Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne has declared the controversial German Synodal Way process finished in his eyes, expressing skepticism about plans to establish a permanent synodal conference.

A German cardinal has declared his participation in the controversial German Synodal Way finished, expressing deep skepticism about plans to establish a permanent synodal conference.

“For me the Synodal Way is concluded,” Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne said according to CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News.

The proposed synodal conference concept represents the latest iteration of plans to establish a permanent body in Germany in the wake of the controversial process, following repeated interventions by Pope Francis and the Vatican.

The cardinal’s remarks, made in an interview with Cologne’s Domradio, came as he confirmed he will not attend the sixth synodal assembly taking place this week in Stuttgart.

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Four people, including a male juvenile, have been arrested in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting of a U.S. Marine veteran and missionary during a Facebook Marketplace meetup scam.

Michael Ryan Burke, 42, was shot at his home on Jan. 18, according to a press release from police in Columbia, Missouri.

The incident stemmed from a planned Facebook Marketplace meetup where the suspects allegedly arranged to buy Burke's iPhone 15 Pro under false pretenses as part of a broader robbery spree targeting phone sellers, according to court documents.

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Treasury cancels Booz Allen contracts over leaks about wealthy taxpayers​

The Treasury Department is canceling millions of dollars worth of contracts with the Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm, after a contractor from the firm leaked confidential IRS information, showing how wealthy Americans manage to pay little or nothing in taxes.

That information was the basis of explosive stories in the New York Timesand ProPublica, showing how wealthy people like Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos manage to minimize their tax obligations.

Please pray and ask God that we can please keep power and heat The cold is going to be very scary with winds. Please also pray that if it is God's will my son Jakeb can have a good night. I ask in the name of Jesus. I am very scared. Thank you and God bless you. Carmen.

Candace Owens has received a cease and desist letter from Turning Point USA demanding that she “cease her disparaging comments” about the organization, which includes implying that some of its staff might have played a part in Charlie Kirk’s murder, during episodes of her influential podcast that has amassed millions of followers worldwide.

Following Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, 2025, during a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, Owens has dedicated many of her podcast episodes to discussing theories about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Owens announced on her Jan. 21 podcast, which has nearly 2 million views as of Jan 27, that the conservative political organization sent her a cease and desist letter.

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chevyontheriver said:

Can't all be welcome to repent?

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Sure...that's what the article is saying....

In this regard, consider the Penitential Rite at Mass. The priest invites all, without exception, to acknowledge their sins and then together, as one, to pray I confess to Almighty God. . . .It’s one of the most egalitarian prayers. By making no distinction among people, it therefore distinguishes the Mass (and the Church in general) as radically different from any other human gathering. We are not together because of a shared worldly interest (politics, sports, music, etc.) that might exclude others. We are gathered because of the universal need for mercy.

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This is a hate crime. The defendant is very lucky. And hopefully he will learn from this and do better with his life. This didn't have to happen. But when a powerful man is spreading hate. This will continue to happen.

Mark 16:9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
How does a person possessed with multiple demons manifest? Do they cooperate to create a perfection of evil, or simply compete for control resulting in a complex and unstable personality?
AI Overview Signs of
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly Multiple Personality Disorder, include having two or more distinct identities (alters) with unique names/traits, significant memory gaps (amnesia), feeling detached from reality (depersonalization/derealization), voice-like sensations, mood swings, anxiety, depression, self-harm, sleep issues, and finding unfamiliar belongings. These symptoms often stem from severe trauma and involve a loss of control and fragmented sense of self.
Core Symptoms (The "Splitting")

• Multiple Identities: Two or more distinct personality states (alters) with unique names, ages, histories, mannerisms, and even physical traits (like voice or vision needs).
• Identity Confusion/Alteration: A sense of having multiple people inside, feeling possessed, or experiencing shifts in behavior, perspective, and control.

Key Indicators of DID

• Memory Gaps (Amnesia): Losing time, not remembering important personal events, trauma, or daily activities, or finding evidence of things you don't recall doing.
• Dissociation: Feeling detached from your body (depersonalization) or feeling the world isn't real (derealization).
• Hearing Voices: Often the internal "conversations" of different alters.
• "Fugue" States: Confused wandering or travel with no memory of the journey.

Other Common Symptoms

• Emotional: Severe depression, mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks, flashbacks, anger, and self-destructive behavior.
• Behavioral: Substance abuse, eating disorders, sleep problems (insomnia, nightmares, sleepwalking), and self-harm.
• Physical: Unexplained physical complaints, changes in handwriting, or discovering items you don't remember buying.

What It's Like

• It's often hidden, but people with DID experience a fragmented sense of self and control issues, making daily life challenging.
• A therapist can provide an accurate diagnosis, as symptoms often overlap with PTSD and other conditions.
  

1 Corinthians 15:32 If in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me?
If the dead do not rise, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!
Paul contended with all manner of unclean spirits in the conduct of his ministry.
Here he makes yet another reference to humanity manifesting spirits in a “beast mode”.
What is even more interesting, he cites a word from Isaiah that identifies another
demonic stronghold that plagues mankind.
Isaiah 22:12-14 And in that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth. But instead, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts,
“Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you,
Even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts.

When faced with imminent danger or catastrophe, those with a heart towards the Lord turn to prayer, mourning and supplications. However, there are those in such circumstances who turn to a defiant attitude of unconcern. I have witnessed this on several occasions living in the Deep South. While most prudent souls were prepared for a huge hurricane to roll up from the Gulf, or had long evacuated, there would always be a group of ‘crazies’ who would throw a hurricane party.
AI Overview
Hurricane Camille (1969) is famously associated with a, likely mythologized, "hurricane party" at the Richelieu Manor Apartments in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where a massive storm surge reportedly killed 23 of 24 attendees. While the specific party story is debated, the category 5 storm caused over 259 total deaths due to its 24-foot surge.
Key Details on the "Party" Myth and Reality:

• The Story: According to folklore, residents on the third floor of the Richelieu Manor Apartments threw a party to ride out the storm, resulting in only one survivor.
• The Myth: Some survivors and researchers have disputed the event, suggesting the "party" was a story told by a survivor and that residents were simply trapped or refused to evacuate, not partying.
• The Reality: The apartment building was completely destroyed by the surge. Regardless of whether a party occurred, the refusal to evacuate from the direct path of the eyewall led to mass fatalities.
• General Danger: "Hurricane parties" often involve consumption of alcohol and staying in unsafe, coastal structures, creating a dangerous situation during extreme, 175 MPH+ winds like those in Camille.
• Other Examples: While Camille is the most famous, other storms have featured similar, dangerous gatherings that resulted in avoidable deaths.

I couldn’t help but note the cynicism of referring to a “likely mythologized” event. There is no such myth. People often ride out hurricanes, although not necessarily right on the coast, and when they are going to stay up all night as a beast is pressing against the walls of the building they are in, they party, play cards, eat, drink and make merry, for tomorrow they may be dead, or their life turned totally upside down. Same spirit of delusional defiance.

So sad! The boats should never have been bombed.

A BBC host sparks controversy after appearing to hiss when the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned on air. Today we expose a wider pattern of censorship and hostility toward the name of Jesus in mainstream media and why Scripture says this should not surprise us.

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12:05

I was listening to Tom Waites. I like his unique style, smoky jazz blues and strange lol.

So I thought I would do a search for similar artists. The usual came up like Springstein and Dylan. Others say like Lenard Cohen which I think is similar with the deep husky voice. Or Nick Cave for his dark bluesy feel.

Anyway up come this John Hammond Jr. He is the son of John Henry Hammond Jr. (1910–1987), who was a renowned Columbia Records record producer. Who is famous for discovering or launching the careers of Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Benny Goodman, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Coincidently two of the artist Waites was compared to and Hammond Jr himself. You learn something new. Its great that after all these years you can still discover artists you have not heard or recognised.

I discovered Tom Waites relatively late in my life. Though I had briefly heard his rendition of "Tom Traubert's Blues" or "Waltzing Matilda" being an Aussie.

But this latest discovering I think tops Tom. Its more my style of music being rock blues and rythm. And the harp. He reminds me of a few artist. I can see a lot of Mick Jagger. But also hear a bit of Hendrix and a bit of Eric Clapton. But also all those old blues guitarists like Son House, Blind Lemon and even a bit of early Muddy.

But different again. He is one of a kind. Anyway he may not be your cup of tea. But I am enjoying another discovery of music thats at least 50 years old. If not more.

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• A secret underground bunker and a weapons stash with 13 firearms, body armor and 10,000 rounds of ammunition were discovered at a MAGA activist’s Shasta County home.
• Michael Kamfolt, a friend of far-right county Supervisor Kevin Crye, was arrested on suspicion of multiple felony weapons charges.

Shasta County authorities started out investigating a suspected illegal marijuana farm but ended up making a far more unsettling discovery: a massive stash of illegal firearms and a secret underground bunker at the base of a 100-foot tunnel on a MAGA activist’s property.

Michael Jay Kamfolt, 40, was arrested Jan. 20 after members of the California Highway Patrol discovered the bunker and confiscated an array of illegally possessed weapons — including three AR-15-style assault rifles, a sawed-off shotgun and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition — while serving a search warrant at his Anderson home.

Two of the guns were reported stolen, one in 2016 and the other in 1978, according to the CHP.

Kamfolt was arrested on suspicion of an array of misdemeanor and felony weapons-related violations. They include converting a firearm into a machine gun, manufacturing a ghost gun, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of armor penetrating ammunition.

[The bunker was] equipped with all the supplies necessary to cultivate marijuana including power, ventilation and a concrete floor with built-in drainage.

Kamfolt is a well-known conservative activist who had shown up at protests and county Board of Supervisors meetings and had repeatedly raised concerns about voting fraud, according to reports from the Shasta Scout. Shasta County has become a hotbed for hard-right governance and election denialism in the Trump era of American politics, and a staunchly conservative majority took control of the county board in 2022.

[Shasta and Supervisor Crye showed up a few times in the 'rise of menace' thread.]

das grosse schwein said:

I would like to get those quarterlies. How can I access them online?

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My apologies friend for the late reply. I was out of town for a bit and forgot to reply.

Here you go... there's a few of them

The Barbarian said:

No one believes those stories any more.

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oh, idk about that. Seems to me like a lot of people still believe these stories.

In 1983, Cardinal Joseph Bernadin proposed the image of a seamless garment for a Catholic approach to what has been termed “the life issues.” In a widely quoted sentence, Bernadin argued that “the spectrum of life cuts across the issues of genetics, abortion, capital punishment, modern warfare and the care of the terminally ill.” While the original speech was nuanced, the seamless garment now symbolizes equating the fight against abortion, an intrinsic evil, with other moral issues that are not as cut and dry.

The political context of Cardinal Bernadin’s proposal is noteworthy. At the time, most American Catholics were members of the Democratic Party, which was then hardening its support for abortion. In 1979, Catholic Senator Ted Kennedy announced his support for legal abortion, which he helped add to the party platform the following year. Earlier in 1983, without saying so publicly, Senator Joe Biden refused to bring forward a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe v. Wade that he had voted for a year earlier as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; this was the beginning of his full support for legal abortion.

Bernadin’s speech, given at New York’s Fordham University, provided useful cover for Democrats who were transgressing the Church’s position on the issue. They could conveniently point to all the other moral things they were supporting to show what good guys they were. By extension, Catholics could vote for them without feeling guilty.

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Today is the 365th consecutive day that I prayed the Rosary.

My Rosary habit started in 2024, as I wrote about at the time. Throughout 2024, I prayed intermittently. At the start of 2025, however, in the dark, cold mornings of January, it became a daily habit.

I did not set out to achieve a year long stretch. It was more a matter of taking each day as it came, and one day lead on to the next, with the Rosary included every dark morning.

I would often be out with my Border Collie, Bo, walking the silent streets in the pre-dawn half-light, with the audio of the guided prayer playing out from my coat pocket. I began to treasure those moments of quiet reflection. Before I knew it I was at 30 days. Then 60. And without having set out to achieve any particular goal, I found myself prioritising the 20 or so minutes of praying to Mary every day.

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God Father, can you please give Pop D. and everybody who prayed for me the blessing from Prov 10:22 in Jesus name Amen?

Peace in Christ.

We….the believers of the Word of Truth...the vessels of His mercy… the 144,000...the FEW....the elect....shall receive the promise of His presence in this mortal, earthen vessel. He that is coming shall arrive and will not delay. After we have done the will of God, we are to receive the promise of His presence in this mortal body . When He shall appear, we shall appear with Him in glory. Then the people of the outside, dark world will then "see" His glory shine through us.

Heb 10:35-37
(35) Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
(36) For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
(37) For yet a little while, and he that IS COMING will come (arrive), and will not tarry (not delay).

The disciples asked “what shall be the sign of your PRESENCE”? The Greek word for “coming” here in Matthew 24:3 is “Parousia” which means “presence.”

Mat 24:3
(3) And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming (PRESENCE), and of the end of the world (AGE)?

We shall know we have His presence as His light in us shall attract those people of the outside world who are sitting in deep darkness.

The “lightning”…the shooting rays of light (not literal of course)…comes out of the “east” (the rising dawn of light in us) and shines even unto the “west” (where the sun had gone down). Those who are in the "west" are the people of the outside world who are in deep spiritual darkness and have no light. The PRESENCE of the Son of man shall attract a great multitude of the people in the "west" to us. If He is lifted up, He will draw all people to Him.

Mat 24:26-27
(26) Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
(27) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming (PRESENCE) of the Son of man be.

We will shine His light….as the glory of the LORD rises like the sun (in the “east”) upon us.

Your “light” is come. Hebrew word for “light” includes lightning= From H215; illumination or (concretely) luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.): - bright, clear, + day, light (-ning), morning, sun.

The glory of the LORD is “risen”. The Hebrew word for “risen” = properly to irradiate (or shoot forth beams), that is, to rise (as the sun); specifically to appear (as a symptom of leprosy): - arise, rise (up), as soon as it is up.

Isa 60:1-3 KJV
(1) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

Those who are in the “darkness” are the “west”. Darkness covers the earth when the sun is down. There is no light.

The light shines from the east (His people that the glory of the LORD rises upon) unto the west (the outside people of the world who are in gross darkness).

(2) For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

The people of the outside world shall then SEE His glory upon us. Nations shall come to our light and kings to the brightness of our rising (the “east” so-to-speak).

(3) And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

This will then be a “great multitude” of people who will come. They will “fly” to us like a dense CLOUD because of His light…His glory…that they shall see in/upon us.

Isa 60:8 KJV
(8) Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

They (the great multitude of the people of the outside world) will be as “clouds” of EYE WITNESSES of His glory as they shall “see” Him shine through us. Behold, He comes with clouds and EVERY EYE shall SEE Him. All the unbelievers in this earth shall wail when they see this dense cloud of believers.

Rev 1:7 KJV
(7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

The Son of man comes upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. We manifest His life to them in our mortal flesh so that they may “see” Him and believe. The believers among them will come to us… “clouds of people” will surround us. The kings of the earth will even be in this great multitude of people...bringing their glory with them into His presence.

Mat 24:30 KJV
(30) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

How does Christianity grow?

This is a question that should be vital for Christians, especially since the Great Commission makes growing Christianity one of most important concerns.

But do we really know? Sure, an industry of church growth, leadership organizations and consultants have arisen to show us how to grow our church. Every day I get emails from Carey Niewhoff, Donald Miller, John Maxwell, Thom Rainer and others.

And, I should quickly add, I often find their advice helpful. (In fact, I should say that Carey Niewhoff has spoken into my life powerfully in the past few months. I am grateful for his ministry). I also get almost daily invitations from organizations holding conferences on some aspect of church or ministry growth.
But all this activity has, for me, made the question we started with — how does Christianity grow? — even more urgent.

Because all the indicators are that, in the United States at least, Christianity is not growing. It is shrinking.

But it is not shrinking everywhere. Data guru Ryan Burge has noted that the Assemblies of God (AOG) denomination and the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) are bucking national trends. These growing denominations are very different, but they share an important characteristic. They are both theologically conservative.

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