240 Pentecost 15: It’s Black and White as Night and Day
“Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.” ~ Psalm 119
It’s Black and White as Night and Day
Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, speaks truth into the void, unraveling the tangled webs spun by the powers of this dark age. His justice is not distant but imminent, a force that exposes the hidden machinations of those who conspire in the shadows. The Holy Spirit, our Comforter, equips us with discernment in a world where the lines between reality and deception blur, where ancient forces seek to manipulate the fabric of our existence.
Let the secret counsels of the wicked be shattered by the light of Christ. Their plans to dominate through lies, technology, and ancient relics are but dust before His sovereign decree. Jesus Christ, our Advocate, stands against those who plot in darkness, their schemes unraveling as His truth pierces through the veil of secrecy.
As the architects of this age conspire, the name of Jesus Christ endures forever, and His truth is the foundation of all righteousness. The Holy Spirit brings comfort to the afflicted and strength to the oppressed. He stands with those who have been wronged, and He will not allow the righteous to be shaken. The slanderer who seeks to ruin lives shall see his own plans unravel before his eyes, for the Holy Spirit guards the paths of the faithful.
Let the wickedness of the wicked be exposed. The Holy Spirit brings darkness into the light. The lies others spread will turn back upon them, and their schemes shall collapse under deceit’s weight. Those who repay evil for good will be confounded by their own malice; those who seek to destroy the righteous shall find themselves trapped by the destruction they intended.
Jesus Christ sees their treachery and guards the innocent. Jesus Christ shields His people. Jesus Christ is our deliverer and refuge. Jesus Christ is the Righteous Judge; His word is truth, and His judgment is final.
Let the curses of the wicked rebound upon their own heads, and let their schemes disintegrate. He hears the cries of the poor and does not forget the afflicted. The Lord is our strength, and He will not abandon us in trouble. Jesus Christ surrounds us with His love and protection. Those who oppose God’s people will see their strength fail and their legacy perish.
We proclaim the justice of Jesus Christ, who vindicates the oppressed and silences the wicked. His judgment is righteous, His mercy everlasting, and His truth endures. In Him, we stand firm, for He is our Redeemer and King.
This is our proclamation: Jesus Christ reigns, and His justice shall prevail. Let the world know that He is God, and let all who oppose Him be brought to repentance or swept away by His judgment.
Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
R.J.M.F
Births, Deaths and Marriages
A group of pro-life voters in Missouri is suing to remove an abortion measure which would write a right to abortion into the state constitution from November’s ballot. The group says the measure does not specify which laws are targeted for repeal and it is therefore unconstitutional. (WNG)
Some headlines about the state of family formation:
Crime and Punishment
An audit of the F.B.I. has found that the Bureau failed to respond urgently to many sexual abuse cases, enabling abuse to continue for months after first reported. The D.O.J. has cited lack of staffing as the main contributor, but the audit also highlights bungled communication between jurisdictions and failure to alert local services or enlist their help. Michael Horowitz, the inspector general of the Justice Department, flagged a number of cases and made recommendations, all of which were agreed to by the D.O.J. (USA Today)
The F.B.I. says that would-be Trump assassin, Thomas Crooks had considered a number of political targets before he settled on the Republican rally at Butler, PA. (WNG)
The Supreme Court has refused to lift an injunction against President Biden’s plan to wipe out student debt, even as the administration continues to challenge the ruling. The block will stand as lower courts hammer out the details of related cases. (WNG)
Coming to America
Colorado police have denied that notorious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua is menacing the city of Aurora. Footage of shootouts and armed men patrolling an apartment building stairwell have been circulating on social media, with residents claiming they need help. Whether the gang is formally involved or not, conservative politicians in the area have said the property managers of three apartment buildings were intimidated into letting illegal immigrants collect rents from terrified tenants. (Patriot Voice via X, The Federalist, Not the Bee)
Illegal immigrants have blocked the road in San Diego, in an apparent attempt to hijack a school bus full of children. (Not the Bee)
Thunderdome 2024
Donald Trump attempted to run towards a middle position on life last week (not that there can be a middle, but you know) saying he would protect access to IVF services and said also that he believed 6 week bans on abortion are unreasonable. Whether he listened to the disappointed army of pro-lifers who denounced his flip-flopping or for another reason, by the end of the week, he said he would vote against the pro-abortion measure currently before the voters of Florida, his official residence. (PJ Media)
Vice President Harris can say she has checked the interview box after sitting last week with journalist Dana Bash. After avoiding the press for several weeks now, V.P. Harris was decidedly less cackly than usual and still managed to give dizzying responses to the mostly soft ball questions. She said she has no regrets about the way the administration covered the President’s decline and gave vague answers when questioned about apparent changes of mind from her radical positions. (The Federalist)
After fighting Democrats to be listed on state ballots, Robert Kennedy Jr is finding that some states now won’t let him take his name off. (The Federalist, ZeroHedge)
A fuzzy-haired gentleman from the Constitution Party is running in swing states in the hope of undermining Democrat candidates. (Not the Bee)
There was another media pile on this week after Donald Trump attended a memorial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Gold star families whose children died in the hasty evacuation from Afghanistan invited Trump to commemorate the third anniversary. Families say they invited both President Biden and Vice President Harris to attend also, but White House staff say they never received the invitaton. It is reported that members of Trump’s team shoved a staff member who said they could not take photographs for promotional purposes at specific sections of the cemetery. The Army issued a statement agreeing that Trump shouldn’t have posted his photos to social media but now considers the case closed. President Biden has also taken campaign photos at Arlington, so it’s all a bit confusing. But would you expect anything less in an election year? (Red State, The Wrap, Axios, Semafor, The Blaze)
ICYMI, Frisby wrote a note about the conclusion of the DNC and Republicans weak sauce stance on life:
Politics
The Department of Justice is asking 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a judge’s ruling that Special Counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed, arguing that U.S. Attorney-General, Merrick Garland had the authority to put him on the case. Smith has refreshed the classified documents case against Donald Trump, bringing the same charges, but based on different predicates. The new case aims to avoid any entanglement with the SCOTUS’ ruling about presidential immunity, which is still shaking out in various courts. We understand this is not a case of double jeopardy, as a jury had not been empanelled for the last one. (WNG, Reason)
Texas has removed 1 million names from its voter rolls, reporting that a third of non-citizens had cast votes in previous elections. (The Blaze)
The Digital Age
Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed what most folks know already – “in 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain Covid-19 content.” The head of Meta sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee also saying he was sorry for demoting the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop, which the F.B.I. knew full well was not Russian disinformation. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who heads up the Committee, described Zuck’s admission as a “big win” for free speech, but it would be more of a victory if there were some actual consequences for those who perpetrated such an infringement on Americans’ constitutional rights. Zuckerberg, who has contributed massively to Democrat causes said he doesn’t even want to give the appearance of helping one party over another any more and won’t be donating anything any time soon (time will tell). It would be nice to say that he has had some sort of epiphany about censorship, but it’s not clear why he’s taken so long to come forward with this information. To get into the good graces of the next administration? To avoid arrest like Telegram’s Pavel Durov? It’s seems, at least that he no longer fears repercussions from the current White House. (FrontPage Mag, Not the Bee)
A bill which passed California’s state Assembly would require developers to include a “kill switch” within their A.I. products. The bill aims to have the upper hand should a bot introduce “novel threats to public safety and security". There were critics from all angles: some said the bill represented government overreach and would chill investment and development in A.I. and others said the government needed more access to the kill switches themselves. Still others said the bill was a waste of time since it addresses fanciful threats rather than chasing down true threats like misinformation. (ArsTechnica)
Money, Markets and Jobs
U.S. 30-year fixed home loan rates have dropped to 6.35%, the lowest since April last year. (Realtor)
Berkshire Hathaway has become the first non-tech company to crack $1 trillion value. (CNBC)
Religion and the Church
It is interesting watching an evolutionist scramble to explain morality. The latest from Big Think concludes that universal morality really boils down to humanity’s survival instinct evolving to prize co-operation (just like Sesame Street always told us!) Despite the common opinion that morality has no basis outside religious belief, these authors say, “there is no obvious reason to think we must have gods to believe in…moral principles.” They forget that God precedes all of history while underestimating the sinfulness of the human heart! “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these…show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness..in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.” (Big Think)
Science
N.A.S.A. has decided that Boeing’s Starliner, currently docked at the International Space Station will be sent back to earth without its human crew. The craft was deemed unsafe to carry two astronauts home, who will have an extended stay aboard the I.S.S. The autonomous re-entry of Starliner will clear the dock for the SpaceX’s Dragon to pick up the stranded astronauts early next year. (Hot Air)
SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will be postponed for a bit, after the discovery of a helium leak. The team of four private citizens will be exposed to the vacuum of space and the effects of radiation. Two will complete a spacewalk. (NBC)
A team of paleontologists believe they have found matching sets of dinosaur footprints on two continents, separated by ocean. The footprints are believed to belong to dinos traipsing across the landscape before the earth’s continents split apart (likely during Noah’s flood, but they won’t tell you that!) (CBS, Institute for Creation Research)
A new study has found that the brain makes three copies of every memory. (All That’s Interesting)
Health, Medicine and Food
A team led by Yale researchers say they have discovered “a key underlying mechanism for the loss of immune regulation in [multiple sclerosis] and likely other autoimmune diseases.” (Yale News)
Arts, History and Sport
The world’s first vending machine dispensed holy water. (Mental Floss)
Last week in history:
2005 Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, becoming the costliest storm on record. (National Geographic)
From the Mad☧Tank
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Hearts and Minds
For more enchantment pay attention! (Convivial Society)
We hear Venn diagrams are in style at the moment.. This chart on emotions is kind of thought provoking, not least because of the amount of words we have to describe all the emotions we have! (Flowing Data)
God’s Green Earth
Have you seen this bird? The Lost Bird Project has compiled a list of birds not seen for a decade or more. (Lost Birds 2024)
War and Rumors of War
There were celebrations in Israel at the news that rescued hostage, Farhan al-Qadi was returned home. However, protests have since broken out after the discovery of six executed hostages in the tunnels beneath Gaza. The victims included Israeli-American, Hersh Goldberg-Polin whose parents spoke at the D.N.C. recently. While control of the Philadephi corridor remains a sticking point in hostage negations with Hamas, calls for Prime Minister Netanyahu to strike any deal necessary are once again mounting. (Times of Israel, Breitbart, Commentary)
Israel has agreed to pause its Gaza campaign while a mass vaccination campaign of Palestinian children is carried out by the United Nations. Reports say a ten month baby is paralyzed from the first case of polio in 25 years. (BBC)
Iran continues to enrich its uranium stockpile. (AP)
Malaysia’s cabinet has voted unanimously to stop every form of direct trade with Israel. The south-east Asian nation has had an embargo against Israel since 1974, but Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says his predecessor was not enforcing it. (Nikkei Asia)
Stories from Far Away
🇲🇽 Mexico has “paused” its relationship with the embassies of both the U.S. and Canada after ambassadors from each country voiced concerns over President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador judicial reforms. (Hot Air)
🇫🇷 French president Emmanuel Macron has angered leftist groups for not backing their four-party coalition for government. The coalition won the most votes in last months election, but fell short of a majority. Macron says he wants stability and that the left-wing group would not survive a confidence vote which will likely be brought by the right-wing opposition. (BBC)
🇫🇷 French authorities have launched an organized crime investigation against Telegram founder, Pavel Durov. (WNG)
🇳🇮 A Nicaraguan news outlet has reported that Russia has been turning a military base in Managua into a spy base. The report says the facility uses Russian tech to track and surveil “the so-called ‘internal enemies’ of Daniel Ortega's dictatorship.” (Confidencial)
🇧🇷 Brazil has banned the use of X, including anyone using a VPN. (Not the Bee)
🇭🇰 Two Hong Kong pro-democracy journalists have been found guilty of sedition. (The Guardian)
🇦🇺 Australia has announced caps on the number of foreign students that will be admitted to its higher education institutions. Public discontent over the price of housing prompted the move, with 700,000 international students last year contributing to net migration. The majority of illegal immigration in the country is the result of overstaying on visas. (Al Jazeera)
🇷🇺 The Kremlin is rumored to be sponsoring a sitcom starring President Biden. (Semafor)
🐉 Baby sea dragons born at Ohio zoo
🗣️ Class, gender and vocal fry
📝 Billionaire’s note found after his death gives him the last laugh
🤷🏻 Companies that make two wildly different products
🌪️ What happens when you get sucked into a whirlpool?
🇮🇱 Curious young man accidentally smashes an ancient urn
🏴 Beloved London street sweeper wins a competition, designed just for him
☢️ The people who collect radioactive glassware
🏴 A roller coaster in the Scotland highlands
A great piece from Pastor Fisk’s site:
Registrations for the 2024 Men’s Gathering are open:
Starfall2029 was the usual grab bag of awesomeness, with Jonathan and Meridith talking about teaching robots to praise the name of Jesus right through to not treating men like boys. Watch on YouTube or Rumble, or listen here. Show links:
Just Listen: Discover The Secret To Getting Through To Absolutely Anyone by Mark Goulston
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Our disclaimer: These are some resources the Fisks have found edifying, but when dealing with human-authored texts, apply discernment liberally!
This Week Preached:
Podcast Release:
Let us pray. O God, the source of all that is just and good, nourish in us every virtue and bring to completion every good intent that we may grow in grace and bring forth the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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