Less Duty and More Delight – How to Feast on God’s Word with Kristi McLelland

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, Alli and I are tip-toeing carefully into foreign territory because we’re talking about the massive benefit of having moments when we’re not talking!  C.S. Lewis wrote extensively about the value of solitary moments and considered silence to be a powerful force for spiritual transformation – he described it as a strategic way to get closer to God.  It’s going to be a good day on the porch, y’all – whether you’re a saint of few words or a gabber like us – so please pour yourself a mug of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, grab your Bible, and pull up a chair. We’re so glad we get to spend this time leaning more fully into the love of God with you. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.

Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re talking about the spiritual discipline of fasting – the willingness to forgo food, or social media, or some other physical or emotional comfort in order to focus more of our attention and affection on God.  One of my favorite ancient theologians, Thomas A’Kempis, wrote this in his classic book “The Imitation of Christ”: True peace of heart therefore is found by resisting our passions, not by obeying them. Our Savior is the only One who can master us without abusing us. And sometimes, allowing ourselves to feel physical hunger pains is what prompts us to lean more fully into Jesus to satisfy the spiritual hunger in our hearts and minds.  We’re diving in pretty deep today y’all, so please grab a tall glass of something refreshing, along with your Bible and a notebook or sticky pad and come hang out on the porch with us. We’re so grateful we get to spend this time with you. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.

Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is the first in a 4-part series exploring the biblical foundations of “Spiritual Formation.”  There are lots of strong opinions regarding which practices in particular should be included in a classic spiritual formation plan, but we’re only going to cover a couple here on BPT, beginning with table fellowship. Have you ever noticed how often Jesus gathered around a table with His friends and disciples and shared a meal?  The Gospels include as many depictions of our Savior eating as it does Him praying! Frankly, sharing meals and worshipping God are synergistic throughout the Bible. Please grab your favorite beverage, a couple of snacks, and your Bible then come prop your feet up on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here! Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.

Today’s conversation on the porch is a highlight reel of the theological topics that have garnered the most response from y’all. Things like how the gap between our formal theology and our functional becomes a seedbed of hypocrisy. We’re also going to talk about how the Bible is much more about “we” than “me” and how community is the most effective hermeneutic of the Gospel – in other words, we formulate our understanding of who our Creator Redeemer is largely through the lens of community. Which reminds me, the only reason Alli, Dr. Howard and I get to do this podcast is because you choose to pull your chairs up to the proverbial porch with us – thank you. We’re so grateful for this community of faith and it is such a joy to get to dive deeply into the Word of God and lean more fully into the love of God with y’all. So, you know the drill: grab a cup of coffee  and your Bible – and come prop your feet up on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.

Today’s conversation is a first on Back Porch Theology because we’ve chosen three highlights from the entire library of our previous 188 podcasts and put them together in a special Best-Views-From-the-Porch episode that we hope not only puts a smile on your fact but helps you lean more fully into the unconditional love of our Creator Redeemer. And spoiler alert: we’re covering a wide swath of biblical territory today - from Ezer Kenegdo in Genesis to synergos in Romans - so you might want to bring some high energy snacks and don’t forget your Bible. Alli, Dr. Howard and I are so glad you’re here – it’s both an honor and a delight for us to get to spend this time focusing our attention and affection on Jesus with y’all! Thank you very much for choosing to carve out the time to hang out with us. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.

Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is a sequel because Alli and I got to hang out with one of our dear friends, Professor Kristi McLelland. This snippet from Kristi’s new book, Feasting on God’s Word, will give you a glimpse of the adventure we’re diving into today: “Life is both long and short. It has high and low moments. The promise of the Bible is that God is with us in and through it all. He has never been afraid of entering into the dust and ruin; restoration renewal, and repair are part of who He is.” We’re diving in pretty deep today y’all, so I’d encourage you to lean in and listen when you’ve got some breathing space and a little elbow room for the great, big, beautiful – albeit possibly weary – heart of yours. So please grab your favorite beverage, some yummy snacks, and that divine love letter we call the Bible. Then pull up a chair and prop your feet up on the porch with Alli, Professor Kristi, and me – we’re grateful you’ve carved out the time and space to be with us today. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology Alli and I have the distinct privilege of diving deep into this divine love letter we call the Bible with one of our very dear friends who just so happens to be a world-renowned Bible scholar, Professor Kristi McLelland. Kristi spent over a year living in Egypt and Israel so that she could study Scripture in its original socio-historical context, and the fruits of her labor will leave you gob-smacked with wonder over the accessible, redemptive truisms in God’s Word. Just listen to this excerpt from her new book, Feasting on God’s Word, “We are not orphans; we are not fatherless. We do not have to open the Bible and dig something out to feed ourselves. We are not alone in the moment. When we approach the Word of God, we do so as sons and daughters postured to receive. Rather than having to feed ourselves, we are readying ourselves to inherit and take in whatever the living God is ready to say and do as we interact with the Text.” If you want less duty and more delight when you engage with the redemptive narrative and promises found in God’s enscripturated revelation, today’s episode is tailor made for you, baby! So please grab an iced mocha and of course bring your Bible as you pull up a proverbial chair on the porch with us…we’re really glad you’re here! Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.

Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is with some of the world’s most renowned Bible scholars and theologians who were with us for Kerygma ‘25 including: Dr. Lynn Cohick, Dr. Craig Blomberg, Dr. Craig Keener, Dr. Dorian Coover Cox, Dr. Scot McKnight, Dr. Jim Howard, Dr. Nicole Massey Martin, Dr. Eva Bleeker, and Dr. Joel Muddamalle. Here’s a sample of just a few of the questions they answer: What’s the significance of the numerous “in Christ” references throughout Paul’s New Testament epistles and how do they prove that God’s love drives His redemptive plan? Why is Augustine’s famous assertion: “In essentials – UNITY; in non-essentials, FREEDOM; in all things – CHARITY” necessary for a well-developed ecclesiology and missional focus? How can those of us who are serious about our faith not lose our heart for Jesus and other image bearers in our quest for biblical accuracy and theological acumen? Why do we have to be careful about merging triumphalism and exceptionalism into our faith narrative? How we can best tune our spiritual ears to the shape in which our Creator Redeemer contextualized this love letter we call the Bible? Today’s dream team of scholars is about to give us a master class of biblically informed wisdom infused with grace and humility. So please grab a jumbo cup of java, your Bible, a notebook, and come hang out on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, Alli and I are hanging out with one of my dear friends, DawnCheré Wilkerson, who’s really gifted at something I really struggle with, which is waiting. The first time I met DawnCheré – about ten years ago – she and her husband, Pastor Rich Wilkerson, were in the midst of a very long season of infertility. And yet she was somehow pregnant with hope. When I asked her how she held onto genuine hope and joy after so many years of heartbreak and disappointment, she told me that God was teaching her to live in the wait. Waiting is inescapable. And while we might feel like a whole lot of nothing is going on in a slow burn, we couldn’t be more wrong. There most definitely is something going on. God has not forgotten you and because of His immutable presence and grace, we can all experience the miraculous juxtaposition of divine wonder within our waits. So please fix yourself a cup of coffee and your Bible, and come hang out on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here today. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology Alli and I are diving deep into the swirling waters of gender discrimination disguised as biblically-sound exegesis. Recent polls have revealed that for the first time in American church history, young women are leaving mainline Christian congregations at a higher rate than young men and one of the main reasons cited is their observation and/or personal experience with misogyny. With being treated as “less than” simply because they’re female. Thankfully, despite culture’s penchant for the prejudicial treatment of women, God’s redemptive plan reveals itself over and over again in the metanarrative of the Bible, as evidenced by several Old and New Testament stories we’re going to unpack on the porch today. And while we’re calling this episode “Let’s hear it for the girls” we sincerely hope that all of you amazing brothers who’ve pulled up a chair to the porch will stay; because gentlemen, we need you. You’re in a unique position and have more potential than you probably even realize to help broken hearted daughters in the family of faith heal. We need more than a few good and godly men who will stand up for what the Bible really says it comes to this painful, and often polarizing issue. So please grab an extra-large iced beverage and your Bible – unless, of course, you’ve got your hands full skimming frogs out of the pool as we get ready for summer - and come hang out on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.