Thanks so much for your note. I appreciate your taking the time to write. I will answer when I have more time and can devote some thinking to what you’ve said.

Sincerely,
Amy

I’m the Arnica lady. I have a bad back, too, and it doesn’t do much for that. I know because I have tried. When it really helped me was when I put on my daughter’s rollerblades and fell on the same heel of the same hand three times in the street. I came in and applied arnica–the first time I had used it on myself (I thought it was just a kind of panacea that the kids liked). It made my hand stop hurting. The key is to get it on an injury fast. Try it the next time your littlest one bangs her head. You will be amazed.

I love John Piper, too. I seem to reread “Desiring God” about once every other year. I grew up in Minnesota and went to his church sometimes when I was in college. Amazing preacher!

I am pretty Calvinist, although I recoil at the thought of God creating some people without salvation in their destiny. But when you look at how He led the Israelites to wipe out the nations who were living in the promised land, I guess you have to understand that salvation was never meant for every indiscriminate person. Or is that a mean thing to say? I go to a Baptist church, but I don’t feel philosophically accepted there.

Two things about my church really bother me–could you address them and tell me what you think?

(1) They use very hyped-up music which they call “celebratory worship.” They rarely sing anything reflective, and they never sing hymns. My kids don’t even know any hymns, even though they’ve gone to church all their lives (ages 16,14,13,10). I feel a deep sense of loss over this.

(2) The pastor will spend entire months on sermon series about eternal security. My thought is that if you are worried that you aren’t saved, you might not be, and you ought to seek God about it–most especially if your worry stems from rampant sin in your life.

Also–are you familiar with the Neil Anderson books, and, if so, what is your opinion of them?

Thanks.

I am a fellow Calvinist - go TEAM TULIP!
This is my first time here, so it’s only fitting that I should comment on your semi-broken toe! I mention on the “About” page of my blog, how I’ve actually broken 45 bones. Ouch! I’ve had some pretty mangled toes. One of them sounds like what you are going through. After I broke it, it developed a vascular tumor, and it would almost hurt if you drop a cotton ball on it. Anyway, bad news coming, brace yourself, they eventually had to cut it off! Well at least the top half of it. So you should have your toe checked out and see if there is something seriously wrong with it. Im going to go look around your blog now. Nice to meet you.

–Jim B.
http://www.OldTruth.com

By the way… what happened to your husband’s post earlier today? I really liked it.

He told me to pull it and I submitted.

Arnica is usually available in health food stores. It is a good pain-relieving salve to have on hand when you have little kids. It’s great for bruises, but you have to be careful about putting it on open wounds.

Maybe you already know about it?

Someone just gave me a tube of it this past week; I’ve a pinched nerve in my back that comes and goes too. It doesn’t help much with that, but I didn’t think to try in on any other ailments.

What’s that have to do with Calvinism?

Everything–there’s nothing I could do to thwart this part of the sanctification plan.

Hey, Greg…don’t you have a rocket to build or something…

No, today he’s building countertops.

just wondering where you are at with the pregnancy thing?

Half-way=20 weeks.

but my brother’s toe nail fell off.

Mine too. Several times.

You wrap that thing up in that kind of armor and even the heat seeking missle feet won’t be able to make their mark.

You obviously don’t have a toddler.

You wrap that thing up in that kind of armor and even the heat seeking missle feet won’t be able to make their mark.

On the down side, if your husband is anything like me, the fun he will have with it (at your expense) will bring sinful thoughts like “I wonder at what velocity this monstrosity would indent his head?”.

*snickers*

Hey, Greg…don’t you have a rocket to build or something…