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 Great Falling Away

Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians, in part, to offer a clarification after some of his readers misunderstood that the day of the Lord was upon them already (2 Thessalonians 2:1–2). Part of that clarification includes a statement that many have interpreted as predicting a great rebellion before Christ returns. Second Thessalonians 2:3 says this: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (NKJV).

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul commended the believers for their faith, hope, and love (2 Thessalonians 1:2–3) and challenged them to excel still more (1 Thessalonians 4:1, 10). One area in which Paul encouraged them to grow was in their hope. To help with that, Paul taught them about the resurrection that will occur when the Lord meets believers in the clouds and the dead in Christ are raised (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17). This event, often referred to as the rapture, allows believers to grieve in a way consistent with their hope.

After the rapture, Paul explains, the day of the Lord will come. It will be a time of great difficulty for those who remain on earth in those days (1 Thessalonians 5:2–3). Paul explains that that day would not overtake believers (1 Thessalonians 5:4) and that God has not destined believers for wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). However, because of the shortness of the time, the Thessalonians needed to make the most of their opportunity, being awake and sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6–8).

It is evident that the Thessalonians misunderstood the timing of the day of the Lord, as some thought that the day of the Lord had come upon them (2 Thessalonians 2:1–2). Paul explains that the day of the Lord had not yet come and that it would not come until some things happened first. One of those events preceding the day of the Lord would be the revealing of the man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Also, Paul says, the “falling away” or “apostasy” (NASB) would come before the day of the Lord. Many have understood from this statement that before Christ returns many people will reject the faith and rebel against God.

Paul uses the Greek word apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, so “apostasy” is a good, literal translation. The Greek word means “to be apart from or to stand apart from.” Paul uses the same word in 1 Timothy 4 when he explains that in the last days people will stand apart from (or fall away from) the faith and follow various kinds of falsehood (1 Timothy 4:1–3). So, there will be a standing apart from the faith or a great falling away before Christ returns. Wickedness will grow worse and worse (2 Timothy 3:13).

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Luke 12:53

And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. Matthew 13:12

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Matthew 24:10

Site rules stolen from our good friend PAVACA

There are Important Notifications from our host, Wolf Moon; the Rules of our late, good Wheatie; and, certain caveats from Yours Truly, of which readers should be aware. They are linked here. Note: Yours Truly has checked today’s post for any AI-generated content. To the best of her knowledge and belief, there is none. If readers wish to post any AI-generated content in the discussion thread for today’s post, they must cite their source. Thank you.

Do not forget to LABEL AI articles video and such.

I am short on time so this will be short and unedited.

CONSENT DECREES

US federal court terminates Republican-Democrat consent decree

…The original consent decree was adopted in 1982 after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) [political website] brought suit [complaint, PDF] against the RNC, its New Jersey affiliate and several individual officers seeking to prevent them from “engaging in activities to intimidate, threaten or coerce minority voters.” The DNC alleged that the RNC had engaged in “voter caging” [Brennan Center materials] in New Jersey, wherein mail returned as undeliverable is used as a basis for purging voting rolls….

A US federal judge on Monday terminated [order, PDF] a consent decree [text, PDF] requiring the Republican National Committee (RNC) [political website] to get court approval for any “ballot security” measures it planned to implement…

The original judge came out of retirement to renew the Consent Decree every time it was set to expire until he finally died (IRC.) The new judge was an Obama appointee. FWIW The Black Panther party was active from 1966 to 1982 BTW.

WIKI — New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case

The New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case was a political controversy in the United States concerning an incident that occurred during the 2008 election. Two weeks before George W. Bush left office, the New Black Panther Party and two of its members, Minister King Samir Shabazz and Jerry Jackson, were sued by the Department of Justice on claims of voter intimidation for their conduct outside a polling station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Politico — Judge ends consent decree limiting RNC ‘ballot security Measures

Although the decree technically permitted the RNC to engage in some Election Day activities at the polls and to seek advance permission for so-called “ballot security” work, the national party and its attorneys went to considerable lengths in recent years to urge national party officials and staff to steer clear of such activity, in part to avoid triggering allegations that could lead the consent decree to be extended…

So for thirty-five years the Democrats could cheat to their heart’s content without a challenge from the Republicans. No wonder they have such well developed cheating organizations.

ILLEGALS & DEPORTATION

https://twitter.com/Real_RobN/status/1990127921001075073

WordPiss will not allow that tweet to show, so here is the text.

One of the greatest crimes ever perpetrated in United States history against the American people:

Former U.S. Border Chief Aaron Heitke, who served under five different administrations,

CONFIRMS— BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT — that he was ordered by the Biden–Harris administration to cover up, conceal, and manipulate data on the border crisis; to deliberately decrease the amount of detention space nationwide; to issue new Social Security numbers to illegal aliens; to provide them with maximum Social Security benefits and Medicaid; to register them to vote; and, in fact, to allow them to vote in U.S. elections.

Border Chief Aaron Heitke:

“We have no idea who or what is coming through our country.”

— Regarding SIAs:

“Special Interest Aliens (SIAs) and known and suspected terrorists… At the time, I was told I could not release any information on this increase in SIAs or mention any of the arrests. The administration was trying to convince the public there was no threat at the border.”

— FENTANYL

“San Diego sees between 80% and 90% of the methamphetamine and fentanyl seizures annually for our entire country. With little enforcement at the border, these drugs were coming through in mass. During my last year in San Diego, the price for a single pill of fentanyl went from $10 to 25 cents.”

— FUNDING

“To make matters worse, during 2022 and 2023 I had to shut down San Diego traffic checkpoints—which are critical for drug interdiction—because the resources had been diverted to the process and release mission.”

— THE COVER-UP

“I had to release illegal aliens each day into communities that could not support them.

To quiet the problem, two flights a week were provided from San Diego to Texas.

Each flight cost approximately $150,000. This was the administration’s way of trying to quiet the border crisis.”

“Under pressure from the administration, my headquarters became more interested in the fiction being portrayed in the media, and not at all concerned with reality. We had 2,000 or more illegal aliens sitting between the fences, asking to turn themselves in.

I WAS TOLD TO MOVE THEM OUT OF SIGHT OF THE MEDIA.”

— CONCLUSION:

The Biden–Harris administration wasn’t just an unelected, illegitimate administration, but a terrorist organization.

Federal Judge Extends Consent Decree Prohibiting ICE From Arresting People Without Warrants or Probable Cause – National Immigrant Justice Center

October 10, 2025 – A federal judge ruled that the … officers’ ability to arrest people without warrants or probable cause, will be extended until February 2, 2026….

This is NATION WIDE BTW!

A bit of background.

Castañon Nava v. Department of Homeland Security | ACLU of Illinois

 On December 1, 2021, a federal judge granted preliminary approval to a settlement agreement between our clients and the Department of Homeland Security. The judge granted final approval of the settlement agreement, making it a consent decree…

On December 1, 2021, a federal judge granted preliminary approval to a settlement agreement between our clients and the Department of Homeland Security. The judge granted final approval of the settlement agreement, making it a consent decree in February 2022.  

Among other terms, the consent decree requires ICE to adopt a nationwide policy barring many vehicle stops and warrantless, “collateral” arrests, and provides us a way to advocate for ICE detainees who are arrested without warrants in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, or Kentucky to challenge detentions that violate the agreement.

In March 2025, with NIJC on behalf of ICIRR and OCAD, we filed an enforcement motion because Defendants had wrongfully arrested at least 22 class members, all Latino immigrants, in Chicago and Liberty, Missouri. We told the court that ICE agents regularly carried blank warrants and filled them out only after detaining someone. In May, we also filed a motion asking the court to extend the decree in light of repeated violations by ICE in the wake of new federal civil immigration enforcement. In September, we filed two notices of 30 more violations of the decree – warrantless arrests of Latino immigrants as part of ICE’s Operation Midway Blitz. On October 7, 2025, a federal court judge granted our motion to enforce the decree and extended the decree until February 2, 2026. 

The judge’s ruling requires ICE to reissue its Broadcast Policy on Warrantless Arrests nationwide and produce any information for people arrested in the Chicagoland area since June 2025 so that we can assess if ICE violated the consent decree. The order requires ICE to meet with us about violations of the decree to resolve them, and remedies can include the release of individuals from detention….

ACLU of Illinois

150 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 600

Chicago, IL 60601

The ACLU then calls for people to forward their complaints about ICE to them. I wonder how long the ACLU can keep ICE hogtied — Decades?

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Frequently Asked Questions

Why does ICE arrest people, and do they need a warrant?

ICE officers and agents are on the streets every day, prioritizing public safety by locating, arresting and removing criminal aliens and immigration violators from our neighborhoods.

ICE does not need judicial warrants to make arrests. Like all other law enforcement officers, ICE officers and agents can initiate consensual encounters and speak with people, briefly detain aliens when they have reasonable suspicion that the aliens are illegally present in the United States, and arrest people they believe are illegal aliens. ICE officers and agents can also detain and search people crossing the border.

All aliens who violate U.S. immigration law are subject to arrest and detention, regardless of their criminal histories. Those with final orders of removal are removed from the United States.

Do ICE officials need to show warrants to the public?

ICE law enforcement officers cannot show the warrants they are executing to people who aren’t named or involved. Often, law enforcement sensitivities and privacy concerns require officials to keep this information under wraps.

If you’re looking for specific information, you may make a Freedom of Information Act request.

There is a lot more info at that website.

8 CFR § 287.5 – Exercise of power by immigration officers.

§ 287.5 Exercise of power by immigration officers.

(a) Power and authority to interrogate and administer oaths. Any immigration officer is hereby authorized and designated to exercise anywhere in or outside the United States the power conferred by:

(1) Section 287(a)(1) of the Act to interrogate, without warrant, any alien or person believed to be an alien concerning his or her right to be, or to remain, in the United States, and

(2) Section 287(b) of the Act to administer oaths and to take and consider evidence concerning the privilege of any person to enter, reenter, pass through, or reside in the United States; or concerning any matter which is material or relevant to the enforcement of the Act and the administration of the immigration and naturalization functions of the Department….

.

.

(4) Arrests of persons under section 287(a)(5)(B) of the Act for any felony. (i) Section 287(a)(5)(B) of the Act authorizes designated immigration officers, as listed in paragraph (c)(4)(iii) of this section, to arrest persons, without warrant, for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States if:

(A) The immigration officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such a felony;

(B) The immigration officer is performing duties relating to the enforcement of the immigration laws at the time of the arrest;

(C) There is a likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant can be obtained for his or her arrest; and

(D) The immigration officer has been certified as successfully completing a training program that covers such arrests and the standards with respect to the immigration enforcement activities of the Department as defined in 8 CFR 287.8….

.

.

(2) Issuance of arrest warrants for immigration violations. A warrant of arrest may be issued by any of the following immigration officials who have been authorized or delegated such authority:

(i) District directors (except foreign);

(ii) Deputy district directors (except foreign);

(iii) Assistant district directors for investigations;

(iv) Deputy assistant district directors for investigations;

(v) Assistant district directors for deportation;

(vi) Deputy assistant district directors for deportation;

(vii) Assistant district directors for examinations;

(viii) Deputy assistant district directors for examinations;

(ix) Officers in charge (except foreign);

(x) Assistant officers in charge (except foreign);

(xi) Chief patrol agents;

(xii) Deputy chief patrol agents;

(xiii) Division chiefs;

(xiv) Assistant chief patrol agents;

(xv) Patrol agents in charge;

(xvi) Deputy patrol agents in charge;

(xvii) Border Patrol watch commanders;

(xviii) Special operations supervisors;

(xix) Supervisory border patrol agents;

(xx) Directors of air operations;

(xxi) Directors of marine operations;

(xxii) Supervisory air and marine interdiction agents;

(xxiii) Executive Associate Director of Homeland Security Investigations;

(xxiv) Institutional Hearing Program directors;

(xxv) Director, Field Operations;

(xxvi) Assistant Director, Field Operations;

(xxvii) Port directors;

(xxviii) Assistant port directors;

(xxix) Field operations watch commanders;

(xxx) Field operations chiefs;

(xxxi) Supervisory deportation officers;

(xxxii) Supervisory detention and deportation officers;

(xxxiii) Group Supervisors;

(xxxiv) Director, Office of Detention and Removal Operations;

(xxxv) Special Agents in Charge;

(xxxvi) Deputy Special Agents in Charge…. [The list goes on and on and on…]

I left out a lot of that law but you get the idea.

8 U.S. Code § 1357 – Powers of immigration officers and employees 

(a) Powers without warrant

Any officer or employee of the Service authorized under regulations prescribed by the Attorney General shall have power without warrant—

(1) to interrogate any alien or person believed to be an alien as to his right to be or to remain in the United States;

(2) to arrest any alien who in his presence or view is entering or attempting to enter the United States in violation of any law or regulation made in pursuance of law regulating the admission, exclusion, expulsion, or removal of aliens, or to arrest any alien in the United States, if he has reason to believe that the alien so arrested is in the United States in violation of any such law or regulation and is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest, but the alien arrested shall be taken without unnecessary delay for examination before an officer of the Service having authority to examine aliens as to their right to enter or remain in the United States;

(3) within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States, to board and search for aliens any vessel within the territorial waters of the United States and any railway car, aircraft, conveyance, or vehicle, and within a distance of twenty-five miles from any such external boundary to have access to private lands, but not dwellings, for the purpose of patrolling the border to prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States;

(4) to make arrests for felonies which have been committed and which are cognizable under any law of the United States regulating the admission, exclusion, expulsion, or removal of aliens, if he has reason to believe that the person so arrested is guilty of such felony and if there is likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest, but the person arrested shall be taken without unnecessary delay before the nearest available officer empowered to commit persons charged with offenses against the laws of the United States; and

(5)to make arrests—

(A) for any offense against the United States, if the offense is committed in the officer’s or employee’s presence, or

(B) for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States, if the officer or employee has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such a felony,

if the officer or employee is performing duties relating to the enforcement of the immigration laws at the time of the arrest and if there is a likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest….

There is a lot more to that law too.

I find it AMAZING how a judge can re-write a law that is passed by congress. ALSO NOTE it was the BIDEN ICE that consented to this travesty.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

LaRouche

Harley Schlanger, a historian and national spokesman with expertise in the financial industry since the 1980s, offers insights through The LaRouche Organization, where followers can access his analyses on geopolitics and economics.

Meryl Nass — Trump’s DOJ Meatpacker Investigation Explained—and What Must Happen Next/ Farm Action

LaRouche pegged the problem decades ago:

1995 — The Windsors’ Global Food Cartel: Instrument for Starvation

and

Control by the Food Cartel Companies: Profiles and Histories

Here are strategic profiles of 11 of the principal companies that constitute the Anglo-Dutch-Swiss food cartel. The profiles confirm that through multiple forms of concentration, these companies dominate grain, meat, dairy, and other food production, and the processing and distribution system of food, all the way to the supermarket. Very little food moves on the face of the earth without the food cartel having a hand in it….

2023 – Report details how a handful of Corporations are taking Control of the World’s Food Supply.

A report published at the end of 2022 by The ETC Group reveals how a handful of corporations with the help of Big Tech are taking over the world’s food supply…

The findings show that many agrifood sectors are now so “top-heavy” they are controlled by just four to six dominant firms, enabling these companies to wield enormous influence over markets, agricultural research and policy development, which undermines food sovereignty…

This is the reason why billionaire technocrats, such as Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, are now among the largest owners of farmland in the United States…

….

DO NOT FORGET BIO-FUEL!

Remember, farm subsidies go to GRAIN farmers, not to those growing veggies and fruit.

THIS WAS THE SET-UP

Amstutz was VP of Cargill. He wrote the WTO Agreement on Ag in 1995. Even Clinton admitted that agreement lead to starvation and riots of 2008.

https://web.archive.org/web/20110112203717/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008303122_apununfoodcrisis.html

Amstutz then wrote the Freedom to Farm act in 1996. This law was later called the Freedom to Fail act as US farmers over produced and grain prices dropped like a rock. Grain traders used the surplus of very cheap grain to bankrupt farmers around the world. This was actually a KNOWN US policy as Clinton has just admitted.

Amstutz was also responsible for wiping out the US grain reserve system. How to fight a food crisis: To blunt the ravages of drought and market greed, we need a national grain reserve… the 1996 Freedom to Farm Act abolished our national system of holding grain in reserve.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-xpm-2012-sep-21-la-oe-kaufman-food-hunger-drought-20120921-story.html

Amstutz then went to work for Goldman Sachs. This has always puzzled me until I finally ran across the last piece of the puzzle.

That is where things get really interesting. This is stolen from WANTtoKNOW. Info: Excerpts of Key Financial News Articles in Major Media

he first articles states: Commodity Futures Trading Commission judge says colleague biased against complainants

…Painter [head of the USDA Workers Union] said Judge Bruce Levine … had a secret agreement with a former Republican chairwoman of the agency to stand in the way of investors filing complaints with the agency. “On Judge Levine’s first week on the job, nearly twenty years ago, he came into my office and stated that he had promised Wendy Gramm, then Chairwoman of the Commission, that we would never rule in a complainant’s favor,” Painter wrote. “A review of his rulings will confirm that he fulfilled his vow….

Levine had never ruled in favor of an investor. Gramm [wife of former senator Phil Gramm (R-Tex.)], was head of the CFTC just before president Bill Clinton took office. She has been criticized by Democrats for helping firms such as Goldman Sachs and Enron gain influence over the commodity [Farm Products] markets. After leaving the CFTC, she joined Enron’s board.

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/19/AR2010101907216.html

NOW we know WHY Goldman Sachs hired Dan Amstutz!

The second Article states: How Goldman gambled on starvation

This is the story of how some of the richest people in the world – Goldman, Deutsche Bank, the traders at Merrill Lynch, and more – have caused the starvation of some of the poorest people in the world. At the end of 2006, food prices across the world started to rise, suddenly and stratospherically. Within a year, the price of wheat had shot up by 80 per cent, maize by 90 per cent, rice by 320 per cent. In a global jolt of hunger, 200 million people – mostly children – couldn’t afford to get food any more, and sank into malnutrition or starvation. There were riots in more than 30 countries, and at least one government was violently overthrown. Then, in spring 2008, prices just as mysteriously fell back to their previous level. Jean Ziegler, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, calls it “a silent mass murder”, entirely due to “man-made actions.” Through the 1990s, Goldman Sachs and others lobbied hard and the regulations [controlling agricultural futures contracts] were abolished. Suddenly, these contracts were turned into “derivatives” that could be bought and sold among traders who had nothing to do with agriculture. A market in “food speculation” was born. The speculators drove the price through the roof.

www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-how-goldman-gambled-on-starvation-2016088.html

Here is the real attitude of these sons of syphilitic jackals:

In summary, we have record low grain inventories globally as we move into a new crop year. We have demand growing strongly. Which means that going forward even small crop failures are going to drive grain prices to record levels. As an investor, we continue to find these long term trends…very attractive.” — Food shortfalls predicted: 2008 www.financialsense.com/fsu/editorials/dancy/2008/0104.html

….

Recently there have been increased calls for the development of a U.S. or international grain reserve to provide priority access to food supplies for Humanitarian needs. The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) strongly advise against this concept..Stock reserves have a documented depressing effect on prices… and resulted in less aggressive market bidding for the grains.” — July 22, 2008 letter to President Bush www.naega.org/images/pdf/grain_reserves_for_food_aid.pdf

Dan Amstutz was president of the North American Export Grain Association. They even named an award after the B@$t@rd!

Biofuel starvation wasn’t “unforeseen consequences”

The U.S. corn crop, accounting for 40 percent of the global harvest and supplying nearly 70 percent of the world’s corn imports…

Congress required that biofuel use increase five times…

wheat prices have tripled, corn prices doubled and rice prices nearly doubled…

…. there were real warnings about possible starvation as a consequence of the law Sarasohn refers to
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 …

To add insult to injury Congress did not even see if biofuel actually saves on the use of oil. It does not! David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell found it takes more fossil fuel to produce biofuel than is recovered:

* corn requires 29 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced;

* switch grass requires 45 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced; and

* wood biomass requires 57 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced.

* soybean plants requires 27 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced, and

* sunflower plants requires 118 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced.

www.news.cornell.edu/stories/july05/ethanol.toocostly.ssl.html

The oligarchs then started ‘investing’ in farmland…

Being Like Soros in Buying Farmland Reaps Annual Gains of 16%

2012 — Farmland reaps high investment returns –Reuters

Credit Suisse: The Hunt for Land Has Already Started

2010 Rothschild cashes in by Investing in Farmland

Add in currency devaluation and is it any wonder we can not afford food or land?

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.”

Hope’s Answer

First Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

In the immediate context, the apostle Peter discusses suffering for doing good (1 Peter 3:13–14). Persecution and suffering are to be expected in the Christian life (John 16:33), but a believer’s response to suffering should point others to Jesus. Peter emphasizes that Christ suffered and died to provide eternal life for those who believe in Him, and His example of suffering for doing good should strengthen all of us (1 Peter 3:17–18). Instead of fearing persecution, Christians are to make sure they suffer for righteousness’ sake, “honor Christ the Lord as holy,” and be prepared to give a defense of one’s hope in Jesus (verse 15, ESV). A believer should always be ready to tell others the good news of salvation in Jesus’ death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:2–4).

Providing a “defense” or giving an “answer” for one’s hope is based on the Greek word apologian, which carries the idea of “defending” something as a lawyer would defend his case in court. From the Greek word comes the English apologetics, “the discipline of defending” the Christian faith. Notice that Peter does not say that the job of giving an answer is only for the pastor or professional apologist. All Christians need to be prepared to give an answer or defense when someone asks them the reason for the hope that they have.

Peter wrote to the persecuted Christians in Asia Minor. As they were undergoing persecution, their outward behavior demonstrated hope in Jesus—not a wishful thought, but a solid and assured faith (see Hebrews 6:19–20). The believers’ lack of fear in the face of suffering would have propelled others to ask about the reason for their faith, giving the believers a perfect opportunity “to give an answer.” When believers display their sure hope in Jesus despite their circumstances, others will notice (see 1 Peter 2:12).

To properly answer someone who asks about one’s faith, the Christian must use “gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience” (1 Peter 3:15). There’s no place for harshness or disrespect in a Christian’s life, especially as he represents Christ and gives an answer to explain his faith. Peter exhorts the believer to answer unbelievers gently, respectfully, and with the example of one’s life (cf. Colossians 4:6). Believers should reflect Christ’s teaching of gentleness and “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15, NLT).

The command to “always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” presupposes a faith that causes us to live out our hope in Christ visibly before others. When unbelievers see a Christian’s great hope in the face of persecution or suffering, they will naturally want to know the reason for that hope (Matthew 5:16). We need to be prepared to share the gospel in a way that is gentle and respectful. The result will be “that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:16).

How would you answer that question?
A concise answer might be –
As a Christian, my hope comes from faith in Jesus Christ, who offers forgiveness for my sins, purpose in my life, and eternal life in heaven through His death and resurrection. This changes my perspective to a Christian Biblical worldview, giving me peace, joy and confidence in God’s love and plan, no matter what life’s challenges are.

My hope is built on nothings less
than Jesus Christ and [His] righteousness.

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand.