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"God has withheld His blessings because His people have not worked in harmony with His directions. Test 7 P18. " I know its not a popular message, but he is right. In the fastest growing division of the church, SSD, we have 1 pastor to every 7-9 churches. That district produces at least 100 baptisms per year. Often a new church plant. It is amazing.

The Bible I decided that it might be of value to give a background to the book that we call the Bible. Catholic Bibles mainly differ from Protestant Bibles in that they include some ancient writings, generally called by Protestants, The Apocrypha, that is not included in Protestant Bibles Some other differences are very minor and not significant. Origin: All of the Biblical books began as written documents (Autographs) written well before printed documents existed. We do not have any of those documents. All we have are copies of the original documents. Those documents do contain some scribal errors. But, they are highly accurate and the minor errors are commonly seen in comparison with other copies which we have. Chapters and Verses: As first written, the Biblical books did not have chapters and verses. They were mostly written as one document. L Scholars added the chapters and verses at a later time. The New Testament was written in Biblical Greek (Koine Greek) which differs from the modern Greek language of today. Scholars understand that language very well today. Those documents also contain Individual words from other languages that were spoken in Palestine in the time when the writings were prepared. The Old Testament was mostly written in Biblical Hebrew, which differs ftom the modern Hebrew of today. However, a little bit of the Old Testament was written in Aramaic, which is well understood today. Aramaic is a close cousin to the Hebrew of that time. All those who spoke Hebrew were likely able to understand Aramaic. Translation: The Bibles that you purchase today have generally been translated in one to the following three types: Formal Translation sticks very clsely to the original text. It is commonly used for doctrinal study, preaching and by scholars. Dynamic Translation attempts to esent the authors thinking in a manner that is easly understood in the translated language. Paraphrased translation attempts to present what the translator thinks the author wanted to say, into the translated language. The careful student of the Bible will need to understand the background of the Biblical material and the process of producing the copies and the methods of translation. However, that student can rest assured that the Bibles of today do contain what God wanted humans to know.

The New Testament has one God who's name is: Father, Son and Holy Sprit. The Old Testament has one God in three pictures: El or God as the great unapproachable power ruling the entire universe. YHWH, The Angel of the Lord who turns out to be the Lord, Michael the Prince, Messiah the Prince, the Fire that burned but did not consume the bush, The Captain of the Lord's Host, etc. which is God as personal and approachable. Then there is the Spirit of the Lord where we do not see an objective revelation as we do in the first two, but God working on the heart and leading the life through the subjective, existential situations. We have all of these as one God, and united in the term "Elohim" the singular plural. Yes, The God of the Old Testament who's name is El, YHWH, The Spirit of God; and the one God of the New Testament who's name is God the Father, God The Son, and God the Holy Spirit is the creator of the entire universe.

Norway is my heritage. I've seen him once when he left a church service and went to his car, and three or four times as he stood on the palace balcony for the 17th of May Children's parade. When my Grandma was a child she marched in that parade for his Grandfather King Haakon. And of course I grew up knowing about his Father King Olav. My heart breaks as he falls to sleep. My prayers to his family, his son King Haakon VIII, and to our country. While many royal families are full of scandal, this family has tended to be devote believers. I hope this continues.

I tell this little goat story to show how the Law saves us from harm..... Jesus used parables to explain things plainly so the people could understand, and I was struck as I worked on my fence this morning, by how the fence was like Gods law, and I thought I would share it. I have many animals but none have given me more grief than my goats. When I first got them, they were a few weeks old and I put up a fence to keep them safe from the various panthers, bears, bobcats and other wildlife that share the woods with us. The fence was more of a marker for the goats as they soon learned to go under it and wander out in the woods were dangers lurked. They got out and indulged in all their little goat desires and ate lantana and other things which wasnt good for them, then at night they would come home through the front gate and lay on the warm hood of my car or the top, causing me great grief. Then I lost some of them from bloating from what they ate and to wildlife, so I did everything I could to save them from the real dangers in the woods. I put a second fence around them so they were in sight of the house so I could go get them if they got out. I sank the bottom of the fence deeper and cemented it at the base, but they jumped over it. I made the fence higher, so they stood on top of stumps or logs so they could get over it. I told my wife we would have to get rid of the goats because they would not stay withing the fence, and getting out where the panthers, bobcats and other dangers in the woods took their toll, so she said to let her try. She went and sat with them and gave them alfalfa hay to clear out their tummys of the bad stuff they had picked up. She talked to them and rubbed their bellies when they were sick and gave them charcoal for the bloating. Soon the goats stopped jumping the fence and waited for my wife in their pen, and let her hold them and clean their fur or between their horns as that is the one place they cant reach. Now they listen for her voice and come running when she calls and sit with her and listen to her little goat stories she tells them. Something happened that changed the goats, I couldnt put my finger on it but on one thing I was clear, the fence didnt save them from the dangers. Did it help, yes as far as it delineated the cleared land of the farm and their little goat pen where it was safe. But somehow the goats changed in their little goat desires and behavior and they no longer wanted to jump the fence and leave the farm, but instead to stay within the safety of the fence and share their happiness with someone who loves them......

She certainly had a huge impact on America. Possibly the person with the greatest impact in my lifetime. Here is some things many don't know. -------------------------- ....Still, Steinem’s upbringing was colored by her mother’s financial anxieties and her mother consequently suffered a nervous breakdown. Steinem’s parents then divorced when she was 10 and her father moved to California, leaving young Steinem and her sister, Susanne, to take care of their troubled mother.... Before Gloria Steinem was the face of second-wave feminism, she was an anti-communist operative for the CIA and went undercover with Playboy to expose their misogynistic practices. Gloria Steinem is a journalist and activist who rose to prominence as the stylish frontwoman of the women’s liberation movement in 1970s America..... https://allthatsinteresting.com/gloria-steinem ---------------------------- Some have questioned when she stopped working with the CIA She certainly was not a christian.

Times have changed. Years ago, a young woman gave birth out of wedlock. A group of people from church visited her. They asked her to publicly confess to the congregation and apologize. She agreed, as long as other people who were having illicit affairs did the same. She gave some names. The "concerned" brethren and sisters packed it up and retreated. Another case, different church, a young woman was having an affair. She went to the pastor in contrition. He required her to publicly apologize to the congregation, which she did. Sometime later, the same pastor was caught in an adulterous relationship. An apology couldn't save his job. Can't recall if she was pregnant or not. My recollection is that she was not.

Forgiveness does not require that one escape the penally of their actions. But, sometimes it may require such. I will tell you such a true story in which I was involved. There will be parts of it that you do not understand and I am protecting the privacy of the involved people. But, the story remains true regardless of such. A young, single woman, in the process of committing a crime became pregnant;. No, was was not a prostitute. If she had had an abortion, she likely would not have suffered any consequences. However, she gave birth to the child. The result caused her to be charged with the consequent penalty of being fired from her position. Her Supervisor was a devout Christian. She informed management that she would refuse to testify, and without her testimony the woman could not be convicted.. She simply said that she was willing to be fired herself. She did not believe in abortion and she was wiling to place her job on the line in order to protect a woman who had nor taken the easy way out which was an abortion. A Federal hearing was held before r a Federal Attorney acting as a Judge and with a A Prosecutor. I defended the woman who had been charged. I argued that there was a total lack of evidence of the charged crime, and she cold not be convicted. The Judge agreed and ruled her Not Guilty. Folioing that ruling I had a very specific talk with my client and her Supervisor in which I informed my client of t he debt she owed the woman who had placed her job on the line in standing up for my client. I believe that the result of the trial was what God wanted.

There is no "slipping away" from stealing, which is what you described. Forgiving them is a totally separate issue from their paying back what they took. You have a responsibility to protect other people from thieves, people that you don't even know.

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us". That being said it doesn't remove the penalty for the trespass. One can be forgiven and still have to pay the price for their sins. I'm certain God forgave Moses for what he did at the rock, but Moses still paid the price for what he did. If a family member stole money from their parents, yes, forgiveness is possible, but that forgiveness doesn't remove the penalty that needs to be paid in all cases.

Her donation funded the critical early stages of development of the Moderna vaccine.[270] In March 2021, Parton was vaccinated against COVID-19 at Vanderbilt University. She labeled social media accounts of the occasion "Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine."[271] Parton strongly encouraged everyone to get vaccinated when eligible and performed a song celebrating her vaccination, set to the tune of her song "Jolene".[272][273][274]

Some koff ou will recognize two of the listed, but not ll of them. https://spectrummagazine.org/news/how-some-of-adventisms-wealthiest-built-their-empires-and-cemented-their-legacies/

Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) has been named to Newsweek's list of America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2026, ranking Number Three among rehabilitation centers in California, United States. This marks the sixth consecutive year Newsweek and Statista have recognized LLUMC. LLUMC East Campus offers a comprehensive range of rehabilitation services for patients recovering from injuries, illnesses, and other complex conditions. Through inpatient and outpatient programs, rehabilitation teams provide patient-centered care that combines advanced therapies, innovative treatments, and research-informed practices to help patients regain function and independence. "Every day, our rehabilitation teams help patients overcome significant challenges and take meaningful steps toward healing and independence," said Darryl VandenBosch, CPA, senior vice president for LLUMC East Campus and Surgical Hospital. "We are grateful for this recognition because it highlights the extraordinary care our team members provide to the patients and families we have the privilege to serve." https://adventist.news/news/newsweek-names-loma-linda-medical-center-a-best-physical-rehabilitation-center-for-sixth-consecutive-year

A strange wind is sweeping through modern church walls today. The post Do What Thou Wilt: How DIY Ethics is Quietly Replacing Traditional Christian Sexual Morality appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

The Almighty handed Abraham a profound promise: a lineage outnumbering the sand, a nation destined to bless the world. The post Two Fathers, Two Sons, One Mountain appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Since entering politics in 2015, Trump has claimed, falsely, that every election he has taken part in was marred by fraud. In his second term in office, he has moved to weaponize the federal government against this imaginary fraud by seeking to restrict voting and seize control of the electoral process from the states. This has led to mounting fears that he will seek to interfere in the 2026 midterms in various ways, including deploying the National Guard, surrounding the polls with immigration enforcement officers, declaring a national security emergency — and, following the raid in Fulton County, seizing ballots and voting machines.... “There is almost no circumstance in which it would be appropriate or legal to seize ballots or election equipment,” said Wendy Weiser, vice president of democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice, a progressive voting rights nonprofit organization. But observers are deeply wary. And importantly, there are myriad ways that state election officials and candidates themselves can counter this threat before or after any action by the administration. Democratic secretaries of state say they are getting ready for all possible forms of midterm election interference from the Trump administration such as seizing ballots like it did in Fulton County..... https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-election-2026-ballots_n_69bc3dbfe4b06f4d9c81cfde “Voter fraud” is not about fraud. It is about who votes and how. It is about the breadth and scope of the political community. It is, as with most MAGA obsessions, about who can call themselves Americans — entitled to govern as equals — and who are mere subjects. Trump’s obsession with voter fraud is just another expression of the reactionary populist belief that the people who inhabit a place are not equivalent to the people, who are entitled to rule. https://archive.is/Dceny#selection-1007.0-1011.27 The scale of Trump’s interference in the midterms has become crystal clear in recent weeks. The president pressured Texas to pass a mid-decade redistricting plan last month that would add five more Republican seats in the US House. Shortly thereafter, he vowed to “get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS” and “Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES,” through an executive order. “If we do these TWO things,” he wrote on Truth Social, “we will pick up 100 more seats.” The stakes for the midterms are incredibly high. It’s the last chance for Democrats to hold Trump accountable at the national level before he leaves office (unless he attempts to follow through on his musings to seek an unconstitutional third term). At the same time, nearly 100 state-level races for offices like governor, secretary of state, and attorney general are on the ballot, which will determine who’s in charge of supervising elections in 2028.... In March, Trump signed a far-reaching executive order that would upend how Americans register to vote, how they cast their ballots, and how their votes are counted. The voting rights group Fair Fight called it a “MAGA fever dream.” The laundry list of suppressive policies included requiring proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote in federal elections; specifying that mail-in ballots must be received by Election Day or else states will lose federal funding or face lawsuits from the Justice Department; and giving DOGE and the Department of Homeland Security the power to sift through federal immigration databases and subpoena state voting records to search for alleged voter fraud. [ try registering in ANY other country in the world, without these documents ! ] Much of the order has been blocked in court—at least for now. But that has only mitigated part of the threat. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/09/donald-trump-plan-to-rig-2026-midterm-elections-voter-suppression-gerrymandering-certification/ I can see it will be a battle.

They seem to be taking down his videos. This one should work...

I have often wondered, if Ellen White was alive today, what would her opinion be about how people have treated her writings. I think she would be shocked.

Facebook posts don't work for me.

Hobie, When you post quotes or summaries of other people's work, it would be helpful if you would site the source of the individuals you quote, whether it is an exact quote or not.

We also need to understand the both Hebrew and Greek are far more expressive than English. So to me it is silly to argue which English translation is better. They are translations.

I don't know the details, but I heard today that Francisco de Araujo, who developed and directed the Jerusalem Passion Play and the Nativity Play of Bethlehem, two plays performed in Israel with a strong Desire of Ages influence, has died. Working as an actor in these plays were the highlight of my life. (Of course it did not hurt that while there I had some super good friends, including 3 young ladies who were to become 3 of my favorite former girlfriends. Still friends with two of them.) My condolences to his family and loved ones.

When the state decides to medicalize suicide, it rarely stops at permitting the act. The post The Sisters Are Fighting for Life in Court. Where Are the Rest of the Pulpits? appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

📸 Pic to go! Photo: Bob Schumacher North America's highest peak — designated Mount McKinley by the U.S. government and Denali by the state of Alaska — was captured by reader Bob Schumacher of Wheaton, Ill., this week.

A look at why civil legal advocacy remains an essential shield for the church in an imperfect world. The post Conscience, Christ, and the Courts: Engaging Dr. Timothy Rumsey’s Critique of International Religious Liberty Advocacy appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Oh my. It destroyed many of the Adventist churches and left others in shambles. I have had to leave or exit from several churches where the drums and music were louder than a Led Zeppelin concert to say nothing of the grinding and shaking of the saints and gyrations of the performers. I went to a mens meeting in Camp Kulagua in Florida, and my guys and I had to spend the majority of it, out on the parking lot as we just couldnt take the smoke on the stage and jamming going on to say nothing of lack of spirituality or reverence. Call me a hater or whatever, but that was bad at all levels.

A lot of the issues which lead to conflict are more about culture than about race.

In the Midwest of USA there are mixed churches and solid black churches. I have been to both. The worship service in the solid black churches is very different. A different culture. The clock has little purpose there. One service I was at, I left at 1 pm and there were not close to done. The preaching seems more personal in those churches. Walter Person is one on my favorites. He could articulate the human character so well. CD brooks was good too. But P. Pearson could drive the point home. Praise God we still have their sermons on YouTube.

We've seen or even heard of some that have committed the crime of killing someone and the family forgave that person. But that person still needs to pay the penalty of his crime!! As far as forgetting, some might, but some wont or just forget as time passes bye! The forgiving is for all not just for the doer of the crime but for the one that the crime was committed against!!

So,, now the question becmes: What shouold a Christian ckongregation do when a single women in the congration g ives birth? [Note: In my professional experience, I have come to believe that such often hapens due to "lDate Rape."] Recenty he senior pastor of the SDA lcongregation that I attend, brought two young, single women to the front. He introduced them as having recently given birth. He called upon the congreation to support them in theier decision to raise the children. I fully agree with his call for support without judgment.

The easiest way to understand the law is not by memorizing dense statutory codes, but by watching what happens when two reasonable, everyday rights collide in the real world. The post Aprons, Pins, and Precedent: How a Starbucks Coffee Bar Case Explains Everyday Labor Law appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel says decades-old rules barring religious charities from using federal HHS money for worship or religious teaching are unconstitutional. The post Justice Department Says Rules Blocking Religious Groups From Some Federal Money Are Unconstitutional appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

"Christians" or other religions, including civil libertarians, often cry about government incursions into their spaces. We should hear more about their incursions into government spaces. If anti-vaxxers refuse to self isolate, let them suffer for their faith, e.g. confinement in a concentration camp like environment. AIDS is a good example of the negative impact civil/religious liberty can have on public health. A group of officials in San Francisco, which included Dianne Feinstein and Anthony Fauci [if I remember correctly] visited the bathhouses. They warned the gay community of the dangers presented by their homoeroticism in the bathhouse environment. Of course they were ignored. A generation of homosexuals was consequently decimated. Had the somewhat draconian measures required to stem HIV transmission in an uncooperative community been forcibly implemented by civil authorities, some very nice, talented people might still be alive.

Dolly Parton may have sung about working “9 to 5,” but the country queen clocked a six-decade shift that leaves behind a massive $450 million empire. Her meticulously crafted estate plan is set to determine who gets the keys to the kingdom — and what happens to the fortune she spent a lifetime building. The music legend’s assets include a 3,000-song catalog estimated at $120 million, an estimated $165 million stake in Dollywood, a sprawling Tennessee property valued at roughly $10 million and, potentially, decades’ worth of personal possessions, including her famously extensive wardrobe and memorabilia. How that fortune will be divided, and who ultimately controls the pieces of Parton’s empire, could remain private for some time. --------------------------------- Seems like a lot of money for a christian singer. I wonder if she left any of it to a church?

Subscriber Exclusive The post The Fracturing of Reynolds: Why America’s Oldest Marriage Precedent Is on Shaky Ground appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Why shielding state-funded operations from the public eye represents a dangerous retreat for civil liberties. The post Public Funds, Public Scrutiny: The Constitutional Case Against AB 2624 appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Vaccines are not foolproof, especially in the roll out stage. People have different responses. Effective HIV meds took ~ 15 years to be developed. Covid vaccine about 1 year. No HIV vaccine exists as yet, decades after HIV became a problem in the States. My wife and I were both Covid vaxed. She got a mild case, rested a couple of days and was fine. Even though we lived together, I didn't get Covid. Not sure how she got it. Some people, even though exposed to Hepatitis B fight it off and remain essentially immune to it. Others get it, have their liver destroyed and require a transplant. As I said before, anti vaxxers, if they keep to themselves, in effective isolation, are not a problem. If they want to be part of society, get vaccinated, for the sake of others. This is not a moral issue. It's really not even a matter of conscience. A person who owned an animal that was known to be dangerous would be put to death if the animal killed someone. How much moreso anti-vaxxers who infect others.

I just heard that! Pretty sad, she was a really beautiful person! She will be missed by many!!

Attributing survival on September 11 to divine intervention offers comfort to the living, but it distorts the teachings of Jesus on human suffering. The post The False Mercy of the Missed Connection appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

When a neutral public-health or child-protection law imposes an incidental burden on a religious practice, the law must stand unless it crosses into overt discrimination. The post Faith, Mercy, and the Necessary Limits of Religious Exemptions appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

🏜️ Parting shot: Into the maze Photo: Bill Pearson Reader Bill Pearson of Philadelphia captured this view along White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park in Utah last year. It's his favorite for its surreal landscape and maze of canyons.