Chrystal-J said:

When I got engaged to my late husband, we were in NYC during Pride Month. I saw topless women marching in the street. There were men with whip marks on their back, dressed in leather. It was like their whole identity was focused on sex. I didn't understand why they were so obsessed with sexuality. It's a pretty pathetic thing to center you're life around.

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Gross stuff. I agree entirely with you. This junk belongs in a bedroom (if even that), and definitely not anywhere near me. NYC is a bad city, full of billionaires, pride, and sin.

FaithT said:

But Catholics, too, though, right?

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The Catholic Church teaches that science and faith are complementary. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that there can never be a real discrepancy between faith and reason. Methodical research in all branches of knowledge, conducted scientifically and in accordance with moral laws, does not conflict with faith. In fact, Catholic scientists—both religious and lay—have led discoveries in various fields1.

Moreover, Catholics generally accept that science is compatible with the idea that God created the Universe. Pope Francis and the Church continue to look toward science as a positive force2. So, while faith and reason may differ in their approaches, they need not be at odds. Instead, they can enrich our understanding of the world and its Creator.

New King James Version, Job 6:

6 Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

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in the white
בְּרִ֣יר (bə·rîr)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7388: To flow (like slime)
Strong's Hebrew: 7388. רִיר (riyr) — 2 Occurrences

I.e., raw egg white or albumen.

of an egg?
חַלָּמֽוּת׃ (ḥal·lā·mūṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2495: (a plant), probably a purslane
Strong's Hebrew: 2495. חַלָּמוּת (challamuth) — 1 Occurrence

These two words were obscure.

Pulpit Commentary:

Professor Lee suggests "the whey of cheese" for "the white of an egg;" others, "the juice of purslaine."

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New International Version:

Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow?

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English Standard Version:

Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?

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New American Standard Bible:

Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the juice of an alkanet plant?

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Legacy Standard Bible:

Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the slime of a yolk?

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Brenton Septuagint Translation:

Shall bread be eaten without salt? or again, is there taste in empty words?

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No one knows what exactly H7388 H2495 was. From the parallelism, it seems to mean something tasteless.

If we take a page out of a suffering souls handbook [post death] they have these in common.

1. So lucky for mercy.
2. I deserve to purge for His Holiness is unfathomable on earth.
3. It's my darkness I must suffer in til I can obtain the Light.
4. Please help me, pray for me my loved ones or sympathetic militant.
5. Rather do time than have complete loss.

I prefer my President to not be a convicted felon and a sexual abuser, regardless of their policies. Either way, Donald will never see his face on any American currency. Russian maybe, bur not American.

Too bad the article does not discuss lying witnesses, unethical lawyers, evidence that is forbidden to be introduced, judges bias in all the decision-making and juries that are quite fickle. Also, in science testing is reproduced by others to verify findings. To do that in a courtroom you would need to try cases independently with different judges for at least several times.

This Friday June 7th, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. First, here are five facts about the Feast Day from Catholic Digest:

1. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus took centuries to become a universal celebration
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus goes back to the 11th century. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had multiple visions of the Sacred Heart between 1673 and 1675. However, it wasn’t until 90 years later in 1765, that the feast was officially celebrated in France. In 1856, Pope Pius IX made the feast of the Sacred Heart into a universal celebration.
2. The first feast of the Sacred Heart was actually celebrated in 1670
Even before St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had her visions of the Sacred Heart there was a recorded celebration of this feast. St. Jean Eudes composed the first Office and Mass of the Sacred Heart. The first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated on Aug. 31, 1670 in Rennes, France.
3. The feast takes place on the 19th day after Pentecost
The feast of the Sacred Heart is scheduled to be celebrated on the Friday after the octave (eighth day) of the feast of Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi is traditionally the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. However, in the United States, Corpus Christi is instead celebrated on the following Sunday. Despite this, the feast of the Sacred Heart still takes place 19 days after Pentecost.
4. Jesus made 12 promises to those who honor the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will comfort them in their trials.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and, above all, in death.
5. I will shed abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in My Heart an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls will become fervent.
8. Fervent souls will rapidly grow in holiness and perfection.
9. I will bless every place where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. The names of those who promote this devotion will be written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
12. I promise thee, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
5. Congregations, states, and groups are consecrated to the Sacred Heart
In 1873, President Gabriel Garcia Moreno issued a petition that led to Ecuador becoming the first country consecrated to the Sacred Heart.

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Now, here's the video that shows the raising of the largest Sacred Heart of Jesus flag in the world. The flag location is in Walton, Kentucky, and can be seen from I-71 between exit 72 and 77. Note, the company lifting the flag is named St. Joseph's Company: Crane Service. Perhaps not a coincidence.

Finally, the challenge: share the video with family and friends, and let's make it one of the top viewed videos on You Tube and for the month of June.

Video below.

LoricaLady said:

P.S. We are also told not to toss our pearls before the swine or give what is holy to the dogs. The Lord knows whether or not there is fertile ground in a heart. We don't.

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That's right. Simply making friends doesn't mean you have shared what is holy because unbelievers can also make friends. That's what I believe.

You're only sharing what is holy when you share the Gospel to another.

Mosaic found in extremely early Christian prayer hall removed from prison home, to be displayed at the evangelical-backed Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.

Last week, expert conservators working at an archaeological site in a northern Israeli prison quietly completed the job of packing up and loading onto trucks one of the most important discoveries made in Israel this century.


The Megiddo Mosaic, which decorated one of oldest Christian prayer halls ever found, will soon fly overseas for a 9-months loan to the Museum of the Bible, Haaretz has learned.


The ancient worship space is located in a maximum-security prison that was built on the site in the 1940s, during the British Mandate. Since its discovery in 2005, the mosaic and the remains of the prayer hall have not been accessible to the general public for security reasons, according to Israeli authorities.


Lending the mosaic out will enable a key historical artifact to be seen by the public for the first time. But some consider the venue chosen to be highly controversial, and the deal showcases Israel's increasing political and cultural ties with far-right, messianically-bent evangelicals in the United States.

Continued below.

hislegacy said:

Maybe Biden is taking notes.

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Here’s hoping.

hislegacy said:

He wants his opponent jailed.

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Unlike Trump, Joe has never expressed any desire to lock up his opponents. He’s never campaigned on that promise. I guess we can file this along with overturning Obamacare as yet another failed empty promise from the felon candidate.

Marilyn C said:

Hi Randy,

If you look at the diagram above you will see the great truths that the Holy Spirit has clarified over the centuries and across the world to the Body of Christ. People were martyred for some of those truths. How blessed we are today to know about all of them.

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There has indeed been a stream of movements in historic Christianity with truths rising to fight each challenge. And the Church has expanded, in the process, into a global phenomenon.

We cannot, however, confuse the nominal Church with the spiritual Church. These will always be associated, but imperfectly. The true Christian movement ultimately breaks off from nominal Christian entities that fall too far from apostolic doctrine and the Scriptures, as well as from normal Christian morality.

I would agree, generally, with your sense that these movements represented an historic advance of the Gospel. You may call that "maturation"--I'm fine with that with the qualifying elements I've already given you. A very interesting read I've already given you: Maureen Gaglardi's "Path of the Just" on the Tabernacle. I don't agree with everything she says, but she's quite an interesting figure--I read it back in the early 70s. You may not be able to find this book without a later re-print.

Michie said:

The Archdiocese of Washington is set to ordain 16 men to the priesthood later this month, an increase of 10 compared with 2023.

According to the archdiocese, the Mass of Ordination will take place June 15 at 10 a.m. at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Mass will be livestreamed on the archdiocesan YouTube channel.

The ordinands this year include a former ER doctor, several who served in the armed forces, and a former D.C. police officer. Last year six men were ordained, according to the Catholic Standard.

Local parishes throughout Maryland and D.C. are hosting Holy Hours in the weeks prior to the 2024 ordination, and Catholics are invited to pray before the Blessed Sacrament for the men who will become priests.

Continued below.

16 men to be ordained to the priesthood in Washington, DC

The ordinands this year include a former ER doctor, several who served in the armed forces, and a former D.C. police officer.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

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Cool. We need more priests as a society.

Michie said:

A Dutch bishop has described the Vatican’sFiducia Supplicans declaration, which permits nonliturgical blessings of homosexual couples, as an attempt to “make peace with a secular society.”

However, Auxiliary Bishop Rob Mutsaerts of the Diocese of ’s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands warned: “Peace at the expense of morality and truth” is a “most merciless peace imaginable.”

“God loves everyone. He loves all sinners, but he hates your sins. He fervently hopes that you will return to him, just as he hoped for the prodigal son’s return. He wants nothing more than for you to share in his love,” Mutsaerts wrote in a foreword to a new book that attacks the declaration.

Titled “The Breached Dam: The Fiducia Supplicans Surrender to the Homosexual Movement,” the book was written by José Antonio Ureta and Julio Loredo de Izcue.

Continued below.

Dutch bishop: Fiducia Supplicans too much ‘in tune with zeitgeist’

Auxiliary Bishop Rob Mutsaerts of the Netherlands warned: “Peace at the expense of morality and truth” is a “most merciless peace imaginable.”

www.catholicnewsagency.com

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This bishop is likely going to remain an auxiliary bishop for as long as pope Francis lives. Maybe he will even be Stricklandized.

However he's right. The dam is breached. The zeitgeist is flowing our way without restraint.

Wolseley said:

Design a church by workshop, and all you get is another well-meaning, but essentially irrelevant social agency that tries to be all things to all people, regardless of stance or moral standard. The Faith is stripped of its exceptional nature; there is nothing for people to strive for, because there's no goal that needs to be met. The USCCB has been busy planting both feet firmly in this world, and airily dismissing the spiritual requirements necessary for eternal salvation.

"A flavorless and textureless work of committee-craft" is exactly right. I am reminded of the old saying that a camel is a horse designed by a committee, and that's essentially what we have here. And speaking of camels, as for the truths of the Faith as juxtaposed against the bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo of the "synodal process", let us not forget the words of our Savior to the religious leaders of His time: "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:24)

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Did you notice that before the first synod on synodality silliness they had listening sessions and opportunities for input (skewed as it was) and this time they pretty much didn't? I had no chance to tell them what BS this synodality synod stuff has been so far. I think they didn't want to hear it. So the bureaucrats and activists made a bureaucrat and activist document irrelevant to the actual faith. All in NGO-speak. These hijackers are really annoying me.

Teresa W. said:

Just wanted to know that I appreciate your analyses very much. Your formatting is much easier for me to read than a long wall of text that I usually give up on. Plus I find them to be very solidly based on scripture.

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Hey, thank you. I do not like long walls of text either (have seen a lot of those on the forums), so that is why these analyses are divided into three parts: verse, explanation and relevance. These are a hybrid between devotionals and exegeses.

Here are the rest of the devotionals: bible analysis

Hello Senator.

More Trump allies, including Mark Meadows, plead not guilty in Arizona​

The former White House chief of staff — along with Mike Roman, who worked on Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign — pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from their alleged efforts to try to subvert Joe Biden’s win.

Most of the 18 defendants in the 2020 election case have already entered not guilty pleas, including former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former state party GOP chair Kelli Ward and the pro-Trump electors who participated in a strategy that prosecutors say sought to deny Biden his rightful electoral victory. On Thursday, state Sen. Jake Hoffman (R) also pleaded not guilty. He, too, appeared by video, with artwork of Ronald Reagan donning a cowboy hat displayed behind him. Later in the day, Hoffman and another co-defendant, state Sen. Anthony Kern (R), were in the crowd when Trump made his first appearance in the battleground state since his criminal conviction in New York. To cheers, the former president called his trial “rigged” and said that “there was no crime.”

Trump was not charged in Arizona but was described in the indictmentas an unindicted co-conspirator.

Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will NOT be forgiven.

Isn't that a bit harsh?

Let's check the context. Matthew 12:

22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”

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These Pharisees have hardened their hearts so much that they stubbornly attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to the evil spirit.

31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

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Stubbornly calling the Holy Spirit evil will not be forgiven.

32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

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If a person keeps calling the Holy Spirit evil, he could not have been born of the Spirit, the Spirit does not dwell in him, and he has not been born again. In fact, he is condemning himself.

Mark 3:

28“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

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They stubbornly accuse the Holy Spirit in Jesus as unclean. Persisting in calling the Holy Spirit evil is a specific case of blasphemy against the Spirit. For the general case, see What is the unforgivable sin?.

Mr. M said:

Ephesians 2:
1 And you who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Paul here says that we were all by nature children of wrath,
by the spirit of disobedience.
Those who receive the Gospel are born again by the Spirit, they don't
get a new vessel, they receive the promise of the Father for those who
obey His Son.

Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness
and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
He remains long suffering towards those who continue in disobedience,
for He has appointed a day in which the Son while judge the secrets of men's hearts.

Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men
by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness,
but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance.

There is no reason to believe that Paul is saying that there are vessels
of wrath that are pre-ordained, but this is determined by the spirit they
choose to abide under.

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There are vessels of wrath bound for eventual predetermined extinction presented in scriptures beyond any question.

Who might these be you ask? That answer should be entirely obvious:

The devil and his messengers. Predetermined destruction beyond any doubt

Remember we're tempted by the tempter between our own 2 ears

Kind of keeps us from getting too cocky before our Maker. Especially when we're engaged in trying to cover up the obvious problem, our adversary

BNR32FAN said:

Nah never mind, if you’re going to pretend that you don’t know what the word saved means when it’s used in reference to people hearing the gospel then you’re not even being honest about the discussion and I have no further interest in discussing it with you.

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Since I am not pretending, nor being dishonest, then it's not me who is not interested in discussion.
As before... I hope you have a good day. I leave you my peace.

dwb001 said:

I have and I don't get it either.

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To understand the joke, you need to sell everything you have, buy a boat, invite a Catholic and a Christian Scientist on board and launch off with a a Hurricane approaching ...

The meaning of the English word worship according to Oxford:

1. [uncountable] the practice of showing respect for God or a god, by saying prayers, singing with others, etc.; a ceremony for this
2. [uncountable] a strong feeling of love and respect for somebody/something

Despite the importance of worship in the Bible, no Hebrew or Greek word was always translated into the English word "worship."

ESV, Genesis 22:

5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

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Exodus 34:

8 And Moses quickly bowed [H6915] his head toward the earth and worshiped [H7812].

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Strong's Hebrew: 7812. שָׁחָה (shachah) — 172 Occurrences

NASB Translation: bow (5), bow ourselves down (1), bow yourselves down (1), bow down (21), bowed (16), bowed in worship (1), bowed themselves down (2), bowed down (14), bowing (1), bowing down (1), bows down (1), did homage (1), down in homage (1), homage (1), lie down (1), paid homage (3), prostrate (2), prostrated (13), prostrating (1), weighs it down (1), worship (47), worshiped (31), worshiping (3), worships (2).

NASB translated H7812 to "worship*" 83 times and 89 times to something else.

New American Standard Bible, Deuteronomy 6:

13 You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.

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English Standard Version:

It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

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Strong's Hebrew: 5647. עָבַד (abad) — 289 Occurrences

NASB Translation become slaves (1), been slaves (1), bondage (2), burdened (2), cultivate (7), cultivated (2), cultivates (1), do (6), do the work (1), enslaved (3), given (1), holding in bondage (1), imposed (1), keep (2), labor (3), laborers* (2), make servant (1), make slaves (2), manufacturers (1), observe (1), perform (9), performed (2), plowed (1), rendered (1), serve (141), served (52), serves (2), serving (5), slave (1), slaves (1), subject (1), till (1), tiller (1), tiller* (1), tills (2), use as slaves (1), used (1), uses services (1), work (7), worked (2), workers (2), working (1), worship (7), worshipers (6).

NASB translated H5647 to "worship*" 13 times and 276 times to something else.

Two Hebrew words sometimes got translated as "worship*." H7812 was related to bowing, and H5647 was related to serving.

Now, in the NT, Matthew 4:

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

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Strong's Greek: 4352. προσκυνέω (proskuneó) — 60 Occurrences

NASB Translation:
bow down (1), bow down before (1), bowed down (1), bowed down before (2), bowing before (1), bowing down (1), prostrated himself before (1), worship (32), worshiped (17), worshipers (1), worshiping (1), worships (1).

NASB translated G4352 to "worship*" 52 times and 8 times to something else.

Acts 16:

14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

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Strong's Greek: 4576. σέβομαι (sebó) — 10 Occurrences

NASB Translation devout (1), God-fearing (3), worship (4), worshiper (2).

NASB translated G4576 to "worship*" 6 times and 4 times to something else.

Romans 12:

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

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Strong's Greek: 2999. λατρεία (latreia) — 5 Occurrences

NASB Translation:
divine worship (2), service (2), service of worship (1).

NASB translated G2999 to "*worship" 3 times and 2 times to something else.

Altogether, there were 5 Hebrew or Greek words that sometimes got translated to the English word "*worship*". There was a strong relation between the concept of worship and bowing/serving in both Hebrew and Koine.

Ukraine​

Pray for the trauma-healing retreats our partner runs for Ukrainian Christians in Poland. Those who attend had been targeted by Russian forces in the occupied or previously occupied areas of Ukraine.
Number of Prayers 16
YES - I WILL PRAY

Afghanistan​

Give thanks for the opportunities that Afghan Christians have to meet together online. Pray that these virtual gatherings would help them to grow and become mature in Christ.
Number of Prayers 27
YES - I WILL PRAY

Afghanistan​

Pray that the Lord of the harvest would raise up more workers in Afghanistan. There is a particular need for more mature Afghan Christians with a heart to serve.
Number of Prayers 34
YES - I WILL PRAY

Afghanistan​

Pray for ‘Jamal’ and ‘Rasa’, believers with a heart to reach other Afghans. Please pray that the Lord would lead them as they consider options regarding where they should be based.
Number of Prayers 35
YES - I WILL PRAY

Afghanistan​

Pray for the strengthening and encouragement of the small, often secret gatherings of Afghan believers within the country.
Number of Prayers 28
YES - I WILL PRAY

Afghanistan​

Pray for the ongoing financial and logistical needs of our partner’s vital media ministry (see previous day). Broadcasting into Afghanistan is often expensive and complex.
Number of Prayers 47
YES - I WILL PRAY

Afghanistan​

Pray that many would tune in to the live radio and TV programmes broadcasting the gospel into Afghanistan and that there would be a significant response to the gospel.

Everglades National Park