What's behind the curtain?

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Does anyone else find it weird that the government wouldn't rush to shoot down an identifiable Chinese surveillance balloon, a clear threat, for fear that it might be too risky to shoot down ... but then they rush to shoot down several unidentifiable objects, having no clue if they are a threat or how dangerous they are?   

Something's not adding up here.  I'm not sure what's going on, but I don't think things are what they seem to be or what they want us to believe.  And it makes me less concerned about what they're reporting ... and more concerned about what's going on behind the curtain, their hidden agendas, what they're trying to hide or distract us from or trick us into.

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White horses and a cup of tea (part 2)

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(picking up where we left off in part 1 ...) And that brings us to this year.   This year I wasn't going to make any New Year's resolutions.  I was like "meh, who cares?" But then, two things grew naturally in my mind, goals for this year.  (The first one will take three posts, and then I'll share the second one after that.) (Plus, I think I'll keep trying the "talk less, listen more" resolution, too.   I could always use more of that.   And I think I'll add "try to stop speaking negative things."  That won't be easy.  I do far too much of that.): A Theme:   This is going to be my "white horse" year.   "What's a 'white horse'?" you ask.   Well, I'm glad you asked.  I'll tell you.   Here's the thing: I'm an overthinker.  A massive overthinker.  And it causes me lots of anxiety.  Of course, I have some very real things to be concerned about, but I also overthink little things and not-eve...
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Support for Jesus and the Bible

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Although almost every other major religion out there acknowledges that Jesus really did live, there are still people who insist He is a fairy tale, like a mythological legend from ancient history.  Or they believe that He was a real man but never claimed to be God, that His followers made it up after He died.  And many believe that the Bible, though a good book, was written just from men’s minds and wasn’t really God-inspired. When trying to reason with people like this, many Christians quote Bible verses to try to win the argument, thinking it should convince everyone of God’s Truth.  But since many people, including atheists, don’t believe the Bible is true, they don’t want to hear the Bible being used to try to prove the validity of the Bible.  That’s “circular reasoning,” using the Bible to validate the Bible.  This is why it’s important to have sources outside the Bible that confirm that Jesus really did live and that Scripture is really reli...
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Thank you, reddit/reformed. I'm honored!

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[I'm sneaking this post in between the regular bi-weekly (every other week) posts on both this blog and my Anti-Calvinist Rant blog.  (Did you know that bi-weekly can mean both "every other week" and "twice a week"?  What the heck, those are like total opposites!)] Commenter Senior-Emergency-944   started a thread  on Reddit/Reformed   called  Part of me wants to affirm it. But how do you refute this?!  which linked to my post  "But Calvinists don't say God causes sin and evil!" , asking for advice on how to refute the Calvinist quotes I shared about God causing evil.  If I was able to reply to Senior (I don't have a reddit account), I would've said this... That's awesome!  Thank you.  I'm honored that you brought up this post for discussion among reformed Christians.  And I think it's great that you're willing to examine this issue and think deeper about it, to face the dark, uncomfortable truth of what Calvinists really be...
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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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My Kind of Jesus!

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T hese songs show the kind of Jesus I serve!  Why I love Him so much!   He loves all people with a saving love.  He died for all people so that anyone who wants eternal life can find it.  He is reaching out His hand to all people, asking them to grab onto Him, to let Him love them and heal them and save them!  This is my Jesus!  My God!  My Lord and Savior!   And I will continue to post and repost these songs because they are just so powerful!  So hopeful and truth-filled. Oh, What Love! by The City Harmonic Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle I AM! by Crowder Hallelujah Christmas   by Cloverton My Jesus by Todd Agnew Secret Ambition by Michael W. Smith Confession (Agnus Dei) by The City Harmonic Fell Apart by The City Harmonic By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North Worn by Tenth Avenue North  (Can anyone else understand the feeling of being tired just from ...
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9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult: Conclusion and Links

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[This series is  "The 9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult"  split up into smaller, individual posts.]   Conclusion: Sadly, the  Psychology Today  article lists some of the lasting effects of cults, the devastation it has on people's hearts and minds, such as (among others): extreme identity confusion, panic/anxiety attacks, depression, anger and guilt and shame, inability to make their own decisions (to trust their own judgment), fear of intimacy and commitment, distrust of others, grieving the loss of family and friends, loss of meaning or purpose, PTSD, etc. I think Calvinism does this to people too.  I think the longer someone stays in a Calvinist church, the more it will destroy their faith (what should be a simple faith), their relationship with God, their trust of God, and their ability to discern truth for themselves, to understand the Bible the way God meant it to be understood.   And if and when someone leaves a Calvinist church, it may destroy t...
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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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The Media Is To Blame For So Much!

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This is basically exactly what I said about the media too.  So much truth here: It's Official: The Liberal Left Has Now Openly Declared War On Christianity In so many ways, the media (and social media) has caused and fed the social problems we are seeing nowadays in our country.  Shame on them!  (The whole Covington School thing makes me sad.  That 16-year-old boy did nothing wrong and has nothing to apologize for, and yet he's being trashed in the media and has to deal with the mess the media has made in front of the whole country.  Shame on all you media people who, before you had the whole story, twisted everything to make a sensationalized story for your own twisted purposes!) If the media just shut up about so much - stopped trashing the people they want to trash, stopped reporting the stories that highlight the things they want to highlight, stopped manipulating people into thinking and feeling the way they want them to, stopped highlighting all the s...
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Hillsong Unapologetically Mixes Evolution and Creation

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I had just read this article yesterday.  And then, lo and behold, some girl sang that song ("So Will I") in front of church this morning.  I'm glad I read the article when I did because it gave me the opportunity to be discerning about what is being taught through that song. Basically, the Hillsong worship leader who wrote it says that evolution is undeniable and that, when God spoke, evolution started and then continued along in the evolutionary process according to God's plans and word. May I ask then ... How does he view Genesis 1:24-25 : "And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds ... And it was so.  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all creatures that move along the ground to their kinds." ? This doesn't say that He made animals that eventually became different kinds, but that each was made according to their own kinds.  Separate species.  Not...
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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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