Cory Truax

09/08/2023

“He who surrenders himself without reservation to the claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering unto Caesar that which of all things most emphatically belongs to God: himself”

—CS Lewis in “The Weight of Glory.”

01/07/2023

Absolutely brilliant and relevant to our time… from CS Lewis:

“There is a story about a schoolboy who was asked what he thought God was like. He replied that, as far as he could make out, God was ‘the sort of person who is always snooping around to see if anyone is enjoying himself and then trying to stop it’.

And I am afraid that is the sort of idea that the word Morality raises in a good many people’s minds: something that interferes, something that stops you having a good time.

In reality, moral rules are directions for running the human machine. Every moral rule is there to prevent a breakdown, or a strain, or a friction, in the running of that machine.

That is why these rules at first seem to be constantly interfering with our natural inclinations.

When you are being taught how to use any machine, the instructor keeps on saying, ‘No, don’t do it like that,’ because, of course, there are all sorts of things that look all right and seem to you the natural way of treating the machine, but do not really work.”

06/11/2022

“I have found the one whom my soul loves.” — Song of Solomon 3:4

Marriage is one the Lord’s best ideas, and I can’t get over that I get to share it with .

I’ve highly regarded marriage forever. And now I personally highly recommend it.

13/10/2022

Wordle 481 5/6

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25/08/2022

https://www.corytruax.com/podcasts/2022/8/25/8-reasons-the-student-loan-forgiveness-program-is-a-terrible-idea

1.       It’s illegal. Even Nancy Pelosi said earlier this year that no president has the unilateral power to forgive student loans. Even she acknowledged that power belongs to Congress. The president is fallaciously and dishonestly using emerge

24/08/2022

This student loan "forgiveness" plan is one where the cosmetologist, the plumber, the taxi driver, the farmer, the carpenter, the roofer, shelf-stocker, and the manufacturing line worker pay the debt of the pharmacist, the engineer, the financial advisor, and the physical therapist.

It's wrong.

18/07/2022

Wordle 394 5/6

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17/03/2021

Broadcasting is my favorite thing. I also have a of my out. You should listen. Preview is below.

On this Episode:
TWO NEW WOKE-ISM CONTROVERSIES (0:00-13:00ish mark)
There's now an "Autonomous Zone" in Minneapolis. Why are we letting people take over city blocks? Senator Tim Scott also takes some heat for talking about Woke Supremacy.

HOW DOES THE CHRISTIAN LIVE IN A WOKE CULTURE? (13:00ish mark - 19:00ish mark)
Jeremiah 29:4-7 give us a wonderful guide on how to live as a Christian in a pagan place. It's nothing revolutionary. Live your life. Live it distinctly. Live it by Biblical principles. Work the good of those around you. Pray for your city, state, and nation. Just be faithful.

SEVERAL MORE THOUGHTS ON THE WOKE MOMENT (19:00-ish mark - 30:21)
-Woke-ism is a religion, but it's too new to have apologetics yet. It imposes upon you its doctrinal statements but has no defense for them.
-I have a theory on how Woke-ism will lead us to a resurgence of labor unions. I think I'm okay with it.
-Leftism/Woke-ism admits we're a culture that is degrading. Leftism/Woke-ism is also the dominant force in culture. Shouldn't we conclude something from that?

KENTUCKY PUSHES UNCONSTITUTIONAL "PRO-POLICE" BILL (30:21-34:15)
Republicans in Kentucky are pushing a bill that would basically make cops kings and queens with no magna carta. It's unconstitutional and dumb. I'll explain.

TWO "I TOLD YOU SO" MOMENTS (34:15-40:18)
-A liberal columnist has a widely spread op-ed concerned with how we've replaced religion with politics. I've been saying that for literally half-a-decade.
-Covid numbers also affirm a theory of mine.

REACTION TO THE COVID RELIEF BILL (40:18-50:00)
We needed a Covid Bill. I get that. There's some stuff in there we should know about, and there's some pork. I'll provide a rundown.

15/03/2021

I got to teach a really dramatic story from the Gospel of Mark today.

From that text, we learn a lot about the power of faith, prayer, and having a humble posture before God.

We also see what Jesus meant when he said, “All things are possible for one who believes,” and that something things only happen through prayer.

One highlight is this. In the story, a father wants his son rescued and healed. The disciples failed in doing this.

But the father met his goal after uttering this profound to statement to Jesus, “I believe. Help my unbelief.”

The father was helpless and desperate before Jesus. The disciples were trusting in their own abilities and record of success.

Jesus responded to the helplessness of the father — not the right-thinking and the right-doing of the disciples.

This points us to a radical reliance on God and not on ourselves.

The entire sermon is at the link in my
Bio. I’d be honored if you listen.

25/01/2021

https://www.corytruax.com/podcasts/2021/1/25/this-isnt-a-unity-agenda-alternate-title-why-cant-we-do-one-thing-at-a-time

It didn’t have to be this way. A “unity agenda” would choose to accomplish the former without forcing the latter. Instead of taking the easy win, the administration is choosing to pick a fight the culture doesn’t need.

27/12/2020

I got to teach through most of 1 John, Chapter 3 today at Beechwood Church.

We capped off Advent season with concluding its final week’s theme of love.

I John 3’s argument is:
-God has loved you, Jesus-follower, in a way that makes you CHILD of God (dwell on the access a child has to a good father).

-That love was made clear at Christmas by Christ appearing to (1) take away sin and (2) destroy the works of the devil.

-Now that Christ has done his work, and we are children of God, it’s in our new nature to love God and love each other....

After Christmas, we might all feel an angst that can be summed up: “now what?”

This time in I John endeavors to answer that question biblically.

23/12/2020

I have a of the out.

On this Episode:
CHRISTMAS DAY IS ALMOST HERE
The joy of Christmas is upon us. Almost always, though, I (and maybe you) have a moment on Christmas night where I ask, "Was that it? That's what we waited for all year." Let's talk about that feeling, the promises Christmas breaks and keeps, and how to prepare.

THOUGHTS ON JUPITER AND SATURN'S CONVERGENCE
What an incredible sight that was! How can that event help us get perspective on our own lives?

RAPID THOUGHTS ON SEVERAL STORIES
-The Media's reaction to Pete Buttigieg's
-OnlyFans is making prostitution possible in a broad sense. We should be aware of it and fight it.
-President Obama gets several points wrong that I correct.
-Pop-star Lizzo did a juice cleanse. For an idiotic reason, some people on the internet cared.

20/12/2020

The Christian calendar is in Week 4 of Advent. The theme is love.

This painting is by Grace Re*****on, and it’s one of my favorites.

From the moments after humankind sinned, God quickly made a promise of redemption and reconciliation.

He told the serpent in the Garden of Eden that a child would come from a woman who make the world right again.

God told the serpent that the he would “bruise the heel” of this promised one, but that this coming one would bruise the serpent’s head.

The painting tells the story of Christmas being the answer to all of deepest longings and problems.

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Jesus.

He left glory and put on a body — a body destined to be battered and crushed for our sins.

God demonstrated his love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

13/12/2020

Week 3 of Advent has the theme of “joy.”

The flow of Advent is intuitive. When you 1) hope for something and 2) prepare for its coming, then 3) you have joy at its arrival.

You might remember the joy of Christmas mornings as a child. For me, they were exuberant explosions of smiles and celebrations.

We see that joy from the shepherds in Luke 2. The good news of Jesus’s arrival comes from angels who say that they are “bringing good tidings of great joy.”

The coming of Jesus was the fulfillment of an ancient promise the people of God had long longed for, and for it to finally come was joyous.

It was so joyous, the Bible records that the shepherds couldn’t keep the news to themselves. The joy overflowed, and they began to spread the news.

That’s something you can probably relate to. When we have momentous news, it’s really hard to contain it or not share it.

That’s the call to the believer today. You have the greatest news in human history: God put on flesh and dwelt among us. The holy child came, and he will again as king.

So, as we embrace the joys of Christmas’s arrival, also celebrate the core truth of Christmas: Christ has come.

06/12/2020

It’s week 2 of Advent, and the theme is “preparation.”

Week 1’s theme was “hope,” so the sequence makes sense. When you hope for something, you prepare for it.

When the hope is Christmas coming, we prepare by decorating the house, buying gifts, and putting up the tree.

When the hope is a wedding, we prepare by planning a venue, flowers, attire, invitations and a ton more.

When the athlete hopes for a victory, he prepares by practice and putting in the work.

Whatever you hope for, you prepare for.

In Jesus’s first coming, the people of God were hopeful for their coming Messiah. For centuries, the prophets of God called the people to prepare by repenting of their idols and sin and to trust God.

Right before Jesus started his earthly ministry, John the Baptist went before him with a similar call: the Messiah is coming, so repent and prepare for his arrival.

So, for us, as we prepare for the joy of Christmas Day, we’re also called to point our hearts to prepare our lives for the Second Coming of Christ.

02/12/2020

New Podcast is out today.

On this Episode:
• Advent Week 2: Preparation
When we truly have hope that something is going to happen, we prepare for it. We know Christmas is coming, so we put up the tree, decorate the house, prepare the meals, wrap the gifts, and make a ton of plans. We prepare.

This Advent week is also a reminder that we have a living hope for Jesus's second coming. As sure as Christmas commemorates that He game, we can be sure He is coming again. So, let me help you prepare.

• Where the Church is Growing

The Church is waning in North America and Western Europe, but demographers are showing that the Church is growing wildly in other parts of the world.

I'll share the numbers and the implications.

• What are our Rights?

The Governor of Maryland recently said something that allows us to get to the core of our rights as humans and Americans.

I even get to remind everyone how crucial the 9th Amendment is in recognizing that our system is one that sets human freedom as the default setting.

We never have to justify our freedom. People who want to LIMIT freedom are the ones with the burden of proof that they should be allowed to limit it.

• Supreme Court Sides with Religious Freedom

We're in a public health crisis. I'm not at all jealous of leaders who are making policy in an uncertain world. At the same time, we need clarity on how much power governments get to have in times of crisis.

• A lot more!

30/11/2020

Advent Season began yesterday. Christmas is awesome, but it certainly has taken on its own stories, songs, and narratives.

Our modern version of Christmas has Rudolph, Frosty, “A Wonderful Life,” “Elf,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

However, the historic Advent and Christmas seasons have Mary, Joseph, angels, shepherds, “O Holy Night,” and “O Come O Come Emmanuel.”

Advent season is the time that surrounds the celebration of the Incarnation – Christmas Day. The weeks leading up to Christmas have themes. Week 1’s theme is hope.
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Do you remember the feeling of hope around Christmas when you were a kid? There was an anticipation of the morning where gifts would be shared, family would be enjoyed, and hearts would be full. For some of us, the excitement for Christmas morning dominated our minds for weeks, leading up to the day.

That hopeful feeling is distinct from optimism. Optimism is a demeanor or attitude of positivity toward any given situation – despite any evidence or context. Hope has a foundation. A child can hope in the joy of Christmas because she had experienced it before or at least because she trusted the folks promising the gleeful day.

This season is to point us to hope as well. The people of God had waited and hoped for centuries for a Promised One, who would make the world right. In the coming of Jesus, the hope of redemption and reconciliation was fulfilled.

Now, 2,000 years later, followers of Jesus hope with confidence for His second coming, to establish fully His Kingdom, to crush the head of our cosmic enemy, and to rejoin God and His Creation.

So, as you look toward December 25th, and hope for all of its promises, this is also the exact time to re-orient our hearts to hope for the second coming of Jesus and all of His promises.

09/11/2020

I feel like PARLER is like 2020’s “Kony 2012.”