Southern Baptist Convention abuse prevention leader Jeff Dalrymple says churches must take a holistic approach to protecting children and vulnerable people, warning that abuse prevention remains a major issue facing churches today.

Dalrymple currently serves as director of abuse prevention and response for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee and previously served as executive director of the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP), a national association focused on child and youth protection within Christian ministries.

Speaking with ChurchLeaders, Dalrymple explained that his role is centered on equipping churches, Baptist associations, and state conventions with resources to help prevent abuse and respond appropriately when allegations arise.

“We’re working hard to help our churches be the safest place where kids can hear the gospel,” Dalrymple said. “So I feel like I’m a missionary for the vulnerable.”

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Pastor Tim Ross recently addressed the viral outrage over his controversial “stripper” sermon metaphor, appearing on “The Deep End With Lecrae,” where he explained his thought process behind the illustration and defended his communication style.

In an April 2023 sermon about God’s provision, Ross referenced how God rained bread from heaven on the Israelites and how the enemy counterfeits God. The clip that went viral and which is still circulating on social media is of Ross’ following comments.

“We don’t make it rain on booty cheeks. We don’t make it rain on strippers,” he said. “We only reverence one stripper and that’s the one that took off glory to put on humanity and then get butt naked on a cross to die for both you and me. The only stripper I’m in love with is Jesus, and he’s the one that puts that bread in my pocket.”

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A federal judge has permanently ordered one of California’s largest school districts to allow the Christian Good News Club to meet on campus after more than a year of legal battles over alleged religious discrimination.

In a statement published Wednesday, Liberty Counsel announced that the Child Evangelism Fellowship secured a permanent injunction requiring the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California, to provide the Good News Club equal access to school facilities alongside similarly situated secular after-school groups.

The ruling comes nearly a year after a federal court granted the Christian organization a preliminary injunctionthat temporarily granted the Good News Club equal access.

In a statement published Wednesday, Liberty Counsel announced that the Child Evangelism Fellowship secured a permanent injunction requiring the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California, to provide the Good News Club equal access to school facilities alongside similarly situated secular after-school groups.

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Rose_bud said:

which has been discussed at length in the thread that Dave posted

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Who is Dave?

Do you mean the Dave from Post #41?

An 18-year-old woman died from complications from a second-trimester abortion she obtained at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic, according to a newly unredacted autopsy report obtained by pro-life groups after a legal dispute over the release of the records.

On Monday, the pro-life nonprofit law firm Life Legal announced that it and the pro-life activist group Operation Rescue had obtained the unredacted autopsy report of Lexi Arguello.

The teenager was nearly 22 weeks pregnant when she underwent a second-trimester abortion at Planned Parenthood in Fort Collins. Colorado is among nine states and Washington, D.C., that do not impose gestational limits on abortion.

According to the unredacted report, Arguello “died of complications of surgical pregnancy termination, including disseminated intravascular coagulation,” a life-threatening blood-clotting disorder. The report also listed “probable amniotic fluid embolism, refractory shock, and multiorgan failure” as contributing conditions.

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“Thereʼs no officially state-sanctioned religion, but that does not mean that religion has no role in public life,” Bishop Robert Barron said.

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I saw this video earlier and while it addresses older women I think the message is timely and applies to all ages. There's also an important warning for those with older parents who may be widowed male or female. The economic crisis is creating a predatory dating market where homeownership is the latest scam. The video mentions loneliness as the culprit but naïveté and benevolence can be equally compromising. Here's a few things to keep in mind.

*Don't admit you own your home. When conversations about the economy come up nod in agreement. But don't volunteer your circumstances or disagree. They'll assume you have resources.

*Don't discuss your travel plans or goals for the present year. Preface statements about places you want to visit as 'someday'.

*Be mindful of one-sided connections. They visit your house, meet your friends and family and are integrated in your world but there's is off-limits or a mystery.

*The video mentioned love bombing and when you've been single for a long time you can fall prey to that. Things of God have a cadence and its rarely overnight. Take your time and don't spiritualize everything. Background checks are a form of counsel that's unbiased. Make an informed decision about the person that isn't wholly based on emotion.

*Don't overshare about your family. Good or bad. Know their character first. Family is a familiar hook people use to ingratiate themselves in a person's life as different from the rest to garner trust and the same holds true for friends.

*Take what's needed for the date. Don't bring a wallet full of cash or cards.

*If you want to check out their social media start with LinkedIn.

~bella

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Ophiolite said:

No human remains were found at the site, but a likely candidate is Homo heidelbergensis who is either considered the last common ancestor between us, Neanderthals and Denisovans., or not closely related to us at all. (Anti-evolutionists, pile in here for this stunning evidence that evolution is all made up.) There are younger instances of wooden items associated with Homo heidelbergensis elsewhere in Europe. Another possibility is Neanderthals. Any one have any thoughts?

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I do.

Homo heidelbergensis, Neanderthals and Denisovans and Cro-Magna are all 100% human beings.

Just genetically deformed.

Acerra and the surrounding territory has higher-than-average cancer rates, linked to the dumping, burning, and burying of toxic waste — the lucrative business of organized crime groups.

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I know that many well-known individuals send bots out to see where and how they are being discussed. A few years back I was involved in a discussion on a Mormon issue (back when Mormons were allowed to debate) and I quoted some guy on an historical issue, and a few days later that person showed up to discuss his research on the issue.

Days after an electrical fire caused extensive damage at a historic African American church in Florida, vandals defaced the property with racial slurs and drawings of devil horns.

St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church of Ocala was damaged by a fire last Saturday night. On Monday, additional vandalism was discovered at the property.

The vandalism included racial terms like “Peckerwood Wellick” scratched into the building and added to the marquee sign, along with drawings featuring devil horns.

The Rev. Sha'Leda A. Mirra, senior pastor at St. Paul AME Church, told The Christian Post that the vandalism was “deeply personal for me, our congregation, and our community.”

“Saint Paul is not just a building, it is the communal space where we worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is the legacy left to us by our ancestors,” she said.

“It is sacred ground, a place where we have prayed, worshiped, grieved, and grown together as a community. To see it violated in this way, especially in the midst of mourning the fire, is heartbreaking.”

The local fire department responded to the fire Saturday night around 10:30. Authorities say it was an accidental electrical fire, reports WCJB.

Mirra said it's “painful to know that in a moment when we are already vulnerable, someone chose to target us with hate,” calling the crime “an act of evil desecration of our sacred space.”

Continued below.

Days after an electrical fire caused extensive damage at a historic African American church in Florida, vandals defaced the property with racial slurs and drawings of devil horns.

St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church of Ocala was damaged by a fire last Saturday night. On Monday, additional vandalism was discovered at the property.

The vandalism included racial terms like “Peckerwood Wellick” scratched into the building and added to the marquee sign, along with drawings featuring devil horns.

The Rev. Sha'Leda A. Mirra, senior pastor at St. Paul AME Church, told The Christian Post that the vandalism was “deeply personal for me, our congregation, and our community.”

“Saint Paul is not just a building, it is the communal space where we worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is the legacy left to us by our ancestors,” she said.

“It is sacred ground, a place where we have prayed, worshiped, grieved, and grown together as a community. To see it violated in this way, especially in the midst of mourning the fire, is heartbreaking.”

The local fire department responded to the fire Saturday night around 10:30. Authorities say it was an accidental electrical fire, reports WCJB.

Mirra said it's “painful to know that in a moment when we are already vulnerable, someone chose to target us with hate,” calling the crime “an act of evil desecration of our sacred space.”

Continued below.

On Thursday, May 21, future NASCAR Hall of Famer Kyle Busch died at the age of 41 after experiencing a “severe illness.”

“Kyle has experienced a severe illness resulting in hospitalization,” said statement posted on Busch’s X account. “He is currently undergoing treatment and will not compete in any of his scheduled activities this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. We ask for understanding and privacy as our family navigates this situation.”

By late Thursday afternoon, NASCAR posted that Busch had died.

“We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers. He was 41 years old,” NASCAR said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”

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Hopefully the recent change in leadership.has brought a man of the people to Hungary who will prioritize the safety and health of the citizens.

RileyG said:

Especially considering how Christian and conservative Texas is overall.

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It would be wrong to assume that most Texans hate people of other religions. After 9/11, when there were threats of violence directed at Muslims and Asians who looked like they might be Muslims, some Christian churches reached out to them. One group formed a line of Christians around a local mosque. Mostly symbolic protection, but I'd like to think it gave some comfort to the people who attend that mosque.

Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, denied three times that he knew Jesus when Jesus was arrested for a crime he did not commit. But prior to this, when Peter declared to Jesus that he would lay down his life for Jesus’ sake, Jesus responded to Peter by saying to him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.” So Peter was forewarned. And when Peter had denied Jesus three times, indeed the rooster crowed, just as Jesus said.

John 21:15-17 NKJV


Do You Love Me?

And here, in the above verses, we have the account of Jesus asking Peter three times to profess his love for the Lord. Now some people believe this matters, while others don’t, but when Jesus asked Peter the first two times if Peter loved Jesus, he used the word “agapas,” which means to prefer, in this case to prefer what God prefers, to choose his choices, and to obey them in his power. It is to choose holy living, moral purity, honesty, honor, integrity, faithfulness, and obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice.

But when Peter responded to Jesus, saying that he loved him, he used the word Philo, which means to have an affection for, or to fondly delight in. And perhaps that might have been intentional. Perhaps, after Peter previously had declared such devotion to the Lord only to fail him by denying him three times, that he was not yet ready to boldly declare agape love for him. The Bible does not say. And on the third time, Jesus also used the word Philo, perhaps accepting what Peter was willing to declare and give at that time.

But of note, as well, the first time Jesus asked Peter if he loved him, he asked him if he loved him “more than these.” And the Scripture does not spell out for us what “more than these” he was referring to, though it could be referring to fishing, for that is what he had been doing. But Jesus could have meant more than everything this world has to offer, or more than his flesh might crave, or more than his comfort and friendships and security, or more than the acceptance and approval and love of other humans.

Feed My Sheep

But, either way, the point of what Jesus was asking Peter is that if truly he loved the Lord, he was to show it by feeding Jesus’ sheep. And he was not speaking of animals called “sheep,” but he was speaking of those who followed Jesus, who was their Shepherd. Peter was to feed Jesus’ followers with spiritual nourishment. He was to feed them the Word of God and the teachings of Christ for their edification and spiritual growth so they would walk in the ways of the Lord in holy living and no longer in sinful ways.

And Jesus is saying the same thing to us today who profess faith in Jesus Christ. Do we agape love the Lord? Are we committed to obeying his commands and putting sin to death in our lives and living holy lives, pleasing to God? Do we honestly prefer what God prefers? Then we should show it by how we live, and by what we do, and by what we speak. And we should show it by how we treat others and by sharing with them the teachings of Christ so that they, too, can love Jesus and walk in his ways, in his power.

For the Scriptures teach faith in Jesus as obedience to his commands. And they teach disobedience as unbelief. For if we claim that we know God or that we love God, but we do not obey his commands, in practice, we do not know him nor do we love him. And to love him is to serve him, and to minister his love and grace to others. And it is to put sin to death in our lives. For if sin is still our practice, we are not in fellowship with God. Jesus said we must deny self, die to sin, and obey him, to have eternal life in him.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

My Sheep

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

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Feed My Sheep
An Original Work / May 22, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When Did Jesus Finish His Sacrifice?

Consider the exchange between Jesus and Mary Magdalene on the day of his resurrection, when she recognizes him:

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:16-17).
Thus, as great as Easter is—and indeed, Easter is the high point of the Church’s liturgical year—Jesus conveys to Mary that he has something left to do.

What could that be?

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The Mass Beats the 4th of July

In part one of my series on the biblical roots of the Mass, we explored how Jesus’ one sacrifice of Calvary didn’t conclude on the cross, but rather culminated in everlasting glory in the heavenly sanctuary.

But how does Jesus’ one sacrifice become present here on earth at every Mass? That is, how—in the most profound fulfillment of the Lord’s Prayer—does “thy kingdom, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”? (Matt. 6:10).

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How Jesus Appears at Every Mass

In this final essay of the series, we will address the miracle of how Jesus can make his finite human body present in innumerable places—i.e., whenever and wherever the Church offers anew his one sacrifice in a sacramental manner, fulfilling Christ’s command, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).

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The Lord warned us of false prophets. It is easy to fall prey to these leaders because they exude an attractive light. Most Catholics have not been taught how to properly discern spirits. All of us are being influenced by good and evil spirits on a daily basis. The enemy of our souls wants to lead us away from Christ. In the beginning of the spiritual journey, the enemy uses worldly pleasures that keep us trapped in patterns of mortal sin, but as we spiritually progress, the tactics change and become harder to discern. False light becomes the main tactic.

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Lazy again, but I've resurrected an assignment I did with a local writing group a few years ago. I was supposed to write something with "lIght" as the theme.

Incidentaly I gave the name Ivan Milat to the teacher in this story. Milat was actually a notorious serial killer, but this is fiction and nothing to do with evil deeds.

REQUIREMENT – WRITE SOMETHING WITH “LIGHT” AS THE THEME.

THE MEANING OF LIGHT

“Lights” intoned the teacher, dumping his bag on the desk.

Fred, class clown, called out “Which lights? The ones that work, or the ones that don't work?” He was referring to the black out they'd had the day before, trying to be funny. Nobody laughed. They were all on detention and just wanted to get home. If Fred wanted to stay here till midnight, with or without or the lights on, that was his business,not theirs.

The teacher sighed, and stared out the windows into the darkness outside. “I'll make the jokes around here” he said. “I get paid for it.” Then he added, “By the way, my name is Ivan Milat. Seriously! No relation mind you, but I have been known to take out the odd pupil.”

The class stared at him. Was this bloke serious?

Then an idea came to him. “Righto, you lot, Fred's just given me an idea, believe it or not. I want you all to give me a fact about “Light”, but nobody is to repeat anything the the others have said. No helping each other or cheating either. Most of you have your laptops or notebooks here, so it shouldn't take you long to find out a few salient facts, should it?”

“And as soon as you've finished you can all go home!”

The class felt a sudden motivation, all fifteen of them.

They switched on their machines, and started searching.

Suzy, class temptress was first. “Sir” she said, salaciously licking her lips, “Light is revealing.”

“Yes, Suzy, it certainly is, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop wiping your tongue around your lips. I can hear quite well thank you. Anyway that's one.”

The responses came thick and fast. “It has two main meanings – electromagnetic radiation, or something is light, you know, not heavy, know what I mean?”

“True. Next.”

“White light is made up of colours.... Dark is the opposite of light ... Prisms can split light up into colours”.

“So can oil on water, jeez, you should see the water down at the marina – all that oil on top floating around it looks like a dirty rainbow!” Tom lived on a boat with his father. Milat felt sorry for him, and just nodded despite the unintended distraction.

“That's five so far – ten to go if I can count. Who's next?”

“Light can be a metaphorical term. Like in light margarine, or light milk or stuff like that.”

Milat nodded. “Very good”.

“In laser beams, the waves are in lock step together. I think.” This from Julie, voted most likely to become a hair dresser. She'd spotted this on the web, and hoped for the best it was right. Milat nodded, and said “Anybody got NBN?”

A couple of hands went up. “Well, that's supposed to be how all the info gets carried – lasers in glass fibres, although by the time the government has finished, they'll probably have to sign a form at every node.”

Nobody said anything. They'd learned long ago not to interrupt this bloke when he started meandering.

“Light travels at about 300,000 kilometres per second.”

“Hey, yeah, and it takes about 8 minutes to get to earth from the sun.”

Milat nodded. “Which means that if the sun blew up, we wouldn't know about it till eight minutes after it happened. Mind you we wouldn't know what hit us when we did find out.”

Now it was the class's turn to stare out the window. Milat had a way of spoiling things.

“Six to go, and you can all go home”.

“It can be used to illustrate a thought – the light went on, as if somebody just thought of something.”

“Yes, but that's close to the metaphorical thing somebody else mentioned before. I'll let it go though. “

“Five”.

“There are some other words that mean the same thing – illuminate, pale, brighten, ignite, brilliant... Is that enough?”

“It'll do. Now we're down to four.”

“Sir, those words all had to do with light in the sense of seeing things. What about light in weight? Weak, underweight, insubstantial, buoyant...”

“Fine. Three to go.”

Now the field was getting a bit harder, and the others were struggling to find something.

“Sir, light bends when it moves from one medium to another. Like in water – if you push a stick into a pond or creek, it seems to bend, but it doesn't. It's the light that changes it's angle – it's called ... re ... re ... refraction?”

This stimulated the second last one to bring up the topic of reflection as in a mirror. He was the class Romeo, and his narcissism knew no bounds when it came to checking his hair in the mirror, a modern Fonzie.

There was one to go, the one who'd started it all. Fred.

“Well, Fred, what's your contribution?

Fred's hands shook. “Jeez, I dunno. All I wanna do is get out the school gates, pull out a ciggie, and strike a light!”

“Right everybody, class dismissed!” Ivan wanted to go home just as much as they did.

They bolted out the door, bound for home and freedom.

It's weird how the Equalists never comment much about corruption with Democrats. I guess this corruption supports the revolution, so it's OK.

Elon thinks 10% to 20% of the federal budget is used for fraud. In 2025, the federal budget was $7 trillion. So fraud is probably in the neighborhood of $1 trillion per year.

christianlloydteegardin said:

Tysm... also really sick and losing my voice... double trouble!

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Are you literally feeling sick ?

White Christmas