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.”
The Blessing of Not Seeing
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
The Advent story is filled with people who got to see Jesus face-to-face. Mary and Joseph, of course, were the first to set eyes on God in human flesh, to hold his hands, to kiss his feet. They were quickly joined by others. The shepherds arrived next: “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see,” they told one another (Luke 2:15). Simeon also saw the child—even held him in his arms (Luke 2:28). Anna saw him (Luke 2:36–38). The wise men saw him (Matt. 2:10–11). And those initial visitors were just a small fraction of the multitudes who would soon come to sit at the incarnate Savior’s feet.
We haven’t seen our Savior face-to-face. But Jesus says we are blessed.
We are those of whom Peter says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him” (1 Pet. 1:8), and who Paul says “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). While the crowds in Jesus’s earthly lifetime often sought him for the dazzle of a miracle or the spectacle of a sign, we seek our unseen Savior by faith—a faith that could only come from his Spirit. If we haven’t seen and yet still believe, we can have confidence that he lives with us and is at work in us (cf. John 14:17). Truly, we are blessed.
The manger is empty, and the tomb is empty too. Ultimately, it would be foolish to look for Christ in either of those places. Instead, we turn the eyes of faith heavenward, “[seeking] the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). Do we want to see Jesus? We must seek him where he is. We approach him in worship, we seek him in prayer, and we gaze on him in his Word. We may not have made it to Bethlehem on that starry night, but Christ is nevertheless present with us by his Word and Spirit—particularly in the gathering of his church.
We may not have touched his swaddling clothes or heard his newborn cries, but we have everything we need to experience him. His voice resounds from a pulpit and a page, his eyes and ears and hands are on display in the weekly assembly of his beloved body.
And one day, just as he ascended, he will return. Writing from his lonely exile on Patmos, John encourages our hearts: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him” (Rev. 1:7).
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).
xthegospelcoalition.org/article/blessing-not-seeing/
Post about God – comments or articles
– whenever and wherever you desire.
FEAR NOT. God is with us,
because we make sure He is WELCOME.
At all times, remember.
The QTree is a House of the Lord.
NEVER be afraid to speak His name.
Shalom! May God’s PEACE be upon this House.
Everybody have a serene Sunday. That’s
an ordera request.Thank you, bakocarl. This verse has always been encouraging to me:
I continue to pray for you.
It’s very simple.
Until islam is decomissioned, every islamic pilot loses his license to pilot any route to any non-islamic county, and no islamic people are allowed to fly as passengers or work as baggage handlers or mechanics or in any capacity, on any plane that flies to any non-islamic country.
The whole world would breathe a sigh of relief.
Not because of the small but certain measure of safety it would provide — but because it would mean the world finally threw their rose-colored ‘religion of peace’ nonsense glasses under a steamroller and looked at the world clearly as it is — for the first time in maybe a thousand years.
And then actually did something, ANYTHING about it.
Don’t overthink it, just ‘vet’ everyone for islam.
And anyone who claims they are not islamic, but has the appearance of someone who might be islamic, or comes from an islamic country, in order to prove he is not islamic, has to kiss a pig on the mouth.
A pig named Taqiyya.
All of them, every kissing-pig, is named Taqiyya.
Named for the religion of liars.
Amen.
“You’re not being open minded, tolerant & inclusive.”
___________
You’re right. I’m not.
From OT:
.
France Closes 400 Schools, Rioters Planning Major Escalation October 6th and 7th, Next Target London and U.K
October 3, 2026
SD: “There’s generally a strategy to the madness; you just have to wait until it starts to become visible. The anniversary of October 7, 2023, massacre is right around the corner.
Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and involved mass shootings, hostage‑taking, rapes and horrific assaults on civilian communities.
As noted in the end of this article about the French protests, “student organizations are nevertheless calling for protests to continue, with the movement now looking towards Tuesday’s National Day of Action.”
EUROPE – Around 400 of France’s 3,700 secondary schools were closed on Friday on the orders of police prefects, with many schools switching to online lessons.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray urged parents to intervene, warning that young people were putting themselves at risk.
“Children are in danger on the streets,” he told BFMTV. “Parents must, quite clearly, take action and tell their children not to go [to the blockades].” The protests began over staffing, funding and school conditions and have spread rapidly across the country.
The Interior Ministry said 1,027 secondary schools were affected on Thursday, including 222 that were blockaded. Around 30 university campuses were also blocked.
It said 1,949 people were arrested on Thursday alone, mainly in connection with violence, unlawful gatherings and attacks on people in positions of authority. (read more)
.
I suspect the U.K is only a few days from having a much worse set of crises on their hands.”
“As noted in the end of this article about the French protests, “student organizations are nevertheless calling for protests to continue, with the movement now looking towards Tuesday’s National Day of Action.””
___________
Kill all the islamic and marxist / communist students at one university, for an example.
Then invite the rest of the student population at every other university in France to riot again.
Heavenly Father,
Deliver us from Evil.
Thank you for your Son, Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Redeemer.
Guide our hearts safely into your grace today.
Amen