My Crazy Faith

So it's Halloween time again, huh?  Is it just me, or has there been a big increase in the amount of Halloween decorations in people's yards? I don't decorate for Halloween, nothing more than maybe a few pumpkins.  But a neighbor and I were talking the other day, and she inadvertently stumbled on what I think would make the best Halloween decoration.  Something truly terrifying.  And if I had more guts, I'd maybe consider doing it someday. She was reading out loud some reported quotes from famous atheists just before their death, and I thought Now that would make a scary Halloween display in your yard, a collection of tombstones with atheist quotes on them!    Quotes such as these: David Strauss , who spread German rationalism to erase people's belief in God: "My philosophy leaves me utterly forlorn!  I feel like one caught in the merciless jaws of an automatic machine, not knowing at what time one of its great hammers may crush me!" Thomas Paine , at...

 A friend of mine recently sent me a link to an article that she says is one of the best overviews of Calvinism and its errors that she's read.  And after reading it, I agree.  I think it's a great one to share with others because it's got all the basics in one place: The Bible vs. Calvinism: An Overview by Patrick Myers There are some great rebuttals to Calvinist proof-texts in here, and some eye-opening quotes from Calvinists.  Something like this might help Calvinists understand what their theology  really  teaches and what the Bible  really  teaches - and that these aren't saying the same thing.   FYI: If you click on the "about/contact" link at the bottom of the article, you can send him an email to request a PDF copy of his article.   And after I contacted him by email to tell him how much I appreciated his article, he graciously put a link to my anti-Calvinism blog at the bottom.  Thank you, Patrick, that was very k...

A dear friend of mine from another state gave me her testimony.  She printed copies of it to share with others in the hopes that sharing her painful story would help others who are hurting too.  It's such an amazing, beautiful testimony that I asked her if she'd like me to share it on my blog, and she said yes.  So here it is, in Renee's own words.  I hope you find encouragement in it like I do.: A GUN TO MY HEAD...  I KNEW I WAS GOING TO DIE...  AN ELDERLY MAN TRIED TO MOLEST ME...  I LOST MY IDENTITY...  SHAME AND REJECTION TOOK ROOT IN ME...  MY LIFE CONTINUED TO SPIRAL DOWNHILL... My story begins while I was still in my mother's womb.  My biological father would curse me in the womb, saying he wished I was never conceived and that I would die before I was born.  Nevertheless, I was born.  I never met my biological father.  I wasn't even a year old when my mom met my daddy that raised me.  He would tell people he f...

Learning to Praise and Trust God Anyway I think one of the hardest lessons to learn - and one of the greatest indicators of humility - is learning to praise God, to trust Him, and to cling to Him in the painful hard times.   It's easy to be thankful and to trust Him and to “sing His praises” when things are going our way and when we have more than enough (which is why I wonder about the level of spiritual maturity and commitment of those who are richly blessed on earth with success and money and power and who have not been broken by the trials and hard times).    But it is so hard to do this when we are in the “desert times” of our lives and when we feel like life is letting us down, like God is letting us down, and like we have been abandoned by Him. Learning to praise Him and trust Him (and glorify Him) in the painful hard times is part of the journey of faith... and it can  only be learned through painful hard times . It can only be learned ... ... when God strips...