Keep the Heart

I was on vacation when I caught myself trying to fix a problem the wrong way. It wasn’t meal time and I wasn’t hungry, but I wandered into the kitchen anyway and opened the bag of sea salt potato chips and started munching. I sort of measured out a serving size of 15 chips, but the broken ones don’t count right? Then I needed something sweet to offset the salty, so I ate a short stack of ginger cookies. Next, I opened the fridge and had a wedge of Wisconsin sharp cheddar. When I came back in the kitchen an hour later and opened the can of cashews, I said this to myself:

“Food won’t fix this.”

And then I put the lid back on the can of cashews, turned off the kitchen light and left the room. I was trying to solve a problem that wasn’t hunger, but I was eating as if food would fix it. It would never work.

Sometimes our wrestling matches with food habits are related to this quote: "It’s not what we’re eating. It’s what’s eating us."

Food doesn’t solve problems, but it can add a few. If we learn recognize the times when we’re eating for reasons other than hunger, we can make changes. Let’s consider three common reasons why we eat when we’re not hungry, and what we can do instead.

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BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, an audio series in Proverbs. If you're new to this series, the purpose of these recordings is to encourage the habit of getting into the Word daily. God uses Bible study to transform us "by the renewing of our minds" (Rom. 12:2). For years, people have used the Proverb-a-Day system to build a daily Bible reading habit, and it has been very successful in helping people to develop a daily habit of reading and personal Bible study. 

We'll continue to upload a Proverbs chapter to the Bonus episode library weekly until we've completed the entire book of Proverbs. Once we hit chapter 31, you can begin using these chapters in order by the date on the calendar (read Proverbs chapter one on the 1st of each month, chapter 2 on the 2nd and continue until chapter 31). What begins as an exercise soon becomes a part of the fabric of your life. 

The struggle to be in the Word is real, and this is our small way of helping listeners to create a beneficial habit. Daily Bible reading is enriches our lives and keeps us from turning away from God. "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23:12) Proverbs chapter two takes less than five minutes to read. You'll have plenty of time to replay and pray!

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Welcome to TEACHBACK TUESDAY! Now that we have a year's worth of episodes in the library, we'll weave the earlier episodes in between the new ones for 2022. This allows more time for book projects at Keep the Heart, and keeps the podcast going when Francie is hopping on and off airplanes during conference season. We hope you'll enjoy these occasional replays. This week's episode was the first full episode (not including the Trailer) on the podcast. 

I can tell. I sounded very nervous. I didn't know how to ride the podcast bike yet.

Based on Proverbs 22:4, Riches, Honor, and Life is a mini lesson on how God blesses us when we yield to His plan for our lives. Humility and fear of the Lord are keys to riches, honor, and life, but God sees these valuable assets differently than we see them. God has perfect vision. Our limited lenses need His fine-tuning for better vision. 

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BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Introducing Build Your Bible Habit! Do you struggle to get into Scripture daily? You're not alone, but this problem can be fixed and we'd like to help. For years, people have used the Proverb-a-Day system to build a daily Bible reading habit, and it has been very successful in helping people to develop a daily habit of reading and Bible study. If you've been repeating the same mistakes and falling in the same ditch, perhaps it's because you're spiritually underfed.

We'll post a Proverbs chapter to the Bonus episode library weekly until we've completed the entire book of Proverbs. Once we hit chapter 31, you can begin using these chapters in order by the date on the calendar (read Proverbs chapter one on the 1st of each month, chapter 2 on the 2nd and continue until chapter 31). Many of you have already done this system, but for those who haven't, prepare to develop a deeper level of wisdom and a closer walk with God.

We know that you can get an audio Bible through any Bible app. This is just an extra service that we're providing from a sister friend who cares. Daily Bible reading is essential to our spiritual health. As it says in Proverbs 8:34 "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors." When you're in the Word daily, you're feasting on Soul Food!

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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 keep in mind when we’re trying to discern when to speak and when to be silent.

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TRAILER 2022: Welcome to Season Two of the podcast at Keep the Heart. This episode is a brief introduction to the podcast. Regular episodes for Season Two will begin on January 18, 2022. New listeners, welcome to the table! Returning listeners, we're so grateful for your continued support. 

Have you ever seen the plate spinner in a circus routine? He or she starts spinning the plates on these tall sticks, one by one until there’s a whole row of spinning plates. The plate spinner then dashes back to the beginning of the plates, spinning each one to keep them from falling. Some of you are out there spinning the plates, trying to keep everything together. We get it! We know how busy you are. Raising children or living in the "sandwich generation" of raising children while caring for elderly parents. Facing drama and walking on egg shells in a volatile work culture. Family issues. Financial challenges. Health issues... add your issue and we have a potluck stew of busy on multiple levels!

Because of the warp-speed pace of life, episodes at Keep the Heart will continue to be 15 minutes or less. In that time, you will receive a lesson written with a goal of inspiring listeners to follow God and walk in His ways. And just like last season, these episodes will be brief but packed with principles that you can apply right away. We encourage you to bring a journal or something for taking notes, as we've been told by our listeners that they review the lessons from these episodes multiple times. Other listeners take this podcast with them on their daily walks. Whatever your listening style, we will provide inspiring lessons in small but loaded packages.

Podcast subscribers are the first to know when a new episode has launched, so if you want to be in the know, subscribe today! We will continue the mission found in Proverbs 4:23, which says this: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Please subscribe, share this with your friends, and support the podcast though a purchase or a donation in the shop at keeptheheart.com. Most of all, we greatly appreciate your prayers as we continue to create podcast episodes, books, and Bible studies designed to encourage living God’s Word.

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BONUS EPISODE: Welcome to the Best of Keep the Heart from 2021. This podcast was launched on January 21, 2021 in the studio of Faith Music Radio, where I went through a week of intensive training with veteran radio hosts Dan and Janice Wolfe. They are a gifted dynamic duo, running a media consulting business and ministry at the same time. Both Dan and Janice have their own shows on Faith Music Radio, and Dan is also the Vice President and General Manager of the radio station while Janice has a thriving podcast here. Once I arrived in Evansville for "podcast boot camp," I was told that I wasn’t going home until I had an episode on the air! A huge shout out of THANKS to Dan and Janice Wolfe and Faith Music Radio!

Today you’ll hear the first most-downloaded episode of 2021: “Recovering from Spiritual Dryness.”

I can’t help but wonder if this episode resonated with so many because of the pandemic. After all, we were shut out of church for a season, and then we realized that there were some things that were very robotic about our attempts to worship the Lord. Revival is often born during times of trial. “Recovering from Spiritual Dryness” shared three indicators that we may be spiritually thirsty, along with suggestions for recovering from this temporary condition. Here’s your first-place episode from 2021!

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BONUS EPISODE: Welcome back to the Best of Keep the Heart from 2021! Thank you for listening and for continuing to tune in while we’re on break. Season Two begins with a new episode on Tuesday, January 18th of 2022. Wow, 2021 was a vapor! Today you’ll hear the SECOND most-downloaded episode of 2021: “Escaping the Bondage of Self-Indulgence.” It was totally unplanned for this episode to land on the first spot for 2022, when many people are thinking about personal improvements. Coincidence? No. "God-incidence."

If you missed this episode when it first aired in September 2021, you'll hear why it resonated with so many listeners. Self-indulgence is a natural battle. As I’ll mention in the opening, we’re all unique and while we may have common struggles, God can put His finger on our weaknesses and help us to overcome them by His power and might, not by our own. Here comes the refresher on “Escaping the Bondage of Self-Indulgence”! This is better than a New Year’s resolution. God can give us a New Life transformation, which is way better!

Welcome to the new listeners, and a big thank you to the returning listeners. Thank you for sharing this podcast with your friends!

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BONUS EPISODE: Welcome to the Best of Keep the Heart from 2021. The first episode of our new podcast aired on January 21, 2021. As of December 21, 2021, Keep the Heart has had over 170,000 downloads, totally astounding this newbie podcaster! Thank you for listening, and for referring us to your loved ones as well.

Three episodes rose to the top out of 52 main episodes. Today you’ll hear the THIRD most-downloaded episode of 2021: “Signs of a Controlling Person.” It was a close contest. This episode only missed second place by two downloads!

If you haven't heard this yet, you can catch it now! If you heard “Signs of a Controlling Person” back in July of 2021, then this will be a refresher. Listen as this episode covers three signs of a controlling person, along with suggested solutions to this common but exhausting habit.

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Are you having a family gathering for Christmas? Maybe you’ve already been contacted by some who have opted not to come, or who have requested that everyone be vaccinated before gathering. Or maybe you have family members who won’t visit unless everyone tests negative for COVID. No matter what you think or where you stand on the pandemic and all the connected issues, one thing is still true: we don’t have to argue about this or anything else at the dinner table.

Mocking people for their stand in the pandemic is unwise and does nothing attract people to Christ. Many people are genuinely afraid of catching the virus or any severe illness. Ridiculing someone for their fear is not going to decrease the fear, but it may increase the misconception that Christians are uncaring. Let’s face it: More people are afraid of dying than ever before, and without Christ, this fear is reasonable. Do we care more about debating the merits of a vaccine than sharing the Gospel?

When we become combative and argumentative as Christians, we’re looking less and less like Jesus. One of the greatest risks we face is not just a loss of personal freedoms; it’s a decrease of love for the lost.

You and I can’t do much about the storyline being pushed by national news, but we do have control over what happens within our own homes. How can we have gatherings with loved ones who have strongly held opinions that differ from ours? Is it possible? Yes, it is.

For this year-end episode, I’ll share three guidelines that I abide by in our home, with a goal of providing ideas, not mandates. These are unwritten but helpful policies that I quietly employ. This is our final episode of Season One. Thank you for your support of this young podcast!

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