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This very special We Offer Ourselves SUNDAY
open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody
to post whatever they feel they would like
to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.

---

Say what you want, comment on what other people said,
comment on people’s comments.
Keep it civil.  Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.

---

See the January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road,
which are few but important.

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Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU

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We Offer Ourselves

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When Christ came into the world he said:
“Here I am, Lord God, I come to do your will.”  (from: Hebrews 10:9)

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Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

From a sermon by Saint Andrew of Crete, bishop

Let us go together to meet Christ on the Mount of Olives. Today he returns from Bethany and proceeds of his own free will toward his holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation. He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us with himself, we are told in Scripture, above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named, now comes of his own free will to make his journey to Jerusalem. He comes without pomp or ostentation. As the psalmist says: He will not dispute or raise his voice to make it heard in the streets. He will be meek and humble, and he will make his entry in simplicity.

Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us.

In his humility Christ entered the dark regions of our fallen world and he is glad that he became so humble for our sake, glad that he came and lived among us and shared in our nature in order to raise us up again to himself. And even though we are told that he has now ascended above the highest heavens—the proof, surely, of his power and godhead—his love for man will never rest until he has raised our earthbound nature from glory to glory, and made it one with his own in heaven.

So let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him. We who have been baptized into Christ must ourselves be the garments that we spread before him. Now that the crimson stains of our sins have been washed away in the saving waters of baptism and we have become white as pure wool, let us present the conqueror of death, not with mere branches of palms but with the real rewards of his victory. Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches as we join today in the children’s holy song: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel.

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But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
They will no longer teach their friends and relatives, “Know the Lord!” Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me—for I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin.
Jeremiah 31:33-34

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“This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord:

‘I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,’”

Hebrews 10:16

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“And I will give them another heart and a new spirit I will put within them. From their bodies I will remove the hearts of stone, and give them hearts of flesh.”
Ezekiel 11:19

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And so I offer my thoughts…

Socialism … Communism … attempt, as all  utopian constructs do, to EXTERNALLY regulate  kindness, generosity, and right living.
We are taught, in the epistles (letters) to the young Christian church, that this is not  possible–even for those following the law given to Moses.
They want to tell us right from wrong. The same deal the serpent offered Eve. And that path has never helped anyone to get back to Eden.
We have broken programming. Laws, rules, codes of ethics can’t fix this kind of broken. Our moral software always generates the wrong answer like a phone book with all the numbers scrambled.
Some of us have been delighted to find our Creator has a remedy for us.
But it’s not an easy or comfortable path.
Because, well, our faulty program is not just neatly removed.
That would be easier, I think.
Instead we are offered access to a source without any malware, and the option to operate by our power of choice to moment by moment IGNORE our own malware, and live from an alternate motivation, the mind of Christ, the heart of God.
Shall we offer ourselves to do His good will–that living water might flow to those thirsty places we touch in our everyday lives? Who wouldn’t want that?
T*3

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He pierced the rock to give them water;
It gushed forth in the desert like a river.

Psalm 105:41

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Whoever believes in me, as scripture says:
‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.’”

John 7:38

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This very special Children Are Sacred SUNDAY
open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody
to post whatever they feel they would like
to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.

---

Say what you want, comment on what other people said,
comment on people’s comments.
Keep it civil.  Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.

---

See the January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road,
which are few but important.

---

Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU

---

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Children Are Sacred

As the Q Drops recently hit hard and heavy on child abuse/exploitation/trafficking and @BardsOfWar was tracking Qanon with their usual intensity, the theme for today’s Open Topic appeared with incredible clarity. I only pray I can do the topic justice.
https://twitter.com/BardsOfWar/status/1111225107542884355
There is likely no question among our Q Treepers that children are indeed sacred and all that is good/right/true in us reflexively wants to defend children from every threat and form of abuse.
One of the most disturbing and recurring revelations presented to us by Qanon has been to say how shocked we are going to be when we find out who has been involved in destroying the innocents. Those in entertainment, yes; education, easy to believe; but the leaders of the church???

“Those you are taught to TRUST the most…..

https://apnews.com/amp/eb96fb3a70b9415884c945711fb5b783?__twitter_impression=true

https://apnews.com/amp/f7ec3cec9a4b46868aa584fe1c94fb28?__twitter_impression=true

https://www.justice.gov/psc

Dark to LIGHT.
Q”

— 8 chan, Qanon 1763, 30 July 2018

Could it be true that many of those called the “shepherds of the flock” are serving a globalist cabal and betraying our children too? Can this be explained as coming from a sinister infiltration into the seminaries and training programs of all organized religions for almost 100 years–to crush the innocence and impose mind control on those genuinely called to leadership–so that Christians can be controlled for the benefit of the evil few pulling strings from behind the curtain? Where can we put our trust now? Could God have a plan that delivers His children from this horrific state of affairs?
Let’s keep this in perspective while we process our shock. In our times those serving darkness may have their signature ways of stealing the innocence, childhoods and even lives of babies, infants, children and teens, but the threat is not new.

“The Lord said to Moses, “Give the people of Israel these instructions, which apply both to native Israelites and to the foreigners living in Israel.

“If any of them offer their children as a sacrifice to Molech,
they must be put to death.

The people of the community must stone them to death.
I myself will turn against them and cut them off from the community,
because they have defiled my sanctuary
and brought shame on my holy name
by offering their children to Molech.”

— Leviticus 20:1-3

As I understand it, sacrifice to the god molech was made by placing a living baby on a metal altar and burning them alive. Much like what a saline abortion today does to a baby –in it’s mother’s womb.
But don’t think that child abuse and sacrifice are only found in one or two people groups around the world. The abuse of the youngest of little girls and boys is found in groups as diverse as cannibalistic tribes in the jungles of Papua New Guinea to highly refined upper castes in the temples of India to Western-style orphanages and boarding schools found all over the world.
One famous emancipator of children enslaved for the pleasure of others–over 100 years ago–was Amy Carmichael, who not only rescued children out of temple prostitution, but then found a way to create a protected place for the children to be cared for and helped because they had no one else to do so for them.

And that gets to the real heart of this issue. It is natural for parents to fall in love with their children and go to any length to defend their innocence, their safety, and to provide above and beyond all that is needed for them to thrive.
When that natural love is not in evidence, you get all kinds of horror to the point of people fighting for their “right” to commit infanticide.

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“A newborn baby … to be EXECUTED! After birth!
That is why I called on Congress to immediately pass legislation
prohibiting the extreme late term abortion of babies!!”

— Donald J. Trump, Michigan Rally, 28 March 2019

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WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE??? HOW CAN THEY THINK LIKE THIS???
How could something so wrong be seen as right by any parent in any age? Seems that it comes back to information warfare–the battle space is in our minds.

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“As the great Andrew Breitbart used to say, ‘politics flows downstream from culture.’ Everyone involved in conservative politics should say that every day, because we should be involved in conservative culture, not conservative politics. Politics is just a byproduct of the winners and losers of the culture war. How is culture determined? Through media, family, church, and college campuses. That’s how culture is determined.”

— Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA,  23 March 2019 Breitbart News Interview

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We know that our battle is not against people, flesh and blood, it’s against mindsets that exalt themselves against the experiential knowledge of God.

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“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms.”

— Ephesians 6:10-12

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And we know that there is a spiritual blindness that we can only fight through prayer to God for those who are blinded. Prayer to the One who healed our own hearts from the same spiritual blindness.

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This is the battle of the ages. We will not be moved from this non-negotiable truth.

Children are sacred.

Think*3

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“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.”

— Isaiah 49:15-16

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Addendum: A comment yesterday by A Fortiori underscores one of the ways the cultural war has taken a wrong turn in our country. Families are no longer instilling the American virtues of self-sufficiency, self-education, and providing for your own in the same way we did when so much more of our people were outside urban areas.
A Fortiori says…
Wolfie — It should be obvious by now that part of the attack on the 2nd Amendment is an attack on masculinity.
There was a time in this country when boys, as they developed into men, would seek to become masculine. Thus, they would seek to be good providers, to care for things entrusted to them (including maintaining and repairing the machines they used and depended upon) and part of this meant learning to fish and to hunt.
Moreover, there was historically an expectation in the US that its citizens would be prepared to take up arms to defend our country. Thus, there were several reasons to learn to shoot well: to defend yourself, to defend those near and dear to you, to provide food and to defend our nation. Our culture and our educational system have undermined these notions, but I think they are worth reviving.
Teddy Roosevelt, in 1883, said the following in a speech entitled
“Duties of American Citizenship”:

Of course, in one sense, the first essential for a man’s being a good citizen is his possession of the home virtues of which we think when we call a man by the emphatic adjective of manly.
No man can be a good citizen who is not a good husband and a good father, who is not honest in his dealings with other men and women, faithful to his friends and fearless in the presence of his foes, who has not got a sound heart, a sound mind, and a sound body; exactly as no amount of attention to civil duties will save a nation if the domestic life is undermined, or there is lack of the rude military virtues which alone can assure a country’s position in the world.
In a free republic the ideal citizen must be one willing and able to take arms for the defense of the flag, exactly as the ideal citizen must be the father of many healthy children. A race must be strong and vigorous; it must be a race of good fighters and good breeders, else its wisdom will come to naught and its virtue be ineffective; and no sweetness and delicacy, no love for and appreciation of beauty in art or literature, no capacity for building up material prosperity can possibly atone for the lack of the great virile virtues.

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This very special Solidarity SUNDAY
open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody
to post whatever they feel they would like
to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.

---

Say what you want, comment on what other people said,
comment on people’s comments.
Keep it civil.  Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.

---

See the January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road,
which are few but important.

---

Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU

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Today’s Header: Perpetua and Felicity are two women who were martyred in the city of Carthage in North Africa (present-day Tunisia) and received great veneration from the 4th century onwards. Their execution was intended as entertainment for the crowd, some spectators, inspired by the martyrs’ fearlessness, became converts to Christianity. The image shows them exchanging the kiss of peace in the arena as they are about to be martyred by wild beasts. Learn more …

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Solidarity in Suffering

[Jesus] went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground,
praying, “My Father! If it is possible,
let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.
Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

— Matthew 26:39

From the sufferings of Jesus two thousand years ago, to the sufferings of His followers today, two realities are present. First, suffering is something we do not seek and do not find easy to endure.
Second, we are frequently called to remember, to pray for, to stand with those who are suffering now, and to expect we too will endure suffering in this life.

And since we are his children, we are his heirs.
In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.
But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Yet what we suffer now is nothing
compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

— Romans 8:17-18

As some were careful to point out after the Mind Control Media blew up the news feeds regarding the shooting in New Zealand, there have been some serious attacks on Christians going on around the world that are getting no attention at all.
How do we stand in solidarity with those suffering for their faith in Christ? How do we prepare ourselves to “endure hardship like a good soldier” ourselves, even as Paul exhorted us?
Are we spiritually prepared for persecution, or would we find ourselves with Peter, quickly denying our Lord and master when our lives are threatened?
One of the ways we prepare to live (or die) for Christ is to stand in solidarity now with our Christian family around the world that are suffering persecution every day.
And by reading the letters to the Church with a more careful eye on the topic of suffering. This is such a common theme in the scriptures, that I had a hard time selecting which passages to include here.
You might be surprised that such a study was encouraging to me. I feel bolder, stronger, braver for having spent time with those who have suffered.
It has been a humbling experience to bring up topics like this amongst our Q Treepers. Your honest and thoughtful responses have deepened my respect for you all.
Thank you.
Think*3

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“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

For the more we suffer for Christ,
the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you.

Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.“

— 2 Corinthians 1:4-6

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Persecution at a Glance (by Open Doors)

Today, just like in the book of Acts, Christians are persecuted all over the world for following Jesus.
Christians remain one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world. While Christian persecution takes many forms, it is defined as any hostility experienced as a result of identification with Christ. Christian torture remains an issue for believers throughout the world including the risk of imprisonment, loss of home and assets, physical torture, beheadings, rape and even death as a result of their faith.
Trends show that countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East are intensifying persecution against Christians, and perhaps the most vulnerable are Christian women, who often face double persecution for faith and gender.
Every day we receive new reports of Christians who face threats, unjust imprisonment, harassment, beatings and even loss of family because of their faith in Jesus.

Every month:

• 255 Christians are killed
• 104 are abducted
• 180 Christian women are raped, sexually harassed or forced into marriage
• 66 churches are attacked
• 160 Christians are detained without trial and imprisoned

Every year, we release the World Watch List—a global indicator of countries where human and religious rights are being violated, and those countries most vulnerable to societal unrest and destabilization.

• 215 million Christians experience high levels of persecution in the countries on the World Watch List.
• This represents 1 in 12 Christians worldwide.

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“We only knew martyrdom from films, but martyrdom was reintroduced and it strengthened our faith because these people, these 21 martyrs, lived among us.”
For Malak, the reintroduction of modern-day martyrdom on a worldwide scale is especially sobering. He is the father of one of the 21 martyrs killed by Islamic State militants on the Libyan coast.    . . .
“I am proud that my father is on the pictures in the church,” Fifi Shehata, the daughter of Maged, said in an interview last year. “It’s a big honor… At first, it was hard to deal with the fact that our father was martyred, but later we felt comforted by God.”
Malak looks beyond the senseless killings and shares an eternal perspective. His words reflect hope, reminding us of second-century Christian author Tertullian’s famous observation: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
“To be honest, I was happy when I saw my son in the video,” he told World Watch Monitor, “because then I knew the place he had gone to. And when I saw he died with the name of Jesus on his lips, I was very proud. I rejoiced!”
Malak said his own faith, as well as the faith of the whole Christian community in Egypt, had grown as a response to the evil carried out on Sunday, February 15, 2015. Indeed, his insights are proven. Our partners in Egypt continue to share that the Church is growing as a result of persecution,  as increasing numbers of Muslims leave Islam and turn to Christ.
He is thankful for this church being built in the name of all 21 martyrs: “That is even better,” he says. “The faith of all of us grew.”
The wife of 29-year-old martyr Samuel Abraham echoed Malak. Only a week after learning her husband was one of the 21 men, she told Vice News: “ISIS thought the killing of our relatives would destroy us. It did not. It revived us.”
In October 2017, Libya officially confirmed it had found the bodies of the beheaded Christians, and in May 2018, the families of the 20 Egyptian men received their loved ones’ remains, which were buried in [a new church dedicated to their memory].

Read more …

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This very special WWG1WGA SUNDAY
open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody
to post whatever they feel they would like
to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.

---

Say what you want, comment on what other people said,
comment on people’s comments.
Keep it civil.  Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.

---

See the January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road,
which are few but important.

---

Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU

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Overcoming Offendedness

The following article is part of a larger series by Rick Joyner intended to help people prepare for the battles right on our horizon. I highly recommend prayerfully going over the entire set of articles as time permits.

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“A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city.”
(Proverbs 18:19a)

The Great Commission was to make disciples of all nations, not just individuals. The Lord said that when He returned He would divide the nations into “sheep” or “goats.” The sheep are good and the goats are bad. We have come to a time when nations are determining ultimate issues that will result in them being a sheep or goat nation.

In this series, I will continue to unpack the dramatic dream I had about the American Republic that deals with ultimate issues of our purpose from heaven’s perspective. Regardless of what country you are from, there will be a level of civil conflict coming in your nation too. Many will be similar to what is unfolding here.

Therefore, even though this is American-centric, in many ways it addresses the same basic issues all nations will be facing, as these are all connected to what The Lord said would come at the end of this age.

As covered previously, the first two Great Awakenings in America each preceded wars, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. As we study the primary messages that came from those two Great Awakenings, we can see a direct link from the Awakenings to the wars.
So did these great spiritual awakenings cause the wars? In some basic ways they did. The light from these Awakenings exposed the darkness, and this required that it be confronted until it was driven from the land.
Could the darkness have been driven from the land by spiritual warfare so that the physical conflicts would not have been necessary? Perhaps. That certainly would have been desirable.
However, what I saw in my dream included physical conflict. I saw the nature of this, which I will share later in this study. Even so, it is my conviction that to the degree that evil strongholds in our land are destroyed spiritually, the degree of the physical conflict will lessen.
As we enter the Third Great Awakening in America, we can expect the same kind of light to expose the great darkness in our time. When powers of darkness are exposed, they rage. When they are cast out of their high positions they come to the earth with great wrath, as we see in Revelation 12.
God’s provision is to send us great champions of the truth to face specific evil strongholds in our time. They are being sent to completely destroy these strongholds, not just defeat them and push them back. What is happening in the Spirit will be reflected in the natural with rage and conflict.
It is always a tragedy when our differences degenerate into violence. It has been a great hope of Western Civilization to rise above war, to eradicate it completely from the earth. That is a noble hope, however, as we see up to the end of the Book of Revelation, there will be increasing war right to the end of the age.
As we see in Revelation 7, for a brief time the winds of war (winds of the earth) are held back so that The Lord’s bondservants can be sealed, but this is a short time and the winds are released again.
To be prepared for the times we must understand that violence has already begun, and it will get worse for a time. Again, this may be reduced by spiritual victories, but there is now a level of violence that we will not be able to avoid and we must be prepared for—spiritually and physically.
A major reason we can expect increasing violence is because of a contingent that not only does not want open debate, but cannot tolerate it. This is the fruit of an education system that no longer educates, but rather indoctrinates.
A generation has been conditioned so that if you disagree with them they will be offended, and being offended has been elevated to the level of being considered almost worse than a physical assault.
That many are so easily offended is a major cause that will make the physical violence unavoidable. As we are told in Proverbs 18:19, “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city.”
One of the most important things we can do to prepare for the coming conflict is to refuse to be offended. This is basic Christianity and is called “forgiveness.” Jesus forgave the ones who had Him crucified and even those who nailed Him to the cross. Learning to be quick to forgive is basic discipleship and basic to following Christ.
To stay on the right side in what is unfolding, we must not engage in the rage and bitterness that is fueled by unforgiveness. We must learn not to react to personal offense, but take the actions that we do because they are the right thing to do.
To make it through what is coming upon the world will require all Christians to follow Christ more closely and be more like Him than we ever have. We must guard our hearts, especially from the evil stronghold of unforgiveness and offense.
The Lord will help us get ready by allowing opportunities to learn to forgive quickly and totally. Don’t waste these trials. Embrace them as the opportunities they are, especially when you are persecuted for doing what is right.
The Lord promised a special blessing for this. See these as an opportunity to get closer to The Lord by bearing your cross to identify with Him, and getting closer to Him will be the greatest blessing of all.

 ^“One of the most important things
we can do to prepare for the coming conflict
is to refuse to be offended. “

—Rick Joyner

We are in a battle for the ages.
Our lives, our families, our communities, our nation need us to win this.
Living in offense is like keeping your eyes on the rear view mirror.
Fixating on the rear view mirror is a distraction we cannot afford to entertain.
Let’s clear our vision so we can maximize our battle readiness!
Think*3

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Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU

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This very special OH-MY-GOODNESS SUNDAY
open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody
to post whatever they feel they would like
to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.

---

Say what you want, comment on what other people said,
comment on people’s comments.
Keep it civil.  Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.

---

See the January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road,
which are few but important.

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Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering,
not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
(Romans 2:4)

Have you ever thought about how long God’s goodness has been hunting you down, cutting off all your avenues of escape, relentlessly hounding you until you finally surrender to it?
God is that committed to blessing you. And that should be good news.
You may remember a time when circumstances were particularly grim, when you felt like there was no escape, you were going to be crushed. But God somehow, someway, was with you, holding your heart so tenderly you barely could feel His touch, but you lived to see another day. And you knew it was the goodness of God.
Maybe you have sensed His goodness in a very deep way when you held a newborn baby in your arms for the first time.
Or perhaps you have never really sensed His goodness, but you still choose to trust in it by His grace.
It’s easy to fall out of the practice of remembering the goodness of God. But you really can never get too much of His goodness, right?
Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved chapters of the Bible. “Surely Goodness and Mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” Who doesn’t want that?
In fact, Jesus reminds us that our Heavenly Father shares His goodness with the undeserving as well as those who do well in His sight. And He calls us to do the same.

 ^“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.
For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and
he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
(Matthew 5:44-45)

Let’s pull on Heaven together for more of His goodness.
The world around us certainly needs it.
Think*3

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Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU

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This very special ASH WEDNESDAY
open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody
to post whatever they feel they would like
to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.

---

Say what you want, comment on people’s comments,
comment on content from elsewhere.

Keep it civil.  Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.

---

See the January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road,
which are few but important.

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credits: Christianity.com

Then the Lord God formed the man
out of the dust of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

What Is Ash Wednesday?
& Why Do Christians Celebrate It?

Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him. Lent asks believers to set aside a time each year for similar fasting, marking an intentional season of focus on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection.

Catholic, Orthodox and many (but not all) Protestants appreciate and observe Lent. Though Lent is not named or observed in the Bible, as Christianity Today notes, “the path of Lent—prayer, fasting, and generosity over a period of time—is heavily emphasized by the authors of and characters in the Bible, including Jesus. The Bible commends a lifestyle of worship and devotion that looks considerably like Lent. Therefore, while the word is absent in the Bible, the reality of Lent is woven throughout the whole of Scripture, as we have discovered.”

In his Gospel Coalition article Evangelicals Embracing (and Rejecting) Lent, Trevin Wax gives us an important reminder regardless of whether we personally observe Lent:

“I hardly think the church is suffering from too much fasting,” Wax says. “But I do think the church is suffering from too much self-righteousness (and I include myself in this indictment). Lent – being either for or against – can become a way of climbing up on to the pedestal.”

He goes on to say, “What is more important than the practices we take on is the heart attitude behind them. If there’s anything we should give up this time of year, it’s our sense of superiority either to those outside the church or those inside the church who do things differently than we do.”

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For dust you are and
to dust you will return.

— Genesis 3:19b

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A Prayer for Ash Wednesday:

Lord, Holy One, have mercy on us. We confess our sins to you. We have fallen short of your glory and without your mercy and grace, we would be dust. We repent now. Lord, as we enter into this Lenten season, be near to us. Help us, by your Holy Spirit, to feel right conviction and repentance for our sin. Help us, by your Spirit, to have the strength to overcome the enemy.

Thank you, Lord, that Easter is coming! Death has no sting, no victory, because of Jesus! Glory and honor and praise to His name! Thank you for rescuing us. Help us keep both the weight and the joy of this season in our hearts and we move through the next several weeks. Help us bear the good fruit of your Spirit.

Thank you that the ashes on our forehead do not symbolize our ultimate reality. From dust we might have been formed, but our bodies, our spirits, ourselves, await beautiful redemption and the restoration of all things. Help us long and look forward to that day, and let it come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Amen.

Sprinkle me with the cleansing blood and I shall be clean again.

Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
And after you have punished me, give me back my joy again.
Don’t keep looking at my sins—erase them from your sight.

Create in me a new, clean heart, O God,
filled with clean thoughts and right desires.

Psalm 51:7- 10

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I believe this is true for many of us — we feel it is an immense honor to join together in fellowship with every single one of the lionhearted warriors that frequent here.

We are all in this together.
Our expressions of faith are poly variegated.
Which suits us perfectly.

Our unity is based on liberty, not conformity.
And nothing thrown at us has the power to divide us.

#WWG1WGA
Think*3

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Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU

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This very intense SWEET JESUS SUNDAY
open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody
to post whatever they feel they would like
to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.

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Say what you want, comment on what other people said,
comment on people’s comments.
Keep it civil.  Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.

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See the January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road,
which are few but important.

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No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

(John 15:13)

Many years ago I had a fire lit in my bones for prayer and fasting by the teaching of a man named Lou Engle. Back then, he became a signpost in my life to not be content with anything less than a lifetime of seeking to follow Jesus Christ in fasting and prayer.
He is yet again leading a call to believers to join him in fasting and prayer.

Even if I’m not called to radical fasting at this time, I am honored to participate by adding my prayers in support of this worldwide effort.

If you feel a tug to join in some way, here are some resources for praying & fasting.
If the subject doesn’t resonate with you, no problem. Intensity like this is not for everyone or for every season.
Be free to be you.
Think*3

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Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

(Song of Songs 8:6-7)

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Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU

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This very special SOCIALISM SUCKS SUNDAY
open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody
to post whatever they feel they would like
to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.

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I’ve got to thinking about why Socialism fails to deliver to the poor, the sick, the downtrodden of the world. As Wolf has mentioned before it fails by design.
So if it fails by design, what does a winning design look like?
I know the winning formula involves giving dignity, building a relational foundation before supporting decisions to improve upon life choices, that kind of thing.
Sort of the opposite of Bernie Sanders cast in the role of a Hallmark Santa Claus. We know that government assistance has been a big fail. And the socialists would like us to think that individual assistance is rare and inadequate.
From my own experience I learned that people want you to understand what matters to them, they may want you to meet one need that seems like a wrong priority, but the willingness to allow them to share their priorities may open a door to a conversation that would not happen otherwise.
I’ve also learned that I truly have no idea how to really help others. My helplessness has opened my heart to more of God in my own life as I partner with the person that I would like to help.
Maybe you would like to share a story about your own experiences with helping others.  A task not for the faint of heart.
I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts about this.
Think*3

Selection from the chapters On Charity by Saint Maximus the confessor, abbot

Charity [caritas or agape in Greek] is a right attitude of mind which prefers nothing to the knowledge of God. If a man possesses any strong attachment to the things of this earth, he cannot possess true charity. For anyone who really loves God prefers to know and experience God rather than his creatures. The whole set and longing of his mind is ever directed toward him.

For God is far superior to all his creation, since everything which exists has been made by God and for him. And so, in deserting God, who is beyond compare, for the inferior works of creation, a man shows that he values God, the author of creation, less than creation itself.

The Lord himself reminds us: Whoever loves me will keep my commandments. And this is my commandment: that you love one another. So the man who does not love his neighbor does not obey God’s command. But one who does not obey his command cannot love God. A man is blessed if he can love all men equally. Moreover, if he truly loves God, he must love his neighbor absolutely. Such a man cannot hoard his wealth. Rather, like God himself, he generously gives from his own resources to each man according to his needs.

Since he imitates God’s generosity, the only distinction he draws is the person’s need. He does not distinguish between a good man and a bad one, a just man and one who is unjust. Yet his own goodness of will makes him prefer the man who strives after virtue to the one who is depraved.

A charitable mind is not displayed simply in giving money; it is manifested still more by personal service as well as by the communication of God’s word to others: In fact, if a man’s service toward his brothers is genuine and if he really renounces worldly concerns, he is freed from selfish desires. For he now shares in God’s own knowledge and love. Since he does possess God’s love, he does not experience weariness as he follows the Lord his God. Rather, following the prophet Jeremiah, he withstands every type of reproach and hardship without even harboring an evil thought toward any man.

For Jeremiah warns us: Do not say: “We are the Lord’s temple”. Neither should you say: “Faith alone in our Lord Jesus Christ can save me.” By itself faith accomplishes nothing.  For even the devils believe and shudder.

No, faith must be joined to an active love of God which is expressed in good works. The charitable man is distinguished by sincere and long-suffering service to his fellow man: it also means using things aright.

https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/charity-st-maximus-the-confessor/

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“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress and
to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.“

(James 1:27)

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Say what you want, comment on what other people said,
comment on people’s comments.
Keep it civil.  Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.

---

See the January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road,
which are few but important.

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Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU

This very special SEVER THE SUPPLY LINES SUNDAY
open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody
to post whatever they feel they would like
to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.

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“The strategy for defeating an enemy force can take the shape of many varied objectives. Disrupting our enemy’s supply line has been an effective U.S. military strategy to weaken those opponents. Without meals, medicines, and munitions, a military force is incapable of sustaining operations.”

— Dr. Cliff Welborn, Supply Line Warfare

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Today I’m using an outline from the Five Offensive Strategies of Physical or Spiritual Warfare by George Hill to guide our discussion as it relates to this moment in world history where the struggle to cast off the chains of global oppression is coming to a zenith before our very eyes. 

1. Preemptive Attacks.

“By being passionately visionary, rather than reactionary – we can gain the upper hand in the battle and render the enemy unable to recover!”

• How do you see Qanon encouraging us to be passionately visionary?

Are you focused on the crisis de jour as spun by “friendlies” that are still milking the power of Mind Control techniques in order to keep your eyes on their media sites? Ask yourself, in what ways has the Mind Control Media worked to distort your thinking such that your life has become reactionary instead of visionary.

• How can I cut off the Mind Control supply lines that are delivering distorted thinking into my life and the lives of other Americans?

Ask yourself, how can I elevate my thinking to a level above this field of play and gain the advantage? What can I do to expand my thinking, my expectations to a level that honors the magnificent design intended by the Creator for my intellect, emotions and spirit?

• What am I doing to protect and increase the supply lines providing my soul with courage, wisdom, hope, wholesomeness, refreshment, and ever-increasing vision?

2. Hit the Enemy Where it Hurts.

“Identify ruling spirits over your area, come against them through prayer, and [speak truth] that contradict that climate. Then act in the opposite spirit: a positive, faith filled, generous spirit, and watch the spiritual climate change!”

• How do you see Qanon coming against a negative, defeating climate?

When was the last time you thought about what kind of an atmosphere is around your town? State? Home? Ask yourself, how am I being influenced by the cultural, spiritual, physical climate in which I am living?

• What am I doing to push back in the opposite spirit?

How is the day-in-and-day-out character of my life breaking down the supply lines feeding negative influences around me?

Who do you know that inspires you to live more positively, more generously, with more faith? How can you protect and increase those who are providing some of the supply lines between you and Heaven’s heart?

3. Concentration of Force.

“You must know your objectives, establish your priorities, and make bold, strategic decisions. Then you have to throw all your effort into that initiative.”

• What do you see Qanon doing to guide us  to concentrate our effort together in alignment with current Patriot priorities?

Do you have a regular practice of reflecting on what really matters? Ask yourself, how can I contribute to the things that truly matter for not just me, but also for generations to come?

• Do you have enough clarity that you know where to put all your effort?

Strategic concentration of force must be applied effectively to successfully cut off the supply lines of the enemy army. Do you know what supply lines for the enemy are active and where to apply force to disrupt them?

4. The Principle of Perseverance.

“Paul told Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (2 Tim 2:3) Neither jail, stoning, shipwreck, or rejection could stop the Apostle Paul. Why? Because he had a God-given purpose that was bigger than himself.”

• How do you see Qanon giving us a purpose that helps us to endure hardship?

What does it mean to endure hardship? How does having a purpose bigger than ourselves help us to become unstoppable?

• Ask yourself, how do I cut off small thinking that minimizes my potential and impact in the world?

How do I strengthen my supply lines to great vision and purpose?

5. Songs of Victory in Times of War.

“King David was a warrior, not a wimp. He gave us a book of war songs – the Book of Psalms: read Ps 18:29-36. Martin Luther wrote the song, ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God’. William Booth told his song writers, ‘I want you to write songs that will stir the hearts of our soldiers and focus us on our vision’.”

• How do you see Qanon utilizing songs, videos, etc. to impart courage?

Surrounding ourselves with songs of victory is an age-old practice–because it works.

• Ask yourself, what are the songs of victory that give me strength?

_________________________

I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts about this.
Think*3
p.s., don’t worry if I’m a bit scarce after midnight it’s just that a new family schedule requires an earlier time to bed.

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In Christ we have already won the battle! We just have to inform our people and demonstrate Satan’s defeat on earth by casting out devils, healing the sick, and winning souls for Christ!  — Dr. George Hill, Five Offensive Strategies of  Warfare

---

Say what you want, comment on what other people said,
comment on people’s comments.
Keep it civil.  Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.

---

See the January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road,
which are few but important.

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