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By D. S. Cook for Apostoic blog. Dear readers, I engage in a great deal of public discourse for the kingdom of God. This engagement wins me many enemies, a few friends, even some frenemies, though not one of those makes my list of reasons for doing so. In that engagement, there are few spectacles…
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For those returning from earlier installments: thanks and welcome to you. Those largely dealt with “what” we’re called to do when there’s plague in the land. Years ago, this content was framed as a letter to local pastors during COVID. My son was 7 at the time, and I believe he understood the matter better…
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He who frames the question… Perhaps you’ve heard the adage, “He who frames the question wins the debate.” Those who fear COVID or HANTA or any other disease- they’re not just getting the wrong answers; they’re asking the wrong questions. So we need a better framework to test the worthiness of our questions. During COVID,…
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Here we go again… Have you ever been mucking out the barn and thought to yourself, “I’ve shoveled this shi–stuff before”? I hope you’ve had that thought, because that’s where I find myself today as I’m writing this, and it might be hard for you to understand and empathize otherwise. I know I’m a month…
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Purpose: We have encountered some Christians who object to Logic Slap, calling it unkind. Such persons insist that preaching the gospel may never employ techniques like mockery or sarcasm; these are inherently evil. Our purpose herein is not to convince others to employ our methods, but to challenge an a priori commitment, demonstrating it is…
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An Apostoic article by guest author Terry Smith There is real wisdom in the idea of staying in your three-foot world. In moments of fear, grief, or uncertainty, the mind easily runs beyond its proper jurisdiction, dragging yesterday’s regrets into today and borrowing tomorrow’s trouble. It imagines outcomes, losses, and dangers that may never come.…
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By D.S. Cook for Apostoic.com If you’ve stayed with this series through four installments, thank you. You’ve watched the modern concept of “respect” collapse under scrutiny. You’ve read that respect is an indifferent byproduct of the behaviors you choose, is gained in measure by those who also choose it, and lost by those who choose…
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By D. S. Cook for Apostoic.com Welcome back to the Respect in Ruins series. This is now part three, and if you haven’t started at the beginning, I highly recommend that you pause here and do so. If you are interested in the topic of envy replacing respect, the stage must be appropriately set before…
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By D. S. Cook for Apostoic.com Welcome back to the Respect in Ruins series. If you’re just joining us now, do me a favor and stop reading. Jump back to part 1 and start there, lest my jabbering about Nominal Conquest Fallacy, Orwellian Newspeak, and linguistic fiat make as much sense to you as a…
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A couple years back in my old job, I tossed a simple question into our work group chat to facilitate some discussion. “What books have shaped your values into what they are today?” In rolled the usual suspects, Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, Covey’s 7 Habits; solid picks for a professional…
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You keep lookin’ around, and none of that sh*t can help you. “My body was frozen against the rock face… ‘Hey, man,’ he said in a lazy, raspy voice. ‘Just stay in your three-foot world.’ I was a couple of hundred feet up the rock face and I could barely think, let alone decipher his…
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When had grown young Timothe Half-shaven unto the strength of manhood, he were slight and lithe and blonde and he did sprout the fine stubble wherein young men oft take heart… upon the right half of his face only, but all the left half were silken smooth like an worn river stone, even like glass. …
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A Story for the Covenant Christian Kids – By D.S Cook for Apostoic.com In the rolling countryside, there once lived twin brothers, Jerry and Jankerson. They were fond of one another; they played together well, shared their friends, and both were strong and healthy. One day, when they were eight, their mother said, “Boys, I…
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By D.S. Cook for Apostoic.com As a bonus “article” this week, I am bringing you a chance encounter: a debate with unknown person on Facebook. It was a mostly friendly chat and remained respectful, absent any of the name-calling, ad hominem attacks, and red herrings that we refer to as “debate” these days in comment…
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By D.S. Cook for Apostoic.com In a barren and desolate wilderness there once dwelt three men, each fated to meet the trials appointed to mortal existence after his own fashion. The sun in that place beat down with unbendable hatred, and the footprints of wanderers with no names or records marked the trodden paths. The…
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By S.D. Davis for Apostoic.com People have always asked me the same question. Or more accurately, they’ve used a pretense to dismiss what matters most. “Why does logic even matter?” Among Christians the variant becomes, “Why does logic matter; since the gospel is what’s really important?” This question refutes itself. Anyone who attempts to disprove…
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Originally written 3/17/2019 Some weeks ago, Pastor (Paul Cook) asked for a show of hands– how many had read Hosea, with about 3 responding. As a man who’d named his daughter Ruhama, I could not help but feel grieved. When he asked if any wanted to bring a teaching– well this story had formed in…
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Today, I’d like to expound on a metaphor that was presented some time ago in my parable, the Lazy Spinner. I don’t know that it’s a phenomenal metaphor. It has shortcomings and a limited scope. But, it’s been useful to me in parenting my children, husbanding my wife, and in dealing with interpersonal tension. I’d…
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Long, long ago in a land far, far away there lived one Jim, an sheep herd. Now Jim was a good man, being both kindly and wise, if not much learned after the manner of scholars and mages. However, in such mean matters as the tending of beasts, the sowing of beans, or the mending…
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I identify publicly with Stoic philosophy in my social media bios. In my case, this identification is transparently partial; Christ first. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts…
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Special Guest PostGuest Author: Father James Sullivan Dearly beloved in the Lord, as we journey through this holy season of Lent, a time appointed by the Church for self-examination, repentance, and renewal, we are confronted today by the solemn words of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel appointed for this Third Sunday. From the…
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If you’ve found your way here without reading the previous parts, your presence is most welcome, but in the interest of forestalling your confusion I recommend beginning at the beginning. You’ll find a link at the bottom of the page. To those of you returning from part three, welcome back. Having explored Superman’s concentric circles…
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Guest Author S.D. Davis For those of you who are returning, welcome back. I’m delighted I’ve held your interest into this third installment. For those arriving here for the first time, you are just as welcome, but I do encourage you to read parts 1 and 2 first. In part 2, we left off our…
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Guest Author S. D. Davis For those who are returning, thank you and welcome back. For those who’ve found themselves in the middle of something I encourage you to read part 1 of the series first. Last week I argued that Man of Steel is correctly understood as a philosophical examination of self-control and discipline. …
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Guest Author: S. D. Davis Growing up, Superman was my favorite everything: comic book hero, cartoon character, action figure, lunchbox mascot—you name it. I won’t deny this was in part due to the sensationalism that necessarily surrounds a creature who has every imaginable power and only one remote, impossibly inconvenient weakness. However, I was also…
