Almighty God, Who hast made our bodies to be temples of Thy Spirit: reveal, we beseech Thee, in Thy servants Thy manifold gifts of grace; that living in Thy love and fear, they may be purified from the corruption that is in the world, and attain to dwell in the blessed fellowship of Thine eternal Kingdom.

–Frederick B. Macnutt, The prayer manual for private devotions or public use on divers occasions: Compiled from all sources ancient, medieval, and modern (A.R. Mowbray, 1951)

Wednesday morning beach walk. South Sands, Salcombe pic.twitter.com/f0C68yxULq

— Stephen Ball (@ostizeuropean) August 2, 2023

As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by soothsaying. She followed Paul and us, crying, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul was annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the rulers; and when they had brought them to the magistrates they said, “These men are Jews and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them; and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

–Acts 16:16-24

Canal view#malmö #sweden #photofrommyheart pic.twitter.com/joNYv056He

— Lisa von Steijern🇸🇪 (@LisavonSteijern) August 2, 2023

The Chapter of Chichester Cathedral has decided to change the name of one of its properties back to George Bell House, after a years-long campaign by defenders of the reputation of the late bishop after whom it was named….

In 2016, the Chapter announced a decision to call George Bell House — named in memory of the Bishop of Chichester from 1929 till 1958, the late Dr George Bell — 4 Canon Lane, a year after he had been named in a legal civil claim of sexual abuse…. The complaint concerned the abuse of a young girl in the late 1940s and early 1950s, later known as Carol.

In 2017, an independent review of the case carried out by Lord Carlile said that Church of England officials had “rushed to judgement” when they had concluded that Bishop Bell was the alleged sexual abuser….

Sussex Police closed their latest investigation concerning Bishop Bell in 2018 (News, 27 April 2018). In 2019, the Archbishop of Canterbury apologised for “mistakes” made in the handling of the allegation (News, 1 February 2019). Archbishop Welby had said in 2017 that, after the Carlile review, “a significant cloud” was left over the name of Bishop Bell. He later said that “nothing of substance” had been added to previous allegations and that “[Bishop Bell’s] legacy is undoubted and must be upheld.”

Read it all.

Chichester Cathedral property to be renamed George Bell House again https://t.co/UzBaouugIx

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) August 1, 2023

“People are yearning for something greater than themselves — beyond their own understanding,” said Jack Grogger, a chaplain for the Los Angeles Angels and a longtime Southern California fire captain who has aided many people in their gravest moments.

That search for something bigger, he said, can take on many forms, from following a religion to crafting a self-driven purpose to believing in, of course, angels.

“For a lot of people, angels are a lot safer to worship,” said Grogger, who also pastors a nondenominational church in Orange, California, and is a chaplain for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.

People turn to angels for comfort, he said. They are familiar, regularly showing up in pop culture as well as in the Bible. Comparably, worshipping Jesus is far more involved; when Grogger preaches about angels it is with the context that they are part of God’s kingdom.

American’s belief in angels (69%) is about on par with belief in heaven and the power of prayer, but bested by belief in God or a higher power (79%). Fewer U.S. adults believe in the devil or Satan (56%), astrology (34%), reincarnation (34%), and that physical things can have spiritual energies, such as plants, rivers or crystals (42%).

Read it all.

Do you believe in angels? About 7 in 10 U.S. adults do, a new AP-NORC poll shows | AP News https://t.co/ToRPGMUoUW

— James F. McGrath (@ReligionProf) July 29, 2023

Ultrasound, the decades-old technology known for giving early glimpses of unborn babies, could hold a key to a problem that has long challenged drug developers: getting medicines to hard-to-reach places to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.

A cutting-edge approach that combines ultrasound waves with tiny bubbles of inert gas injected into the bloodstream can get more chemotherapy to tumor cells and enable drugs to breach one of the most stubborn frontiers in the human body—the blood-brain barrier. It is also being explored as a new way to deliver gene therapy.

“There’s an extremely wide variety of where this sort of drug delivery or augmentation with ultrasound and bubbles can take us,” says Flemming Forsberg, professor of radiology and director of ultrasound physics at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. The effectiveness of drugs in treating diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s is often limited by poor penetration into tissues, he says, whether in the brain or in tumors in other parts of the body.

Read it all.

Ultrasound waves are combined with tiny bubbles in the bloodstream in a cutting-edge approach to deliver medicines to hard-to-reach places to treat diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer https://t.co/mzjVCjUN02

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 31, 2023

For the past two and a half years, Oregon has been trying an unusual experiment to stem soaring rates of addiction and overdose deaths. People caught with small amounts of illicit drugs for “personal use,” including fentanyl and methamphetamine, are fined just $100 — a sanction that can be waived if they participate in a drug screening and health assessment. The aim is to reserve prosecutions for large-scale dealers and address addiction primarily as a public health emergency.

When the proposal, known as Measure 110, was approved by nearly 60 percent of Oregon voters in November 2020, the pandemic had already emptied downtown Portland of workers and tourists. But its street population was growing, especially after the anti-police protests that had spread around the country that summer. Within months of the measure taking effect in February 2021, open-air drug use, long in the shadows, burst into full view, with people sitting in circles in parks or leaning against street signs, smoking fentanyl crushed on tinfoil.

Since then, Oregon’s overdose rates have only grown. Now, tents of unhoused people line many sidewalks in Portland. Monthslong waiting lists for treatment continue to lengthen. Some politicians and community groups are calling for Measure 110 to be replaced with tough fentanyl possession laws. Others are pleading to give it more time and resources.

Read it all.

Oregon’s experiment to curb overdoses by decriminalizing small amounts of illicit drugs is in its third year, and life has changed for most everyone in the city of Portland: “At four in the afternoon the streets can feel like dealer central” https://t.co/K6ziIxzbBV

— Jim Russell (@ProducerCities) August 1, 2023

Merciful God, whose servant Joseph of Arimathaea with reverence and godly fear did prepare the body of our Lord and Savior for burial, and did lay it in his own tomb: Grant, we beseech thee, to us thy faithful people grace and courage to love and serve Jesus with sincere devotion all the days of our life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today, the Church remembers the witness of Joseph of Arimathea. pic.twitter.com/B4rHsp4gjo

— Gage C. Garlinghouse 🦬 (@Acolyte_1) July 31, 2023

Blessed Lord, by Whose providence all Holy Scriptures were written and preserved for our instruction: give us grace to study them each day with patience and love; strengthen our souls with the fullness of their divine teaching; keep from us all pride and irreverence; guide us in the deep things of Thy heavenly wisdom; and, of Thy great mercy, lead us by Thy Word into everlasting life.

–Frederick B. Macnutt, The prayer manual for private devotions or public use on divers occasions: Compiled from all sources ancient, medieval, and modern (A.R. Mowbray, 1951)

This morning at the bottom of Glastonbury Tor. The tiny bit of sun lighting up my way. I have a last minute stall at Glastonbury Market today if anyone is around. pic.twitter.com/3cpFqwTE3k

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) August 1, 2023

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to thee, when my heart is faint. Lead thou me to the rock that is higher than I; for thou art my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in thy tent for ever! Oh to be safe under the shelter of thy wings!

–Psalm 61:1-4

Good morning fellow X’s..Yuck!
After the monsoon conditions yesterday in Aberdeenshire, today’s sun is so welcome. I hope it’s the same wherever you all are.
Enjoy your day.😊
Image: Aberdeen Bay. pic.twitter.com/rC0kHeeuhg

— Terence Farquharson🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇹 (@TelfotoABZ761) August 1, 2023