Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is the second half of my conversation with Kenny Embry, Edwin Crozier and Jared Bollman, three of my favorite people in this space. We will discuss the blessings and hazards of social media, what draws us to this space, the price we pay to participate, and the upcoming Balancing the Christian Life Lectures. Hal Hammons is the preacher 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 othe
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! To cap the third season of Citizen of Heaven, I sat down over Zoom with three of my podcasting buddies to talk about the medium, how we are all using it, what potential pitfalls await us, and how we came to podcasting in the first place. I hope the conversation will be interesting and informative. Jared Bollman hosts the Man Up! podcast, as well as the Biblically Speaking channel on YouTube. Edwin Crozier teams up with Andrew Roberts to host the Text Talk podcast, an extension of the work he does with the Livingston Avenue church in Lu
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Words are the tools of my profession. Whether written or spoken, live or recorded, they are the weapons of my warfare, to borrow from 2 Corinthians 10:3. This week we will discuss a word used constantly by preachers like me — and if you ask me, we ought to use it more; the havoc that 300 years of usage can wreak on our vocabulary; the lie we tell ourselves about profanity and what it says about our view of God; and how the smallest of words can make the greatest of impacts. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! “Repentance” is a church word. We don’t hear it very often in our daily lives in the world. And maybe that’s the problem. We’re not doing it because no one is talking about it. This week we will discuss our utter unworthiness of the kingdom of God, our utter unwillingness to learn from our mistakes, our utter incompetence at simple apologies, and my own utter refusal to accept the consequences of my actions. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heave
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! When I think of getting away from it all, I think of an island. Me here, problems way out there, it’s a comforting way of looking at the world. But island living is not as simple as that. This week we will discuss God’s plan to bridge the gap between the mainland and the islands; Robinson Crusoe conforming the island to meet his needs instead of the other way around; why “wasting away in Margaritaville” is not all it’s cracked up to be; and the island getaway so near and dear to my wife and me. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakew
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is the second half of my conversation with BJ Sipe, the preacher at the church of Christ in Danville, Kentucky, and the host of the Set Your Mind Above podcast. Check out the first half if you have not already. True confession: the connection here to cannibalism is weak. But we have been personifying disease and death since long before Edgar Allen Poe picked up a pen or I picked up a game piece. We spend this segment discussing how to avoid being eaten up by the devil. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Do Christians actually eat other Christians? Yes they do, and my guest and I have the bite marks to prove it, as do countless other Christians. BJ Sipe, the preacher at the church of Christ in Danville, Kentucky, and the host of the Set Your Mind Above podcast, sat down with me to discuss the topic. This is the first half of our conversation. We discuss Galatians 5:13-16 and the eating habits of some brethren; and we’ll discuss how we maintain our love for bad actors despite their bad acts. This is the first of two parts of our convers
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! For all the kindergarten teachers out there who are annoyed with me already, stick with me; I will get to you in a minute. The fact is, stupidity exists. And it’s not tough to prove it. This week we will discuss the things the Bible calls stupid; the behavior that makes you stupid, at least in the eyes of one author; the confusion over what is and is not a “cuss word”; and my weird obsession with playing games I don’t understand. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host o
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Anarchy is society without government. If you’re not a big fan of government, and I’m not, that can sound pretty good. And in a perfect world, it would be. But in case you didn’t know, this isn’t a perfect world. This week we will discuss what it means to be under law to Christ; how conspiracy theories feed into our worst tendencies; whether political protests are part of the solution or part of the problem; and yet another reason not to play Monopoly. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown,
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Fair warning: This week’s episode will sound more like a lesson for preachers than normal. But I’m confident that any child of God will find a way to adapt it for personal use. (See what I did there?) We will cover the difference between being adjustable and being spineless; the importance of good source material, for movie makers and for Christians; why my new bumper music should be reminding you of Swing Low Sweet Chariot; and why a designer would want to rip off his own board game. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is the second half of my conversation with Kris Emerson and Steve Wolfgang. Kris Emerson is host of the Excel Still More podcast and preacher for the Lindale church of Christ. Steve Wolfgang is the evangelist for the Downer’s Grove church of Christ in suburban Chicago. In the final part of our conversation, we discuss Jesus’ ideas about brotherly love, why the world isn’t generally interested, and how we should respond. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I have two guests with me to share their insights — and if they choose, their feelings as well. Kris Emerson is host of the Excel Still More podcast and preacher for the Lindale church of Christ. Steve Wolfgang is the evangelist for the Downer’s Grove church of Christ in suburban Chicago. This is the first two segments of our discussion; we discuss the role conscience plays in spiritual decision-making; and whether we should care more about people’s feelings than Ben Shapiro seems to. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! In some ways this week’s installment is a follow-up to last week’s. We discussed the concept of “Big” last week. And there’s nothing bigger than eternity. This week we will discuss the secret to life, according to the wisest man to ever live; how Native American philosophy, as narrated by James Michener, strangely mirrors the Bible; how you can be resurrected and not go to heaven, at least according to one composer; and a game from my childhood that reminds me why I play. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Ch
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! They say everything is bigger in Texas. The bluster, the egos, the steaks, the belt buckles. You name it, we can supersize it. But bigger comes with its problems — big commitments, big disappointments, big failures and big consequences among them. This week we will discuss big faith and why you should be trying to find it; big dreams that have always characterized the Lone Star State; big work from the greatest composer you’ve never heard of; and the big version of an old favorite. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive ch
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed. God told Noah that thousands of years ago. And the value of human life has not diminished since then. Unfortunately our valuation of it has in many cases. This week we will discuss whether Christians actually murder other Christians, and if so, how; the secrets to staying out of a sex-drug-murder cult; another reason not to stop for gas in Louisiana; and the only board game we own based on the work of a serial killer. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church o
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is the second part of my discussion with Jeremy Dehut and Barry Britnell. Check out www.appianmedia.com for the great work Jeremy, Barry and the rest of the crew put together. I absolutely loved Bruce Feiler’s book, American Prophet, which detailed the importance of the Moses story in American life. So when I heard he had written a book about charting the story of God through actual journeys through Bible lands, I grabbed it quickly. What a disappointment. It became obvious early on that “Walking the Bible” was not about strengthe
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This week I have the privilege of sharing my discussion with Jeremy Dehut and Barry Britnell of Appian Media, a wonderful resource for professional and Biblical material. Check them out at www.appianmedia.org. This is the first half of our discussion. We will discuss the insights the crew found into the book of Revelation while filming their most recent project — “Trial and Triumph: Revelation’s Churches.” Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Maybe it’s the holidays, Maybe it’s my new son-in-law. In any case, I’ve been spending a lot of time recently thinking about taking people on the outside and bringing them inside, creating blessings for host and visitor alike. This week we will discuss Biblical hospitality and Abraham’s example; barriers we may be erecting to keep brethren at a distance; the blessings that my guests have brought to the podcast; and how getting everything you want rarely comes from taking everything you can. In the spirit of the week, allow me to direct
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Looking at things from different perspectives is the fair way to approach a situation. But it’s more than that. It’s about compiling all the relevant information, including information that challenges our way of seeing the world. This week we discuss circumspection — the skill of viewing things from other points of view. And then we practice it on subjects from last week — poor, unappreciated Captain Bligh; the enablers of Mars Hill; and the true spirit of cooperation in search of truth. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Dr
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Bullies are people who take what they want at the expense of the weak. From the short kid on the playground to the minimum-wage worker to the next nation in the path of a warmonger, most of us have suffered bullying. And many of us have inflicted it. This week we discuss David’s failed and selfish leadership; the pros and cons of public whippings; the downfall of a mega-church and its mega-pastor; and the real bully at the Hammons game table (the name may surprise you). Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Chri
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! In the western corner, representing the Oregon Ducks, we have BJ Sipe, host of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast and evangelist with the church of Christ in Danville, KY. In the eastern corner, representing the Tennessee Volunteers, we have Terry Francis, preacher for the church of Christ in Chelsea, Alabama, and his son Peyton. In the second half of our conversation, we debate the merits and demerits of football. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of H
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Last month we discussed Nerds; this week we flip the coin over. Sitting in with me are the biggest sports fans and occasional participants I could find. BJ Sipe preaches for the church of Christ in Danville, KY. He also hosts the Set Your Mind Above podcast. Terry and Peyton Francis co-host the Pork and Son podcast, focusing on sports in general, Tennessee football in particular. Terry also preaches for the church of Christ in Chelsea, Alabama. In part 1, we discuss Samson, the greatest athlete in the Bible, as an archetype of the sort
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Ephesians 4:26 reads, “Be angry, and yet do not sin.” I fear sometimes we effectively leave off the second half of that sentence. The fact is, giving in to anger is just as bad as giving in to lust or envy. God’s words to Cain ring true for us: “You must master it.” This week we will discuss choosing brotherly love over angry words; a single outburst that radically changed two lives; my unhealthy obsession with dash cam footage; and the board game most likely to lead to literal bloodshed. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods D
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I don’t know how it is in your house, but I’m seeing pumpkins everywhere these days. From the coffee shop to the craft store to my front porch, it’s all pumpkin all the time. And for me, that’s a good thing. This week we discuss extreme reactions to extreme hunger; the lie you have been told your entire life about pumpkin pie; the weirdest meat in a can you’ve ever seen; and how upgraded pieces do not a board game make. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citi
Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Lions run wild in the Bible, pardon the expression. Everyone knew about them. Everyone respected and feared them. That’s why they make such a great metaphor — make that a series of metaphors. This week we will discuss why the sluggard stays in bed, why our original state of freedom is preferable to luxury in captivity, a personal flashback to a day at the Tulsa Zoo, and the blessings and obligations of having lions in your pocket. Hal Hammons is the preacher for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host