Keep the Heart

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes! The practical book of Proverbs is an excellent way to draw closer to God while learning how to walk in wisdom. God uses the wisdom of His Word to guide and instruct us. This is especially helpful when we face situations that are puzzling or unexpected. Here's a verse from today's chapter re...

Welcome to the podcast at Keep the Heart! We're so glad that you're a listener, and we're prayerfully preparing new episodes for 2026. This Trailer gives the details. Watch for new episodes monthly, rotating with Teachback Tuesdays and Build Your Bible Habit. Here's a great theme verse for the year: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23) VISIT TH...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes! We've been hearing from listeners who have kept up this habit, and are seeing God transform their lives. It's by design. God's Word is transformative when we read and apply the principles. Keep this habit up, and you will experience the blessings and benefits of handling life's matters wise...

Welcome to the Christmas week edition of Keep the Heart. This reading of Luke chapter two is a long-held tradition in many homes, and it is a wonderful way to place the focus on the Christ of Christmas.  The birth of Jesus marked the birth of our Saviour. He came into this world as the Sinless One on a mission, and because He died, we have the gift of eternal life. Do your children know that the t...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter from the practical and life-improving book of Proverbs in under five minutes. People tend to start cutting things out of their lives when overly busy. One of the worst things to cut is your time in the Bible. God gave us instructions for navigating the issues of life, but if we aren't reading His Word, we won't know what He...

Welcome to TEACHBACK TUESDAY! When "Self-Control Exercises" first aired back in Season One/March 2021, the timing was "accidentally on purpose." March is right about that time when many are abandoning their 3-month-old New Year's Resolutions. Now we're replaying it in December, when almost all temperance has been tossed out the car window while going through the drive-through to grab a jumbo meal...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, your audio Proverbs series! Scientists disagree about how long it takes to build a good habit, with estimates ranging from 21 days to months! What that really means is this: they don't know the answer. God knows this: If we continue to read and eventually study His Word, applying what we learn as we grow, we will be transformed and improved habits will follo...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "The Empty Chair and Other Firsts of Grief" is one that we replay every couple of years to make it easier to find in the podcast library. Every year, someone is going through the shock and disorientation of having a loved one pass away. Life on this side of Heaven is changed and our so...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes. Reading along as you listen is also a great habit. The Word of God is instructional, and the book of Proverbs is practical enough to apply to everyday situations. Here's an example: Suppose a friend comes to you and asks what you think of taking medication for depression. Do you just jump i...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "Food Won't Fix That Problem," was a chart-topper and I think I may know why. A lot of people struggle with unhealthy food habits, but they're not sure what to do about it. Whether you are a stress eater or you are eating for other reasons unrelated to hunger or health, this episode wi...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! The entire book of Proverbs can be read in a month, since it has 31 chapters. After three months, you will find that you are drawn to Bible reading, which leads to deeper Bible study. The practical applications found in Proverbs make it a very effective for inspiring spiritual growth. Life is better when we live it God's way. Here's a verse for your week fro...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where you'll hear the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode deals with a common problem: the controlling person. The desire to control the outcomes and people in our lives is a very common temptation. It’s a flawed thread that runs throughout the fabric of our lives, making us tense and anxious.  We can trick ourselves into believing that if...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in less than five minutes. If you are new at this, expect to increase in wisdom and understanding of how to handle the "issues of life." If you've been reading along for a while, you've probably already noticed how God uses the practical teachings of Proverbs to guide and instruct us for daily living. Here's a gr...

Everyone gets a turn in the rotation of painful situations, but there are varying degrees of trouble, big and small. When we haven’t been through the fire, we may have a hard time understanding the painful burns of extreme loss. When the trouble is not in our lives, it takes intentional effort to have compassion, empathy, and true concern. This episode considers three ways that God increases our c...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a daily chapter of Proverbs in about five minutes. The seventh chapter of Proverbs is a hard one. If you've developed the habit of reading or listening to a daily Proverb, you already know what's coming: the chapter about "the strange woman." The word "strange" in this context refers to a prostitute or a harlot. It also carries the me...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week’s episode, “Escaping the Envy Trap” received thousands of downloads when we first aired it in 2021 and it made me wonder: How many people are stuck in this trap of studying other people’s lives and wanting to be where they are, or to have what they have, or to look like they look? A hyperfocus on...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit. This is something you can do. In less than five minutes, you will have listened to a chapter of Proverbs, gaining valuable wisdom for the day. If you've been struggling to develop a daily Bible reading habit, the simple change of a daily Proverb will end the struggle. The daily Proverb system has worked for decades, leading people into a closer relationship...

Did you know that a leading cause of drowning is exhaustion? This happens when a swimmer gets too far from shore and they are unable to make it safely back. Walking away from God is like drifting away from the safety of the shoreline. When a person drifts too far for too long, they soon find themselves so far away that they give up trying to turn back. Soon, they are drowning in a sea of rebellion...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! If you are new to these episodes, set a goal to listen for the next three months without missing a chapter. By the end of three months, you will have a habit that helps you to handle the daily issues of life wisely. A chapter of Proverbs takes about 4-5 minutes to read, but gives us so much more in life instructions and guidance. Chapter nine includes this c...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "Developing a Daily Bible Study Habit" is for anyone who has been struggling to simply read your Bible daily.  Trying to live the Christian life without the Bible is a bad habit worth changing. Listen to this episode, and then accept the challenge to read your Bible daily for the next...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can gain valuable wisdom for daily living. Each chapter has life applications that are like having the answers to a pop quiz! Here's an example: Two people are in a quarrel that has nothing to do with you, but you make the mistake of deciding you will be the referee. The Bible has simple advice for this: DON'T. "He that passeth by, and meddleth wit...

I can vividly remember the day of my Norman’s surgery. They were removing the kidney that had a large, cancerous tumor on it. The surgeon asked my husband this question: “Are you ready to meet your maker?” The question, “Are you ready to meet your maker”? caused my husband to ask the surgeon a question: “Do you know my Maker?” They both smiled, and the surgeon said, “I sure do.” The grateful look...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, your audio Proverbs library! The wisdom and understanding that can be gained from Proverbs is priceless. This book of the Bible provides practical direction, instruction, and correction. It's not just a book of hearing; it's a book of doing. Here's your Proverb for the week: "Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad." (Pr...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where you'll hear some of the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "When An Adult Child is Struggling" was recorded during a thunderstorm. As the storm was raging outside in the background, I could imagine the storms raging in the hearts and minds of parents who are painfully navigating difficult events with their adult children. This epis...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in about five minutes. The life applications in Proverbs are so deeply valuable, our lives are enriched when we live what we learn from these gold mine chapters of scripture. Here's a pointed reminder for the day from Proverbs 29:9: "If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is...