Keep the Heart

You can support this podcast with a donation!

That Was Not in the Planner

June 7th, 2021

How many of you have had something happen within the past year that was not in your planner? Here's another way to put it: Is there anyone who didn't have something happen off-script? I think we're finished being surprised that life has surprises!

In this episode, we’ll consider four things that we can do when we are facing the unexpected:

1. Face the Fears.

2. Face the Frustrations.

3. Face the Facts.

4. Face the Fire (God's refining fire).

We prefer to have lives that fit neatly into their designated boxes, but life is rarely that tidy. It is often messy and unpredictable. We don't know what today will bring, or even the next moment. Instead of expecting things to go according to our plans, we can trust God with His plan.

"Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1)

Calm in Christ ebook

ICU--In Christ Unconditionally New Testament Case Studies

Following Christ is Not an Easy Path

May 31st, 2021

Are you following Christ, or are you just a great pretender? Could someone else look at your life and copy it as a pattern for walking with God? Do you consider what your choices and decisions mean to God before you make them?

"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." These were the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 11:1, and it was a very bold statement. Keep in mind that Paul was just a man. In fact, he was a man with a very dark past that he openly admitted and it was no secret to others. How could a man go from being one of the greatest persecutors of Christians to one of the most devoted Christians?

Paul learned how to live by the Word, and he encouraged believers to be “followers” of him, as he followed Christ. The unspoken part of this statement was also true: if Paul wasn’t following Christ, then he didn’t want people to follow him. Two words within the verse make this clear: “even as.” This makes his statement conditional. Paul wasn’t merely saying, “Hey everyone, copy me because I’m a super-Christian.” He knew better and besides; Paul knew his own history.

What he was saying was this: “Copy me as I copy Christ. Imitate me as I imitate Christ. Do what I’m doing if it is according to Christ and His Word. What Paul was saying wasn’t easy, but at least he had a walk that matched his talk. Could we say, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”? In other words, would our lives make a good pattern for someone else to help them walk with God?

What does it look like to follow Christ? In the letter to the believers at Philippi, the instructions that were given then are still valuable to us today. Philippians 2:5-8 gives us a pattern that serves as our example. This episode breaks the pattern down into five points that we can copy as we learn to follow Christ.

Follow Keep the Heart mini-devos on Instagram

"Like" Keep the Heart on Facebook for mini-devos

Ponder the Path 31-Day Devotional

Holding a Grudge Hurts the Holder

May 24th, 2021

You’ve probably known of people who used to be friends, but something went wrong and instead of repairing the problem, they turned against each other. Both friends felt like the other person caused the issue, so they were both waiting for the other to apologize. It was a very long wait. They went to the same church, had an overlapping friend group, and things were awkward for anyone who knew them.

Are you the friend with the broken relationship?

Are you holding a grudge against someone right now? When you hear those words, does a face pop up onto the movie screen of your mind? Something has gone wrong, and instead of resolving the conflict, one or both of you have chosen to cling to the hurt and now it’s hurting you. Holding a grudge always hurts the holder more than anyone else.

In the book, Ponder the Path—A 31 Day Devotional (link below), Day 22 addresses the connection between anger and bitterness. First there is a transgression, then anger, and if the conflict remains unresolved, the anger waters the seeds of bitterness. Soon, the person is a carrier of an angry and bitter virus that spawns a grudge. This episode addresses three reasons why holding a grudge is harmful to us and to others.

ICU--In Christ Unconditionally New Testament Case Studies

Why Did God Let This Happen?

May 17th, 2021

"The biopsy showed a malignant tumor..."

"Your baby has doesn't have a heartbeat..."

"There's been a terrible car accident. We're sorry..."

When you hear words that signal the beginning of a fiery trial, does it make you wonder why you and why now? Why did God bring you into such a hard place? Why didn’t He keep the event from happening? If God is all-powerful, why does He allow us to suffer when He could easily stop it? Is God being unfair? Why is this happening?

While we can’t answer anything that God hasn’t answered in His Word, we can address and apply what He has given us. The truth is this: there is no simple answer for the “Why would God” questions. What would we consider to be an acceptable response? An answer that I may accept, you may reject. Instead of asking “Why would God?” we can rephrase this into a question that has answers: What can God do with my suffering?

It is a reality that life deals some hard blows, and our reactions are human. God knows us and understands that we don’t want to suffer, but He also promised that He would be with us through our valleys. Life never has just one valley. The journey has several, but we don’t have to go through the incredibly dark times alone. Let's consider a starter list of four things that God can do in and through our suffering.

Follow Keep the Heart mini-devos on Instagram

"Like" Keep the Heart on Facebook for mini-devos

ICU--In Christ Unconditionally: Heart Conditions Bible Application Study

Don’t Follow Your Heart

May 10th, 2021

Without realizing it, we are often following our hearts instead of following God. We have a tendency to number sin on a scale of one to ten rather than being honest about the fact that we’re doing our own thing while pretending to be godly.

“Follow your heart” has become the repetitive motto that sounds so noble, but it is misguided. What does this saying really mean? It’s not telling us to pay attention to the beating muscle in our chest. It’s a “go with the gut” mentality that allows our minds to guide us apart from the mind of Christ. “Follow your heart” actually sounds like a training camp slogan for a painful life.

God never intended for our hearts to be our guides. He is our guide, but when we ignore God’s leading and go with our heart’s desires, we end up in situations that cause anxiety and even despair. This episode shares a list of four reasons why we should not follow our hearts.

Teachers of Good Things-paperback

Are You a Drama Mama?

May 3rd, 2021

Have you ever lost your composure, your temper, or any other form of emotional control over failed plans? Or have you ever gone home crying from an event that was supposed to be happy, because something didn't go the way you had expected? Do you turn simple situations into big hairy stressful ones? You may be a Drama Mama.

Drama is mainly a distraction designed to keep our focus on trivial matters. These distractions can keep us from becoming all that God wants us to be. When we’re engaged in drama, we’re not gracious or godly women. Drama turns us into bad actors.

This episode exposes some characteristics of the Drama Mama, but not for the sake of analyzing others. The goal of this lesson is to look for anything in our own hearts and lives that needs changing. We don't have to live from one drama to the next. By allowing God to “transform us,” we become more like Christ and His Holy Spirit inspires us to imitate Him.

Answers to Questions About Eternity

Dealing with a Difficult Diagnosis

April 26th, 2021

"Honey, are you sitting down?" When my husband said those words by phone, I wasn't expecting good news to follow.

Receiving a difficult diagnosis happens every day, but it doesn’t strike us to the core until it’s happening to us. There is no perfect way to respond to a frightening diagnosis, but this segment shares information that may be helpful to you. Just remember this: Everyone’s situation is different, so you're about to listen to a very short list of things to consider, not hard and fast guidelines and certainly not medical advice.

Dealing with a difficult medical diagnosis means that your life will look different now. For those on the caregiving side, you will need support and assistance, so let people help you. For those who are patients with changed lives, rest in the reality that you are ultimately God’s and He is yours. God will walk with you and comfort you in your affliction.

If you are wondering what happens to a soul when it leaves the body, the link below provides answers about eternity in an abbreviated message, courtesy of First Baptist Church in Rosemount, Minnesota:

Calm in Christ ebook

Ponder the Path 31-Day Devotional

Overcoming Image Issues

April 19th, 2021

"You should get your eyebrows done." When someone said that to me after a conference, it made me wonder if that was her only takeaway from a weekend of Bible application lessons...and it also sent me in search of a mirror. If someone makes a questionable comment about your physical appearance, do keep replaying the comment in your mind? Image issues can cause us to get stuck like that.

Who told women that they need "perfect eyebrows"? Clever marketing companies continue to create imaginary shortcomings, and then of course they’ll sell us the solutions. "Cover that gray hair. We'll sell you the dye every six weeks. Here's the face cream for those no-no-gotta-go wrinkles. Get a flat stomach with buns of steel by using our exercise program, and we’ll throw in a digital home scale that syncs to your cellphone and keeps you obsessed with your weight."

God has much more purpose for us than just competing to look the best until death. Image issues are common, but we're not stuck with them. This episode offers practical tips for finding freedom from image issues.

ICU--In Christ Unconditionally: Heart Conditions Bible Application Study

When an Adult Child is Struggling

April 14th, 2021

“Mom and Dad, I need to talk to you.” This is a generic version of the statement parents may hear before an adult child shares news that feels like a bomb dropped. Sometimes you see warning signs. Other times, you’re broadsided and wondering what just happened. The grief and heartache that often follows is a normal response to loss. It’s normal but not permanent. It’s never a good idea to stay stuck in a negative thought loop about our own children. God can show us how to walk this out.

This is another Bonus Episode in our podcast lineup. Since most of the episodes will be for a general audience of women across many stages, occasionally we will do a breakout session to address a specific issue. The topic of facing hardships with adult children is one that comes up repeatedly in email requests. We hope that this capsulized episode will give you some points to ponder.