Things Above Us

Missions - Evangelism - Theology - Sports

George Alvarado

9 Common Emotional/Situational Pornography Triggers (repost)

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Of all my years counseling Christians and non about the dangers of pornography, there are 9 common emotional and situational patterns that trigger porn use. Some of these are simply symptoms of a deeper problem, meanwhile others only serve to justify a depraved craving. I don’t want to harshly judge those who have fought tooth […]

A Open Letter to Afflicted Saints

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To my dear afflicted Saint, I write this with tears that have been recently mixed with emotional pain and grief. I know what it feels like to have people text, email, and call you, and still receive no comfort. I mean, it’s nice to know that people are thinking and praying for you. But the […]

3 Most Important Parts of a Marriage Ceremony

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There are truckloads of webpages about how to officiate a marriage ceremony. And for the most part, what the couple wants may dictate the majority of those details. But I believe there are three essential parts of a marriage ceremony where I encourage every Bride and Groom, and Officiant, to focus the majority of their […]

Pandemic, Wildfires, and Holy Matrimony

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I recently had the privilege of officiating two weddings. And what a treat it was! But because of our “pandemic” and wildfires, there were plenty of details that made these events, well…special. First, in an effort to honor the godly couples, I must point out that they were herculean in patience and understanding. The restrictions […]

Book Review — Passionate About The Passion Week (Part 4: Final Thoughts)

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If you have not read Parts 1 -3 concerning The Good, The Odd, and The Concerning, please do so first. In this section, I want to reiterate that this book is worth getting for its historical value. Varner is also an experienced exegete, and I praise God that he has challenged his readers to think […]

Book Review — Passionate About The Passion Week (Part 3: The Concerning)

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If you have not read Parts 1 and 2 concerning The Good and The Odd, please do so first. Anyone who knows me knows that nothing makes me sit up and listen more discerningly than when dealing with the atonement. It is in my experience that most (if not all) heresies, at some point lead […]

Book Review — Passionate About The Passion Week (Part 2: The Odd)

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If you have not read Part 1 of this review concerning The Good, please do so first. While there is much to be praised about this work historically, there are some oddities in some sections. This isn’t necessarily negative per se, although it may seem that way. For the most part, the oddities come down […]

Book Review — Passionate About The Passion Week (Part 1: The Good)

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Dr. William Varner is a well-established Master’s University professor and experienced linguist. His exegetical and historical skill is fairly known among those within the biblical linguistics community, and those who have heard him speak at the seminary, or as a guest speaker. Nevertheless, as skilled as Dr. Varner is, this book has some theological concerns […]

YouTube, Censorship, and the Christian (Guest Post)

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The following is a guest post by Robert Reece from http://redgracemedia.com/ taken from a social media posting. Christian Censoring? My business deals with marketing and using various platforms to promote offers for sale, running ads, etc. This is how I make money. So I have knowledge of how YouTube operates. Recently there have been a […]

Ep. 036 | Misunderstanding Covenantalism vs Dispensationalism — TAU Roundtable

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George Alvarado is joined by guest, Andrew Rappaport from Striving from Eternity, to discuss misunderstandings between Covenantalists and Dispensationalists. Andrew Recently recorded a short series on his podcast, The Rapp Report, that addresses some of his perspectives, as well as recent statements made by John MacArthur from the Shepherd’s conference about the Christocentric hermeneutic. He […]

Corona Virus, Conspiracy, and the Kingship of Christ: STTA

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Its mortality rate is low, but its infection rate is high. They are restricting gatherings of 500…no wait, 250. Nope. Now it’s 50. Sorry, it’s 10 now. For sure now the government is going to restrict our liberties. The President is now going to stay in power. If only we would listen. Or maybe if […]

Four Things We Must Consistently Believe About Original Sin

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I praise God that many are aware that man is born sinful. But the sad part is that we don’t really believe it. What I mean is, we don’t understand two main things: 1) The depth of the implications and 2) The doctrines we must affirm to consistently believe this essential truth. For many, we […]

Ecclesiastes: Not About Vanity, But Enjoying Life

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I know. It’s a bit provocative to say that Ecclesiastes is not about vanity. But it is true. Well, let’s just say that it’s partially true. However, not in a deceptive way. But in an incomplete way. The kind of partial truth where you are only seeing the small details developing into the bigger picture. […]

9 Ways To Have A Successful Christian Podcast

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In this social media age, there is no shortage of competition vying for our attention. And in the world of podcasting, gaining and keeping your attention is tantamount to acquiring listeners. But in the world of American-Christian podcasting, popularity is king! Never mind if you can’t address issues from a systematic, balanced, and biblically consistent […]

Jesus Wept. But Not For Lazarus

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Jesus wept (John 11:35). Perhaps one of the most memorable verses in the bible next to John 3:16. Not because of content, but word count (and certainly not because of context). When teachers ask students to learn a memory verse, they humorously remove this one as an option. But in another context, typically at funerals, […]