This Rejoice & Praise God Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.
It’s also a place to read, post, and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.
In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts, and not by agenda-driven accusations and pronouncements.
We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.
Please show respect and consideration for our fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure your opinion addresses the issue only, and does not confront or denigrate the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name-calling, ridicule, insults, baiting, and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.
In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.
Please also consider the Guidelines for posting and discussion printed here:
https://www.theqtree.com/2019/01/01/dear-maga-open-topic-20190101/
On this day and every day –
God is in Control
. . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . .
Keep Looking Up
Hopefully, every Sunday, we can find something here that will build us up a little . . . give us a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.
“This day is holy to the Lord your God;
do not mourn nor weep.” . . .
“Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet,
and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared;
for this day is holy to our Lord.
Do not sorrow,
for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Unity in Christ
Unity is a state of oneness and harmony. All believers in Christ are united in Christ. We are in a relationship that unites us with Him and with every other believer.
Jesus prayed for His disciples—all who would believe in Him for all the ages—“that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:21). Some look at the great divisions among Christian denominations and refer to this as Christ’s great “unanswered prayer.” However, Scripture is clear that all believers are united with Christ because of our relationship with Him and with all other believers. We are all in the same family, even it at times we do not act like it. Therefore, unity in Christ has two aspects—one is objective fact, and one is subjective experience.
Objective and subjective unity can be true for any number of groups, teams, or even families. All the members of a football team are unified by their membership in the group. They do not win or lose games individually. The individuals contribute to the group, but it is the group that wins or loses—that is the objective fact. However, there may be times that the team does not act in a unified way. Selfishness and rivalry may creep up, and, when it does, it is impossible for the team to act as a unit—this is the subjective aspect. The behavior of individuals on the team is not matching the fact of their unity with every other member of the team.
All who believe in Christ are part of His body, the church. The New Testament is clear on this. Ephesians 5:30 says it plainly: “For we are members of his body.” Whether a Christian feels like it or not, he or she is part of Christ’s body and therefore unified with every other believer. Paul uses the analogy of the body in 1 Corinthians 12:12–21:
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
“Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’”
The human body is a unified whole. If one part does not work right, the whole body suffers. If a person smashes his thumb with a hammer, it is not just the thumb in isolation that hurts. Other parts of the body may hurt, too, and the functioning of the whole body is impaired. This is true even when a person does not know about the malfunctioning part. If an internal organ is not functioning properly, damage may be done to the body before any pain or obvious illness is present.
In the same way, the church has unity in Christ. As part of His body, each member has a particular job to do and a place to belong. When any individual member is not fulfilling his or her purpose in the body, the whole body suffers. All the members are united, and because of that unity, when one acts in an individualistic or selfish manner (i.e., acts as if he is not part of the body), the whole body suffers because, regardless of his actions, the individual member is still in unity with all the others in the body.
Many of the commands in the New Testament direct Christians to live up to their position and demonstrate their unity in Christ. Christians are not commanded to become one in Christ—that is already an objective reality. Christians are told to make their subjective experience match the objective fact. Paul pleads with the Philippians for this kind of unity: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:1–4). If Christians, who are members of the same team, see themselves in competition with each other, then they are not playing as teammates. They are not living in light of the unity that exists.
Unity in Christ means that all believers are in a relationship with Christ and, by extension, to every other believer. All believers are united with each other whether they know it or not, like it or not, or feel like it or not. The challenge of Christian unity is to live up to the truth of that reality. Since we are all members of one body, we need to live like it. This means subordinating our individual needs to the needs of the body at large and using our individual gifts for the good of the whole body.
Unity in Christ
Unity is a state of oneness and harmony. All believers in Christ are united in Christ. We are in a relationship that unites us with Him and with every other believer.
Jesus prayed for His disciples—all who would believe in Him for all the ages—“that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:21). Some look at the great divisions among Christian denominations and refer to this as Christ’s great “unanswered prayer.” However, Scripture is clear that all believers are united with Christ because of our relationship with Him and with all other believers. We are all in the same family, even it at times we do not act like it. Therefore, unity in Christ has two aspects—one is objective fact, and one is subjective experience.
Objective and subjective unity can be true for any number of groups, teams, or even families. All the members of a football team are unified by their membership in the group. They do not win or lose games individually. The individuals contribute to the group, but it is the group that wins or loses—that is the objective fact. However, there may be times that the team does not act in a unified way. Selfishness and rivalry may creep up, and, when it does, it is impossible for the team to act as a unit—this is the subjective aspect. The behavior of individuals on the team is not matching the fact of their unity with every other member of the team.
All who believe in Christ are part of His body, the church. The New Testament is clear on this. Ephesians 5:30 says it plainly: “For we are members of his body.” Whether a Christian feels like it or not, he or she is part of Christ’s body and therefore unified with every other believer. Paul uses the analogy of the body in 1 Corinthians 12:12–21:
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
“Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’”
The human body is a unified whole. If one part does not work right, the whole body suffers. If a person smashes his thumb with a hammer, it is not just the thumb in isolation that hurts. Other parts of the body may hurt, too, and the functioning of the whole body is impaired. This is true even when a person does not know about the malfunctioning part. If an internal organ is not functioning properly, damage may be done to the body before any pain or obvious illness is present.
In the same way, the church has unity in Christ. As part of His body, each member has a particular job to do and a place to belong. When any individual member is not fulfilling his or her purpose in the body, the whole body suffers. All the members are united, and because of that unity, when one acts in an individualistic or selfish manner (i.e., acts as if he is not part of the body), the whole body suffers because, regardless of his actions, the individual member is still in unity with all the others in the body.
Many of the commands in the New Testament direct Christians to live up to their position and demonstrate their unity in Christ. Christians are not commanded to become one in Christ—that is already an objective reality. Christians are told to make their subjective experience match the objective fact. Paul pleads with the Philippians for this kind of unity: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:1–4). If Christians, who are members of the same team, see themselves in competition with each other, then they are not playing as teammates. They are not living in light of the unity that exists.
Unity in Christ means that all believers are in a relationship with Christ and, by extension, to every other believer. All believers are united with each other whether they know it or not, like it or not, or feel like it or not. The challenge of Christian unity is to live up to the truth of that reality. Since we are all members of one body, we need to live like it. This means subordinating our individual needs to the needs of the body at large and using our individual gifts for the good of the whole body.
Unity in Christ does not mean that all differences between churches or denominations need to be abolished. Individual churches and denominations can keep their individual distinctives and emphases while still working together in areas where they agree. For instance, an evangelical Baptist church and an evangelical Presbyterian church will be in agreement on the gospel and the essentials of the faith, but because of different beliefs about baptism, it would be impossible for these two churches to simply unite as one church. It might be possible for a church to take a neutral position on infant baptism; however, it is hard to see how a church could teach that parents should baptize their babies (as do Presbyterian churches) and simultaneously teach that parents should not baptize their babies (as in Baptist churches). While these two groups could never unite as a single local church or denomination, they can still cooperate in other ministry endeavors, and individuals within each local body can fellowship with and love each other.
xhttps://www.gotquestions.org/unity-in-Christ.html
I love the final example! Baptism practices are indeed exactly the kind of thing that typifies a minor but understandable division in practice.
Seems like a case could be made for “dunk ’em early and often.”
AND AND AND AND LOGIC!!! 😂
Thar’s too much logic goin’ on ’round hair.
😂
And if that’s all that was required, then lots of Christians would be motivated to dunk people whenever they got the chance.
Swimming pool? No problem, just dunk them and they’re saved, they don’t even need to know why or what for… just like the infant.
But if we need to hear the Word of God (and understand), if we need to repent, if we need to confess with our mouth, it is not possible for an infant to do those things.
I would do what God’s Word says, and ignore what the doctrines, commandments and traditions of men say.
Because men can’t save us.
God can.
God is the Author of our salvation, He is the Authority on the subject, and He has preserved His Word for our learning and understanding.
From that perspective, I would ask, is there a single example in all of Scripture where an infant was baptized?
Then I would ask, when did the practice or doctrine of infant baptism begin?
Was it in the first century, when the New Testament was being written?
Or was it after the New Testament was already complete?
Who is the author of infant baptism, and by what authority?
If God is the Author, and if it is by the Authority of God, then it will be found in His Word.
If it was by the authority of some man, then it won’t be found in God’s Word.
If a doctrine, commandment or tradition is not found in God’s Word, then why would anyone do it?
To what end, and for what purpose?
We might do such a thing to please ourselves, and we might do such a thing to please others, but would it be pleasing to God?
It baffles me, that God went to the trouble to preserve His Word, and so many people want to add to it, or subtract from it, or just make up their own religion, effectively creating God in our image.
All of which God’s Word warns us not to do.
I’m not aware of the theology behind it, but the only thing that seems logical, would be that it is done to make sure the person is baptized in case they die before a normal baptism age.
Not seeking to justify it – just stating what might be a logical reason to do it.
That’s it 👍
First, I am not defending the practice of any denomination or church, so my comment need not be seen through that filter.
The Bible makes negative references to traditions of men, like those of the Scribes and Pharisees. But it also says this:
II Thessalonians 2:15
This clearly refers to traditions taught by word (of mouth), vs. by epistle (written down). If every tradition referred to here were included in Scripture, why call it a tradition instead of just saying to adhere to what the Scriptures teach? An explicit distinction is made between the two.
Another reference:
II Thessalonians 3:6
There is no evidence that I know of that the specific traditions spoken of in those verses were later written down and incorporated into the canon of Scripture. If you know of verses that derive from those specific traditions, please post them.
If people have tips and tricks for dealing with mold and mildew, including prevention and cleaning, I’m all ears. Rather than give specifics of what I’m dealing with, I’d like to hear people’s best approaches to all situations, in all possible circumstances. I may find techniques to be easily adaptable to new contexts.
Mold and mildew thrive in dark, moist environments with limited air movements.
Like many things, spores permeate the environment and cannot really be eradicated. Instead, after bashing back the current overgrowth, it’s best to deal with local conditions.
Good! That is my current general approach!
Wolf Moon
Crawl space mold—
Bleach clean.
Repair/replace any moldy wood support piers and/or floor joists.
Replace any moldy insulation inside the crawl space.
Encapsulate the crawl space floor with impervious material.
Install a commercial-strength AC and dehumidifier combo plus sensing thermostat in the crawl space. Have the AC and dehumidifier piped to drain outside the foundation wall.
Have the crawl space inspected once a year.
That sounds EFFECTIVE. Take no chances – get it OUT. GONE.
If you maintain moisture in still air, it is nearly impossible to remove sufficient mold spores to preclude a relapse. CV’s solution hits the current overgrowth hard but also also includes fixing the environmental conditions (which I consider to be of primary importance).
To switch to anecdote, I have kept large numbers of home aquaria. Everyone who has kept fish indoors has experienced outbreaks of various fish diseases because the spores and bacteria “causing” these conditions are ubiquitous. You cannot remove every spore and clean everything that touches the tank — household dust will just drop more in.
So what you learn to do is manage your pocket ecosystem such that those organisms don’t thrive. Your fish have natural defenses and resistance to these critters, and you should keep your fish healthy overall. After a bit, you no longer have such outbreaks.
To keep your fish healthy is best done by ditching the tank heaters. I kept tropical fish outside in southern California with no heaters. Water temp and air temp about 55-60 during the winter. In summer I’d move them inside for the A/C about 70.
Never had any fish infections.
Whatever you do, don’t breathe that crap in. Warm moist environment = lungs.
Gotcha!!!
We sometimes get mold &/or mildew in our bathroom (no exhaust fan) & when 6 people lived here w/ all the showers in that one room it was interesting. IIRC, Hubby has used something called Killz on the walls & ceilings after scrubbing off the visible stuff. This would keep regrowth at bay for many months, maybe more than a year (I have a real hard time guessing how much time has passed on things as I age). It’s a temporary fix but lasts for a decent amount of time here especially since it’s only 2 1/2 (Josiah lives with us about half the time) people so fewer showers & bathroom condensation to contend with.
Thanks! That’s very helpful!
You’re welcome 🙂
This product, Concrobium, was recommended by a professional and I have found it to be very effective in removing mildew.
https://abatement.com/usa/as300.html
Available in stores like Home Depot and Walmart. It’s available in spray bottles like this, gallon jugs, foggers (which I have not used), and maybe other forms.
Third post – just curious how you’re doing, Carl! I hope you’re doing well! 💖
It is December 7 — “a date which will live in infamy.”
Indeed!!!
You Won’t BELIEVE Who They Just Found in the EPSTEIN FILES!!!
[It’s Obama]
.
.
Edit: looks like this is from 3 weeks ago, I mistakenly thought this was something new.
I appreciate you sharing it for that’s the first I’d heard of this specific aspect of it all 🙂
I got an amazing link to a podcast of a solid, factual discussion of MKULTRA evidence, through a comment by barkerjim yesterday.
Here’s where the link is found.
https://elizabethnickson.substack.com/p/absurdistan-is-resting
Here is the podcast.
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a-class-action-against-mkultra-was-just-certified/id1388815042?i=1000723956461
GotQuestions.org: “For instance, an evangelical Baptist church and an evangelical Presbyterian church will be in agreement on the gospel and the essentials of the faith, but because of different beliefs about baptism, it would be impossible for these two churches to simply unite as one church.”
______________
What is more essential than being saved?
How can we be saved without being baptized?
The usual example people will say is the thief on the cross, but that is a very dangerous example to rely upon, because we don’t know whether the thief was a believer and was already baptized.
And whether he was or he wasn’t, Jesus had the power to forgive sins on earth while He was in the world (e.g. Matthew 9:6). Jesus isn’t in the world (in the flesh) now, and we’re not hanging on a cross next to Him like the thief was, so the example of the thief doesn’t apply to anyone living today.
How can we be baptized, if we don’t do it according to examples given in the inspired Word of God?
Why would anyone try to be baptized some other way, besides the way God determined?
The answer to that question should lead us to how infant baptism came about.
It goes back to the concept of ‘original sin’, and whether we are born sinful (Calvinism), or whether we are born innocent and then, at some point after being old enough to know right from wrong, commit sin.
The controversy arose over babies who died in infancy.
What happens to the baby’s soul?
If we follow the doctrine of Calvin (a man), and we believe babies are born in sin, and we already know that we need to be baptized to be saved, then naturally someone will come up with the bright idea to baptize babies.
If a child is born innocent, having committed no sin (indeed, incapable of committing sin as an infant), then what need does an infant have to be baptized?
And moreover, how can an infant be baptized?
Are you going to dunk it under water, or are you going to take the opportunity to create even more new doctrine and traditions of men (why stop now?), like sprinkling or pouring water over the infant’s head?
Nearly every false doctrine can be traced back its first recorded occurrence or implementation.
If it happened after the New Testament was complete, then by definition, it is a doctrine of men.
God is not bound by any doctrines that men come up with, so why do them, pretending as if He is?
While the intention of inventing the doctrine of infant baptism may have been ‘good’ or compassionate (i.e., trying to make sure an infant’s soul was saved), is it not also tantamount to making God out to be heartless, unjust and cruel, if He would condemn an infant who committed no sin to eternal separation from Himself?
Is there a single example in Scripture of God doing such a thing?
But if we choose to believe Calvin, and therefore we believe we are born in sin, that becomes the impetus to come up with a second error (infant baptism) to solve the problem of the first error (Calvin’s doctrine of original sin).
This is how most false doctrine works, error building upon error. Because every new thing men come up with doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it creates new problems, which require more new solutions (doctrines).
There should absolutely be unity in Christ.
But how is that possible, unless we all use and follow the same Owner’s Manual, without adding any new chapters or books (or doctrines, commandments or traditions of men) to it?
You’re asking pesky questions again.
I told you to knock it off last time you did it.
And now here you are again, stirring up more problems.
If you don’t stop, we’re going to have to write a new Bible translation.
And who is supposed to pay to have that done?
Doctrines, commandments and traditions of men are like someone selling blindfolds at a ditch convention.
It’s hard to not say anything! 🙂
GotQuestions.org: “Paul pleads with the Philippians for this kind of unity: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
______________
How can people be like-minded, if some seek to follow only the commands, approved examples or necessary inferences found in God’s Word, while others incorporate various doctrines, commandments and traditions of men?
How can there be unity with adherence to (or adherents of) false doctrine?
Are there any examples of the Apostles accepting or overlooking or minimizing false doctrine?
This is said to be a portrait of Pres. Trump made out of Legos. I don’t know if it’s real or AI.