THF Episodes – Traditores

Episode 8 – Heaping Burning Coals (Part 3 of 3)

Welcome

Welcome to the eighth installment of Traditores Higher Frequency. This week we have the third of three episodes related to the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California that left 14 dead and 21 wounded in early December of 2015.

When such a horrible act is committed, how should we react toward the perpetrators?

Before we continue with that however, I wanted to wish you and yours a Happy New Year. This is being recorded on New Year’s Day, 2016 for broadcast starting tomorrow, January 2. Here is hoping that 2016 is your best year ever…and that if you do not know the Lord Jesus that you’ll find him before the year ends…or you are called into eternity…whichever is first.

Also, I have a personal request. We are trying to be good stewards of time and money…so if you have listened to Traditores Higher Frequency…please contact us and let us know. We aren’t looking for funds, just feedback…and we would be blessed starting off 2016 with a note from you. To do so, please visit thf.fyi on the web and look for the “Contact Us” menu item at the top right…or e-mail me directly at alan@thf.fyi.

Now…back to the question that has driven the last two…and is driving this…broadcast.

When a horrible act like the terrorist attack in San Bernardino is committed, how should we react to the perpetrators?

In the previous installments we looked at Scripture that wished pretty harsh things on enemies…along with other verses that, for instance, told us to love our enemies. This week we try to bring it all together, harmonize those differences, and leave with something we can apply to our lives. May God will that you never have to go through what those on 9/11, 2001 or 12/2, 2015 had to…but you, most assuredly…will be wronged. My prayer is that when this episode wraps up you’ll know how the Lord wants you to treat those who sin against you.

Without further ado, let’s return to the Antrim Church of Christ in Antrim, New Hampshire…

Heaping Burning Coals on 9/11 (Part 3) Continue reading Episode 8 – Heaping Burning Coals (Part 3 of 3)

Episode 7 – Heaping Burning Coals (Part 2 of 3)

Welcome

Welcome to the seventh episode of Traditores Higher Frequency. This week we have the second of three broadcasts related to the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California that left 14 dead and 21 wounded on December 2nd.

When such a horrible act is committed, how should we react toward the perpetrators?

To answer that question, I am, in three parts, playing a sermon I preached on the 10 anniversary of the 9/11 attacks called, “Heaping Burning Coals on 9/11.” In the first portion I discussed how terrible the carnage was when radical Islamists used four airplanes as weapons, talked about our natural reaction to those who hurt us, and then shared some Bible verses that indicated it is okay to wish ill on evil-doers.

I’ll rewind a tiny bit as we head back to the Antrim Church of Christ in Antrim, New Hampshire for the second part of my talk on September 11, 2011…

Heaping Burning Coals on 9/11 (Part 2) Continue reading Episode 7 – Heaping Burning Coals (Part 2 of 3)

Episode 6 – Heaping Burning Coals (Part 1 of 3)

Welcome

Welcome to the episode number 6 of Traditores Higher Frequency. This week we have the first of three parts connected to the horrendous December 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California that left 14 dead and 21 wounded.

When such inexcusable evil is perpetrated, how should we react toward the evil-doers?

To answer that question, over the next three episodes I’ll be playing a sermon I preached on the 10 anniversary of the 9/11 attacks called, “Heaping Burning Coals on 9/11.” As I pondered the most recent atrocity from radical Islam, that talk seemed apropos.

With that short intro in mind, let’s join the brothers and sisters in the Antrim Church of Christ in Antrim, New Hampshire…

Heaping Burning Coals on 9/11 (Part 1)

Continue reading Episode 6 – Heaping Burning Coals (Part 1 of 3)

Episode 5 – Saved by a Razor

Welcome

Welcome to the fifth episode of Traditores Higher Frequency. I wrote the notes for this installment as a passenger in a Nissan Versa headed to Colorado Springs…to pick up a puppy…maybe two! 🙂 Oh, and with SiriusXM’s Holiday Traditions on the radio. Yes, I am one of those guys! I proudly listen to Christmas music too early…even have my own year-round Internet Christmas radio station. You can check it out at Radio.Countdown2.Christmas. Other than some tracks folks have sent me to add to Countdown2.Christmas Radio’s playlist, it’s all from my personal collection.

But debating whether it is too early to listen to Christmas music the first week of November is not why we are here. Instead…and we’ve touched on this in at least one previous broadcast…I want to quickly answer the question, “What must I do to be saved?”

Well, I want Scripture to answer that question. 🙂 Continue reading Episode 5 – Saved by a Razor

Episode 4 – Do You Really Believe?

Welcome

Welcome to episode number four of Traditores Higher Frequency! This week we build off our interview with accomplished country musician David Britt last week, where we learned a bit about him, his music, and his faith. During that interview we touched on what might be my favorite song by him, “Do You Really Believe”…and today we are going to consider what it means to really believe in Jesus.

The song has a very creedal chorus. What do I mean by creedal? Creeds are statements of belief. For instance, you may have heard the Apostles’ Creed. It’s starts with:

I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth
And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell¹

Do you see what I mean by creedal? Now compare those snippets to what David sings in the chorus of “Do You Really Believe”:

Do you really believe
That Jesus Christ is the Lord
Do you really believe
That He died on the cross
Do you really believe
That there’s a heaven and a hell
Do you really believe
Look in the mirror, ask yourself²

And, the longer chorus at the end of the song further adds:

Do you really believe
Those nails were driven through His hands
Do you really believe
Those thorns were wrapped around His head
Do you really believe³He gave His life for all of us

Continue reading Episode 4 – Do You Really Believe?

Episode 3 – Interview with David Britt

Welcome

Welcome to the third episode of Traditores Higher Frequency. This week you get to meet a very talented country musician and brother in Christ, David Britt. David and I connected on Skype and chatted about him, his music, and his faith.

What you are about to hear is a shortened version of that dynamic interview…so please be sure to visit our website…thf.fyi…to hear…and to watch…the entire interview.

Without further ado, here’s our conversation with David… Continue reading Episode 3 – Interview with David Britt

Episode 2 – Who Is Your “Midnight Man?”

Welcome

Welcome to the second episode of Traditores Higher Frequency. Here is hoping the previous week has gone well for you…

And that you are ready to dive into Scripture to take a look at this week’s topic, temptation.

But, before we do that I’d like to introduce you to someone you’ll hear now-and-then on these broadcasts. Sitting beside me is…

[ Let Augie introduce himself and banter a bit. ]

[ Ask Augie if he has ever been tempted to do something wrong…what he should do if he is tempted…etcetera. ]

Sin Is Crouching at Your Door

It’s not just young boys who are beset with temptations. For instance, the inspiration for this episode is a song by Shayne Leighton called “Midnight Man.” Its lyrics are about a woman who repeatedly has intimate relations with a male friend. One who coaxes her into falling for sexual temptation by assuring her, “It’s okay, it’ll be alright. It’s not forever, it’s only tonight.” She then repeats that mantra to herself…that it is “not forever, it’s just one night, just one night.”

Of course, “you’ll get yours, I’ll get mine” (also from the song) happens more than just one night. It’s not safe to open the door to sin even a single time. The Book of James has some strong advice about this. Let’s turn to James 1:14-15 and read it together:

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Now, Shayne Leighton’s musical character was “lured and enticed by [her] own desire” and was looking for an excuse to go ahead and hop into bed with her smooth tongued friend. Her desire conceived and gave birth to sin…a sin that clearly grew…and…without God’s intervention…fully grown would bring death.

The Bible starts of with two perfect examples of how temptation grows into sin. The first is the one that got us into this mess to begin with, where Eve’s “Midnight Man” was a serpent and the temptation wasn’t sex, but a forbidden apple. Continue reading Episode 2 – Who Is Your “Midnight Man?”

Episode 1 – The Right Foundation

Introduction

Welcome to the very first edition of Traditores Higher Frequency…but before we chat a bit about the the program and me…

I’ve been listening to the Scorpions’ new album, “Return to Forever,” on my recent bicycle rides…and one of my favorite tunes off it is “We Built This House.” The chorus goes like this:

When the rain fell and the flood came
And the wind blew hard like a hammer on these walls
We didn’t crack or break or fall
We built this house on a rock, on a rock
This house on a rock, on a rock¹

Now…it sounds a lot better when they perform it…and it’s not meant in a religious sense even though it is an allusion to Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:24-27…but it helped convince me that this first episode of Traditores Higher Frequency should, after a brief introduction of myself and the program, build the right foundation…a firm foundation…for what will follow. Continue reading Episode 1 – The Right Foundation