Proof of Belonging

“Was I left on your doorstep when I was a baby?” I blurted, and Dad almost choked on his coffee. I considered my parents “a little lower than the angels.” In my early teens, after observing their collective goodness, I began to doubt that I was their child. They were high-quality human beings, and as a teenager, I was becoming undone by “the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.” Based on their model of behavior, I sensed the miss-match in the gene pool. “I mean, we are so different.” “Different how,” he asked? How could I point out the disconcerting truth that the souls of my parents bordered on the saintly, while mine was developing into more shaded, carnal areas? Why didn’t I share their world view? Why did I not have their immutable faith, their ease with a well-regulated life, their free submission to our religious persuasion? In my mind, all these factors pointed to a suspicious origin. Dad did not wait for my answer, which was good because I didn’t have one. “Son, you are blood of my blood and flesh of my flesh; every inch an Arnold. Any differences we might have is your own uniqueness, what makes you, you; the way God made you.” That was reassuring and frightening at the same time. He was claiming me, but I did not want to confess that I felt as though I was drifting from the shoreline of the goodness of my parents into an uncharted sea that could swallow me whole. I was not sure God was happy with my implanted “uniqueness.” “How can that be?” was all I could squeak out. “Much of it is a mystery, but I have foolproof evidence of bloodline.” Mom took down an old metal box from the top shelf of the closet, opened the rusty lid, and handed me my birth certificate. I held proof of belonging in my hands with the embossed seal of the State of Tennessee stamped on the document. I ran my fingers over the raised lettering of the seal for the tactile assurance of what my eyes beheld. Certificates are what the state requires as proof of belonging, but what gives the individual a true sense of belonging is when you hear stories shared among family and friends that feature you and reveal the shades of your personality that uniquely demonstrate a universal belonging to our common humanity. I am grateful to belong to the kingdom of heaven…such a big tent…such a rich population of folks…no certificate required.

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Growth Has No Boundaries

Written by: Henry Cloud and John Townsend Published: January 2022 Reader: Henry O. Arnold In Growth Has No Boundaries, Drs. Cloud and Townsend give listeners age-old keys to growth from the Scriptures, with life applications unique from what many Christians have previously thought and were told. Whether life is going well or whether a person is struggling in some area, the insights in this book are essential to progressing spiritually, relationally, and emotionally. Based on their best-selling book How People Grow, Drs. Cloud and Townsend explore what it takes to experience increasing strength and depth in a person’s spiritual walk, marriage and family life, friendships, personal development - in everything life is about. Unpacking the practical and passionate theology that forms the backbone of their speaking and writing, the authors shatter popular misconceptions about how God operates and how growth happens. Listeners will discover: The essential processes that make people grow How these processes fit into a biblical understanding of spiritual growth and theology How spiritual growth and real-life issues are one and the same The responsibility people have for their own personal growth Shining focused light on the great doctrines and themes of Christianity, Growth Has No Boundaries shows why all growth is spiritual growth and how a person can grow in ways they never thought possible.

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Inhale (Exhale): A 40-Day Journey Breathing in Grace and Living Out Hope

Written by: MercyMe Band Published: October 2021 Reader: Henry O. Arnold A 40-day devotional experience inspired by MercyMe’s best-selling album, Inhale (Exhale) follows the 16-track record to create a path for listeners to breathe in and absorb God’s grace in their lives. Inspired by MercyMe’s album of the same name, Inhale (Exhale): A 40-Day Journey Breathing in Grace and Living Out Hope follows the 16-track record to create a path for listeners to breathe in and absorb what God can do, and then release his spirit of grace by offering hope in the world. The heart of this devotional is found in two days of entries, an “inhale” day and an “exhale” day, designed to coincide with each song as listeners work their way through the album and devotional. Each entry ties to a particular song and couples those thoughts and lyrics with scripture passages, application questions, meditative verses, and prayers. These entries are:   "Inhale" "Blessed" "On Our Way" (Ft. Sam Wesley) "So Yesterday" "A Little Love" (Ft. Gary LeVox) "Whiplash" "Bright Side of Broken" "Let Yourself Be Loved" "Hurry Up and Wait" "Brand New" (Ft. Gloria Gaynor) "Uh, Oh" (Here I Go) "The Moment" "Then Christ Came" (Demo) "Say I Won’t" "Almost Home" "Exhale" Marking the 20th anniversary of the band, after being named Billboard’s Top Christian Artist of the Decade from 2010-2020, coupled with the breakout success of the 2018 film I Can Only Imagine, songwriter and lead singer Bart Millard said, “Going to these dark places that you have to go to write, I didn’t know how to make music that wasn’t connected to something painful, especially when I associated that with the songs that mean the most to me. It’s been hard to go to that place, but I love the results when I do. For the first time, with Inhale (Exhale), it was more about other people’s stories than mine. I was writing out of something that I witnessed more than I experienced myself."

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