Keep the Heart

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we replay the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "When We Don't Want to Forgive," is meant to help anyone struggling with the tough task of forgiveness. Sometimes we feel that people simply do not deserve to be forgiven. We are not the first ones to feel this way. Consider this passage from Matthew 18:21-22: "Then came Peter to him...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! No matter how many times you read or listen to a chapter of Proverbs, you will continue to notice things that you didn't catch before. This book is a bottomless treasure chest of wisdom, and we need endless wisdom to navigate the issues of life. Proverbs 30:32-33 is an example of verses that will help us to avoid creating new problems in our relationships wi...

It’s easy to point out the flaws and faults of others. What’s harder is to see our own imperfections. The Bible has an example of this in the account of the scribes and Pharisees in John chapter 8. They brought a woman to Jesus with an accusation of adultery, and Jesus exposed their hypocrisy in a single sentence: "So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He tha...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes. Reading Proverbs has so many benefits: drawing us closer to God, teaching us how to be better at relationships, helping us with principles of money management, child training, and more! Wisdom makes life better, and you are gaining wisdom as you Build Your Bible Habit! If you are looking fo...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "Don't Follow Your Heart" is from our first season in 2021, and it received thousands of downloads. There were many listeners who wanted to know why following their heart was not a good idea. "Follow your heart" is the motto of the times, but popular is not always principled. Proverbs...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes. Proverbs are wisdom-building tools given to us by God so that we would know how to handle the issues of life. We don't have to make things up as we go along. We've got a spiritual GPS: "God's Positioning System" found in His Word.  Proverbs 2:6 is an inspiring verse for your week, proving t...

Welcome to this special interview episode with Dr John Vaprezsan, author of “ Peace Beyond Panic: A Heavenly Perspective on Anxiety and Depression .” Dr. Vaprezsan shares the story of his own experiences with both panic attacks and depression, along with helpful insights and observations. When Dr. Vaprezsan heard the words, “You’ve had a panic attack,” it shocked him, but he didn’t let that stop h...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit. There is no substitute for the wisdom we gain from the Word of God. When we don't know what to do or how to handle a situation, God knows and He can direct us through scripture. Biblical principles are not just for reading. They are meant to be applied to daily living. Here's a great verse to apply for this week: "He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul:...

Welcome to TEACHBACK TUESDAY! This episode had thousands of downloads in Season One. There must be a reason for that! Perhaps it's partly because we all have this human tendency to be argumentative, challenging, and even quarrelsome at times. If you had a chance to catch Contentious Relationships in 2021, this will be a refresher, but if you're new to Keep the Heart, this will give you some things...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes while gaining valuable wisdom and understanding. This chapter opens with an instruction that could be summed up in a word: LISTEN. The next portion of the chapter includes warnings about the pitfalls of immorality, which always takes more than it gives and costs more than anyone wants to pay...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This episode, "Are We Anything Like Judas" requires us to do some soul searching. When you study the lives of people from the Bible, you’ll notice common characteristics that we may not admit to having in ourselves. It’s so much easier to point out the faults of others than it is to recognize the flaws in...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! By listening to a daily chapter from Proverbs, you growing in wisdom and understanding as you immerse your soul in the Word of God. Life has so many issues. Gratefully, the Bible has the answers. Our job is to apply them. Here's a verse for the week: "A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath." (Proverbs 21:14) Apply it: There...

Have you ever referred someone for biblical counseling and they said, “Oh I tried that and it didn’t work for me”? They may have had a counselor who was new, or who was untrained, or didn’t know how to apply scripture appropriately. This happens, but it is not always the case. If the person seeking counseling is expecting an “instant oatmeal” solution, they will be disappointed. Biblical counselin...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes. Chapter seven is a tough one. If you're a daily Proverb reader, you already know this. The first four verses sound like "walk the talk" instructions, but then the chapter pivots to a very dark story about a young man "void of understanding" (he lacked wisdom) and the "strange woman" (she wa...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode is another one that had thousands of downloads. People were and are  concerned with what looks like another silent pandemic: the virus of backsliding. To backslide is to turn back or to "apostasize," which is the act of turning away from one's faith. It's not a good plan. Whether you're...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can build wisdom, develop a deeper closeness with God through His Word, and feed your soul all within less than five minutes! The word "wisdom" appears 234 times in the Bible, and three of those verses are in Proverbs chapter 24. Here's a wisdom passage for your week: "My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to...

When someone you love is dying, it is a complicated and often emotional time, and yet we aren’t always fully aware that the person is really leaving us until those final hours. Whether we’re holding onto hope for a miracle or we’re just too wrapped up in caregiving to recognize where we are, there are mingled and sometimes confusing things going on in our hearts and minds. What can we do when it s...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a daily chapter from the book of Proverbs in under five minutes! You will notice a difference as you start applying what you're learning to your daily situations. When we have more wisdom, we make fewer messes. That doesn't mean we'll have trouble-free lives. It just means that we'll be better at handling the issues as they arise.  Go...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. We went into the Wayback Machine of our first season for this episode! Were you born again later in life as I was? This episode will be relatable, but even if that's not your story, you may find some helpful observations that you can share with someone you know who became a believer in their late teens or...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! Chapter 24 is a "wisdom walk." In fact, Proverbs 24:5 tells us that a wise man has strength: "A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength." Building your Bible habit is also building your strength through increased wisdom! A Proverbs-based tool for building your Bible habit: Apply: Living What We Learn-A 31-Day Devotional Ponder the Pat...

You have a new roommate named “Anxiety” and you never invited her to live with you. If one more thing goes wrong, you don’t think you can take it. The circumstances in your life seem to be ganging up on you. But wait a minute. Is it the circumstances or is it something or someone else? Circumstances get way too much credit for the lack of peace. The real problem is often closer to home. It’s the p...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit. Listening to a daily Proverb is a practice that will increase your Bible reading and your wisdom. God uses Proverbs to teach us practical skills for daily living. Here's a verse from Proverbs 10, reminding us that love is willing to overlook offenses: "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins." (Proverbs 10:12) VISIT THE SHOP AT KEEP THE HEART...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where you'll hear the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode from Season Two was recorded by my favorite stand-in, radio host Janice Wolfe from eleven2one. You will want your Bible for this episode, and hopefully you will treasure your Bible to a greater degree after listening to this inspiring time with Janice. Special music by the gifted Je...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit. This is a habit that you'll never want to break. The practical wisdom from daily Proverbs equips us to walk in wisdom, making us better in handling the multiple decisions and interactions that come our way. God left us a GOLD MINE in His Word, and all we need to do is read it and apply it to our lives. The peace of God is not related to our circumstances. It...

Welcome to an unusual episode on Keep the Heart. This episode, "When You Can't Find the Bed of Roses," was inspired by an email from a disillusioned letter writer.  This young woman who wrote the email made this statement: “I feel like I was told before marriage, growing up, in my teens, and as a young adult, that living the Christian life is wonderful, and a bed of roses.” The key phrase in her s...