Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to dive into the joy-saturated stories of Anna and Simeon, two geriatric saints who never gave up hope that they’d meet the Messiah before they met their Maker. And we’re going to compare and contrast the solo Simeon warbled after meeting 7-week-old baby Jesus with Mary’s Magnificat – the gorgeous praise chorus she sang after Gabriel gave her the shock of a lifetime by proclaiming that although she hadn’t graduated from high school yet, Yaweh had chosen her to carry the Christ! You’re gonna be so stoked when you find out how those two ancient songs reveal the supernaturally comforting Trinitarian-nature of that first Advent! This episode might just help banish your post-Christmas blues better than chips and queso, y’all – which is a huge endorsement coming from me. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or secretly dragging your Christmas tree to some vacationing neighbor’s backyard burn pile, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.  Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023 Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here

Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to peruse the 400 Silent Years between the Old Testament and New Testament – which is formally called the Intertestamental Period – when God’s voice was not recorded. It’s tempting for us to associate silence with sadness, even badness, especially during seasons like Christmas when it seems the world around us is in an emotionally noisy, celebratory mood. However, biblical narrative kicks our assumption to the curb because over and over again in Scripture silence is the prelude to a miracle. Plus, learning to trust God’s sovereign mercy while waiting in the quiet often led to a wonder that far exceeded our ancestor’s faith. Abraham and Sarah became parents to Issac – the beginning of the theocracy of Israel – when Abe was 100 years old and surely at least a smidge deaf in one ear; Issac and Rebekah prayed for children for two decades before giving birth to those infamous twins, Jacob and Esau; Manoah and his wife gave birth to Samson when they were so old, they were on daily statins and wearing bifocals; and when Elizabeth got pregnant with John the Baptist – the human symbolism of Christmas Eve because he was the forerunner of the Christ – she was advanced in age, meaning she’d spent long seasons wondering if God was immune to her anguish. The deepest hope often grows in the darkest places. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or bridling a reindeer, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.  Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023 Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here

Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore a passage in Luke and expose the awe-deprivation that has permeated modern Christendom. Then we’re going to take off our spiritual Spanx and have a real and raw conversation about how we can recover the wonder we used to have at Christmas when we were absolutely undone by the truism of Immanuel – of God. With. Us. Remember when your eyes welled up whenever you sang, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing, GLORY to the newborn king?” What happened to the starry eyes we used to have only for Jesus? One of my spiritual mentors, Pastor and Professor Scotty Smith, wryly observed that far too many Christ-followers are like Cinderella with amnesia. Some of us have forgotten that believing in Jesus swings the door wide open to a glorious adventure and mystery greater than our imaginations could possibly conjure up! We. Have. Been written into the lead role of an epic, divine love story called Christianity, y’all – which as Sir C.S. Lewis exclaimed: “Is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.” Our jaws should still be hanging open over the inscrutable fact that the only true God who CREATED THE WORLD WITH HIS WORD condescended from glory to make His grace accessible to us! Today is our wake-up call to WONDER… so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or trying to superimpose your mother-in-law’s head on that dancing digital elf, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper. Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here

Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about some of the less prominent features – the “tucked away treasures” in the Christmas story that illustrate the fact that nothing and no one is insignificant to God. Even the quietest - often overlooked - details of this love story we call the Bible bellow the attentive compassion of our Kinsman Redeemer! From Joseph’s gentle and generous assent to becoming an adoptive father, to the astral projection that compelled a crew of wise men to pack their bags and begin a 1,000 mile trek to meet a foreign toddler, to the royal specificity of an ancient substance called frankincense that’s still royally pricey today if you’re one of those passionate essential-oilers, the minutia of Christmas was miraculous. And while they weren’t loud, blow-your-hair-back kind of supernatural stuff, the finer points of the birth narrative we’re perusing today changed the course of history. Reminds me of what a wise dude named Zechariah said a long time ago, “Don’t despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” If you’re feeling unseen, irrelevant, or unappreciated today, be encouraged this one’s especially for you! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or untangling Christmas lights in the attic, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper. Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here

Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore a colorful passage at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel account to help prepare our hearts for the miracle of Christmas during this, the first week of Advent. Because despite what retailers would like us to think, the Advent has nothing whatsoever to do with shopping! The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means arrival or coming. In the 4th and 5th Centuries, Advent marked the season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany. During that ancient season of preparation, Christ-followers spent 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for the baptisms of new believers at Epiphany. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages, that Advent was solely connected with Christmas. And while joy is certainly one facet of Advent, there is a necessary sobriety to this season as Deitrich Bonhoeffer explained in his observation: "The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come." Bonhoeffer’s assertion that only those cognizant of their own flaws can actually celebrate Christ’s coming aptly describes the biblical characters we’ll be hanging out with today because their true stories sound like they’ve been ripped from the tabloids! They’re pretty unusual – if not very unlikely - ambassadors of Advent but they provide glorious proof that perfection is not a prerequisite to be adopted into the family of God! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or feeding a giant Tupperware of cranberry sauce into the garbage disposal, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper. Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here

Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to use a uniquely American holiday that involves consuming copious amounts of dead bird and marshmallow-slathered root vegetables as a springboard to talk about the global spiritual fruit of gratitude. Our hope is that this conversation will be beneficial to all Backporchers - whether you live in Nashville, Nairobi, New York or New Zealand! And the passage we’re going to dive into is non-traditional as well. More often than not Christians turn to the New Testament when the topic is eucharisteo – that’s the original Greek word the English word “thanksgiving” is translated from – but we’re going Old Testament today to talk about how unlike the Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate here in America the last Thursday in November, gratitude is supposed to be an on-going, everyday expression of faith for Christ-followers. One of my theological heroes – Sir G.K. Chesterton – who wrote the classic book, “Orthodoxy” – said it well in this keen observation: “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or have your hands in the nether-regions of a frozen Turkey, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper. Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here

Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to get real and raw about those seasons in life when we seriously consider throwing in the towel. Or at least whacking an adversary with a wet one! In John 10:10 our Redeemer, King Jesus, promises us abundant life – but He never promised that it would be easy. As a matter of fact, in John 16 Jesus confided that in this life, we’ll actually have some trouble. So how do we keep running the race so as to win the prize as Paul admonishes? How do we keep on keeping on when life knocks the wind out of both our sails and our lungs? Well, there’s a couple of divine diamonds at the tail end of Hebrews we’re going to excavate today that we believe will help those of us who feel like we're running on fumes to get refueled in every sense of the term, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or knitting Christmas prayer shawls, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here. Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here

Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about an eschatalogical passage toward the end of Mark’s gospel that at first glance comes across as alarming. Remember eschatology is just a fancy, multi-syllabic, theological term that refers to the doctrine of end times or last things. And regardless of what your personal or your denomination’s doctrinal view of eschatology is - whether you’re pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, amillenial or just confused about all the trib-talk because your only association with that term is from the Hunger Games - far too many believers associate the end times only with ominous and apocalyptic and stockpiling lentils from Costco. However, there’s a revelatory nugget in Mark’s gospel that promises the return of Christ will be infinitely more glorious than gloom and doom. Mind you, we’re not advocating for Christians to quit stockpiling lentils, we just hope you’re doing so because you’re throwing an awesome Fall party for all your neighbors wherein everybody’s bellies will get full from the wonderful soup you make with those ancient grains and their hearts turn toward Jesus because of the stories you’re compelled to share about how Jesus has redeemed your life as we occupy well until He comes back for His bride by loving the image-bearers around us! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or milking the family cow, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here. Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here

Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about a heart-warming story in Mark’s Gospel narrative that involves a man named Bart, who much like the little engine that could of children’s literature, persevered through significant adversity and by doing so, experienced both the miracle of physical and emotional healing. We’re also going to talk about a Greek word that’s used in the original telling of Bart’s story – epitimao – which means, “to command with the implication of a threat” and how some of us have laid down God-authored dreams because of the cold water others have poured on our proverbial fires. Our deep hope is that the Holy Spirit will use today’s conversation to spur some of you to pick up a divine dream you prematurely discarded and that much like Caleb, you’d begin to realize your latter years will be even better than your former and that our compassionate Creator Redeemer is not through writing the redemptive chapters in your story! Today might just be the day that real hope barges back into your battered heart, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or getting a head start on hanging Christmas lights, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here. Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here

Find out more about CH Ministries here Click here to get a 25% discount on the Dwell Bible App. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore the miraculously cohesive band of brothers Jesus chose to be His disciples, and how they modeled unity not uniformity. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a group of men in the Ancient Near East who were more diametrically opposed with regards to cultural views and societal norms. The Hatfields and McCoys might’ve had more things in common than the original twelve! And in light of Jesus intentionally choosing exactly a dozen raggamuffins to follow Him – which many scholars say is a nod to the orginal twelve tribes – we’re heading back to the Old Testament today too to highlight a hapax legomenon (which means a word or expression that’s only used once in a linguistic context or entire text) that pretty much proves the adage, “God doesn’t always call those who are equipped, but He always equips those He calls!” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or hollowing out a decorative gourd, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here. Save on Dwell here Learn More about Upward Sports here