My Crazy Faith

This is the Tony Evans' sermon that we watched as a family this past Sunday: A Challenge to Faithfulness It may be an older one because he never mentions the virus and I see no masks on anyone, but it's still so relevant.  So inspiring for today's troubles.

Instead of reading the depressing news lately, I've been spending some time listening to hope-filled, truth-filled, uplifting testimonies from other Christians online.  It's been far too long since I've heard some good, godly, inspiring life-stories from other believers.  And we could all use every little bit of hope and inspiration and goodness we can get right now.   I really enjoy hearing people's testimonies of when and how they came to the Lord.  I like when they let us deep into their worlds, into their hearts, giving us a full picture of how they were before, what drew them to Jesus, how it affected them, etc.  And this guy's shares it all, from the heart.  I really enjoyed it.   Suicidal Atheist Finds Jesus (22 minutes long, and totally worth it!)   And here is the video of his wife's baptism (the YouTube channel these videos are on is hers).  It's beautiful. [And fyi, linking to someone's testimony does not necessarily mean I know abou

I've recommended this blog before, but I'll do it again: Our Healing Moments (this link is for the post with her first YouTube video, her testimony).   I haven't really been reading other people's blogs lately (or even my own).  I've been trying to stay away from the online world as much as possible.  But I decided to check out her blog again because I like her writing and her heart so much.  You can see her sweet, gentle, godly spirit shining through everything she writes, even though she suffers from chronic, debilitating illness.   And the new posts I read touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes.  It's so nice to read something uplifting in this difficult, chaotic world.  From someone who knows pain and suffering.  Someone who has had to struggle to cling to the Lord.  I appreciate people and testimonies like that.  I understand them.  I learn from them and am encouraged by them.   [In fact, I have been aching to hear some good, personal, sp

[I'm still here.  I haven't disappeared.  But I've been staying away from the computer as much as possible.  The news is just bad.  Too bad.  All bad.  All the time.  And I need a break.  I'm just too exhausted.  Too mentally overwhelmed.  Call it that "crisis fatigue" that everyone is getting.  I am just too tired to do more than exist each day.  (It'll be emotional enough to go through the five boxes of my mom's stuff today that a friend just dropped off at my house.  This friend was holding it for my mom, but she's moving and can't store it anymore.  And since I don't think my mom will ever get out of prison - it's still so surreal and weird to say that! - I don't think she'll ever need this stuff again.  And so I have to go through it and figure out what to donate and what to store.  Not fun - sifting through these things that look like her, that smell like her, that will never be reclaimed by her.  Not fun.)  I don't e

(Reposted from 2017 from another blog of mine.) I believe that - deep down - every normal decent person wants to believe in God.   They want there to be a God, no matter how much they might deny it.   And do you know why? One word … justice . Consider for a moment all the shootings that have been happening (and that’s just a tiny bit of the violence that is going on world-wide).   These men have shot up multiple people, killing many, injuring many more, ruining lives and destroying families.   And then these cowards kill themselves or get shot by police. They get to wreak havoc and destroy people … and then they get to end their lives, never having to face up to what they did.   They get to simply die and go into the ground, leaving their terrible mark on humanity while never having to answer for what they did, never being punished for what they did.   There is no true justice if there is no afterlife.   And so it really didn’t matter how these men lived –