For Those Struggling With Fear and Anxiety

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Are you having "one of those days"? 

You're not alone.

Worn by Tenth Avenue North ("I'm tired.  I'm worn.  My heart is heavy, from the work it takes, to keep on breathing ..."  Anyone else understand this feeling too?)

I Have This Hope by Tenth Avenue North (I'm clinging to my hope, to the truth, that God will work all the bad into something good, that He will handle the things I can't handle and pick up the pieces I drop, that He'll carry me when I can't stand anymore, that He'll hold me when I hurt, and that someday soon Jesus will come back and take us home.)


For more encouragement:

"Help for Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts"

My "When Anxiety Strikes" Playlist 

And watch any video of Bob Ross painting (so relaxing!)


Most Popular Posts of the Week:

Updated: Alana L.: 5O (author vs author)

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[I redid Point #5 and #6 in the Alana L. series on my other blog (and re-lettered the posts).  But instead of going back and changing the already-posted points on this blog, I'll just add the posts in their own little "series."]   Point #5 still :   O:  "Sovereign, sovereign, sovereign, sovereign."       This is not technically a conflation (or maybe it is), but it's a sidenote triggered by this sentence in the last post: "[Calvinism]  truly makes God the author*/cause of all sin and evil, despite a Calvinist's insistence that it doesn't." *Bonus Note: Author vs Author When confronted by the fact that their theology makes God the author of all evil, the cause of all sin, Calvinists will inevitably refer to the Westminster Confession:  " God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass:  yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin ." [...
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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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The Importance of Brokenness

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Such a great sermon, one we can all learn a lot from and be encouraged by: "Encountering God's Process"   by Tony Evans (And here's a great 10-minute video from his daughter, Priscilla Shirer:  "We're Desensitized to our Blessings."   It just seemed to speak so well to the crazy world we're living in right now, maybe because now seems like the perfect time to dig through all the distractions around us to find Jesus.)  And it's funny because just the other day, I was updating and typing up a "Bible Study/workbook" thing I wrote years ago, called  "Through the Refining Fire: Your 'Sweetly Broken' Journey,"  and the stuff Dr. Evans was saying in the beginning was almost exactly the stuff I had just typed up, about how God usually has to break us to rebuild us, how it's part of the process of spiritual growth.   I am sending this "Through the Refining Fire" workbook to my relative  who's in jail  because ...
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Pray for Kanye and Kim

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First off, let me say that I have never been a fan of the Kardashians or of Kanye.  I have never watched an episode of the Kardashians, nor could I identify even one Kanye song.  So this isn’t coming from a super-fan of either of these people.  This is coming from the heart of a Christian who knows how strong the spiritual battle is and how much we need prayer. I am asking other Christians out there to pray for Kanye and Kim. I know that there are a lot of Christians who mock Kanye’s conversion.  But I don’t.  I would NEVER mock another person whose brokenness led them to Christ.  That has got to be one of the quickest ways to discourage a new Christian, someone who needs the support of other Christians to help them grow in faith and wisdom.  And yet, here are fellow “Christians” ripping apart a new believer instead of coming alongside him and encouraging him.  Shame on them! Shame on them!   It's hard enough to be a Christian, even h...
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Homemade "Spiced" Hand-Sanitizer with Essential Oils

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Two posts in one: Post #1: Aloe-Based Hand Sanitizer This is a repost of a recipe I posted almost exactly 3 years ago, to the day - 3/3/17.  (How funny!  I had no idea it was almost the exact same date when I decided to repost it now.)  With the coronavirus going around (and the panic surrounding it), it seems like a good time to share this recipe again.   FYI:  There are no guarantees for this recipe about effectiveness against any virus.  But this is for those who like to try natural methods for germ-control first, who want to do what they can for a little extra protection.   I am not a big fan of hand-sanitizers because I fear that their overuse leads to stronger germs.   But sometimes, it’s better to use a little than risk getting the nasty illnesses going on all around you.   I made this for the times that we need it - when I hear a kid coughing like a barking seal or when I see someone sneezing or coughing into their ...
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Some Great Anti-Calvinism Videos

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I don't necessarily agree with everything in the things I link to, but they are definitely worth watching ... Hitler and Calvinism  - Love it!  Love it!  Love it! Greg Boyd - Calvinism Refuted in 10 Minutes  -  Excellent!  MUST WATCH!!!  And he makes a great point about how Calvi-god is basically worse than the devil because at least the devil is honest about who he is, and so you know what you're getting with him!  But not so with Calvi-god! Man Saved Out Of Calvinism Gives Testimony Questions That Calvinists Cannot Answer (Calvinism Is Not Biblical!) Why I'm Not A Calvinist A Lead Pastor Leaves Calvinism and Apologizes to the Congregation for Misleading Them   (And you can google many more great videos on YouTube from Leighton Flowers at  Soteriology 101 ) Are Calvinists Saved?   (More great videos at  Beyond the Fundamentals ) Dave Hunt: "What Love is This?" Also, a fun 6-minute "satire" video  we just found:  "The...
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#11 Be Still (shortened)

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(For the full version of this Bible study "lesson," click here .)             Psalm 46: 10 :   “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”             That is one of my favorite verses.  To me, this verse is all about humility.   A humble person is one who has learned to trust in God’s goodness, love, and faithfulness so much that - despite the storms that rage around - they can “be still” because God is God!   A humble person desperately desires to be near the Lord and to bask in His presence, and so they have learned the importance of being physically and mentally still with the Lord at regular times.   And a humble person also knows that everything is about God’s glory!   He will be exalted!!!             Oh, I love this verse!!!
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So this is what we've come to!?! Wrongful Birth Lawsuits!?!

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Yeah, all of this Social Justice stuff and the "entitlement attitudes" and the lack of taking responsibility has made us Much! Better! People! Wrongful Birth Lawsuits (Because apparently having Down's Syndrome is a good reason to abort a baby.  And if you didn't get the chance to abort, it's a good reason to sue and get money for having to deal with the fact that your Down's Syndrome child lived, much to your dismay.  Which, of course, will drive the medical prices up for everyone.): Queensland Couple Suing For "Wrongful Birth" After Daughter Was Born With Down's Syndrome Angry At Down's Syndrome Baby, Mom Sues Hospital For Wrongful Birth Update: Couple Wins Down's Syndrome "Wrongful Birth" Suit The "right to abort" an unwanted child now means we get the right to have people give us money if we missed the chance to abort an unwanted child!  So ... those who would...
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"But predestination!" (my comments 1-4: election)

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Okay, so here's my comments 1-4 on the pastor's predestination sermons ( in the post "When Calvinists say 'But predestination!'" ).  I'll have more posts with more comments coming up.  I don't cover all the sermons or go in order, but I do want to address some of the more important points. This series was written mainly for my ex-church, so they could see the Calvinist pastor's own words, and why I think he's wrong.  In the posts following this one, I will examine in more depth some of the things he preached. Here's the posts in the whole series:  the pastor's sermons  ("When Calvinists say 'But predestination!'"), and my comments  1-4 (election)  and  5-6 (Romans and sovereignty)  and  7-9 (depravity, Book of Life, predestine)  and  10-11 (shaming tactics, Feb. 2015)  and  12-14 (dead, regeneration, born again)  and  15 (total depravity, manipulation)   and  16A (God's Will, babies)  and...
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