What Real Encouragement Looks Like Sometimes!

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Who would've thought that "encouraging each other in the Lord" would take the form of two hours of telling each other, "Yep, that crap's hard!"?

- A text I got from a friend after a long conversation about the trials we've been through, the heartaches we've known, and how difficult life can be sometimes.  It made me smile!

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Alana L: 5l (educated into Calvinism)

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This series is based on this 14-minute video from Alana L.:   5 Signs Your Loved One is Becoming a Calvinist   Point #5 Still: L.   I agree with Alana that Calvinism contradicts the plain, clear, commonsense understanding of Scripture, and that we have to be taught to find Calvinism in the Bible because it's not there.   And even the Calvinists know this!   In  Doctrine of Election , Calvinist A.W. Pink says  " Unless we are privileged to sit under the ministry of some Spirit-taught servant of God, who presents the truth   [the doctrine of election]   to us systematically, great pains and diligence are called for in the searching of the Scriptures, so that we may collect and tabulate their scattered statements on this subject. It has not pleased the Holy Spirit to give us one complete and orderly setting forth of the doctrine of election, but instead 'here a little, there a little...  No novice is competent to present this subject ...
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And Yet Again - 21 More Anti-Calvinism Memes

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I giggle making these.  Helps me blow off steam. Only if you're elected ... So you're a Calvinist? Except for you ... "I love being a Calvinist" First I'll tell them ... Said Jesus Never! We Calvinists say ... The bookcase Researching John Calvin Snap Out Of It The Pro-Calvinism Meme Absolutely Sure ... Calvinist Lunatic If you want people ... Another Predestination Sermon It's called "Calvinism" Lucky Dude "All" Means "Some" God "In Control" "Total depravity" (AKA "Total Inability" - a concept NOT found in the Bible anywhere!) It's be...
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Calvinist Comments: A God of Love?

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I will be posting some interactions between Calvinists and non-Calvinists from the comment sections of various Soteriology 101 posts.  It's interesting and informative to see the actual things that Calvinists themselves say about the Gospel and God, and to see how non-Calvinists respond.  (I made minor edits for clarity.  And for those who are not aware of my position on this: I am a strong anti-Calvinist.  I believe Calvinism distorts the Gospel horribly.  We recently left our home church of almost 20 years because of the newish, dogmatic Calvinist pastor who came on board.  And I have been researching it deeply and writing against it ever since he started preaching.) This interaction is from "5 Reasons Why I Stayed Out of Calvinism" : A non-Calvinist, Graceadict, made this comment: "Calvinism creates a god that is NOT a god of love….” And Calvinist Jtleosala responds:  1. Then, your claim that God loves all humanity is a “...
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Carman Understands the Spiritual Battle

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With all the talk of spiritual warfare and demonic harassment in the last few posts (Christian testimonies), I thought I'd repost some songs from Carman.  Older Christians will know who I'm talking about and might enjoy this blast from the past.  And newer Christians might enjoy "meeting" him for the first time. Yes, these are a bit campy, but they are fun and full of truth.  And I think today's Christians could benefit from the spiritual wisdom of older believers like Carman - believers who understand the spiritual battle and how demons work and how Christians are supposed to fight evil.  We've lost the knowledge of this over the years as Christians have increasingly viewed demons as legends, as mythical creatures who are way "out there" somewhere in the universe, instead of as powerful, living, active beings who are watching us, interfering with us, and attacking our minds and lives daily.   If we ignore the enemy, we can't fight him.  If we do...
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Getting Through the "Broken" Times (short version)

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(This is the short version.  The long one is here .) Practical Advice for Getting Through the Broken Times (in no particular order, reposted from a few years ago) 1.   Be gracious toward yourself!             You make sense.   You are not a hopeless mess.   You are human.   And humans hurt.   Humans break sometimes.   And we all need compassion and grace and understanding and love and forgiveness – for ourselves and for others.   So do not feel abnormal, like there is something wrong with you.   We are all broken in some way.   (It’s just that some people don’t know it yet.)   None of us really knows what we are doing in life.   (Although some won’t admit it.)   We are all just trying to make it through as best we can.   So you are in good company – in the company of many other hurting, broken, clueless, weak, needy people.   The very kind of people th...
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The Evans Family Discusses Faith and Loss

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I have been feeling fragile lately.  Too many heartbreaks.  Too many losses.  Too many feelings of "Bad things always happen.  Where is the hope?  Where is the peace and joy?"  I wake up with anxiety in my stomach (and I have for years), and it takes time and lots of conscientious, biblical thought and prayer to subdue it.  And because of this mental and emotional overload, I have been unable to write much.  I know I need to write less for now, even to think less, and to instead just spend time in the Lord's presence and in the Word, being filled instead of trying to fill others.  (So bear with me as I repost things and share links to other people's writing.  I just can't write new stuff myself right now.)  I am working on wrestling my anxious mind, to take my thoughts captive (long-term, ingrained, negative thoughts and fears) and to replace them with God's Truth.  It's a slow process.  But I'm working on it. Anyway, I ...
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Deciphering a Calvinist Church's Statement of Faith

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(This is taken from How to Tell if a Church, Pastor, or Website is Calvinist , with some additions at the bottom.  Remember that this is only my opinion, my assessment, and my suggestions, based of what I've learned about Calvinism so far.) A church's Statement of Faith tells you a lot about the theology of that church.  But some Calvinist churches are careful to hide their Calvinist views because they know it's controversial and might scare people off.  So they might be very careful with their wording and will not clearly identify themselves as "Calvinist" or "Reformed."  Sometimes it takes reading between the lines - being able to identify the "covert Calvinism" - to know if the church is Calvinist or not.  1.   First off, pay attention for one or more of these kinds of words and phrases:  election, predestination, decree, ordains or fore-ordains, sovereignty or sovereign control, "doctrines of grace," covenant theology, reforme...
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One Pastor's Prophetic Dream of Things to Come

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I am not one for listening to other people's prophetic dreams or visions.  Far too many people over the years have thought God gave them some sort of special insight, which proved to be false or unimportant.  I am especially wary now since everything seems so "end timesy."  It's far too easy to get caught up in sensationalizing or over-spiritualizing everything.  But sometimes, someone's account of their dream or vision makes you go, "Hmm."  And while I still don't put much stock into other people's "God told me X,Y, or Z" stories, I do think some things are worth listening to and storing in the back of your mind.  Just in case.  These are strange days and, if we are really headed into the end times soon, then things will probably only get more "supernatural."  And if that's the case, then anything's possible.   (On a different note, having nothing to do with this pastor's dream, but speaking of "strange d...
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A totally sweet little song: It's a Beautiful Day

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Oh my goodness, I'm totally loving this sweet little song (by The Kiffness and Rushawn):  It's a Beautiful Day  (click on it) Take three minutes today to watch it and smile! (Could you imagine how you would feel if you watched this song every morning or evening for the next month?  I might try it along with my Bible reading.  A New Year's resolution.)  
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Psalm 5: A Prayer for Our Country and World

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Franklin Graham has called for a day of prayer and fasting tomorrow, October 25, for all believers to call on God for His help with the upcoming election.  I hope all believers will humble themselves before God, calling on Him for His help not just with the election but with everything -  the moral condition of our country, the breakdown of our society, the fear that haunts us all, the brokenness all around us as we humans implode and race towards wickedness and destruction, etc.  Everything is going wrong all over the place, and we need more than ourselves to fix it.  We need God.   Anyway, as I was reading Psalm 5 this morning, I realized what a fitting prayer it is for our country, our world, right now.  And so I am writing it here, altered slightly to be a prayer from all believers.   Sadly, I think we are past the point of repair.  I think our world has broken down so much that the only real hope left, unless God chooses to interv...
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