Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and, that we may receive what we ask, teach us by your Holy Spirit to ask only those things that are pleasing to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the same Spirit lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Beautiful sunrise over Downtown Charleston on this Friday morning! pic.twitter.com/hni3d1vHSG
— Joey Sovine Live 5 (@JoeySovine) July 19, 2024
Almighty God, who in thy Son Jesus Christ hast called us in from the bondage of sin to be servants of righteousness: Give us grace to yield our lives wholly to thine obedience; that, being made free from sin, we may have our fruit unto holiness, and hereafter may be made partakers of the life everlasting; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Happy Thursday all! pic.twitter.com/db0cqyuqFX
— David Oxtaby (@Disc_light) July 18, 2024
You may listen directly here:
You may also download it there and there is a video version here.
Today Jesus sends out the twelve apostles (Mk 6:7-13). In the original Greek, an "apostle" is one who is sent. All of us are are "sent" to do a certain mission in our lives. The most important part of that mission is remembering who sends us. A meditation: https://t.co/YLZ7HcHtGC pic.twitter.com/iKMe3qKS5E
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) July 14, 2024
Good morning from @summervillesc #SouthCarolina #lowcountrylife #chswx #scwx #dogsmakelifebetter @EdPiotrowski pic.twitter.com/aukUyY3seL
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) July 16, 2024
O Lord, take from me a careful heart in all worldly things, and grant that neither poverty oppress me and drive me to despair or falsehood, neither wealth nor prosperity lift me up to forget Thee or myself; but that in prosperity I may be thankful, and in adversity patient and humble. Make me merry without lightness, sad without mistrust, sober without dullness, fearing Thee without desperation, trusting in Thee without presumption.
–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)
It’s been a scorching summer! 🌞
— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) July 15, 2024
While exploring the outdoors this summer, beat the heat and stay safe with these tips:
🌲 Take breaks
🌤️ Wear sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen
💧 Drink lots of water
🥜 Eat snacks and keep your energy replenished
Photo by Hannah Rugger pic.twitter.com/yF5qq5JKfw
While there were unsuccessful assassination attempts, incidents or plots targeting George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama during or after their terms, Mr. Trump was the first current or former president wounded in an act of violence since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 by a would-be assassin trying to impress a Hollywood actress (NYT).
From Archbishop Steve Wood:
— ACNA (@The_ACNA) July 14, 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the midst of this time of uncertainty, social tensions, and violence, please join Jacqui and me as we pray for peace in the United States tonight: pic.twitter.com/cLxBRg7sgE
Lord of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things:
graft in our hearts the love of your name,
increase in us true religion,
nourish us with all goodness,
and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
–Mark 1:21-27
We turn to you, O Crucified Redeemer, converted through your cross, conquering in its sign, transformed by its grace and at peace within its shadow. Amen.
Morning everyone hope you are well. Before the grey weather returned. The path to Grasmere (from Loughrigg). I always have to stop to take this in. Have a great day. #LakeDistrict @keswickbootco pic.twitter.com/nVUB28B9Hg
— Rod Hutchinson (@lakesrhino) July 13, 2024
But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
–Romans 10:14-21
Sunrise on Glastonbury Tor this morning. A golden start to the day and magic in the air. pic.twitter.com/OJHzpMnPnl
— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) July 13, 2024
A South Sudanese bishop has warned that food is being used as a weapon by parties involved in the brutal civil war in Sudan, a country on the brink of famine.
“They harass humanitarian agencies,” the RC Bishop of Yei, the Rt Revd Alex Lodiong Sakor Eyobo, told the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales last week. “And, when humanitarian agencies are harassed, they stop delivering food because they also have to protect their own lives.
“The food aid sometimes is blocked by the RSF [Rapid Support Forces], not allowing them [the agencies] to enter. Because when you take food aid to the people, you are also going to feed their own enemies.
“So, they use food as a weapon, so that once food is not delivered, their enemy is weakened. That’s their point of view.”
A South Sudanese bishop has warned that food is being used as a weapon by parties involved in the brutal civil war in Sudan, a country on the brink of famine.https://t.co/mGd5sSFiPS
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 12, 2024
Andrew Copson, chief executive of Humanists UK, said: “For the first time ever, the number of those affirming versus swearing an oath has come close to reflecting the beliefs of the population as a whole. We’ve known for a while that the UK is one of the least religious countries in the world. We now have one of the least religious national parliaments in the world, too.”
About 53 per cent of people in Britain say they belong to no religion, and 42 per cent do not believe in a god.
Chine McDonald, director of the Theos religion think tank, said: “What we see reflected here is a falling away of cultural, nostalgic Christianity and a rise in the number of options available in an increasingly diverse and multi-religious society. It’s no surprise that a younger and less conservative group of parliamentarians might be less wedded to cultural Christianity, yet there are still a good number with a vibrant and active faith.”
Read it all (requires subscription).
Record number of MPs chose to take non-religious affirmation rather than swear on a Bible or other holy text this week
— Kaya Burgess (@kayaburgess) July 12, 2024
Up to 40% from 24% in 2019:https://t.co/3jlvKWTYpz
….a better diet for pregnant mothers and infants would eventually make humanity more intelligent. Alas, child malnutrition is far from being eradicated—and not just in poor, war-charred places like Congo. Many middle-income countries also have shockingly high rates.
How much of a cognitive boost would the world get from feeding babies better? Precision is tricky, but scientists agree it would be huge. If a fetus’s weight is below the tenth percentile, the child can expect to score half a standard deviation worse on all neuro-developmental measures—the rough equivalent of seven iq points. After birth, the speeds at which a baby puts on weight (before four months) and length (before 12 months) are good predictors of iq at the age of nine. A study in Bangladesh found that the combination of malnutrition and inadequate stimulation common in poor families was associated with an iq gap of a whole standard deviation (about 15 points) by the age of five.
Even if a baby has enough macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat), its brain development can be hobbled by a lack of micronutrients such as iron, iodine or zinc. Yet such deficiencies remain rife: half the world’s young children and two-thirds of women of reproductive age do not get enough micronutrients. For brain development, the most serious shortfall is iron. Two-fifths of children aged 6-59 months were anaemic (iron deficient) in 2019. Between 2012 and 2019, at least 92 countries saw no improvement on this score, laments Dr Shekar.
The cover of @TheEconomist this week: Small investments in nutrition could make the world brainier pic.twitter.com/kEsSdAieMt
— alain servais (@aservais1) July 12, 2024
In 2018 an international team of scientists — from labs in Houston, Copenhagen, Barcelona and beyond — got their hands on a remarkable biological specimen: a skin sample from a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth that had been recovered from the permafrost in Siberia. They probed the sample with an innovative experimental technique that revealed the three-dimensional architecture of the mammoth’s genome. The resulting paper was published on Thursday in the journal Cell.
Hendrik Poinar, an evolutionary geneticist at McMaster University in Canada, was “floored” — the technique had successfully captured the original geometry of long stretches of DNA, a feat never before accomplished with an ancient DNA sample. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Dr. Poinar, who reviewed the paper for the journal.
The typical method for extracting ancient DNA from fossils, Dr. Poinar said, is still “kind of cave man.” It produces short fragments of code composed of a four-letter molecular alphabet: A (adenine), G (guanine), C (cytosine), T (thymine). An organism’s full genome resides in cell nuclei, in long, unfragmented DNA strands called chromosomes. And, vitally, the genome is three-dimensional; as it dynamically folds with fractal complexity, its looping points of contact help dictate gene activity.
“To have the actual architectural structure of the genome, which suggests gene expression patterns, that’s a whole other level,” Dr. Poinar said.
My latest for @Nature: On Siberia's frozen tundra some 50,000 years ago, a woolly mammoth met its end. In the animal’s skin, researchers have now discovered chromosomes preserved in their original 3D shape—a feat previously thought impossible https://t.co/zr1mvj10h7
— Giorgia Guglielmi (she/her) (@GiorgiaWithAnI) July 11, 2024
Almighty God, we bless thy Name for the life and work of Nathan Söderblom, Archbishop of Uppsala, who helped to inspire the modern liturgical revival and worked tirelessly for cooperation among Christians. Inspire us by his example, that we may ever strive for the renewal of thy Church in life and worship, for the glory of thy Name; who with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Nathan Söderblom, Archbishop of Uppsala, 1931
— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) July 12, 2024
An Architect of the ecumenical movement, he developed relations with CofE, brought Anglican/Reformed/Lutheran/Orthodox together at the 1925 Stockholm Conference & won the 1930 Nobel Peace Prize pic.twitter.com/IvYsXkJph3
Eternal God, Who hast been the hope and joy of generations, and in all ages hast given men the power to seek Thee and in seeking to find Thee: grant me I pray Thee, a clearer vision of Thy truth, a greater faith in Thy power, and a more confident assurance of Thy love. If I cannot find Thee, let me search my heart and know whether it is not rather I that am blind – than Thou Who art obscure, and I who am fleeing from Thee rather than Thou from me; and let me confess these my sins before Thee, and seek Thy pardon in Jesus Christ my Lord.
–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)
Truly beautiful ‘The Ship of the Fens’, seen for miles and miles across the land.
— Veronica in the Fens 🧚🏼♀️ My Heart in Nature (@VeronicaJoPo) July 12, 2024
Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire #LovElyCathedral #Architecture #History #Cathedrals pic.twitter.com/4sfyiwBFau
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified.
Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by it. But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, “every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
–Romans 10:1-13
Down from the hills for an early breakfast. pic.twitter.com/XYwMn0na8f
— Steve Carter (@HighlandRampage) July 12, 2024
We request all the faithful in the GSFA to uphold our faithful brothers and sisters in the Church of England, bishops, clergy and laity, who have come together as ‘The Alliance’. We stand with them in the struggle that lies ahead as they seek to establish a new Province of the Church of England that will enable them to continue their witness to Jesus with integrity and freedom.
Despite the continued opposition of almost 50% of the Synod, the bishops of the Church of England have now succeeded in gaining support for services of blessing for same sex couples and the endorsement of a timetable to enable clergy to enter into same sex marriages.
With heavy hearts we see with increasing clarity that they will not be deterred from taking a path which is entirely contrary to the teaching of our Lord as held universally by the Christian Churches for two millennia and that they will continue regardless of the hurt and dismay suffered by faithful Churches of the Global South.
This latest development serves to illustrate the new reality that we felt compelled to articulate in the GSFA Ash Wednesday Statement of Feb 20th last year. The Church of England, has set itself to cement its departure from the historic faith by liturgical change. There can therefore now be no doubt that the Mother Church of the Communion has forfeited her leadership role in the global Communion and that the legacy ‘instruments of unity’, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the other instruments over which he presides, (the Primates Meeting, the Lambeth Conference and the Anglican Consultative Council) are all compromised.
Congratulations to Archbishop Justin Badi Arama who was enthroned as Archbishop of South Sudan this weekend!
— GAFCON (@gafconference) April 25, 2018
We pray that God will use him to uphold the authority of scripture and the true gospel of Jesus Christ in South Sudan and beyond. pic.twitter.com/hxEWNPx93O
‘On this episode of the Stand Firm podcast, Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about some current events in the church: Bishop Todd Hunter (C4SO) announces his retirement, news breaks about the possibility of “full communion” with Rome, and Archbishop Wood preaches at Provincial Assembly.’
Longevity has officially become a competitive sport.
Welcome to the “Rejuvenation Olympics.” In this contest founded by tech entrepreneur and longevity bro Bryan Johnson, anti-agers take their health obsession to new levels. Just not dying isn’t enough. Instead, you have to not-die better than your competitor.
You may know Johnson, 46, as the man who founded—and sold, for $800 million—the payments company Braintree. Or you may know him as “that crazy guy trying to not die,” as Johnson self-identifies in his X bio. He says he has spent millions on a viral self-experiment to age as little as possible—one that involves a regimen of dozens of daily powders and pills, gene therapies and more.
Once he began publishing his methods and corresponding health data, he encountered reactions from skepticism to outright vitriol. He decided to reframe his pursuit like a professional sport—and invite other players to the game.
Outliving Your Peers Is Now a Competitive Sport
— Agingdoc⭐David Barzilai🔔MD PhD MS MBA DipABLM🩺 (@agingdoc1) July 11, 2024
Longevity zealots vie in contest to slow aging; ‘that crazy guy trying to not die.’
By @AlexLJanin @WSJ
Featuring: @julsg50 @bryan_johnson @siimland @Dode__Man https://t.co/27EZDhne9K
Just as there is an evil zeal of bitterness
which separates from God and leads to hell,
so there is a good zeal
which separates from vices and leads to God
and to life everlasting.
This zeal, therefore, the sisters should practice
with the most fervent love.
Thus they should anticipate one another in honor (Rom. 12:10);
most patiently endure one another’s infirmities,
whether of body or of character;
vie in paying obedience one to another —
no one following what she considers useful for herself,
but rather what benefits another — ;
tender the charity of sisterhood chastely;
fear God in love;
love their Abbess with a sincere and humble charity;
prefer nothing whatever to Christ.
And may He bring us all together to life everlasting!
–The Rule of Benedict, Chapter 72: On the Good Zeal Which They Ought to Have
Today the Church of England celebrates Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino, Father of Western Monasticism, c.550
— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) July 11, 2024
Image: Stained glass panel depicting St Benedict as a boy, being sent off to school by his parents. Made c.1460-80 by a Norwich artist, now in @stainedglassmus pic.twitter.com/SbkW4peEvV
Almighty and everlasting God, whose precepts are the wisdom of a loving Father: Give us grace, following the teaching and example of thy servant Benedict, to walk with loving and willing hearts in the school of the Lord’s service; let thine ears be open unto our prayers; and prosper with thy blessing the work of our hands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
A special day for me to day as it is the Feast of my Patron Saint St Benedict of Nursia, the Patron Saint of Europe and father of western monasticism. Praying for all Benedictines the world over today. @BishopEgan @PortsmouthRC @BelmontAbbeyUK @downsideabbey @ampleforthmonks pic.twitter.com/rwXc2fZ5Os
— Cllr Benedict Swann (@BenSwann16) July 11, 2024
O Lord Jesus Christ, into whose death we have been baptized: Grant, we beseech thee, that like as thou wast raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we may walk in newness of life; that having been planted in the likeness of thy death, we may be also in the likeness of thy resurrection; for the glory of thy holy name.
Morning everyone hope you are well. On the shoreline of Grasmere the newly refurbished boathouse with some beautiful reflections. Have a great day. #LakeDistrict @keswickbootco pic.twitter.com/GG2cNyzjvX
— Rod Hutchinson (@lakesrhino) July 11, 2024
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.”
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.
–Matthew 24:1-14
Het #oranje op een roze wolk lukte jammer genoeg net niet. Fijne donderdag😀 #natuur #landschap #zomer #Rhenen #ElstUt #Elsterbuitenwaard #zonsondergang #mooieluchten pic.twitter.com/rb0NjXEzRD
— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) July 11, 2024
Together for the Church of England, an organisation that speaks for a number of groups promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion, welcomed the vote, and pledged to continue engaging in the process of refining the detail of the proposals.
The statement expressed hope that those who opposed the changes would likewise continue to engage “with honesty and kindness, as they have so far, in order that we may seek together for the welfare of the whole Church of England”.
By contrast, the national director of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), Canon John Dunnett, said on Tuesday that it was “deeply disappointing” that the motion had been passed, “despite hearing repeatedly in speeches of the need to build trust by avoiding bad process, and CEEC’s continued advocacy of the insufficiency of delegated arrangements”.
Two prominent umbrella groups have given their response to the General Synod’s decision to endorse plans for stand-alone services of blessing for same-sex couples and delegate episcopal ministry for opponents to the changes https://t.co/VMuOfV8Yvz
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 10, 2024
And here is my speech, given after two amendments were discussed and voted on (and so limited to three minutes):
This is not a debate between love and legalities. Those who oppose this motion do so because we want to be true to the love of Christ for all—‘if you love me, keep my commandments. Remain in my love’. Love rejoices with the truth, and the truth is that, if this motion is passed, three things will certainly happen.
First, trust—already at a low—will be finally broken. There has been no adequate theology, no adequate process, no transparency, no coherence. LLF has failed all four tests of trust.
Secondly, the Church will split. Not in formal structures—I cannot see how that could work. But it will in practice. Nowhere in scripture, nowhere in the history of the church catholic, nowhere in the Church’s own doctrine—nowhere in past statements by the bishops until very recently, has this been a ‘thing indifferent’ on which we can agree to disagree. And we do not.
Thirdly, the Church will continue in serious decline. In fourteen years, we have halved in size. In one diocese, the number of children has dropped by 50% in four years. There are no real signs that this is slowing, yet alone reversing. After the Scottish Episcopal Church changed its doctrine it declined by 40% in six years. The Church of Scotland will be extinct by around 2038—just fourteen years from now. No Western denomination has changed its doctrine of marriage without then accelerating in decline. We will be no different. This is not ‘catastrophising’; this is not a power play. This is honesty; this is reality.
So if you do vote for this proposal, please do it with your eyes wide open—knowing it will destroy trust, knowing it will divide the Church, and knowing it will lead to greater decline. I don’t feel any of that is a demonstration of the love of God. Vote for this—only if you think that distrust, disunity, and decline is a price worth paying. If not, vote against and let us think again together.
What happened at General Synod last weekend? What became clear in the debate about sexuality and marriage? Why is there so much lack of honesty and transparency? And where do we go from here? @talkChristianly https://t.co/e1lpLJ3JVl
— Dr Ian Paul (@Psephizo) July 10, 2024
Firms that manage drug benefits, which promise to keep a lid on high drug costs, instead steer patients away from less expensive medicines and overcharge for cancer therapies, Federal Trade Commission investigators found.
The FTC, in a report released Tuesday, detailed a number of actions that it said large pharmacy-benefit managers use to boost their profits and increase the spending of the health plans and employers that hired them to control costs. The actions can also lead to higher outlays for patients at the pharmacy counter, the agency said.
The findings follow a two-year investigation into the firms, known as PBMs, and calls from some lawmakers to rein in the firms’ business practices.
FTC Chair Lina Khan said the agency planned further scrutiny of big PBMs with the goal of making healthcare affordable. “Dominant pharmacy-benefit managers can hike the cost of drugs—including overcharging patients for cancer drugs,” she said.
PBMs are a paradigmatic example of how a middleman meant to reduce costs and enhance efficiency becomes so bloated and powerful that it adds to costs and reduces efficiency. Great to see FTC addressing this issue!https://t.co/q0s3VC638W
— Kate Judge (@ProfKateJudge) July 9, 2024
South Carolina will grow to nearly 6.4 million residents by 2042 — if the state’s latest projections prove accurate — and just a handful of counties will account for most of the population growth.
Five counties could see their populations soar by 49 percent or more from 2024 to 2042, a pace of growth likely to strain roads, schools and public services.
Horry County tops the list with an expected gain of 216,662 more residents, which means a 53 percent population increase.
South Carolina – the fastest-growing state in the nation last year – expects another million people by 2042.
— David Slade 🗞 (@DSladeNews) July 10, 2024
Just a handful of counties could see most of that growth, straining roads, schools and public services.https://t.co/3jRyWJuCJt