About

My guests this week are brothers in Christ, brothers in labor, and brothers-in-law. Emerson Brown is the preacher for the Westfield church of Christ in Westfield, Indiana. Jeff O’Rear preaches for the Judson Road church of Christ in Longview, Texas. Together they host the Working in the Word podcast, an excellent resource for Christians who want to learn how to study the Bible better. We discuss being unequally yoked, cooperation in disagreement, and the possibility and/or desirability of reading one another’s minds. I’ve been preaching about 2 Corinthians 6:14. The idea of being “unequally yoked” has generally been applied to marriage. But it seems to me that any partnership requires commonality, both in nature and in purpose. How can we find the “true yokefellow” to whom Paul refers in Philippians 4:3? And what should we expect when we attach ourselves to someone else instead?I’ve been reading “A Newer World” by David Roberts. He tells the story of how John C. Fremont and Kit Carson teamed up to open the Western frontier for the United States of America in the mid-19th Century. Sometimes they worked in different ventures, sometimes they disagreed, but they were always united in purpose. It gives me a bit of a Paul and Barnabas vibe. Partners in the work don’t always work together. But with mutual faith in God and respect for one another, the work can still progress. How big of a deal is it when brethren don’t get along? And does every brotherhood problem have a solution?I’ve been playing The Mind. The concept could not be simpler. Everyone at the table has a hand of cards numbered between 1 and 99. The job of the group is to play the cards in order. There are two complications. One, not every number is represented. And two, the players are not allowed to speak. The idea is, through nonverbal communication, the players get in one another’s heads and begin to intuit when to play a card and when to stubbornly insist that someone else play instead. Personally, I don’t like The Mind. I don’t find confusion amusing. I’m a straight to the point kind of guy. When you leave important information unspoken, you set yourself up for problems. What does good communication look like in a functioning partnership? And when if ever can we start taking one another for granted? Hal Hammons is the preacher 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.  Key words, partners, partnerships, partnership, Paul, Barnabas, Saul of Tarsus, 2 Corinthians 6:14, yoke, unequal, unequally yoked, "A Newer World", David Roberts, The Mind, John C. Fremont, Kit Carson, The Mind, relationships, marriage,