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Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
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We tried to plant a garden last year, and it didn't work!
The Alabama Extension Service might have some guides on planting times and such for various plants. When people say garden, I assume vegetable garden, since that's what we called them, but extension services sometimes cover ornamentals as well.When we moved down here to Alabama, we had no idea what the new climate would be like. As it turned out we can't plant in the summer time because its so hot no plants will grow. This surprised us.
Its zones 9a and 9b where we are at.
So we planted in the winter instead and our plants have been growing just fine! Go figure.We have actually received a bumper crop this past winter and have eaten nearly everything we have grown. I guess we have learned that being in a climate that gets as hot and humid as ours does, we have to always plant in the winter to avoid the really harsh heats that will kill all of our plants.
I mean, this has never happened to us anywhere we have lived. Its like we have to garden in reverse just to get anything. Does gardening in the winter sound strange to you? Because it does to me.
Sometimes, though, the extension service material misses it, or overlooks other issues. They used to say every farm was an agricultural experimental station, and keeping notes helps.
In general, in the South, winter is another growing season, just the crops change.
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The Confession I Didn’t Make: An Embarrassing Case of Sacramental Mistaken Identity...
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
ONE SATURDAY, many years ago, a friend of mine was visiting from out of town.
Looking for some prayerful encouragement—and probably a kick in the rear to get himself to confession—he confided painfully to me that he had fallen into a pattern of serious sexual sin, about which he was understandably distressed and embarrassed. (Let’s just say that the particular sins burdening him went beyond the solitary sort which many are prone to.)
During a frank conversation in which my friend was searingly honest with himself, I offered some heartfelt advice and encouragement that he go asap to the sacrament of confession (a.k.a. reconciliation). Agreeing to go, we wasted no time. Clambering into my car, we drove straight to a nearby parish so he could go to confession.
His discomfiture at having to confess these deeply embarrassing sins to another human being was palpable. He was miserable, but he knew he’d be even more miserable if he put off any longer the sacramental moment of reckoning.
Promising him my prayers for courage and trust in the Lord’s mercy, I knelt in a pew at the back of the church while my friend approached the confessional.
The red light above the confessional door indicated that a priest was waiting for penitents. Aside from my friend and me, the large church was completely empty.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Continued below.
patrickmadrid.substack.com
Looking for some prayerful encouragement—and probably a kick in the rear to get himself to confession—he confided painfully to me that he had fallen into a pattern of serious sexual sin, about which he was understandably distressed and embarrassed. (Let’s just say that the particular sins burdening him went beyond the solitary sort which many are prone to.)
During a frank conversation in which my friend was searingly honest with himself, I offered some heartfelt advice and encouragement that he go asap to the sacrament of confession (a.k.a. reconciliation). Agreeing to go, we wasted no time. Clambering into my car, we drove straight to a nearby parish so he could go to confession.
His discomfiture at having to confess these deeply embarrassing sins to another human being was palpable. He was miserable, but he knew he’d be even more miserable if he put off any longer the sacramental moment of reckoning.
Promising him my prayers for courage and trust in the Lord’s mercy, I knelt in a pew at the back of the church while my friend approached the confessional.
The red light above the confessional door indicated that a priest was waiting for penitents. Aside from my friend and me, the large church was completely empty.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Continued below.
The Confession I Didn’t Make
An Embarrassing Case of Sacramental Mistaken Identity
patrickmadrid.substack.com
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Mr. President, Please Just Let This Man Have a Nap
- By Michie
- General Politics
- 0 Replies
On Monday, New York Magazine published an article, "The Superhuman President," which feels like an attempt to get back at Republicans who pointed out Joe Biden was asleep and declining rapidly for four years, but it's actually fairly entertaining.
We've all heard members of the Donald Trump administration swear that the president never sleeps, and given how much he's gotten done in just a short year, that's pretty believable.
For the rest of the administration, however, that's not the case, particularly for Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Keep in mind that the president is 79, and Rubio is only 54 — young enough to be his son — but it seems like the hardest working man in the Trump administration just can't keep up with his boss. It's so bad that when they're both flying on Air Force One, Rubio says he hides from Trump, hoping he won't catch him taking naps during trips overseas.
Continued below.
pjmedia.com
We've all heard members of the Donald Trump administration swear that the president never sleeps, and given how much he's gotten done in just a short year, that's pretty believable.
For the rest of the administration, however, that's not the case, particularly for Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Keep in mind that the president is 79, and Rubio is only 54 — young enough to be his son — but it seems like the hardest working man in the Trump administration just can't keep up with his boss. It's so bad that when they're both flying on Air Force One, Rubio says he hides from Trump, hoping he won't catch him taking naps during trips overseas.
Continued below.
Mr. President, Please Just Let This Man Have a Nap
A humorous take on President Trump's energy and Secretary Rubio's struggle to keep up.
pjmedia.com
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Misconceptions about Evolutionary Creationism (or Theistic Evolution)
- By Berserk
- Theistic Evolution
- 195 Replies
The evolutionary smoking gun that allegedly refutes evangelical objections to macro-evolution:
www.bing.com
kenneth miller evolution and chromosones youtube - Search Videos
Watch videos instantly on Bing—enjoy direct playback, discover related clips, and dive into trending content all in one place.
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Disturbing photos in Epstein files appear to show Andrew on all fours over female
- By Michie
Disturbing photos released in the Epstein files appear to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor crouching on all fours over a female lying on the floor.
In the three photographs, a man believed to be Andrew can be seen leaning over the woman who is sprawled face up with their arms spread out.
He is staring directly at the camera in one picture, while in another he has placed his left hand on the female's stomach.
The man, thought to be the former Duke of York, is barefoot and is wearing jeans and a white polo shirt, along with a silver watch.
Another person can be seen in the photographs, sitting in a leopard-print chair with their feet up on a table.
Like much of the material released in the Epstein files, it is unclear when or where the images were taken and no further context is given. Last month, a photo of Andrew lying on the laps of five women at Sandringham was released in another batch of files.
More than three million more documents were published last night by the US Department of Justice. Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said there have been 'extensive redactions' to the documents.
Continued below.
www.dailymail.co.uk
In the three photographs, a man believed to be Andrew can be seen leaning over the woman who is sprawled face up with their arms spread out.
He is staring directly at the camera in one picture, while in another he has placed his left hand on the female's stomach.
The man, thought to be the former Duke of York, is barefoot and is wearing jeans and a white polo shirt, along with a silver watch.
Another person can be seen in the photographs, sitting in a leopard-print chair with their feet up on a table.
Like much of the material released in the Epstein files, it is unclear when or where the images were taken and no further context is given. Last month, a photo of Andrew lying on the laps of five women at Sandringham was released in another batch of files.
More than three million more documents were published last night by the US Department of Justice. Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said there have been 'extensive redactions' to the documents.
Continued below.
Disturbing photos appear to show Andrew on all fours over female
In the three photographs, a man believed to be Andrew can be seen leaning over the woman who is sprawled face up with their arms spread out.
No, AI Doesn’t Have a Soul: The Catholic Understanding of Its Role in Human Society
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
Could computer programs ever come to truly think and understand? Can artificial intelligence (AI) possess a “mind” the way humans do and, by extension, ever be described as a “person” with a soul?
If you ask some of the leading creators and proponents of AI products, at least some of them would answer “Yes” to these questions— a “Yes” that, if true, would raise other far-reaching and potentially dangerous ideas: Should AI programs be given rights? Should they be considered as equal in dignity to humans, or even obeyed as our superiors?!
For Michael Augros, a philosopher and professor at Thomas Aquinas College, the answer to the question “Can AI truly think and understand?” — and, by extension, “Does AI have a soul?” — is a resounding “No.”
But Augros doesn’t simply answer in the negative and leave it at that — he shows his work in the form of a new 10-part, multi-hour podcast series entitled The Mind and the Machine, produced by the college. In the podcast, episodes of which are being released serially, Augros explains in detail what it means, philosophically, to “think and understand” — and why he believes AI will never be capable of doing so.
Continued below.
www.ncregister.com
If you ask some of the leading creators and proponents of AI products, at least some of them would answer “Yes” to these questions— a “Yes” that, if true, would raise other far-reaching and potentially dangerous ideas: Should AI programs be given rights? Should they be considered as equal in dignity to humans, or even obeyed as our superiors?!
For Michael Augros, a philosopher and professor at Thomas Aquinas College, the answer to the question “Can AI truly think and understand?” — and, by extension, “Does AI have a soul?” — is a resounding “No.”
But Augros doesn’t simply answer in the negative and leave it at that — he shows his work in the form of a new 10-part, multi-hour podcast series entitled The Mind and the Machine, produced by the college. In the podcast, episodes of which are being released serially, Augros explains in detail what it means, philosophically, to “think and understand” — and why he believes AI will never be capable of doing so.
Continued below.
No, AI Doesn’t Have a Soul: The Catholic Understanding of Its Role in Human Society
College professor-philosopher seeks the truth about the mind, soul and personhood in a new podcast series about artificial intelligence.
What’s Special About the Most ‘Fruitful’ US Dioceses? ‘It’s the People.’
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
The sees of Nashville and Tulsa are among those that are flourishing — in cities where Catholics are a distinct minority.
The Register’s ongoing “Catholic Hubs” series has sought to highlight places where Catholicism seems to be on the upswing, rather than on the decline — places where efforts to promote and live out the Catholic faith really seem to be working. But it’s difficult to describe such places without recourse to buzzwords, like “vibrant,” “thriving” or “flourishing.”
Whatever the adjective, it’s clear that the Dioceses of Nashville and Tulsa are among those Catholic places worth highlighting. In an analysis published last year in Catholic World Report (CWR), Nashville and Tulsa tied for first place among the nation’s most “fruitful” dioceses.
The CWR analysis examined every U.S. diocese to determine which ones have the most seminarians, infant baptisms, Catholic weddings, and adult Catholic converts relative to the existing Catholic population. Weighing all of these factors together produced a unified “fruitfulness” score for each diocese — with “fruitful” defined as places with a “bright future” when it comes to Catholicism, in contrast with the barren fig tree in Christ’s parable (Luke 13:6-9).
Notably, Nashville turned out to have the most infant baptisms per capita of any diocese, while Tulsa had the second-most baptisms and the second-most weddings of any diocese.
Continued below.
www.ncregister.com
The Register’s ongoing “Catholic Hubs” series has sought to highlight places where Catholicism seems to be on the upswing, rather than on the decline — places where efforts to promote and live out the Catholic faith really seem to be working. But it’s difficult to describe such places without recourse to buzzwords, like “vibrant,” “thriving” or “flourishing.”
Whatever the adjective, it’s clear that the Dioceses of Nashville and Tulsa are among those Catholic places worth highlighting. In an analysis published last year in Catholic World Report (CWR), Nashville and Tulsa tied for first place among the nation’s most “fruitful” dioceses.
The CWR analysis examined every U.S. diocese to determine which ones have the most seminarians, infant baptisms, Catholic weddings, and adult Catholic converts relative to the existing Catholic population. Weighing all of these factors together produced a unified “fruitfulness” score for each diocese — with “fruitful” defined as places with a “bright future” when it comes to Catholicism, in contrast with the barren fig tree in Christ’s parable (Luke 13:6-9).
Notably, Nashville turned out to have the most infant baptisms per capita of any diocese, while Tulsa had the second-most baptisms and the second-most weddings of any diocese.
Continued below.
What’s Special About the Most ‘Fruitful’ US Dioceses? ‘It’s the People.’
The sees of Nashville and Tulsa are among those that are flourishing — in cities where Catholics are a distinct minority.
