Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to exhale into a green Scriptural pasture that church father and ancient theologian, John Calvin, described as “an anatomy of all parts of the soul.” The Psalms. Every emotion in the human continuum is expressed somewhere in these 150 Psalms that were all originally composed as songs. These biblical lyrics record both the dancing and the weeping of God’s people. As a matter of fact, they contain more bluesy kind of tunes than anything else, proving that our Savior doesn’t require us to sanitize our emotions or cull out the dark ones before we approach Him. God’s love for us is immutable…it doesn’t change regardless of what kind of emotional season we’re in. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or docking a boat 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.       Learn more about the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminay. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to apply John’s observation in Revelation 12:11 where he tells us that satan - that lying lizard whose sole purpose is to rob, steal, kill and try to destroy humanity – is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. In other words, when we talk about how God compassionately pulled us out of pits we dug ourselves and how He’s currently revealing His grace and faithfulness, we effectively twist the sword in that nasty dragon’s chest. The enemy of our souls simply can’t stand it when we talk about how good our Creator Redeemer is, y’all – our God stories are his kryptonite! And today’s testimony-teller is none other than my five foot twelve sister from another mister, the Shirley to my Laverne, the Laurel to my Hardy, the Oats to my Hall – well, you get the picture. Today’s all about Alli! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or pumicing your heels 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. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to dive into the twelfth book of the Minor Prophets & the very last book ~ in canonical order ~ of the Old Testament, Malachi. Or as one of my Italian friends teasingly transliterates: Malachee! This post-exhilic book is unique in its format, which scholars describe as rhetorical disputation ~ which basically means a literary debate. In other words, this OT narrative depicts the Israelites ~ our spiritual ancestors ~ with their fists raised in the air fussing with the Creator of the Universe. Yet, despite their flagrant disobedience, Malachi also underscores God’s immutable ~ which is a fifty-dollar word that simply means unchanging ~ compassion. If you’re anything like me and struggle with trust ~ maybe because you’ve been abandoned or deeply wounded in the past, I think today’s conversation might help you lower your guard with God. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or doing origami of course, and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore the second half of Hosea’s prophetic story, which reveals the difference between the often emotive charade of counterfeit repentance – which may look and sound like someone who’s contrite yet whose behavior remains sinful and self-indulgent - and the posture of a believer who’s truly turning from spiritual rebellion back toward a right and reconciled relationship with God. The biblical model of repentance has never been primarily about assuaging our guilt, much less about getting attention or sympathy y’all; instead, it’s about the honest awareness of how our sin separates us from our Savior, followed by a humble appeal for God’s mercy. Which is surely the only thing powerful enough to repair the chasm we create between us and our Creator Redeemer when we choose to give anyone or anything other than God the lion’s share of our attention and affection. The takeaway from today’s pitstop in the Minor Prophets might include a smidge of conviction, but mostly we’re going to marinate in the miracle of God’s kindness, which Apostle Paul tells us facilitates repentance. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or juggling cacti of course, and come hang out on the porch with Ally, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to begin exploring a 12-book section at the tail end of the Old Testament called The Minor Prophets. I used to think they were called “minor” prophets because the men who wrote them were diminutive, Paleo-eating kind of men but the real reason these twelve books are referred to as the “minor” prophets is simply that they’re not as long-winded as prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah! Yet in spite of their brevity – most are no more than a few chapters in length – the Minor Prophets are full of passion, intrigue and unforgettable images of God. And my favorite image of God is presented in the very first book of the twelve Minor Prophets – a shocking love story that serves as a biblical harbinger of the Gospel about a good guy named Hosea – whose name literally means “Yaweh has rescued” or “salvation” - and a bad girl named Gomer. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or shaping a bonzai tree of course, and come hang out on the porch with us.  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, I have the HUGE privilege of introducing you to one of my living heroes of faith – the man who introduced me to grace. I’ve been attending church since I was in utero and have been reading the Bible – or having it read to me - from my earliest memories but the concept of grace – of God’s unmerited favor - was always like wet soap to me – it was hard to hang on to. Until I moved to Nashville at the age of 21 and began attending a church led by a Birkenstock wearing pastor named Scotty Smith. It’s not hyperbolic to say that the Holy Spirit used Scotty to create a seismic shift in my heart toward Jesus – the long season I enjoyed as a member of his church, and ultimately as one of the students he mentored at Covenant Theological Seminary is what built the spiritual scaffolding that supports my belief system, as well as the intimacy I now have with Jesus. I love and respect this man so much that if I had a son, I’d probably name him Scotty – of course, that implies getting married and having this old jar of clay restored back to its pre-menopausal vitality, so I digress! The bottom line is, I’m beyond happy to have Pastor and Professor Scotty Smith here today so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or shelling peas of course, and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re continuing our “Sizzling Summer” series with more hang time on the porch with biblical culturalist, Professor Kristi McLelland. Her first visit to BPT was so revelatory and resonate that we begged her to come back so that we could keep swimming in life-giving passages like Genesis 2 and Luke 8 and Romans 16 that prove the significant – not subjugated - role women play in biblical narrative, in Jesus’ incarnate life and ministry, as well as Apostle Paul’s and the early churches’ mission to share the Living Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Now since this is a part-two kind of message and this episode compliments the one before like queso does chips – they’re much better in tandem! Therefore, if possible, please listen to last week’s episode “What God Says About Women” first and then grab a ginormous cup of coffee, a notebook, your favorite pen, your widest grin and your Bible – unless you’re driving or tying macrame knots for a plant hanger of course! – and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re kicking off our “Sizzling Summer” series by getting up close and personal with an awesome chick whose job title is: biblical culturalist. Her training at Dallas Theological Seminary, coupled with her extensive boots-on-the-ground training in multiple Middle Eastern countries with world-renowned archeologists, historians and rabbis have honed her incredible gift of helping others better understand the historical, cultural and linguistic context of Scripture. Every single time I have the privilege of hanging out with this particular professor, I not only learn something new about God and His Word, I find myself falling even more in love with Jesus! Much like Miracle Gro accelerates the growth of tomatoes in my garden, I guarantee Kristi McLelland will accelerate your hunger for Holy Writ! So please grab a big cup of coffee, a notebook, your favorite pen and your Bible – unless you’re driving or tweezing your brows, of course! – and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

During today’s conversation on Backporch Theology we’re going to talk about the massive shift that took place in that motley crew of disciples in the 50 days between Passover and Pentecost. And in so doing we’re going to talk about the difference between performance and devotion. How spiritual disciplines like reading the Bible or engaging in worship can either be dutiful smokescreens that hide the broken, numb and even angry places in our hearts and minds or they can actually be the genuine overflow of a believer who remains cognizant of the cross and therefore finds themself gobsmacked with gratitude by what Jesus has already done for us through His sacrificial death on the cross and glorious resurrection. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or eating freshly steamed crab-legs, of course! – and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

During today’s conversation on Backporch Theology we’re going to talk about the genesis of relational evangelism and how Jesus modeled relational intimacy. Our Savior wasn’t some aloof, pensive carpenter apprentice who always wore a contemplative expression and spoke in hushed tones, He was a supernatural ROCKSTAR when it came to relating with people from wildly diverse backgrounds. We’re also going to talk about the deep comfort and transformational security we can draw from a tiny little adverb in John’s Gospel account that’s all too often overlooked. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or peeling some string cheese, of course! – and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/LisaHarper Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.