Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology – Details, episodes & analysis

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Peanut butter and jelly, Starsky and Hutch, Chips and queso, Cagney and Lacey, tea and honey, Dolly and Jelly Roll…there are some partnerships that just make sense, like they were absolutely made for each other. Well on today’s bonus conversation on Back Porch Theology, we get to introduce y’all to a new friend that fits us like a glove called Sight and Sound Theatre. Sight and Sound – or S’squared, which is the cool nickname Alli and I have cooked up for them! – is an awesome organization with a purpose and passion for bringing stories to life that reveal the power of the Gospel. What began as one couple’s prayer and a single slide projector fifty years ago has since grown into two live theater locations, an online streaming platform, and a feature film studio, reaching audiences around the world with stories from the pages of scripture and history. And since there’s not much we love more here on BPT than telling stories about who God is and the faithful things He does, we fell pretty hard for these folks because showcasing His redemptive mercy is their primary motivation too! We can’t wait for you to meet them, so please grab your Bible and a cup of something iced and caffeinated – I don’t start drinking hot coffee until the weather starts cooling down because there’s just something about holding a steaming beverage while my sweaty thighs are sticking to the seat that grieves me – and come prop your feet up on the porch with us.

Learn more about the Hope Together event here.

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The older I get, the more convinced I am that admittedly flawed sinners are the most credible witnesses of the Gospel, because blemished believers can’t fake moral superiority. Our scars make it glaringly apparent that we couldn’t protect ourselves from harm. Authentic Christian warriors with scabby knees, bruised hearts, and even track-marked arms, who sometimes stumble yet always grab onto the arm of Holy Spirit in order to stand up again and again, exemplify the redemptive power of divine grace. We prove how miraculous and restorative the love of God really is. We know we can’t make it by ourselves and can only keep ourselves together because of the miraculous redemption King Jesus provided for us on the cross. In his book, Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning wrote, “On the last day, Jesus will look us over not for medals, diplomas, or honors, but for scars.” Today on Back Porch Theology, Alli, Dr. Howard and I are rolling up our sleeves to show you our scars in the hopes they’ll help you lean more fully into the embrace of Jesus – the One with the loveliest nail prints in His hands and His feet.

Learn more about the Hope Together event here.

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here.

Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is kind of a Christmas come early for me because we get to hang out with my dear friend Kristi McClelland, who’s a Bible teacher, author, scholar, college professor, massive Narnia fan, as well as a human colander who leaks Gospel joy everywhere she goes! We’re covering a wide range of topics today eventually landing in Luke’s Gospel account and let me encourage you to lean in and turn up the volume a tad because some of what may initially sound like extraneous small talk is riddled with spiritual gold. Her experience and explanation regarding the transition from dutiful submission to God’s will – that is obeying what He tells us to do through the imperatives in His Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit – to surrendering to God’s will with peaceful agreement and anticipatory hope is a wise template for spiritual maturity and intimacy with our Creator Redeemer. This is another one of those “bring your notebook to the porch” episodes because much like you need two paper plates to carry the glorious weight of a burger and baked beans and corn on the cob and potato salad and a big slice of watermelon at a barbeque, the litany of biblical truisms Kristi shares are too heavy for most of us to carry with our memories alone! So please grab a tumbler of iced oat milk with a heavy splash of cream and mocha, or a Stanley filled to the brim with sparkling water and a squeeze of fresh lime, or whatever your favorite summer beverage is and your Bible – unless you’ve got both hands wrapped tightly around a steel wool scrubber trying to scrape barbeque grime off your Blackstone like I did this past weekend, of course – and come prop your feet up on the porch with us, we’re absolutely delighted to get to spend this time with you. 

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Learn more about the Hope Together event here.

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to continue exploring the Old Testament historical narratives, as well as the biblical significance of both banquets and barren places. We’re going to talk about what it really means to be adopted into God’s family and assured a seat at His family table. And Dr. Howard’s going to give us a much more hopeful and holistic understanding of the theological term soteriology because putting your hope in Jesus Christ is so much better than a one and done moment at youth camp or a single step on some ethereal ladder of religiousity! The supernatural atonement Jesus made available to us through His suffering and subsequent death on a cross, followed by His bodily resurrection is a 360-degree experience of divine grace – He really is making all things new, y’all! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or participating in a hotly contested thumb war, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr Howard and me.

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@BackPorchTheologyPodcast
@LisaDHarper
@AllisonAllen
@Jim.Howard.Co

Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.  

Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023 

Learn more about the Hope Together event here.

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re going to dive into a crazy Old Testament family drama more colorful than an episode of Yellowstone and in so doing we’re going to highlight what Dr. A.W. Tozer said many years ago: It takes humility to worship God acceptably. There’s a lovely little Hebrew word in the Old Testament pronounced kah-vode that can mean two things: “glory” as in God’s glory, and “weight” as in the waistline of someone who’s been indulging in too many Krispy Kremes. And this one little word packs quite a punch in our convo today because it leads us to the conclusion that human shoulders aren’t nearly broad enough to carry the weight of God’s glory – spiritual leadership and Christian celebrity are not remotely synonymous. As my friend Christine Caine wisely and soberly says, “If the light on you in brighter than the light of Christ in you, it has the potential to kill you.” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or in the final stages of putting together a Lego replica of the Millennium Falcon, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us.

Follow Us On Instagram!

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast
@LisaDHarper
@AllisonAllen
@Jim.Howard.Co

Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.    

Learn more about the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminary. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.  

Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31 

Learn more about the Hope Together event here.

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re going to wrestle with the question: “Is true happiness actually the absence of sadness” and in so doing we’re to delve into the theological territory of “theodicy.” We’re also going to talk openly and honestly about the false assumption that when you put your hope in Jesus, He’ll make life easier – possibly even painless. The Biblical text and compelling true story we’re diving into is found in the Old Testament Historical book of First Samuel. And since it goes without saying that Alli & I are rabid Dr. Tim Keller fans, we’ve chosen this quote from Dr. Keller as the tantalizing intro for today’s convo on the porch: “While other worldviews lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows, Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows, tasting the coming joy.” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or practicing math on an abacus, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us.

Follow Us On Instagram!

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast
@LisaDHarper
@AllisonAllen
@Jim.Howard.Co

Back Porth Theology is sponsored in part by the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminary. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.

Learn more about the Hope Together event here.

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to delve into a very colorful Old Testament story that illustrates the symbiotic relationship between blessing and boundaries. History proves over and over again that without the life-giving promises AND parameters of Scripture, we lose our bearings – ultimately our identity and our dignity. Now speaking of boundaries, because the historical context of the Biblical narrative we’re going to peruse in this episode is spicy – it reads more like HBO than the Hallmark Channel - I want to encourage y’all to make sure there aren’t any little ears listening along with you. Please make sure your kids, grandkids, neighbor’s kids or pre-teen passersby are out of earshot, then grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or arranging a charcuterie board, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Ally and me.

Follow Us On Instagram!

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast
@LisaDHarper
@AllisonAllen
@Jim.Howard.Co

Back Porth Theology is sponsored in part by the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminary. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.

Learn more about the Hope Together event here.

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to lean into another Psalm, which if you listened to last week’s episode, you know entails listening intently to one of the tunes on God’s proverbial Spotify list since all of the Psalms were originally penned as song lyrics. The particular Psalm we’re focusing on today is Psalm 42, which is a bluesy kind of tune and technically classified as a Psalm of Lament. It’s also essentially an engraved invitation to mature into a more honest relationship with our Creator Redeemer. To trust Him enough to confess our disappointment, grief, and despair as a raw and unfiltered act of worship. Because from our emotional ashes, God can build a pathway to more secure hope, deeper joy and steadfast peace. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or sheering sheep of course, and come hang out on the porch with us.

Follow Us On Instagram!

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast
@LisaDHarper
@AllisonAllen
@Jim.Howard.Co

Back Porth Theology is sponsored in part by the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminary. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.

Learn more about the Hope Together event here.

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to exhale into a green Scriptural pasture that church father and ancient theologian, John Calvin, described as “an anatomy of all parts of the soul.” The Psalms. Every emotion in the human continuum is expressed somewhere in these 150 Psalms that were all originally composed as songs. These biblical lyrics record both the dancing and the weeping of God’s people. As a matter of fact, they contain more bluesy kind of tunes than anything else, proving that our Savior doesn’t require us to sanitize our emotions or cull out the dark ones before we approach Him. God’s love for us is immutable…it doesn’t change regardless of what kind of emotional season we’re in. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or docking a boat of course, and come hang out on the porch with us.

Follow Us On Instagram!

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast
@LisaDHarper
@AllisonAllen
@Jim.Howard.Co

Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.      

Learn more about the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminay. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.

Learn more about the Hope Together event here.

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to apply John’s observation in Revelation 12:11 where he tells us that satan - that lying lizard whose sole purpose is to rob, steal, kill and try to destroy humanity – is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. In other words, when we talk about how God compassionately pulled us out of pits we dug ourselves and how He’s currently revealing His grace and faithfulness, we effectively twist the sword in that nasty dragon’s chest. The enemy of our souls simply can’t stand it when we talk about how good our Creator Redeemer is, y’all – our God stories are his kryptonite! And today’s testimony-teller is none other than my five foot twelve sister from another mister, the Shirley to my Laverne, the Laurel to my Hardy, the Oats to my Hall – well, you get the picture. Today’s all about Alli! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or pumicing your heels of course, and come hang out on the porch with us. 

Follow Us On Instagram!

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast
@LisaDHarper
@AllisonAllen
@Jim.Howard.Co

Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.

Learn more about the Hope Together event here.