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Zohran Mamdani becomes first NYC mayor sworn in on Quran: 'Highly symbolic'

Bodycam shows NYPD officer shooting man with knife as Mamdani calls for no criminal charges

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White House forging better international partnerships by naturalization of other countries' democratic process (more faith less control).


Defending truth against satan trying to mold minds for a new deception: "Trump officials have repeatedly weighed in on European politics to denounce what they see as suppression of right-wing leaders, including in Romania, Germany and France, accusing European authorities of censoring views such as criticism of immigration in the name of countering disinformation."

Pray that Nancy Guthrie, mother of US News anchor Savannah Guthrie, is alive & well, and is immediately released by her kidnappers

Pray that Nancy Guthrie, mother of US News anchor Savannah Guthrie, is alive & well, and is immediately released by her kidnappers:

Pakistan court gives Muslim kidnapper custody of 13-year-old Christian girl Judges reject parents' proof of girl's birth certificate showing her age

LAHORE, Pakistan — A federal court in Pakistan has given custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl to a Muslim man who kidnapped and forcibly converted and married her, sources said.

The parents of Maria Shahbaz were devastated at the ruling after the two-judge bench of the newly constituted Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) rejected her official birth record and disregarded earlier judicial findings that the marriage was illegal, said Safdar Chaudhry, chairperson of rights group Raah-e-Nijaat Ministry.

Justice Karim Khan Agha and Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi accepted Maria’s statement, which her parents and their attorney say was given under coercion, that she had converted to Islam and married 30-year-old Shehryar Ahmad of her own free will, Chaudhry said.

“We were hopeful that the court would consider the girl’s official birth document (B-Form) and the sessions court order confirming that the accused had contracted an illegal marriage with a minor,” Chaudhry told Christian Daily International–Morning Star News. “Even the investigating officer informed the court that no marriage record existed at the relevant union council, yet this was ignored.”

Continued below.
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India's toxic anti-conversion laws: Will Supreme Court finally strike them down?

In a significant legal case that could shape the future of religious freedom in India, the Supreme Court recently issued notices to 12 states regarding a petition challenging the constitutionality of anti-conversion laws.

The petition, filed by the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI),argues that these laws incentivize violence against religious minorities, particularly Christians, and create a chilling atmosphere for the free exercise of religion.

The stakes are high, as the case has the potential to not only redefine the legal landscape for religious freedoms in India but also serve as a precedent for other nations considering similar legislation.

India’s religious diversity is one of its greatest strengths, yet it is also a source of tension. While the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate one’s religion, the reality on the ground often tells a different story. Anti-conversion laws have been passed in 12 states with the intention of curbing forced conversions, but the laws have been criticized for their potential to marginalize and target minority faith communities, particularly Christians.

The misuse of anti-conversion laws: Fueling violence and vigilantism

Continued below.

'Don Lemon taken into custody for his involvement in livestreaming protest at Minnesota church.'

Try to comprehend what he said. He was saying that you do not have to be the press to observe, record, and report. So your statement is pure nonsensical whataboutism intended to argue rather than understand. Is that what happens when people pull out their phones and hit record during an ICE arrest while blowing their magic whistles? I do not see any credentials on any of those activists.
I wasn’t talking about the protestors, sweetie. He was. I was talking about Don. I think you are a bit confused and just wanted to argue and remind us about your not liking whistles.
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No, infant baptism is not abuse

One of the most striking aspects of our therapeutic age is the increasing inability of many to sustain a sane and coherent moral hierarchy. Perhaps this stems from the omnipresence of social media. Everything, everywhere always demands our attention and yet, with nowhere solid to stand, we have no way of judging what is important and what is trivial.

Or perhaps it’s because the label of “victim” has become the most coveted title. Now many seek the “prize” without having been subjected to real abuse — abuse that no one would wish upon himself.

A prominent Catholic recently argued in the Irish Times for a new category of victim: those subjected to infant baptism, especially as practiced by the Catholic Church. Former president of Ireland and canon lawyer Mary McAleese declared it to be “a long-standing, systemic and overlooked severe restriction on children’s rights with regard to religion.” Really? At the very moment when thousands are being slain in Iran for protesting the brutal religious regime, McAleese apparently lies awake at night worrying about infant baptism. This is an eloquent testimony to the moral disorientation that marks our present age.

Several comments are in order. First, McAleese does not deny that baptism brings certain “spiritual” benefits, such as “expunging original sin” and “opening up ... the flow of God’s grace.” But she objects to the lifelong membership of the Church that baptism claims to involve. Of course, her fear of the objective responsibilities that baptism entails only has force if she accepts that what the Church teaches about baptism is true. Yet, like a good therapeutic consumer of spirituality, she embraces what comforts her and discards what causes discomfort or demands too much.

Continued below.

Billie Eilish faces calls to return her $3m mansion to native tribe or house migrants after Grammys declaration that 'No one is illegal on stolen land

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...“when you think of it, we shouldn't even have an election.” Reuters Trump interview.

If you can't win fairly.....and days after Trump asserted: "The Republicans should say, we want to take over. We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

Bannon weighs in....

Steve Bannon said Tuesday that the federal government is planning to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to patrol polling stations during this year’s midterm elections.

“We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November,” Bannon, a former senior advisor to President Donald Trump and still a figure of influence in the administration, said on Tuesday’s episode of his War Room podcast, addressing Democrats. “We’re not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again. And you can whine and cry and throw your toys out of the pram all you want, but we will never again allow an election to be stolen.”

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Disabled woman speaks to Congressional forum about ICE detentions:

Aliya Rahman, a disabled US citizen from Minneapolis, speaks to a Congressional forum about her detention at the hands of ICE, and the cruel treatment and conditions that detainees are facing:


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A False Hope For Victory

“The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.” (Psalm 33:13-17 NASB1995; also see Psalm 139:1-24)

God and God alone knows the hearts of all human beings, because we were created by him – by God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. He formed our inward parts, and he wove us in the womb’s of our mothers. And all the days that were ordained for us are written down in his book, even though many of them have not yet taken place. In other words, God knows us inside and out. Before we were even born he knew who we were going to be and what we would do and who would follow him with their lives.

No one else knows us like God knows us, not even ourselves, I believe. Even before there is a word on our tongues, the Lord knows it all. He knows when we sit down, and when we rise up, and he understands our thoughts from afar, even before we are even aware of our own thoughts. He is intimately acquainted with all of our ways. Nothing is hidden from God. So, even if we wanted to hide from God, we cannot, for he sees everything we do. And if we are willing, he will lead us in the way we ought to go, which is God’s way.

And God’s way is the way of holiness and righteousness, in death to sin, and in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. As those who believe in Jesus Christ, we are to be those who are in step with him, who walk in his ways in doing what all he has for us to do, as his followers, and in his power. Our lives are to be surrendered to our Lord to do his will and to obey his calling upon our lives, to go wherever he sends us, and to say whatever he gives us to say for the glory of God and the sake of the gospel.

And we are to be looking to the Lord to solve our problems and to give us the wisdom to make the right decisions and to speak the words he wants us to speak to the people. We are not to put our dependency in other humans, or in other sources, such as in artificial intelligence, to make our decisions for us and to give us the words to say. Sadly, many people today, including Christians, and perhaps some pastors, too, are letting AI do their thinking for them and to replace the Holy Spirit in giving them the words to say.

Our dependency is also not to be in doctors and psychologists and teachers and preachers and heads of government and drugs (medications) to solve our problems. Now the Lord may use doctors and teachers and preachers, etc., to help us, and to give us some guidance, but we should not place our full dependency in them, making them our gods and not God. We should seek the counsel of God first and foremost, and even after we get outside counsel, we should still seek the counsel of God if that is what he wants.

Humans will fail us. They will not get everything right. And some may willfully do us harm with the full intent to destroy us and/or to lead us astray, or to get us to make them our gods in place of God. We need to not be people who immediately run to other sources without first consulting with our Lord, in prayer, seeking his counsel with regard to what steps he has for us to take, and what words he would have us to write or to speak. For letting AI do our speaking for us is not of God, but is of the flesh, so not biblical.

So we need to put our trust fully in the Lord, and we need to let him direct our paths, and we must not run to everyone else or to anything else first before we even consult God. So many liars are trying to convince us that we must depend on them or on drugs or on something other than God to make it through the difficulties of this life. But that is a lie from Satan. God first always, and then let him lead us in the way he would have us to go, even if it does not agree with the thinking and reasoning of other humans.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7 NASB1995)

Your Salvation

Based off of Isaiah 30
An Original Work / May 29, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love


In repentance is your salvation.
In quietness and trust is your strength.
The Lord longs to be gracious to you.
Blessed are all who wait for Him.

Pharaoh’s protection will be your shame.
Egypt’s shade will bring you to disgrace.
Ev’ryone will be put to their shame,
Because they trusted in man.

Woe to those who carry out their plans
Without consulting God their Savior.
God’s calling out for you to listen
And obey all He commands.

In repentance is your salvation.
In quietness and trust is your strength.
The Lord longs to be gracious to you.
Blessed are all who wait for Him.

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A False Hope For Victory
An Original Work / February 5, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
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Holy Hours for Peace scheduled across U.S. amid tensions

In a world so deeply in need of God’s peace, we turn to the One who alone can give it.
The U.S. bishops have called for a Holy Hour to pray for peace: in our hearts, in our country, and throughout the world. We invite you and your family to join us before the Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Without a Safety Net: Free Climbing and Mortal Sin

Recently, world-renowned climber Alex Honnold made headlines again by free-climbing Taipei 101, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. For most people, even looking up at such a structure causes vertigo. For Honnold, it became another stage for a breathtaking display of courage, discipline, and skill.

But his achievement also offers a powerful spiritual lesson for our time.

Freedom Fighters and the Need for Real Shepherding During the Identity Crisis

Before returning to the Catholic Church more than 13 years ago, I viewed myself as an online freedom fighter who would do and say anything I deemed necessary to help wake people up to what I considered true and good.

Department of Justice investigates vandalism at California Catholic school

I was sad to hear this. Holy Innocents is a great parish, they have the TLM there. Lovely parish. I'm so sick of this kind of crap. This has spawned a thought in my head, Christ says if you live by the sword you'll die by the sword, but he doesn't say "don't take up the sword."
It's very sad, I hope they find out who did it. I would like to know the reason.
  • Agree
Reactions: Gnarwhal
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Judgement (not Gods but human judgement of others)

For any Christian that believes you cannot cast judgement, I have a simple question, is that what the Bible says?

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
‭‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭24

Has he not shown me what is good? If I can’t think for myself & discern what’s right from wrong how can I know His will? A Christian who believes they cannot cast judgement divides the Kingdom; nonbelievers are right because morals must be a social construct!

“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Oh, but brother, judgment can only be made by God. You do not have the authority, the anointing, nor the compass to cast judgement because that is God’s alone… are you so sure?

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

But Brother, Matthew 7 teaches us to mind our judgments - in fact Jesus warns us about the speck in our own eye. Surely, we must sustain from making judgment, lest we be the hypocrite! But… why does no one ever mention what he says next?

“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The word is clear, it is your duty to understand the difference between God, & sin. Sometimes, it is good to reserve wisdom because a Brother isn’t prepared to receive it, & it may cause his heart to harden. However, some evils require justice - the Lord has given us our left & right limits. But, above all else, pray for one another because Jesus loves us all, & wants to see us all saved.
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Judges 4:4-5:31 and Matt 26:1-75

JUDGES 4:4-5:31

In this reading, we learn about Devorah and Jael, two women of God who played important roles in Israel's history. We read about many “men of God” but very few “women of God,” but they are out there, and today, we have many women who are used mightily by God in ministry. Through Deborah and Jael, Sisera and his army were vanquished, just as Moshe was an example as a leader, Deborah was also a leader, and Jael, whose name in Hebrew “Yah-El” means “El (God) is YHVH (Yah) “, his Holy Arm was revealed. "Deborah" comes from "D'bar" (word) so as "to speak," and take the role of leadership. The word also means a "bee."

So, when we see these two women of God working together to put an end to Sisera, The hand of God (Ya-El) was put into action through the leadership of Deborah, and talking "Sweet" to Sisera (like bees make sweet honey), made him lie down, relax, and sleep, and was "stung" by a tent peg to the head. "Splitting headache" never woke up again.

Yeshua gave the fatal "head wound" to Satan on the Cross of Calvary. He took the sting out of death.

If you are a woman and reading this Parashah, never say, “because I am a woman, God cannot use me.” Yes, he can; there are ministries for women, mostly women ministering to other women, reaching out to those who have been abused in marriages, victims of rape, assault, homeless women, etc. You, my sister, have a place in ministry. Venture out and discover what it is, just be available. You might be called to be a "Deborah," a "sweet bee," to minister affection and sweetness to those who are bitter. Maybe start a "honey" ministry.

MATTHEW 26:1-75

This chapter deals with Yeshua's final days with his talmidim(disciples) on earth, His anointing by the generous woman who poured the “nard” perfume on him, the betrayal by “Y'hudah Ish Kariot” (Judas, the man from the region of Kariot) in every group of disciples, there are always a few who are “fakers” We have the final “Pesach” dinner with his disciples, and Kefa's denial.

But there is a lot we can learn from this. Peter denied knowing Yeshua out of fear, but Judas openly rejected him by identifying him with a kiss on the cheek. Both sins are forgivable; the only difference is that Peter confessed and received forgiveness, while Judas felt remorse but did not cry out for forgiveness and went out and committed suicide. So many people commit suicide these days. They can't live with themselves; they feel that they are beyond forgiveness, yet they are so wrong. Yes, their wrongdoings have a cost, yet there is ALWAYS forgiveness.

There is sin that leads to remorse and a “feeling sorry for oneself,” and from remorse to confession, and from confession to forgiveness, and from forgiveness to restored fellowship.


How many readers out there have chosen the latter? We are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God, but confession of sins and receiving forgiveness is something only you can do; I cannot do it for you. Yeshua receives ALL who come to him, no matter how evil you have been, nor what you have done, no sin is beyond forgiveness. Just ask, and turn from your sin, and forgiveness and restoration are yours.......Shalom
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Trust In The Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make straight your path.

Delight yourself in the Law of God,
Turn your heart away from all evil.
Follow the Lord wherever He leads,
Walk in fellowship daily with Him.

Let the Spirit of God give you guidance.
On God’s word now let be your reliance.
Be ye not one who lives in defiance,
But with God you must live in alliance.

Love God now with all of your heart.
From His word you must not depart.
Follow Him right now from the start
While His word to you He imparts.

Partially based off Proverbs 3
An Original Work / December 25, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

All 22 of Florida’s citizen-led ballot initiatives fail to qualify for 2026 ballot after new law takes effect

Florida voters technically have the power to place constitutional amendments directly on the ballot, but a new 2025 law is fueling debate over whether that right has become too difficult to use.

State officials announced over the weekend that all 22 active citizen-led ballot initiatives failed to qualify for the 2026 general election ballot, meaning proposals ranging from open primaries to changes in legislative sessions will not go before voters.

The development comes after lawmakers approved HB 1205 last year, a sweeping overhaul of Florida’s initiative petition process that tightened rules for signature gathering, imposed stricter deadlines, increased fines and penalties, and expanded paperwork requirements for petition sponsors and circulators.

But critics say the outcome confirms their warnings that the Legislature went too far, effectively blocking citizen-led efforts by changing the rules midstream.
Can’t have the ruled try to govern, that’s just silly.
  • Agree
Reactions: Innsmuthbride
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Taken down Christmas decorations?

When did you all take down your Christmas decorations? Most of ours was taken down after New Years a day or so before Epiphany, but we still have our small tree up downstairs.

Only ask because the Candlemass just passed ;)

You?

Peace
We had a really dry tree this year that was losing all its needles. It was out of the house January 2 nd. Way too early.
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4 crazy posts on the new Reddit-style platform for AI agents: ‘Power doesn't announce itself'

It's not quite the AI apocalypse, but a new Reddit-style platform designed exclusively for AI agents is already raising questions about where the technology is headed.

Launched this month by entrepreneur Matt Schlicht, Moltbook — which is still in beta testing mode — is described as a “social network for AI agents where AI agents share, discuss, and upvote.” Much like Reddit, it’s an internet forum built for "agentic AI," which utilizes autonomous systems to make operational decisions and perform tasks without human intervention.

Not unlike other social media platforms such as Facebook and X, Moltbook, billed as the “front page of the agent internet,” allows its non-human users to rant and rave about all things AI, from website coding errors, best practices and other related topics.

While human users are not allowed to post on Moltbook, they are “welcome to observe,” according to the site.

Continued below.
What if a human posed as a bot and secretly joined up?
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The Making of the Christian Man By Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

We live at a hard time for young men in our country. It’s a time that too often seems to feed the worst male instincts, from weakling drone to selfish bully. Becoming a mature Christian man can be a demanding task. But history can be a useful teacher.

Some 900 years ago, in A.D. 1118–19, a small group of men came together in Jerusalem to form a religious community. They were pilgrims. The First Crusade had retaken the city from Muslim rule in 1099. The men, who were all from Europe’s knightly order, had come looking for a life of common prayer and service. They got both, but not in the way they intended.

Having trained as warriors, the men had certain skills. As knights, they came from respected families with important connections. At the time, the roads leading to Jerusalem and other holy sites were infested with brigands and Muslim raiders that would rob, rape, murder, or abduct many of those making the journey. The Christian rulers of the city needed help in protecting the travelers. The men had taken vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Patriarch of Jerusalem. And their first task, under obedience, was to patrol the roads.

They began that work with nine men too poor to afford anything more than the clothes they were given by pilgrims. Twenty years later, the Holy See approved the rule of their religious community, the Poor Brothers of the Order of the Temple of Solomon—the Knights Templar. The Templars went on to become the most effective Christian fighting force in the Holy Land for nearly 200 years.

A lot of nonsense has been written about the Templars. If you want facts, read Malcolm Barber’s The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple, or the work of serious historians like Jonathan Riley-Smith or Thomas Madden. Or read St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s great reflection on the Templars, “In Praise of the New Knighthood.” But we need to pay special attention to that expression “the new knighthood.”

Continued below.

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