Citizen of Heaven
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.
Episodes
374 episodes since 2019
REBELLION: Saul's downfall. "God and My Father." "The Authority Song." Star Wars: Rebellion.
Are you a rebel? And do you consider that a good thing? If your answer is yes, lock in for 20 minutes and I’ll try to change your mind. We’ll cover rebellion posing as good judgment that brought down a king; the original curse word and what it ...
September 17, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 285
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19:53
BULLIES: Church bullies. "The Bullying Breakthrough." Taylor Swift. Catan.
Most of us have been bullied at some point. If you haven’t, you’re probably the bully yourself, so listen close this week. We’ll be covering Christian bullies and when they should and shouldn’t be allowed to win; some coping tactics that fail h...
September 10, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 284
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19:30
CHARACTER, part 3: with Scott Taylor and Tyler Hall
We come to the conclusion of my talk with Scott Taylor and Tyler hall today. I hope it’s been the blessing to you that it has been to me. Again, check out the You Are From God podcast that they host through the West Mason church of Christ. And ...
September 05, 2024
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29:52
CHARACTER, part 2: with Scott Taylor and Tyler Hall
We continue here with my discussion with Scott Taylor and Tyler Hall of the West Mason church of Christ in the Cincinnati area, also the hosts of the You Are From God podcast. Both are scheduled to present lessons at the Balancing the Chr...
September 04, 2024
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32:49
CHARACTER: with Scott Taylor and Tyler Hall
1. They say character is the person you are when no one is watching. I think there’s a lot of truth in that. People of faith such as David, Elijah, Jeremiah and Peter had moments of weakness when no one was looking, yet always seemed to ...
September 03, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 283
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31:16
MONTHLY REPORT, August 2024 -- the Balancing the Christian Life Conference
Sign up for the conference at https://www.balancingthechristianlife.com/p/btcl2024/Music is copyright-free and royalty-free, courtesy of Pixabay. Intro music: "The Beat of Nature," Olexy. Outro music: "The Cradle of Your Soul," le...
August 30, 2024
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12:25
BARBECUE: Low and slow. The Man's Book of the BBQ." The barbecue map. Barbecue Party.
If you have the idea that I did Texas Month as an excuse to talk about barbecue, I plead guilty. I may have trouble getting through this, my mouth’s watering so much. This week we’ll talk about how shortcuts come at a price, with food and with ...
August 27, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 282
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19:12
BRAGGING: Biblical trash-talk. "Coronado's Children." Lyle Lovett. The Board Game Championship of the World.
Texans have a reputation for bragging. In reality, we’re just worried you may not know how much better than you we are. I’m joking. I’m mostly joking. This week we’ll cover Bible braggadocio and whether it’s warranted; the many stories of Texan...
August 20, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 281
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19:41
THE ALAMO: A hill to die on. "The Blood of Heroes." The Riverwalk. My game.
If it’s Texas Month, we’ve got to talk about the most sacred site in Texas – the place that defines what it means to be a Texan more than any other. We’ll discuss the ultimate sacrifice and when it’s appropriate to make it; the long-disputed st...
August 13, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 280
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19:31
INDEPENDENCE, part 3: with Reagan McClenny and Terry Starling
We are wrapping up our conversation Reagan McClenny of the Timberland Drive church of Christ in Lufkin, and Terry Starling of the Grissom Road church of Christ in San Antonio. Links are in the show notes. We’ve discussed the pros and cons of th...
August 08, 2024
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20:29
INDEPENDENCE, part 2: with Reagan McClenny and Terry Starling
I’m talking with a couple of Texas boys this week — Reagan McClenny of the Timberland Drive church of Christ in Lufkin, and Terry Starling of the Grissom Road church of Christ in San Antonio. In the first part of our conversation, we gave the i...
August 07, 2024
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18:06
INDEPENDENCE: with Reagan McClenny and Terry Starling
I know July might be a more typical month to discuss this topic, but Reagan McClenny, Terry Starling and I are native Texans, and Texans do things our own way. You’ll get a lot of that this month. Reagan preachers for the Timberland Drive churc...
August 06, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 279
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22:58
CAMELS: Without water. "Setting the Desert on Fire." Spitting. Camel Up!
I had more ideas for Animal Month, but we’re out of weeks. Maybe we’ll do it again sometime. And thanks to everyone in the Heaven Citizens Facebook group who participated in the poll – we’ll do it again soon. We’ll cover how camels and th...
July 30, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 278
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19:04
MONTHLY REPORT, July 2024: My Board Game Starter Set.
In all my obsessing over books the last year or two, I’ve gotten away from board gaming a bit. I’m still playing, mind you, and occasionally I’m still purchasing. But the closet’s pretty full already. True, the same could be said of my bookshel...
July 26, 2024
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19:54
DONKEYS: Balaam. "The Jackass Whisperer." Loopholes. La Granja: No Siesta
Donkeys won the poll last week for the animal to feature this week. That was done through the Heaven Citizens Facebook group – check it out if you have not already. This week we’ll discuss the lesson a donkey taught Balaam and is trying to teac...
July 23, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 277
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19:59
WOLVES: False prophets. "White Fang." Habitats. Wolves.
We did dogs last week; this week it’s about their wild and perhaps evil predecessors. Exactly how wild and how evil, well, that’s why you’re here, right? We’ll discuss Jesus’s ideas about wolves – if anything they’re worse than dogs; the wolf t...
July 16, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 276
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19:31
DOGS: Filth and mercy. "The Call of the Wild." Barking. Action Pups.
It’s all animals this month, and we’re starting with my favorite – the one that’s most likely to defend me if I’m attacked, and least likely to eat me when I’m dead. This week we’ll discuss how the Bible does not love dogs nearly as much as I d...
July 09, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 275
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19:13
BEASTS, part 3: with Josh Collier and Steven McCrary
This wraps up a terrific conversation with Josh Collier and Steven McCrary; if you haven’t checked out the first two sections, please do yourself a favor and give those a listen. Here we conclude by discussing the beast that hides from the mirr...
July 04, 2024
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Season 6
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24:51
BEASTS, part 2: with Josh Collier and Steven McCrary
We are back with part 2 of my talk with Josh Collier and Steven McCrary — two “beasts” in the absolute best sense of the word. Josh preaches for the church of Christ in Joliet, Illinois; Steven for the Golden Springs church in Aniston, Alabama....
July 03, 2024
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Season 6
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24:14
BEASTS: with Josh Collier and Steven McCrary
We kick off Animal Month on the podcast by talking about beasts and beastliness. Here to help are Josh Collier, who preaches for the church of Christ in Joliet, Illinois; and Steven McCrary, who preaches for the Golden Springs church in Aniston...
July 02, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 274
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20:02
HALFTIME REPORT: My Best Books of 2024 (So Far)
I’ve completed more than 100 books thus far in 2024 — a bit behind my pace from 2023, but still, not too bad. And yes, some of those books were on the short side. But not all — I’ve read six books this year that were 500 pages or longer. ...
June 28, 2024
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19:06
PASSION: The passionate life. "Backyard Brawl." Passion fruit and Passion Week. FLGs (minus the F).
We’ve accidentally stumbled on a bit of a theme this week. Knives are deadly. Poison is deadly. Passion is deadly, too, and I could not be more serious. This week we’ll cover what the Bible says about living a passionate life and why it’s diffe...
June 25, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 273
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18:36
HALFTIME REPORT: My Thinkiest Books of 2024 (so far)
Thinking is the whole reason the “What I’ve Been Reading” segment exists on the podcast. In fact, it’s why I read at all. It’s gratifying to read things that confirm what you already were thinking, and that can be a worthwhile exercise. B...
June 21, 2024
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Season 6
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22:11
POISON: Snake-handlers. "The Poisoner's Handbook." Napoleon and arsenic. Council of Verona: Poison expansion.
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 th...
June 18, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 272
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19:32
HALFTIME REPORT: My Most Surprising Books of 2024 (so far)
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 Hammon...
June 14, 2024
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Season 6
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26:26