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johnturp.bsky.social
Christian pastor in Jordan; from the US; fan of church history, basketball, responsible citizenship, permaculture, DC & TX
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Football dominates team-sport attention in Africa but the continent has also given the world some of the best basketball players of all time. Think Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo. But African women hoop too. And they are having an international moment writes @nanjala.bsky.social

As someone who has dedicated essentially his entire adult life to following Middle East politics, and as someone who publicly has no great love for the actions of Iran in the region, the perennial, open urge to carpetbomb Iran is one of the most deranged impulses in US Middle East policy circles

Fantastic!

New in PN: Judge rules that anti-woke is just racism “'I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable,' Judge Young fumed. 'I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this.' *More of this, please*"

Yeah, it was so dark, but mostly that was (incorrectly) chalked up to Bush's weird turns of phrase. I know wise, talented ppl in necessary roles at DHS. BUT also, other agencies totally pulled a Cuban refugee situation and sent their low performers to DHS to "help" w initial staffing.

I am on the VERY outskirts of war (near Gaza but not involved; in between Iran and Israel), and it sucks. Travel plans are all iffy. There are sirens when weapons go overhead. Next time you hear anyone advocate for war, know that they have no idea of the depth or width of its terribleness.

Big fan of puppies, but not of military parades, wherever they may be 🤷‍♂️

Though many churches include ASL, this San Antonio megachurch is just one of a handful of US congregations to hire a deaf pastor in a full-time ministry role www.chron.com/culture/reli...

Excellent speech today by Jordan's King Abdullah II at the European Parliament. The world desperately needs moral leadership. With no sign of that coming from political quarters, Catholic and other religious leaders MUST step up! (see yesterday's post re. Pope Francis' global moral leadership)

Some good news for a change! www.statnews.com/2025/06/16/n...

Hi, this is Meg Barnette, Brad's wife. While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE. This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely.

This is why the Bible says idolatry is bad

New report from @theosthinktank.bsky.social explores the distinct and crucial role of churches in the integration of refugees and asylum seekers. From Strangers to Neighbours: The Church and the Integration of Refugees: www.theosthinktank.co.uk/research/202...

They built up a narrative of widespread fraud by…committing fraud. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/u...

disciples: oh hey u guys are back early women: tomb's empty disciples: what? women: *unloading a basket of spices and heading back out the door* tomb's empty

the regressiveness of the Trump's big bill, in one image

DMV local news for the win

Turtle Mutual Aid:

We aren't saved by Jesus's death. We are reconciled to God by Jesus's death, but we are *saved* by Jesus's life. And I don't know how else to explain this except by color-coding four chapters' worth of Romans.

Israel has killed more Palestinians in Gaza in the last 24 hours than the combined death toll of the Israel-Iran conflict This impunity, enabled by global moral failure, will echo through history www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/...

Super wish I could have been in DC this week... Josh Johnson was there!!!

Actually interesting perspective. I'm still not one tiny little bit interested in glorifying militarism, and there's too much uncritical war stuff in DC as-is, but good to acknowledge the humans involved and good that the president didn't hijack it.

Now that his obvious lying has to do with the US, maybe it's easier for us Americans to see through it?

When Americans try to serve God abroad, but can't stop with domestic political talking points, (and also lying!) it's a bad sign for the US, but more importantly it warps people's perceptions of God and what's important to Him. 🙁

@itsmebenmarsh.substack.com any chance you're around July 14-15? I'll be in Greensboro. Would be nice to meet in person!

Church, we need to talk

Most of my association with this stretch of road is either stressing about where to turn or hoping that my ball doesn't go into the street. If the president has to defile the city, it's good it's in such a half-hearted, unintentionally comedic sort of way May softballers laugh about this for years

This is the thing. Virtually everyone in the world understands that you can't win 'em all when it comes to national leadership, but the whiplash is real. "just disappointed" and also a little afraid. The only people truly excited (eg Putin) are busy digging their own graves for different reasons

The Department of Defense has confirmed that U.S. Marines detained a civilian—reportedly an Army veteran who crossed a yellow tape boundary on his way to an office of the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is an apparent violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. 1/16 www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

"Since immigration agents detained his wife ... a U.S. Marine Corps veteran has ferried the couple's 9-week-old daughter to a north Louisiana detention facility so she can nurse and visit her mother while the family waits to learn if she will be deported." www.military.com/daily-news/2...