The Gospel According To ...

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(meme link)

(Yay!  I just figured out how to put the actual meme on my blog, not just the link.  Oh, I'm gonna have some fun now!)

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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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Feminism Nonsense (repost)

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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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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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Help for Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts (repost)

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It's so sad to hear about all the celebrities who have recently committed suicide (or about anyone who has committed suicide, for that matter).  My heart breaks for them, for the pain they went through, and for the ones who love them, for the pain they are now going through.  It is truly a tragedy. To anyone who is hurting really badly, who is struggling with overwhelming anxiety or depression, who is considering taking their own lives ... I dedicate this post.  Please, take some time to look through some of the links here.  This is a round-up of some on-line resources or posts about dealing with anxiety or depression, particularly as a Christian. But first: Quick tips for help: If you are desperate for some immediate help and don't want to look through the links I have below, try some of these (or if it's really bad and you're afraid you might hurt yourself, call 911 or go to the emergency room): 1.   Put on a worship song right now.  Or sing a...
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Calvinist (Bad Logic) Comment #8: Calvin Teaches "Free-Will"?

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8.  A 10-point Calvinist (Derek) tried to say that John Calvin affirms that we freely make our own choices.  He said, " You may be surprised to learn that Calvin affirms our “innate liberty” and uses the term “voluntary” to describe the freedom of will that we exercise ... Calvin’s conceptions of human freedom cannot be flattened out into mere robotic determinism.  His views are far more nuanced and complex than he is given credit for.  Yes, Calvin believes that God determines all; yet he also clearly affirms that man’s will is genuinely free and voluntary (back to the two claims I outlined, which are attested over and over by all of the mainstream Calvinistic theologians).  Thus, Calvin and his best proponents hold to a compatibilism that is more than mere “culpability despite having been forced,” as non-Calvinists consistently misrepresent." My reply: You keep using phrases like “You may be surprised to learn …” and “assuming you have never been told, or ...
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Is The ESV (English Standard Version) a Calvinist Bible?

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Just in case anyone missed this post (the longer title made it easy to miss the "ESV" part) ... "A Random Verse That Destroys Calvinism (And "Is The ESV a Calvinist Bible?") In that post, I write about a bunch of verses that I believe were intentionally translated to be more Calvinistic or based on manuscripts that are too corrupt to be trusted.  (Click on it to see the verses.)   And why would I think that the translators of this Bible version would do that? (From that post...) The ESV and ESV Study Bible are majorly preferred by Calvinists.  In fact, it's often considered "The Calvinist Bible."   Why?  And why would translators of a Bible make these kinds of Calvinist tweaks to Scripture? Wayne Grudem and J.I. Packer were editors on the  ESV Study Bible   (this is for the ESV Global Study Bible).  Grudem and Packer are both popular, strong, dogmatic Calvinists.  Very Big Names in the world of Calvinism.  Grudem in the General...
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An Election Day Prayer

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Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You that we live in a country that values democracy, that gives us the right to choose our leaders.  This is such a privilege, even when things don't go our way.  Thank You that You gave us a president these last four years who generally stood for Your values, who worked to stop our slide into godlessness and moral decay.   Thank You also, Lord, for Your promise to work all things out for the good of those who love You.  In Your hands, even all the bad, confusing, and messy things are turned into something good and beautiful and worthwhile.  Let us who love You remember always that no matter what happens, You are a good, trustworthy, loving, powerful, wise Father who knows what's best and who is carrying out plans that we can't even fathom.  I thank You that we who trust in You do not have to lean on our own pathetic power and limited wisdom, but that we have a big God whom we can pray to, who answers prayer, who will handle...
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I Just Want to Finish Well! (repost)

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(Reposted from a few years ago.)   Once again, I found myself in a small funk last month, feeling like I can’t accomplish anything.   Can’t give any one thing the effort and time it needs.   I am so stretched-thin in places.   The housework never gets done.   This house will never be "finished."    There’s not enough money to fix this place up.   My cooking has seen better days.   There’s not enough time to do everything I want to do when it comes to taking care of my family.  I'm just one person, trying to do too much.  There's not enough "me" to go around.   I was feeling a little panicked that things were slipping away from me too fast, that I couldn’t get a grip on anything.   And then I picked up a movie from the library that really settled my heart:   Flywheel .   It’s an older one, the first one done by the people who made Courageous and Facing the Giants .   And I have to say that... it... is...
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If Calvinism is True, Then God is a Liar! (updated)

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(I updated this February 2023.  I simplified it, got rid of the fluff and the things I covered in other posts, and added more verses.) I'm just gonna come out and say it ...  If Calvinism is true, then God is a liar. Here are a few of their teachings in a nutshell (without the sugarcoating or deceptive layers Calvinists wrap them in)  ... The Bible says God does not cause sin.  But Calvinism says God causes everything, even sin.   [But they hide the word "causes" under other words - like "ordains, decrees, sovereign control" - so that you don't know they mean "causes.")    The Bible calls us all to believe in Jesus, and it places the responsibility to believe on us.  But Calvinism says it's up to God whether we believe or not, that He blinds the non-elect so they cannot believe but He causes the elect to believe.   [But they talk in such a way that, for as long as possible, you think they believe in free-will.] The Bible says God wants a...
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Sermons by Tony Evans (repost)

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(I recently fixed the broken links as well as I could, had to switch some out for others) Tony Evans is my all-time favorite pastor.  He always gives messages that convict, challenge, and comfort.  Here are some sermons that I have listened to or am going to listen to.  For more, simply go to his website by clicking here .  There are so many great ones to choose from. You can't go wrong with any video of his.  I found him to be the most biblically-accurate preacher (especially as I researched Calvinism and found out how wrong it is), who is also great at helping us practically apply God's truths to life. Reversing Anxiety Consequences Keeping the faith when life gets hard Trusting God in a storm How to have strength in your struggles How to overcome your worry How to Get Your Prayers Answered Trusting The God You Believe In God knows what He is doing How the enemy tries to distract you from God's plan Grab your sword The Secret to Powerful Prayer Spiritual W...
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