Calvinism and Arminians

Greetings all!

Spring is sprung, and I had some time to research some topics. Here is the first one:

Many Christians claim to be "Calvinists," and others claim to be "Arminians". Well what does that mean?

Calvinists say that some basics of the Christian faith fall under the acronym, TULIP. Each letter stands for a basic "stance" as a Christian:

T - total depravity
U - unconditional election
L - limited atonement
I - irresistible grace
P - perseverance of the saints

If this acronym uses such big words that it seems like a foreign language to you, trust me; it does to many people.

But that is why I enjoy studying these things. Is it enough to become a Christian and then stop learning anything else about Christianity? My thought is absolutely not!

So, here is a short, and well written article explaining how the Arminian and Calvinistic viewpoints differ:

http://www.spreadinglight.com/theology/armvscal.html

Take a read of the article and let me know what you think.

DonB

Going back to Maryland

If anyone lives on the East Coast, or wants to take a nice family vacation out there, I, along with my whole family will be performing and working there for 6 weeks this summer.

Here is the basic information page HERE

If you click on the above link, DO NOT move your mouse across the top of the page, as that will open up the waiver form (weird website quirk).  It does show a nice spread of pictures of me.  Neato!

DonB!

“We loved the fellowship, teaching, and of course… DonB! We loved how he interacted with us – seemed like he was sneaking behind every corner and jumped out whenever we needed a laugh!!! He was definitely on God’s timing!!” 

Hope – York PA

Interesting Moral Dilemma

While searching some knot tying techniques, I happened upon a website devoted to helping people prepare for disasters.  One of the articles really made me think:

How far would I go to save my own family in a disaster, and how far would I go to help someone else suffering in the midst of that same disaster?

It is easy to say, "I would do anything to help someone else," but this article really puts into perspective some deep situational thoughts that most of us (hopefully) may never have to face.


Well, read the article (it's short), and let me know what you think. Here's the LINK


DonB!

Go Cruising with DonB!

Today it was confirmed that I will be performing on the 2012 K-Love Friends & Family Cruise!

I would like to invite all of you to go cruising with me next February.  The dates are February 6-10, 2012.

DaleB, DonB, DebB & DeannaB, on the beachB

Please click HERE to go to the page with all of the information.

You will see that the Newsboys will be performing, as well as Sanctus Real, Salvador, Chris Tomlin, Mandisa and many others.  It's a going to be a GREAT time!

If you sign up, please tell them you are part of the "DonB Group".  If I get 8 people to sign up under my name, then the cost of one free cruise will be divided among all of you that are in the group (usually $70-$150.00 to each person).  It's a great deal all around.

Cruise with me...

DonB!

Pictures from my last show

Last Saturday afternoon, I, along with my son, Dale, performed at Cedar Valley Church in Bloomington, MN. We were there as part of their "We Love Kids Winter Beach Party".  It was a HUGE event.


Here are some pictures that were sent to me from the event:

The Egg Bag

"Mickeeeeeeyyyyyyy"

Ring Juggling

This weekend I am heading out to Gurnee, Illinois, then flying down to Mineral Wells, Texas.

On the road again...

DonB!

The Letter to Don

On Monday evenings, in our home, we hold a Bible study & fellowship time.  Each week we listen to a 25-40 minute podcast of a message, then talk about it.  We finish up the evening by laughing and joking as we talk about how our week prior has gone.  It is a great time together with people who simply want to grow in our faith as Christians.


Last night, the message was titled "A Change of Direction", talking about God's grace toward each one of us, and that no matter where we choose to go in life, God allows, and even ASKS us to turn around and follow Him again.  It was a neat thought, especially when we talked about our own times in life that we have had to STOP, and turn around from the stupid and sometimes painful decisions we have made.


The speaker on the podcast used Revelation 2-3 in his message, regarding what Christ said to the various churches that claimed to be His followers.  This really got me thinking...


What would the letter say if written to my own church, Emmanuel Baptist Church, or Mora, Minnesota?  In each of the Revelation letters, Christ pointed out the good & bad that each church demonstrated.  He praised them for the things they were doing correctly, but rebuked them for the ways that they had turned their backs on God.


I can think of many things that my own church has done well over the almost 18 years I have been attending.  Sadly, I can think of other times when our church chose to go a route that was self-serving, and not within God's will.


Then, this took me even further into this idea: 

What would Christ say if He wrote a letter directly to ME?

What would he commend me for doing that was within His will for me?  Followed closely by the rebuke for my failures as a believer, I'm sure.  Which half of the letter would be longer? Would He point out things that I am already aware of, or would I be surprised by what He lists, both good and bad?


Given, I'm not looking for answers from any of you, but it made me really stop and attempt to evaluate where I am at. What have I done in the way of sharing the Gospel around my town, my state, my country, and beyond?  Could someone look at me and see that I am a Christian, or would they only see a "nice guy"? What about the people that I have hurt throughout my life?  Will I ever be able to repair those hurts?


There will come a time when each of stands before God and makes an account for what we did with the time we were given. Am I ready for that time?  Are you? 

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Life's not fair, but God is. 

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I leave you with this verse from the book of Matthew, but don't let it scare you.  Let it encourage you to do as much as possible with your time here on earth. Put aside the petty things that divide us. Forgive each other over and over and over again. Make that "YouTurn" that the speaker talked about. Share the Good News, in our words and actions.

    “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Matthew 7:21-23 (New International Version, ©2010)

DonB!

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