Life has issues, and the Bible has the answers. Francie Taylor teaches the relevance of Scripture to daily life through these brief Bible application studies.
Episodes
Thursday Mar 03, 2022
Thursday Mar 03, 2022
BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter seven on Build Your Bible Habit. The overall theme of chapter seven is a hard warning against lust. It reminds me of the old saying, “When fleeing temptation, don’t leave a forwarding address.” This chapter is good and hard at the same time.
Since listening to a chapter of Proverbs takes less than five minutes, you may want to replay these chapters. You’ll notice details that you may have missed the first time. The study of God’s Word is a continuous life improvement course. As it says in Proverbs 7:2: "Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye."
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Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional
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Monday Feb 28, 2022
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Welcome to TEACHBACK TUESDAY! Conference season is in full swing, so we'll be providing episodes from the previous season sprinkled in between the new episodes. It is entirely possible that this Teachback Tuesday segment is even more relevant now than when it first aired. So many people have had enormous life changes, including the passing of loved ones.
There is a way to comfort those who are grieving, and then there are ways that really don't help at all. Listen to what Job said in Job 16:2 after his friends failed to comfort him with their armchair-analyst observations: "I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all."
Job’s friends may have meant to be a blessing, but they ended up adding to his pain and won the prize for miserable comforters. How can we be comforters and not the miserable kind? A great place to begin is with the right perspective, and that is found in Phil. 2:4: "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."
We all take turns in the rotation of grieving. Sometimes we're in need of comfort, and then we're on the team of comforters. This episode provides a short list of ways that be a help rather than another source of discomfort.
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NEW! Mirror Talk: A Journey from Hurt to Healing
NEW! Encouragement for Your Identity--A 30-day Devotional
NEW! Divorce Hurts--Be An Encourager
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter six on Build Your Bible Habit. Chapter six has a beginning, middle, and an end. The beginning includes financial advice, the middle covers daily living, and then the end has warnings about the trap of adultery. This is a loaded chapter! You will find something that applies to everyone within these verses.
By now, you are one fifth of the way through the book of Proverbs. You are building your Bible habit! In the beginning, it tends to take more effort to develop this spiritual practice of daily Bible study, but over time it becomes woven into the fabric of your life. These audio Proverbs are helping thousands of listeners to develop the habit of getting into God's Word daily, and sometimes several times per day (on replay)!
God's Word illuminates our paths so that we have never have to walk in darkness. Proverbs 6:23 reminds us of this truth: "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life…" God has given us the lamp, the light, and corrective instruction to help us learn how to handle the issues of life.
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ICU: In Christ Unconditionally--New Testament Case Studies
Monday Feb 21, 2022
Monday Feb 21, 2022
When I’m 64—Growing Older in Our Culture
I grew up hearing the Beatles on the radio. One song that came out when I was about nine years old was called, “When I’m 64.” I didn’t care for the tune, and I only knew one line of the lyrics because I kept hearing it on the radio: “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?” The song didn't make sense to my young ears. "Why wouldn't someone feed him," I wondered, thinking he must have lived in a place where the food was scarce or something. To this day, I still over-analyze song lyrics. It's a quirk.
At the time of that song, 64 sounded like GRANDMA-OLD to me. Now that I’m 64, I think they could rewrite the song to “When I’m 94.” As the saying goes, an old person is someone who is at least 15 years older than you. Ha!
If you’re a young listener, don’t assume that this episode is not for you. You are in the process of becoming the person you will be in old age, so this is for you, too! Most people don’t want to even think about growing older, but it happens whether we’re thinking about it or not. Some live to be very old, while others have a shorter life span, but aging is a required part of long life. Let’s consider this topic of growing older with a goal of improving in this area.
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Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional
Encouragement for Women: A 30-Day Devotional
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter five on Build Your Bible Habit. Chapter five begins with a reminder to pay close attention to the wisdom and understanding found in God's Word. The phrase, “bow thine ear” reminds us that if we’re not listening to God, we won’t hear Him. The entire book of Proverbs reads like a “how to live” instruction manual, specifically designed to help us to face the issues of life.
We know that you have Bible apps for this, but we’re adding these audio Proverbs chapters to the podcast library at Keep the Heart for those who want a familiar voice. Since it takes less than five minutes to listen to an audio Proverb, try replaying them a few times. The more you listen, the more God’s Word sinks into your soul.
Proverbs 5:21 is a great inspiration to live as if God can observe everything we do. It says this: "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings."
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Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional
Calm in Christ: Inspiring Reasons for Daily Bible Study (ebook)
Monday Feb 14, 2022
Monday Feb 14, 2022
We are nearly ruined with our expectations for speed. If the computer won't load a screen in five seconds, it's so slow. If the gas pump doesn't shoot the fuel into our cars like liquid lightning, we wonder what's taking so long. If we're standing in line behind someone who is paying by cash, it seems like it's taking them forEVER to pull that old-school currency out of their wallet.
And so we carry the expectation for speed into our spiritual lives, imagining that if we've prayed, we should have our answer within the same day at best, the same week at worst. Prayer is not like same-day dry cleaning that goes in by 10am and out by 4pm.
Prayer is a our communication with God. It is a combination of relationship-building, making our requests known to God, and then trusting His timing as we wait for the answers. Prayer is also specific, as we'll hear in this episode based on the passage of Luke chapter 18. Great spiritual habits have great value, which is precisely why they are also harder to develop.
If you've ever sat through a sermon about prayer, feeling guilty or wishing that you would pray more, this brief study will give you helpful ideas that are also sustainable. We're going through the powerful passage in Luke 18:1-8 together. At the end of it, you will want to pause and take some time to pray.
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ICU--In Christ Unconditionally: Heart Conditions Bible Application Study
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter four on Build Your Bible Habit. We’re using the word “habit” by design, because we're talking about something that becomes your custom or part of your daily routine. Habits are built by repetition, so as you continue the habit of studying a daily Proverb, you’ll find that it becomes automatic. The Bible is habit-forming in a beautifully powerful way. Listen for God to speak to you from His Word, often touching areas where He is pruning and transforming us to be more like Him.
Your five-minute investment in Scripture will grow into so much more, and will bless you with the ability to make wiser decisions and fewer errors. So often, we make mistakes and messes in our lives because of a lack of Bible knowledge or failure to apply what we do know. God can change that by the power of His Word. Daily Bible study provides direction, protection, and a deeper relationship with God. As it says in Proverbs 4:7, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding."
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ICU--In Christ Unconditionally: Heart Conditions Bible Application Study
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Two Taylors on one podcast episode! Join us as my daughter-in-love, Jessica Taylor, co-hosts on the topic of "How Not to Become a Monster-in-Law." We'll cover four guidelines for getting along, providing practical ideas for your relationships, especially when you've married into a family. Even if you don't have in-laws (I prefer to call them "in-loves"), these suggestions will work in any relationship.
When we truly love and care for one another, we'll do our part to build healthy relationships with all family members, as often as possible. As the Bible says in Romans 12:18, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Sometimes people are hard to get to know, while others may come with baggage that we can't unpack for them. One thing we can do is this: we can love one another.
Wait until you get to the part where Jessica-the-younger-Mrs. Taylor loses her train of thought. It's a funny blooper, so we left it in there...okay, well maybe it was Francie that left it in there, but Jessica will make you smile.
Whether you're a MIL, DIL, SIL, or just dealing with extended relationships of any kind, this episode will give you some ideas for getting along, remembering that our loved ones are in our lives as gifts from God. Please be sure to share this episode with family and friends!
NEW! Rose Gold KJV Personal Size Bible
ICU--In Christ Unconditionally: Heart Conditions Bible Application Study
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, an audio series in Proverbs. We know that many of you have Bible apps, but these audio Proverbs are recorded by a familiar voice! The main purpose of these recordings is to encourage the habit of getting into the Word daily. Proverbs 3 is a chapter that provides a roadmap for fruitful Christian living. We suggest following along in your Bible as you listen, but you could use these for taking a walk or during a commute, too.
The Proverb-a-Day system will help you build a daily Bible reading habit, and don't be surprised when it leads to deeper personal Bible study. After a while, one Proverb a day is not enough. You will find yourself craving more!
We'll continue uploading these Proverbs chapters to the Bonus episode library weekly until we've completed the entire book of Proverbs. Once we hit chapter 31, you can begin using these chapters in order by the date on the calendar (read Proverbs chapter one on the 1st of each month, chapter 2 on the 2nd and continue until chapter 31). What begins as an exercise will soon become a part of the fabric of your life.
The struggle to be in the Word is real, and this is our small way of helping listeners to create a beneficial habit. Daily Bible reading richly blesses our lives. As it says in Proverbs 8:34, "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors."
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Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional
Calm in Christ: Inspiring Reasons for Daily Bible Study ebook
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Monday Jan 31, 2022
I was on vacation when I caught myself trying to fix a problem the wrong way. It wasn’t meal time and I wasn’t hungry, but I wandered into the kitchen anyway and opened the bag of sea salt potato chips and started munching. I sort of measured out a serving size of 15 chips, but the broken ones don’t count right? Then I needed something sweet to offset the salty, so I ate a short stack of ginger cookies. Next, I opened the fridge and had a wedge of Wisconsin sharp cheddar. When I came back in the kitchen an hour later and opened the can of cashews, I said this to myself:
“Food won’t fix this.”
And then I put the lid back on the can of cashews, turned off the kitchen light and left the room. I was trying to solve a problem that wasn’t hunger, but I was eating as if food would fix it. It would never work.
Sometimes our wrestling matches with food habits are related to this quote: "It’s not what we’re eating. It’s what’s eating us."
Food doesn’t solve problems, but it can add a few. If we learn recognize the times when we’re eating for reasons other than hunger, we can make changes. Let’s consider three common reasons why we eat when we’re not hungry, and what we can do instead.
ICU--In Christ Unconditionally: Heart Conditions Bible Application Study
Thursday Jan 27, 2022
Thursday Jan 27, 2022
BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, an audio series in Proverbs. If you're new to this series, the purpose of these recordings is to encourage the habit of getting into the Word daily. God uses Bible study to transform us "by the renewing of our minds" (Rom. 12:2). For years, people have used the Proverb-a-Day system to build a daily Bible reading habit, and it has been very successful in helping people to develop a daily habit of reading and personal Bible study.
We'll continue to upload a Proverbs chapter to the Bonus episode library weekly until we've completed the entire book of Proverbs. Once we hit chapter 31, you can begin using these chapters in order by the date on the calendar (read Proverbs chapter one on the 1st of each month, chapter 2 on the 2nd and continue until chapter 31). What begins as an exercise soon becomes a part of the fabric of your life.
The struggle to be in the Word is real, and this is our small way of helping listeners to create a beneficial habit. Daily Bible reading is enriches our lives and keeps us from turning away from God. "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23:12) Proverbs chapter two takes less than five minutes to read. You'll have plenty of time to replay and pray!
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Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional
Calm in Christ: Inspiring Reasons for Daily Bible Study ebook
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Welcome to TEACHBACK TUESDAY! Now that we have a year's worth of episodes in the library, we'll weave the earlier episodes in between the new ones for 2022. This allows more time for book projects at Keep the Heart, and keeps the podcast going when Francie is hopping on and off airplanes during conference season. We hope you'll enjoy these occasional replays. This week's episode was the first full episode (not including the Trailer) on the podcast.
I can tell. I sounded very nervous. I didn't know how to ride the podcast bike yet.
Based on Proverbs 22:4, Riches, Honor, and Life is a mini lesson on how God blesses us when we yield to His plan for our lives. Humility and fear of the Lord are keys to riches, honor, and life, but God sees these valuable assets differently than we see them. God has perfect vision. Our limited lenses need His fine-tuning for better vision.
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NEW! Mirror Talk: A Journey from Hurt to Healing
NEW! Encouragement for Your Identity--A 30-day Devotional
NEW! Divorce Hurts--Be An Encourager
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Introducing Build Your Bible Habit! Do you struggle to get into Scripture daily? You're not alone, but this problem can be fixed and we'd like to help. For years, people have used the Proverb-a-Day system to build a daily Bible reading habit, and it has been very successful in helping people to develop a daily habit of reading and Bible study. If you've been repeating the same mistakes and falling in the same ditch, perhaps it's because you're spiritually underfed.
We'll post a Proverbs chapter to the Bonus episode library weekly until we've completed the entire book of Proverbs. Once we hit chapter 31, you can begin using these chapters in order by the date on the calendar (read Proverbs chapter one on the 1st of each month, chapter 2 on the 2nd and continue until chapter 31). Many of you have already done this system, but for those who haven't, prepare to develop a deeper level of wisdom and a closer walk with God.
We know that you can get an audio Bible through any Bible app. This is just an extra service that we're providing from a sister friend who cares. Daily Bible reading is essential to our spiritual health. As it says in Proverbs 8:34 "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors." When you're in the Word daily, you're feasting on Soul Food!
Ponder the Path will help you build your Bible habit
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Monday Jan 17, 2022
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Are you able to listen to someone sharing a problem without trying to fix it? In other words, can you just listen, or are you formulating a solution as you listen, waiting to blurt it out as soon as the other person stops talking?
Listening to someone tell you that they’re about to make an unwise decision is really hard. We may want to try to talk the person out of their plans, but we know that by inserting ourselves like this, we could end up creating tension in the relationship. By saying nothing, it may seem like we’re agreeing, but if we speak the truth in love, we may get slapped into submission by a verbal rejection. Unsolicited advice is a field of land mines.
We can usually sense when a conversation is taking a sharp turn, and this can easily happen if we swerve into giving advice without having been asked. Unsolicited advice is easy to give but hard to take. If you've ever had someone deliver an analysis about your life that you never requested, you know how this lands on the ears.
What happens if we say something that then things blow up and we get chewed out? How can we sit by and watch someone running straight for the edge of an unseen cliff that we have in full view? Giving advice is tricky terrain. Let’s consider three things to keep in mind when we’re trying to discern when to speak and when to be silent.
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ICU--In Christ Unconditionally: Heart Conditions Bible Application Study
Thursday Jan 13, 2022
Thursday Jan 13, 2022
TRAILER 2022: Welcome to Season Two of the podcast at Keep the Heart. This episode is a brief introduction to the podcast. Regular episodes for Season Two will begin on January 18, 2022. New listeners, welcome to the table! Returning listeners, we're so grateful for your continued support.
Have you ever seen the plate spinner in a circus routine? He or she starts spinning the plates on these tall sticks, one by one until there’s a whole row of spinning plates. The plate spinner then dashes back to the beginning of the plates, spinning each one to keep them from falling. Some of you are out there spinning the plates, trying to keep everything together. We get it! We know how busy you are. Raising children or living in the "sandwich generation" of raising children while caring for elderly parents. Facing drama and walking on egg shells in a volatile work culture. Family issues. Financial challenges. Health issues... add your issue and we have a potluck stew of busy on multiple levels!
Because of the warp-speed pace of life, episodes at Keep the Heart will continue to be 15 minutes or less. In that time, you will receive a lesson written with a goal of inspiring listeners to follow God and walk in His ways. And just like last season, these episodes will be brief but packed with principles that you can apply right away. We encourage you to bring a journal or something for taking notes, as we've been told by our listeners that they review the lessons from these episodes multiple times. Other listeners take this podcast with them on their daily walks. Whatever your listening style, we will provide inspiring lessons in small but loaded packages.
Podcast subscribers are the first to know when a new episode has launched, so if you want to be in the know, subscribe today! We will continue the mission found in Proverbs 4:23, which says this: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Please subscribe, share this with your friends, and support the podcast though a purchase or a donation in the shop at keeptheheart.com. Most of all, we greatly appreciate your prayers as we continue to create podcast episodes, books, and Bible studies designed to encourage living God’s Word.
NEW! Mirror Talk: A Journey from Hurt to Healing
NEW! Encouragement for Your Identity--A 30-day Devotional
Ponder the Path--A 31-day Devotional
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Monday Jan 10, 2022
Monday Jan 10, 2022
BONUS EPISODE: Welcome to the Best of Keep the Heart from 2021. This podcast was launched on January 21, 2021 in the studio of Faith Music Radio, where I went through a week of intensive training with veteran radio hosts Dan and Janice Wolfe. They are a gifted dynamic duo, running a media consulting business and ministry at the same time. Both Dan and Janice have their own shows on Faith Music Radio, and Dan is also the Vice President and General Manager of the radio station while Janice has a thriving podcast here. Once I arrived in Evansville for "podcast boot camp," I was told that I wasn’t going home until I had an episode on the air! A huge shout out of THANKS to Dan and Janice Wolfe and Faith Music Radio!
Today you’ll hear the first most-downloaded episode of 2021: “Recovering from Spiritual Dryness.”
I can’t help but wonder if this episode resonated with so many because of the pandemic. After all, we were shut out of church for a season, and then we realized that there were some things that were very robotic about our attempts to worship the Lord. Revival is often born during times of trial. “Recovering from Spiritual Dryness” shared three indicators that we may be spiritually thirsty, along with suggestions for recovering from this temporary condition. Here’s your first-place episode from 2021!
NEW! Mirror Talk: A Journey from Hurt to Healing
Calm in Christ: Inspiring Reasons for Daily Bible Study ebook
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Monday Jan 03, 2022
Monday Jan 03, 2022
BONUS EPISODE: Welcome back to the Best of Keep the Heart from 2021! Thank you for listening and for continuing to tune in while we’re on break. Season Two begins with a new episode on Tuesday, January 18th of 2022. Wow, 2021 was a vapor! Today you’ll hear the SECOND most-downloaded episode of 2021: “Escaping the Bondage of Self-Indulgence.” It was totally unplanned for this episode to land on the first spot for 2022, when many people are thinking about personal improvements. Coincidence? No. "God-incidence."
If you missed this episode when it first aired in September 2021, you'll hear why it resonated with so many listeners. Self-indulgence is a natural battle. As I’ll mention in the opening, we’re all unique and while we may have common struggles, God can put His finger on our weaknesses and help us to overcome them by His power and might, not by our own. Here comes the refresher on “Escaping the Bondage of Self-Indulgence”! This is better than a New Year’s resolution. God can give us a New Life transformation, which is way better!
Welcome to the new listeners, and a big thank you to the returning listeners. Thank you for sharing this podcast with your friends!
NEW! Encouragement for Your Identity--A 30-day Devotional
Ponder the Path--A 31-day Devotional
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Monday Dec 27, 2021
Monday Dec 27, 2021
BONUS EPISODE: Welcome to the Best of Keep the Heart from 2021. The first episode of our new podcast aired on January 21, 2021. As of December 21, 2021, Keep the Heart has had over 170,000 downloads, totally astounding this newbie podcaster! Thank you for listening, and for referring us to your loved ones as well.
Three episodes rose to the top out of 52 main episodes. Today you’ll hear the THIRD most-downloaded episode of 2021: “Signs of a Controlling Person.” It was a close contest. This episode only missed second place by two downloads!
If you haven't heard this yet, you can catch it now! If you heard “Signs of a Controlling Person” back in July of 2021, then this will be a refresher. Listen as this episode covers three signs of a controlling person, along with suggested solutions to this common but exhausting habit.
ICU--In Christ Unconditionally: Heart Conditions Bible Application Study
Monday Dec 20, 2021
Monday Dec 20, 2021
Are you having a family gathering for Christmas? Maybe you’ve already been contacted by some who have opted not to come, or who have requested that everyone be vaccinated before gathering. Or maybe you have family members who won’t visit unless everyone tests negative for COVID. No matter what you think or where you stand on the pandemic and all the connected issues, one thing is still true: we don’t have to argue about this or anything else at the dinner table.
Mocking people for their stand in the pandemic is unwise and does nothing attract people to Christ. Many people are genuinely afraid of catching the virus or any severe illness. Ridiculing someone for their fear is not going to decrease the fear, but it may increase the misconception that Christians are uncaring. Let’s face it: More people are afraid of dying than ever before, and without Christ, this fear is reasonable. Do we care more about debating the merits of a vaccine than sharing the Gospel?
When we become combative and argumentative as Christians, we’re looking less and less like Jesus. One of the greatest risks we face is not just a loss of personal freedoms; it’s a decrease of love for the lost.
You and I can’t do much about the storyline being pushed by national news, but we do have control over what happens within our own homes. How can we have gatherings with loved ones who have strongly held opinions that differ from ours? Is it possible? Yes, it is.
For this year-end episode, I’ll share three guidelines that I abide by in our home, with a goal of providing ideas, not mandates. These are unwritten but helpful policies that I quietly employ. This is our final episode of Season One. Thank you for your support of this young podcast!
Encouragement for Women--A 30-day Devotional
Calm in Christ: Inspiring Reasons for Daily Bible Study ebook
Monday Dec 13, 2021
Monday Dec 13, 2021
Have you ever done something that ended up putting you in a very bad spot? It may have been a something done on the fly without thinking, or maybe you actually had been thinking about it for a while. Either way, once the decision was made, the consequences were set in motion.
Whether we’re living contrary to biblical principles or just being too careless in daily decisions, we could be asking for our own version of the Jonah Journey, also known as the Fish Belly Tour. It’s not a pleasure trip.
Making mistakes is part of learning and growing, but sometimes we’re making them too frequently, and this can be very costly to us in more ways than one. Relationships may be damaged, along with our reputations and our testimonies. It’s common to have days when we just don’t feel like paying attention to our every move, but the reality is this: a lack of alertness can cost us more than we’re ready to pay.
There were people in the Bible who got themselves into trouble, and the one that we’ll study in this episode is Jonah. Let’s learn three things from the life of a man who spent some time out in the belly of a whale. Jonah’s example has several built-in lessons that can help us when we’ve gotten ourselves into trouble.
ICU--In Christ Unconditionally: Old Testament Bible Application Study
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Monday Dec 06, 2021
The digital age gives us more access to the private lives of others than ever before. Just think about it: If you wanted to know how someone was doing just 20 years ago, you didn’t log onto your computer or pick up a cell phone and start swiping through their social media account. You had to CALL them, or even slower, WRITE to them by snail mail.
This also meant that it was unlikely that we would know when someone was struggling with a difficult decision, since there were fewer methods of communication. Talking in person lent itself more to this kind of discussion. The gray areas of life were a hot topics back when we did more talking than texting, and they're even more volatile today.
In fact, if you want to start an argument fast, pick a gray area and then make an opinionated statement about it. Watch the sparks fly!
We are way too late to be the first ones to wrestle with gray area decisions. The apostle Paul wrote about it in Romans chapter 14:5: "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."
The context of this verse was in regards to Christian liberty. Paul was teaching that we need to be more concerned with our own motives and conduct than with that of others. Unfortunately, we have too many cooks in our kitchens. When people mistakenly confuse unity with uniformity, they are bound to cross over into someone else’s territory of decision. Expecting agreement over gray areas is unrealistic, but that hasn’t stopped people from dividing over issues where the Bible has not issued a mandate.
What can we do with gray area decisions? We'll cover four suggestions with a goal of inspiring discretion in decision-making, encouraging you to prayerfully take your gray areas to the Lord.
NEW! Encouragement for Women--A 30-day Devotional
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Monday Nov 29, 2021
Monday Nov 29, 2021
When we're familiar with the Bible, there is a risk that we will read through it too quickly, missing important key facts. For example, did you remember that Jesus got into a boat and went fast asleep in the midst of a storm?
Most of us would be up wide awake, watching the skies and shuddering at the sound of the howling winds. Worry and fear are not storm-stoppers, but the disciples had Jesus right there with them in the ship, and yet they asked Him this question in Mark 4:38: "... Master, carest thou not that we perish?"
We are so much like the disciples. We have Jesus with us daily, and yet we forget that He is continously able to tell the wind and the waves what to do and when to do it. We forget that He is Almighty because we are not. We try to attribute our weaknesses to Christ, which is a mistake on so many levels.
There are profoundly helpful lessons at the end of the fourth chapter of Mark that will help us to learn how to calm down, and how to rest in a storm. You'll want your Bible handy for this study of Mark 4:35-41. It's deep. Pun intended.
NEW! Encouragement for Women--A 30-day Devotional
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Whenever we get to the holidays, there's always the chance that there will be people who are going through a season of firsts. These are the things that come up in life and are happening for the first time since a loved one's passing, like having an empty spot at the dining room table. It’s disorienting, and we may find ourselves feeling like we’d rather not celebrate.
It's really hard to know what to do when you're going through something for the first time. It's kind of like being in a choir with a new piece of sheet music, and not knowing how to sing the song. Even if you are familiar with reading music, the first time through is rough. That's what it's like when you're going through a season of firsts because of changes in your life due to grief. Those firsts are unfamiliar and challenging.
The empty chair at the dining room table is one of several adjustments when we are trying to learn how to live without someone that we've had in our world for so long that they’re woven into the fabric of our soul. There are birthdays, anniversaries, and even first-time medical challenges without our beloveds by our sides. Even if we were expecting their passing, there is an adjustment period that takes time and takes us through a transition that is stunning at times, and tender at others.
This episode examines three things to consider when you're going through a season of firsts.
Encouragement for Women--A 30-day Devotional
Calm in Christ: Inspiring Reasons for Daily Bible Study ebook
Monday Nov 15, 2021
Monday Nov 15, 2021
Do you have friends who would walk on hot pavement barefooted for you? I have been blessed with friends like that, and they help lift heavy loads in my life. Today's special episode is a perfect example of this. Veteran radio host, Janice Wolfe from Faith Music Radio is our guest podcaster today, covering for me while I'm out battling illness. Janice's inspiring show, eleven2one, airs on Faith Music Radio from 11am-1pm, Monday through Friday. You will hear a sample of Janice in this episode about "The Heavy Things We Carry." (It's so easy to listen to her deep and beautiful voice. It reminds me of butter melting on toast.)
Do you realize we carry heavy things around every day? Heaviness is mentioned in both the Old and New Testament. Is there a way to lighten the load? The Bible gives us precise instructions on how to trade the weights that we carry for the much easier yoke of Christ. You'll want your journal to take notes during this encouraging episode.
Many thanks to Dan and Janice Wolfe, my podcast trainers, for their investment in the podcast at Keep the Heart. Follow Janice on Instagram and Facebook, and visit her show by clicking the link below.
eleven2one radio with Janice Wolfe
Encouragement for Women--A 30-day Devotional
Seaside Treasures Seashell Gift Bags (hand-harvested by Francie)
Little is Much When Many are the Givers
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Psalm 43:5 asks, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." It is helpful to know why we’re anxious, but even if we can’t figure out the source, God is still able to deliver us.
Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines anxiety as "concern…respecting some event, future or uncertain, which disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasiness." The medical community also has this description: “Intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Fast heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, and feeling tired may occur.”
The American Psychological Association adds this to the mix of definitions: “Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.
If you're thinking to yourself, “I don’t need a definition; I need a solution!” I hear you. These definitions were provided as a foundation to this episode, but I’m with you: knowing what it is that we're dealing with and doing something about it are two different things.
If there is one good reason to go through various afflictions such as anxiety, it is so that we can become a caring, compassionate resource for others. My battle with anxiety began during my husband’s journey through cancer. The anxiety increased to hazardous levels within hours after my Norman’s passing, landing me in the emergency room with symptoms that mimicked a heart attack.
I quietly wrestled with this beast for over a year, until the Lord revealed some things to my soul, little by little. These lessons became exercises for me that I still practice today. Please understand that dealing with anxiety does not have quick fixes, but there are some things that we can practice to help bring our emotions back out of the danger zone. I’ll share four spiritual exercises that I’ve found to be helpful in reducing anxiety. These are routines that I’ve learned from studying the Word and crying out for help in prayer. I hope they'll help you as well.
NEW! Encouragement for Women--A 30-day Devotional
NEW! Seaside Treasures Seashell Gift Bags