Having received the news of the retirement of the Bishop of Liverpool, we acknowledge his decision in taking this step for the good of the Diocese of Liverpool. This is a deeply painful situation, and we hold all concerned in our prayers.

We will be liaising with the Archbishop of York in the coming days to establish interim episcopal oversight for the diocese.

Read it all.

BREAKING: the Bishop of Liverpool, Dr John Perumbalath, has resigned with immediate effect. He wrote to the clergy of the diocese on Thursday morning that, having sought permission from the King, he had taken the decision “to retire from active ministry" https://t.co/JjcHKbxFiG

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) January 30, 2025

The leaders of more than half of Africa’s nations gathered this week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s sprawling seaside metropolis, to commit to the biggest burst of spending on electric-power generation in Africa’s history.

The World Bank, African Development Bank and others are pledging at least $35 billion to expand electricity across a continent where more than a half-billion people still don’t have it. About half of the money will go toward solar “minigrids” that serve individual communities. The loans will come at below-market interest rates, a crucial stipulation as global lenders usually charge much higher rates in Africa, citing higher risks.

In an interview, Ajay Banga, the president of the World Bank, cast the initiative in sweeping terms where economic development met societal stability and basic human rights. “Without electricity, we can’t get jobs, health care, skills,” he said. The success of electrification, he said, is “foundational to everything.”

The summit’s promise is to get half of Africa’s 600 million unelectrified people powered up in just six years. That averages out to five million people a month. Mr. Banga said the World Bank, on its own, had not yet even passed the one-million-a-month mark.

Read it all.

Expecting to electrify 300 million Africans by 2030, Mission 300 is meeting in Tanzania’s capital, Dar es Salaam.

They hope to illuminate NASA’s very dim nighttime image of Africa.

Today's econlife blog: https://t.co/M63ERMSlJ3#econlife pic.twitter.com/CqnJyBJZvZ

— econlife.com (@Econlife) January 28, 2025

Give me, O God, the spirit of true devotion, such as may give life to all my prayers, so that they may find acceptance in Thy sight.  By Thy Almighty power, O King of heaven, for the glory of Thy Name, and for the love of a Father, grant me all those blessings which Thy Son taught us to pray for.    

–Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

Frozen Birches pic.twitter.com/ER4I2HMDpS

— Tim Scanlan (@TScanlanPhoto) January 30, 2025

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so many things in vain?””if it really is in vain. Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
Thus Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for “He who through faith is righteous shall live”; but the law does not rest on faith, for “He who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us””for it is written, “Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree””” that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

–Galatians 3:1-14

Guten Morgen pic.twitter.com/82zViw52wC

— Manfred F (@F16Manfred) January 30, 2025

Senior  leaders in the diocese of Liverpool said on Wednesday that the Bishop of Liverpool, Dr John Perumbalath, should step aside from all ministry in the diocese.

Their intervention follows allegations that Dr Perumbalath sexually harassed a female bishop and sexually assaulted another woman — allegations that he denies (News, 28 January).

In a statement sent to the Archbishop of York, the diocese’s Dean, archdeacons, and the chairs of the houses of clergy and laity, wrote: “Having listened to clergy, congregations and staff at the diocesan offices and the cathedral it is with deep regret that the senior leadership of the diocese of Liverpool feel that the position of the Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath is currently untenable. We believe that the allegations made by the female bishop need to be fully and properly investigated. We also believe that while these proper investigations are conducted the Bishop of Liverpool will need to step aside from all ministry in the Diocese of Liverpool.”

Speaking to Channel 4 News on Wednesday evening, the lead bishop for safeguarding, the Bishop of Stepney, Dr Joanne Grenfell, said: “I think these are serious allegations. They need a proper process to look at them to be fair to everybody involved. But I do think that, while that happens, he [Dr Perumbalath], should step back from ministry to give the Church the space to do that properly.”

Read it all.

“Having listened to clergy, congregations and staff at the diocesan offices and the cathedral it is with deep regret that the senior leadership of the diocese of Liverpool feel that the position of the Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath is currently untenable."https://t.co/c7nM099SD1

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) January 30, 2025

The market reaction, when it came, was brutal. On January 27th, as investors realised just how good DeepSeek’s “v3” and “R1” models were, they wiped around a trillion dollars off the market capitalisation of America’s listed tech firms. Nvidia, a chipmaker and the chief shovel-seller of the artificial-intelligence (AI) gold rush, saw its value fall by $600bn. Yet even if the Chinese model-maker’s new releases rattled investors in a handful of firms, they should be a cause for optimism for the world at large. DeepSeek shows how competition and innovation will make ai cheaper and therefore more useful.

DeepSeek’s models are practically as good as those made by Google and OpenAI—and have been produced at a fraction of the cost. Barred by American export controls from using cutting-edge chips, the Chinese firm undertook an efficiency drive, even reprogramming the chips it used to train the model to eke out every drop of power. The cost of building an AI model that can stand toe-to-toe with the best has plummeted. Within days, DeepSeek’s chatbot was the most downloaded app on the iPhone.

The contrast with America’s approach could not be starker. Sam Altman, the boss of OpenAI, has spent years telling investors—and America’s new president—that vast sums of money and computing power are needed to stay at the forefront of AI. Investors have accordingly been betting that a handful of firms stand to reap vast monopoly-like rents. Yet if fast followers such as DeepSeek can eat away at that lead for a fraction of the cost, then those profits are at risk.

Read it all.

"However, the real winners will be consumers. For AI to transform society, it needs to be cheap, ubiquitous and out of the control of any one country or company. DeepSeek’s success suggests that such a world is imaginable."https://t.co/8aZ4eM5PV5 #USChina #Geoeconomics #地経学

— Ken Doi土居 (@kitakazethomas) January 30, 2025

US fourth- and eighth-grade students are struggling with reading comprehension with last year’s nationwide testing showing the worst results in over two decades.

Average reading scores deteriorated among students who took the Congressionally-mandated assessment in 2024, according to results released Wednesday from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

“This is a major concern,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the test known as the Nation’s Report Card every two years. “Our nation is facing complex challenges in reading.”

Read it all.

US fourth- and eighth-grade students are struggling with reading comprehension with last year’s nationwide testing showing the worst results in over two decades. https://t.co/mHk2GPQyId

— Bloomberg Markets (@markets) January 29, 2025

A man fitted with a pioneering, computer-controlled brain implant to tackle his Parkinson’s disease says it works so well he is sometimes able to forget he has the condition.

A small computer inserted into Kevin Hill’s chest wall 12 months ago is connected to wires running into the brain which can send electrical signals and an update means it can now read his brain activity.

The 65-year-old from Sunderland said it has been so successful he feels like he has “been cured”.

Surgeons in Newcastle hope an adapted version of the deep brain stimulation system will have a “huge impact” on the quality of life of patients with the disease.

Read it all.

Quite remarkable!
Parkinson's patient 'feels cured' with new device https://t.co/VIr6NX9YRf

— Roger Harrop (@TheCEOexpert) January 28, 2025

Holy God, we bless thee for the gift of thy monk and icon writer Andrei Rublev, who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, provided a window into heaven for generations to come, revealing the majesty and mystery of the holy and blessed Trinity; who livest and reignest through ages of ages. Amen.

Andrei Rublev 1360 1437 Trinità pic.twitter.com/TO9YBpTmE7

— Ugo Ramella (@RamellaUgo) July 7, 2023

Lord Jesus, who in thy tender love didst stretch forth thy hand and touch the leper who came to thee for cleansing: Grant us a like compassion for all who claim our help, and a willingness to identify ourselves with them in their need; for thy sake who wast made sin for us, and who art our righteousness and our salvation, now and for ever.

#Brighton #Sunrise #UsualSeagull @ThePhotoHour @StormHour pic.twitter.com/3zCEvuEJSx

— Stephen Royle (@Steveontour1) January 29, 2025

But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And with him the rest of the Jews acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their insincerity. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet who know that a man is not justified[a] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.

–Galatians 2:11-21

The mountain streams are crystal clear after the storms and snowmelt always adds extra clarity pic.twitter.com/AihKCap6sV

— Johnny (@FlockofGhosts) January 29, 2025

The Church of England should develop a strategy to encourage more working-class people into ministry, a private member’s motion is to argue at next month’s General Synod meeting.

Proposed by the Revd Alex Frost, a priest in Burnley who left school at 15 and worked full-time in the retail sector to fund his ministerial training (Comment, Podcast, 26 April 2024), the motion calls on the Ministry Development Board to produce a “national strategy for the encouragement, development and support of vocations, lay and ordained, of people from working-class backgrounds”.

In his paper accompanying the motion, Mr Frost says that working-class people often find it difficult to respond to a calling to ministry because of middle-class expectations and assumptions throughout the Church.

”The first concern should be whether a person is called by God to a given ministry,” he writes. “Whether they have tattoos or a strong regional accent should not be held against them.”

Read it all.

The Church of England should develop a strategy to encourage more working-class people into ministry, a private member’s motion is to argue at next month’s General Synod meeting https://t.co/8ZAXzl6oaw pic.twitter.com/fPHH7yexqQ

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) January 28, 2025

Almost overnight, DeepSeek has upended many of the assumptions inside Silicon Valley about the economics of building AI, as well as the best technical methods for developing the technology and the extent of the US lead over competitors in China. For much of the past two-plus years since ChatGPT kicked off the global AI frenzy, the industry has bet that the path to better AI depends largely on spending heavily on more advanced chips from companies like Nvidia Corp. and increasingly massive data centers to house them.

US President Donald Trump welcomed the development as “good, because you don’t have to spend as much money.” Industry leader Nvidia, whose shares took a huge hit from DeepSeek’s debut, also lauded it as an “excellent AI advancement” in a statement on Monday.

The market fallout was staggering. Hype over DeepSeek’s feat drove a nearly $1 trillion rout in US and European technology stocks on Monday as investors questioned the spending plans of some of America’s biggest companies. The share plunge in AI chipmaker Nvidia alone erased roughly $589 billion in market value, the biggest wipeout in US stock-market history.

Meanwhile, in DC, lawmakers are left to figure out the best route to beat back China’s progress on a technology some see as crucial to its military and economy, given the Biden administration’s chip export curbs were not enough. David Sacks, President Donald Trump’s crypto and AI czar, said DeepSeek shows the global AI race will be very competitive — while blaming the Biden administration for regulation that “hamstrung” AI development.

Further complicating matters, the renewed uncertainty over large AI investments comes just days after Trump championed a $100 billion joint venture from OpenAI, SoftBank Group Corp. and Oracle Corp. to boost US competitiveness by investing in data centers and other physical infrastructure. Now, there are new questions about the rationale for stratospheric AI budgets.

Read it all.

The censorship part here is eerie. Had a physical reaction while reading that.

Bloomberg: DeepSeek Challenges Everyone’s Assumptions About AI Costs https://t.co/8ewlGlxrkD pic.twitter.com/0R1ns25aoM

— Emily Binder (@emilybinder) January 28, 2025

The danger, though, is that at least for some of us, disillusionment can easily give way to cynicism. The cynicism of our moment comes in at least two forms. One is an opportunistic kind of cynicism. This is the kind that determines that no one is really sincere and that the whole world is divided into two simple categories: hucksters and marks. The opportunistic cynic decides, then, to learn how to be a huckster. Anyone who doesn’t is a sucker or a loser, in this view.

That makes things much easier for the opportunistic cynic because, among other things, it gives an immediate intellectual shortcut. One need not actually think about what’s true and what’s false, what’s real and what’s fake, what’s right and what’s wrong. All the opportunistic cynic has to think about is what works. Once the cynic knows who the “friends” and who the “enemies” are, he or she has the template needed to cheer on the right side and to denounce the wrong one.

The other kind of cynicism is instead despairing. If opportunistic cynicism is self-advancing, despairing cynicism is self-protecting. Once I stop expecting actual goodness or sincerity in other people or in institutions, I feel like I can’t be hurt anymore, or at least not hurt as much.

Read it all.

Cynicism protects us from some initial hurt, writes @drmoore.

But in the end, “it filters out not only the genuine danger and fakeness we rightly want to avoid—it filters out everything and everyone.”https://t.co/Rx4z2A8JJc

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) January 23, 2025

Authentic Christian faith does not fear reason “but seeks it out and has trust in it”. Faith presupposes reason and perfects it. Nor does human reason lose anything by opening itself to the content of faith. When reason is illumined by faith, it “is set free from the fragility and limitations deriving from the disobedience of sin and finds the strength required to rise to the knowledge of the Triune God”. The Holy Father observes that St Thomas thinks that human reason, as it were, “breathes” by moving within a vast horizon open to transcendence. If, instead, “a person reduces himself to thinking only of material objects or those that can be proven, he closes himself to the great questions about life, himself and God and is impoverished”. Such a person has far too summarily divorced reason from faith, rendering asunder the very dynamic of the intellect.

What does this mean for Catholic universities today? Pope Benedict answers in this way: “The Catholic university is [therefore] a vast laboratory where, in accordance with the different disciplines, ever new areas of research are developed in a stimulating confrontation between faith and reason that aims to recover the harmonious synthesis achieved by Thomas Aquinas and other great Christian thinkers”. When firmly grounded in St Thomas’ understanding of faith and reason, Catholic institutions of higher learning can confidently face every new challenge on the horizon, since the truths discovered by any genuine science can never contradict the one Truth, who is God himself.

Read it all from 2010.

Today's the feast of St Thomas Aquinas, 13th Century Dominican friar and philosopher. Here he is in glass by Powell & Sons at Mautby, Norfolk, 1936. He's the patron saint of academics. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/JwknTr0LA3

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) January 28, 2025

Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know thee, diligence to seek thee, wisdom to find thee, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the most influential theologians and philosophers in Western history, made numerous contributions to philosophy, theology, and the broader intellectual life. Here are 20 quotes from the "Angelic Doctor" to contemplate on this, his feast day. pic.twitter.com/jI82wcqFwZ

— Catholic Frequency (@CatholicFQ) January 28, 2025

O God, who art the God of peace, mercifully grant that, as much as lieth in us, we may live at peace with all men; and if our outward peace be broken, yet do thou preserve peace in our hearts; through him who is the Prince of peace, Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

Winter mornings can shine with such soft, quiet colours, the light muted, a whisper rather than a shout. This is the Cromford Canal, one of my favourite spots for a sunrise walk, when the only noises come from the sleepy ducks and the ripples on the water. I stood for a long… pic.twitter.com/llY5ykvRip

— peaklass (@peaklass1) January 28, 2025

He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.

–Mark 6:1-6

Sunrise this morning at the Bridge to Nowhere in downtown Walpole, Mass.#sunrise #walpolema @ShiriSpear @NWSBoston @StormHour @VisitMA @DowntownWalpole pic.twitter.com/u04f4KkO2E

— VisitingNewEngland – Eric's Stories of New England (@NewEnglandInfo) January 28, 2025

On this day in 1945, Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz. During the five years the camp was operational, 1.1 million people were murdered there. One out of every six Jews killed in the Holocaust died at Auschwitz. pic.twitter.com/1eZkT0Qc4T

— Military History Now (@MilHistNow) January 27, 2025

Readers interested in the growing diversity of the Christian story will find it useful to consider Shaw’s work alongside another recently published volume, The Palgrave Handbook of Christianity in Africa from Apostolic Times to the Present. Though focused mainly on African Christianity, it features several articles on the work of Black missionaries. Noteworthy contributions come from historians like Brian Stanley (who examines the important role of Black missionaries in Africa), David Killingray (who shows how emancipated slaves served the missionary movement), and Kimberly Hill (who considers how the concept of “Ethiopianism” spurred Black efforts at evangelization).

Studies like these offer a richer and fuller picture of the diversity of Christianity. Africans and African Americans embraced the gospel, transformed it in significant ways, and then made remarkable contributions to the growth of Christianity. Even today, we are only now beginning to appreciate the contours of this story. As Killingray notes, even the “evangelization of Africa” was “in the hands of Africans” and “often out of sight of European missions.”

Historians are now bringing these stories into the open, casting new light on the prophetic remarks of King David in Psalm 68:31–32. In the words of the King James Version, “Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God” and sing the praises of the Lord.

Read it all.

Sermons, letters, diaries, journals.

A new book sifts through documents to bring to light the nineteenth-century history of African American missionaries.https://t.co/momIunqmmF

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) January 23, 2025

Let us take them each in their turn. We want to begin with verses 14 and 15. So first of all, the surprise of Jesus’ ministry. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee. Luke is at great pains to get us to understand that the same Spirit that led him to be tempted by Satan in the wilderness for 40 days is the same Spirit that is leading him to do this. It’s the same Spirit that came down when the father’s voice said at his baptism, this is my son with whom I’m well pleased. He’s led by the Spirit. This is a depiction of the Spirit led life. And what needs to strike you about this scene is word is getting out about this guy. We can just capitalize on last week’s sermon about that wedding in Cana. Remember that most of the people at the wedding didn’t even really know what was going on at the time. But believe me, that was the best wine anybody ever had. And after that, everybody in Cana of Gallile was talking about him. And they didn’t just talk about him there. 

They talked about him when they went along the road, and when they visited relatives, and word is getting around. So if we look at Mark chapter 1, Jesus is preaching, Jesus is teaching, Jesus is healing people of demons, Jesus is healing people of physical diseases, and the word is out about this guy, and there’s a real buzz. At the end of Mark chapter 1, talk about capturing the idea, Jesus has done a whole day’s ministry, he’s completely exhausted, the disciples can’t find him, so they go find him. He’s out by himself at a lonely place where he’s praying, and when they get to him, they say this, how’s this for an advertisement? Everyone is looking for you. 

It’s stunning, the level of surprise that we’re meant to have as we get our early depiction of our Lord’s ministry. And please note, look at your text carefully, the repetition of that little word, all. Twice. All the surrounding country, and he taught in their synagogues being glorified by all. And even though it isn’t in our reading today, it’s only the next verse down. I’m going to cheat a little bit because it’s also part of Luke’s narrative.

At the end of all this in verse 22, just in case we missed the first two alls, there is yet another all–‘And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.’

“This is an amazing ministry. It’s full of popular interest, intrigue, curiosity, and excitement. This is the way that ministry is supposed to be. To glorify means to honor, to praise. It’s a word that means heaviness, and it means that they can’t fully express the heaviness and the weight of Christ’s character because they’re so amazed and stunned by the level of what he’s doing and how he’s doing it. They have no categories for this guy. It’s fresh, it’s stunning, it’s marvelous, it’s surprising. Everybody with me? So surprising Jesus, who’s done all these surprising things, comes to his own synagogue. Hmm, I wonder what’s going to happen.” 

Or you may download it there.

Gerbrand van den Eeckhout
Christ Teaching in the Synagogue at Nazareth pic.twitter.com/EhZW8EqAwD

— PubHist (@Pub_Hist) April 30, 2022

In the spring of 388, a rebellion erupted in Antioch over the announcement of increased taxes. Statues of the emperor and his recently deceased wife were desecrated. Officials of the empire then began punishing city leaders, killing some, for the uprising. While Archbishop Flavian rushed to the capital in Constantinople 800 miles away to beg for clemency, John preached to a city in turmoil:

“Improve yourselves now truly, not as when during one of the numerous earthquakes or in famine or drought or in similar visitations you leave off your sinning for three or four days and then begin the old life again. . . . Stop evil slandering, harbor no enmities, and give up the wicked custom of frivolous cursing and swearing. If you do this, you will surely be delivered from the present distress and attain eternal happiness.”

After eight weeks, on the day before Easter, Flavian returned with the good news of the emperor’s pardon.

John preached through many of Paul’s letters (“I like all the saints,” he said, “but St. Paul the most of all—that vessel of election, the trumpet of heaven”), the Gospels of Matthew and of John, and the Book of Genesis. Changed lives were his goal, and he denounced sins from abortion to prostitution and from gluttony to swearing.

He encouraged his congregation not only to attend the divine service regularly but also to feed themselves on God’s written Word. In a sermon on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, he said, “Reading the Scripture is a great means of security against sinning. The ignorance of Scripture is a great cliff and a deep abyss; to know nothing of the divine laws is a great betrayal of salvation.”

His applications could be forceful. About people’s love of horse racing, he complained, “My sermons are applauded merely from custom, then everyone runs off to [horse racing] again and gives much more applause to the jockeys, showing indeed unrestrained passion for them! There they put their heads together with great attention, and say with mutual rivalry, ‘This horse did not run well, this one stumbled,’ and one holds to this jockey and another to that. No one thinks any more of my sermons, nor of the holy and awesome mysteries that are accomplished here.”

Read it all.

The Saint of the Day is St. John Chrysostom! Check out this content in the Sanctifica app: https://t.co/WlwHjRLRIq pic.twitter.com/GWpVSnk09E

— The Church Militant (@JohnAndrewDors3) January 27, 2025

O God, who didst give to thy servant John Chrysostom grace eloquently to proclaim thy righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of thy Name: Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellency in preaching, and fidelity in ministering thy Word, that thy people shall be partakers with them of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Almighty God, we beseech thee of thy mercy to endue us with the spirit of meekness and patience; so that no evil we may suffer from others may move us to do evil to them, and that we may strive ever to live peaceably with all men; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

–The Rev. James Mountain (1844-1933)

cool, calm solitude #forest ❄️ #nature #peace pic.twitter.com/0XnrMmBHnK

— Portmann Carrick (@PortmannCarrick) January 27, 2025

Paul an apostle–not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead–and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel–not that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

–Galatians 1:1-7

Ich wünsche euch eine glückliche neue Woche.♡🍀 pic.twitter.com/rdnKSIdZJ1

— Constanze Riegel (@ConstanzeRiegel) January 27, 2025

Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
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.

Na regen zonneschijn. Fijne zondag😀 #zonsondergang #roeibootje pic.twitter.com/NFd7q6PWfk

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) January 26, 2025

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-za’tha, which has five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed. One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. Now that day was the sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk.'” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

–John 5:2-15

A clear night so I couldn't resist a wander amongst the stars. Taken in Glastonbury about 30 minutes ago. Sheep nestle below the wonder at the bottom of the scene. pic.twitter.com/4k39DFG4IA

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) January 25, 2025

O God, who by the preaching of thine apostle Paul hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we beseech thee, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show forth our thankfulness unto thee for the same by following the holy doctrine which he taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

The Conversion of Saint Paul (Beato Angelico O.P.). The scene focuses entirely on Paul's personal encounter with the risen Christ, whose overwhelming power of grace is represented by the light emanating from him. Unlike other medieval painters, Fra Angelico does not depict the… pic.twitter.com/enPiPjesbc

— Vir Desideriorum (@VirDesideriorum) January 25, 2025

We beseech Thee, O God, the God of truth, that what we know not of things we ought to know Thou wilt teach us; that what we know of truth Thou wilt keep us therein; that what we are mistaken in, as men must be, Thou wilt correct; that at whatsoever truths we stumble Thou wilt yet establish us; and from all things that are false, and from all knowledge that would be hurtful, do Thou evermore deliver us.

–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)    

☕☀️ Guten Morgen ☀️☕
Schönes Wochenende, liebe Freunde!
🗻❄❄🗻❄❄🗻❄❄🏔❄❄🗻 pic.twitter.com/enZPPfinHw

— Brigitta Neurauter (@BrigittaNeurau2) January 25, 2025