Why are some people kind? This question is especially though of course not exclusively pertinent in forming the young. I think we take kindness for granted, forgetting both its central importance and the need to cultivate it, in self and others.

“We are for the most part unhappy, because the world is an unkind world.” So wrote Fr. Frederick Faber, a noted author and close collaborator with John Henry Newman. He describes kindness as “the overflowing of self upon others. We put others in the place of self.” He says that kindness is our imitation of Divine Providence.

But how is kindness cultivated? It seems that here two things are worthy of note. First, we should consider the unique power of showing kindness to those in whom we would form it. While all virtues are cultivated at least in part by way of example, the power of showing kindness stands out.

If I am courageous toward or in the presence of my children, this is very important as a good example. If I act justly toward them, again this is good example and will tend to inspire them to act justly toward others. But there is something unique in kindness. When I am kind toward them, they are powerfully moved, consciously and unconsciously, to ‘pass on’ that kindness. To say that kindness is contagious only weakly captures this.

Continued below.

Reverberate; rev, ever, verb, be, berate, era, rate, rat, ate, at, a (whew!)

longhair75 said:

Rabbi Abe was a good friend. We spent a lot of time sitting across a chessboard and drinking good scotch.

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I remember you discussing that. They really sounded like very sweet people.

I'm happy the Church responds. Prayers for Catholics in Venezuela.

DraculKain said:

It’s the Ethiopians who have the biggest canon. I believe Syriacs have roughly the same canon as Eastern Orthodoxy with a few extra Psalms.

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Thanks for the info.

Paidiske said:

I am not Orthodox, but I am ministering in a rural area (in Australia). I would suggest that the 10-minute thing might make sense in the cities, but in rural areas, many folks live more than 10 minutes from the nearest anything, and would certainly expect and accept having to go further than that to church. Perhaps that kind of difference ought to be taken into account?

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I think that’s a very good point!

Right now there are very many people who commute two hours or more, round trip, to access an Orthodox church, in areas of the US that have the population to support one, and new missions have been opening, for example, the new Antiochian Orthodox mission in St. George, Utah, which improves coverage in the Southwest, but there is another nearby metropolitan area to the south of Las Vegas which is two hours away from any Orthodox church, and then there is the town of Pahrump, the capital of Nye County, which has Orthodox Christians in it who have to commute across the scorching desert to Las Vegas. And things actually get worse as one heads east across the Rockies, so that when one reaches the sparsely populated areas of the Western Prairie States, in places like Wyoming or Eastern Colorado or Montana, the commutes become even more untenable, and it is not until one heads south towards Oklahoma or Texas or East to the more populated areas that parish density returns to normal. It’s ironic, but there are people in the sparsely populated areas of Alaska and rural Pennsylvania who have better access to Orthodox churches than people in a massive portion of the interior of the lower 48.

Just in California, Nevada and Arizona I can think of twenty population centers that should have an orthodox church, and which have plenty of churches from other denominations, and which have Orthodox Christian residents, but no local church.

One unpleasant area for the Orthodox is the High Desert of the San Bernardion County, where the only Orthodox churches are, to my knowledge, the Coptic Orthodox monastery in Newbury Springs and the OCA parish of St. George the Martyr (which also is home to St. Julian Syriac Orthodox Church), which results in round trip travel times that are quite severe, at least an hour, for many residents of that area, which is increasingly highly populated.

A problem we have is that our parishes tend to be concentrated in inner suburban areas, but many of them were established when those were in the outer suburbs.

Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign on Sept. 4 launched the Catholics for Trump coalition, which emphasizes the defense of religious liberty, traditional values, and the sanctity of human life as priorities of the Republican nominee’s agenda.

The coalition, which intends to rally Catholic support behind the former president, seeks to show a contrast between Trump and his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, on key issues that are important to Catholics.

According to the coalition’s mission statement, Catholics for Trump commits “to safeguarding the vital principles of religious liberty and the sanctity of life that President Donald J. Trump has ardently championed.”

Continued below.

Tim Sheehy, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Montana, made comments perpetuating racist stereotypes about Native Americans during private fund-raisers last year, according to recordings of the events published by a local news outlet late last week and obtained by The New York Times.

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In one recording, Mr. Sheehy, a cattle rancher and businessman, can be heard saying that he had participated in roping and branding cattle on the Crow Reservation, in southeastern Montana, and that it was “a great way to bond with all the Indians out there, while they’re drunk at 8 a.m.” In another clip, he said that he had ridden in a Crow parade, and that “they’ll let you know whether they like you or not, there’s Coors Light cans flying by your head.”

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Joseph G said:

Ever feel like this, believers? I am right now!

Notice that 1) Satan has to ask Jesus permission to test us, 2) how severe the test is, 3) Jesus already knows the outcome, and 4) Jesus turns it all on Satan's head - the experience giving us ammo to then strengthen each other!

Luke 22:31-32 NKJV

"And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

And... this trial is not unique to us, but happens to all believers, so we should take comfort that it isn't happening for no reason - which would truly tempt us to despair. And there is a further blessing - we will behold Him in His glory!

1 Peter 4:12-13 NKJV

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you."

God bless us all who abide in Christ!

biblegateway.com

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I believe this world is our test, but faith through Christ, we will always have an escape

1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Just like when Jesus was tempted- He relied on the scriptures-Mat 4:4 God's love letter to us which reveals His will and how we can be reconciled and the promise the seed of evil will finally be eliminated once and for all.

God bless!

Reluctant Theologian said:

Cool, great plan .. that is my native country - I might be there in November as well .. any churches there you intend to visit? (apart from sight-seeing) There's plenty to do as a tourist of course ..

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I could ask my parents, but we will find out more information shortly before leaving. It is good that there are still Dutch Christians. The Netherlands has become almost a godless country. I have visited a few churches there in the past, but none had services.

frienden thalord said:

a man will often speak of and point to that which He loveth above all things .
For me ITS GOD , ITS HIS TRUTH and my desire is good for all of humanity .
As far as politics goes , when are we gonna see that both sides are decieving ya . that there really is no hope in man or in men
but rather the ONLY , and bradski i do mean ONLY , HOPE one has IS IN GOD and IN HIS CHRIST .
But okay if its politics you want
then its politics i shall bring . Oh wait you all dont want that kind of politics for that KINGDOM is above .
So i guess i can expose both earthen sides of politics if you so desire that debate .

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Ol’ brother @frienden thalord will shortly be marching into the digital building, with his bible in his hand. Praise the Lord.

May be it was Centaur

RileyG said:

Thanks for your answer.

I assumed in those rites Christmas is celebrated on January 6th instead of December 25th? Please enlighten me.

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Nope, actually only the Armenians celebrate Christmas on January the 6th, and that’s on the Gregorian calendar (so for the Armenians in Jerusalem, who use the Julian calendar, they are the last church in Jerusalem to celebrate the Nativity, after the other Orthodox churches and the Roman Catholics, because, using Gregorian dates, the Roman Catholics and Protestants celebrate it on December 25th, the other Orthodox churches, who all use the Julian calendar in Jerusalem, even if they use a different calendar elsewhere, celebrate Christmas on January 7th, and the Armenians on January 18th).

But rather, whether the church uses the Gregorian Calendar or the Julian Calendar for the date of Christmas, in all of the liturgical rites except the Roman Rite and its various derivatives, such as the majority of Protestant liturgical rites, the Nativity Fast, or Advent, lasts for six weeks, which means that it starts in November and usually overlaps with American thanksgiving. But since they don’t celebrate that in Milan it’s not a problem, but for the Orthodox in the US it can be a bit frustrating - I wish we would move thanksgiving forward a couple of weeks to make it more inclusive, perhaps adopt a treaty with Canada to split the change with them and celebrate it in between the current dates for Canadian thanksgiving and American thanksgiving, as part of a Fall vacation that would also ideally overlap with All Saints Day for Western Christians (and it would thus include Halloween, which would be beneficial in terms of safety for the children, I think).

Celebrate Jesus every day
Look to Him only in every way
Make Him your Lord, and make Him King
Give Him your life and everything

Jesus is God, left His throne above
Born as a baby, just for us
Lived on the earth as both God and man
He came to save, that was God’s own plan

Lived on the earth preaching Kingdom come
Taught on repentance, and then some
Talked of obedience to Him, God
Walks of surrender to Him, no façade

Said to deny yourself, die to sin
Walk in the way He leads, truth within
Give up your old life for new life now
Submit to Him as Lord, to Him bow

An Original Work / December 11, 2022

ozso said:

I hear her favorite movie is Zelig.

A fictional documentary about the life of human chameleon Leonard Zelig, a man who becomes a celebrity in the 20s due to his ability to look and act like whoever is around him.

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One of Woody Allen's better movies, but not his best. That's still Annie Hall.

-- A2SG, though I give props to Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex....that one was genuinely funny....

No matter who we are in this world, Christian or non-Christian, we will probably face prejudice against ourselves of some kind at some time in our lives. For some people will not like us because of the color of our skin, or because we are educated, or not much educated, or because we have money, or we don’t have much money, or because we affiliate with a particular political party, or because we don’t, or because we are female or male, or because of the kind of job that we have, etc. And sometimes with prejudice also comes much hate and persecution (mistreatment).

And if we are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, and so we have died with Christ to sin, and so we are now walking in holiness and in righteousness, in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands, there will be people who will be prejudice against us and who will hate us and mistreat us. And this is especially the case for those who take God and his word seriously and who are walking the walk and not just talking it. And it is the case for those who are proclaiming the truth of the gospel and who are refuting the lies of the enemy and who are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness.

And our greatest enemies may be similar to who Jesus’ enemies were and are still. Our persecutors may be primarily within the gatherings of the church (or the false church) who are buying into the trappings of the world and of marketing schemes and who have altered the character of God/Christ and of his church and of his gospel, and in order to appease human flesh and to attract the people of the world to their gatherings. And so they may reject, ostracize, persecute, and let us know that we are not welcome in their gatherings because of our “strong convictions” (biblical morals).

But when people mistreat us because of their personal prejudices against us, for whatever reason, we are to do good back to them and not evil. We are not to try to get even with them, but we are to be kind to them and even to do things for them to show them that we love them and that we do not hate them. We are to love them, pray for them, do good to them, and say to them what is for their good. We are to leave all vengeance in the hands of God. And if our enemies are in need of food or water, and we are able, we should try to minister to them and to their true needs.

Now, with regard to us rejoicing and weeping with others, and living in harmony with one another, and living peaceably with all people, all this has to be measured by God’s word and by his moral standards and by his righteousness. For we are never to rejoice with what is sinful. And we cannot live in harmony or be at peace with anyone or anything that is sinful and immoral and contrary to the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles. For we are not ever to compromise our faith or our morals or the gospel message in order to be at peace with others.

And we must guard against pride and prejudice in our own hearts and actions. For we are not to have this attitude that we are better than everyone else. For even if we are living righteously, in obedience to our Lord, it is only by the grace of God and his power that we can do that, and that we can even be delivered from our sins and to live holy lives, pleasing to him. But that does not mean that we shy away from speaking the truth in love to people and from sharing the gospel message and from talking about sin, repentance, and the consequences of unrepentant hearts.

For we are not to be overcome by evil, but we are to overcome evil with good. So we don’t make compromises with the world and with sin just so people won’t think we are stuck up. We don’t back down from speaking the truth of the gospel just so people won’t think that we are self-righteous or that we are judgmental or whatever. We don’t love others by loving God less. We don’t love others by making compromises with sin and with worldliness. If we really love people with agape love, we will want to do for them truly what is for their best, whether or not they hate us in return.

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Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!

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I personally think .999 fine silver is the way to go. I think people may have a hard time dealing with the junk 90% silver because they would still want to give them the face value instead of the silver value. I mean a 1960 dime is a dime in most folks eyes. But a silver coin that is marked .999 fine/pure silver is easier to think of as worth more. Look into Goldbacks. It's real gold foil bills that can be used like cash in some states by places that accept it. I think right now there are about 8-9 states that have approved gold and silver to be used as legal form of payment. But it is still up to the business to decide if they will allow it. Also https://www.goldeneaglecoin.com/ has a low minimum purchase to get free shipping. Many places you have to spend $200 to get free shipping but Golden eagle coin only requires a $99 minimum purchase.

Oompa Loompa said:

Because Biden and Harris hate Trump more than they care about honoring the fallen.

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That’s one opinion.

Oompa Loompa said:

There is no other way to explain it.

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There’s a myriad ways to explain why neither decided to take the offer up, why limit us?

Thus is interesting. I think this will be a very close election. The debate may be a critical step in determining who wins.

com7fy8 said:

The way I was Catholic was not right. But things I was taught helped to keep me from getting in a lot more trouble than I did.

But I was not personal with God. I was inventing what I supposed God wanted, using Catholic things I was told. But I was not submitting to God, in order to share with Him and discover what He had me doing.

And I did not have rest in my soul, which Jesus guarantees us while we do what He has us doing >

"'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29)

And I did not get loving women. I would judge a woman by how attractive and intelligent she was; and if she was not impressive, I could look down on her.

So, I was horrible.

And that did not come from being Catholic, but from my own character.

Of course, I did not share personally enough with people who were Christian, so they could spot how anti-love I was, and help me.

And later, in evangelical circles, I could get fooled. But Jesus had me discovering things in the Bible, about loving any and all people, and seeking God for real character correction > Hebrews 12:4-14.

And I have had examples of gentle and kind and humble people along with ones fooling themselves.

The ones examples for me have not had labels. They trust Jesus and love, and help others. They always have wisdom to know how to relate with me.

But being with the real ones includes the risks of being with the ones they reach to, who can be right in their churches and who even can have so-called ministries in their churches.

So, we need to be able to tell the difference. But I suspect ones can withdraw and fear others, because they know they can't tell the difference, and so yes they can get hurt.

But with Jesus we can be guided reliably in our relating, according to what He knows about each person and what He knows He wants us to do.

Trust is not blind, by the way. Jesus has proven Himself, plus He makes us able to know how people are, plus to know if and how God has us trust each one.

"Test all things; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

I now understand this means to make sure with God about everything, and especially do not evaluate anyone by one's claims and how the person might act nice and talk smart.

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I haven't found a church in my very rural area that feels right to me. I also study with the Shepherd's Chapel. It's on TV at 5am weekdays here in Southern Missouri but can also be found online on youtube and their website ShepherdsChapel.com You can listen to the study of the day or even stream it. It is simple, straight up Bible reading, chapter and verse. No nonsense. Even referencing much back to the original texts (Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek ) for clarity and verification. At the end of each Bible study they have a question and answer from people that called or mailed in questions. Sometimes I learn more from the Q&A than just the readings. I have yet to find a church that teaches this way, and it always makes sense.

In this video, we talk about the true meaning of obedience to God, beyond just following rules. Discover how living out the teachings of the Bible can transform your life, deepen your faith, and bring you closer to God. Through the story of Abraham, we learn the importance of trusting God’s plan, even when it doesn't make sense. Join us for a heartfelt prayer, asking for guidance, strength, and a spirit of obedience that aligns with God's will.

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YouTube Channel Video Devo
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“Welcome Home: Your Journey Is Just Beginning”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

1 week ago Friday, we took my oldest daughter to move into her college dorm and spent the day doing various things. While in the dining hall for lunch, I noticed a tv on the wall with this saying, “Welcome Home: Your Journey Is Just Beginning”. This definitely stirred the emotions that were already inside of me as I knew this was now her new home. I sat there, very excited for her, but very sad that she was now going to be on her own and out of the home.

As I thought about this phrase, it gave me a sense of peace knowing that she is in good hands and will be well taken care of at this college. Her next journey of life and her new home is just beginning. It makes me think of different journeys we have throughout life.

When we start dating someone, our new journey is just beginning. When we get married, our new journey is just beginning. When we have our first child, our journey is just beginning. When we graduate high school and move to college, our journey is just beginning. When we start a new job, our journey is just beginning.

We start a lot of new journeys in life and they can bring on many mixed feelings. We’re excited, nervous, terrified, full of anxiety, etc. We have all been filled with mixed feelings when starting something new.

As we walked off campus Friday night and left my daughter there, I kept thinking about her new journey and all the wonderful life experiences she will have in the coming days, weeks, months and years. I felt very happy for her, but I also felt very emotional leaving as our journey was just beginning coming home with one child gone from home.

Sometimes, we don’t want things to change in life and we’re scared of new beginnings for whatever reason. I was just chatting with a co-worker today that is leaving our company and beginning the same position in a different company. She mentioned doing it all over again and being nervous about a new place.

None of us are exempt from feeling the mixed emotions of new journeys. However, we must always remember that, no matter the new journey, God is always with us wherever we go.

There’s such a welcoming feeling reading those words, “Welcome Home: Your Journey is Just Beginning”. That brings feelings of anticipating really great and new things in life. We must choose to embrace the unknown at every new journey. God is with us and will always guide us.

Dale said:

Forget the idea that illegal aliens are voting. You’ve been misled on that.

You do have a point about the candidates being too eager to hand out tax benefits to vote when they are running for office. Both Harris and Trump are saying that they won’t tax tips. Of course, they can say that it isn’t their fault if Congress never passes these proposals. Part of the problem is that many voters don’t seem to understand that giving someone a tax deduction is about the same as writing them a check from the Treasury. If the government cuts taxes somewhere, then the deficit goes up, or someone else has to pay more tax.

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It's just the first one that came up on Google. THere are many more.

GoldenBoy89 said:

The border being a mess has been a rallying cry of the right for my entire life. It wasn’t just magically resolved for the duration of the Trump administration. Any solutions Biden, Harris or Trump could have come up with still wouldn’t absolve Congress from their responsibility in creating this mess and not addressing it at all.

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Closing the borders is within the purview of the executive branch. The mess is that ;ew're not controlling the borders at all. Bills proposing "pathways to citizenship", while maybe a desirable thing, are worthless to stop the flow of illegals into the US.

Me? I speak Spanish, albeit poorly. My mom was a legal immigrant (from Korea). A number of my Catholic brethren are immigrants from Latin American, as good neighbors as one could ask, some legal, some not. So I'm far from "anti immigrant".

BUT... you can't just fling open the doors and holler "Y'all come!" and expect anything good to come of it. I know if I'm a Mexican criminal with los Federales on my tail, and I know that I can cross the border into the US but they can't, I'm heading north as fast as my stolen car will carry me. Same thing if I'm a poor jobless dude with a family that needs feeding, and I know that the INS will give us 3 hots and a cot if we make it across the line, then I'm headed thataway, with the frau und kinder (OK different immigrants) in tow. AND, if I'm a Bad Guy who wants to commit a few depredations in the Great Satan, aka the USA, and I don't want the authorities there to know I'm there, all I gots to do is put on a cowboy hat, tell the nice man at the border I'm a refugee named Carlos Rodriguez. that I'm fleeing oppression, shake him by the hand, nip across the border, call my Islamist amigos, and start planning our next terrorist outrage. Allahu ahkbar!

Short form - gotta control the borders.