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CITIZENS: with Colton McDaniel and Paul Casebolt

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! What better way to start Season 8 than a long-overdue discussion of what it means to be a resident of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. A couple of newcomers join me for the discussion. Colton McDaniel preaches for the Stone Canyon church of Christ in Owasso, Oklahoma. Paul Casebolt is new to online ministry. Follow his podcast and blog at Clearandpresentfaith.com. Links are in the show notes. We’ll start by discussing what rights we have as Christians – and even if there is such a thing as rights in Jesus’s kingdom. Follow Colton's work at

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Encore: THE GOOD FUTURE - Smyrna. "The Sky is Not Falling. "Shahdaroba." Terraforming Mars.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is an encore episode. The original "Good Future" episode appeared as one of a series of four "future" episodes on May 30, 2023. I am an optimist by nature. When I talk about the future, sometimes I forget that. This episode helped remind me, for which I am grateful. This week we will cover the glorious future of the persecuted church, and when and how it might arrive; the future of church growth and why we are running from it; a guarantee of a brighter future from a voice that Elvis Presley envied; and an opportunity to boldly go

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Encore -- PIANO: The loud and soft God. "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank." Sonatas. The "Big" keyboard.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is an encore episode. The original "Piano" episode appeared first in Season 5, Episode 256, on February 27, 2024. The piano, perhaps more than any other instrument, changed the way music is played. As with a lot of things I tried as a child, I’d be a better person now if I had worked harder at it. Today we’ll discuss where the piano got its name and what it has in common with God; the challenge for an American trying to buy a piano in Paris; the pressure that comes from playing the toughest music in the world, and how to overcome

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Encore: SAN FRANCISCO -- Lombard Street. The Emperor of the United States. Embarcadero.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is an encore episode. The original first appeared in Season 5 as Episode 230 on August 29, 2023. This week we will discuss the short and winding road, and how San Franciscans have turned it into a blessing instead of a problem; the disaster of 1906 and how humans’ best efforts made it far, far worse; Norton I, emperor of the United States, and his relationship with his subjects; and the bigger business you can build by sinking your existing business into San Francisco Bay. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halha

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Encore - WEREWOLVES: Nebuchadnezzar. "The Werewolf of Paris." Trick or treat. One Night: Ultimate Werewolf.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is an encore episode. The original "Werewolves" aired as Episode 237 on October 26, 2023. The story of the werewolf is a metaphor for the battle of good and evil within all of us. Are you human, or are you an animal? You get to choose. This week we will discuss the closest thing to a werewolf the Bible has to offer; the original werewolf and his modern kinfolk; my own checkered history with Halloween and trick-or-treating; and a dark, stormy night full of werewolves that brought a smile to the face of all the Hammonses. Check out

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Encore: HABITS, part 3, with Reagan McClenny and Adam Shanks

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is an encore episode. It originally debuted on July 6, 2023, as part 3 of Episode 222. This is the final part of my conversation with Reagan McClenny and Adam Shanks. Reagan preaches for the Timberland Drive church of Christ in Lufkin, TX; Adam preaches for the Edwards Lake church of Christ in Birmingham, AL, and his podcast, Preach Impediments, will soon return from hiatus. Today we look at the struggles we often face in seeing our walk with Christ as a lifelong process rather than individual steps, especially when those steps do

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Encore: HABITS, part 2, with Reagan McClenny and Adam Shanks

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is an encore episode. It originally appeared as part of Episode 222 on July 5, 2023. Adam Shanks, host of the Preach Impediments podcast, is also the author of In God We Trust, an excellent book on money management. You can find it at Adam’s website, Edenhollow.com. In this segment, Adam and Reagan McClenny, who preaches for the church of Christ in Lufkin, TX, discuss with me the importance of properly managing our money, and what our failure to do so says about our faith. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halha

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Encore: HABITS, with Reagan McClenny and Adam Shanks

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is an encore episode. The original, Episode 222, debuted July 24, 2023. The month of March will feature episodes from at least two years ago. Season 8 begins April 2026, Lord willing. This week I am joined by Reagan McClenny and Adam Shanks, both of whom are participating in this month’s Balancing the Christian Life Conference. Find out more at balancingthechristianlife.com. Check out Reagan’s work through the podcast of the Timberland Drive church of Christ. Adam’s work can be found at his website, edenhollow.com. In our first se

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ROT: Temporary treasures. "Saving Monticello." Termites. Corrosion.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! We’re ending Season 7 by talking about things crumbling over time. Let’s hope it’s not too meta. This week we’ll discuss how we can develop a taste for things that don’t go bad (it’s not as obvious a choice as you might think); how a national landmark fell apart because of its genius builder’s personal failures; how our tiny underground neighbors can show us the upside of rot; and how rust accumulates in your gameplay and your service to Jesus, but only when you let it. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons970

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TESTIMONY: The Ark. "The River of Doubt." The Lord's declaration. The Hotness.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Everyone knows about “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” That’s what God gives, and I hope and trust it’s what I’m giving about Him and His word. We’ll discuss the role the Ten Commandments played in ancient Israel, up to and after the time they lost them; a former U.S. president whose message was just too spectacular to be true; the assurances we can take from God’s word simply because it is, in fact, God’s word; and the best place to go for advice I have learned to routinely ignore. Check out Hal on YouTube at ht

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REPUTATION: Name vs. money. "Wild Bill." Trust but verify. Ark Nova.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Each and every one of us has a reputation. Whether yours is for good or ill, or whether you want to keep it or change it, that’s up to you. This week we’ll cover Solomon’s thoughts about pursuing a good reputation vs. chasing a big bank account; the world’s most famous gunfighter and how he both lived and died for his reputation; the future apostle Paul and how he built confidence in people he previously wanted to kill; and the two different reputations we chase in games and in the church, and how we can make them compatible. Check out

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HONOR, part 3: with Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Here we conclude my discussion with Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe on the topic of honor; I hope you’ve benefitted from it half as much as I have. We wrap up by talking about the honor God says is waiting for us at the end, how we build confidence in His promises, and how we sustain ourselves along the way while He waits to give it to us. If you’re thinking we may not quite be done talking about the book of Philippians, prepare to not be disappointed. Noah Diestelkamp, husband and father of three, works with the Cedar Park church of Chri

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HONOR, part 2A: with Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Believe it or not, we’re not done yet talking about how we show honor to politicians and other public figures. I guess we just can’t help ourselves. Again, Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe are here sharing their thoughts; as the conversation continued, we tried to get a little more practical in our application. Regardless of your political affiliation, I think they will both exhort you to stand for the right and urge caution in dealing with those you think are in the wrong. Noah Diestelkamp, husband and father of three, works with the Ceda

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HONOR, part 2: with Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! We’re back with more from my conversation with Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe, preachers with the churches in Cedar Park, Texas, and Danville, Kentucky, respectively; check out their links in the show notes. It’s the segment you’ve all been waiting for: a definitive answer as to whether we really have to honor our governmental officials, even the ones we think – nay, we KNOW – are agents of the devil. Something’s telling me we might need more than one segment for this question. Noah Diestelkamp, husband and father of three, works with th

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HONOR, with Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’m joined by two eminently honorable preachers of the gospel – Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe. Bios and links are provided below; make sure you check out their outstanding work in the kingdom. I asked them to comment on Biblical honor, starting with the way we show honor to one another as Christians. I think you’ll be blessed by what they have to say. A word of caution first: it may wind up hitting you in your wallet. Noah Diestelkamp, husband and father of three, works with the Cedar Park church of Christ in the Austin area. He and Pau

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CLIMBING: Mountaintop experiences. "Holding Fast." "Up Where We Belong." Rolling Heights.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Climbing can be exhilarating. It can also be daunting, and even dangerous. We’ll deal with both extremes this week – the experiences that draw us closer to God spiritually if not physically; the alternative “highs” that may interfere with bigger purposes; the mountains God moves for us, as opposed to the ones He asks us to climb; and the annoyances that come with building a stack of game pieces that reach all the way to heaven. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705 Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shephe

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IMMIGRATION: Jesus the refugee. "When the Irish Invaded Canada." Walls. Ticket to Ride: UK.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! At long last, I’m ready address one of the hottest topics of the day – one that Jesus deals with frequently. We’ll cover what if anything immigration policies in Jesus’s day have to do with us; the nature of nationalism and how it crosses geographical and cultural boundaries; whether Jesus is for or against building walls (yes, there is an answer); and what actually gives you the right to cross over from one kingdom to another, both in games and in the gospel. Check your politics at the door, brethren. Check out Hal on YouTube at https

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MONUMENTS: Ebenezer. "Coolidge." Monument Valley. Great Monuments.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! It’s in our nature, I think, to want to leave something permanent behind, something people will see and take note of. This week we’ll discuss the monument Samuel left and how it has inspired hymn singers and preachers for decades; a president who chose no memorial at all over one made under false pretenses; one of the most famous landscapes in film and how it stays the same year after year; and the monument you can build on your game table and in your own life. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705 Hal Ham

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ICE: Climate change. "Endurance." Icebergs. 1911: Amundsen and Scott.

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Maybe it’s the advent of winter – or at least what passes for winter in Central Texas. But ice has been on my mind of late, and I thought I’d share. This week we’ll cover climate change from a Biblical perspective; one of my favorite books of 2025 and what it tells us about human resiliency; one of the most overused metaphors in the natural world – one that somehow has escaped my attention here so far; and the quest to finish first or die trying in the only race that matters. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhamm

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Top Ten Books Of 2025

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Forgive the rough cut! I am having no end of trouble on my end -- the least effect of which is, I cannot put a standard podcast out. But I did make a recording for you! Hopefully my technical problems will be worked out by next Tuesday. Also, you'll note I didn't include 10 brand new books -- just 9. Forgive me! My top books of 2025, including holdovers, are... Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White Coolidge, by Amity Shlaes A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck The Fire of His Genius, by Kirkpatrick Sale I O

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SMILES: Why so serious? Shirley Temple. "Smile." Sushi Go!

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! So, it's the week of Christmas. And it's episode #350. I didn't plan to save the "Smiles" episode for a week like this, but now I'm glad I did. We'll discuss why smiles are so rare in the Bible and why you shouldn't worry about it; how the cutest little girl and the saddest "Little Tramp" in the history of Hollywood combined forces to drag us out of a national malaise; and how games in general, and one small game in particular, has brought smiles to our faces for years. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons970

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DIVISION, with Steve Wolfgang

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Steve Wolfgang, preacher for the Downers Grove church in the Chicagoland area, has been schooling us regarding math, church style, this week. As you likely have figured out, we’re wrapping the discussion up with division. What has “split the church” in times past? What “splits” are on the horizon. Or is it even possible to “split the church? in the first place? Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705 Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He

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MULTIPLICATION, with Steve Wolfgang

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Our favorite category of math in local churches is multiplication, no doubt about it. And in this part of my conversation with Steve Wolfgang, we discuss the pros and cons of growth — and yes, there are cons. We all want the church to grow. But is a quick response a good response? What if any warning signs should be anticipated when the gospel spreads more than we hoped for? Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705 Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georget

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SUBTRACTION, with Steve Wolfgang

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Steve Wolfgang is back, helping us with math lessons of sorts from God’s word. This part of our discussion relates to subtraction — the unfortunate but often necessary process of taking souls out of fellowship. When is it necessary? And how do we carry it out when it is? By the way, perhaps I should have mentioned it before, but Steve was struggling mightily with a sinus infection at the time of this recording; he would appreciate it if you would not hold his vocal quality against him. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.co

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ADDITION, with Steve Wolfgang

Hal Hammons · Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Steve Wolfgang preaches for the Downers Grove church in the Chicagoland area. He is well-known throughout the brotherhood for his grasp on historical trends throughout the centuries. This week I’m harnessing his abilities in a somewhat unconventional way, using a math theme. We start here by discussing the way we add people to our fellowship and the role local leadership must play in doing it right — including choosing to not do it at all. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705 Hal Hammons serves as preache

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