Citizen of Heaven

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This week we will discuss how standing in front of an oncoming train is an absolutely idiotic thing to do, but also could actually be necessary; we’ll talk about the most famous train in the world and one of the most famous murders; a song about a train that goes a lot further than you may have realized; and a game that brings out the best...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! We finish the tribute by talking with Clay Gentry, who preaches for the Jackson Heights church of Christ in Columbia, TN. Until recently, Clay shared a pulpit there with Matt. Clay brings us up to date regarding Matt’s battle with ALS and the example of courage in the face of adversity that Matt and his wife Lauren continue to set . Make s...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is the second of three conversations I had recently with friends of Matt. In this part Steve Wolfgang, preacher for the Downers Grove church in the Chicago area, joins to talk about what Matt would likely consider his magnum opus. It’s a book entitled “Worshiping With the Psalms,” and it allows us to easily sing our way through all 15...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! We begin Season 5 with one of the most special episodes I’ve done to date. Matt Bassford is a preacher, a writer, and a dear friend. In my judgment, he has had as much or more of an impact for the cause of Christ as anyone I know. In part 1,  I talk to Tim Jennings, preacher at the Castleberry church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas, about M...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is the last episode of season 4. Thank you so much for supporting this effort. I did a “favorites” show for episode 100; for this milestone, I thought I would go in the other direction. This week we will discuss the worst part of my preaching; the worst book-reading experience I’ve had recently; yet another rant against the so-called...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Magic is a term we use to describe things that make no sense, things that defy description. Whether it’s “real” or not depends on the sort of magic you’re talking about. And there are several. This week we will discuss the magic we see in every starry sky, and the true power behind it; the two different kinds of magic in Narnia, and which...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! “It’s his fault!” “She started it!” “They are a lot worse than us!” Am I describing the squabbling of children? Or am I describing a typical Tuesday afternoon at Walmart? I say, can’t both be true?  This week we will discuss Paul’s keys to arguing properly; how starting with love and respect makes the arguments go much better; the queen of...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! If you haven’t checked out the first two segments of my talk with Scott Taylor and Ryan Joy, it would be well worth your while to do so. In this, the final part of our talk, we focus on the help that we try to provide for people who, for whatever reason, seem to be too much trouble. Exactly how much grease do we give the squeaky wheel? Pro...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! It can be easy to convince ourselves that serving ourselves is tantamount to serving the body of which we are  a part. In truth, it can be exactly the opposite. We pursue this idea in the second part of my conversation with Scott Taylor and Ryan Joy. Ryan preaches for the North church of Christ in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and cohosts the Bible...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Ministry is service, pure and simple. And I have two “ministers” joining me this week to describe how it works. Ryan Joy, co-host of the Bible Geeks podcast, ministers to the church of Christ in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Scott Taylor is preacher and shepherd for the West Mason church of Christ in the Cincinnati area. He cohosts the You Are From...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Our life in Jesus is about changing from one thing into another – from sinner to saint, from rebellious to obedient. It’s not easy, and it doesn’t always work. But when it does, it’s a wonder to behold. This week we will discuss the blessings of God’s fiery ordeals; the ancients’ efforts to cheat death, and whether that would be a good thi...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Poverty is the rule, not the exception. We have become prosperous enough in modern-day America that “poor” people write Yelp reviews on their smart phones about how expensive their sushi was. Actual poor people do exist, though. They always have and always will. This week we will discuss Jesus’ apparent indifference to poverty; a young man...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Walking is how we get from here to there. From a baby’s first steps to a bride’s walk down the aisle to the day our six best friends carry us away, walking symbolizes the way we progress through this life and on into the next. This week we will discuss the two paths we have to choose from; how Nik Wallenda conquers fear in a life with no s...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! We should be going to school every day. Life is full of lessons waiting to be learned. And that’s especially the case with spiritual instruction. Believe me, you don’t want to be a dropout.  This week we will discuss a couple of schools in the Bible and how God’s people handled the influences they found there; the one school where attendan...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! All good things must end, and that includes my discussion with Kenny Embry, Adam Shanks and Jacob Hudgins on the topic of friendship. In this episode, we discuss “hate drafting” and the implications it has regarding brotherly love. What happens when my welfare seems to be at odds with the welfare of others? And what are the implications fo...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is more of my conversation with Kenny Embry, Adam Shanks and Jacob Hudgins on the topic of friendship. In this episode, we wrap up a month of conversation centered around Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life. How healthy are our friendships? Should we be serving them at the expense of our own welfare? And when if ever is it appropriate...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! For a very special episode 200, I invited three friends of the podcast — Dr. Kenny Embry is the host of the :Balancing the Christian Life podcast; Adam Shanks preaches for the Edwards Lake church of Christ in Birmingham, and the host of the Preach Impediments podcast; Jacob Hudgins preaches for the Twin City church of Christ in my adopted...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! A challenge is at the same time a barrier and a gateway. The burden is on us to make the most of our circumstances and find a way to use them for our own good and the good of the gospel. This week we will discuss challenges that can destroy the brotherhood, that will save the next generation (if we get out of the way), that may or may not...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I won’t lie to you; I’m not a fan of cats. They make me cry – literally cry, and not in a good way. But even the dog-lover in me has to admit, they are pretty cool. This week we will discuss how lions and tigers and Russian blues all managed to be represented on Noah’s ark; how Jordan Peterson has almost convinced me to pet stray cats; how...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Lying is bad. Everyone knows that. And yet most of us do it. Is that just the way things are? Or can we hold ourselves to a higher standard? This week we will discuss how the Bible makes heroes out of liars and yet condemns all liars to hell; Jordan Peterson’s thoughts on the lies we tell others and ourselves; the liars we elect and re-ele...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! Josh Creel and Dr. Kenny Embry are back again. You can catch them on Upward Calling, their joint podcast that is produced in conjunction with their work with the University church of Christ in Tampa, Florida. Of course, you likely already know Kenny through his own podcast, Balancing the Christian Life. Links are in the show notes. We fini...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! This is the second of three parts of my conversation with Josh Creel and Dr. Kenny Embry. This segment introduces 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan Peterson, a book we will be referencing throughout the month. No, we won’t be covering all 12 rules. But we will touch on several of them. We get the ball rolling this week by talking about the v...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve brought back Dr. Kenny Embry this week; he’s a professor of communication at St. Leo University. With him is Josh Creel, who preaches for the University church of Christ in Tampa, Florida, where Kenny attends. They cooperate on the Upward Calling podcast. A link is in the show notes, along with a link to Balancing the Christian Life,...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! With the end of season 4 approaching, and with the dramatic increase in listenership over the last year (thanks so much for that), I thought it was high time I spent an episode talking about what I’m doing with the podcast, what changes have been implemented, and what you might see in the future. I am in a constant state of reevaluation –...

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! William Shakespeare is generally conceded to be the greatest and most popular writer in the history of the English language. His influence covers the gamut of the human experience — including, as of this week, this podcast. Today we will discuss the impact Shakespeare has had on our culture (second only to the Bible); the controversy over...