{"id":1804,"date":"2012-12-15T23:05:05","date_gmt":"2012-12-15T21:05:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=1804"},"modified":"2013-05-16T23:17:28","modified_gmt":"2013-05-16T20:17:28","slug":"theres-a-monster-in-my-basement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/theres-a-monster-in-my-basement\/","title":{"rendered":"There’s a Monster in My Basement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

I have a monster in my basement!<\/p><\/div>\n

I have a monster who lives in my basement, I know!<\/p>\n

He’s been there for about 35 years or so.<\/p>\n

He has 4 eyes a giant nose and a huge\u00a0appetite,<\/p>\n

He eats so much food I have to feed him 3 times every night!<\/p>\n

I do my best to keep him hidden away,<\/p>\n

If my friends saw him I don’t know what they’d say.<\/p>\n

The problem is that he’s getting bigger all the time,<\/p>\n

Last week he gained\u00a0about 30 pounds, not counting the slime!<\/p>\n

And when he gets mad you wouldn’t believe the nasty scent<\/p>\n

which comes up through the chimney and then through the vent.<\/p>\n

Once he popped his gnarly head out the door,<\/p>\n

I had to convince my neighbor it was a shadow and nothing more.<\/p>\n

Years ago he was tiny little thing<\/p>\n

Who hardly ate more than a chicken wing.<\/p>\n

It wasn’t much to keep him fed,<\/p>\n

At night he didn’t even get me out of bed.<\/p>\n

I thought, “Now, this is not so bad,<\/p>\n

As long as I give him a little food, he’s glad.<\/p>\n

No one can fault me if I keep this monster a little longer,<\/p>\n

I’ll be sure to get rid of him before he gets bigger and\u00a0stronger.”<\/p>\n

I kept saying that to myself every day of every week<\/p>\n

But something kept me from getting rid of that freak.<\/p>\n

At first it was fun to have him around:<\/p>\n

When I played with him he’d make this cute little sound.<\/p>\n

“I can give you just a few more minutes,” I’d say<\/p>\n

“Then I’ll have to go and get on with my day.”<\/p>\n

We’d meet regularly for 15 mins or more,<\/p>\n

Then it was an hour sometimes three or even four.<\/p>\n

Now I spend almost all my time with that\u00a0thief<\/p>\n

And he throws giant fits when I don’t bring him roast beef!<\/p>\n

I’m tired my poor bones just ache<\/p>\n

But I can’t stop now because I know what’s at stake!<\/p>\n

If I let him out he’ll run all over town<\/p>\n

Spreading his terrible stink around.<\/p>\n

Then I figured what would be best:<\/p>\n

I’d slaughter that beast and finally get some rest.<\/p>\n

I tiptoed down the stairs quiet as can be<\/p>\n

Only to find him waiting for me!<\/p>\n

“You can’t kill me,” he said with a sneer.<\/p>\n

“Just try and I’ll prove that it’s quite impossible, my dear.”<\/p>\n

I raised the knife into the air with a start<\/p>\n

Then brought it down swiftly into the old monster’s heart.<\/p>\n

He looked at me strangely with eyes all aglow<\/p>\n

Then said, “Fool, there’s something you should know.<\/p>\n

My heart and your heart are one and the same,<\/p>\n

You can’t kill me because you’re really the one to blame!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

We have a problem<\/h4>\n

\u00a0The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?\u00a0<\/strong>Jer 17:9<\/strong><\/p>\n

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies;\u00a0<\/strong>Matthew 15:19 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have hope<\/h4>\n

So that if any one is in Christ, that one is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.\u00a0<\/strong>2Co 5:17, 21<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

Question: Do you have a monster in your basement? What does he look like?<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

I have a monster in my basement!<\/p>\n

\n

I have a monster who lives in my basement,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31],"tags":[220,252,250,251],"class_list":["post-1804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","tag-heart","tag-man","tag-poetry","tag-sin"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/IMG-001.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-t6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8488,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/the-monster-in-my-basement\/","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":0},"title":"The Monster in My Basement","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"September 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I started writing this poem a few years ago and only got half way through. It stood for a long time needing to be finished, needing a resolution to the monster problem. Last Saturday before I preached at Thurston Community Baptist Church, I sat down and finished the poem and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/IMG.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/IMG.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/IMG.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5605,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/dont-measure-your-spiritual-growth-like-this\/","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":1},"title":"Don’t Measure Your Spiritual Growth Like This!","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"August 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I asked _____ to teach the adult class this Sunday, he doesn't come to church often but he graduated from seminary so he should do fine.\" Yes, I've actually heard a very similar statement as the one above on more than one occasion! Of course this begs the question, how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New"","block_context":{"text":"New","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/new\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/photodune-2018764-tape-measure-s.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/photodune-2018764-tape-measure-s.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/photodune-2018764-tape-measure-s.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/a-fainting-experience\/","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":2},"title":"A Fainting Experience","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"April 6, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"After communion they asked me to preach. The church is in the process of building and so far they have only the basement finished. Thus the church meets in the basement. They have a small wood stove they use to heat with. It works ok, but it can make it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Updates"","block_context":{"text":"General Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5879,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/the-governments-accusations-against-the-baptist-church-in-kransy-luch\/","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":3},"title":"The Government’s Accusations Against the Baptist Church in Kransy Luch","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"October 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Just this week I shared with you that the Baptist Church in Krasny Luch had been visited by officers from the Ministry of State Security, below are more details about this event written by one of the brothers, for his safety he must remain anonymous. Here's what he wrote. \"Today,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ukraine"","block_context":{"text":"Ukraine","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ukraine-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/krasny-luch.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/krasny-luch.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/krasny-luch.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6309,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/a-true-story-from-the-war-in-ukraine\/","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":4},"title":"A True Story from the War in Ukraine","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"March 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday I had the privilege of translating for Fyodr, a great brother-in-Christ, and pastor from Eastern Ukraine. In addition to preaching I also shared one testimony from one refugee who lost everything, including hope until she found Fyodr's church, \"Light of the Gospel.\" You'll find the testimony and sermon in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ministry"","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/12794409_10154022951084809_7994649753458082567_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/12794409_10154022951084809_7994649753458082567_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/12794409_10154022951084809_7994649753458082567_n.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28605,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/discovery-baptist-church-lessons-in-faithfulness\/","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":5},"title":"Discovery Baptist Church -Lessons in Faithfulness","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"March 12, 2026","format":"video","excerpt":"In a world that often measures success by numbers, influence, and visibility, it\u2019s easy to assume that a thriving ministry must be large, famous, or rapidly growing. But Scripture presents a very different measure of success. According to the Bible, the true mark of a servant of God is faithfulness.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Gospel Today"","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12618462064_912fdb9bf0_k.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12618462064_912fdb9bf0_k.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12618462064_912fdb9bf0_k.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12618462064_912fdb9bf0_k.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12618462064_912fdb9bf0_k.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12618462064_912fdb9bf0_k.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1804"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13784,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1804\/revisions\/13784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}