Free Republic

Rows of candles were set up last week at the home of Rabbi Zalman and Toba Grossbaum, co-directors of Chabad of Livingston, N.J., so community members and family could welcome in Shabbat and pray for the people of Israel.With the Sabbath approaching, Israel Defense Force troops are on the ground in Gaza, with Jews everywhere praying for their safety. Throughout the world came calls for prayer and good deeds on behalf of the Israeli soldiers, and all people threatened by ongoing missile attacks, with special emphasis on Jewish women and girls lighting Shabbat candles, and for families to join with...

July 22, 2014Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene  Reading 1 Mi 7:14-15, 18-20 Shepherd your people with your staff,the flock of your inheritance,That dwells apart in a woodland,in the midst of Carmel.Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,as in the days of old;As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,show us wonderful signs. Who is there like you, the God who removes guiltand pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;Who does not persist in anger forever,but delights rather in clemency,And will again have compassion on us,treading underfoot our guilt?You will cast into the depths of...

He Doesn’t Need a Cloud Today's Scripture "Is anything too hard for the LORD? . . ." (Genesis 18:14, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria One day, we were in the backyard on a beautiful, sunny day. We were just enjoying the blue sky when all of the sudden, out of nowhere, it began to rain even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was as blue as can be. The sun was out and very bright. But for about three minutes, there was this downpour. We thought, “Where in the world is this rain coming...

The Doorway to the Kingdom " Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . —Matthew 5:3 " Beware of thinking of our Lord as only a teacher. If Jesus Christ is only a teacher, then all He can do is frustrate me by setting a standard before me I cannot attain. What is the point of presenting me with such a lofty ideal if I cannot possibly come close to reaching it? I would be happier if I never knew it. What good is there in telling me to be what I can never be— to be “pure...

It’s hard to tell if the near-constant stream of millennial-centric political think-pieces are perpetuating or reflecting growing curmudgeonly fears about the future of the country. Maybe it’s a little of both, and Fox is probably observing within its competency when it pegs more than a handful of us as “deluded narcissists” – but it appears there’s room for some political optimism among all the moral panic and the reign of the religious right. With millennial religious and political attitudes in flux compared to our predecessors, the upcoming years could be the Christian left’s big moment. Which isn’t to say the...

Conservative groups have denounced the recently signed executive order by President Barack Obama on LGBT employment discrimination, arguing that the measure does not offer sufficient religious liberty protection. Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for Policy Studies at the Family Research Council, said in a statement that with the executive order "Obama has ordered employers to put aside their principles, and practices in the name of political correctness." "This level of coercion is nothing less than viewpoint blackmail that bullies into silence every contractor and subcontractor who has moral objections to homosexual behavior," stated Sprigg. "This order gives activists a license to...

Lena Dunham isn’t exactly the first person you’d expect to see singing hymns in the pew behind you. Starring in the raunchy HBO show ‘Girls’ and bragging that voting for President Obama during the 2012 election for the “first time” was like losing her virginity are just a couple examples of Dunham’s racy behavior that would make any Christian blush. But, the controversial actress is embarking on a tour for her new book, “Not That Kind of Girl,” coming out in September, that will take place in some churches around the country. On her tour, Dunham will be reading excerpts...

by Matt SlickOne of the objections raised by critics of biblical inspiration is that the Bible is not the word of God, but that it contains the word of God.  Is this accurate?  No.  First of all, this doesn't fit what the Bible says about itself.  The collection of 66 books that the Christian Church recognized as being inspired speaks as the very words of God in many places. "Thus says the Lord" occurs over 400 times in the Old Testament. "God said" occurs 42 times in the Old Testament and four times in the New Testament. "God spoke"...

July 21, 2014Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Mi 6:1-4, 6-8 Hear what the LORD says:Arise, present your plea before the mountains,and let the hills hear your voice!Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD,pay attention, O foundations of the earth!For the LORD has a plea against his people,and he enters into trial with Israel. O my people, what have I done to you,or how have I wearied you? Answer me!For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,from the place of slavery I released you;and I sent before you Moses,Aaron, and Miriam....

Naeem Fazal was born and raised in the deserts of Kuwait. He is the son of Pakistani parents who grounded him and his siblings in Islam. Naeem moved to the United States after the first Gulf War, following his older brother Mahmoud, who had previously enrolled in Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina. While attending the college, Mahmoud found the Lord. And on a visit to Kuwait to see his family he announced he had converted to Christianity. Naeem was furious with his brother, cursing him for renouncing the Islamic faith they grew up with. He even went so far...

Have you ever heard the claim "all smart people are atheists", or maybe its inverse: "people who believe in God are dumb"? It's quite a pervasive urban legend, and one which I've known is false for a long time, but I didn't realize just how false until the other day. I recently decided to do a quick cataloging of the ten highest IQ's on earth, and discovered that it's nearly the exact opposite of the truth! Before reading the list, however, I want to remind you of the caveat that IQ test results are not in any sense the measure...

Dependent on God’s Presence " Those who wait on the Lord . . . shall walk and not faint —Isaiah 40:31 " There is no thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To “walk and not faint” is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person— “. . . John . . . looking at Jesus as He walked. . . said, ’Behold the Lamb of God!’ ” (John 1:35-36). There is...

July 20, 2014Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Wis 12:13, 16-19 There is no god besides you who have the care of all,that you need show you have not unjustly condemned.For your might is the source of justice;your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved;and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,and with much lenience you govern us;for power, whenever you will, attends you.And you taught your people, by these deeds,that those who...

The Submission of the Believer " You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am —John 13:13 " Our Lord never insists on having authority over us. He never says, “You will submit to me.” No, He leaves us perfectly free to choose— so free, in fact, that we can spit in His face or we can put Him to death, as others have done; and yet He will never say a word. But once His life has been created in me through His redemption, I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over...

July 19, 2014Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Mi 2:1-5 Woe to those who plan iniquity,and work out evil on their couches;In the morning light they accomplish itwhen it lies within their power.They covet fields, and seize them;houses, and they take them;They cheat an owner of his house,a man of his inheritance.Therefore thus says the LORD:Behold, I am planning against this race an evilfrom which you shall not withdraw your necks;Nor shall you walk with head high,for it will be a time of evil. On that day a satire shall be sung over you,and...

A Glimpse of Heaven Today's Scripture “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria God longs to give you a glimpse of heaven while you are here on earth. He wants to show you His plan and bring it to pass in your life. Have you ever thought about how God’s will is accomplished in heaven? In heaven, God’s will is automatic. There are no opposing forces, no doubt, no enemy or anything that would come against His will. On earth, His will is...

The Mystery of Believing " He said, "Who are You, Lord? —Acts 9:5 " Through the miracle of redemption, Saul of Tarsus was instantly changed from a strong-willed and forceful Pharisee into a humble and devoted bondservant of the Lord Jesus.There is nothing miraculous or mysterious about the things we can explain. We control what we are able to explain, consequently it is only natural to seek an explanation for everything. It is not natural to obey, yet it is not necessarily sinful to disobey. There can be no real disobedience, nor any moral virtue in obedience, unless a...

She entered Kaechon Prison a loyal communist, but lost her faith in the godless ideology of North Korea under horrifying conditions, then found faith in Christ after her release and a daring escape to freedom in South Korea. “I saw something so unimaginable and so terrible that I wanted to let the world know,” says Soon Ok Lee, one of the rare human beings to survive and offer an eyewitness account of conditions inside North Korea’s political prisons. Lee has testified before the U.S. Congress and published a book about her experiences, “Eyes of the Tailless Animals, Prison Memoirs of...

Denver, Colo., Jul 18, 2014 / 12:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The conversion from atheism to Catholicism was a rewarding journey full of triumph and trial for Jennifer Fulwiler, as outlined in her recent book, “Something Other Than God.” Fulwiler told CNA that “before we were Catholic, we were caught up in a very selfish worldview.” Although they were not trying to be selfish, she explained, atheism contained “a worldview where the self was the center of everything.” Today, Fulwiler lives in Texas with her husband and five children. She runs a personal blog, ConversionDiary.com, and also blogs for the National...

July 18, 2014Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8 When Hezekiah was mortally ill,the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him:“Thus says the LORD: Put your house in order,for you are about to die; you shall not recover.”Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD: “O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedlyI conducted myself in your presence,doing what was pleasing to you!”And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go, tell Hezekiah:Thus says the LORD, the God of...