Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology

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Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology

You're invited to hang out on Lisa Harper's back porch and enjoy conversations about all things Jesus, theological anthropology, biblical orthodoxy, Spanx, the merits of Tex-Mex and more! We believe this podcast will help you dive deeper into God's word, understand that the gospel is great news for everyday life, not just when viewed in the light of eternity, and that God is for us, that He's always been in the process of redeeming our inherent value as imago Dei and restoring us into a vibrant, intimate relationship with Him.And rest assured, this won't be a one-sided conversation because, throughout the podcast, Lisa will be inviting friends, including some brilliant theologians and academics to join her in substantive but decidedly unstuffy segments. So come on, y'all grab some coffee or sweet tea and join us on the back porch!

  1. 1D AGO

    The Beauty of Divine Discipline – The Theology of Compassionate Consequences

    During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, the second in a series on God’s severe mercy – which is kind of like saying His divine discipline ALWAYS takes place under a canopy of grace - we’re swimming in the deep end of a colorful, albeit very concise book in the Old Testament called Zephaniah. His overarching theme regarding how our crooked hearts will consistently lead us off cliffs without God’s compassionate intervention reminds me of something one of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning, wrote: “If we gloss over our selfishness and rationalize the evil within us, we can only pretend we are sinners and therefore only pretend we have been forgiven.” Come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard, and me.

    44 min

  2. APR 21

    A Gracious Warning on Lukewarm Christianity - The Theology of Compassionate Consequences

    During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology – the first in a series of three – we’re going to delve into some pretty spicy subject matter in the colorful Old Testament book of Zephaniah regarding the overt rebellion of God’s people. We’re going to examine how our spiritual ancestors effectively thumbed their noses at God’s holiness, turned their backs on His kindness, and went out and did whatever nasty, selfish stuff their crooked little hearts desired. Plus, they did so despite His gracious warning that there would be serious consequences for their wicked behavior. My guess is things are about to get a little hot up in here so you might want to bring an iced latte to the porch today!

    50 min

  3. APR 14

    How God Himself Says Grace: The Theology of Prayer

    During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to bring this 4- part series on prayer to a close, which is kind of like taking the very last bite of the very last brownie in a pan. It’s left me wanting more. A few nights ago, I found myself rereading some of the material I’d studied on prayer in preparation for this series and got lost in an old book my dad gave me many years ago by a saint named, E.M. Bounds. He was an attorney and Civil War soldier, who then became a pastor after being seriously wounded in the war, and ultimately a devoted practitioner and prolific author on prayer. I’d almost forgotten that great man of prayer was the pastor of a church right here in Franklin, TN in the late 1800’s, just a few miles from our house. So I drove past his old church, the First United Methodist Church on Fifth Avenue yesterday, and pondered a few of his observations on prayer: • Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet. • Prayer breaks all bars, dissolves all chains, opens all prisons, and widens all straits by which God’s saints have been held. • I would rather have prayer without words than words without prayer. And finally it was E.M. Bounds who described Christoformity as the consummate shape of prayer, “When we see how the life of Jesus was but one of prayer, then we must conclude that to be like Jesus is to pray like Jesus.” We’re calling today’s episode - our swan song on The Theology of Prayer - “How God Himself Said Grace.” So please grab a cup of coffee, your Bible, and a prayer journal – or my favorite thing to write notes on, which is a neon sticky pad – and come hang out on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here.

    50 min

  4. APR 10 · BONUS

    Kari Jobe, Taya Gaukrodger and Hosanna Wong - A Conversation on Being Found

    Today's episode on Back Porch Theology is really special. I mean, all of them are really special. It's kind of like choosing your favorite ice cream flavor, but this feels more like a real family episode, because I get to bring in some friends from the Found Collective. Found Collective is a new event for women to lean more fully into Jesus with Bible teachers and worship leaders. I've got three of my dear friends from the Found Collective, Hosanna Wong, amazing Bible teacher, spoken word artist, Kari Jobe, who's like a little sister, and one of my favorite modern-day psalmists, and Taya Gaukrodger. Taya is also just an amazing artist and worship leader, and we are just kind of hanging out on the porch talking about Jesus, talking about salvation and all that He's done for us. So, this is a little more testimonial than some of our other episodes, which means I hope you are wearing stretchy pants or something comfortable. I hope you've got some sweet tea or your favorite coffee. We want you to lean back, put your feet up, and just enjoy this time of leaning into the embrace of Jesus more fully on the porch. We are so glad you're here! For tickets to Found: Please visit https://foundcollective.com/

    44 min

  5. APR 7

    When the Supernatural Becomes More Natural: The Theology of Prayer

    What happens with the supernatural starts to become more natural? During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re peeling off whatever emotional Spanx are left and getting totally vulnerable in the praxis of prayer. This is our third conversation in a 4-part series we’ve titled The Theology of Prayer. Our fervent hope and prayer is that the time we get to spend on the porch today will help demystify the glorious sacrament of prayer and serve as an encouraging catalyst for all of us to become more confident and consistent in our conversations with God. So please grab a cup of coffee – although decaf might be the best option since we’re going to learn a few anxiety-pulverizing prayers – your Bible, and a prayer journal if you have one and come exhale into the kindness of King Jesus with us. We’re glad you’re here.

    46 min

  6. MAR 31

    How Do We Pray: The Theology of Prayer

    How do you pray? During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re rolling up our sleeves in this second of a 4-part series on prayer and getting practical because we’re going to talk about the awesomely vast and varied praxis of prayer. In my experience, far too many of us have been taught - overtly or tacitly - that there’s one “right” way to pray and unfortunately the implication we perceived is that we’re a square peg in the round hole of prayer and don’t know how to “correctly” commune with God. The prayers recorded in the redemptive history of God’s people are wonderfully diverse. There are short prayers and long prayers and quiet petitions and shouted pleas, they reflect both the rapture and the rupture of real people experiencing real life! What IS a common denominator in the conversations people had with our Creator in Scripture is the awareness that we humans can’t make it by ourselves - we NEED His divine help! So please grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea or thimble full of wheat grass juice, a couple of snacks, your Bible and a prayer journal if you have one - otherwise a couple of sticky notes will do - and come hang out on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here.

    1h 9m

  7. MAR 24

    Why Do We Pray: The Theology of Prayer

    Ever wonder why do we pray? Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is the first of a four-part series we’re really excited and passionate about called The Theology of Prayer. Alli, Dr. Howard and I have talked and dreamed and pondered and of course prayed about doing a series on prayer for years, and I think the main reason it’s taken us so long to finally record this series is because the glorious rich, nuanced, profound, practical and transformative experience of communing with our Creator Redeemer is kind of like the mouth-watering brisket they serve at Buccees. Karl Barth – one of my favorite theologians wrote this, “To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.” Isn’t that good? I’m not nearly as wise as those saints but in my experience of being a Christ-follower for more than half a century now, I’ve found prayer to be the very scaffolding of my security and contentment. At this point in my life, prayer is as necessary and life-giving as breathing. We’re really looking forward to the next couple of episodes and we’re so grateful to get to share them with y’all.

    53 min

  8. MAR 17

    The Theology of ROAR: Judges Part 4

    During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, the very last stop in our topsy-turvy tour through Judges, we’re going to hang out with a hot mess of a man who was my favorite character in biblical narrative – apart from Jesus, of course – when I was a little girl. His name was Samson and I’m not sure why I was so captivated by him when I was a kid because for most of his life, he was a rebel without a clue. Although Sam’s birth announcement was engraved by an angel, and he was doted on by good and godly parents who suffered through decades of infertility before they got pregnant with him, he rejected their morality and devotion to God and went careening in the opposite direction. I’m not going to spoil the audacious end of his story in this preview, but if you’ve been on the porch for the last few episodes, you know that divine redemption is always lurking in the darkest alleys of humanity. Dr. Tim Keller explained it beautifully, “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” We’re serving up extra portions of hope on the porch today, so we’re delighted you’ve chosen to pull up a chair to chow down with us. Please grab your favorite beverage, and a Bible and let’s dive into this divine love story and remind our prone-to-wander selves of the miraculous redemption available to us because God’s faithfulness has always been weightier than our flaws!

    48 min
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You're invited to hang out on Lisa Harper's back porch and enjoy conversations about all things Jesus, theological anthropology, biblical orthodoxy, Spanx, the merits of Tex-Mex and more! We believe this podcast will help you dive deeper into God's word, understand that the gospel is great news for everyday life, not just when viewed in the light of eternity, and that God is for us, that He's always been in the process of redeeming our inherent value as imago Dei and restoring us into a vibrant, intimate relationship with Him.And rest assured, this won't be a one-sided conversation because, throughout the podcast, Lisa will be inviting friends, including some brilliant theologians and academics to join her in substantive but decidedly unstuffy segments. So come on, y'all grab some coffee or sweet tea and join us on the back porch!

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