I hate that he had to plead to a crime he didn't commit and that those who are truly guilty are still around running everything, but I don't blame him for taking the plea deal. He has suffered so much. I wish him the best and hope the US hasn't freed him in order to Epstein him.
I'm praying for his wellbeing and safety.
" ... for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth ..." (Genesis 8:21)
"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders." (Matthew 15:19)
"You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me." (Jeremiah 16:12)
Amen!
#Jesus #WordofGod #Christian #Bible #biblestr
There are multiple areas that he is very good, but I just can't get past his stance on abortion. I do not think it is OK to kill a baby at any stage but think it is particularly horrific that RFK, Jr thinks it is OK to kill a baby seconds before natural birth.
The only moral functions of government are protecting life and property and he is not only failing to do the first, he is encouraging ending life.
We had a brief period between one dog dying and getting the next dog. Some food got dropped on the floor and my husband and I just stood there looking at the food and looking at each other wondering what to do. We finally figured out we were going to have to bend over and pick up the food. We were not used to that.
When my husband proposed, he picked out a diamond and put it in a plain setting. After I said yes, he took me back to the shop to pick out the setting/ring. He said that, if I didn't find anything I liked, he could return everything and go elsewhere, but I told him, "if I can't find anything acceptable here, you need to throw me back."
I wouldn't care what kind of diamond it was. I'm practical and would probably choose the lab grown one if it looks nice and is cheaper, but hopefully you know how your girl thinks. Some girls care about brand and doing it the old fashioned way. Some girls are more practical.
Does she care about name brand stuff? If so, she might prefer the natural, dug from the ground diamond. Is she practical and likes a good deal on quality? She might prefer the lab grown diamond.
I can't say that I have ever compared the two. Chemically they should be the same, so if you can get more clarity, purity, and sparkle for the money, I'd go the lab grown.
We just need Congress to pass a bill with a lifetime ban on government employment (and pensions) and with jail time for anyone caught using a private email or purposely misspelling words to prevent FOIA requests. I'd say minimum of a year in jail with an additional week for every email that doesn't follow official rules to aid FOIA requests. If there were real consequences, they'd be more likely to obey the rules and also try harder to make sure there are no "accidents." Same, except with a 5 year minimum jail sentence for destroying or discarding equipment to make data unrecoverable.
I understand. I also know there is zero chance of a law passing that actually punishes government employees or politicians when they break the law. They worked hard to get in that position so they could break the law.
The only laws I might support are laws that limit and/or punish those that are part of the government and laws that protect life & private property. Of course with the government, you always have to consider every possible way that law could be twisted. They've already managed to interpret most of the Constitution in the exact opposite way in which it was intended.
Sometimes I comment what I think is ideal. Sometimes I comment on what might be possible understanding what we have now. This was a pragmatic rather than idealistic comment. It would make things better than they are now while not fixing the problem anywhere near fully.
I'm wondering if we will get a war or a pandemic that enables them to either "postpone" elections or switch them to entirely mail-in ballots so they can cheat their way into continued power. They know they have broken so many laws that they can 't allow their opponents into power or they will all be going to jail.
I tend to think that the mRNA jabs were a loyalty test used to drive out anyone capable and willing of thinking for themselves. All that is left are the blind order followers. This was by plan.
I keep looking at gas prices. The Ukraine/Russia war and the Israel/Hamas (and likely soon to be Israel/Hezbollah/Iran) wars along with Houthis shooting at ships in the Red Sea should make oil/gas prices skyrocket. Instead they are dropping. That says consumption is dropping like a rock. Sadly, I expect bad times are coming. The only questions are "how bad?" and "do we have a slow slide or a precipitous plummet?"
I have had some thoughts regarding God's sovereignty and man's will and guilt. My thoughts were triggered by these posts, starting with my post: https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/fruits-of-the-spirit
### Response to my Post
buttercat1791
npub1wqf…cqsyn
19
6/16/24, 9:17 AM
View Parent<br>
"If there are more signs of bad fruit, we need to consider whether our faith is real and respond accordingly."
This may be due to my incomplete understanding of Reformed theology, but it would seem that this statement conflicts with the doctrine of Irresistible Grace. Do you hold to all the points of TULIP?
I struggle to wrap my head around how a believer can be said to respond to grace in this or that way, when that grace is said to be irresistible. Maybe you can help me understand the finer points better? — This is a comment on: yakihonne.com/article/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4
### My quick response
LibertyGal
npub1356…k805u
50
6/16/24, 10:05 AM<br>
Although I have a lot of beliefs in common I don't consider myself part of the reformed theology. I do believe in Irresistible Grace because I believe in the absolute sovereignty of God. I can't deny this absolute sovereignty that is spoken of throughout scripture. I explain it to myself this way (although I admit that I likely don't have perfect understanding. As the creature, we shouldn't expect to fully understand the Creator.) Due to the sin of Adam and Eve, we have a sin nature. That nature causes everyone to reject God. If we could have true, complete faith we would be accepted by Him, but our sin nature makes this impossible. When God "calls" or "elects" a person, He unchains them from their sin nature. Once we are freed from our sin nature, there is no other choice, but to repent and trust Him as Savior because our nature and His nature make it so.
I'll admit I am still trying to fully understand His sovereignty and our choice.
### His 2nd Response:
buttercat1791
npub1wqf…cqsyn
19
6/16/24, 10:19 AM<br>
Why would we think that, unchained from sin nature, there is no other choice but to accept God? Adam and Eve did not have a sin nature, but they still freely rejected God. If Christ's redemption redeems and elevates our nature by union with Christ, then would not that raise us to the freedom to love God as Jesus loves God the Father? It would seem to me that, for this love to be freely given, the possibility must exist that this love may be freely refused, as well.
### My initial Thought to answer the question asked
I reserve the right to be wrong, but I think the difference between us, when we are freed from our sin nature, and Adam and Eve is that they had never experienced sin and guilt.
I used to think it amazing that Adam and Eve were misled so easily. When there is only one rule, "Don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," how hard can that one rule be to obey? Although Adam and Eve were physically adults, they were likely only days old, at most a couple years old. They had never heard a lie before. They didn't know to watch out for a lie anymore than a baby understands that it can fall from a height. Until that first sin, they had no idea what guilt felt like. When they did sin, they hid from God because they fully understood their guilt (We've sinned so often that we become more numb to the guilt).
The reason we are driven to repentance and acceptance of God's forgiveness the moment we are freed from our sin nature is because we have felt that guilt and the pain of separation, so we are more grateful for what was done for us. Adam and Eve looked at God's command as something good being withheld from them. We have seen that Jesus humbled himself, came down to Earth, lived the perfect human life that we can't, died to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose from the dead to reign in heaven. We can see how much we dishonored Him and how much He did for us. Once we are freed from our sin nature, how can we do anything other than to submit to him in grateful adoration?
### More thoughts:
The Bible repeatedly speaks of God's absolute sovereignty. There is nothing He cannot do and He has the right to make us do what He wants and/or to do with us as He wishes.
> 14What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” 18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, (Romans 9:14-23)
God has the power and the right to make us do His will, to use us as He plans, and to punish us for our actions (whether they are free will or not), but I think the reality is more complicated.
For example, in the story of Joseph, his brothers hated him and wanted to kill him, but God had a plan for Joseph, so he put the idea into their heads to sell Joseph instead and made sure the right people were nearby when they had this idea. Rueben wanted to save Joseph and prevent sorrow for his father, but God made him too late returning, so Joseph got sold into slavery. When Potiphar's wife made a pass at Joseph and Joseph refused her and she charged him with assaulting her, it is likely that Potiphar knew his wife and knew things weren't what he was told, but he was embarrassed that his wife would be interested in a Hebrew slave, so Joseph was sent to the Pharaoh's prison (from all of the penalties that could have been given to him), so that Joseph would be there to interpret the butler's dream. The butler was busy, but God made him forget Joseph until the time was right to bring Joseph before Pharaoh to save the people of Egypt, Israel, and beyond. God used what was in their hearts (their guilt) but only allowed them to act on those urges in the way God intended and to further His will.
In this way we do get to choose good or evil, but we still act out God's eternal plan according to His will.
I'll admit that understanding the perfect balance between God's absolute sovereignty and eternal will with man's choices and resultant guilt is difficult and I am still fine tuning my beliefs because they are not simple like many of God's commands. "Do not commit adultery," "Do not commit murder," and "Go, make disciples." are easy to understand, but the balance between God's will and man's is not so easy. I always try to err on the side of God's absolute sovereignty and figure the rest will work itself out.
I really worry about the US. The leaders seem to think they are invincible and can do whatever they wish without consequences. They've given away most of their weapons to the lost cause of Ukraine (and others). They've destroyed the readiness of the military by concentrating on woke agendas and destroying the health of the soldiers with forced jabs (especially the covid jab) and even starting to move to lab grown "meat". They've made enemies of half of the world. Now they are trying to start wars with Russia and China (and many other smaller nations). If we actually go to war with Russia or China (and especially if we go to war with both), things are probably going to go badly quickly. Then the bullies, in charge, will almost certainly go nuclear (or bioweapons) quickly to cover for their losses. Americans are going to be shocked at how their lives get destroyed so quickly.
Although I have a lot of beliefs in common I don't consider myself part of the reformed theology. I do believe in Irresistible Grace because I believe in the absolute sovereignty of God. I can't deny this absolute sovereignty that is spoken of throughout scripture. I explain it to myself this way (although I admit that I likely don't have perfect understanding. As the creature, we shouldn't expect to fully understand the Creator.) Due to the sin of Adam and Eve, we have a sin nature. That nature causes everyone to reject God. If we could have true, complete faith we would be accepted by Him, but our sin nature makes this impossible. When God "calls" or "elects" a person, He unchains them from their sin nature. Once we are freed from our sin nature, there is no other choice, but to repent and trust Him as Savior because our nature and His nature make it so.
I'll admit I am still trying to fully understand His sovereignty and our choice.
Also, there are people who say they have trusted Jesus or become a Christian, but that belief is based on the beliefs of their family or them wanting a "get out of jail free" card or some other non-internalized belief. The Bible says that "the demons also believe, and shudder." (James 2:19b). It isn't enough to just believe that God exists or that Jesus exists. You have to admit who He is, His character, our sin, and repent of that sin and submit to His will and authority.
There will be plenty of people who consider themselves Christians, but who are not.
"21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7:21-23)
I guess you could call them the illegal aliens. Jesus calls them the tares among the wheat.
I do believe that a person can truly know that they are saved and a child of God, but we cannot know for certain on another person, although we can have a pretty good idea by their fruits.
Sorry, I didn't respond right away. This wasn't an easy, whip up a quick response, kind of answer and I went out of town for my son's birthday trip to a theme park/water park and an eye appointment and when I got back, I was doing VBS (vacation bible school) with our church. This was the first chance to try to give a proper response. I actually decided to do a long form post. I'll tag you on the post.
I haven't seen Christians worshipping or idolizing the rich. In my circles it is almost the opposite. What I see, all too often, is Christians talking about politicians like they are saviors and treating the American flag like an idol and destroying anyone who doesn't treat their idol with proper respect. I like our flag, but I don't pledge allegiance to it (my allegiance is to God alone) and I treat it with general respect, but don't have a fit if someone else doesn't. I think one politician is significantly better than another, but even the best, someone like Ron Paul, still has his faults and is unable to fix the mess we are in.
Politicians should not be treated like gods or saviors and the flag should not be treated like an idol.
People today think they have moved beyond idolatry, but there is definite idolatry. It just looks a little different. I'd argue that the way we (Americans) treat the flag is a form of idolatry. We "pledge allegiance" to the flag when we should only pledge allegiance to God. We treat it with pomp and ceremony in the same way people used to treat their graven idols. We throw a fit when the flag isn't treated just so according to the religious formula. Anyone who mistreats the flag is treated as a heretic that must be destroyed or driven away. It is idolatry.
The flag is only one example, but one of which many American Christians are very much guilty.
As people and countries move away from the USD and the dollars come home, we'll be seeing a lot more inflation. If there is anything that you really need, but haven't gotten around to getting it, the time may be now.
I'm with you. I always say that when I met the man that is now my husband, I knew it was true love because he was the first guy who could keep up (or pass) me.
I used to work for Motorola in a facility that >5,000 employees. Almost every time someone met me, they would comment with something like, "Oh, you're the girl who walks fast."
I just saw this headline that Trump wants to eliminate the income tax. I think the income tax and property tax are the two most evil taxes of all, so this was interesting to me (not that I trust Trump to follow through or think he is likely to get it through Congress).
I have wanted to eliminate the income tax (and all other taxes) and replace it with only a sales tax so we are no longer nickel and dimed to death and so we can see, with every purchase, how much we are really paying. Unfortunately that isn't Trump's plan. He wants super high tariffs. He actually thinks tariffs would be paid by China and not the American people who buy their products. He wants a 25% tariff on imports. That will just mean the price of everything will go up 25%. No Thanks! (although it still is probably better than the income tax because it keeps the government out of our personal business).
He should also realize the moment we implement high tariffs on imports, other nations are going to implement high tariffs on our exports.
https://libertyonenews.com/trump-drops-bombshell-proposal-suggests-eliminating-income-tax-during-dc-republicans-meeting/
#grownostr #economics #taxes
I've been concerned that foreign countries are moving away from the USD (I don't blame them. I would if I was them.) The US has been able to print money without massive inflation because the countries of the world hold USD in reserve for purchasing internationally (especially oil). Until the money moves, it doesn't decrease the purchasing power. Slowly nations, ie. BRICS, are moving to bilateral agreements and stopping using USD for trade. They will be needing less and less dollars for purchases and will therefore stop holding dollars. As the USD comes home and we have a huge amount of dollars chasing limited goods, inflation is going to sky rocket. We could even get inflation approaching Argentinia, Zimbabwe, and Weimar Republic levels.
Losing the petrodolllar agreement with Saudi Arabia could be the straw that breaks the camel's back. I hope not, but things are definitely heading in the wrong direction.
#grownostr #petrodollar #economy #inflation
nostr:nevent1qyt8wumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgtcppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0qywhwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnzd96xxmmfdejhytnnda3kjctv9uq3kamnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3wdaexzmn8v4cxjmrv9ejx2a30qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujucm4wfex2mn59en8j6f0qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qghwaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7qghwaehxw309aex2mrp0yh8qunfd4skctnwv46z7qgewaehxw309aex2mrp0yh8xmn0wf6zuum0vd5kzmp0qqs099yvg2dr3kplnkqf5rhkcna2j9zmjrdmkwscrxvp05h8attya5ch3sz3d
It looks like the details I had read are not entirely right. I believe this article describes the true situation. The trend is the same, but the move away from the dollar is less sudden and less formalized than described above.
https://mises.org/mises-wire/saudi-arabia-drifts-away-washington-and-dollar
I only know how to word it for a loyal person.
Someone who you can count on to always seek your wellbeing and to tell you the truth.
Too many people consider someone loyal who does what they are told and is a "yes man"l. I would totally disagree with the 2nd definition.
Thanks to someone teaching me about long form notes and my creating my own, I finally understand your posts. It always looked like just a bolded sentence and I didn't understand that it was a long form note. I really should've just clicked on it, but didn't until I knew what was going on.
When our house burnt down, we stayed in a rental for a year and a month. The house was very nice, with granite counters and hardwood floors, but it was sooo vanilla. It was like the designers made sure nothing in it would be unpleasant to anyone and therefore there was absolutely nothing memorable or interesting about the house. It was very nice, but totally blah.
When we rebuilt our home, I picked out every detail (my husband would've let the builder pick most of it out) because I wanted a house that was my own and was memorable.
I'm not a person who gets worked up about labels, but I like "subscriber."
I did get upset once. I have a son with Down Syndrome. I saw a billboard that had a picture of a person with Down Syndrome and it said, "I'm not special." I know what they were trying to say, but it really irked me. My son is very special to me. Just because some people have used "special" as an insult does not mean the word should be thrown out. My son is very special and he is dear to me.
For some reason I regularly try to spell words with British spellings even though I am American. Normally I catch it and fix it, but my first thought is the British spelling. I have no idea why.
If you surround yourself with "yes men" you are never challenged and never learn or grow.
I like having my ideas challenged. Sometimes, I strengthen my beliefs and better understand why I believe what I believe. Sometimes I slightly tweak my beliefs. Sometimes I totally change my beliefs because I was wrong.
I like subscribing to you because, although we don't' agree on everything, the discussions are always thought provoking. We do usually think similarly on the important stuff.
I don't have any grandma's left and my parents don't. My Dad tried to bad mouth bitcoin and then stopped himself and asked if I had any, He stuttered and still tried to bad mouth it because one of his friends had lost bitcoin because he didn't protect his keys. Someone staying on an exchange or losing their keys is not bitcoins fault, but in his old age, he doesn't like change.
I was flattered that he realized that I might have bitcoin.
He thinks I'm crazy and clueless. I think he's short sighted and unable to accept change. Family get-togethers are interesting as my husband keeps kicking me under the table or giving me the "don't go there" back rub to keep me from discussing things that might cause a fight.
It is amazing how many women (I think my sister is one of them) are willing to vote for a senile old man who is kingpin of a crime family because Trump posts mean tweets.
I don't blame anyone for not being a fan of Trump. I do blame people for thinking Biden is better in any way. I so badly long for a day that I can vote FOR a candidate instead of voting AGAINST a candidate or candidates.
FYI, I did vote FOR Ron Paul when he ran. He never really had a chance because the establishment wouldn't allow it and most people don't actually want freedom or small government. Being at the national convention was eye opening about how corrupt the parties really are.
It is great that they overturned Roe v Wade, but overall they have been rather disappointing. They are much better than those recently nominated by Democrats, but that isn't saying much since those were basically nominated solely on their DEI scores and the adherence to ideology and not their skills and abilities or their adherence to the law/constitution.
Does the government deserve to be overthrown? Absolutely, but most revolutions lead to worse tyranny, not a better smaller government, so be careful what people wish for and be careful starting something that could make everything so much worse.
This has been my experience through life's ups and downs.
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I don't know why anyone wants to live in NYC.
On your chart, I am a little surprised that LA isn't higher. Maybe people are finally realizing how awful it is and leaving.
I also notice that 2 of the 10 are high because of the ever increasing number of high paid government bureaucrats. (Arlington & D.C.)
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