This feels like a very simple question.

Do you believe that budget cuts EVER affect the efficacy of an organizations work?

And more specifically, I'm thinking about things like the fda, faa, weather service, fema

Do you think that budget cuts will affect their ability to do their job?

I would think that a 150billion increase to ice is going to help them work better. I'm just wondering if budget cuts would have the opposite affect.

Please answer these questions like I'm as dumb as snot in a jar just so i can understand.

Peace in Christ.

The Lord comes so that we might have life….an age-lasting life….and that we might have it more abundantly (the earth shall then flow with "milk and honey" towards us.)

The people of the outside world will no longer produce “thorns and thistle” towards us if we follow after the true Christ…who is the Head of us. He is the authority. The earth will flow with “milk and honey” instead…if we come out from the man-based churches where they are keeping and serving their supposed authoritative handwritings of ordinances and be separate….no longer attaching ourselves with the unclean body of people who are serving "images"...their governing church documents that are patterned like the nation's documents (such as "constitutions"). The kingdom/government of God is within us where His commandments are written. The kingdom does not come via "observation"...the observing of church external handwritings.

If we are listening to and following after false prophets and their false Christs that they are preaching with their authoritative church handwritings of ordinances (such as “statements of faith” or church "constitutions" , etc, etc, etc ), then the people of the outside world blaspheme His holy name and mock and deride us….producing thorns and thistles towards us….instead of praising God and producing good things towards us.

Joh 10:9-10 KJV
(9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
(10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

His holy name…His holy authority…is being profaned among the nations because of us when we commit adultery…going to a man-based church….and serve their images…their church handwritings. This is "fornication" when we keep company with them as we become one flesh with them...one body...in their abominations.

The Son of man (His manifest life in our mortal flesh) is being given up by the thieves...the false prophets... that come to only steal, kill and destroy. The people of the outside world mock and spitefully entreat us….His body... just as signified by how they originally treated the Lord.

Luk 18:31-34 KJV
(31) Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
(32) For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
(33) And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
(34) And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

They...the outside nation.... mock His authority….His name.

Mat 27:27-30 KJV
(27) Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
(28) And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

They…the gentiles…the people of the outside world…rule over us…instead of us ruling them in Christ.

This is signified by the “crown of thorns” that was placed upon the head of Jesus….His authority. They produce thorns towards us and rule over us when we go to a man-based church.

The “reed” in His right hand is a REED PEN…signifying the church handwritings of ordinances. They used reed pens back in the day to write with.

Reed = Greek: kalamos - Of uncertain affinity; a reed (the plant or its stem, or that of a similar plant); by implication a pen: - pen, reed.

They put it in His right hand….in the place of His authority.

(29) And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
(30) And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

When we keep and serve the handwritings of church ordinances, we are bowing down to its authority rather than His authority….and the outside world blasphemes His holy name….His authority because of it. They smite Him over the head with the “reed”….the writing pen that the church scribes use.

Christ is the Head of us….and not a church handwriting. He is set at God’s right hand…in supreme authority over all.

Eph 1:20-23 KJV
(20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

His name….His authority…is far above all things.

(21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
(22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
(23) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

We are complete in Him who is the HEAD of all principality and power.

Don’t let a many spoil you through his wisdom (“philosophy”) contained in his church handwritings which are patterned after the transmissions of men of the outside world (their handwritings such as “constitutions.” The “rudiments” are their found principles contained int their governing documents. We…as His people…should not have any founding documents (like the outside world has) among us. Don't put a reed pen in His right hand....putting a church document in authority over His authority.

Col 2:8-15 KJV
(8) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
(9) For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
(10) And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
(11) In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
(12) Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
(13) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

He forgives us for this as He nails it to His cross.

(14) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
(15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

They…the outside world…will no longer mock His authority when we come out from among the man-based churches who have their “authoritative” handwritings of ordinances for you to keep and serve. They will no longer bend the knee in their mockery….but will truly bend the knee towards His true authority. They will no longer blaspheme His holy name...authority...because of us.

Php 2:9-11 KJV
(9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
(10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
(11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I am living la vida loca
Every single day here on earth
Also I am already used to that
I enjoy living every single day
La vida loca
Yes I am having a busy life
That is la vida loca
Every day first thing in the morning
When I wake up
I pray for my Father
I thank my father
For keeping me alive today
Also I never complained to my father
About my life
Because my Father gave me a beautiful life
To live
Also I don't have no more good health
And every day I am looking after my health
I will not let my health go down hill
I promise you that my Father

Pray that Jesus Christ some how miraculously strengthens Hong Kong disheartened democratic movement who are oppressed by China's communist party :

I read this website Creation.com and as the name implies, they’re very literalistic, as were the teachings of the LCMS church I used to attend. Something is bothering me. This website and the Lutheran pastors say and believe that you can’t pick and choose what’s literal in the Bible and what isn’t. If you believe evolution is true and the earth is billions of years old then that puts the rest of the Bible in jeopardy. Like you have to believe all of it. What is the Catholic position on this line of reasoning? Because I know that we believe or can believe that evolutiom occurred and the earth/universe is billions of years old so does that puts the rest of the Bible in jeopardy? Why or why not?

Pray that a foreign Indian nurse who was convicted of murder in the nation of Yemen is given a lighter sentence other than murder:

PSALM 23; A VERSE-BY-VERSE UNDERSTANDING (Part 4) (verse 4)

" EVEN THOUGH I PASS THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I SHALL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR THOU ART WITH ME. THY ROD AND THY STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME" (KJV)

"EVEN IF I PASS THROUGH DEATH DARK RAVINES, I WILL FEAR NO DISASTER; FOR YOU ARE WITH ME; YOUR ROD AND STAFF REASSURE ME" (Complete Jewish Study Bible)


Death is something every single person on planet Earth will experience, sooner or later (except Enoch and Elijah). Is there a reason to fear death? Is there a reason for a "believer" to fear death? I would say NO. It is but a doorway that leads to the World and Life to Come. It is the door that takes us into eternity. We are but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. Death was introduced by sin (thanks, Adam!), and physically, we will all die physically. Yet "we, ourselves" will continue to live on for eternity. There are only two places a soul will live after death: the Kingdom of Heaven or the Lake of Fire.

Perhaps the "fear" that some might have is the "mode" of death. How are we going to die? I remember back in my college days, during the week of Halloween, some students set up "Scaremare." It was an actualization (by students) of different ways of death and dying, culminating in the presentation of the gospel.

Some might fear the "pain" of death, perhaps, burning in a car wreck, drowning, falling from a cliff, being eaten by a shark, a plane crash, a gunshot wound, etc...Others might just "die' in their sleep, a slow illness. At least this way, one is given time to think; otherwise, it could be quite sudden (like some of those Mafia and drug smuggling movies), the police against the bad guys. The guns that never seem to run out of bullets. The bad guys dropping like flies. Unfortunately, many will die in their sins and never have a chance to repent, and thus be separated from God for all eternity. Now THAT is fearful! (Fear not those who can destroy the body, but fear God who can cast the soul into the Lake of Fire)

For a believer, pain might be quick or painless, yet we will be in the presence of the LORD. The Apostle Paul said that to be "absent from the body is to be in the presence of the LORD. No wonder David says, "Thou art with me." What is the "Rod"? What is the "Staff?" The shepherd usually carried with him a "rod" and a "staff". The "rod" was a short, heavy stick used for defense, to protect the sheep while the "staff" was used to "guide" the sheep. The WORD of God is both a "rod" and a "staff" used to guide us and correct us when we wander off the path.

The WORD of God reassures us of the promise of eternal life with God after our visit to this Earth ends. Jesus conquered sin and death on the Cross of Calvary. He took the "bite" out of "sin and death." He took the pain and horror of suffering. If you have received Jesus/Yeshua as your Savior and LORD, at the time of physical death, you will be ushered into eternity into the Kingdom of Heaven. Have no fears, Heaven will be your home forever.

I've been mulling this over for the past few days...

The Gaza issue is still "hot & heavy" in public discourse.

I've long maintained that it's a strategic error to have the "reign in the influence of Israel" movement defined and dominated by a political faction that seems to think that glorifying/celebrating Islamic Fundamentalism is the proper anecdote to it. (the people out in the streets wearing keffiyehs and waiving Palestinian and Iranian flags around, while burning the American flag)

I noted in a previous thread that it's a mistake to cheerlead for either side in a conflict for which both are acting unethically (especially when the "who to cheer for" decision is being made for rather superficial reasons)


Should some on the left welcome the recent statements of Tucker Carlson on this issue? -- as he's reaching people that nobody from their own side could ever reach on this particular issue?

Just on that one interview he did with Ted Cruz, it seems to have had a measurable impact on the Republican base...

In an Economist/YouGov poll conducted not long after the interview, only 23% of Republicans think the U.S. should get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel. (Down from 39% a few months prior to that interview)

I'd have to think that Tucker's grilling of Cruz played at least some part in that.

Are some progressives willing to accept the potential "help" on that issue, even if it comes from a source that may have contrasting viewpoints with them on other issues?

A number of progressive cities and areas seem to be helping the criminals.

"Effective immediately" you can leave your shoes on at airport security.

Oh happy day!

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/08/travel/tsa-shoes-security-checkpoints

Taking a step back from that way of thinking and am looking for different ways of looking at it.

MIAMI (OSV News) — When Miami native Tom Llamas was named “NBC Nightly News” anchor following the retirement of Lester Holt, one of the first phone calls he placed was to the rector/president of his high school alma mater.

Llamas then followed that up with a personal visit to the school last May for a “fireside chat” and meet and greet with the student body, according to Jesuit Father Guillermo García-Tuñón.

“Tom is very devoted to the school and engaged,” Father García-Tuñón said, himself an alumnus of Belen who is the 37th rector/president of Belen Jesuit Preparatory School since its inception in Cuba in 1854, and its seventh rector/president since its establishment in Miami following the Cuban Revolution.

“As soon as he found out he was named the successor to Lestor Holt and named the new chair of ‘NBC Nightly News,’ the first phone call he made was to Belen. He wanted me to know because he said ‘so much of what I am today is because of Belen,’ and I was very humbled to know that,” the priest said.

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I.R.S. Says Churches Can Endorse Candidates From the Pulpit​

In a court filing, the tax agency said a decades-old ban on campaigning by tax-exempt groups should not apply to houses of worship speaking to their own members.

The I.R.S. said on Monday that churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates to their congregations, carving out an exemption in a decades-old ban on political activity by tax-exempt nonprofits.

The agency made that statement in a court filing intended to settle a lawsuit filed by two Texas churches and an association of Christian broadcasters.

The agency said that if a house of worship endorsed a candidate to its congregants, the I.R.S. would view that not as campaigning but as a private matter, like “a family discussion concerning candidates.”

“Thus, communications from a house of worship to its congregation in connection with religious services through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith do not run afoul of the Johnson Amendment as properly interpreted,” the agency said, in a motion filed jointly with the plaintiffs.

The ban on campaigning by nonprofits is named after former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who introduced it as a senator in 1954. President Trump has repeatedly called for its repeal.

Per Wiki: The amendment was to a bill in the 83rd Congress, H.R. 8300, which was enacted into law as the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

I gather this means churches can't run ads in the NYTimes with endorsements, but who knows, when decades old laws can be set aside.

Paramount settles Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ lawsuit with $16 million payout and no apology​

"Despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs.
Talk about biased news. My concern is that the radical lower-court judges are going to continue to try and sabotage the presidency unless and until they are sanctioned.

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – had just been put to death by his enemies on a cross, and he had just been resurrected from the dead, and he appeared to his disciples and to many other people over a period of 40 days, I believe, before he ascended back to heaven to be with God the Father, and then to send his Holy Spirit to indwell the lives of his followers.

But while he was still on the earth, after he had been resurrected from the dead, he spoke these words to his disciples, but not just for the 11 who were left, for this is a commission for all of us who follow Jesus Christ with our lives in repentance and in walks of obedience to our Lord. For we, too, are his disciples, and we are to be those who are the light of the world and the salt of the earth who proclaim the excellencies of God who delivered us out of our slavery to sin and who gave us new lives in him to be lived for him.

But in order for us to go and make disciples of Christ of people of all the nations, in today’s world, we are not all going to go physically to all these nations. Some of us go with the gospel to many nations via the internet, where God has placed us to share his gospel and the truth of his word. And so we are not going to be able to physically baptize all those who believe in Jesus, either. But all of us are to be teaching the people that, as followers of Christ, we must be those who obey our Lord and his commands.

So many people today, though, who claim that they are making disciples of Christ of people, are not teaching them that they must obey our Lord and his commands for us who are under the New Covenant. And so many are not being taught that they must deny self, die to sin daily, and walk in obedience to our Lord as part of what it means to believe in Jesus Christ, to know God, to be forgiven of our sins, and to have eternal life with God in heaven.

But this is essential that we teach this. For many people are making verbal professions of faith in Jesus Christ, but their lives are not changing. Many are continuing on a sinful course, still doing what their sinful hearts desire, and who are not obeying the Lord. But the Scriptures teach that we must die to sin and obey God, for if sin is still what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord, then we do not have the hope of salvation from sin nor of eternal life with God, for we don’t really know God, and Jesus is not our Lord.


[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Seek the Lord

Based off Isaiah 55
Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”

Login to view embedded media
Go Therefore and Make Disciples
An Original Work / July 8, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Four Quebecers, including two active members of the Canadian Armed Forces, who were allegedly involved in activities of “ideologically motivated violent extremism” with the intention of “forcibly take possession of land in the Quebec City area” have been arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Three of the accused — Marc-Aurèle Chabot, 24, of Quebec City, Simon Angers-Audet, 24, of Neuville and Raphaël Lagacé, 25, of Quebec City — allegedly “took concrete actions to facilitate terrorist activity,” the RCMP states.

“The three accused were planning to create [an] anti-government militia,” the force notes.

Numerous weapons and military equipment related charges as well as the terror charge.

Occasionally when I witness a particularly breathtaking starry night, I recall the phrases from Coldplay’s song, “Yellow” — “Look at the stars — look how they shine for you” — and Tyler Brown William’s refrain “Forever Was Made For Me and You.” This summer, one of my plans entailed hiking in the desert and witnessing the majesty of the stars under the open desert sky. Although the trip ended up being postponed, I found myself out in the country, nestled in an open plain where the grandeur of the stars was often displayed.

On such nights, the stars silently proclaim the words of the psalms: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps 8:5-6). Similar to any encounter with authentic beauty, the stars invite us to ponder universal truths and reveal the truth about ourselves and of our destiny: We are designed for eternity.

In his poem, “The Stars Are Mansions Built By Nature’s Hand,” Wordsworth refers to the stars as “mansions” where “happily, there the spirits of the blest dwell, clothed in radiance.” These guiding lights, the poet continues, reflect “a habitation marvelously planned, for life to occupy in love and rest.”

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Is it a sin to buy and wear these? Made in Kathmandu, Nepal. They were described as sort of Hindu-y once but I don’t see it now. They’re beautiful and on sale.

Q: My brother is an alcoholic and has already had one failed marriage because of it. He recently got an annulment and is now planning his second wedding. How can the Church let him marry again when it seems obvious that his second marriage is going to fail as well?

A: Naturally I cannot comment on your brother’s specific case here. I don’t have all the information, and even if I did, I would still refrain from commenting for the sake of respecting your brother’s privacy. However, I can share some observations about these kinds of situations in general.

Why is a marriage declared null?​

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(OSV News) — A contested Washington state law that would require priests to violate the seal of confession to report abuse “represents an egregious violation of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment,” Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, who is a member of the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission, told OSV News.

“That the state could interfere in this most sacred discipline of the church should alarm not only Catholics, but indeed all Americans who revere religious liberty,” he said in a statement emailed to OSV News July 7.

Bishop Barron, founder of the Word on Fire media ministry, filed a friend-of-the-court brief July 4 in a case brought May 29 by Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle and other bishops and clergy against Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and his administration over the recently passed law on mandated abuse reporting, which lacks exceptions for the clergy-penitent privilege.

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In a recent episode of her podcast "Ex-Psychic Saved," former medium Jenn Nizza sounded the alarm on grounding, or “earthing,” calling it a deceptive New Age practice built on pseudoscience and spiritually dangerous ideas.

Joined by researcher Marcia Montenegro, a former astrologer and the founder of Christian Answers for the New Age, the pair offered an extensive breakdown of the spiritual, scientific and financial dangers behind the popular wellness trend.

“Is it an innocent healing modality or a New Age deception?” Nizza asked at the top of the episode. “We’re going to dive into this topic of grounding today.”

Continued below.

The United States government has revoked its designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a foreign terrorist organization, seven months after the group overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and seized control of Damascus, drawing concern from a Christian advoacy group.

The revocation, effective Tuesday, marks a significant shift in U.S. policy toward the formerly Al-Qaeda-linked group.

The U.S. Department of State announcedthe revocation of the Foreign Terrorist Organization label under the Immigration and Nationality Act, citing the "momentum" created by President Donald Trump's June 30 Executive Order that lifted sanctions on Syria and praised the "positive actions" of the new government.

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Public school teachers can no longer demand that staff and students refer to them as the opposite sex, an appeals court has ruled.

A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled 2-1 that Katie Wood, a high school math teacher who is a man but identifies as a woman, could not require the use of feminine pronouns or the honorific “Ms.”

At issue was a state law passed in 2023, known as Florida Statute § 1000.071, which reads that “[a]n employee or contractor of a public K-12 educational institution may not provide to a student his or her preferred personal title or pronouns if such preferred personal title or pronouns do not correspond to his or her sex.”

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