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 FASTDOMAIN 

FIRST, PRAYER AND PRAISE:

 

To read and pray for one article each day, click HERE and add the link to your browser's Bookmarks!

Sun. – Pray for millions of Christians to actively care for and support individuals with disabilities and the elderly.

Mon. – Thank God for Seth, an unborn baby with a defect who now has a fairly normal life and became an outstanding student.

Tue. – Pray against teens being prescribed gender-change hormones or scheduled for sex-change surgery after 1 phone call.

Wed. – Ask God that Orthodoxy in Ukraine, Russia, and the Middle East will assist in solving the problems in those areas.

Thu. – Pray for educators, counselors, and medical personnel to learn and understand how to help people with disabilities.

Fri. – Pray against Russia's aggression, confiscation of grain, destruction of Ukraine, and forcibly deporting thousands.

Sat. – Ask God that family and professional caregivers be trained to care for the 70 million U.S. "baby boomers" now retiring.



WE NEED YOUR HELP! Perhaps you've read this before and are wondering, "Why am I seeing this again?" But millions of other Christians haven't seen it! So please use the "share" buttons above to share it with your social media friends. Thanks!!

DISABILITY IMPACTS ALL OF US: CDC

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This article advocates for the creation of Agape Restoration Communities where Christians actively care for and support individuals with disabilities and the elderly. With 26% of U.S. adults living with disabilities, the author emphasizes the need to address the often overlooked challenges faced by this demographic.

The invisibility of certain disabilities contributes to a lack of awareness and unconscious bias. The article urges Christians to embody the Gospel's teachings, highlighting Jesus Christ's focus on ministering to the poor, maimed, lame, and blind. It emphasizes the importance of overcoming prejudices and actively engaging with and supporting disabled individuals to foster inclusive communities. [read more...]


Click → CONTACT US.

 

 

If 5% of the people who see this would give $5 per month (just 17¢ per day!) – two cups of coffee with your favorite friend at your favorite coffee shop – we could cover our operating expenses and do much more in spreading the word, serving and providing accessible housing for the disabled. My wife and I left our careers over 30 years ago to serve in Russia as missionaries: we're now "semi-retired" – we've put on a new set of semi tires and keep on trucking! We live on our retirement income and volunteer our time: we receive no financial support from Agape Restoration Society. Our websites and ministry are funded by us and just a few friends. ...thanks in advance!

 
 
NEXT, THE NEWS:
 
 

'THIS IS ALL GOD': DOCTORS SAID SETH WOULD DIE AT BIRTH, BUT TODAY HE’S AN ASTROPHYSICS MAJOR
from: LiveAction News

Seth Rippentrop (1 Dec.) Kimberly Rippentrop, facing a high-risk pregnancy, discovered her son Seth had a severe cardiac defect at 27 weeks. Given the option of an amniocentesis, she refused, choosing to love her child regardless of potential conditions. In 2002, Texas law still allowed abortion after 24 weeks.

Despite the grim prognosis, Seth underwent three phases of heart reconstruction surgeries, defying expectations. Now 21, Seth leads a vibrant life, is on the dean's list and majoring in astrophysics. Rippentrop advocates choosing life over abortion, emphasizing that no one escapes pain, and embracing the time one has with a child. A Duke University study supports the emotional benefits of continuing pregnancies in challenging situations. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: This article clearly shows that an unborn baby with a defect can not only have a fairly normal life, but even become an outstanding person. How many millions of unborn Americans could be leading productive and happy lives if they hadn't been aborted?

 
 

DO GENDER-QUESTIONING KIDS NEED PSYCHOTHERAPY RATHER THAN HORMONES?
from: BioEdge.org

hormone therapy or psychotherapy? (30 Nov.) The Journal of Medical Ethics features Australian psychiatrist Robert D’Angelo's call for a more thorough approach in assessing individuals seeking "gender affirmation." D’Angelo advocates for psychoanalysis as a means to explore gender-related issues, arguing that brief consultations fail to determine readiness for life-altering decisions.

He notes the absence of screening tools for identifying underlying psychosocial or mental health issues in those with gender dysphoria. Despite psychotherapy's potential benefits, it faces opposition, being misconstrued as a form of "conversion therapy." D’Angelo contends that psychotherapy, evolving over time, is essential for informed decision-making, emphasizing nuanced reflection and shared decision processes. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: It is absurd that a teenager can have just one telephone interview and then be prescribed gender-change hormones or even be scheduled for sex-change surgery. A longer-term of psychological counseling is required to discover the underlying causes of gender dysphoria.

 
 

DIPLOMACY, GEOPOLITICS, AND GLOBAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
from: Georgetown University

Diplomacy, Geopolitics, and Global Orthodox Christianity in the Twenty-First Century (29 Nov.) This in-depth article explores the role of Orthodox Churches in contemporary geopolitics including religious freedom, human rights, and anti-slavery. It discusses the historical significance and current presence of Orthodox Churches in locations of key competition between NATO and Russia.

The article also analyzes the challenges to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople posed by the Moscow Patriarchate's "Third Rome" ideology as it relates to Ukraine and Africa. These challenges have provoked intense ecclesiastical conflicts within Orthodoxy today. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Orthodoxy in Ukraine, Russia, and the Middle East can and should play a leading role in solving the problems in those areas. Russia is the spoiler, trying to unseat the Ecumenical Patriarch and claim to be the rightful leader of Orthodoxy.

 
 

DISABILITY STUDIES PROGRAMS POPPING UP AT MORE UNIVERSITIES
from: Disability Scoop

Leroy Moore (29 Nov.) The introduction of a disability studies major at UCLA, the first at any public university in California, is hailed as a victory for visibility and recognition in a decades-long battle for students with disabilities. UCLA's program signifies a shift in the stigma around disability, reflecting a broader surge in interest in disability studies.

Despite the growing discipline, challenges include pressure for disabled students to pass as non-disabled and institutional barriers such as bureaucracy. The article emphasizes the importance of fully funding laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to ensure educational opportunities for all students with disabilities. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Children and adults with disabilities have different health and educational problems that non-disabled people, so it is important for educators, counselors, and medical personnel be trained to understand how to help these special people.

 
 

43 COUNTRIES ISSUED JOINT STATEMENT ON 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF HOLODOMOR AT OSCE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL
from: Religious Information Service of Ukraine

Holodomor memorial (4 Dec.) At the OSCE Ministerial Council, 43 nations united in condemning the Stalinist regime's crimes against Ukraine during the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor. The joint statement, read by the US representative, Michael Carpenter, expressed concern over Russia's use of food as a weapon.

The signatories emphasized the Stalinist methods employed by Russia in its aggression against Ukraine and called for accountability to prevent similar atrocities. They condemned Russia's theft and destruction of Ukrainian agricultural products and efforts to hinder food supplies. The statement underscored the shared responsibility to protect human rights and respect for human life, citing the Holodomor as a stark reminder of autocratic regime dangers. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: "Holodomor" means "Starvation Plague." In 1933-34, Stalin confiscated food, crops, land and houses from Ukrainians, killing 5 million to 10 million people. Sadly, we see the same thing happening now during Russia's aggression, confiscation of grain, and destruction of Ukraine. Stalin forcibly deported millions more to Siberian labor camps, replacing them with Russians. Thus, the Donbas and Crimea regions of Ukraine still have a high Russian-speaking population.

 
 

AS AMERICANS AGE, CAREGIVING CHALLENGES INCREASE
from: American Psychological Association

APA on caregjving (2014) The Caregiver Action Network reports a rising number of approximately 90 million family caregivers in the U.S., with two in five adults caring for family members. As the aging baby boomer generation increases, caregiving becomes a critical issue. Steven Zarit, a distinguished professor at Penn State U., highlights changes in caregiving, with women traditionally assuming this role, now facing challenges due to workforce entry.

On average, a disabled man weighs more than his wife, which can exhaust her. Psychological challenges vary based on the caregiver's relationship and the care recipient's needs. Zarit emphasizes limited training for caregivers, suggesting support groups, and emphasizes that caregiving can impact health negatively, but many find satisfaction in providing care. A balance with paid professionals often works best. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: With 70 million American "baby boomers" now reaching retirement age, the issues are how to train enough family and professional caregivers and helping family members realize when they need a break from caregiving.

NOW, OUR VIEWS:
 

 

Perfect People: Possible But Improbable

 

 

Christ has perfected usHow is it possible that Christ has already made us perfect, as Hebrews 10:12-14 shows here? In Revelation 13:8b we read – "...the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world." The sacrifice of Christ took place in eternity past, because He is One of the pre-eternal Trinity. So Christ the God-Man is both outside of time as God and inside time as man, thus His work of perfecting us has both an eternal and a temporal aspect. "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48) and "Follow after peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). How is it possible that Christians can be perfect, how can we fulfill these commands to be perfect and holy?

St. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8-16 on striving to become perfect:

"Yes most assuredly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for Whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming conformed to His death; if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I don't regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

St. Paul wrote that he was not already made perfect (in the human dimensions of space-time), but he was pressing on to take hold of what Christ had already (in eternity) taken hold of: Paul's perfection. This also explains the "predestination/free will" paradox: Christ as eternal God foreknows all those who are destined for salvation, perfection, and sanctification; but we mortals are limited to space-time and cannot know the future, therefore we must freely choose to "press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

From God's eternal point of view, there is predestination; but from a human point of view, there is free will and moral responsibility. As a Protestant might say, "God is a Calvinist, but we are all Arminians." In Hebrews 12:25 the Apostle Paul wrote - "See that you don't refuse him who speaks. For if they didn't escape when they refused Him Who warned on earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven." Humanly speaking, it is possible for us to turn away from Christ, just as it is possible to turn toward Him and follow Him. Let's look at some examples:

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A Personal Note – Here's our Christmas card to you! If you click on the picture, you can download it as a PDF file:

 

Peace on Earth!

Hanukkah Star of David plus Cross

Where is He Who Is Called
the King of the Jews?

Is He in your heart?

 

Blessed Christ-mas
...the Fulfillment of
the Jewish Faith!

 

Bob & Cheryl Hosken

(Mat. 5:17-18; Gal. 3:28-29)

 

 

Who Are We?   Please remember to pray for Christians in Secularized Countries, and for...

  Your fellow-servants,

  Bob & Cheryl

  p.s. Worry's like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere!

 

 

 

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