Some Carman Songs for Halloween

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Yes, these are older songs and a bit campy, but they are fun and full of truth.  And they're blasts from the past for me, taking me back to my youth!  (I didn't mean to make it rhyme.)  


A Witch's Invitation - Love this one!


No Monsters - See, Carman knows the power of Jesus's name!


Satan, Bite The Dust - I wouldn't go around challenging Satan, but Carman's making a good, important point here about the power of God compared to the power of the devil.


God's Got An Army - with a little Narnia thrown in


Revival in the land  - Are you on your knees in prayer for our country? 


The Courtroom - I just watched this one for the first time.  Interesting.


The Champion - this will always be one of his best!


Radically Saved (Live) - the whole hour-plus show.  This is one of the first albums I got of his.  And it's still one of my favorites.


Radically Saved - just the song


This Blood is for You - A powerful song


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James and Wisdom

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James 1:5 : "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:6-8: "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." I don't know why, but something just hit me the other day about these verses that I probably once knew but must have forgotten: They go together! Although it wasn't really conscious, for some reason my mind always seemed to keep them separate and apply them to different things: 1:5 is about asking for wisdom, but 1:6-8 is about any and all prayer requests, as if when we ask for something, we should believe that we will get it and not doubt it.  I mean, I know that "name it and claim it" is wrong, but for some reason, my mind still unconsciously applied...
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List of Calvinist Preachers, Authors, Theologians, Websites, etc.

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I  found a lot more names to add to my list of known Calvinists (found in my various  "How to Tell if a Church, Pastor, or Website is Calvinist"  posts).  But instead of adding this huge list to all those posts, I am going to put it here, and I'll just provide a link on those posts to this one.  [FYI: I added a note at the bottom of this post on May 5, 2021.] So here it is, a "master list" of known Calvinists to help you be careful and discerning about who you listen to and where you get your theology from.  There are plenty more Calvinists out there, but these are just the names that I ran across the most.   These are either definite, self-professed Calvinists or "most likely Calvinist," in my estimation.  (I haven't heard of most of them, but it's good to know their theology before I do.)   After finding these names in various places online, I looked up each person to see if they are Calvinist.  If they did not self-identify ...
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Happy Easter to you all!

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Happy Easter Weekend!   Never forget how much  Jesus loves you and what He went through for you, for everyone, so that anyone who believes in Him would be saved (and anyone can!): Sweetly Broken  by Jeremy Riddle Oh, What Love  by The City Harmonic Secret Ambition  by Michael W. Smith Hallelujah Christmas   by Cloverton My Jesus  by Todd Agnew  I Am  by Crowder The Champion  by Carman (This will always be one of his best!) There are many people who resist God because they doubt He exists:  "If God is real, then why doesn't He prove He's real?" Well, He did ... it's called Creation. "Oh, that's just evolution. It's nature," they say.  "But if He's really real, why doesn't He send us a clear message, in black-and-white?" He did ... it's called the Bible. "No, no, that was just written by men.  An interesting old book, but nothing more.  But if He's really, really real, then why doesn't He come down here and sh...
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Some Days It Feels Like It's All About to Fall Apart

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I'll be honest, I'm struggling today.   The news headlines are so overwhelming that it feels like we'll never be okay again.  The weather is so dreary and rainy and cool that it feels like we'll never get a summer before winter comes again.  Friends are hurting from struggles in their lives, losses, heartaches, fears.  We left our church because of theological problems, and now (while I am enjoying the refreshment of staying home on Sundays, watching sermons online with my family) I am feeling the loss of my church home, of the people I used to see weekly, of fellowship.  And I struggle with not being able to talk about our theological concerns with those still at the church.  I want to shout from the rooftops our concerns about this pastor's preaching, but most people like him and agree with him and don't want to hear our concerns and warnings.  And so we keep quiet, aching to warn them but not wanting to hurt them.  And I fear that we are going ...
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"Water Colors" - Painting to Relax

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I was talking with a friend recently about ideas of things we can do to relax during these crazy days or during times of depression/anxiety.  Obviously, there's reading and baking and taking walks and gardening.  And drawing or painting have become quite popular.  (And I know lots of people were painting because all of Walmart's little bottles of acrylic paint were sold out for weeks during the lockdown in March.) And I was telling my friend that I always wished I could draw.  Goodness, if I could draw like this guy, in his time-lapsed drawing of Gandalf , that would be freakin' incredible!  (If I could have any piece of art out there, it would be this one.  I love it!)   But alas, even my stick-figures are sad and pathetic, hiding their heads in shame.  I simply cannot picture something in my mind and transfer it to paper.  It just doesn't work that way for me. But, I told my friend, I did find one way to paint that is relaxing and crea...
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Links to the "Understanding God's Will" series (with Calvinism notes)

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For reference, here are all the posts in the "Understanding God's Will" series on my other blog, the one with the added notes on Calvinism: Introduction  part 1  and  part 2 1.  Our Impact on God's Will 2.  Cause vs Allow 3.  God's Will is a Verb 4.  Taking Our Responsibility Seriously 5.  Prayer Matters 6.  But God Can Read Minds 7.  But God Knows What We Need 8.  Advice About Prayer 9a.  "Name It and Claim It" Nonsense 9b.  Help for the Journey 9c.  Considering Other Prayer Verses 9d.  Idolatrous Prayers 9e.  Unanswered Prayer 9f.  Maybe God's Not Listening 9g.  Other Convicting Verses 9h.  Summing Up Effective Prayer 9i.  Still Waiting for an Answer 10.  Why Do Bad Things Happen? 11.  Does Everything Happen for a Reason? 12.  God Works All Things for Good 13.  Limiting God's Power? 14.  Does God Cause Nations to Sin? 15.  Is God Sovereign? 16.  Can We...
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Some Current Heretical Teachings

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Some Current Heretical Teachings in Many Christian Churches (repost): I want to take a brief moment to introduce some of the current heretical teachings that are coming from “Christian” churches nowadays, and possible responses to them.   This is just a taste of the heresies that are out there. 1.   “There was no virgin birth.   ‘Virgin’ meant she was a young woman or that she got pregnant the first time she had intercourse.   So Jesus wasn’t really God.” If they can destroy the idea of the virgin birth, they can deny the deity of Jesus Christ.   They can make Him into just a man, just another good teacher you can choose to follow if you want to.              But what about Matthew 1:18 , which says that Mary and Joseph hadn’t “come together” yet?   They didn’t have intercourse, and yet she was found to be with child.   But if it wasn’t through intercourse with Joseph and it wasn’t supernatural, then you w...
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Feminism Nonsense

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(Oh, how we love nonsense in our country!) We women are fighting so hard to be like men, to downplay femininity, to be perceived as more masculine, to overtake any "men's realm" we find.    Because it’s “cool” and “progressive” and “strong.” But do we not realize that we are not “leveling the playing field” so much as  we are destroying ourselves , the things that make women special? Women can be strong, too.    And they don’t have to be like men to do it.   Trust me, I know.  I've had four children, one by c-section and three by natural, drug-free homebirth (with over 15 hours of labor for each one).  And then I work in the home every day, all day long.  No pay.  No vacation time.  No weekends off.  No bonuses.  No overtime pay. But I do it because my family and I value my position, my role.  Even if the world doesn't. W e women can be strong and capable and accomplished in our...
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On this Good Friday

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Take some time on this Good Friday to remember what Jesus went through to bring us forgiveness, to offer us all eternal life - and then thank Him for it.   Some great songs and videos about it: Jeremy Riddle's  "Sweetly Broken"   Cloverton's  "Christmas Hallelujah" Michael W. Smith's  "Secret Ambition" Crowder's  "I AM" "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." ( Romans 3:23-25 ) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life   in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  ( Romans 6:23 ) “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   ( Romans 5:8 ) "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us...."  ( 1 John 3:16 ) "Christ suffered for you... When ...
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Praying Scripture: When Anxiety Strikes

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          Prayer for when Anxiety Strikes             Psalm 55:22:   “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”             Philippians 4:6-7:   “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”             John 14:27:   “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.   I do not give to you as the world gives.   Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”             Lord, You say that we can present to You all of our concerns and needs. ...
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