It’s that time once again. Christmas, New Year’s Eve, the college football playoffs. Fun, food and fellowship in abundance. Truly, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” This week we’ll discuss the parties that get a bit too festive; political parties and whether they are really necessary; the party spirit that dominates far too many churches today; and a game we break out at parties that will leave you wondering where in the world you are.

Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.   

PARTIES: Social drinking. "The Birth of American Politics." Factiousness. Spyfall.

I am Hal Hammons, a citizen of heaven. I broadcast regular reports of what it is for a child of God to live in Satan's world. My reports typically break down into four segments:"What I've been preaching" -- a point I have made in a recent sermon."What I've been reading" -- A brief breakdown of a book of the Bible or other reading material that has helped me in my understanding or application of the Bible."What I've been hearing" -- news from the internet or other sources about what is going on, either among brothers and sisters in Christ or out in the world at large."What I've been playing" -- how I've been entertaining myself in my spare time, and some spiritual points I have been able to extract.

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Poison is bad. You should avoid it, generally. That’s my policy, anyway. And as obvious as I may think that approach is, clearly some people disagree. Today we will deal with people who think the poison of the world can’t possibly hurt them; people so distraught they would rather take poison than deal with their day-to-day lives; the possible benefits of poison, when used carefully and with wisdom; and the poison selfish people may use to destroy you, and how you can make yourself immune. Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.   

POISON: Snake-handlers. "The Poisoner's Handbook." Napoleon and arsenic. Council of Verona: Poison expansion.

When I buy a book, I weigh three considerations: my level of interest, the cost, and the. book’s length (more or less in that order). I will never read a book I don’t want to read. I will rarely pay anywhere remotely close to retail (Hal Hammons, famous tightwad; you know my schtick by now) And I would rather read a short book than a long book;  if you saw my To Be Read stack, you’d understand why. My “surprising books” tend to be ones where either my level of interest was pretty low and I was surprised in a good way, or ones where my level of interest was unusually high and I was surprised in a bad way. I’m pleased to say most of the surprises so far in 2024 have been good ones. Lord willing, as with the other lists I’ll post this month, I’ll be back in December with my lists for the year as a whole. 

10.  The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, by Philip Pullman
9. The Bookstore that Floated Away, by Sarah Henshaw
8. The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom
7.  Deceived No More, by Doreen Virtue
6. Helen of Troy, by Margaret George
5. Sense and Sensuality, by Ravi Zacharias
4. Our Town, by Thornton Wilder
3. God and My Father, by Clarence Day
2. A God Named Josh, by Jared Brock
1. Selfies, by Craig Detweiler

HALFTIME REPORT: My Most Surprising Books of 2024 (so far)

A knife is like most tools – helpful when used properly, dangerous when used by the wrong person or with the wrong training.  This week we’ll discuss the strangest knife story in the Bible and what it says about our connection to God; the strangest and most beautiful knife story on my bookshelf; the debate over whether sharp knives are worth the price you pay (and I don’t mean at the store); and an updated version of a kid’s game that will send you running for the first-aid kit.

Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.   

KNIVES: Moses and Zipporah. "Passover." Sharpness. Spoons.

Today we wrap up my conversation with Edwin Crozier and Tyler Sams, from Lutz, Florida, and San Antonio, Texas, respectively; I hope you’ve gotten as much out of it as I did. Links to the great work they do are included in the show notes. Here we discuss the centrality of Jesus in the life and work of a Christian, how we can forget about that from time to time, and how we find our way home when we do.   Check out Text Talk at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/text-talk/id1498708071

Check out Tyler Sams and the work of the University Oaks church of Christ at https://www.youtube.com/@uococ  Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook. 

GROWTH, part 3: with Edwin Crozier and Tyler Sams

We’re back with more of my conversation with Edwin Crozier and Tyler Sams. Links to the great work they do are included in the show notes. In our second session, we discuss the problems that may come when growth is the actual goal, and when we accomplish our goal in even more remarkable fashion than we had hoped. If you’re just wishing the church where you are had that kind of problem, stick around to the end and see if you change your mind.

Check out Text Talk at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/text-talk/id1498708071

Check out Tyler Sams and the work of the University Oaks church of Christ at https://www.youtube.com/@uococ  Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.   

PARTIES: Social drinking. "The Birth of American Politics." Factiousness. Spyfall.

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