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Last Notes

2026-08-02 19:40:28 GMT

This whole event is a sobering reminder that sovereignty requires responsibility. Even trusted networks can fail for what in retrospect are fairly basic errors. Even in our skeptical community, every one of us trusted and didn't verify.
The flip side is that it is becoming increasingly easy to at least do some basic "verify" work as frontier LLMs become increasingly capable and available, and are already becoming a standard part of HWW manufacturers' pen testing workflow.
Particularly as we progess further into this next chapter, which is "still early" for Bitcoin and very much a wild west still as it pertains to LLMs, the silver lining in my mind is this is making folks go back to basics with respect to their own setups and actually live out the mantra of "don't trust, verify." For some, and perhaps most, that may mean a third party custodian like ancorwarch, river, strike, etc. And I can understand the calculus. For others, this very much drives home why the gold standard for sovereign self custody will very much be multivender multisig and elimination of any one point of failure while still balancing multiple competing threat vectors.
This event has been the Chernobyl of Bitcoin. The good news, as tragic as it has been to watch play out, is that most plebs will be overall in a much better place as we enter into a new era of increasing technological threat vectors.

2026-07-30 21:58:30 GMT

Reflections on Marriage (So Far)
Happily Ever After is a Fairy Tale
Marriage does not end at the altar. Modern media, particularly over the last century, seems to paint a picture that the culmination of marriage happens just as it is getting started. Beyond that, I think we are often trained to think in such a way that the entirety of our lives prior to marriage revolve around finding a bride and getting to that point above all else.
The truth, however, is much different. Certainly, getting married is a glorious thing. However, as men our purpose should be to build a life and vision into which we bring our bride. Marriage is a covenant relationship before God. She is our helper, strong support, our closest friend, and ultimately our own flesh, but actually is not and should not be our sole purpose. That sounds harsh to modern ears, but our job is to follow Christ and as we do so, execute the dominion mandate as that applies to us. Don't misunderstand - pursuing and caring for our bride is absolutely one of our top priorities, and very little comes before that in order of importance. But don't allow your mind to think you've "made it," just because you walked down the aisle together. The marriage ceremony is just the beginning. Much glorious work lies ahead with regards to cultivation of that relationship, and that relationship is a crucial part of your overall job as a man to imitate Christ, provide for and protect those under your care, and order the world around us towards the glory of God and our families' temporal and eternal good, in addition to being a joyous source of comfort and companionship.
Do Not Create False Peace
As you work through earthly life with your bride, sin will play a role. Sometimes it is your sin that leads to conflict, sometimes hers, oftentimes both. We must seek to own and take responsibility quickly for our own mistakes, and even if we happen to be in the right and she is wrong we should be the first to initiate peace-making. In doing so, however, it can sometimes be tempting to make an apology for any conflict or trouble, even in the absence of any sin on our part. Do not be harsh with your wife, but do not fall into the temptation of apologizing to her for sins that are not your own. That is not leadership and it is not ultimately loving - it may serve to appease her for a time, but it is ultimately not leading her towards Christ and only leads to a false and temporary peace while eroding your ability to lead well.
Lead in the Small Things
On the one hand, we should certainly not be overbearing tyrants. It is perfectly alright and actually good to incorporate your wife's desires, preferences, and wisdom into your decisions - big or small. But also recognize that a wife whose heart is for her husband truly does desire to be led well. As a small example: say the day is crazy, everyone is tired, and the plan is to order dinner for the evening. Your wife comes to you and asks, "What should we order?" Generally speaking, in the context of a relationship where she knows that at the root she is loved and trusted and valued, what she is probably looking for is direction - not another decision to make after a long day with the kids, etc. The response of, "Whatever sounds good to you" may seem considerate and loving on your part, and perhaps there are contexts where it may be. But in that moment, what she is more likely looking for, in a small way, is leadership, direction, and decisiveness. Instead of a vague response that forces her to make a decision and another burden for the day, give instead a particular suggestion or possibly a limited number of options that narrow things down significantly. Again, there is balance here - don't be an overbearing tyrant, but also don't be a rudderless ship in a storm.
Set the Tone
Part of your job, whether you know it or not, is to set the tone in your home. If you come home after work and you are stressed, tired, or angry, that tone is permeated throughout the house. If a child stumbles, for example, and you overreact, you are now training both your child and wife to overreact to a minor setback. If instead, you can remain calm even in trying times and be a source of strength for your family, if you can control your temper or your reactions even in the face of provocation, you will be a model your family can follow and imitate. Be a rock, not a leaf in the wind.
Know Her Frame
One of the most challenging scripture passages for husbands is 1 Peter 3:7: "Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." In the world that God designed, we must understand that our wives being the weaker vessel means something. Obviously it does not mean they are "less than" - we are all heirs of the grace of life and bear the image of God. But it is true that we must have grace for our wives if they seem easily frustrated, flustered, disappointed, or discouraged. If we see this happening, we can understand why and seek to love them as Christ loves His church. But we should not be easily frustrated or angered ourselves for what seems like a poor reaction to a given circumstance. Have grace. Lead and love her through it. But do not bruise a broken reed.
In the same vein, as you work through conflict with your wife and seek to lead, understand that not every problem can be solved by putting your foot down. Understand there may be times where it is appropriate to bend, though you should never break. Marriage is a sanctifying process for both parties. Knowing when to bend will be a matter of wisdom as you get to know your bride's heart and mind and what makes her tick, and that itself is a lifelong process. Importantly, there may also be times where it is best to cover minor transgressions with love (1 Peter 4:8, Proverbs 10:12) and entrust her heart to the Lord as you prayerfully bring her before the Throne. Ultimately, though, as you lead her, seek to work with the grain of your wife and not against it.
As Christ Loves the Church
Ephesians 5:25-33 is another powerful passage that models how we are called to love our wives - "as Christ loved the church." We are called to give of ourselves, to nourish her and cherish her. Love, at its root, is seeking the good of another even at cost to ourselves. I will not belabor the ways in which showing love is obvious - clearly this will involve verbally reminding her, showing her in your actions, self-sacrifice, provision, kissing, sex, etc. But remember that it is also loving to gently reprove and correct when needed, and in fact allowing for clear sin to go on unchallenged is not loving but actually cowardly and hateful towards her ultimate good.
A word on correction: This will be required. It should not be a regular pattern. It should be a deeply considered and prayerful thing on your part. And remember - it often takes two to tango, so once again be quick to acknowledge and repent of your sin and lead the way in making peace. Do not go to bed angry. However, we also live in a world that tends to ignore the fact that women can, in fact, sin. And there may be instances where the sin is solely on her side (caveat: if you think this is every instance of conflict in your marriage, you likely need to reconsider your priors). On the one hand, you cannot nor should you try to bear primary responsibility for her sin - she must be called to repent, after we have prayerfully considered our own heart and actions. Again, see the discussion on false apologies above. It is however also true that you should seriously consider how your leadership or lack thereof may have contributed to being in that situation in the first place. With leadership comes both authority and responsibility, and even if ultimately the sin is her own, any conflict that comes to fruition is an opportunity for us to consider the seeds we are planting in our marriage.
Communicate Well
Clear communication is crucial in any relationship, but particularly in marriage. Assumptions are dangerous, and unmet expectations can lead to heartache and strife - even if unspoken. For any conflict, seek to understand if at least one factor is an expectation or desire that she had but may not have communicated beforehand.
Show Her
As we seek to love our brides like Christ, we must make sure we are loving her in the ways that she needs, not simply in the ways that you think. Certainly a large part of our duties revolve around provision and protection, but that is not where they end. Again, this is an area where you will have to understand the frame of your wife and what her particular needs are. Don't just tell her you love her - show her. This might look like many things - it may be that you help get the kids ready in the morning, or with making sure the house is put back together in the evening. It may be as simple as randomly reminding her that you appreciate what she does with handling the kids, shopping for food, etc. It can be easy for us as men to think, "I work hard at my job, I ensure there are funds in the bank, I keep my family safe - how could she not know she is loved?" Don't fall into that trap.
Imitate Christ
Keep your eyes focused on Christ. Follow Christ well, that your bride might follow you easily. You should be in daily prayer for your own heart, your bride, and your children. Take them regularly to church. Do regular family worship - this doesn't have to be prescriptive, and may look different from season to season, but it should involve scripture, catechism, and prayer. And it should happen regularly enough that it is not a surprise. Additionally, let your children and your bride see you regularly in the scriptures - not as an external show, but as a model which they follow.

2026-07-03 20:34:12 GMT

Long post incoming:
As we are reading scripture, one thing worth considering is that it is easy to fall even unintentionally into proof-texting. The reality is that life is both simple in some ways and complex in others, and scripture reflects that. Part of our job is to allow the whole of scripture to interpret scripture.
A straightforward example of this can be found in Proverbs 26:4-5:
"Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes."
These verses are sequential, and may appear contradictory, but they are not. What we are to learn, at least in part, is that the underlying principle is wisdom; how that wisdom is applied in practice may be contextual depending on circumstance. Wisdom in this context is separate from what is clearly presented in scripture as immutable truth - i.e. Christ is our only means of salvation. That is an immutable principle that does not change regardless of time and place.
There are commands presented in scripture that are indeed contextual and contingent - for example, the Israelites were given extensive ceremonial laws around sacrifice and cleanliness that no longer apply in the New Covenant era, but are still things we can learn from and appreciate insofar as they point to Christ, our ultimate sacrifice.
Additionally, we often read scripture with the eye towards, "How does this apply to me?" Which can be good. But it can easily be conflated into thinking that everything is written TO or ABOUT you. It is important to keep in mind what was directed towards a particular audience at a particular time, which we certainly can learn from but is not necessarily an eternal, normative pattern or command.
An example of this is when Jesus initially sent out His disciples early in His ministry (see Luke 10), He expressly told them to essentially bring nothing extra or routine. There were a few reasons for this but this was a unique period of dependence on the Divine directly provision and guidance. Later, near the end of His earthly ministry, as that season came to a close and He was preparing them for ministry after His departure, He expressly told them that now they are still going to be tasked with spreading the good news, and certainly He will still ultimately provide and care for them, but it would happen through more routine secondary means - i.e. bring your wallet this time.
For us, all of us are called in some sense to the great commission, but we are also called to imitate our Lords in routine life and in our normative duties and obligations. As fathers, for example, there may be unique cases where someone is truly called to give all, but the normal pattern laid out in scripture is one where the father is responsible for the routine and daily spiritual and material nourishment for the family, thinking along generational lines. Wealth in of itself is not condemned - making an idol of it is. To the contrary, Proverbs is clear that the normative pattern of living in wisdom and working as unto the Lord is one where you may have abundant material provisions, which do come with new duties and obligations as we steward that wealth for our families and for the kingdom. Scripture, as previously noted, has harsh words for the man who neglects the material needs of his family. At the same time, never go full prosperity Gospel - there are times and places where Christians will be persecuted, and also normal patterns seen in Proverbs should not be conflated with guarantees. Also see Job. But at the end of the day, if our priorities are straight and God is God, we can say truly along with Paul that we are content in poverty or abundance (Philipians 4:11-13). Just as with suffering and persecution, however, if we are poor in God's sovereign plan despite working faithfully as unto Him or because of other circumstances outside of our control, fine, but if we are in that circumstance because we are acting like the sluggard in Proverbs, that is condemned.
We are called to be generous givers. There is no explicit command in all times or all places for all people to give literally all of their wealth and move their family onto the street. Again, there may be specific individuals with specific calls, but the normative pattern in the whole context of scripture given to fathers is to work faithfully as unto the Lord, plan for the future understanding that ultimately God is sovereign, place our trust only in Him and not the strength of our hands, while understanding that His normative means of provision will not be manna from heaven but the fruits of our daily labor, and then steward that well to bless our families and our communities with generosity. Guard your heart against trusting in your own strength or looking to your cold wallet for security - trust on the Lord for your provision, and do not lean on yourself.
One other note - be careful with your heart. Our culture will tell us to listen to it, but that is the opposite of what scripture tells us. We are instead to submit our hearts to the wisdom and knowledge of God - the fear of the Lord. Our hearts, scripture tells us, are deceitful above all things (Jer 17:9) and we are instructed not to listen to it, but to direct our hearts according to the truth God has revealed in scripture (Proverbs 23:19). We are to teach and lead our hearts daily to follow God and His truth, not what seems right in our own minds. Scripture, daily prayer, and sitting under the Word at church are all means that God has given to us for this purpose.

2026-07-02 23:08:41 GMT

Thought:
The idea of being a man who sits with the elders at the city gates.
This was the location of authority in ancient Israel - across civic/legal/commercial domains.
There is a needed conversation about practical ways to effect change - most importantly/primarily, sheparding/caring/protecting/leading your family. But men are men of many domains.
Politics may be one way of manifesting authority, but certainly not the only way. Perhaps some of us are called to that particular and perhaps most visible office.
But what other ways can you affect your local community and lead in small ways where God has placed us? For me, I'm mulling over my current position at work as I engage in leadership in small ways and have the opportunity to effect at least some change as I build my reputation here. It takes time and effort to build up a reputation that leads to respect, authority, and capacity to effect meaningful change.
Big idea, I think: yes, perhaps someone is called to be the Christian prince. But for most of us, I wonder how much time we spend thinking hard about what huge and unrealistic things need to be done, while God is like: "I put your task right in front of you, my beloved dummy. Do that."

2026-04-07 12:40:42 GMT

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Yes. See here, for example: https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cal/deuteronomy-32.html

2026-02-20 21:13:50 GMT

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Treasury did/does too. Check out origins of the secret service.

2026-02-16 16:02:50 GMT

Random shower thought from this morning, mostly leadership-related: sometimes people aren't actually looking for an explanation - they actually just want a fight.

2026-02-15 18:14:18 GMT

Humans are creatures of propaganda.
In 2 Peter 3:1, the apostle tells his audience that he is intentionally writing to them again with the purpose of "stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder." When God formed us from the dust of the ground, He made us as creatures that were meant to be shaped. In the Westminster Shorter Catechism (Question 88), we are introduced to what are commonly called the means of grace: prayer, scripture, and the sacraments. These are meant to be the regular tools of daily life that God uses as He works in us and conforms us into the image of Christ.
Paul, in Philippians 4:8, commands the following: "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Scripture recognizes that, left to our own devices and natural state, "our heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:9). The common refrain of modern times - "follow your heart" - stems from the oldest temptation in the Book (Genesis 3). We need the truth of God's word and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives on a regular basis to teach and remind us of what is true and shape our heart, soul, strength, and minds.
However, our Adversary knows this truth all too well. A general principle is that the forces of evil tend to corrupt what is good, rather than create de novo. This is true of our created purpose to be shaped by something outside of ourselves. Recognizing that we are malleable creatures, the Devil has wasted no effort in creating His own legions of opposing forces that are intended to shape us. But instead of pointing us towards Christ, these forces shape and harden us deeper into our own sinful nature and unto the ends of Satan himself.
The current political, media, and entertainment landscape has not been spared. After all, though both God and the Devil use fleshly tools at times and as secondary means, the ultimate battle is a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12). It should not surprise us that our Enemy has intentionally tried to capture institutions and common means to shape our hearts and minds against our Creator.
Edward Bernays (1881-1995) was, as his obituary states, the "father of public relations." He worked closely in public relations with various governmental and corporate entities over the course of his storied career with the explicit end of shaping public opinion and action. He even wrote a book aptly entitled Propaganda, in which he explains the following:
"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country... We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of... In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons... who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.”
In a world where history is written by the victors, and yet conveniently the good guys always seem to win, thinking critically and from first principles is hardly encouraged. But an important part of being "wise as serpents" (Matthew 16:10) and understanding the times (1 Chronicles 12:32) is dividing truth from deception and being mindful that being shaped is inevitable - we are programmable creatures, after all - but we should be intentional about what forces we are allowing into our lives, and particularly mindful of the reactions that are stirred in us by the various forces to which we are exposed.
I have written previously about the power of social media, both in its potential usefulness and also in its ability algorithmically shape us. But this truth extends to many domains - the news we consume, the shows we watch, the books we read, the music we listen to - the list goes on. Music is a particularly interesting rabbit trail - as malleable creatures, different frequencies and keys have measurable effects on our cognition, our nervous system, and ultimately our ability to think clearly. The lyrics catechize us, whether we are aware of it or not. It would not be much of an exaggeration to say that much of modern music is overt warfare on the soul. But we understand the broader spiritual battle, we should not be surprised.
Therefore, brothers - be wise and understanding men. Be self-controlled, and discipline yourselves and train your hearts and minds (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Be intentional in what you allow into your life, understanding that everything you interact with is shaping you in some way. Expose yourselves regularly to the means of grace, choose your friends carefully (Proverbs 27:17), and be particularly mindful of what you choose to occupy your mind and time. Do not let your guard down if you choose to use tools like social media, and be intentional even with the entertainment you regularly consume when it comes to shows, music, and books. Be mindful of the reactions that are elicited from you by various means and question the intentions of those providing that stimulus. Information warfare is a powerful tool of our enemy, but remember that even in this the Devil is only corrupting what God intended for sanctification, for our good, and for His glory.

2026-01-09 16:30:02 GMT

The sweat of the body lays a foundation for a disciplined soul; the training of our flesh prepares the way for the training of our mind.

2026-01-06 18:52:30 GMT

Acts 17:26: "And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God"
Esther 4:14: "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”"
1 Samuel 14:6: "Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.”"
Two thoughts:
1) we can find our comfort in the sovereignty of God, even amidst seeming chaos and inescapable odds.
2) many of the examples of courageous faith in scripture are not God descending from the heavens and proclaiming His will, but instead a faithful servant of the Lord seeing problems and trusting themselves to God's sovereignty as they walk forward in trust and in His name.

2025-12-30 17:47:25 GMT

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Wild. Prepare accordingly.

2025-12-25 05:42:43 GMT

I am realizing I have way too much of a main character mindset. Need more of a stewardship mindset. Particularly as it relates to thinking generationally.

2025-10-06 21:02:44 GMT

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Hmm. I would commend Calvin to you as well.
https://ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes/institutes.vii.html

2025-09-30 02:52:37 GMT

“Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man."
Francis Bacon

2025-09-28 19:03:03 GMT

The Wonders and Terrors of Social Media
You've felt it, too. In fact, if you are reading this you've acted on it - that urge to respond to some notification, or to pull your phone from your pocket and peer into the looking glass of the world around us. It's powerful. The social effects of generations having access to immediate information and commentary on events happening the world around are still yet to be fully determined.
On the one hand, particularly as a husband and father, I do have an obligation as protector and provider to have some awareness of current events and a duty to position my family in a way that we are responding, as best as possible, with wisdom to the world around us and preparing ourselves for the future. And most of us realize that we are not getting accurate information or data on which to base those decisions from the likes of Fox News or your local newspaper. On the other hand, the siren call of social media has a double-edge, and this edge can cut deep.
If it were not for Musk acquiring X/Twitter in 2022, the world would likely be worse off for it. In a world emerging from the aftermath of Covid, it was clear that control of information was itself a means of control of society. In the best case, if platforms like Twitter remained censored and controlled, the push towards truly decentralized and uncensorable forms of social communication (like Nostr) would have accelerated. In our current timeline, we have time to organically grow and improve these networks. Simultaneously, we must also recognize that, while networks like X bought us some time, every time we log on we are, in some sense, entering enemy territory - or at the very least, no man's land.
As human beings, we are shaped by inputs. Scripture recognizes this when we are commanded to write God's word on our hearts, pray always, fellowship with other believers, attend church, disciple our children, and participate in the sacraments regularly. These are in fact regular every day things that God uses as means of conforming our hearts and sanctifying us. Proverbs furthermore teaches us that we essentially become the sum of our friends - even the people we regularly hang out with have an effect on who we become.
It is no different with social media. Every time we log on, the algorithm is active - studying us, feeding us, shaping us. That post you lingered on? It will show you more like it. The algorithm knows you, perhaps more than you know yourself. And beyond that, it can subtly catechize you. It can show you more of what you expect or want to see of the world, sometimes disproving your biases and sometimes confirming them. It uses our biology and consciousness against us, scratching our itching ears and squeezing dopamine hits from our neurons to keep us scrolling.
That feeling of despair you might have after an extended session on X? It's not accidental. It's manufactured.
Keep all this in mind as you participate in the world around you. It is true that, at least currently, resources like X are probably some of the more helpful tools to understand real-time events as we live through years happening in weeks and seek to have some situational awareness. But always understand that just as a fire can keep you warm and alive on a cold night, it can just as easily burn you alive. Do not wander onto your feed with your guard down, looking for a relaxing time where you can turn off your brain and just soak in the algorithm. That is how we are programmed. Understand what you are doing - you are logging into a digital battlefield. There may be good things to glean or work to be done, but understand what you are handling. In a world where we are exposed to the happenings of a million tragedies, endless controversies, and where much if not most of our feed is composed of not even real human beings but bots (themselves potentially controlled by nefarious actors), we must understand the forces at play.
So step onto the battlefield. But do not mistake it for something else. Your time of restoration and shaping should be intentional and protected and come from spending time in the Word, in prayer, with your family and friends, reading long-form physical media (we used to call them books), voluntary adversity through physical exercise, controlling what kind of food enters our mouths, and all the other regular means God uses in our lives to shape us according to His purposes. Do not let the massive events happening around you control what you have direct jurisdiction over in your life and the lives of your family. As Paul wrote in Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

2025-09-27 14:28:19 GMT

Two things to consider as you read history:
1) The victor writes the narrative
2) Somehow, thankfully, the good guys always seem to win.
Let the reader understand.

2025-09-13 18:21:51 GMT

Hold up.
Sorry to go back to the op return stuff and I'm a bit slow and didn't/don't fully understand taproot and some of the downstream consequences in terms of ordinals/inscriptions.
But apparently you can relatively cheaply inscribe at least 400 KB of data AS IS within the taproot witness data, which makes the relatively more expensive OP RETURN portion with a proposed 100 KB cap (which is also prunable and doesn't bloat the utxo set) seem like a nothingburger.
Most of you probably already knew this but figured I'd put it out there for those of us in the back who are a bit slower.

2025-09-12 20:09:34 GMT

Fun stat: Bitcoin network annually uses about the equivalent of 21 nuclear reactors.
(Assuming network consumption on average of about 170-180 twh over last year and each reactor producing about 8 twh/year).
To put that in perspective, looks like US has about 94 reactors and china is next up with about 58, Russia has 36.
Nation state resistant.

2025-09-11 23:21:54 GMT

Meditations on Hate
As the apparent fourth turning swirls on, and particularly in light of the horrific recent murders of Iryna Zarutska and Charlie Kirk, social media has increasingly been filled with discourse reflecting anger, fear, blame, and cries for justice. Over the last few days, I have been chewing on hate, and what role - if any - this has in the life of a Christian.
Mainstream evangelical Christianity does not dwell much on this emotion. If it is mentioned, it is viewed negatively and perhaps preached against - and with good reason. Uncontrolled hate leading to cruel actions is clearly condemned in scripture and not reflective of our calling to imitate Christ. However, that is not the end of what scripture has to say about hate.
Firstly, hate itself is not a sin. God hates - see Zechariah 8:17. Jesus in Revelation 2:5-6 says Be hates the sinful works of the Nicolaitans. Our modern conception of God oftentimes strays to far in the direction of a comforting, loving Being - and to be sure, this is true. But we should be careful lest we forget what it means that He is Holy - He cannot abide sin, and the justice of His very nature demands that sin be punished. This is an important essence of the Gospel message itself. To those who reject Him and embrace sin, God is a being to be feared - He is a "dread warrior" (Jeremiah 20:11) and judge.
Obviously, we are but imperfect imitators of our Lord. Hate can easily, if allowed to fester and twist us, lead us down a path of bitterness, anger, and violence. But we cannot be overly binary in our thinking, and while there is certainly a ditch on either side, clearly there is a time and a place in scripture for even this emotion.
The Psalms are good example of this. Not only are there many Psalms of worship and praise, but many where hate of evil is presented as a virtue and even many where strong imprecatory prayers are employed against the enemy. See Psalm 25:5, 36:1, 119:113,116, 139:21-22. Psalm 97:10 commends us as follows: "O you who love the LORD, hate evil!" Proverbs 8:13 instructs us that "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate."
To be certain, this does not mean we are called to hate people groups based on earthly characteristics or even necessarily hate individuals - but we are called to hate evil and the evil works done by evil doers. We should be repulsed by evil, including our own sin, and denounce it wherever it may rise. We should not tolerate evil among us. Our enemies should be called to repentance, but evil around us must not be abided.
It is also of note that our lives should not be marked by hate. This is not the defining feature of a Christian - rather, we should be marked by the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. One of those fruits, however, is self-control. As we hate evil, our hate should be marked by this virtue - it does not drive us to reactionary violence or senseless anger.
One passage of note occurs in Revelation. Jesus, in speaking to the church in Ephesus, is calling them to repent but does hold up one positive virtue in their favor. In Revelation 2:5-6, He says, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."
Why is this important? How does this affect our lives now? I would argue that one reason we as a nation are fully deserving of God's judgement is that Christian men have stood silent far too long. In the name of tolerance and peace (and likely also in the face of the fear of man), we have stood by as our atrocities have multiplied. We have not called our nation to repent as sexual deviancy in the form of homosexuality and transgenderism have multiplied. We have stood silent as millions of babies are murdered by abortion. We have allowed for skewing of gender roles and the devil's sweet whisper of egalitarianism have ravaged our nation. We have not hated sin enough - to the contrary, we have abided it. The recent video of the father at the Phillies game comes to mind. Why didn't he defend his son from the belligerent women? Because he just "wanted her to go away." He chose the easy way out, the way of unruffled feathers and supposed societal approval. But we have abided sin too long.
Once again, this is not a call to violence. Scripture supports the right of self defense, but vengeance clearly belongs to the Lord (Revelations 12:19). God's wrath will come to bear on our enemies. Additionally, while there is a discussion to be had regarding primary and secondary means, we must remember that our battle is ultimately against the Evil One and not flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). But if we continue to silently abide sin in our own lives, in our family, in our communities, our friends, our enemies, and our nation, then we will deserve every ounce of God's righteous judgement on our lives. Tolerance of sin is not a Christian virtue - it is condemned (Revelation 2:20). Instead, by the grace of God and in the power of His Spirit, let us truly hate sin and evil as He does and mortify it quickly. As the prophet Amos proclaims in Amos 5:15: "Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." May the Lord have mercy on our nation.

2025-09-09 17:03:27 GMT

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If that's something you are concerned about, which is another conversation.

2025-09-09 17:02:57 GMT

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Or just update to v30 and change the datacarrier limit. Keeps OP_RETURN limits as is.

2025-09-08 20:52:29 GMT

"But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
The more I think about it, I think one of the fundamental lies underlying many of the issues of our time and our history is the imposition of an egalitarian mythos in contradistinction to the reality God has ordained.

2025-09-01 04:01:36 GMT

"Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the gate:
‘To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods"

2025-08-14 18:28:43 GMT

https://image.nostr.build/34d077750c73b8c569dc91d49080c07567659f289790e4194c4211bf2c921a44.jpg https://image.nostr.build/34d077750c73b8c569dc91d49080c07567659f289790e4194c4211bf2c921a44.jpg https://image.nostr.build/34d077750c73b8c569dc91d49080c07567659f289790e4194c4211bf2c921a44.jpg

2025-07-20 14:29:23 GMT

The more I learn about the GENIUS act the more of a shitcoin it becomes.
I think we all understand it's not really about Bitcoin. But it truly is just about extending the last gasps of dollar dominance globally and propping up treasury markets. Some have tried to frame it as "a necessary step to the SBR" (as an aside, the merits of which are very debatable and I think primarily serves to pump our bags while introducing a host of attack vectors and problems - although I think it is likely inevitable at some point) or as a "Trojan horse."
The problem with the Trojan horse thing is that the act now mandates 1:1 backing of stablecoins with UST or equivalent and excludes "high risk" assets (i.e. Bitcoin). That crushes Saifedean's thesis from Vegas re: tether. Al this bill does is provide a framework for tether to restructure their reserves and come back onshore and probably for circle to get in the game too. Ripple is sitting in the corner like the perfect little suckup who wants in on the action but thankfully their market cap is so small no one really cares.
The anti cbdc act is charades. The dollar is already a functional cbdc.
The only signal in all of this imo is the self custody/dev protections in the current CLARITY act, which functions as a bill of rights of sorts (i.e. we can do it anyway but let's enshrine this type of deal).
Otherwise it is just shitcoinery all the way down. Bad news for the US government is you can't just put a shiney facade (i.e. stablecoins) over a shitty system and call it good, although I suspect they will find ways to prolong dollar dominance longer than any of us think possible.

2025-07-18 17:44:32 GMT

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Wonder if the money transmitter clarifications using the BRCA language in section 110 of the CLARITY act would affect this. Will have to see if it makes it through senate.

2025-06-29 16:14:48 GMT

Mullings this morning.
1. We are called to lead and in some sense disciple our wives, calling them closer to the Lord.
2. We are, ourselves, sinners.
3. It is also true that love covers a multitude of sins, it is to a man's glory to overlook an offense, and "weaker vessel" means something.
4. Threading all of those needles requires the aid of the Holy Spirit, is often times an issue of prudence, and gives rise to sanctification and grey hairs.

2025-05-30 18:45:08 GMT

Bitcoin in 2025. https://image.nostr.build/fe4303bdd8658bf6bf25933b199e6fd7bf3aa2e282df3a124e83f4a7a20fcc69.jpg

2025-05-26 16:10:02 GMT

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If you spend anytime arguing with shitcoiners (don't recommend), then you will encounter this argument.

2025-05-26 16:08:56 GMT

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/sarcasm

2025-05-25 16:32:48 GMT

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bUt wHaT iS iTs uTiLIty

2025-05-14 19:33:13 GMT

Heresy incoming.
With all of these Bitcoin companies emerging on an almost daily basis, I think it's a good time to remember that, for an individual or family, just stacking sats is likely the best and most sovereign way forward. Definitely the most mentally stable way forward.
It's an impossible and futile task for an individual to keep track of all these Bitcoin "treasury or whatever" companies and trying to pick out which one will be the best or even buy all of them - not worth the stress or return imo.
However.
I think what is interesting, particularly with Saylor and those trying to copycat, is that this is to some degree a natural evolution of the Bitcoin thesis. Corporate and nation state adoption is inevitable as the fiat machine continues to print the fuel feeding it's decline. That said, the anarchocapitalist view of the future is likely unrealistic and so then the question becomes of how best to manage that transition. Additionally, what these folks are catching onto is that just matching monetary supply creation (i.e. S&P) is not adequate. If they are going to be worthy of investors, they need to beat digital gold.
What Saylor et al are doing is providing onramps for highly regulated capital markets to feed into the Bitcoin ecosystem. He is arbitraging the future to create product now that these institutions can participate in while making a profit and doing it in a pretty darn smart way imo.
Does the individual need to participate in that? Probably best just to stack sats in cold storage. However, some might have trapped funds in tax protected accounts, and imo Bitcoin ets while providing price exposure are just a fiat fake replacement for the real thing. So, is it unreasonable to allocate a little of those funds to some of these companies as a risk-on bet on the Bitcoin thesis? I don't think so.

2025-05-10 18:17:27 GMT

Nostr - what is the best wallet that works well on grapheneOS for zaps/ecash/lightning?

2025-05-08 17:36:24 GMT

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Yep. Daily DCA solves this, and on strike that translates into no fees as well.

2025-05-03 17:34:35 GMT

I think I often get distracted by the flood story, etc. and forget that Noah labored in faith for ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS before anything even happened.

2025-05-01 15:46:00 GMT

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I just tried on phone and multiple laptop browsers to get their referral code generator to work without success. ☠️

2025-04-30 22:24:04 GMT

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Have been using alps most recently but am intrigued by the nic nacs. Just ordered some. 🫡

2025-04-17 23:42:50 GMT

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Yep. Keep it simple. Most of us probably don't need Snowden level anonymity, but just getting off apple/google farms and controlling your data is an absolute huge win.

2025-04-14 18:24:19 GMT

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And it's not as KJVish, but this one is a very useable WSC
https://matt2819.com/wsc/

2025-04-14 18:23:07 GMT

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I'm not sure if you would dislike this one for stylistic reasons, but this is the Heidelberg version I like using with my kids when using an online reference.
https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/heidelberg-catechism

2025-04-09 12:51:05 GMT

Boiling this down in my mind.
Theonomists: God's word matters (also must be acknowledged that general equity theonomy is a confessional position, we can bicker about reconstructionists etc).
Natural law: the "by good and necessary consequence" guys (completely on board as long as subservient to biblical principles and not independent from scripture).
*Insert based Chad YES and/or "why not both" meme*

2025-04-03 11:54:49 GMT

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This looks great 🙏

2025-04-03 03:05:45 GMT

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I'll have to check the podcast out, thanks for the rec.
Not EO, just a run of the mill URCer, but broader point was more in line with your second post - in other words, I think our in our individualistic and generally dispensational by default broader evangelical culture, at least within the US, I think we don't understand the rich heritage we share across millenia back to the early church. And even, in some sense at least, beyond that to our forefathers Abraham, who even then was saved by faith in Christ.
In short, Christianity didn't just start 5 minutes ago, and we didn't just perfect our faith in the last century. It's a pretty cool thing, really.

2025-03-31 17:47:24 GMT

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I would argue the reformation was in some respects catorizable in the box of "modern Christianity" 👴

2025-03-14 16:00:47 GMT

CHRISTUS REX 👑

2025-02-28 03:23:54 GMT

https://image.nostr.build/395a77981b95ff77f8a6317963d5e97170912a8ba99f53bb3d1e7a793f56e474.jpg

2025-02-28 01:52:22 GMT

Guys the Bitcoin price is crashing and it's becoming a problem.
I'm running out of fiat to buy any more.

2025-02-25 16:34:17 GMT

https://image.nostr.build/4731a73b3bd6955b31aaedd004349cc845ddb60b63b56bcde8d65b73ed173346.jpg

2025-02-24 20:10:53 GMT

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Interesting that he is talking about gold with France. Given the events leading up to 1971 and all. 👀

2025-02-21 16:24:33 GMT

"It is a striking likeness when he compares faith leaning on God’s word to an anchor; for doubtless, as long as we sojourn in this world, we stand not on firm ground, but are tossed here and there as it were in the midst of the sea, and that indeed very turbulent; for Satan is incessantly stirring up innumerable storms, which would immediately upset and sink our vessel, were we not to cast our anchor fast in the deep. For nowhere a haven appears to our eyes, but wherever we look water alone is in view; yea, waves also arise and threaten us; but as the anchor is cast through the waters into a dark and unseen place, and while it lies hid there, keeps the vessel beaten by the waves from being overwhelmed; so must our hope be fixed on the invisible God. There is this difference, — the anchor is cast downwards into the sea, for it has the earth as its bottom; but our hope rises upwards and soars aloft, for in the world it finds nothing on which it can stand, nor ought it to cleave to created things, but to rest on God alone. As the cable also by which the anchor is suspended joins the vessel with the earth through a long and dark intermediate space, so the truth of God is a bond to connect us with himself, so that no distance of place and no darkness can prevent us from cleaving to him. Thus when united to God, though we must struggle with continual storms, we are yet beyond the peril of shipwreck. Hence he says, that this anchor is sure and steadfast, or safe and firm."
Calvin on Hebrews 6:19

2025-02-16 14:25:08 GMT

"Bitcoin imports the integrity of the laws of physics into the socioeconomic domain."
https://youtu.be/Lo2t6exePIg

2025-02-13 14:18:59 GMT

"As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance."
John Archibald Wheeler

2025-02-13 14:18:53 GMT

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I mean, I think Mullvad is still a top tier vpn. But this seems like a next generation type move.

2025-02-12 21:27:09 GMT

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You'd have to switch from Mullvad to Obscura.
https://obscura.net/

2025-02-12 19:34:08 GMT

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No it's one service from the looks of it. They have partnered to make it happen.

2025-02-12 14:44:41 GMT

Random morning takeaways from 2x speed podcasts during workout 😂:
1. Paper gold rehypothecation market is worth paying attention to. Big moves happening. China driving some of them. Zero trust in faith and credit of USG apparent. UK implosion coming and US not far behind. Liquidity injection inevitable and while DOGE is a transparency win, it can't stop this train.
2. Obscura VPN and their two-hop partnership with Mullvad looks legit. Will likely switch over once they release on proper freedom operating systems.

2025-02-10 21:40:18 GMT

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You've probably reached out to their customer service, but in my N=1 experience they were very helpful in fixing a screwup that was my fault.

2025-02-08 20:32:21 GMT

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This was me yesterday. 🫂

2025-02-08 17:28:50 GMT

"“You ought,” he says, “to have been the instructors of others, but ye are not even disciples capable of comprehending an ordinary truth; for ye do not as yet understand the first rudiments of Christianity.” That he might, however, make them the more ashamed of themselves, he mentions the “first principles,” or the elements of the beginning of God’s words, as though he had said, You do not know the alphabet. We must, indeed, learn through life; for he alone is truly wise who owns that he is very far from perfect knowledge; but we ought still to profit so much by learning as not to continue always in the first principles...
but we ought, on the contrary, so to exert ourselves, that our progress may correspond tothe time allowed us.
Doubtless, not only years, but days also, must be accounted for; so that every one ought to strive to make progress; but few there are who summon themselves to an account as to past time, or who show any concern for the future. We are, therefore, justly punished for our sloth, for most of us remain in elements fitted for children."
Calvin on Hebrews 5:12

2025-02-03 13:41:12 GMT

Can we just take a second to appreciate how crazy just January has been.
Started off with a terror attack in New Orleans and a Tesla exploding in Vegas and did. not. stop.
What a wild time.

2025-02-03 02:01:21 GMT

https://image.nostr.build/436a265f78c55f5010cb3c145be7661218f86a8a4f25371fa575b8526286e4d8.jpg

2025-02-01 14:06:32 GMT

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I agree. My point is just that when we are talking about someone questioning the truth of scripture, it's important to first clarify if they are talking about what scripture says is true vs. what someone told them it says.

2025-02-01 13:57:44 GMT

The constitution is not a permission slip for citizens. It is a list of restrictions on the government.

2025-01-31 21:26:05 GMT

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I guess my first question is what do you mean/what elements are you referring to when you say you don't believe it's "literally true?"
Because if you are trying to flat earth your way into the bible, don't bother. If you are talking about the historicity of Jesus and his death and resurrection, now you are talking about a core doctrine.
1 Corinthians 15:14-19

2025-01-31 17:42:27 GMT

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I use river for fiat storage for emergency fund to take advantage of the Bitcoin interest.
I use strike for kyc Bitcoin purchases because you can withdraw for zero fees.

2025-01-26 00:57:35 GMT

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What do you need? If you need a carry pistol, hard to beat sig p365xl.

2025-01-18 20:18:50 GMT

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Or at least have ports that are easy to replace, ala Framework laptops.

2025-01-05 14:53:29 GMT

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*listening to* 🤦

2025-01-05 14:44:59 GMT

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND4-QT5mn6Q
There are a couple things I would bicker with this guy about (e.g. seemed to assert that Americans are generally metabolically healthier than all other countries), but the 5 minutes or so at the 25 minute mark is worth listening too.
The whole nonprofit vs for profit hospital scheme is just made up.
The interplay between insurance companies charging a commission for a "deal" while hospitals using those made up price gaps to justify nonprofit status (read: tax benefits) and turn around and get additional federal payments is an absolute scam.

2025-01-05 14:44:49 GMT

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Agreed. The interplay between federal overreach and corruption disguised as "complexity" is a huge player here.

2025-01-05 14:10:35 GMT

Hospitals and insurance agencies put on a show of being enemies while working together behind the scenes to game the system for their advantage, using lobbying and federal overreach as their primary tools of control.
The healthcare equivalent of the deep state.
*Insert change my mind meme here*

2024-11-11 14:36:13 GMT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhwEZlzrhaE
This was a very interesting conversation. I disagree with their presuppositions about healthcare as a right or that the government needs to step in and mop up the failings of a private system, and their characterization of the US system as a free market system (thought Peter would know better by now).
That said, the discussion around the 33 minute mark or so of WHY healthcare in particular is subjected to inflation secondary to fiat inputs is very good.
They end with proffering mixed public/private system that can compete while bemoaning advocating for a governmental role here.
I think a more interesting solution is 1) fix the money 2) root out corruption 3) and correct systemic incentives. Once that is done, a true free market healthcare system would actually be able to function and my personal thought is then the Church may actually have a role in the support of those who fall through the cracks (analogous to Paul's argument regarding the support of widows in 1 Tim 5).

2024-10-31 17:06:25 GMT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5-P4vN_kqo
Public health is weaponized, politicized medicine in the form of a dictatorship without judicial restraint.

2024-10-23 13:04:31 GMT

Galations 6:1
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."
In my "best" moments, I recognize the glory of God's plan and pattern for life, and praise Him for saving even me - the foremost of sinners (come at me, Paul).
But lest I rise up in the pride of my flesh, it's never long before, however briefly, I find my mind wandering to "But has God really said..." and am driven back in weakness and absolute reliance to the hand of the One who has promised to lose none of whom the Father has given.
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

2024-09-29 02:52:37 GMT

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Nice. It looks like a pretty solid way to go.

2024-09-28 23:49:15 GMT

Any privacy-focused laptop recommendations? Trying to decide between going through something like System76 or similar vs. just getting a dell/Lenovo and installing a Linux distro.

2024-09-15 19:48:34 GMT

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(he means bullets)

2024-08-04 19:33:40 GMT

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Lol first paragraph had me thinking you were talking in metaphor about Bitcoin price dip.