I feel like my situation is a bit unique. I am taking class at a community college and I'm struggling with the classes.

I've gone to this same school several times before and can never seem to finish. I've lost count at this point.

The only reason I have gone back this time was because I was miserable at my last job and wanted a reason to quit. Yet, I worry I will be back at the kind of job again if I fail.

Like, I know it's not unusual for people to flunk university, but this is a community college. It's supposed to be easier and more manageable.

What do I do?

The goal of Christianity is to know God. This is something you could spend ten lifetimes in pursuit of and still have barely scratched the surface of everything there is to know about God.

It amazes me the amount of wasted time and energy people put towards this goal of sinning less and ultimately, not sinning at all. Does anyone read the bible for what it actually says, or does everyone read it for what they've been told it says?

If I was to ask you; do you identify as your sinful nature, or do you identify as the good you want to do but struggle with a sinful nature, which would best describe you? Most likely it will be the later of the two. You are the good you want to do but struggle with a sinful nature. Which would align you with what Paul talked about in Rom 7:14-20.
Now say by the power of grey skull, I snap my fingers and suddenly you no longer have a sinful nature. Will you continue to do the evil you do not want to do, or will you only do the good you so desire to do? Obviously, the good you desire to do is all that you are going to do.
Okay then, in your pursuit to stop sinning, what is it you are trying so hard to improve on? The good you already desire to do, or the sinful nature?

The good you desire to do clearly needs no improvement since it already desires to do good. The sinful nature, on the other hand, cannot be improved on. Scripture is vividly clear on this. If it could be improved on, then Paul would not have wrote what he wrote in Rom 7, and the Gospel wouldn't have been necessary.

Before you try and tell me Paul is speaking of before he was saved... this is the real world, not some fantasy. At what point, before you were saved, did you ever struggle between doing the good that God desires you to do and doing evil? The truth is you didn't. You simply did whatever felt good to you in the moment.

Before salvation we are spiritually dead, separated from God. Without spiritual life, there is no desire to do the will of God. Without spiritual life, the desires of the flesh are what rules us. We have no desire, what so ever, to do the will of God. After receiving new life (spiritual life), that is when we are suddenly presented with a dilemma. To now do the will of God.
This new dilemma is the very struggle Paul talks about. And the reason Paul talks about it is to make it clear to his readers that the very idea that we can stop sinning is ridiculous. He states very clearly that sin resides in the flesh. Unless you live in the fantasy world I mentioned earlier, until the day you die, you will remain in the flesh. The flesh is corrupt as a result of sin. And until our corrupted flesh is destroyed, and we are given new non corrupted bodies, this struggle will remain.

The time and energy put towards the goal of sinning less and ultimately not sinning at all, is misplaced, misleading, and ultimately leads us back into the bondage of sin. That time and energy should be put towards getting to know more of God. The logic is simple, if you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, you wont be doing what you aren't to be doing. The more of God you know, the more of God is revealed through you, and naturally, the less you will sin. No effort, no fuss, no worries.

They go from believing to unbelieving. Is this possible.

And can they go back to believing, or once they go back to unbelieving its permanent? I am curious to what each major denomination thinks on this topic, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant

As those who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, who are followers of Christ, who have died with him to sin, who have been raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness, we are HIS CHURCH. And he is our HEAD. And we are HIS BODY, the body of Christ, HIS HOLY TEMPLE. And all of us are a royal priesthood, servants of Jesus Christ in his ministry.

The church which is of God is NOT a building that you go to once or twice a week for a church service, which is commonly referred to as “the house of God.” It is NOT an institution of human origin, turned into a business, being marketed to the world just like any other business. It is NOT incorporated (merged, joined) with the state (the government) in an unholy union, all of which God forbids. And it is NOT a place of clean fun and entertainment.

But this is what it has been turned into by what seems to be the majority of what is being called “the church” these days. And one man is not to do all the preaching, and one “worship leader” is not to be selecting all the songs, and we are not to be spectators sitting in rows, while singing songs is our only allowed participation, while we listen to one man do all the talking, and while no one is testing his words to make certain that they are of God.

What is commonly being referred to as “the church” these days is not of God, but it is of human flesh, and it is being guided and directed by marketing and business plans and goals for how to “grow the church,” and what to do and say and present which will “draw in large crowds of people from the world.” And Jesus is not its true head, and it is not being led by the Holy Spirit, and most of us have no place to use the gifts given us by God.

And God is calling out to his people, and he is letting us all know that his house (the body of believers in Christ) is to be a house of prayer and not a marketplace; not a place of business. And we, the body of Christ, are not to be merged (partnered) with the ungodly (the government and the world) in an unholy union, combining light with darkness. But we are to come out from among such as this, and God will receive us as belonging to him.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

But in Christ’s true church, we who are of genuine biblical faith in the Lord Jesus are all to have a part, not chosen by humans and their marketing goals, but as chosen and gifted and called by God, and as empowered by his Holy Spirit in the work of the ministry. For we are all to be ministers of the gospel who are taking the message of the gospel to the people of the world. And all of us are to be participants in the body of Christ and its ministry.

We are not to be mere bystanders and pew sitters who sit through weekly “church” services, who then go home and go about our daily routines until the following week. We, as the body of Christ, are to daily be encouraging one another, exhorting one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord to watch out for these con artists who try to persuade us to believe their lies and their false gospels. And we are to test the spirits via The Word.

And we are to answer to God’s callings upon our lives to be his servants and his messengers in sharing the truths of God’s word with one another within the body of Christ (His Church), who are taking the true biblical message of the gospel to the people of the world, who are, by the Spirit, utilizing the gifts of the Spirit we have been given to minister to one another within the body of Christ (His Church), and who are exhorting one another so that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, for we are his priesthood.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

Zeal for Your House

Based off John 2:17; Psalms 69:9
An Original Work / August 1, 2016
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.
Lord, I love my times with You.
I love to worship You and sing Your praises.
Time in Your Word brings me closer to You,
List’ning to You speaking to me,
Gently guiding me in truth.

Lord, You are my life’s example,
Showing me how I should live.
I love to walk with You where’er You lead me.
No greater joy have I when serving You.
Loving, giving, resting in Your strength,
I’m yielding to Your will.

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.
See the church turned upside down:
Marketing ventures taking place of worship,
Men of the gospel turning into clowns.
Gospel message made appealing,
So the world will feel at home.

Lord, we need a great revival.
Turn their hearts, Lord, back to You.
Open the blind eyes, turn them all from darkness,
Lord, to the light. May they return to You,
Turn from their sin, forsake idols,
Be restored to God again.

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A People For God’s Own Possession
An Original Work / November 2, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

From renewables.

Yes they are small
But they are poor too. They prioritized spending to put themselves there. Well done folks....

Uruguay’s green power revolution: rapid shift to wind shows the world how it’s done


If they can....why not anyone?

In all my years of being a Christian, something has become glaringly clear.
There are two kinds of Christianity. The first is the religious version—the one most people have come to know. The second is the Christianity revealed in the Bible itself, which, sadly, few ever come to recognize.

We’ve all been taught that our behavior—our sin—is what separates us from God. That sin directly caused death, and that getting our sins forgiven equals salvation. But that’s not what Scripture actually teaches.

Yes, if you only read the Bible at surface level, that’s exactly what it seems to say. But Scripture can’t just be read at surface level. It wasn’t written recently, nor was it written to us. It was written to a people who lived in a completely different culture and time. Their understanding of words, life, and God was shaped by their world. Ours is shaped by ours. To read Scripture as though its meaning automatically transfers across time and culture is not only naive—it’s a mistake.
Let’s start with the belief that sin caused death. This is a perfect example of why surface-level reading will only lead to confusion.

Sin didn’t directly cause death. In fact, sin has no power at all to cause any kind of death. Physical death has always been a natural part of being human. If it were caused by sin, then what God says in Genesis 3 wouldn’t make sense. There, God says the tree of life can give everlasting life even to sinful people. That would be impossible if sin eventually leads to death. The only way that statement makes sense is if physical death was already a natural part of human life.

Sin doesn’t cause soul death either—that would be no different than physical death. The soul is what gives life to the body. So that leaves spiritual death.

But, if spiritual death were automatically caused by sin—if sin had built-in power to destroy spiritual life—then salvation would be impossible. No amount of grace or forgiveness could stop such an automatic effect. The moment someone received new spiritual life, their very next sin would simply kill that life again.

So while spiritual death entered the world through sin, it wasn’t automatically caused by sin. There’s more going on than that.


We are all born spiritually dead. That’s our condition. We inherited it—passed down from generation to generation—all the way back to Adam and Eve, who received it from God as a consequence of disobedience. When they ate from the tree, God separated Himself from them. That separation was spiritual death.

From that point on, humanity bore a new image. Genesis 5:3 says Adam had a son “in his own likeness, after his image.” Humanity was created in God’s image, but now we are born in Adam’s. Spiritually dead plus spiritually dead will always equal spiritually dead. That’s why Romans 5:12 says we all share in Adam’s condition.

Our behavior—our sin—is simply the natural result of being separated from God. It’s the symptom of our spiritual condition.

Even though we’re born spiritually dead, we aren’t guilty of sin until we choose to sin. A newborn infant, for example, hasn’t wilfully sinned. If that child dies, it has the grace of God upon which it will be saved. But given enough time, however, that child will eventually sin.
Forgiveness was accomplished more than 2,000 years ago and applied to all humanity. Every person born since the cross has entered the world already forgiven. There isn’t a soul alive today who isn’t already forgiven.

Imagine you’ve committed a crime deserving life in prison. A friend—completely innocent—offers to take your punishment in your place. The judge agrees. The moment your friend takes your penalty, you’re considered innocent and free to go. Do you need to ask for a pardon? Of course not. The price was paid, and justice was satisfied.

That’s exactly what happened at the cross. The moment Christ paid the penalty, the world was forgiven. And it’s because we’re forgiven that salvation is even possible.

This is why God tore the temple curtain—to show that anyone can now enter His presence for salvation. If forgiveness only happened at the moment of salvation, then no one could approach God to receive it, because they’d still be guilty. But since forgiveness was already given, salvation became possible for all.
In modern Christianity, the focus is too often on behavior. But every major religion in the world is about behavior—about doing better, trying harder, sinning less. It’s easy to judge others when we measure faith by conduct.

It’s like judging someone with Alzheimer’s for forgetting things—then scolding them to “try harder” to remember. The problem isn’t their behavior. It’s their condition.

We’re all born in the same condition: spiritually dead. Do you have the right to judge another based on that? Of course not. You were no different. The true question is, can you love someone regardless of their symptoms?

That’s what true Christianity is about.

I have read thread titles on online Christian threads that begin like this… “How to beat the boredom in heaven…” Started apparently by a young person who have deduced that since his church is boring, heaven must be boring.

In my younger days as a Christian nothing about the Pentecostal Holiness church I belonged to was “boring.” Our pastor started out as an evangelist and then accepted the pastorate at our church. We went to church Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday night, and Saturday night prayer service. We also had an active young persons ministry who would take us places. We also had many revivals during the year. When the evangelist came to preach they all had remarkable testimonies. It was also exciting to hear the testimonies of those in attendance on what was happening in their own life.

Fearing that this type of revival was coming to an end. And fearing likewise we were going to follow the same paths as the Methodist 100 years before us, I created a web site called youtube.com/rockytopva as a forward pass to the next generation. In hopes they would enjoy the type revivals I was used to growing up. At the time of this posting this website is at 4,001,315 views. I do not promote any kind of denomination, only the kind of exciting services I was use to coming up. The closest thing to this type revival was the Asbury Revival a couple of years back.

I had dreams the whole time I was sleeping about being in those type revivals. I had in my hand revivals identified in their Latin names. And feeling the second revival was the one I had experienced. The evangelists impressed me with their earnestness and there were many amens to it in the audience. I do not remember their text, but those were typical revival sermons, full of unction and power. While preaching an evangelist snatched the paperwork out of my hand and began to preach over it. And began to identify the churches I had written down in Latin. I was going to speak up and say something but the choir kicked in and with it appropriate praise and worship music. The feeling was that these people really had it together worship wise.

I then woke up feeling… Wow! What a wonderful dream! And that… Even though I was not going to get any credit for it…. The material I posted on the youtube.com/rockytopva site was going to be used well by others.

Acts 13:24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
(MY NOTE: John the Baptist is sent to preach, the Baptism of Repentance to All the People of ISRAEL. John's mission was to: """Prepare the way for the coming LORD""". See Isa 40:3, Matt 3:3, Mk 1:3, Lk 3:4.)

Acts 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on the One that would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
(MY NOTE: John the Baptist is sent to ISREAL to preach, the Baptism of Repentance. John's foretold mission was to: "Prepare the way for the coming LORD". John proclaimed: believe on him which should come after John, that is, on Christ Jesus. Through whom remission/pardon of sin would be realized.)

Water baptism was a commandment given by Jesus, Peter & others.

Emblem definition: a symbolic representation of a particular quality or concept.

Water baptism isn't the first breath of one's new spiritual life/birth. Water baptism is an outward Emblem/symbolic representation. A public statement of belonging to the Lord, self denial, when immersed (buried emblem) & rise up (resurrection emblem). Water baptism isn't about getting saved, it's a response to salvation.

You're publicly partaking in a commanded act of obedience/a gateway to discipleship. This undertaking is an outward physical expression, of the inner spiritual transformation you received, when Christ baptized you with His eternal life giving Holy Spirit.

Jesus also commanded partaking in communion. Although both these actions are commanded. Neither action is the doorway leading to eternal salvation. These events follow the salvation sealing Holy Spirit baptism, performed by Christ alone. See Matt 3:11, Lk 3:16, Mk 1:8, Jn 1:33, Acts 1:4-5, 2:38, 10:45, 11:16)

Jn 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
(MY NOTE: It's Jesus Holy Spirit that gives born again spiritual life. Not any physical act one does)

1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
(MY NOTE: For by "ONE SPIRIT" we are "ALL" "BAPTIZED" "INTO ONE BODY! Translators capitalized Spirit to identify when referring the Holy Spirit. Only Christ can baptize with HIS salvation sealing forever indwelling Holy Spirit.)

Spiritual baptism is the event where, through repentance > from unbelief to belief/FAITH. Placed in Jesus sacrificial sin atoning death & resurrection. The believer is FOREVER (Jn 14:16) indwelt/BAPTIZED via Christ's salvation SEALNG (Eph 1:13-14, 4:30, 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5, 2 Tim 1:14), eternal life giving (Jn 10:28) Holy Spirit!

Spiritual baptism doesn't require any hands or H2O.

Col 2:11 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""
(MY NOTE: The baptism of the ETERNALLY SEALING (2 Cor 1:22, 5:5, Eph 4:4) FOREVER INDWELLING (Jn14:16) Holy Spirit is a ""Spiritual Circumcision Covenant"" done ""by Christ Alone"", WITHOUT HANDS & WITHOUT WATER.)

Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
(MY NOTE: Circumcision of the heart, in the spirit)

Deut 30:6 (A) the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart,

Col 2:
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
(MY NOTE: ""IN Him"". Find Spiritual connections Jn 17:20,21,22,23.)

10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
(MY NOTE: KJV Dictionary Definition: Complete, 1.) Having no deficiency; perfect. And ye are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power. Col 2:10. The believer is made complete/perfect, by Faith ""IN Him"")

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:
(MY NOTE: OT circumcision covenant was a physical sign of belonging to God's chosen covenant people. Spiritual circumcision covenant is divine, ""made without hands"", internal ""IN Him/IN you"" & transformative. This Spiritual circumcision is performed by Christ. A covenantal break from the old order sin nature, it's success enabled by by Christ' Holy Spirit now dwelling ""IN you""!)

SEALED
2 Tim 1:14 The Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you
(MY NOTE: The Holy Spirit dwelling within us > PRESENT TENSE. Is God's good deposit/down payment)

2 Cor 5:5 God, who also hath given unto us the "earnest" of the Spirit
(MY NOTE: God has > PAST TENSE, given us the earnest/Holy Spirit/a down payment/pledge DONE DEAL)

2 Cor 1:22 Who hath also "sealed us" & "given the earnest" of the Holy Spirit in our hearts
(MY NOTE: God has given the believer > PAST TENSE/DONE DEAL. The EARNEST = DEPOSIT/PLEDGE/PROMISE/SEAL)

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
(MY NOTE: The gospel/good news of your salvation: you believed & were > PAST TENSE SEALED/DONE DEAL! With/by God's salvation sealing Holy Spirit promise)

Eph1:14 Which is the "earnest" of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession
(MY NOTE: The Holy Spirit by which only Christ baptizes. SEALS & FOREVER [Jn 14:16] indwells us. Is God's earnest = a down payment/pledge)

Eph 4:30 grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are "sealed" unto the day of redemption
(MY NOTE: Believers are SEALED until their next unrepentant sin? NO! SEALED until the day they receive their heavenly body. Christ's indwelling Holy Spirit, is Christ's pledge/promise that he will come for every believer. Jews received this "Promise" at the Acts 2 Pentecost, gentiles at Acts 10 Cornelius. And now any/every Jew of gentile that repents (from unbelief to belief) in Christ' death & resurrection. Is given/receives "IS SEALED" with the salvation sealing H/S. Promise)

Additional recourses:
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words: Salvation
[ A-1,Noun,G4991, soteria ]
(b) of the spiritual and eternal deliverance granted immediately by God to those who accept His conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom alone it is to be obtained, Acts 4:12, and upon confession of Him as Lord, Romans 10:10; for this purpose the gospel is the saving instrument, Romans 1:16; Ephesians 1:13 (See further under SAVE);
Salvation - Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

(MY NOTE: "ETERNAL DELIVERANCE GRANTED IMMEDIATELY" by God. To those who accept His conditions of repentance (from unbelief to belief) & faith in the Lord Jesus death & resurrection)

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words: Seal - (Noun and Verb)
[ B-1,Verb,G4972, sphragizo ]
(d) ownership and security, together with destination, Revelation 7:3-Revelation 7:5 (as with the noun in Revelation 7:2; See A); the same three indications are conveyed in Ephesians 1:13, in the metaphor of the "sealing" of believers by the gift of the Holy Spirit, upon believing (i.e., at the time of their regeneration, not after a lapse of time in their spiritual life, "having also believed," not as AV, "after that ye believed;" the aorist participle marks the definiteness and completeness of the act of faith); the idea of destination is stressed by the phrase "the Holy Spirit of promise" (See also Ephesians 1:14); so Ephesians 4:30, "ye were sealed unto the day of redemption;" so in 2 Corinthians 1:22, where the Middle Voice intimates the special interest of the Sealer in His act;
Seal (Noun and Verb) - Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

(NY NOTE: The SEAL is a promise/sign/seal of Ownership & Security. Conveyed in Eph 1:13, in the metaphor of the "SEALING" of believer, by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Action upon believing/at the time of their regeneration, NOT after a lapse of time in their spiritual life)

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: EARNEST -
(Noun) [ 1,,G728, arrabon ]
originally, earnest-money" deposited by the purchaser and forfeited if the purchase was not completed, was probably a Phoenician word, introduced into Greece. In general usage it came to denote "a pledge" or "earnest" of any sort; in the NT it is used only of that which is assured by God to believers; it is said of the Holy Spirit as the Divine "pledge" of all their future blessedness, 2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5; in Ephesians 1:14, particularly of their eternal inheritance. In the Sept., Genesis 38:17-Genesis 38:18, Genesis 38:20. In modern Greek arrabona is an "engagement ring."
Earnest (Noun) - Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

(MY NOTE: Denotes "a pledge or deposit by the purchaser". Christ/God the Son is the church purchaser (1 Cor 7:23, 2 pet 2:1, Mat 20:28, Mar 10:45, 1 Tim 2:6). Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. In modern Greek arrabona is an "ENGAGEMENT RING". The Holy Spirit deposited in-us 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5, Eph 1:14 is an "ENGAGEMENT RING".)

During Jesus time an engagement/BETROTHAL was a legally binding contract. Marking the start of the marriage covenant. To show commitment the groom paid a bride price (Mohar). Jesus/our Bridegroom paid the ultimate price (1 Cor 6:20, 7:23, Acts 20:28, Eph 1:14). Hallelujah, praise the Lord, thank you Jesus. AMEN & Amen.

I wish CF were more well-trafficked, so I decided to do my tiny part by posting more and making more threads. Of course an increase in the quantity of threads will mean a decrease in the quality, as you can tell from the title.

It seems counter-intuitive given that the back of the shirt presses against the backs of chairs when I sit, and against a wall if I lean against one, but the front rarely touches anything. Yet over the years holes have appeared in the front, rarely ever in the back. Of course I asked AI about this, and got an answer which seems possibly insightful yet possibly bogus. But I've been told I need human interaction in my life, so, any thoughts on this? Are anyone's experiences similar? Or different?

There are two main evidences to this. The Bible and history or nature. We’ll start with what is the easy way to learn it. The Bible. After the time of martial law during Moses and Joshua. They established Ancient Israel as a free republic. Although it may seem a little odd, this due to God’s purpose in separating the nation from others to bring the world his word and the Messiah though it. The Mosaic law was Ancient Israel’s constitution. There was no provision in it for imposed central government. It had 12 states, and each was to be self-governing. Their constitution said to choose or elect wise leaders to lead each state in keeping the law. Then there was the Levitical tribe of priests who had parcels in each state who were the pastors of their day. Tithes which were in essence voluntary taxes were to be given to them for their support since they were not given enough land to support themselves. But the taxes were not collected. They were voluntarily given, and the priesthood had no physical authority. They could only influence the public. Their military was 100% militia each state controlled its own militia. To show how loose or free to choose their own way this confederation of tribes was in relation to the nation. The tribe of Benjamin went total Sodom and Gomorrah at one point. This was hardly a theocracy as some would mistakenly compare it to theocratic monarchies.

Within this structure God would supernaturally ordain judges to influence or lead the tribes in time of war or oppression by foreign armies and bring them back to God when they went astray. The republic lasted 400 years. Then they decided they no longer wanted the personal responsibility necessary to maintain a free republic and voted God out and a king in. They said they wanted a king to fight their battles for them. God warned them sternly that their kings would enslave them, but they refused to listen. Take heed to this you Christian nationalists who desire a “Christian prince” to fight your spiritual and physical battles for your nation. This is the pattern upon which the United States was founded but adjusted to fit its circumstances. 13 independent states with their own constitutions, that like the mosaic law laid out the people’s religious responsibilities necessary for remaining free republics. You can see these religious responsibilities highlighted in each state constitution on this web page- The Original State Constitutions. Like Ancient Israel these responsibilities relied on personal religious devotion and also like ancient Israel’ s Levitical priesthood, pastors were to help this along. In fact some states required towns to hire a pastor of their denominational choice and build a meeting house for religious instruction. Public education was religious in nature, including university level and required by the states but run by churches. Almost every state had a favored Christian denomination, but all allowed complete religious freedom for all Christians. This freedom extended to super minorities of other religions but generally they were not allowed to hold law making offices.

Finally, just like Ancient Israel's republic had supernaturally ordained judges to bring revival, awaking or divine truth that had grown dim to light. The USA operated on the same level. America’s judges were the George Whitfield’s, the Wesley’s, the Jonathon Edwards and Charles Finney’s. Just to name a few. This is so important in understanding the difference between biblically ordained republics versus progressive government. Our government in the states or federally were never given the power to determine truth. In fact, the founders argued prolifically against government ever being able to have that power. Self-evident truth as stated in the Declaration of Independence was already determined in the Bible. It was to be ascertained by the people themselves, and government was ordained to do nothing more than to protect the process though which people could ascertain the truth themselves. This is precisely what Jesus meant when he stated his kingdom was not of this world. Truth cannot be imposed from the top down the way the world kingdoms operated. This was due to human beings being so easily corrupted by the love of money and Government is the easiest way for people to get their hands on other folks money. If government is given that kind of power it will not be truth they are imposing upon the population anyway. It will be lies that empower rulers and give them access to the fruits of the labor of the people. Progressive government turns a biblically based republic on its head. Government determines truth and imposes it. Its tendency is towards corruption exists simply because government now has the power to do so.
After this, these 13 states formed central government for two specific purposes. National defense and keeping peace between the states regarding trade, currency and other interstate relations. Before the states signed on to this a Bill of Rights was added to the federal constitution that greatly restricted its power over the states. First and foremost was the 1st amendment that deals with the most important part of what would be a successful republic. It’s religion, the religion of and about Jesus Christ and its relation to human government which really needs contextualized into the time 1st amendment was written rather than within the context of today’s popular thought. In the world the colonies just fought a war against. The state controlled religion through state run churches. It was not a matter of “the church” running the state which is how it is portrayed in modern education as propaganda. These state-run churches were created to control Christianity. A witness to this fact is that up until Northern Europe won the right in war for the general population to posses and own Bibles. The personal possession of the Bible without the specific permission of the authorities in supposedly Christian theocratic monarchies was illegal. It led to unauthorized preaching that if caught often led to the death penalty. It did not matter what the hierarchies in these state-run churches wanted because some of those hierarchies wanted the people to own Bibles. The state did not. The rulers had read it. They, just like every communist dictatorship that arose in the modern world understood the Bible in the hands of the general public was a threat to their rule. They were correct about this and history sure bears witness to it. Due to the commercial printing press that arose right when the Roman Empire finally fell in 1453 AD. Bibles began to be illegally mass produced making it far to difficult for the authorities to keep up with it. A Bible reading public led to the Dutch Republic where Bible ownership and reading along with the personal possession of a firearm was required for political participation. Yet right across the border you could still get burned at the stake for getting caught with an unauthorized Bible. The thinking that developed due to a Bible reading public led to the development and establishment of a free world and while that thinking was still developing, it migrated north America.

In North America the Bible was the basis of all public education. It was the main course of study and everything else surrounded it. It remained like this until progressivism began to get a foothold in the early 20th century. At that point the progressive movement started to chip away at public educations use of the Bible in non-sectarian public education. Their crowning achievement came in the 1960’s when in defiance of the 1st amendment a bastardized reading of the 14th amendment was used by a progressive supreme court declared itself, actually declare the state ruler, over the religious views of the people and their states. Republican led states should have immediately defied this ruling, and still should today. However, my assumption is since the courts had after one hundred years of effort by the Republican party to pass civil rights laws finally started to rule in favor of those efforts. Republicans did not want to upset the apple cart of actually being able to enforce the 14th and 15th amendments on states who were violating them. So, in my opinion, settled for allowing judicial supremacy over the religious\political views of the people. But as we can now all see, this came with a horrendous cost. You see, the progressive ideology, no matter how it is presented, as democracy or whatever. makes the state supreme. State supremacy is simply not possible when a population is intimately aware of the contents of the Bible. Hence the reason for all dictatorships, kings, emperors to keep it from the public. Progressive government which is by its very nature is corrupt due to its violation of the laws of nature and natures God has and will continue to try to keep the public an ignorant as possible about an accurate understanding of the Bibles teachings. And by the way will quote it extensively in a nation where it has influence for purely political advantageous reasons. They all have. So now we'll look at the 1st amendment within the context it was written rather than the context a progressive supreme court gave it that has now been popularized by progressive dominated public education systems.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.


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I have been praying the Rosary for awhile now but once in awhile I have prayed the St. Michael Chaplet. I did this a few days ago because I wanted a change. I can't decide if it feels more laborious than the Rosary - a part of me feels like it does, but that's a matter of opinion. However, I like how I feel when I pray this - I feel calmer praying this prayer than even the Rosary (I hope that's not because I'm "too used" to the Rosary). There's something I like about this but I feel "guilty" taking a break from the Rosary to pray this Chaplet, but I'm liking it "better" than the Rosary lately. Maybe the novelty will wear off after awhile but I don't know.

I am surprised that this Chaplet is not promoted more - after all, we're invoking St. Michael, what could possibly be insignificant about this? I love this Chaplet. I wish it didn't take as much time to pray (25 minutes to a half hour) but it's underrated IMHO and I don't think it gets the representation and recognition that it deserves.

(It is the Chaplet with 9 sections of an Our Father/3 Hail Marys and then you pray 4 OFs for each of the Angels (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Guardian Angel).

FBI Ousts Leader as Patel Fumes Over Attention to Agency Jet Use​

The FBI forced out a senior official overseeing aviation shortly after Director Kash Patel grew outraged about revelations of his publicly-available jet logs indicating he’d flown to see his musician girlfriend perform, said three people familiar with the situation.

Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI, became the third head of the critical incident response group—which includes FBI pilots—to be fired or removed in Patel’s short regime, adding to a year filled with retributive terminations.

Palmer’s position included supervising the FBI’s aviation units, but Patel’s flight schedule was readily traceable through online tracking services and he reposted photos of himself with Wilkins at the event on his personal X account.

The people familiar with the matter said they were baffled as to why Patel might’ve blamed Palmer for the travel details.

FBI directors are required to use government aircraft for personal or business travel in order to maintain secure communications. But public attention of Patel’s weekend outing—fueled by an X post from a former FBI agent turned outspoken Patel critic—comes after Patel had criticized predecessors for personal travel on taxpayer-funded jets.

Patel shared on X an Oct. 30 post from his spokesman, which said articles and opposition to the director’s travel were “disingenuous and dumb” and “bad faith whining.”

[Just a note that, for commercial/philanthropic purposes, Patel styles himself thus as K$H]

A furloughed federal tax attorney is turning his childhood dream into a reality with more time on his hands during the nearly monthlong government shutdown.

Furloughed IRS tax attorney Isaac Stein, 31, is selling hot dogs from his “Shysters Dogs” stand, whose motto is “the only honest rip off in D.C.”

For Stein, running a food stand is a childhood dream, and he’s using the government shutdown as an opportunity to live it out.

“There you are, ma’am,” Stein said to a customer Wednesday. “Don’t forget your soft drink. Thank you so much.”

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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Century-old wreaths made from human hair fill the walls of Leila’s Hair Museum, and glass cases overflow with necklaces and watch bands woven from the locks of the dead. There also are tresses purported to come from past presidents, Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe and even Jesus.

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Belief that a ‘corrupt elite is secretly running the world’ is one of the longest-running and most widespread conspiracy theories of our time

It has become a “byword for a corrupt elite” ruling the world, said indy100, and supposedly boasts Beyoncé, Madonna, Jay-Z and Donald Trump among its members. The name “Illuminati” is “so powerful that it has begun to rule TikTok”, becoming last year’s “most talked-about counter-mainstream idea”.

The story is “pretty compelling” – but “that’s all it is, a story”. And it is one that the “stars themselves have shrugged off or even mischievously fuelled”. While most of the rumours surrounding the Illuminati and its members are fiction, the group was at one time real – though its influence was not nearly as vast and enduring as modern conspiracists claim.

How did the Illuminati start?​

The idea of an “illuminati”, meaning “enlightened” or “illuminated”, has been around since the 15th century, wrote author and academic Chris Fleming. Early groups included the Spanish Alumbrados (the “illuminated”), who believed people could “attain direct communion with God” and thereby gain spiritual enlightenment without traditional worship or the sacrament. Alleged sympathisers include St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, who was questioned by the Inquisition in 1527 over possible links.

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A federal judge in Tampa has ordered the arrest of a former Green Beret accused of plotting to invade Venezuela in 2020 after he failed to show up to court for a hearing on whether he should be taken back into custody for violating the conditions of his pre-trial release.

Jordan Goudreau, 49, was arrested last year on weapons smuggling charges tied to the failed coup attempt undertaken during the first Trump administration.

He was released after a few weeks in jail when filmmaker Jen Gatien pledged her $2 million Manhattan apartment where the combat veteran was living as collateral for a bond. In testimony this week, Gatien detailed how the three-time Bronze Star recipient turned abusive, alleging he threatened to harm her and others and sent text messages saying he wouldn't go back to jail.

"I believe he intends one day to leave this country," Gatien said, noting that Goudreau previously lived on a sailboat in Mexico.

Gatien's new documentary, "Men of War," is a largely sympathetic look at Goudreau's slapdash plan to train a mercenary force of Venezuelan army deserters in neighboring Colombia to carry out a cross-border raid that aimed to spark a popular rebellion and remove President Nicolas Maduro.


see also:

An imprisoned Indian pastor regained the strength to remain faithful after God allowed another pastor to be arrested and sent to the same prison to encourage him, showcasing the importance of fellowship with other believers facing some of the worst persecution the world has to offer.

As Christians around the world observe Sunday's International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, Voice of the Martyrs' Vice President and radio host Todd Nettleton reflected on the stories of Christians who are oppressed for their faith and the miraculous signs of God they encounter during their trials.

Nettleton encouraged believers to put themselves in the shoes of those suffering for their faith.

"The important thing is to put ourselves in their place," the ministry leader told The Christian Post, citing Hebrews 13:3, which states, "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."

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Good work, it makes it safer for us all.

So, do you think the Bible is completely without error in everything it touches on?

I do believe the Bible is infallible, but idk if I would go to say that it is entirely without error on matters of history, details, etc. The point is to point people to Christ. It's not meant to be a collection of raw information to mine through.

I do think Scripture is God breathed, but unsure whether I lean towards verbal plenary inspiration or dynamic inspiration.

What about you?

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Review, or read for the first time, this profound but accessible explanation, condensed in just four paragraphs.

Spe Salvi, Benedict XVI's encyclical on hope, includes eight paragraphs on the theme of our judgment, "as a setting for learning and practicing hope."

Part of what the German Pontiff illustrates in that section is purgatory. He says, "The judgement of God is hope, both because it is justice and because it is grace."

Here is a four-paragraph excerpt of the section, particularly fitting for our prayer and reflections on All Souls Day. The emphases in bold are our own.


45. This early Jewish idea of an intermediate state includes the view that these souls are not simply in a sort of temporary custody but, as the parable of the rich man illustrates, are already being punished or are experiencing a provisional form of bliss. There is also the idea that this state can involve purification and healing which mature the soul for communion with God. The early Church took up these concepts, and in the Western Church they gradually developed into the doctrine of Purgatory. We do not need to examine here the complex historical paths of this development; it is enough to ask what it actually means. With death, our life-choice becomes definitive—our life stands before the judge. Our choice, which in the course of an entire life takes on a certain shape, can have a variety of forms. There can be people who have totally destroyed their desire for truth and readiness to love, people for whom everything has become a lie, people who have lived for hatred and have suppressed all love within themselves. This is a terrifying thought, but alarming profiles of this type can be seen in certain figures of our own history. In such people all would be beyond remedy and the destruction of good would be irrevocable: this is what we mean by the word Hell [37]. On the other hand there can be people who are utterly pure, completely permeated by God, and thus fully open to their neighbours—people for whom communion with God even now gives direction to their entire being and whose journey towards God only brings to fulfilment what they already are [38].

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On the Feast of All Saints, Holy Mother Church lifts our eyes to heaven — to our true homeland, and to the holy family that already loves us: the Church Triumphant. The saints are not distant figures. They walked the same earth, fought the same temptations, and carried their crosses in faith. Now they intercede for us and call us to join them in glory. Heaven is not a dream. Heaven is home. And your place is already prepared — if you persevere. Confession is your weapon. The Eucharist your strength. The Rosary your shield. The Cross your path. Do not aim to be remembered on earth. Aim to be recognized in heaven. All Saints of God, pray for us. Mary, Queen of All Saints, guide us.

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(RNS) — Visiting historically Black college campuses during homecoming observances over the last month, Blexit, a conservative Black group run by the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA, has received pushback from some university officials and commentators.

Hampton University in Virginia and Howard University in Washington were among 10 institutions announced as locations of the tour by the group that was founded by conservative activistCandace Owens. The group, which describes its mission as focused on “Faith, Family, and Freedom,” merged with Turning Point USA in 2023.

According to its website, the “Elevate to Liberate” tour started on Sept. 25 at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will conclude Friday (Oct. 31) at Bowie State University in Maryland and Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.

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These nameless and unrecorded ones remind us that history comes in two forms. There is recorded history, which is documented and written about and studied, and there is unrecorded history, which is all that has ever happened in the past, known and unknown, documented and undocumented. The former is miniscule in relation to the latter, the mere tip of the historical iceberg.

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In a humble corner of America, two Polish immigrants showed that the greatest treasures are often found in unseen acts of love and gratitude.

‘Crucifix’ (photo: McCarthy's PhotoWorks / Shutterstock)

Many of the blessings we receive in this life often go unnoticed. After I was born, little did I realize that the devoted older couple pushing my pram — in which I was safely ensconced as a toothless, bald baby — would have such an impact on my family’s life.

Mr. and Mrs. Matoga were hard-working farmers who had been employed by a family of Polish aristocrats in eastern Poland, a region the Russians had acquired during the partitions of the 18th century.

Tragedy struck when the Russians confiscated the manor and its lands, forcing the Polish aristocrats into exile. As a parting gift for their loyalty and service, the lady of the manor gave the Matogas a pectoral reliquary crucifix that had once belonged to a Catholic bishop.

Like the aristocrats, Mr. and Mrs. Matoga faced a major decision: Stay in Russian-occupied Poland or join the exodus of poor refugees heading for Germany to book steerage passage to the “Promised Land,” as they called the United States.

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