Keep the Heart

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. What does it take for you to jump to the irritated default mode? Getting stuck in traffic when you’re already running late? New policies at work? A last-minute change in plans that you don’t like? Even those who are usually very tranquil have things that can push them beyond their emotionally calm boundaries.

Life can be stressful and pressures may pile up, but we don’t have to live with the heat turned on high all the time. There can be calm inserted into the daily pressures, because not all pressures are big deals. This episode covers three encouraging practices that we can begin applying right away. High-strung is not a life sentence; it's a changeable habit.

Ponder the Path-31 Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Calm in Christ ebook by Francie Taylor

Encouragement for Women Devotional by Charity Berkey and Team

Minerals for the Mind-A Study of Romans 12 by Kathy Ashley

Seaside Treasures Shell Mini-bags

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(Rebroadcast from January 2022)

Are you able to listen to someone sharing a problem without trying to fix it? In other words, can you just listen, or are you formulating a solution as you listen, waiting to blurt it out as soon as the other person stops talking?

Listening to someone tell you that they’re about to make an unwise decision is really hard. We may want to try to talk the person out of their plans, but we know that by inserting ourselves like this, we could end up creating tension in the relationship. By saying nothing, it may seem like we’re agreeing, but if we speak the truth in love, we may get slapped into submission by a verbal rejection. Unsolicited advice is a field of land mines.

We can usually sense when a conversation is taking a sharp turn, and this can easily happen if we swerve into giving advice without having been asked. Unsolicited advice is easy to give but hard to take. If you've ever had someone deliver an analysis about your life that you never requested, you know how this lands on the ears.

What happens if we say something that then things blow up and we get chewed out? How can we sit by and watch someone running straight for the edge of an unseen cliff that we have in full view? Giving advice is tricky terrain. Let’s consider three things to help us discern when to speak and when to be silent.

Sister Friends by Francie Taylor

Ponder the Path-31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

Minerals for the Mind-A Study of Romans 12 by Kathy Ashley

Mirror Talk-A Journey from Hurt to Healing by Marianne Barnett

This Liberty of Yours by Tim Zacharias

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Rebroadcast from August 2021 (2023 Summer Season Rerun)

You’ve done or said something wrong and now your friend or family member is upset with you. It was an accident, but the outcome was the same as if you’d had done it on purpose. You felt really bad about it at first, until you started analyzing the situation. Was it really all your fault, or was this person just being thin-skinned?

Come to think of it, hasn’t she or he said a thing or two in the past that didn’t sit right with you, but you let it go? Where is the grace for you that you gave them when they were in the wrong? The more you replay these unhelpful thoughts, the less inclined you'll be to apologize. Developing a bad attitude won’t fix the situation. It will just delay the repairs.

Apologizing when we’ve done or said something offensive requires spiritual maturity and humility. This episode will focus on what we can do to make things right when we’ve been the offender. 

Ponder the Path-31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

Minerals for the Mind-A Study of Romans 12 by Kathy Ashley

Mirror Talk-A Journey from Hurt to Healing by Marianne Barnett

The Mirror of God's Word-A Biblical View of Physical Beauty by Robin Parton

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Francie on Facebook

Rebroadcast from November 2021 (2023 Summer Season Rerun)

Do you have friends who help you in ways that make life lighter and brighter? Today's guest host is that kind of friend in my life. Veteran radio host, Janice Wolfe from Faith Music Radio is covering for me while I'm out battling illness. Janice's inspiring show, eleven2one, airs on Faith Music Radio from 11am-1pm, Monday through Friday. You will be encouraged by Janice in this episode about "The Heavy Things We Carry."

It's so easy to listen to her deep and beautiful voice. It reminds me of butter melting on toast.

Do you realize we carry heavy things around every day? Heaviness is mentioned in both the Old and New Testament. Is there a way to lighten the load? The Bible gives us precise instructions on how to trade the weights that we carry for the much easier yoke of Christ. You'll want your journal to take notes during this encouraging episode. 

Many thanks to Dan and Janice Wolfe, my podcast trainers, for their investment in the podcast at Keep the Heart. Follow Janice on Instagram and Facebook, and visit her show by clicking the link below. 

eleven2one radio with Janice Wolfe

Ponder the Path-31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

Minerals for the Mind-A Study of Romans 12 by Kathy Ashley

Mirror Talk-A Journey from Hurt to Healing by Marianne Barnett

The Mirror of God's Word-A Biblical View of Physical Beauty by Robin Parton

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Francie on Facebook

Rebroadcast from June 2021 (2023 Summer Season Rerun)

Have you ever prayed and asked the Lord to reveal any sin in your life, only to have Him point out something that you really didn’t think was wrong? We don't see things as clearly as God sees them. Our vision is imperfect.

There's a good chance that someone listening to this episode has a secret life and you’d probably prefer that it would never be revealed, but God already knows all about it. Whether it’s double-standard living, harboring envy, hiding something from your spouse, or some other sin, here is the reality:  The secret life is not so secret.

A secret life of sin can stunt our growth, limit our service, and harm our reputations.  This episode explores common areas where we tend to justify things that are unbiblical and displeasing to God, followed by suggested solutions. Ultimately, it is up to you to ask God to search and try you personally. He has the ability to cleanse us from "secret faults."

"Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults." (Psalm 19:12)

Ponder the Path-31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

Minerals for the Mind-A Study of Romans 12 by Kathy Ashley

Mirror Talk-A Journey from Hurt to Healing by Marianne Barnett

The Mirror of God's Word-A Biblical View of Physical Beauty by Robin Parton

Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram

Like Keep the Heart on Facebook

Francie on Facebook

You’ve probably known of people who used to be friends, but something went wrong and instead of repairing the problem, they turned against each other. Both friends felt like the other person caused the issue, so they were both waiting for the other to apologize. It was a very long wait. They went to the same church, had an overlapping friend group, and things were awkward for anyone who knew them. Are you the friend with the broken relationship?

Are you holding a grudge against someone right now? When you hear those words, does a face pop up onto the movie screen of your mind? Holding a grudge always hurts the holder more than anyone else.

In the devotional book, Ponder the Path by Francie Taylor, Day 22 addresses the connection between anger and bitterness.  This episode addresses three reasons why holding a grudge is harmful to us and to others. (2023 Summer Season Rerun)

Ponder the Path-Devotional by Francie Taylor

Sister Friends by Francie Taylor

Vitamins for the Soul Bible Study by Kathy Ashley

Mirror Talk-A Journey from Hurt to Healing by Marianne Barnett

Encouragement for Women Devotional by Charity Berkey and Team

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Francie on Facebook

Have you ever faced a sudden event in your life that made you wonder, "What just happened here?"

Heartbreaking events create a pressure in life that is like an explosion.  First, there is shock as a person processes information that knocks them off their feet, and then the pain begins. As pain transitions into a cold numbness, it leaves behind side-effects that take time to resolve. Explosions in families, marriages, ministry, and more are reminders of our perilous times.

What can we do after something has happened to cause the earth to feel like it is crumbling beneath our feet? How do we recover when tragedy strikes, leaving us dazed and wounded? There are some things that we can do, and we'll cover these suggestions in this episode. (2023 Summer Season Rerun)

Sister Friends by Francie Taylor

Vitamins for the Soul Bible Study by Kathy Ashley

Mirror Talk-A Journey from Hurt to Healing by Marianne Barnett

Rough Patches-Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

Encouragement for Women Devotional by Charity Berkey and Team

Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram

Like Keep the Heart on Facebook

Francie on Facebook

Have you mastered the plaster smile? You know, the one that we wear when our insides are not smiling but we don’t want to reveal our true emotions. It’s easy to hide discouragement, but it’s not a solution to pretend to be fine when we’re not. This episode from the top ten in 2021 shares three biblical suggestions for handling discouragement wisely. (2023 Summer Season Rerun)

Ponder the Path Devotional by Francie Taylor

Minerals for the Mind Bible Study by Kathy Ashley

Mirror Talk-A Journey from Hurt to Healing by Marianne Barnett

Rough Patches-Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

Encouragement for Women Devotional by Charity Berkey and Team

Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram

Like Keep the Heart on Facebook

Francie on Facebook

Have you ever dragged your feet on forgiving someone because you thought they deserved to suffer? Or were you so hurt by their words or actions that you felt they deserved punishment? Human nature is painful like that. We don’t like people to hurt us, but we’ll cancel that rule when we’re hurting someone in revenge. We’re not the first to struggle with the issue of not wanting to forgive. Consider this passage from Matthew 18:21-22:

"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."

This is not to make light of serious offenses, but trying to justify withholding forgiveness is asking for a battle with bitterness. This summer rerun shares four side effects of failing to grant forgiveness, and how we can avoid them.  (2023 Summer Season Rerun)

Ponder the Path Devotional by Francie Taylor

Minerals for the Mind Bible Study by Kathy Ashley

The Mirror of God's Word Bible Study by Robin Parton

Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

ICU Heart Conditions Bible Application Study--Leader Guide by Francie Taylor

Proverbs Audio Library read by Francie Taylor

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BONUS MINI-EPISODE FOR WIVES: Let’s blame this bonus episode on the blueberries. They were in season and I was about to sit down with a bowl of these fresh beauties when I had a flashback to how much my husband loved blueberries. I didn’t even try to like them back then, but now I wish I had tried. We could have shared the joy of a fresh harvest together.

This is not an episode for couples with deep marital problems. It's a bonus mini-episode for those who may have accidentally drifted into taking a good marriage for granted.

Are there areas in your marriage where you’re treating your husband and his interests and desires as if they are second to yours? Do you adore your husband, or are you treating him like a college roommate? God has entrusted you with your husband, as he has entrusted your husband with you. What are you doing with that sacred trust?

If you do whatever you want with your marriage, then you’ll get whatever you get in your later years. What will that look like, and does it match your relationship goals? This brief episode is just a simple heart-to-heart from a sister who was married for 35 years and now widowed for barely five. Ask yourself this question: Is your husband's existence better because you're in his life?  (2023 Summer Season Rerun)

Book mentioned in episode: Teachers of Good Things

FOR COUPLES: Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions

ICU Heart Conditions Bible Application Study--Leader Guide

ICU Heart Conditions Participant Guide

Calm in Christ: Benefits of Daily Bible Study ebook

Beautiful Seaside Treasures Mini Shell Bags