Michie said:

With Millennials and Generation Z leading the way, particularly among men, Bible reading among U.S. adults in 2025 is at its highest level in the last 15 years, according to new data from the "State of the Church" initiative.

The initiative by Barna Group and Gloocollected data from 12,116 online interviews conducted between January and October of 2025. The research revealed that approximately 50% of self-identified Christians report reading the Bible weekly, the highest level of Bible reading among Christians in more than a decade.

Weekly Bible reading among all U.S. adults reached its lowest point in 15 years in 2024 when it hit 30%. In 2025, the figure rebounded 12 percentage points to 42%, according to the latest data.

"Bible reading is rising again across generations, marking a reset to faith engagement levels we haven't seen in a decade," David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group, said in a statement. "People aren't just curious about faith — they're opening Scripture for themselves. This trend aligns with other signs of renewal we've seen in our research, like growing commitments to Jesus and increased church attendance."

Continued below.

More Americans are now reading the Bible but fewer believe it’s 100% accurate: study

With Millennials and Generation Z leading the way, particularly among men, Bible reading among U S adults in 2025 is at its highest level in the last 15 years, according to new data from the State of

www.christianpost.com

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Or maybe that just means they aren't reading it with Fundamentalist slavishly literalist standards. That could be good.

I think spiritually theres a message. Like the Flood people got to a point in rejecting and defying God that brought judgement. It was so evil that it made bad look good. But still they did not lean and the spirit of that evil defiance lives on.

It is the way it has always gone until Christ returns. People reject God and the end result eventually is gross evil and defiance of God. Its almost inherited in the fall until evil has its way and it is no more. Like history repeating itself.

I think we can see the developing spirit of change away from God generally. I think we crossed a threshold as the so called free western empire that Christianity came from finally rejected God from the public square and we have seen the changing culture. What was unacceptable decades ago is now the norm.

I reckon some goings on today pretty well are getting up there with the goings on in the back streets of Sodom lol.

Pope Leo XIV addressed a message to the approximately 300 exorcist priests who came together September 15–20 for the 15th International Gathering of the International Association of Exorcists (IAE) at the Fraterna Domus House of Spirituality in Sacrofano, near Rome.

The Holy Father expressed his appreciation for the priests who dedicate themselves to the “delicate and necessary ministry of the exorcist.” The pontiff urged them to carry it out “both as a ministry of liberation and as a ministry of consolation.”

In a message signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope also exhorted pastors to provide spiritual support to the faithful who are suffering.

Pope Leo emphasized the need to “support the faithful truly possessed by the evil one with prayer and the invocation of Christ’s effective presence, so that through the sacramental of exorcism the Lord may grant victory over Satan.”

The pope’s words were read at the opening of the event—held every two years—by Father Francesco Bamonte, vice president of the IAE and moderator of the conference.

During the presentations, Monsignor Karel Orlita, president of the IAE and exorcist for the Diocese of Brno in the Czech Republic, highlighted the beauty of the ecclesial communion in which this ministry, firmly rooted in the Gospel, is embedded, and underlined the importance of the ongoing formation that the association promotes in Italy and abroad.

Continued below.

All appearances to me are that Trump is trying to create enough consternation and turmoil within the borders (however that could POSSIBLY be) that conflict will allow him to cancel midterms or (fingers crossed) 2028 though that's a ways away still.

I mean...Trump STILL wanted to withhold SNAP payments from the poor.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/10/us/snap-benefits-limbo-shutdown-court

Boy I hope me having a problem like this isn't because I "hate Trump so much"

To know the end is near, to watch for the end, St. Augustine taught that the fruit of such knowledge and vigilance is patience. Instead of anxiety, instead of chaos and overactivity, rather calm should rest the soul of the believer.

The readings this Sunday are indeed about the end. “Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,” the passage from Malachi begins (Mal 3:19). Like Jeremiah before him, Jesus talks about the destruction of the temple; after this, he’ll talk about the destruction of Jerusalem. Yet what he fully means by “the end” is bigger than that (Lk 21:5-24). Jesus here is talking apocalyptically.

That is, reading all this we can’t help but think of the ultimate end. Of that inevitable future these passages are meant to remind us. We are being spiritually prepared in these readings for the season of Advent, prepared even for that reality beyond all Advents, for the final advent of Christ the Lord.

The spiritual capacity to endure​

Continued below.

Paulwat said:

Lately I’ve really been struggling with anxiety and OCD, especially around intrusive fears about hell. It’s been taking over my thoughts and making it hard to get through the day. Sometimes I get stuck worrying about people I care about possibly “going there,” and other times I spiral into fear about myself.

Whenever I come across posts that talk about eternal torture or damnation, it makes everything worse — it triggers the anxiety and sends me into a loop I can’t easily escape. I know these thoughts don’t reflect who I am or what I truly believe, but they still feel so real in the moment.

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This used to be me. For me, what helped was leaving these things to God and refraining my thought process. God is good, so He has his ways to pursue people for his kingdom in gentle and loving ways.

Sometimes all the retoric about hell is perceived by people as manipulative and as something that draws people to church out of fear, and not out of love. Refraining your thought process to understand that the gospel is about God’s love, mercy and grace could be helpful.

I was like this because I was taught a overly judgmental and pharisaic approach to Christianity, where silly things (like being grumpy one day) were exaggerated into very bad “evils” and guilt was used manipulatively. This type of christian interpretation of the gospel is very law oriented and harmful. It has been also hard for me to accept I may not be perfect, but I’m definitely not the most evil human being for having character flaws and occasional slips with sin, or struggling with personal particular issues long periods of time with little success. Sin cannot be fully conquered in this life and that doesn’t mean we are all going to hell.

Being doctrinally sound in this topic is always important, as universal reconciliation is not biblical. At the end of the day we want to believe in the God that is and not in the God we want him to be. Hell is a necessary evil because evil exists and deserves punishment.

I believe God wants and will make sure hell contains every unrepentant rapist, child abuser, human trafficker, mass murderer, violent dictator and every man or woman who does unspeakable evil against their fellow man. God’s justice is about the purity of the heart, the intent of the soul and how this translates to actions and behaviors.

Humility is key, we are not meant to understand everything about how God will judge, but we can be sure God is just and people who deserve eternal punishment for their evil will receive it and those who God gives grace to will be saved and forgiven fully. I don’t recommend getting worked up with deep theological debates on salvation, just trust God, be thankful for the good in you, address the sin and evil that is still in your heart and live everyday in peace.

The overly ethos of "help the suffering" should kind of be enough.

You know the easy way to deal with insider trading now that Republicans have full control of 3 branches?

Create laws to punish insider trading by elected officials and their families.

Go Republicans Go! I know how upset their base is about this. I'm SURE it'd be a no brainer.

Bob Crowley said:

Being of Irish descent, I went looking for "ancient stone eggs in Australia".

The closest I could find was "thundereggs", which I believe have some similarity to opal bearing rocks. There's a "Thunderbird Park" somewhere around Tamborine Mountain behind the Gold Coast.

Other than that there apparently used to be "ducks of doom" in Australia, which laid water-melon size eggs.

'Demon ducks of doom' laid melon-size eggs in prehistoric Australia

Scientists crack a 41-year-old mystery about prehistoric eggs.

www.livescience.com

Being told by the parents to go to the chook shed to get some eggs for breakfast ain't what it used to be....

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"Demon ducks", indeed. Holy Moses. Sort of like those "terror birds" they've found evidence of, except that those were predators:

Syrian security forces conducted nationwide raids against suspected Islamic State operatives, detaining dozens, before President Ahmed al-Sharaa's scheduled historic meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

The visit follows recent diplomatic overtures between the two governments, including the removal of al-Sharaa, a former leader of an al-Qaeda affiliated terror group, from the United States and United Nations terror sanctions lists.

Syria's interior ministry said Saturday that 61 coordinated raids were carried out across the country, resulting in 71 arrests and the seizure of weapons and explosives.

Continued below.

peaceful-forest said:

I have a family member that is going through some trouble. He is in his 20s, has money problems, smokes marijuana, and is expecting a baby with his girlfriend.

I have thought about buying this family member a Bible, but I do not know which one to buy him. I believe his current problems are happening and God is allowing them so that this family member will turn to Christ for salvation.

What recommendations do you all have?

Thanks.

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I like the NKJV which is easy to understand. I would also recommend this book


It a story of my pastor, who grew up in a dysfunctional home. His dad was a billionaire, his mom an actress, his parents divorced he was shipped off to military and catholic schools. He ended up dropping out of school and doing drugs living in a cave outside of LA. Someone left a bible in the cave that he started reading and it changed his life (and many others) This was an inspirational story and may help him.

God bless!

Pray The Holy Spirit guides the first responders, security personnel, medics, doctors & nurses as they address the emergency needs of the victims of a terrorist attack that took place in Delhi, India:

DialecticSkeptic said:

Emotional wounds left from betrayal, especially by trusted Christians, tend to persist until they are processed, not just waited out. A good trauma-informed or faith-sensitive counselor can help you process this, separating what happened from the truth of Christ himself. Some offer reduced rates or sliding-scale sessions, and there are community or online options that can make it more affordable; some churches can recommend a specific faith-sensitive counselor that would be free to you because their charitable giving covers the costs. (My church does that.)

That being said, the church is God's appointed channel of grace, community, and spiritual edification, even when people inside it fail badly (because they do). Healing doesn't happen apart from Christ's body but through being gently restored within it. The key is finding a setting where safety, accountability, and pastoral care exist together. It might help to start by meeting privately with a trustworthy pastor or elder. (It doesn't have to be from the church where you were hurt.) Tell him what happened and that you're struggling to come back. A good pastor will listen carefully, take your fears seriously, and help ensure that whoever mistreated or harmed you is not in a position to hurt anyone else. Church leaders have a responsibility to protect the flock and to address sin openly and justly (though not necessarily publicly).

Pray for courage and discernment, and remember that Christ himself was betrayed by religious people and those closest to him. He understands your wounds better than anyone—and he also knows how to lead you safely back into his church.

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Hello! Your advice sounds very sound as I’ve not had the chance to really talk to this with someone mature enough. If you can recommend online counseling with a pastor or therapist who is Christian I would totally do it.

I expressed what happened to two friends who have good intentions and have been respectful, but they don’t understand just saying that “not everyone is like that” will help me feel safe enough to go back to the church I used to go to.

My main problem I have is that I’m a pretty lonely woman, I dont have a Christian family to attend church with and my friends have their own lives they can’t go with me, and in spite they used to sometimes, the men still managed to find ways to harm me.

I will get married soon so hopefully I may be able to go to church accompanied at all times in the next months or years, but the emotional harm is still there and I don’t even want to go and have to deal with people and unnecessary problems.

JimR-OCDS said:

I don't see anyone calling for a change in the Jewish calendar.

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The link I posted, "Rectified Hebrew Calendar" is doing just that.

Hentenza said:

Your strawman continues. Bye

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Well, still sniping, I see.

The Catholic Parliamentary Office has reacted with concern to the rejection of a number of proposed safeguards to Scotland’s assisted suicide bill.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is currently at Stage 2 of the legislative process, meaning that the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee are examining amendments to the proposal. The Scottish legislation is separate from that currently being debated in the House of Lords in Westminster.

Concerns have been raised at the speed of the process, which is currently set to examine all 287 proposed amendments in just three weeks, with just one session per week.

Continued below.

If wealthy tax deadbeats leave NYC to leach off the taxpayers of anither state, good riddance.
In 1980, Trump sued NY in order to get a 40 year property tax abatement---meant to encourage investment in distressed areas--for Trump Tower!
Do you know how many of our tax dollars were used to provide public services to tax deadbeat Trump's building?
But like other tax deadbeats, he moved, selling his trashy souvenirs and crypto online to his fans--and bilking Florida's taxpayers.

In the movie Addams Family Values, Wednesday is made fun of by other girls and is asked why she dresses in black like she’s going to a funeral. “Why are you dressed like somebody died?” a girl asks.

“Wait,” Wednesday responds.

She’s right. And the thing is, you don’t have to wait long.

Recent stats peg the number of deaths at 7.8 deaths per 1,000 people for 2025. In raw numbers: about 62 million people die each year worldwide, which breaks down to around 172,800 deaths per day globally in 2025, 120 deaths per minute, or about 2 deaths every second.

That’s a lot of souls going into eternity, some of which got up today having no idea it would be their last. Stop and think about that for just a minute, and keep in mind that it could be any one of us.

John MacArthur talks about that reality when he recounts being on the Larry King show the day after 9/11:

“Larry King said to me, ‘What is the lesson here.’ I said, ‘The lesson is everybody’s going to die, and you’re not necessarily in control of when.’ The danger of death is around us, and what contributes to that death is both around us, and even in us. Everyone dies. A hundred years from now none of us will be around; that’s inevitable. Life is the most comprehensive danger of all; no one escapes its inevitable end.”

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I doubt you would select “life” as the biggest danger out of a list of other options, but I get what MacArthur is saying. In fact, it explains something Jesus said in one of His biographies that has always bugged me.

When towers fall

Continued below.

We haven't been to Mykonos but we were on Lefkada earlier this year, it's one of the mid-sized Greek islands off to the west, Ionian Sea I believe. It was an majestic experience, particularly for mission groups. A sizeable number of beautiful and inspirational churches and deep tradition. I'm having one of those days and can't quite recall the name, but there was one church in the particular that was extraordinary and stayed with us. From the Byzantine architects, a redoubtable design and beautiful frescoes within it. Reminded us of some of the churches on the French Mediterranean coast. Even without the icons, but the architecture on the coast seems it was similarly inspired.

Lately the Lord has been having me repost some writings from May of 2023, which are on the subject of Church abuse, and which collectively are combined together in a short book titled, “The Church Under Fire.”

These writings are based off Acts chapters 23-27, with regard to the kinds of persecutions which Paul faced from religious people. And the Lord has used some of my church experiences, as well, to illustrate how church abuse is being carried out in the church today against those who are serving Jesus Christ with their lives, who are walking in the ways of the Lord, and who are seeking to follow the Lord in obedience to his commands in holy living.

And Paul is not the only biblical example of being a recipient of such abuses, either. Jesus was continually harassed and plotted against, and he was the target of false accusations against his character. And his opponents looked for ways to accuse him on a consistent basis. And Job and the prophets of the Old Testament faced such abuse, too, as well as did the other New Testament apostles, plus the deacon Stephen, and many other Christians.

But abuse of this kind, where people are being falsely accused of what they did not say, or of what they did not do, or of what they did not experience, is not limited to just the area of the church, but it expands to all areas of life. And sometimes it is to keep an honest person from exposing the lies or from calling out sin for what it is, or from exposing corruption going on within the church, in the government, in the media, and in the corporate world, too.

And sometimes it is just pure arrogance on the part of the accusers who think because they are “so and so,” or because they carry a particular title in front of their name, that somehow they are always right and that anyone who disagrees with them, or who challenges them, is wrong. But even the experts are still human beings, and they make mistakes, and so we should never look to other humans to be our gods, no matter who they are.

And let me give you some personal examples from my life in a different area other than the church. Lately I have been faced with some medical issues, and God has chosen, this time, to have me be seen by multiple experts in many different fields of medicine, for he has a plan and a purpose for it all. My primary physician, who is the one ordering these tests for me, has been very kind and gracious, so far. He has listened to me as I have shared with him my sufferings, and he ordered the tests for me, to try to help me.

Some of the experts in the medicine field were not so kind and gracious, though some were. When I went to the hospital with sharp pains in my chest, with chest pressure, and with difficulty breathing, they ran some tests. The tests did show my lung nodule had grown since 2016, but they minimized the amount of growth. And the doctor told me my heart was fine, and then she mocked me and said my suffering was all from my emotions. Another doctor minimized the lung nodule, too, calling it a “tiny spot.”

Then I had the tests. The lung nodule had nearly doubled in size, so it is called a lung mass now. That is significant. And it showed up as suspect for cancer. My breathing is now at 44% out of 100% breathing capacity. That is also significant. My heart is not working properly and is borderline for heart failure, so that is a serious issue, as well. And there is concern for cancer in my brain and my left breast, too. So, the point here is that doctors are not gods, and they don’t get everything right, so we should not bow to them.

And the overall point here is that we are not to let other humans be our gods, and we are not to bow to them and to do everything they say we should do just because of the title before their names. And we should also not let them and their opinions of us dishearten or threaten us or make us feel as though we have to do what they say. Many people die at the hands of doctors who make errors in judgment. And many people are dying in their sins because they are listening to pastors who teach them lies, not truth.

Stand up for what is right, like Paul did, and like Jesus did. And take all the counsel that you get, from whoever you receive it, to the Lord, in prayer, seeking his guidance and counsel, before you make any decisions, especially ones which could cost you your life. And before you accept any drug prescriptions, or medical procedures, look them up online, and especially look at even the rare side effects or possible dangers to your body before you just do whatever the doctor or pastor or whoever tells you to do.

But all in all, trust the Lord with your life, follow his leading, and pray for wisdom to make certain that you are hearing from the Lord, and that this is the direction that he wants you to go, before making any serious decisions in your life. And don’t let others’ opinions of you dishearten you. But take what they say to the Lord in prayer and seek God’s counsel. He will show you the way that you should go, and then follow his lead. The others could be right, but they could be wrong. So get your counsel from the Lord and follow him.

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

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In View of This
An Original Work / November 10, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Lord of the Sabbath

Compassionate and merciful God

Heals the sick

Comforts the poor

Shows no favour to the rich

He cures diseases

And He fixes the broken hearted

Fame and wealth are not His ends

Herbs and drugs are not His means

With a word, sicknesses gone

With a word, demons expelled

He Is the Creator who makes us all

He Is the Messiah promised to come

He Is the Prophet heeded by us

Jesus, the Christ

Lord of the universe

Blessed be the King

Blessed be the King indeed

Holy and awesome God

Transfigured on a mountain

Face shone like the sun

Garments became as white as light

There is none to match

Because He is the only begotten Son

Beloved by the Father

Always pleasing

And always loving the Father

There is none to match

Blessed be the King

Blessed be the King indeed

A Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally for more than a decade after ignoring a federal deportation order was arrested in Orange County, California, on Friday after allegedly killing a 71-year-old man in a DUI hit-and-run crash, according to federal law enforcement sources.

How tragic.

Richard T said:

I think the inverse exists too, that sometimes Christians overrate their strengths and they elevate their "goodness" to levels that are prideful

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Thank you for your observation, Richard.
I agree with what you write, but i think too, many, may be most christians, manage to avoid pride, even when earning and bringing back many talents, and if they then meet someone that looks humble, for having buried his own ones, and returned only them, without having won another of them.
You see, i assume if much is required from the one that 's much been given, then, less too will be required from the one that's less been given. But this less however will be required too.
I suppose it's this ratio the servants have to evaluate if they want to compare their gains, and it's helpful for not boasting

it makes me wonder whether Jesus 'd rather see the servants compare themselves and accept their differences, or not compare themselves at all (?)

The Church Under Fire

Chapter Four

Hear My Case

May 27, 2023

I am now reading in Acts 25. The Apostle Paul was being held in custody under the authority of the governor Felix. And during this time, Felix would visit him on occasion and would listen to Paul sharing about his faith. And this went on for two years, and then Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison (chapter 24).

Now Festus went to Jerusalem, and he listened to those who had a case against Paul. And those people urged Festus to summon Paul to Jerusalem, for they were still planning an ambush against Paul to kill him. But Festus said to the men, “Let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.” Then, after he had stayed among them for a little over a week, Festus went down to Caesarea where Paul was being held.

The next day Paul was brought before him, and the Jews from Jerusalem brought many and serious charges against Paul that they could not prove. And Paul was given the opportunity to argue in his own defense:


Now, I do not intend to go into all the history of this, for the Lord Jesus is having me make practical application of these passages of Scripture to our lives, to our world, and to our church today. And as of late he has been having me share some of my own experiences with church leadership accusing me falsely of what I did not do, and to share these experiences in order to illustrate the kinds of persecution we can expect to face today when we follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his ways, and when we share the truth of the gospel with others, and when we do not dilute the truth in order to appeal to other humans.

Now, I don’t have an exact parallel to this story, but there are principles here that I have picked up on that do relate to situations I have experienced myself, such as a group of people being opposed to Paul, them appealing to someone in higher authority to take their side and to go against Paul, him having to defend himself against false and unkind accusations against his character, no one supporting him or taking his side, and then him having to appeal to a higher authority to hear his case.

Hear My Case

It was in the early 1990’s, and we were attending a church fellowship of a rather large church congregation. I loved the preaching. The preacher reminded me of my pastor of my youth. We loved our Sunday School class, too, and we enjoyed that teacher’s teaching. And I joined a small support group for women who had been hurt by others, and who needed healing. And I invited a friend to go with me, for she had many hurts from her past experiences. So this was to be a group that was supposed to help both of us to heal from past hurtful experiences.

Now my friend was very timid and shy, but she expressed to me that she did want to share something with the group, and she asked me for my help, and so I agreed to help her. And at the next meeting she began to share, and she started to chicken out, and so I encouraged her, as she had asked me to do. But at the next meeting a new rule had been added to the group that had my name written all over it, figuratively speaking here. For the new rule said something to the effect that if your friend is trying to say something that you should not try to help that friend. I felt so hurt!

No one had spoken to me about this. They just waited until the next meeting to announce the new rule that everyone in the group knew applied to me. So, I called the lady who headed up the group, and I expressed to her how that had hurt me, and I tried to explain to her that I was doing what my friend had asked me to do. But her response to me was hateful and harsh and accusatory, for she had concluded that I was being pushy or a bully or taking over or something like that, and she would not hear me out when I tried to give my own defense.

And remember here with me that this was a support group for people like me who were already hurting from other hurtful experiences, and these were people who were supposed to be helping me to heal. But she was treating me as though I was the enemy, and as though I had purposefully committed some horrible crime. And then she told me I needed to talk with one of the assistant pastors, and so I did, but he would not listen to me either. He then began accusing me sharply of attitudes I did not have and of deeds I did not commit. And even though I sat there in tears, appealing to him, he was hard as a rock and had no sympathy towards me whatsoever.

And I wish I could say this was the exception to the rule, but it is not. And I am not the only one being treated like this by church leadership, either. But this wasn’t just about me trying to help my friend. This was a deeper issue than that, I ascertained. For this assistant pastor, who I had never met before, was using terminology to accuse me that had much further implications than just that. So I believe the real issue was the kinds of things I was sharing in the group, as a whole, things which were from the Scriptures and not anything that should ever have been an issue.

Now, since this is not the only time I have faced such persecution as this, some people have suggested that I must, therefore, be the one at fault. Well, Paul faced a lot of persecution, and he was not the one at fault. And Job was accused by his friends of sinning as the reason for his suffering. But what my experiences symbolize, I believe, is the reality of where much of the church in America is today, where they are weeding out those who have strong convictions so that they can persuade the naïve with their lies without any hinderance from those who know better. And I hope you can see that.

For what I have experienced are the kinds of persecutions that others are experiencing who are serious about their walks with the Lord and who are walking in obedience to his commands. For today’s modern market-driven “churches” (businesses) leaders are being trained to weed out those with “strong convictions.” And this is because it appears that most of them are teaching lies. So, if you are facing such persecution as this, take courage. Just keep trusting the Lord, keep loving the people of God, and keep speaking the truth. For the days are evil, and our Lord will soon return.

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

Link to whole book:


Hear My Case
An Original Work / May 27, 2023
Reposted on November 10, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Video taken from writing from above

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