Citizen of Heaven

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

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/@halhammons9705Hal 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.

TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2025

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. WhiteCoolidge, by Amity ShlaesA Farewell to Arms, by Ernest HemingwayThe Good Earth, by Pearl S. BuckThe Fire of His Genius, by Kirkpatrick SaleI Only Read Murder, by Ian and Will FergusonMightier than the Sword, by David S. ReynoldsMayflower, by Nathan PhilbrickThe Time it Never Rained, by Elmer KeltonThe Cheating Culture, by David CallahanPresenting Buffalo Bill, by Candace FlemingEndurance, by Alfred LansingThe Sunflower, by Simon WiesenthalCheck out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal 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.

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

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/@halhammons9705Hal 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.

DIVISION, with Steve Wolfgang

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/@halhammons9705Hal 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.

MULTIPLICATION, with Steve Wolfgang

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/@halhammons9705Hal 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.