Leaving Calvinism: X-Calvinist Corner

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As I've said before, I'm not Arminian, but there are a lot of good "leaving Calvinism" testimonies here at X-Calvinist Corner.  I particularly liked Daniel Gracely's.

Most Popular Posts of the Week:

"Becoming a Christian" and "Steve McQueen's Christian Testimony"

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A great, quick video from Pastor Greg Laurie on "Becoming a Christian" (4 minutes long) And a 2 1/2-minute one from Tony Evans: Salvation Through Jesus Christ Yes, it's that simple!  Eternal life, salvation, is that simple to get.  All of the work has been done for you by Jesus Christ on the cross.  And all you have to do is accept it. [Keep in mind that it's not the prayer that saves you, the words you say.  It isn't a "magic spell."  What saves you is your choice to believe in Jesus, your decision to make Him your Lord and Savior, to believe that He is God and that He came to earth to die on the cross and rise again to pay the price for  your  sins so that you can live, so that you don't have to pay the price for your sin.  You can live eternally in heaven because of what He did for you on the cross.  And all you have to do is accept it, believe it.  If you will believe (if you will accept it as truth, even if you don't "feel it" yet...
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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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Late Summer for Gardeners

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I don't know about you, but all this heat and humidity has made my garden go crazy.  And consequently, I've been so busy shredding and freezing zucchini (or making zucchini bread and zucchini fritters) and canning homemade pickles and tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes and pickled peppers... and then busy cleaning up all the zucchini-pickle-tomato-pepper messes all over the kitchen... not to mention, giving away bags of fresh cucumbers and green beans because we're getting too many and can't possibly eat them all (I find it crazy that three of my kids hate fresh green beans - where'd I go wrong?😕)... and then doing it all over again just a little while later.   It's been like the movie  Groundhog Day , endlessly repeating the same day over and over again, except with vegetables!   And so, just for fun (and because I've been too busy to write real posts), here's something that all you gardeners out there might enjoy right about now.  I feel this one:
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My Favorite Live Bird Cams (and a few others too)

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I enjoy checking in on these live bird cams every now and then.  Especially when we are knee-deep in snow and it's 10 degrees outside. Ontario Backyard Cam Sapsucker Woods Panama Fruit Feeders Red Tail Hawks   Bermuda Petrels   Hellgate Ospreys   Savannah Ospreys   Hummingbirds   Great Horned Owls   Southwest Florida Eagle Cam   And here's some more random ones: Live Bird Feeder in Michigan Panda Cam Tropical Reef Cam Cornell Lab Live Bird Cams  (most are in the links above already) Shark Live Cam Lemurs Ape Cam And there's a bunch of wildlife cams to choose from here:   Sportsman Paradise Online
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Jill 4 Today: Around the world in 80 breads

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While researching bread-baking around the world, I stumbled on this YouTube channel -  Jill 4 Today  - and I just have to say that I'm really enjoying her.  A lot of fun to watch.  And I love when older women do videos like these because it feels very homey, very grandmotherly.    I'm especially interested in her new series "Around the world in 80 breads."  And I love it that she makes some of these breads for the first time on camera, leaving in the doubts and mistakes and all.  Amusing and charming. Anyway, I'd love for her to actually do all 80 breads, but she doesn't think she'll get to them all.  So if anyone else is interested in this too, support her channel and send her some comments to encourage her to actually do all 80.  It'd be fun to see. Here are the three breads she's done so far: #1 No-knead French bread #2 Icelandic Rye Bread  (just listening to their reactions as they eat it makes me want to try it too) #3 German B...
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A Few "End Times" And "Christian News" Links

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There are a few "end times" and "Christian news" sites that I like to check up on now and then.   When it comes to the "End Times," I mainly prefer sites that give me headlines about what's going on around the world that may be related to the end times, such as major earthquake and volcanic activity, political and international conflicts, Israel news, etc.   I don't care much for the sites that are sensationalized - that make huge deals out of every tiny thing and that try to fit every little cosmic or world event into a Bible verse as some sort of "proof" that the End Times are here.  I'd rather read the normal news stories for myself and get an overall picture of how close we seem to be getting to the end. Of course, no matter how close we think we are to the end, it won't happen until God wants it to happen.  All we can do is wait for Him and live the way He wants us to, in anticipation of standing before Him someday.  An...
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On this Good Friday

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Take some time on this Good Friday to remember what Jesus went through to bring us forgiveness, to offer us all eternal life - and then thank Him for it.   Some great songs and videos about it: Jeremy Riddle's  "Sweetly Broken"   Cloverton's  "Christmas Hallelujah" Michael W. Smith's  "Secret Ambition" Crowder's  "I AM" "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." ( Romans 3:23-25 ) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life   in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  ( Romans 6:23 ) “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   ( Romans 5:8 ) "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us...."  ( 1 John 3:16 ) "Christ suffered for you... When ...
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Links To Other Anti-Calvinism Posts

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Some of my thoughts and research on Calvinism (Why I believe it's not Scriptural!): Why is Calvinism So Dangerous? If Calvinism is true, then God is a liar! What's The Best Way To Make People Agree With Your Calvinist Views? Letter To Our Elders Regarding Calvinism Growing In Our Church Acts 13:48: Not As "Predestination" As It Sounds Sovereignty and Free-Will Working Together Anti-Calvinism Memes and Links Why Is It So Hard For Calvinists To Get Free From Calvinism? Can You Lose Your Salvation? Problems in John Calvin's  Institutes of the Christian Religion Are We Only Here For God's Glory? What About God's Love? So Job was a dimwit, huh? "Defend Your Calvinism" Challenge More Anti-Calvinism Memes.  Just for fun! Some of John Calvin's Contradicting Nonsense! How to tell if a Church, Pastor, or Website is Calvinist (extended version)  and the  (simplified version) You know what happens when you assume things!  A look at John Calvin...
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It's Friday, but ...

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Friday is the day of heartbreak and suffering and loss. Saturday is the day of waiting and despair and hopelessness. But Sunday... thank God ...  Sunday is coming ! Hang in there, dear ones who are discouraged about life, who are exhausted from treading water, just trying to make it through, and who feel hopeless about the future.   Hang in there... because Sunday's coming. Sunday's coming. (Two great, encouraging songs for the hurting, exhausted people:  Worn  by Tenth Avenue North and  Fell Apart  by The City Harmonic.)
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My "When Anxiety Strikes" Playlist

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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  - One...
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