Pope Leo XIV has issued an ecumenical appeal to all Christians to be architects of reconciliation and peace throughout the world on the occasion of Ecumenical Week, which is being celebrated in Stockholm Aug. 18–24.

In a message published Aug. 22 by the Vatican press office, the pontiff recalled that this initiative, in which Christians of different denominations participate, coincides with the centenary of the Christian Conference on Life and Work held in Stockholm in 1925 and the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Regarding the council held in 325, Leo XIV explained that with the formulation of the Creed, the Council Fathers “articulated the faith that continues to bind Christians together,” making that occasion “a courageous sign of unity amid difference — an early witness to the conviction that our shared confession can overcome division and foster communion.”

Regarding the meeting convened in Stockholm 100 years ago, the pope emphasized that its proponent “the pioneer of the early ecumenical movement, Archbishop Nathan Söderblom, Lutheran archbishop of Uppsala,” held the conviction that “service unites” and proposed joining forces in “‘practical Christianity’ — to serve the world together in the pursuit of peace, justice, and human dignity.”

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Years-old video that surfaced this week showed Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger endorsing assisted suicide and appearing to suggest that even religious hospitals should be required to perform the procedure.

The footage, which shows then-U.S. House candidate Spanberger at a 2018 campaign event, depicts the Democrat being asked about her position on “legislation that would legalize medical aid in dying,” a common euphemism for assisted suicide.

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In early August, President Luis Abinader promulgated the Dominican Republic’s new penal code, a law that replaces legislation more than a century old and will come into effect in August 2026.

The approved text incorporates crimes such as “femicide,” contract killings, cyberbullying, economic violence, pyramid schemes, kidnapping, crimes against humanity, and genocide. It also increases maximum prison sentences up to 60 years for serious crimes.

However, one of the most significant aspects is that it maintains the absolute ban on abortion, a milestone for the Dominican pro-life movement.

‘A code that enshrines the inviolability of life’​

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Michael Iskander, the actor known for playing the lead role of King David in the new hit Prime Video series “House of David,” announced Aug. 21 that he has become Catholic.

“Today is a very special day, that looking back has been a long time in the making. Today I joined the Catholic faith,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I’ve felt a calling to this Church for a long time, and as time went on, this calling became louder and louder.”

He added: “Eventually I ran into some really amazing people that helped me along the way. And rather than being the end of the road, this is the beginning of the journey. Please pray for me as I continue my walk with God, and thanks for celebrating this day with me.”

Iskander, 23, has shared in several interviews that he always dreamed of portraying King David but never thought it would happen. He was taking part in a Broadway production when he heard about the upcoming series focusing on Israel’s famous king. After his initial audition, Iskander was given a “no.” A couple weeks later, he was called to reaudition. Iskander was advised by his mother to pray and fast ahead of the second audition. Two months later, he was offered the role.

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Step into More Coffee and you’re immediately greeted by the smell of fresh ground coffee, vintage images of the London skyline on the walls, quotes from Catholic saints on the chalkboard, and a crucifix hanging by the pickup counter.

The new coffee shop, owned and run by St. Thomas More Catholic Parish (STM) in Centennial, Colorado, hopes to become a gathering place of evangelization for those within the parish boundaries.

Tyler Duffy, director of evangelization at the parish, told CNA that the pastor of STM, Father Randy Dollins, “had this vision for an outpost of evangelization for our parish.”

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23 August 2025 – North Korea​

Sister P is a North Korean living in China. She is discipling her family members and other North Korean Christian women. Pray for her protection and that the Lord will bless her ministry.

22 August 2025 – North Korea​

Remember in prayer Pastor Zhang Wen Shi, also known as Deacon Jang, who was kidnapped from China in 2014 and sentenced to 15 years in a North Korean prison. Please pray for his release.

21 August 2025 – China​

Pray for continued Bible distributions in China. There has been an ongoing government crackdown on Christian materials, meaning our partners have had to become ever more creative in how they distribute copies.

20 August 2025 – China​

Pray for an imprisoned Chinese pastor and for his family. He has been detained for more than a year without a trial and his family members have been abandoned by some of their church because of government pressure.

19 August 2025 – China​

Pray for a Christian sister who was baptised at a recent training event held by our partners. Pray for her protection and that she will continue to grow in her faith.

18 August 2025 – China​

Praise God for our partners who are training Chinese underground church leaders. Many of the participants regularly face persecution from the Government for their faithful witness.

17 August 2025 – China​

Pastor Sun Chenghao, a Chinese house church leader, has been held by authorities for ‘organising illegal border crossings’ after a visit to South Korea. Pray for his release and for strength for his family during this trial.

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday urged Catholic lawmakers to draw inspiration from St. Augustine’s “City of God” as they navigate shifting global politics, warning against reducing the idea of human flourishing to mere wealth or consumer comfort.

Speaking to the International Catholic Legislators Network in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the pope called on parliamentarians to ensure that “power is tamed by conscience and law is at the service of human dignity.”

“Authentic human flourishing is seen when individuals live virtuously, when they live in healthy communities, enjoying not only what they have, what they possess, but also who they are as children of God,” he told the lawmakers.

“It ensures the freedom to seek truth, to worship God and to raise families in peace. It also includes a harmony with creation and a sense of solidarity across social classes and nations.”

The International Catholic Legislators Network, founded in 2010 by Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and British peer David Alton, gathers Catholic parliamentarians annually in Rome to discuss religious liberty, Church-state relations, the protection of life, and the role of Catholic thought in politics.

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The Catholic Church celebrated the feast of St. Pius X on Aug. 21 — an influential pope at the turn of the 20th century whose warnings about the heresy of “modernism” help shine light on the deterioration of faith in the West today and the disregard of Church teaching, according to one Catholic scholar.

Pius, who reigned as pope from 1903 to 1914 after the death of Pope Leo XIII, took charge of the Church in the aftermath of the Enlightenment era, which had spurred rationalist and liberal movements throughout Europe and the Americas.

Several of Pius’ predecessors combatted certain Enlightenment-era philosophies, which appeared to be a predominantly outside threat to the Church. This included Pope Gregory XVI’s rebuke of liberalism in the 1830s — which he saw as promoting religious indifferentism and secularism — and Blessed Pius IX, who condemned trends toward naturalism and absolute rationalism, which sought answers to philosophical questions absent divine revelation.

Pius X followed in their footsteps, combatting the heresy of “modernism” in his 1907 encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis. This heresy, he taught, was the pervasion of “false philosophy” within the Catholic laity and clergy, even within the Catholic university system and the seminaries that threatens the foundations of the faith itself.

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Tunisian Christians face hostility from society, and most choose to worship in private. Converts from Islam whose new faith is discovered are considered to have brought "shame" on their families. They can face rejection and threats from their families and communities.

Christians who have migrated from other countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, also live in Tunisia. These believers are largely left alone as long as they don't share their faith with Tunisian Muslims. However, political rhetoric about migrants has caused such harsh racial abuse that many have fled the country.

Being known as a Christian affects a Tunisian's reputation, their job security and, in the worst cases, can result in complete rejection or abuse from their Muslim family and community. The authorities monitor church gatherings. Despite this, the church in North Africa is growing.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?​

Believers from Muslim families have most to fear from their own communities. This is especially true in the south of the country, where the Islamic population is more conservative. Urban areas, and especially the capital Tunis, offer possibilities to escape family pressure and live their faith in the anonymity of the big city.

All Christians are at risk of attack by violent Islamist extremists around the southern border.

What has changed this year?​

Among other things, there were more incidents involving house churches and arrests than in the previous year. President Kais Saied consolidated his de facto one-man rule through a contested re-election in which the opposition was paralysed. The new constitution is ambiguous regarding Freedom of Religion and Belief. It is feared that the government’s already high levels of monitoring of Tunisian Christians will increase in the future.

What does Open Doors do to help Christians in Tunisia?​

Open Doors works with local partners and churches in North Africa to provide leadership and discipleship training, livelihood support, legal aid, trauma counselling, Bibles and pastoral care.

How can you pray for Tunisia?​

• Pray that converts from Islam will be sheltered from abuse and rejection.
• Ask God to help Tunisian Christians forbidden from worshipping publicly. Pray that they will be able to meet and encourage one another.
• Pray that God will guide communities of Christians that can help them grow in faith.

Hopefully this soon will be the end of a waste of U.S. taxpayer money.

Cracker Barrel loses almost $100 million in value as stock plunges after new logo release.

Cracker Barrel shed almost $100 million in market value Thursday after its stock plunged following the release of a new logo. The new design eliminates a longstanding drawing of an overall-clad man leaning against a barrel, in favor of a cleaner logo featuring just the chain's name.

This is another go woke go broke situation. Where the CEO wants to change the company's image. Apparently not having any appreciation for who her customers are. What the main demographic is.

First, to explain, after much research and praying for revelation, I personally came to the conclusion that the way to pronounce the heavenly father’s name is Yahuah.

Now, I don’t judge anyone who has a different opinion. And I know in the past, I got so many prayers answered by saying God and Jesus.

The point I am trying to make, though, is that after finding many wonderful songs and many scripture videos on YouTube that use the name Yahuah, I couldn’t help but see that the great majority, not all by any means, but a great majority of them come from Black people.

I don’t care about anyone’s race. I just find it curious and interesting that so many Black people are becoming what you could call Hebrew Roots while so often using the name Yahuah.

I’m just curious. My only guess is that many Black people have become disenchanted with mainstream Christianity, and that in their searches elsewhere, they have become as I have seen on YouTube.

Please, I am not asking for a debate on how to pronounce the name of our heavenly father. I’m not even expecting anyone to have a good theory on why this happens. But if you do have a theory, it would be interesting…

I came across this thing where after dying on the cross Jesus descended into hell.
Could you explain more about the purpose and significance of this?

Cheers

There are many truly wicked people on the earth, for whom sinful actions and behaviors are their practice. They are the proud, the disdainful, the morally corrupt, the thieves, the liars, the adulterers, the malicious, etc. Many are they who are in positions of power and control over other people, who take advantage of other people’s trust for their own personal gain. For they are the manipulative and the charmers, who deceive the naïve.

They are abusers and users, the addicted, and adulterers who abuse those entrusted to them. Many of them are in positions of authority over others and they use their positions of authority to abuse those trusted to their care. So some of them are parents or grandparents, spouses, teachers, pastors of church congregations, elders and deacons within the church, heads of businesses, or supervisors over workers, and/or they are heads of nations.

And many of them are able to get away with their mistreatment of others because of their positions of power and rule over other people, and/or because they are wealthy, and/or because they give a lot of money to the church and/or to other charitable organizations. So the powerful, but guilty, often go unpunished while the weak, the vulnerable, and/or the innocent continue to be taken advantage of, while the church is largely asleep.

Many are they who are able to get away with their wickedness for generation after generation, because few people, it seems, are willing to confront evil, to call it what it is, and to address it biblically. And now we live in a generation where evil is being pampered, where it is being given other names other than “sin,” and where not many are being taught that they must abandon their sinful practices to now obey God, in practice.

So, the weak and the vulnerable, the widows and the orphans, go on being taken advantage of and misused and abused because we live in a culture which honors the wicked, the adulterers, the liars, and the manipulators, and which gives them permission to keep on living in their sins. And they call that “grace.” But the grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives, while we wait for the return of Christ Jesus.

So, this is a cry to God, for him to judge the earth, for him to judge the wicked who exult themselves and who take advantage of others. And this is also a cry to God for him to rescue his people from those who use and abuse. And his people are all who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives, who are walking in the ways of the Lord, and not in sinful passions and desires. Many are they who are being persecuted.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 7:13-14; Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 17:14; Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; 1 John 3:13; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

And so we need to know here that “the gospel” message, which is gaining the most popularity in the USA, and perhaps in other nations, is not the gospel taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles. For they taught that, by faith in Jesus Christ, we must deny self, die to sin daily, and follow our Lord in walks of surrender and in obedience to him and to his commands. For all who continue in deliberate and habitual sin, no matter what they profess with their lips, will not inherit eternal life with God.

Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; 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 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Seven Woes

Based off Matthew 23
An Original Work / May 31, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Woe to you, teachers of the law;
Hypocrites, you keep men from God.
You refuse to obey the truth,
Nor will you permit others to.
You travel o’er land and sea
To win a single convert to you.
When he becomes one
You make him twice as much
A “son of hell” as you are.

Woe to you, blind guides of mankind.
You distort the words of your God.
By your practices you declare
Your oaths mean nothing, though you swear.
You give a tenth of your spices,
But you neglect justice, mercy.
When you focus your
Time and talents on
What is external, you miss out.

Woe to you, who appear so clean,
When inside you are crass and mean.
You work hard to look so upright,
While you hide all your sins inside.
You deceive yourselves when you think
You would not have done what others
Did to God’s messengers
And prophets of old,
For you will do much the same.
You’re to blame.

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Recompense To The Proud
An Original Work / August 23, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I wanted to introduce myself; my real name is Andrew, and am excited to meet some new people and hopefully make new friends.

I was raised Christian, but about 20 years ago I backslid and left the flock. I lived the life of a godless sinner, made many mistakes and did things that would make the devil blush. But Jesus hunted me down and after all these years, brought me back home last year, hence my username, the lost sheep.

I think that perhaps I can give a fresh perspective on some things, and certainly still have much to learn, as we all do. I'm looking forward to talking to you all here, see you around!

Praise our Lord,

Andrew

so starting in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

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So few find their way into Eternal Life.

But then in Matthew 8:

11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

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So many are with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, either in heaven, or on the New Earth, resurrected.

However, the next verse is kind of curious

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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The context was that Jesus was talking to a Roman, a Gentile, who exercised more faith than anyone Jesus had encountered in Israel:

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

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So.. to Israelites, Jesus said few would enter eternal life.
But to a Gentile, Jesus said many.

Now Salvation for Gentiles through the Messiah was revealed in the old testament, Isaiah 11

10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

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Zechariah 9:

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

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and Jesus to the Pharisees about how the Kingdom will be taken from them and given to others (Gentiles), Matthew 21

42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

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Now we see how that all plays out, the few, and the many, Revelation 7:

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

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144,000... a paltry few out of the Millions in Israel.

and the many..

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

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how consistent. The most of the children of the kingdom of God that Jesus was taking from Israel, would be cast into outer darkness, only a scant few get redeemed.
I've seen so many people go up and down about the statements focusing on the few...
while neglecting the many. It's all about the audience Jesus was talking to when He said few, vs when He said many.

I can't off the top of my head remember other places but I'll be revisting the Gospels nightly for awhile so I will try to focus on that, and see if it holds.

Shalom

Can you please pray for my health in Jesus' name?

May the Lord bless you abundantly (Luke 6:38, Job 42:10) and may he bless Israel in Jesus' name. Amen!

Soli Deo Gloria

PS And I pray that the Lord will send out harvesters into his harvest (Matthew 9:38).

I'm sorry if this is a little too personal for The Kitchen Sink. I thought about putting it in My Two Cents, but there may be more traffic here, and I would really appreciate feedback. I originally posted this on my Facebook page. I'm transferring it here hoping for various individual views on drastic changes in a person's socioeconomic status. Specifically, apparent *resistance* to anyone making those changes, especially in an upward direction. I grew up on public assistance, raised my children on public assistance, and now realize I could have done SO much better in life if I hadn't listened to certain advice. If anyone needs any further information about my background and what led to my present feelings, you're welcome to ask.

Facebook post follows:

I am not going to share any more detail about our lifestyle and situation than (Hubby) himself is willing to share. I announce things when he announces them, not before.

But as he is showering and getting ready for work, I am thinking about how DIFFERENT things are now. Not that I am boasting. I am happy for the changes, and in a way, it makes me angry too. I want to address why the anger.

I resent that in my earlier life I had been led to believe, nay *brainwashed* to believe, that I didn’t qualify for the kind of life I have now. I was somehow not good enough. I’m not talking only about people close to me who wouldn’t teach me to drive, tried to convince me to stay with my abusive ex-husband, tried to get me to remarry him after we were divorced, were absolutely convinced that another ex-husband who was barely functional as an adult was “the perfect man” for me, and all that jazz. It’s also those social workers and program directors who didn’t want me to even try to look for a job, because they were afraid I might lose my disability benefits. If I’m doing well enough to no longer qualify for them, why do I need them? Why should I sit on my butt and do nothing just so I can qualify to keep a few paltry hundred dollars a month coming my way and live in cramped, run-down, noisy, unsafe housing, eating food that isn’t nearly as healthy as I can afford now, receiving medical care that’s barely worth mentioning? Why did so many people want to keep me at the bottom of the barrel, when I could have THIS? Why was I treated as downright delusional when I hinted that maybe I might have this one day? Just why?

Dare to dream, people. And don’t ever let ANYBODY tell you you’re not good enough to achieve it.

Please pray, my brother has still not sent us a copy of my parent's will, as executer, we found out that he is supposed to do so. (we were told it was in probate, but that's not true apparently) Both my parents have passed, my Dad was a the last to pass a few years ago. They are dearly missed. <3 Please pray my brother sends us each a copy of their will. Of course I don't want my relationship with my brother to be broken so that is a concern too. He has broken ties with one sibling, but not our older sibling.

Hegseth fires head of Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse​

The firing follows a June preliminary assessment from the DIA — the Pentagon’s main intelligence wing — of the Iran military strikes, which prompted vicious backlash from the Trump administration.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/08/22/defense-intelligence-agency-kruse-fired-hegseth/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Hegseth's previous employer fired people for telling truths that didn't fit his expectations and that why he did it. But that was just a television network known for shading the truth. When people become afraid of telling a nation's leader unpleasant truths, said leader ends up blind in the very things he desperately needs to see clearly. God help America.