Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. During today’s conversation on Backporch Theology we’re going to debunk the idea that faith should be a private matter displayed and discussed only among like-minded individuals toting quilted Bible covers and clad in pastel sweater sets. We’re also going to explore two evangelistic accounts in the Book of Acts that clarify the difference between contextualizing the Gospel out of sincere respect for the culture of the people we get to share the Living Hope of Jesus Christ with and capitulating to culture, which all too often equates Christian evangelism with self-righteous or mean-spirited proselytizing. Dr. D.T. Niles – a gifted and humble ecumenical leader and evangelist from Sri Lanka who passed away in 1970 - taught that compassion must be the catalyst for sharing how we came to find ourselves in God’s embrace and his simple definition is my all-time favorite, “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread." So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or practicing the yo-yo, 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. During today’s episode on Backporch Theology we’re going to discuss how choosing not to pay the high price of discipleship will ultimately cost us the abundant life Jesus promises in John 10:10. Christianity isn’t a spectator sport, y’all, it’s participatory and actionable and sometimes even downright dangerous, leaving believers with bloodied expectations and bruised hearts. Our Savior wasn’t being hyperbolic when He said, “In this world you will have trouble.” But Dietrich Bonhoeffer – who is perhaps the most prolific of leaders when it came to preaching and modeling the willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of Christ – exemplified the, “But take heart because I have overcome the world” part of Jesus’ proclamation when he preached these words right before he was hanged in 1945 as a result of his faith in God and passionate opposition to the Nazi regime: “This is the end - for me, the beginning of life.” Today’s conversation might just be both convicting and compelling so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or making balloon animals, 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. During today’s conversation on Backporch Theology we’re going to peruse parabolic symbolism, as well as Jesus’ admonition to stay faithful and alert during a seemingly delayed Parousia, which is a fifty-dollar seminary word with a super simple definition! And we’ll do so by exploring part of the Olivet Discourse toward the end of Matthew’s Gospel, which underscores how every single step of our lives – even the especially long and arduous ones – will reveal themselves to be inherently valuable when viewed through the lens of a perfectly consummated relationship with our Creator Redeemer. In other words, even when it’s hard to stand firm in the messy middle of our walk of faith, it will all be worth it in the end. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or working as a mime, 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. During today’s conversation on Backporch Theology we’re going to explore the theological concept of God’s self-sufficiency, which means He possesses within Himself every quality, ability and divine attribute endlessly. In other words, God wants for nothing and lacks nothing; He is complete in and of Himself. Yet when we pair His self-sufficiency with our lack thereof, a miraculous amalgamation occurs allowing us to dance upon the very waves we thought might drown us! Speaking of waves, we’re also going to wade into the wild waters of pneumatology, which is the branch of theology concerned with the Holy Spirit. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or thumb-wrestling, 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re going to explore the juxtaposition between choosing to live a relatively anonymous life so as to make Jesus the Hero of our stories and the reality of living in an age where the proliferation of social media seems to reduce individual image-bearers to their selfie angles, number of followers, or how rhythmic they are on Tic Toc. Please know we aren’t going on any anti-social media rants today, but we are going to get really rowdy about the spiritual value of humility! And we’re going to do so by examining the rich lives of some women who are somewhat obscure in biblical history but are surely famous in Heaven, starting with a dynamic duo in Exodus that I don’t think has gotten nearly enough press through the ages, which might be a result of their oh so unfortunate names: Shiphrah and Puah! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or baiting a fishhook, 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. During today’s conversation on Backporch Theology we’re going to talk about how trusting God in the dark is imperative if we want to walk in the light. In Luke chapter 12, we find the verse: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” That term “little flock” in verse thirty-two is so unique, this is the only place it can be found in the entire Bible. It comes from a double diminutive word coupling in Greek and can literally be translated: little, little flock. Most commentaries skip right over that tender phraseology but from where I’m standing it’s what really drives the point of why we don’t have to be ruled or rocked by fear home. Little, little flock. Only a Shepherd who absolutely adores His sheep would use that term. And that’s the Shepherd I’ve finally learned to run to when I’m scared. If you’ve ever struggled with fear or anxiety, I really hope you’ll grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or parasailing 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. During today’s episode of Backporch Theology, Allison gleefully traps me into a proverbial corner and attempts to squeeze out every drop of the good stuff I can possibly remember from my doctoral program at Denver Seminary! Mind you, I’m 58 years old now, so every part of my body leaks including my brain but we’re going to start with the parameters of biblical orthodoxy, delve into lots of theos – theology, theocracy, theophanies, theocentrism – and we’ll spend some time exploring the difference between the Greek word gnosis – that can loosely be defined as “head knowledge” – and epignosis – a term Paul uses often in the New Testament, that can loosely be defined as heart knowledge or knowledge with understanding. This is going to be one of those really fun, really fast, drinking from a firehose kind of conversations so please grab a double espresso and your Bible – unless you’re driving or hand-jiving 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. During today’s conversation on Backporch Theology we’re going to talk about the immutable – which is a fifty-dollar word that simply means “unchanging” – love of Jesus Christ. How He really is the friend who sticks closer than a brother. And not only is His devotion to us immutable – it doesn’t wax and wane like the moon or ebb and flow like ocean waves or shrink and swell like my feet on a long flight - it’s not based on our deservedness, either. Thankfully, Karma and divine compassion aren’t remotely related! My platonic theological crush, C.S. Lewis says it best, “God loves us: not because we are loveable but because He is love, not because He needs to receive but because He delights to give.” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or practicing for the handbell choir 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. During today’s conversation on Backporch Theology, we’re going to wade into the refreshing waters of eucharisteo – which is a Greek word sprinkled throughout the New Testament that means “to give thanks.” There have been numerous scientific and psychological studies that back up the Bible’s encouragement to develop our gratitude muscle – it’s actually been proven that people with higher gratitude levels show more activity in the hypothalamus, which leads to improved rest, less physical discomfort, and lower stress and anxiety, y’all. That means the conversation we’re about to have might just lead to the best night’s sleep you’ve had in a long time, baby! So grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or doing Pilates 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. Theology, we’re going to explore the theological concept of theodicy, which is defined as: the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil. In other words, our Creator Redeemer is good and does good even when our lives are anything but. I once had a surgeon tell me I was a bad patient because I tried to gut it out instead of being honest about the. pain I was experiencing. He said my stubborn refusal to admit how much I hurt reflected my lack of trust in his competence as a healer. Here I was thinking it was heroic of me to hang tough when all I’d done was put distance between myself and the kind doctor whose main goal was to mitigate my pain! What would it look like to actually admit our ache, trust in God’s goodness, and lean into His presence even when it feels like our heart’s in pieces? We’re about to dive deep into that question, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or deboning fish, 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. You can find the Tame Your Thoughts book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com (https://maxlucado.com/tameyourthoughts/) or wherever you buy books!