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I Was Saved From A Cult

## Introduction I'm getting coffee with a guy from church today, we're planning to swap some stories about how the Lord has worked in our lives in a few specific ways. He has some history in the New Age movement, and I'm very interested in that story. My offering to him will be my own story, fairly short it might be, of how God protected me from long-term involvement in a hypercharasmatic cult. ## Theological Context This dove-tails well with Andrew's sermon yesterday, noting that in many Charasmatic circles the gift of the Holy Spirit becomes more important than the person of Jesus who gives the Spirit, and who gives Salvation. This is the crux of my own experience as well. ## The Group The group was called "Wind and Fire Ministries" and they had their own purpose-built building out in the middle of nowhere, but close enough for me to drive to. I grew up in Iowa, a 10 minute drive on the interstate landed you pretty quick in the scene of any low-budget horror movie. The buildi...

Premarital Session 3 April 2026

Expectations, Intimacy, and Shared Life Purpose # To surface unspoken expectations and ground shared life; emotionally, spiritually, and physically, in service to the Lord and each other. Key Scriptures # 1 Corinthians 7:1–5; Hebrews 13:4; Proverbs 24:3–4; Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 1 Corinthians 7:1–5 (LEB) 7Now concerning the things about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” 2 But because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. 3 The husband must fulfill his obligation to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband does. And likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but his wife does. 5 Do not defraud one another, except perhaps by agreement, for a time, in order that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and then you should be together again, lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control. Hebrews…

Premarital Session 2 - March 2026

Communication, Conflict, and Forgiveness Purpose # To normalize conflict and equip the couple to handle it with humility, clarity, and grace. Key Scriptures # James 1:19–20; Proverbs 15:1; Ephesians 4:25–32; Matthew 18:21–35 James 1:19–20 (LEB): 19 Understand this, my dear brothers: every person must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Proverbs 15:1 (LEB): A soft answer will turn away wrath, but a word of trouble will stir anger. Ephesians 4:25–32 (LEB): 25 Therefore, putting aside the lie, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 The one who steals must steal no longer, but instead must labor, working with his own hands what is good, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need. 29 No rotten word must proceed from your mouth, but only something g…

Premarital Session 1 - Feb 2026

Covenant, Calling, and Friendship Purpose # To establish a biblical vision of marriage that shapes expectations, priorities, and endurance. Key Scriptures # Genesis 2:18–25; Malachi 2:14; Ephesians 5:31–32; Proverbs 18:22 Genesis 2:18-25 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper (עֵ֫זֶר |e-zer) corresponding (נֶ֫גֶד | ne-ged) to him.” 19 The Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found corresponding to him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22 Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 And the man s…

Cannalyze

A self-hostable habit tracker with special attention given to gardening habits

1 min

QR Harbor

The QR side of Digital Harbor

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Mindful

Reminder and alarm app

1 min

Notifiq

Note: this began in event-details-updates-via-notifications-as-a-service and is the first iteration of this idea

2 min

Work Compensation Note

## Work Compensation Notes - Anthony asked me what I needed to be happy and I didn't have a good answer, but I did ask for clarity on the chaos at work. I've thought more about it and I think I'll just be honest with him. I have moon-lit in the past, exceeded expectations at Cat, and made double my salary. I don't need to go back to that, but I want to ask him what he makes in total comp and what the horizon looks like for me at Cat. Not because I want prestige, but because I want to prioritize my family and if I can give financial freedom to them (and myself) __much__ earlier than if I was solo-loyal to Cat, that's a real thing I need to wrestle with. So my question for him will be how much of that gap can Cat close over time?

Advent 2025 Calendar

## Sunday ``` Nov. 30 ``` ``` Isaiah 8:17 ``` ``` As you look at your life or the world around you, where does it seem like God is hiding his face? How do you hold onto hope in those situations? ``` Advent - Isaiah 8:17 [1] ## Monday ``` Dec. 1 ``` ``` Psalm 39:7 ``` ``` What are you looking or hoping for in this Advent season? Consider bringing those things to God. ``` Advent - Psalm 39:7 [2] ## Tuesday ``` Dec. 2 ``` ``` Psalm 130:7 ``` ``` How have you experienced God’s consistent, dependable love in the past? How does that ground your hope for the future? ``` Advent - Psalm 130:7 [3] ## Wednesday ``` Dec. 3 ``` ``` Isaiah 40:31 ``` ``` Consider the parts of life that feel most exhausting right now. What could it look like to put your hope in God for strength and direction? ``` ## Thursday ``` Dec. 4 ``` ``` 1 Peter 1:3 ``` ``` How does Jesus’ resurrection from death shape your hope for both the future and life today? ``` ## Friday ``` Dec. 5 ``` ``` Roma...