Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore a passage in Luke and expose the awe-deprivation that has permeated modern Christendom. Then we’re going to take off our spiritual Spanx and have a real and raw conversation about how we can recover the wonder we used to have at Christmas when we were absolutely undone by the truism of Immanuel – of God. With. Us. Remember when your eyes welled up whenever you sang, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing, GLORY to the newborn king?” What happened to the starry eyes we used to have only for Jesus? One of my spiritual mentors, Pastor and Professor Scotty Smith, wryly observed that far too many Christ-followers are like Cinderella with amnesia. Some of us have forgotten that believing in Jesus swings the door wide open to a glorious adventure and mystery greater than our imaginations could possibly conjure up! We. Have. Been written into the lead role of an epic, divine love story called Christianity, y’all – which as Sir C.S. Lewis exclaimed: “Is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.” Our jaws should still be hanging open over the inscrutable fact that the only true God who CREATED THE WORLD WITH HIS WORD condescended from glory to make His grace accessible to us! Today is our wake-up call to WONDER… so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or trying to superimpose your mother-in-law’s head on that dancing digital elf, 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.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about some of the less prominent features – the “tucked away treasures” in the Christmas story that illustrate the fact that nothing and no one is insignificant to God. Even the quietest - often overlooked - details of this love story we call the Bible bellow the attentive compassion of our Kinsman Redeemer! From Joseph’s gentle and generous assent to becoming an adoptive father, to the astral projection that compelled a crew of wise men to pack their bags and begin a 1,000 mile trek to meet a foreign toddler, to the royal specificity of an ancient substance called frankincense that’s still royally pricey today if you’re one of those passionate essential-oilers, the minutia of Christmas was miraculous. And while they weren’t loud, blow-your-hair-back kind of supernatural stuff, the finer points of the birth narrative we’re perusing today changed the course of history. Reminds me of what a wise dude named Zechariah said a long time ago, “Don’t despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” If you’re feeling unseen, irrelevant, or unappreciated today, be encouraged this one’s especially for you! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or untangling Christmas lights in the attic, 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.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore a colorful passage at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel account to help prepare our hearts for the miracle of Christmas during this, the first week of Advent. Because despite what retailers would like us to think, the Advent has nothing whatsoever to do with shopping! The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means arrival or coming. In the 4th and 5th Centuries, Advent marked the season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany. During that ancient season of preparation, Christ-followers spent 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for the baptisms of new believers at Epiphany. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages, that Advent was solely connected with Christmas. And while joy is certainly one facet of Advent, there is a necessary sobriety to this season as Deitrich Bonhoeffer explained in his observation: "The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come." Bonhoeffer’s assertion that only those cognizant of their own flaws can actually celebrate Christ’s coming aptly describes the biblical characters we’ll be hanging out with today because their true stories sound like they’ve been ripped from the tabloids! They’re pretty unusual – if not very unlikely - ambassadors of Advent but they provide glorious proof that perfection is not a prerequisite to be adopted into the family of God! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or feeding a giant Tupperware of cranberry sauce into the garbage disposal, 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.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to use a uniquely American holiday that involves consuming copious amounts of dead bird and marshmallow-slathered root vegetables as a springboard to talk about the global spiritual fruit of gratitude. Our hope is that this conversation will be beneficial to all Backporchers - whether you live in Nashville, Nairobi, New York or New Zealand! And the passage we’re going to dive into is non-traditional as well. More often than not Christians turn to the New Testament when the topic is eucharisteo – that’s the original Greek word the English word “thanksgiving” is translated from – but we’re going Old Testament today to talk about how unlike the Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate here in America the last Thursday in November, gratitude is supposed to be an on-going, everyday expression of faith for Christ-followers. One of my theological heroes – Sir G.K. Chesterton – who wrote the classic book, “Orthodoxy” – said it well in this keen observation: “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or have your hands in the nether-regions of a frozen Turkey, 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.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to get real and raw about those seasons in life when we seriously consider throwing in the towel. Or at least whacking an adversary with a wet one! In John 10:10 our Redeemer, King Jesus, promises us abundant life – but He never promised that it would be easy. As a matter of fact, in John 16 Jesus confided that in this life, we’ll actually have some trouble. So how do we keep running the race so as to win the prize as Paul admonishes? How do we keep on keeping on when life knocks the wind out of both our sails and our lungs? Well, there’s a couple of divine diamonds at the tail end of Hebrews we’re going to excavate today that we believe will help those of us who feel like we're running on fumes to get refueled in every sense of the term, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or knitting Christmas prayer shawls, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about an eschatalogical passage toward the end of Mark’s gospel that at first glance comes across as alarming. Remember eschatology is just a fancy, multi-syllabic, theological term that refers to the doctrine of end times or last things. And regardless of what your personal or your denomination’s doctrinal view of eschatology is - whether you’re pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, amillenial or just confused about all the trib-talk because your only association with that term is from the Hunger Games - far too many believers associate the end times only with ominous and apocalyptic and stockpiling lentils from Costco. However, there’s a revelatory nugget in Mark’s gospel that promises the return of Christ will be infinitely more glorious than gloom and doom. Mind you, we’re not advocating for Christians to quit stockpiling lentils, we just hope you’re doing so because you’re throwing an awesome Fall party for all your neighbors wherein everybody’s bellies will get full from the wonderful soup you make with those ancient grains and their hearts turn toward Jesus because of the stories you’re compelled to share about how Jesus has redeemed your life as we occupy well until He comes back for His bride by loving the image-bearers around us! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or milking the family cow, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about a heart-warming story in Mark’s Gospel narrative that involves a man named Bart, who much like the little engine that could of children’s literature, persevered through significant adversity and by doing so, experienced both the miracle of physical and emotional healing. We’re also going to talk about a Greek word that’s used in the original telling of Bart’s story – epitimao – which means, “to command with the implication of a threat” and how some of us have laid down God-authored dreams because of the cold water others have poured on our proverbial fires. Our deep hope is that the Holy Spirit will use today’s conversation to spur some of you to pick up a divine dream you prematurely discarded and that much like Caleb, you’d begin to realize your latter years will be even better than your former and that our compassionate Creator Redeemer is not through writing the redemptive chapters in your story! Today might just be the day that real hope barges back into your battered heart, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or getting a head start on hanging Christmas lights, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore the miraculously cohesive band of brothers Jesus chose to be His disciples, and how they modeled unity not uniformity. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a group of men in the Ancient Near East who were more diametrically opposed with regards to cultural views and societal norms. The Hatfields and McCoys might’ve had more things in common than the original twelve! And in light of Jesus intentionally choosing exactly a dozen raggamuffins to follow Him – which many scholars say is a nod to the orginal twelve tribes – we’re heading back to the Old Testament today too to highlight a hapax legomenon (which means a word or expression that’s only used once in a linguistic context or entire text) that pretty much proves the adage, “God doesn’t always call those who are equipped, but He always equips those He calls!” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or hollowing out a decorative gourd, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to tackle all things theophany – which is a form of divine revelation where God’s miraculous presence is made visible and recognizable to mere humans. Some of the most familiar theophanies in Holy Writ are the flaming topiary through which God affirmed and called a stuttering Moses to lead Israel out of captivity, as well as the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that accompanied the Israelites through the wilderness wanderings. However, we’re going to focus on some really cool, less familiar theophanies today because there’s loads of theological significance regarding the nature of our trinitarian God to glean from biblical theophanies and Christophanies – which are theophanies that have a human form – but they also have the capacity to spur our faith and fertilize some old-school awe over the fact that our Creator Redeemer loves us so much that He condescends to make Himself unmistakable to us. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or French-braiding your show horse’s tail, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@AllisonAllen@Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking 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. 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.   Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023