Gentile).

But we can still learn from the Old Testament many biblical teachings that do still apply to us today, for they are retaught for us in the New Testament. We just need to read the Old Testament in light of the New Testament teachings so that we are not putting ourselves under the Old Covenant, and so that we are not applying to our lives what only applied to specific people at particular times in history. For we should read the Scriptures in context to see to whom they apply and if the message is consistent with New Testament teaching.

So, is Joshua 24:14-15 consistent with what is taught to Christians in the New Testament? Absolutely! We are taught in the New Testament to walk in the fear of the Lord, to honor and revere God with our lives, and to serve him in sincerity (in truth) and in faithfulness and righteousness and godliness. And we are taught in the New Testament to put away all idols (other gods) and to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. And we are taught the difference between lip service and genuine faith in Christ.

Now, once we make our initial decision to believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, do we have a choice as to whether or not we serve him with our lives? Yes, we do, but we are instructed that if we choose to continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living, that we will NOT inherit eternal life with God. So, yes, we have a choice, but with that choice comes consequences, for all God’s promises have stipulations (requirements, conditions) we must adhere to.

And it was the same for the Israelites of the Old Covenant. For we read in the New Testament that God was not pleased with most of the Israelites when they were in the wilderness for 40 years, and so they were overthrown. For the majority of them were idolaters, revelers, drunkards, and the sexually immoral who put Christ to the test, and who grumbled against God and against his servant Moses. And so most of them died in the wilderness and did not enter into God’s eternal rest (salvation from sin).

But these things were written down for us who profess the name of Jesus today as examples for us, and for our instruction, in order that we might not desire evil as they did. We are not to be idolaters, revelers, drunkards, and the sexually immoral who put Christ to the test and who grumble against God when life does not go the way we want it to go. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord, we will not enter into God’s eternal rest, either. We will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God if we walk in sin and not in obedience to our Lord.

[1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 12:1-2]

So, if the Lord says to us today, “choose this day whom you will serve,” he is letting us know, too, what it means to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God, and what it means for us if we decide to continue living in sin and not in walks of faithfulness and obedience to our Lord. If we honor him with our lives, and we surrender our wills to his will, and if we forsake our sinful practices, and we now obey his commands, in practice, in his power, we have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to him, we will not have eternal life.

The Battle for Truth

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

I love you. Honor me.
Tell the truth. You’ll be free.
Sing My praise all your days.
I will give all you need.

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

Turn from sin; cleansed within.
Stand in awe of My Name.
Teach what’s true. Walk in peace.
Follow Christ, in His ways.

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

Show to God faithfulness.
Do not be adult’rous.
Do not shed shallow tears.
Do not be insincere.

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

I have sent messengers,
Who have giv’n my address.
They call for repentance,
And they warn of judgment.

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

I, the Lord, do not change,
So return – blessings gain:
Healing comes; joyfulness;
Freedom from your distress.

An Original Work / May 18, 2013
Based off Malachi 1-4

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SeekFirst0 said:

I watched it before. I know some think it was corny, but it wasn’t *that* bad. I liked the music too. Yet, there are movies that are better.

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Agreed.

BobRyan said:

I DO know of some statements that she made about not getting into speculation about the substance of the Father, or the Holy Spirit or the entire God concept.

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That’s potentially a serious issue, because the Nicene Creed expressly states that the Jesus Christ is of one essence (substance) with the Father, while also having put on our human nature (and thus being of one substance with us).

Indeed the Holy Spirit and the “entire God concept” by which I assume you mean the Holy and Undivided Trinity is very clearly spelled out in the Creed as adopted by the Council of Nicaea and refined at Constantinople in 381.

AlexB23 said:

Eww. If he was atheist, I'd be okay with him marrying a man, but as he is Christian, that should never happen.

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This is a late reply (was reading over past threads) but I wanted to add that it would be wrong regardless if he proclaimed to be a Christian or was an atheist. It is against natural law. So, it wouldn’t be okay. Two men cannot be together. One man and one woman only.

When we walk with the Lord,
Walk with Him, one accord,
We remember His ways
Throughout all of our days.

Fellowship now with Him,
Fellowship not a whim,
True in union with Him,
True belief now in Him.

Forsake all of our sins,
Live in sin? No, no hints.
Walk in holiness now,
Before Jesus we bow.

Love my Jesus, I do.
To Him I will be true.
Do all of what He says.
Live to please Him? Say, “Yes!”

An Original Work / July 10, 2022

We cant know if Mary the mother of Christ had other children just from the verse in Mark 6:3

Mark 6:3
Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.

Matthew 27:55-56
55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there
looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Matthew 27:55-56 shows that the children mentioned in Mark 6:3 belong to another Mary that it is not Mary the mother of Jesus as they would have said Mary His mother not the mother of James and Joses but it is a relative of Jesus if they call James and Joses his brothers in Mark 6:3

Michie said:

I can’t believe people thought the Jerusalem Cross was a swastika.

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Yeah, it is very silly that they did. However, no surprise that it is from the same individuals that think ill of Christianity.

I like this a lot!

Michie said:

Be sure to check out the Catholic forum.

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I know this is a late response but thank you, I will!

jim456c said:

I was watching another of the now thousands of nde experiences on YouTube and this girl told about being shown the power of prayer when numerous people are praying together for another person.She saw the actual forces involved and said they are formidable when prayers are for someone else and done by groups of believers. She was also shown that prayers only for oneself and involving endless repetition of phrases does not return anywhere near the same powerful result.
So I am asking here for as many people as possible to pray for me and supernatural healing and speedy intervention to fully repair a serious hand injury that has left my right hand, dominant, useless and a healing time, per Doctor, of up to 12 or more months and at 65 years no guarantee of the result.The young Doctor made it clear that healing this type of trauma is totally different than if it happens to a teenager. The injury was traumatic and severed the medial nerve thru and 2 tendons at 80% thru. The emergency surgery took over 2 hours and was my first major operating room experience in my 65 year life.I was somewhat glad to see how easy it was to do full anesthesia ....It was not that bad,you just wake up later in a bed with several nurses attending you....the injury has changed every daily chore, running tools is a nightmare, and all of my winter plans have been stalled,and those yearly travels save my life from the extreme isolation and numbing boredom of very rural living alone.I am not exaggerating one bit.I have zero help in doing anything but I have a good physical therapist ,hand specialist, a 3 hour drive away every 2 weeks.Praise God for Medicare without which I would have been totally ruined.No joke. I live in the northern plains, high desert/prairie.
Please pray for the Lord to be willing to intervene in this situation and fully heal this injury. I know he can replace 6 inches of multi branched medial nerve in a moment if he so chooses.It grows naturally at an incredibly slow rate if at all.Please get as many Christian friends to pray with you and I will be grateful beyond words.I need a supernatural healing and the Lord can do it.But healing like this is somewhat rare so I am trying hard to make it happen. Please Lord be willing.
Thank you much.

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I ask you, Father, in Jesus' name, to heal the hand of this, your child. You created and formed him, and you have all power to heal him completely. Move in his flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit and restore him to complete health, healing every aspect of his hand---nerves, flesh, bone, skin, all of it. You are the great physician, and there is nothing you cannot do. We ask you for this healing in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen