Fasting and prayer were sometimes paired in the OT. BSB, Psalm 35:

13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.

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Daniel 9:

3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

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There was no guarantee that fasting and prayer would always change an outcome. David committed adultery and murder in 2 Samuel 12:

15 Then Nathan went to his house.
And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

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In the end, the child still died.

In the Gospels, the disciples could not cast out a demon in a boy. They brought him to Jesus, and Jesus cast it out. Jesus explained their failure in (ESV) Mark 9:

28 After Jesus had gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 Jesus answered, “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer d.”

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d BYZ and TR prayer and fasting

Some manuscripts had an additional word "fasting".

A parallel account in Matthew 17:

21 “But this kind [of demon] does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

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Pulpit Commentary:

This verse is omitted in many good manuscripts.

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Another parallel account in Luke 9:

42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

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Luke did not record the explanation of the prayer or fasting.

Later in Acts 13:

2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

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It is not just prayer but prayer and fasting to humble ourselves before an important decision. Fasting served to intensify prayer, Acts 14:

23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

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In both cases, the disciples fasted before making the crucial appointments that had long-reaching consequences. Fasting solemnizes the souls to listen to God.

Prayer and fasting help you focus on God more singularly and intensely. They can also improve your hearing from God. However, they do not guarantee that your prayer will come true.

OP Complete

essentialsaltes said:

This dumb sub-thread started with political differences between pro-gay and anti-gay people, and Trump is talking about political differences between red-people versus blue-people.

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I think Trump is referring to people he considers to be corrupt and are abusing their authority to interfere with elections and falsely prosecute him and others.

I don't think he is talking about simple disagreements.

Per Lisa Desjardins

TRUMP VP SEARCH. I'm told that the Trump campaign has asked for background information from:
- Sen. J.D. Vance
- Sen. Marco Rubio
- Sen. Tim Scott
- Gov. Doug Burgum
- Rep. Byron Donalds
- Rep. Elise Stefanik
- Dr. Ben Carson

civilwarbuff said:

So what then.....is it better they shoot them in the head? Wounded vs being dead?.....hmmm, hard choice to make there.

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Medical abuses are the choices being made there.

It's a shame they this hospital is looking like it's trying to approach Mengele.

Satire.

But telling satire.

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Samuel prepared the people for battle in 1 Samuel 7:

3 Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.
5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord.

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What was the significance of this pouring of water?

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges:

and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord] A symbolical act which has no exact parallel in the O.T., but was probably significant of the outpouring of their hearts before Jehovah in penitence and supplication. … The paraphrase of the Targum is, “And they poured out their heart in repentance before Jehovah.”

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Water symbolized their heart.

Matthew Poole:

As an external sign, whereby they testified and professed both their own great filthiness and need of washing by the grace and Spirit of God, and blood of the covenant, which are oft signified by water, and their sincere desire to pour out their very hearts before the Lord in true repentance, and to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.

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Water signified blood for cleansing. The act showed their sincerity and commitment to God. The Lord accepted their offering of water.

10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.

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The Israelites put away their idols and turned to the Lord. Samuel performed a symbolic act of pouring water out before the Lord for their cleansing. The Lord saw their repentant heart and worked with them to fight against their enemies.

Water. Filter water and the word.

It makes more sense in light of what a Christian here explained to me: that Trump is "a messiah", anointed by God.

I get it that some people are disinclined to respect the law if it seems to be set against the will of God.

Slavery is an human establishment endorsed by the most moral humans back to the point. It's not God's priority to fight any establishment endorsed or approved by those considered as the "most moral" humans.

Whenever a Jew is poor enough, he, as affected by the human slavery concept established, will sell himself as a slave in order to survive. If the Israelite slavery system didn't exist, this Jew would have to sell himself to the gentiles. This however, is not permitted.

Leviticus 25:42
Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.

The Israelite slavery system is intended to be a Labor system instead of truly a slavery system. It is to provide a shelter for those poor Jews who otherwise would have to sell themselves as true slaves.

Leviticus 25:39-40
If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves.
They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee.

WarriorAngel said:

Um, wow that was bad.

I have to go rethink my entire life now. View attachment 348038

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Haha, thanks for liking my joke. Puns are fun.

Chapter 2: Chicken and Dumplins’

At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. Acts 9:20

Most southerners like chicken and dumplins’. I hear a lot of people going to Cracker Barrel for their famous dish. I like mine truly homemade. There is nothing more comforting that preparing the chicken and dumplins’ on a cool fall night when the steam from the big pot creates condensation on the windows in the kitchen. The smell of the chicken broth wafting through the house and the anticipation of the warm cooked dough sliding down to fill your belly. Did you know barn cats like chicken and dumplins’ too?

It wasn’t long after the girls started visiting the farm to see “mama cat” and her kittens that they decided they should bring them home for a visit. My oldest daughter drove the girls to my husband’s parents for visitation and home again. That night she pulled into our driveway with two extra passengers. As I always did, I met them at the front door. When I saw that my youngest two daughters each had a kitten in their hands I was filled with rage. I turned around and went back into the house without saying a word. I’m sure the girls knew I was angry. That was a regular occurrence during those days. I hate that they must have felt responsible for my emotions. “Mom! Look! Biggie and Smokey are here to spend the night!” All I could think was that my husband let the girls bring home two kittens to nurse his own guilt. Here I was alone, with four kids and a dog. How was I supposed to take care of anything else? Especially cats from the farm where he was living with another woman. How could he ask anymore of me? I was furious with him. Too furious to see how excited the girls were. Too angry to see how hurt they were. Too self-absorbed with my own unhappiness to see that they needed this. It was an attempt to fill their own void. I agreed to one night only.

I don’t remember the specifics now of how Biggie and Smokey ended up staying longer than the one night. But, I do remember resenting them. My girls will tell the story about how I made them stay in the garage. Until one evening. The kids had gone for their weekly visitation and I was in the kitchen making chicken and dumplins’. Steam filled the kitchen and made it warm and cozy. Biggie jumped on the kitchen counter looking to grab a piece of the chicken he smelled. I swatted him down and yelled at him. He sat at my feet while I finished cooking dinner. He didn’t move, just watched me. As a middle school teacher, I knew the importance of patience. I acknowledged that Biggie was sitting at my feet, waiting with patience for the chicken he failed to swipe. I appreciated his good manners. My teaching philosophy is firmly rooted in positive behavior interventions. For good behavior, you are rewarded. So, I decided that Biggie should be rewarded with a piece of chicken.

The girls arrived home expecting to find the kittens in the garage where they were banished. They expected to find an angry mom. They were surprised when they found their mama sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor feeding the kittens chicken and dumplins’. They came and sat with us and we watched and laughed as the kittens licked their paws after their plates were cleaned. I was so angry that I couldn’t feel any other emotions. That night as Biggie and I sat together on the kitchen floor and my anger subsided for a brief moment, I realized that I was lonely. So very lonely. Yes, I had four kids and their friends and a dog and two kittens. But, I was alone. Alone with the hurt that I couldn’t share. Alone with the fear that tormented my mind. Alone with the betrayal that filled my soul. I was alone. But, on that night Biggie was there to fill a void. Was I truly alone? No, God was with me every second. But, in those moments, I couldn’t feel His presence. So, He sent a farm cat.

The story of Saul's transformation into Paul is a powerful example of a profound change of heart and mind, illustrating the transformative power of encountering God and embracing a new understanding. Saul of Tarsus was a fervent Pharisee, known for his zealous persecution of early Christians. He believed that the followers of Jesus were blasphemers who needed to be stopped. Saul's dedication to eradicating the Christian movement was so intense that he went from house to house, dragging out both men and women and throwing them into prison.

One day, Saul obtained letters from the high priest, giving him the authority to arrest any Christians he found in the city of Damascus and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. Armed with these letters, Saul set out for Damascus, determined to destroy the fledgling Christian community there. As Saul neared Damascus, something extraordinary happened. A bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around him, causing him to fall to the ground. He heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Saul asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." Saul's companions stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one. When Saul got up from the ground, he found that he was blind. His companions led him by the hand into Damascus, where he remained blind for three days, neither eating nor drinking.

In Damascus, there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision, instructing him to go to the house where Saul was staying. Ananias was understandably hesitant, knowing Saul's reputation as a fierce persecutor of Christians. But the Lord reassured him, saying, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

Ananias obeyed and went to the house. He placed his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up, was baptized, and after taking some food, regained his strength. “At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God." Acts 9:20 (NIV)

Saul's transformation was complete. He stayed with the disciples in Damascus for several days and began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All who heard him were amazed, asking, "Isn't he the man who caused havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" But Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. Saul's name was later changed to Paul, and he became one of the most influential apostles, spreading the message of Christianity far and wide. His letters to various Christian communities form a significant portion of the New Testament and continue to be foundational texts for Christians around the world.

God changed Saul. God changed me. On that fall evening, I changed my mind about a kitten that God had sent to show me I was not alone. He used Biggie to soften my heart. If God had not sent a farm cat to live with me, my heart may have remained hardened. How would that have affected my children? Would they have turned out the way they did? Thank you, God, for prompting me to cook chicken and dumplins’ that night. Thank you, God, for placing Biggie in my life. Thank you, for filling the void of my loneliness. Thank you, for changing my heart. Thank you.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis announced that he is preparing a document on the Sacred Heart of Jesus to “illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal, but also to say something significant to a world that seems to have lost its heart.”

The document is expected to be released in September, he said, and will be part of ongoing celebrations marking the 350th anniversary of the first apparition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. The celebrations began Dec. 27 and are scheduled to end June 27, 2025.

Pope Francis announces upcoming document on the Sacred Heart of Jesus​

The pope made the announcement during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square June 5. The Catholic Church traditionally dedicates the month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the solemnity of the Sacred Heart will be celebrated June 7 this year.


The document will include reflections from “previous magisterial texts” and it will aim to “re-propose to the whole church this devotion laden with spiritual beauty. I believe it will do us much good to meditate on various aspects of the Lord’s love,” the pope said.

Ongoing series on the Holy Spirit​

Continued below.

It has become standard practice, when discussing the pastoral care of young people struggling with issues of sexual orientation or gender identity, to say something like “Don’t tell them they’re intrinsically disordered.” Sometimes this is said in dead earnest, sometimes in a way intended to get a laugh. Sometimes it is said in a way that indicates that the speaker thinks that the Church’s teaching is dangerous and wrong. Sometimes it is qualified with an assurance that, while Church teaching on human sexuality is profound and beautiful, the language in which it is sometimes expressed cannot be heard and understood by a young person in this situation.

The basic advice here is certainly correct. The last thing that a person facing these questions needs to hear is that their Church considers them “intrinsically disordered.” Nevertheless, this approach betrays a deep misapprehension of Church teaching. Indeed, while pastoral care requires real sensitivity to the way words are heard and understood, there is a much simpler reason not to tell people they are intrinsically disordered: they aren’t.

People versus acts and inclinations​

Continued below.

Pommer said:

Number 4 in the Senate on the Conservative side is one, Tommy Tuberville, who, as memory serves, single-handedly snafued the Pentagon’s hierarchy (for something like 15 months), by placing a “hold” on the promotions of thousands of people in the armed services, which is hardly what a “small-government” conservative (which seems to be the only metric involved in this “ranking”), would likely do.

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It's now clear that this "analysis" is not some reasoned academic or scholarly ranking, but rather one of the many "scorings" of legislators provided to supporters to help them pick candidates. It is no different than similar rankings from groups from NARAL to the NRA and every group in between.

BCP1928 said:

All the way back to the '80s. Wow. I used to listen to them all the way back to the 50s--before the Wolf Man.

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Whew, any classic 1950s-1960s Spanish-language songs that you liked? I like Los Lobos - La Bamba, the 1980s cover of a 1950s Ritchie Valens cover of a classic Mexican folk song.

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The Atlanta-area pastor has said he affirms a New Testament sexual ethic, but his words and deeds have muddled that message.

Late last month, North Point Community Church hosted the Unconditional Conference, billing the gathering as an event “for parents of LGBTQ+ children and for ministry leaders looking to discover ways to support parents and LGBTQ+ children in their churches.” It would stake out a “quieter middle space” on a contentious topic, the organizers said.

As critics were quick to note, the Atlanta-area conference featured speakers who are either in same-sex relationships or supportive of those who are, and on Sunday, North Point pastor Andy Stanley preached a sermon responding to criticisms of the event. That message is now available online. (Stanley delivered it twice, and outside recordings of both services have been posted elsewhere.)

Stanley spent much of the sermon providing the backstory to the conference, which was developed to meet pastoral needs both of young people in the church wrestling with same-sex attraction and parents in the church whose children (who themselves were often—but not necessarily—adults) were coming out to them. He argued that this pastoral purpose warranted involving these particular speakers, outlined what he teaches about sexual ethics, and spoke to how churches can move forward on this issue. Unfortunately, though Stanley articulated a commitment to a New Testament sexual ethic, he also seriously undermined that very teaching.

Stanley outlined his understanding of Christian sexual ethics with three directives:

1. Honor God with your body.
2. Do not be mastered by anything.
3. Do not sexualize any relationship outside of marriage.

Biblical marriage is between a man and a woman, he said, noting that every New Testament text addressing homosexuality teaches that it is a sin. “It was a sin then,” Stanley said, “and it is a sin now.”

Continued below.

In an article Published in History Is Now Magazine I begin to explain the vital differences between a Medieval king, and a monarch.

https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/bl ... n-emperors

I published my first article (a short bit on feudalism) for historymedieval.com

Feudalism: Origins and Life under Lords
https://historymedieval.com/feudalism-o ... der-lords/

Thank you this was good. It shows the correct balance between God, who's always there, always trustworthy and true in doing His part, and man, who's constrained by God to play his own part responsibly as well.

(Message MSG for hyper readability)

1 1-3 Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words!

The Son Is Higher than Angels​

3-6 After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honored place high in the heavens right alongside God, far higher than any angel in rank and rule. Did God ever say to an angel, “You’re my Son; today I celebrate you” or “I’m his Father, he’s my Son”? When he presents his honored Son to the world, he says, “All angels must worship him.”

7 Regarding angels he says,

The messengers are winds,
the servants are tongues of fire.
8-9 But he says to the Son,

You’re God, and on the throne for good;
your rule makes everything right.
You love it when things are right;
you hate it when things are wrong.
That is why God, your God,
poured fragrant oil on your head,
Marking you out as king,
far above your dear companions.
10-12 And again to the Son,

You, Master, started it all, laid earth’s foundations,
then crafted the stars in the sky.
Earth and sky will wear out, but not you;
they become threadbare like an old coat;
You’ll fold them up like a worn-out cloak,
and lay them away on the shelf.
But you’ll stay the same, year after year;
you’ll never fade, you’ll never wear out.
13 And did he ever say anything like this to an angel?

Sit alongside me here on my throne
Until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.
14 Isn’t it obvious that all angels are sent to help out with those lined up to receive salvation?

Chesterton said:

Out of curiosity, could a moon be made of gas?

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Ophiolite said:

That's an intriguing question. I'm interested in planetary formation from the standpoint of an armchair amateur, but the proper answer is probably above that paygrade.

The gas planets are thought to form at a stage in the process where the stellar nebula of gas and dust still has a substantial mass. The dust accumulates into clumps, through collision then gravitational attraction, which build up to form planetesimals, which accrete to larger bodies which may go on to become asteroids, moons, or planets. But some become the core of the gas and ice giants that attract the remaining gas within the nebula. These planetary cores are thought to be five or ten time the mass of the Earth.

I find it unlikely that these could then wind up as a moon - they would just be to big - but that may simply be lack of imagination on my part. And I don't think they could accumulate significant gas without being massive to begin that process. On balance, then, highly unlikely, but in a rather large universe I hesitat to say impossible. Fortunately there are others on the forum who likely know the answer.

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I would think in rare cases you could potentially have, for a time at least, a binary gas giant with two gas giants of similar mass orbiting each other. Additionally, a small, extremely heavy moon might be able to attract a great deal of atmosphere. At one time, it was thought the gas giants had rocky cores, which I think is unlikely, but here, in effect, I think one could have a moon with a large atmosphere and a highly massive core, which could itself be perhaps be a stellar fragment that wandered into a solar system. This is all unlikely, but I think it could happen in principle.

One thing I liked about Star Wars from an actual SF perspective is that it featured two gas giants: Bespin, which amazingly had what the Expanded Universe material which was canon until Disney bought the franchise described as having a habitable region in its atmosphere, and Endor, which was a gas giant orbited by the Forest Moon (on which the ewoks lived) which in turn was orbited by the second Death Star, although this last bit had some technical challenges; the second Death Star is described as being extremely massive in many sources, around nine times larger than the first one, and it is depicted in a very close orbit. So there are problems, but what I like is that Star Wars decided to use gas giants as a setting for stories, which is relatively uncommon in science fiction, and indeed Star Trek despite its conceit that it is more “scientific” than Star Trek has only very rarely featured a gas giant in any significant capacity. On the other hand, 2010 did a superb job with Jupiter, and the skiffy horror film Event Horizon made interesting use of Neptune as a backdrop.

Uranus and Neptune, even after the discovery by Voyager of how visually interesting Neptune is in appearance, have sadly not been very frequently featured in SF.