The Day Elmo Decided He'd Had Enough!

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This is a bit old, but my kids love this video of the day Elmo decided he'd had enough!

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Is Calvinism's TULIP Biblical? (the complete post)

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[This is based on a post I found online:   What's wrong with Five-Point Calvinism?   I was going to send a copy of that post to my relative who is in jail awaiting trial, but I ended up adding so many of my own notes that it became a whole new post.  (But there are still some very similar parts, and I give credit to the author of that post for what he wrote.  Read it.  It's short and good and worth reading.)  My relative (who dabbled in, if not embraced, Calvinism, at least back in the day) shares what I send with the women on her floor, doing their own little Bible study.  And so I figured, "Why not send them my thoughts on Calvinism since I know they will read it?"  And as a bonus, the cops have to read every letter that passes between us, and so they will have to read it too!  A captive audience!  (Ha Ha!  Bad joke.  But if I don't laugh, I'll cry.)  Anyway, this is what I sent to her, a "brief" look into Calvinism's TU...
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My Testimony

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I've scattered bits of my story all over my blogs, but I’m gonna pull it all together here, about how I became a believer and some things I’ve gone through and how my faith has been affected.  (I’ll include links to posts where I explain things more fully.) Starting the journey:    I became a believer when I was eleven years old.    (I am now getting close to 50.   I don't know how that happened. )    At a Christian camp, on one of the last nights, they gave an altar call.    I wanted to go up but was nervous about standing up in front of everyone.    But being more nervous about the window of opportunity closing, I felt myself stand up and walk to the front.    I knew exactly what I was doing, that I was making a commitment for life.    And I meant it.    I really meant it.    I knelt down, asked Jesus into my heart, and have never turned back.    It hasn’t been an easy, carefr...
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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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Satan, the Father of Lies

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"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."   ( John 8:44 ) Have you ever really thought about this verse before, about what it means for our lives, practically-speaking? Satan is the father of lies.  Therefore, every time we tell a lie or believe a lie, we are aligning ourselves with Satan, essentially calling him "father."  And aligning ourselves with Satan opens the door to demons, to evil, to demonic attacks, to more lies, etc.  It takes us out from under the protection of God and makes us vulnerable to Satan and his schemes.  And the longer we live with those lies or the stronger we hold onto them, the more numb we get to the Holy Spirit.  And the more numb we are to the Holy Spirit, the deeper we will go into sin and in...
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Giggle Translate #1: Random Facts About Me (Skydiving, Flashlights, and I'm a WHAT!?!)

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I'm bored.  So I've been running some paragraphs I've written through a bunch of randomly-chosen languages in a row with Google Translate and then back into English, just for giggles.  (I'm not serious, uptight, and a deep-thinker all the time.)  It's like a funny, terrible game of "Telephone."  (FYI: Bad word ahead.  Not my fault.  Blame Google Translate.  But I did bleep out a couple letters.)   Here are a few of the first ones I've done so far (the original writing was taken from my post  "Random Facts About Me, Just For Fun" ):
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Calvinist Bad Logic #6: All Animals Are Monkeys

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Bad Logic #6 :  Calvinists often operate by an "if all monkeys are animals then all animals are monkeys" logic.  (Illogic!) Such as, if the Bible shows God controlling one thing then they say that all things are controlled by Him.  Since God caused and controlled the creation of the heavens, then they say it proves that all things are created (read: controlled and caused) by Him.  If the Bible shows that God actively carried out a plan that He made, then they say it proves that all things that happen are because God preplanned them and caused them.  If God predestined the ministry of one person in the Bible (such as calling one to be a prophet), then they say it shows that God predestined the future of every person, including whether we go to heaven or hell. But just because there's an example in the Bible of one thing happening a certain way, doesn't mean this is the way it always happens.  To think this means we have to throw out all the parts in ...
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Why I Could Never Be An Atheist!

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“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”   (Psalm 14:1)   “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”   (Romans 1:20) I have gone through some hard times recently.   (This is a repost from not too long ago.)  Not only has there been a bunch of discouraging trials, but these trials have been accompanied by “spiritual droughts” of sorts.   Long, dry spiritual times, the kind that could leave you wondering if you only convinced yourself all along that there is a God.   He has been so silent, so distant . . . and at a time when I needed Him to show Himself most.   My soul has ached for more than what He is giving right now.   I cry out, but hear nothing.   I pray and pray about certain things.   And . . . nothing happens.   Many prayers have not been...
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Calvinist (Bad Logic) Comment #7: Evil is as good as Good

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7.   A self-proclaimed 10-point Calvinist (I guess being a 7-point Calvinist is so last year!) says (from the post “Are Calvinist’s Rebukes Rational?” ) : “You ask: ‘Why do self-proclaimed Calvinists, like John MacArthur, rebuke others, like Beth Moore, and express disapproval and indignation against that which they believe God has unchangeably brought to pass for His own self-glorification?’ Simple answer (and this long article could have been concluded with it quickly): Because they believe their rebukes and expressions of concern are also ordained by God and glorifying to Him.  They do not separate the two. As Calvinists, they love to glorify God and do what pleases Him. Next …” [My note: If Calvinists can trap you with "Everything glorifies God, even sin and evil," then they can get you to agree with their idea that a good God can cause evil.  Because, after all, "He does everything for His glory!  He is the Potter and we are the clay....
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My "When Anxiety Strikes" Playlist (repost)

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In the post  "Getting through the 'broken' times,"  I said that I had made a CD to listen to when anxiety hits.  It has some of my favorite Christian songs on it.   Here are as many of the songs as I could find online, plus some extra.  Listen to some of them when anxiety threatens you.  It really does help to hear godly truths spoken out loud (and to speak them out loud yourself).  And personally, I think godly music helps repel evil, giving you some extra spiritual protection when you are most vulnerable.  They don't like to hear God being praised and Truth being sung! (FYI: Videos are constantly being removed from online.  So if the video is no longer available, type in the name and artist and see if you can find it.  I simply can't keep up with replacing links.) From The City Harmonic: Love, Heal Me  - The song that inspired the title of one of my blogs,  Love, Heal Me  - my heart's cry for the past year. Fell Apart ...
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Hardest Spiritual Lesson #9: Humility and Brokenness

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The last of the "Hardest Spiritual Lessons" posts (finally): Humility and Brokenness (Once again, another long post which repeats some things that I’ve said in other posts.    But it’s totally worth reading.  At least I think so.  But then again, I'm the one who wrote it.😁) Matthew 18:4:   “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”   Whoever humbles himself like a child!    This, I believe, should be the ultimate goal of every believer.    Humility.    Brokenness.    Now, everyone might define humility a little differently, but here’s my attempt at it:   Humility is recognizing and freely admitting that we are needy, helpless, and dependent.    It’s knowing that we need our Heavenly Father desperately, that we are helpless to do anything without Him, and that we are fully dependent on Him daily.    It’s resting in and so completely trustin...
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