Always in His Presence said:

He isn't insulting all Canadians - read the quotes - he is describing what it is like dealing with Canadian LEADERSHIP

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Trump's idea of somebody NASTY is anyone who won't buckle and kiss his whatever! Of did you not hear him say this? Mocking and seeking to degrade all nations of the world? Look get this straight....if the U.S. is calling us nasty (through it's leadership) the rest of the world looks upon that that it should be considered as a badge of honor. They KNOW inside themselves they all need to tell Trump to go jump in the lake.

Lord have mercy!

Josheb said:

Says the recalcitrant procrastinating ape.

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Once again you deliberately and dishonestly quote a portion of my post, thereby giving a different meaning from the one I intended. I made it clear that there were more plausible and benign explanations for your questionable action. By repeating the offence you have eliminated those as viable options. Shame on you.

Jamdoc said:

It always seems like the give give give charity push is always put on people who are barely scraping by.

Like I always feel pressured to give when I'm disabled and already in debt I'll never be able to pay off.

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I have several thoughts on that.

1) Those who are in need should be taken care of; there is a sacred obligation of "To whom much is given, much is required" that I think applies in many ways.

2) Christ tells us that the blessings of God fall on the widow who gave her last mite

3) Following Jesus is hard, He never said it was easy. Jesus lays claim to EVERYTHING, that includes the very breaths we take, the very skin on our bones, and each, every, and all the moments we occupy this present world.

So it's not a strict either-or; but both-and. Yes, those who have been given much shoulder the greater burden to provide; but even we who are lacking are still called to live and breathe Jesus Christ in the world, and live by the example of the widow.

-CryptoLutheran

Dan Perez said:

ACTS 16:15 reads , And when she and her household were BAPTIZED /. BAPTISO. , is in. the Aorist Tense , means it happened in. the past ,

is in the PASSIVE VOICE , MEANING Christ had a hand in verse 15

in the INDICATIVE MOOD , meaning you better believe it ,

and is in. the Singular , meaning it will. not happen again !

Your thoughts as to what , the BAPTISM is with Water or without Water

OR is it Baptism of the Holy Spirit ?

dan p

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This all happens in the context of: Acts 16: 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.

Looking at the Jailer and his household experience we find first: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household”. After that we have Paul preaching to both Jailer and all the others in his household. The Jailer responds with an act of Loving kindness after the sermon and then they are all baptized, but which baptism was that?

They were baptized at the time and not previously.

Lydia invited them the stay at her house after she and her household were baptized, but what baptism was that?

Both Lydia and the river and the jailer washing Paul and Silas had water available to them.

Lydia and the Jailer showed no signs of miraculous powers from the Spirit, so how could Paul know they were baptized by the Spirit if that is the baptism being talked about?

Giant gladiolus

Former medium-turned-Christian apologist Jenn Nizza recently sat down with Don Veinot, president of Midwest Christian Outreach, to discuss what happens when believers show up at Paganicon, an annual convention for pagans, Wiccans and spiritual seekers, in the name of Jesus.

In a recent episode of Nizza's podcast, "Ex Psychic Saved," titled “Outreach to Cults, Pagans, and Atheists: What Happens When Christians Show Up at Paganicon,” Veinot shared how he and his team regularly attend the annual pagan spirituality convention to share the Gospel with those mired in deception.

Raised by an atheist father and a spiritually curious mother who was into astrology and fortune telling, Veinot shared his journey from disbelief to Christianity.

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In the past year i have got fit and making importantand productive moves with my life, i am very grateful for the good life has given me. I have freed myself from my old life and can focus on my new one.

Thank you Lord

Skipper80 said:

Should Christians condemn people to Hell?

After answering, explain why

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I think this is different for Christians and non Christians. For Christians I think theres two aspects. There is the gospel but also following the teachings. They should go hand in hand. But there is an identifiable way of living (fruits of the spirit) we can tell.

The teachings tell us to gently rebuke and teach another Christian if they have sinned. But also to fogive them.

But then there is the church itself. The body of Christians. This is where the overseers are the guides and protectors over the church and the teachings from the wolves. Christ warned about the wolves not from sinners outside the church but within.

So in this sense and as Paul did in commanding members follow the teachings otherwise be cursed. Especially of promoting false teachings and ideologies or encouraging sin.

Then outside the church is different. This is where the gospel comes in. Being evangelists for Christ. I like the idea of messenger as it is the Good News to the world. THis is Good News not bad news about going to hell lol. Make people run for the hills.

Though I think the culture has changed where even saying repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Or repentence is part of the gospel people get defensive. In fact just saying the gospel and Good News is becoming offensive in some places.

But this is the thing. In the early church which the gospel was far more offensive under Nero who persecuted the Christians and executed some of the disciples like Peter and Paul.

They did not care. They still spoke the gospel. I mean Paul got assaulted about 10 times and thrown in jail. But he spoke the same truth even when the enviornment was hostile to it. It was this that the world seen that consistent truth even in the face of death that brought the Gentiles to God.

Bit old hat now, but a few months ago we had an American Catholic pianist singer-songwriter give a tutorial on music for the mass. I went along to listen with a few others from our parish.

The bloke who introduced him to us is a musician and song writer in his own right. He said the American chap had commented "Whoever they elect for Pope, you can be sure he won't be an American!"

That got a laugh.

Tucked away in a rocky mountain in southeast France is a cave formed by natural erosion called La Sainte-Baume. It is one of the oldest Christian pilgrimage sites in the world as it is the place where Mary Magdalene is believed to have spent the last 30 years of her life.

Esteemed by St. Thomas Aquinas as the “Apostle to the Apostles,” St. Mary Magdalene is regarded by the Dominicans as a secondary patroness of their order, which was founded in Toulouse, France. Appropriately, the cave remains under the care of the friars in the Toulouse province.

The Dominicans are charged with the task of welcoming and evangelizing pilgrims who make their way to La Sainte-Baume. (The word “baume” comes from the Provençal word “baumo,” meaning “cave.”) The friars, alongside staff and volunteers, run the hostelry located next to the convent at the foot of the mountain directly below the cave.

“One striking thing about Mary Magdalene is how many different people are drawn to her,” Frére Vincent-Thomas Rist, a Dominican friar of the Toulouse province, told CNA in an email. “At La Sainte Baume, we get a bit of everything: mainstream orthodox Catholics, hikers on holiday, converts from Islam, sisters on pilgrimage, tall blonde women convinced of being reincarnations of Mary Magdalene, traditionists, liberals, and even Jesuits.”

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Friedrich Rubinstein said:

View attachment 367614

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Evangelical Zionism will pass away with the boomer generation.

ThatRobGuy said:

I was referring to "clean" rap as in not explicit in its unfiltered form (which is why I referencing the cheesy old Will Smith and Vanilla Ice stuff). If you're referring to "clean edits" where they simply blank out the explicit content or do 'word replacement' in post editing, there is industry data to show that it's not terribly popular.

Sales Impact​

• Albums with the warning label saw a 30% boost in sales.
• Hip-hop albums with the label often outperformed their "clean" versions by 3:1

Modern Numbers​

The digital age brought new ways to mark explicit content, but the impact remains strong:

• Streaming platforms flag 65% of hip-hop content as explicit
• Labeled tracks get 35% more plays than clean versions
• 80% of listeners prefer explicit versions when available

The warning label transformed from a cautionary sign into a powerful marketing tool. What started as an attempt to limit sales created a new revenue stream for artists and labels. Now, the label serves as a content guide and a proven sales booster across physical and digital platforms.

Cultural Reach​

• 8 out of 10 Billboard #1 Rap/Hip-Hop albums in 2022 carried explicit content warnings
• 65% of music consumers aged 18-24 view the label as a mark of authenticity

So, I would suggest that it's a tad dishonest for people to try to pretend "it's just like every other genre, it's just peoples' skewed perceptions".

​

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Even if they played "sanitized" rap, the people who are upset now that they can't bring their own speakers to play their own music loudly in the public spaces will still be unsatisfied.

FireDragon76 said:

Anybody that treats discipline casually should remember, "with what measure you judge, it will be judged against you". Only the most egregious sins warrant church discipline in the form of expulsion, ones that threaten the good order of a church. Using it to shame, humiliate, or control other people isn't right.

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Thank you for sharing your perspective it’s a thoughtful and necessary reminder that church discipline must always be handled with deep humility, reverence, and spiritual discernment.

You're right: "with what measure you judge, it will be judged against you" (Matthew 7:2) is a sobering warning to anyone in a position of spiritual authority. We should never approach church discipline as a tool for control or humiliation. That would be a grievous misuse of Christ’s teaching. However, I do believe there's a broader purpose for biblical church discipline than just dealing with the "most egregious sins."


In Matthew 18:15–17, Jesus lays out a clear, gracious, step-by-step model for church discipline not to shame, but to restore. The goal is always redemption, never rejection. Paul echoes this in Galatians 6:1, urging us to restore a fallen brother "in a spirit of gentleness," being mindful of our own weakness.


Yet sadly, as the survey shows, many churches today avoid discipline altogether not because no one is sinning, but often out of fear of conflict, cultural pressure, or misunderstanding what love truly means. And this avoidance, ironically, can weaken the body.

Church discipline, when rooted in love and truth, serves multiple purposes:

• It protects the church from false teaching and divisive behavior (Titus 3:10, Romans 16:17).
• It helps the sinner see the seriousness of sin and opens the door to repentance (1 Corinthians 5:5).
• It preserves the witness and integrity of Christ’s body before a watching world (1 Peter 2:12, Philippians 2:15).

I totally agree with you that it should never be used as a weapon to control or embarrass someone. That’s spiritual abuse, not biblical discipline. But I’d gently suggest that the church does the Body no favors by treating discipline as a last resort only for scandalous sin. Even smaller, hidden sins can spread like leaven if left unaddressed (1 Corinthians 5:6–7).


The early church understood this balance. They were committed to both grace and accountability two sides of the same coin. Today, recovering that balance might just be one of the ways we revive holiness, unity, and power in our churches again.

Thanks again for raising this. It’s a conversation the modern church truly needs.

Grace and peace to you.

iluvatar5150 said:

I'm glad the Trump administration is so concerned with human trafficking. No deplorables here.

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I hear you. I keep telling myself not to worry about what appears to be deadly snakes in the raging river of rubbish that comes out of Trump's mouth - as he uses these trolling moments to distract from the bigger agenda. But then every so often the sheer arrogant hypocrisy of it appears to let them through my guard. I'm so busy thinking of how to explain why this is wrong to MAGA types - that I might forget the real agenda - the swarm of crocodiles and hippos in his two word answer: "I dunno!".

The question? Should the President obey and support the Constitution!?
"I dunno" should fail a citizenship test - let alone disqualify from holding public office - let alone the highest office the land!

But yes - this particular distraction snake has a certain nasty bite - especially when so many in the church try to argue Trump is a sincere Christian!

Kathleen30 said:

Xeno why didn’t the Catholic Church continue to lay the foundation of St Augustine’s theology. It’s seems to have retreated in the archives of the ages for nearly a millennia. Until the Reformation

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The fact is that for the 400 years before Augustine all the Church Fathers spoke of man's responsibility in salvation, that man is free.

1. This expression [of our Lord], “How often would I have gathered thy children together, and thou wouldest not,” (Mat 23:37) set forth the ancient law of human liberty, because God made man a free [agent] from the beginning, possessing his own power, even as he does his own soul, to obey the behests (ad utendum sententia) of God voluntarily, and not by compulsion of God. For there is no coercion with God, but a good will [towards us] is present with Him continually. And therefore does He give good counsel to all. And in man, as well as in angels, He has placed the power of choice (for angels are rational beings), so that those who had yielded obedience might justly possess what is good, given indeed by God, but preserved by themselves. On the other hand, they who have not obeyed shall, with justice, be not found in possession of the good, and shall receive condign punishment: for God did kindly bestow on them what was good; but they themselves did not diligently keep it, nor deem it something precious, but poured contempt upon His super-eminent goodness. (Irenaeus [A.D. 120-202], Against Heresies - Book 4 Ch 37 The Way and Free Will)

Why would the church accept Augustine's doctrine?

''A terrifying new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found that extensive use of ChatGPT may be rotting our brains.

Researchers at MIT's Media Lab asked participants to write SAT-style essays while dividing them into three groups: one used ChatGPT, another used Google, and the third relied only on their own knowledge — the "brain-only" group.

Brain activity was tracked using EEG machines, which recorded how engaged different parts of the brain were during the writing process.

The results showed that the ChatGPT group had the lowest brain activity and performed the worst overall in terms of thinking, writing quality, and focus. ...

The study warned that relying too much on AI tools like ChatGPT can reduce critical thinking skills, especially in young people.

The lead researcher, Nataliya Kosmyna, said she rushed the findings out because she's worried about AI being introduced too early in schools.

"What really motivated me to put it out now before waiting for a full peer review is that I am afraid in 6-8 months, there will be some policymaker who decides, 'let's do GPT kindergarten,'" she told TIME magazine.

"I think that would be absolutely bad and detrimental," she continued. "Developing brains are at the highest risk."

SOURCE

ArmyMatt said:

I will add as well that Fr Stephen De Young often points out that one of the reasons we have not rejected the Masoretic text is that some words and phrases make more sense and are more clear in Hebrew than in Greek.

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I can confirm the truth of that just by having lived with both the KJV (which I grew up with) and the Church Slavonic and Synodal version. Sometimes the KJV was clearer, sometimes the OCS/Synodal v. was clearer. I understood more by dealing with both texts and seeing it stereoscopically.

Now I’m doing Serbian, which I find surprisingly easy to read, though their italics throw me for a loop, having letters that are upside-down from Russian italics.

thomasw60 said:

Getting to know each other at church and there view s an beliefs

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It is, but I am wondering why you posted it under "Creation and Theistic Evolution."

jacks said:

Next time I will put a Smiley Face in the post.

Obviously concave otherwise the water would just run out over all the dry land.

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Of course!

Michie said:

The Scriptures offer us a sobering reality: our perception of ourselves can be completely out of sync with how God sees us. Nowhere is this more evident than in Revelation 3:17, where Jesus rebukes the church of Laodicea and said, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

This chilling contrast reveals that it is possible to be fully convinced of your spiritual health while being utterly bankrupt in the eyes of God. Sadly, many professing believers are self-deceived, thinking they are secure when they are actually standing on shaky ground. At the judgment seat of Christ — where believers are evaluated for eternal rewards, not eternal punishment — many may experience deep regret for how they lived.

The following are 10 common ways people deceive themselves spiritually and what Scripture reveals about God’s true standard.

1. Are you merely religious, or are you truly born again?

John 3:3–8

Jesus told Nicodemus, a devout religious leader, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

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10 ways people deceive themselves about their faith

The Scriptures offer us a sobering reality our perception of ourselves can be completely out of sync with how God sees us

www.christianpost.com

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in Matt 7- Jesus said that the "many" are "self-deceived" saying "Lord Lord did we not do this... and that... in Your Name?"

But Jesus says to them "depart from me"

So how is it that someone is undeceived?

John 16 says God sends the Holy Spirit (God the Holy Spirit - 3rd person of Godhead) - that "convicts THE WORLD of sin and righteousness and judgment".

Rom 8:14-16 says that for those that submit to God 'The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we ARE the children of God".

The personal - , private - one on one interview with God that we have in this life, in quiet moments of worship and listening - where God Himself speaks to us.

Isaiah 41:10
‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

FaithT said:

I never heard that one before.

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I don’t think that would offend me, either.