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.)


Most Popular Posts of the Week:

Sermons by Tony Evans

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Taking a break between the "end times" stuff and the upcoming "predestination" stuff: (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...
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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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A Great Blog To Visit: Our Healing Moments (Testimony #1)

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I've recommended this blog before, but I'll do it again: Our Healing Moments (UPDATE: This blog has been deleted, so I took down the link.) 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 g...
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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 "Some Carman Songs for Halloween" and Posts on Spiritual Warfare

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For some "fun" songs from my younger years: "Some Carman Songs for Halloween" And here is a bunch of links about Spiritual Warfare, from my post called "War Rooms, Praying Scripture, and Spiritual Warfare": I strongly believe that there are angels and demons.  That prayer matters.  That there is a spiritual battle going on around us all the time ... and that we need to get involved in it, actively and consciously.  (Something I haven't been doing lately.)   Regardless of if we want it or not, we are constantly facing spiritual battles.  But if we don't acknowledge them - if we stick our head in the sand and refuse to get involved, to put on our spiritual armor, to use the spiritual weapons that are available to us - we open ourselves up to deceptions, to defeat, to being very vulnerable to the strategies and attacks of the evil one. What I have done here is compile a list of posts on spiritual warfare, on praying Scripture, and on creating a War Ro...
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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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"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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An Excellent Christmas Song

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We just got the first snow of the year!  (I love snow.)  And so to celebrate this moment and to counter Halloween (I hate Halloween), enjoy this excellent, little-known Christmas song: Hallelujah Christmas   (Cloverton)
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Let's just call it what it is: Wicked!

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Wicked and repulsive! What else would you call a Philadelphia ruling that would rather children not get a home than get a faith-filled home through a faith-based agency!?! Wicked and repulsive! And yet the left continues to think it's so tolerant and open-minded and all-inclusive and open-armed! Nonsense!!! This kind of thing shows who they really are.   May God overturn this ruling and turn the hearts of people back to Him, opening their eyes to their need for Him and to the true condition of their hearts and souls.  May they see how far they have fallen and the damage they are causing in our country! And if I may point something out:  This is not an attack on faith, but only on faith in the God of the Bible.  Because what they seem to forget is that everyone has faith in something.  Everyone stakes their eternity on something.  Even people who claim to have no faith ... have faith.  They just have faith in themselves, in chan...
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