American Noise

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I was driving the other day, and this song began playing from a CD my husband had in the CD player.  I had never heard it before, but for some reason, it struck me.  I don't know why, but it did.  It struck me ... and it stuck with me.

 Skillet - American Noise

 I don't know ... maybe it's about a sense of hope in the middle of the chaos.  The fact that things are going to be rough, but that there is still good there and good can still come out of it all.  

 It got to me. 

 I think sometimes we all need a little of that hope and love that cut through the American Noise.  

 At least, I know I do!

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Anti-Calvinism Links

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This is the last half of the post "What's The Best Way To Make People Agree With Your Calvinist Views."   But I put it here in its own post so that it's easier to find. These are some links to posts which are against Calvinism, the belief that the Bible teaches God has predetermined from the beginning of time who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.  It's no secret from my writing that I strongly disagree with this view.  I believe the Bible clearly teaches that God offers us all salvation, that Jesus's death paid for everyone's sins, and that we have to decide if we will accept Him or reject Him.  And here is some of what others have to say about Calvinism: (FYI, I haven't read everything in all of these yet and I don't necessarily agree with every point they make, but I needed to link to them before I lost them online.  And for the record, I came to my belief about what the Bible says by reading the Bible, not extra-biblical books or articles...
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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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Spiritual Warfare: Sword of the Spirit 5 (Scripture-based prayers)

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And finally, to end the "Sword of the Spirit" posts: When I was going through my worst, hardest times and was full  of anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and helplessness, there were a few things that helped give me some relief (herbal teas, herbal tinctures, homeopathic remedies, positive thinking, walks, mindless but relaxing TV shows, worship music, reading the Bible, saying verses out loud or writing them by hand, etc.).   But I could tell that my soul needed something more, something deeper, more powerful, more effective.   And so I decided to try something that I had always  been curious about: Praying Scripture back to God, turning verses into prayers, grabbing onto the truths and promises in Scripture that fit our need at the moment and praying them back to Him,  trusting Him to answer.   And when I did that, it calmed my anxious soul in a way that nothing else did or could.   Even just looking through God's Word for th...
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I am Little Drummer Boy

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year early.  (I've shared this before, but I'll share it again.) My all-time favorite classic Christmas song has got to be the Little Drummer Boy.   If I’m listening to this song and start to think too much about it, I start to well up with tears.  Every time. My sons occasionally ask me why this is my favorite Christmas song.   “It’s stupid and it doesn’t make sense,” they say. I answer like this: “This song is about a little boy who’s poor.  And he wants to bring Jesus a gift.  But he doesn’t have anything to give him.  And so he gives the baby Jesus the only gift he has to give – a song.  And this poor boy is drumming his little heart out for the Lord, because that’s all he has to give.  But it’s enough.  And the baby Jesus smiles.” Usually, I am trying to hold back tears as I share this with my sons.  But they simply reply that it's still stupid, before running off to play. But that’s okay. I d...
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Alana L.: 1c (faith/salvation); 1d (seeking God)

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This series is  loosely   based on this 14-minute video from Alana L.:   5 Signs Your Loved One is Becoming a Calvinist      Point #1 Still: C.  Alana  said that, according to the Bible, faith comes by hearing and believing the Word.        She's right.  The Bible teaches that faith comes by hearing the Word.  We hear the Word, and then we believe it, and then we are saved. But not in Calvinism.   In Calvinism, faith comes by election only, by being saved first.  As   Calvinist Loraine Boettner said in  The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination :  "A man is not saved because he believes in Christ; he believes in Christ because he is saved."    And  A.W. Pink  in  Doctrine of Election :  "... [faith] cannot be the cause of our election... the reason why any believe is because God gives them faith."   As he says:  "[faith] was a gift of God (...
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Is It Too Late For America? I Think So.

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I hate to say it, but I agree with this article: "Crossing the Rubicon."   In fact, I was just thinking about this kind of stuff the other day, before I read this.  I know that because of all the chaos in the world right now, lots of Christians are praying that God would heal our land, our society. But I think it's too late for that. I think the march to the "end times" has started, and it can't be stopped.  I don't think this chaos in the world is necessarily God trying to turn us back to Him (but all the better if it does turn people toward Him), but I think it's about getting all the final pieces in place before Jesus returns. I don't think it's about pleading with God for mercy and healing right now.  Because I don't think He'll listen or change anything, as He did in Jeremiah's time (see "God Would Never Do That!  Or Would He? ).  I think it's about getting our final affairs in order, working as hard as we can ...
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Thing My Calvinist Pastor Said #3: Even Babies are Wicked

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(This "Things My Calvinist Pastor Said" series is a breakdown on this much longer post:  "We Left Our Church Because of Calvinism,"  which was written last year but updated July 2020.  They are almost exact quotes.  All memes were created with  imgflip .) 3.   " W e all, even babies and small children, are depraved and wicked to the core, deserving of death, and we can never come to God on our own."              Calvinists love to remind us of how wicked children are, even babies:            From  my ex-pastor's  January 2016 sermon on the wrath of God:  " Truth-suppression begins very early in life.  Children have no interest in truth…zero.  Babies, toddlers, cute little kids, my cute grandkids, they have no interest in the truth.  What is a child’s primary interest in life?  ME!   It’s the All-Great Universe of ME!  They don’t want to k...
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Giggle Translate #4: My Garden (My Favorite)

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This has got to be my favorite Giggle Translates for one reason only.  You'll see why later.  I was actually nervous copying and pasting it, because I was so afraid I would accidentally delete it or alter it.  But, phew, it's all good.  Anyway, I am not going to repost the original post but you can read it if you click on it.  It's called  "My Garden." Here is the post when it's been  translated through a bunch of languages with Google Translate  (honestly, it's really kinda poetic, almost better than the original) : We are still in the freezer this season.  Now is the time to think and design your garden.  And then there are a lot of articles about me.  I try to do it for myself, but not for myself.  And during the lessons, my soul embraces me and teaches me to live with God.              Gardening for me is an accent, a time of choice, a time to learn to lose weight ...
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