Beliefs of the Heart: Reflections
A reading of Beliefs of the Heart weekly article, followed by a reflection: the reason behind the article, comments from readers, or other versions that were edited out. Live comments by author Sam Williamson. You can find more of Sam's writing at: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/ Special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTASTIC 27 string guitar background song, Ancestors. You can find more of Keith's music at: http://www.keithmedleymusic.com/
Episodes
Fifteen years ago, a journey began that would change my spiritual life forever. Inspired by a conversation with my friend Gary Barcalow, I embarked on a series of "transcendent pursuits," a concept that diverges sharply from the traditional, often rigid New Year's resolutions. These pursuits invite us to align with God's work in our lives, emphasizing spiritual growth over mere self-discipline. Join me as we exp...
Years ago I read an article that describe how out thoughts, feelings, desires and tastes are influenced by factors completely out of our control. And usually by factors and environments of which we are completely ignorant.
And I think it perfectly illustrates what the world does to us believers.
A reading and commentary on this article:
- Are We Unconsciously Controlled?
- by Sam Williamson.
In this episode, I talk of a business experience I had when our company tried to break into the software market in France. And I talk about how we did so by showing solutions to problems that people faced.
All the while, our competitors simply ooh'd and ahh'd over French culture.
And I think that experience has a message for us today.
A reading and commentary on this article:
The idea of "spiritual warfare" is a long-standing principle of the Christian life: knowing that there are enemies of God who delight in battling His chosen people. Psalm 83 says:
Those who hate you raise their heads. They formulate cunning plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. They say, “Come, let us wipe them out.” (Ps. 83:2-4)
But most of us haven never heard of...
Almost every person I speak with is suffering, or has suffered. And the world has a boatload of answers for our problems. Many of them are fine, helpful even; but many are dangerous and against God.
What are we to do? I suggest we keep remembering that all therapy deals with how we humans can flourish, how can we live blessed lives? And that answer to those questions is always about SOUL therapy, understanding the conditio...
For two thousand years, believers have prioritized the importance of “spiritual warfare” for Christian health. Heck, I was raised Presbyterian, and even Presbyterians taught it.
The battle comprises three enemies: the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. While most teaching mentions these three enemies, the spiritual warfare enemy most frequently publicized is the Devil. (Though some churches emphasize the Flesh.)
But Scripture warns us ...
Almost every person I speak with has suffered. We hear, "For to those who love God, everything works out for the good," but it doesn't work for us, or at least we have very different ideas of the "the good" is.
What is God up to? How good really is that "good"?
A reading and commentary on this article:
- These Inward Trials - Beliefs of the Heart
- by Sam Williamson.
Almost every person I speak with has suffered some sort of betrayal from parents or teachers or bosses or spouses. And it affects us on so many levels, most of which we can't see--but our friends can.
We are imprisoned.
How do we handle the evils do to us?
A reading and commentary on this article:
- The Evil Done to Us - Beliefs of the Heart
- by Sam Williamson.
This podcast describes what is the single greatest lesson (and invitation) that God has been speaking to me about for the last five years.
Maybe ten.
A reading and commentary on this article:
- https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2022/03/09/just-like-a-friend/
- by Sam Williamson.
And very special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTASTIC 27 string guitar background song, Ancestors. You can find more of Keith's ...
Three years ago, I dedicated the year to meditating on thinking of Jesus as LORD. Not just savior, not just friend, not just confidante, not as rabbi. But mild Jesus, JESUS AS LORD. And these are my thoughts.
A reading and commentary on this article:
- https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2022/02/16/controlling-the-remote/
- by Sam Williamson.
And very special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTASTIC 27 string guitar backgrou...
We so often work directly against God in our greatest attempts to help Him. And our efforts wreak havoc in our lives and in the lives of our families and friends. What are we to do?
A reading and commentary on this article:
- https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2022/02/09/when-helping-god-is-lethal/
- by Sam Williamson.
And very special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTASTIC 27 string guitar background song, Ancestors. You ...
Oh My Goodness! I've been mortified, humiliated, and embarrassed many times in my life (and some of you know those other times), but this was a double mortification: what it said TO me and what it said ABOUT me. Join me in rehashing my mortification.
A reading and commentary on this article:
- https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2022/02/02/i-was-mortified/
- by Sam Williamson.
A friend's dissatisfaction with "I only have 6 million dollars to my name" led me to think more about how the world creeps into how we measure our lives.
A reading and commentary on this article:
- https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2022/01/19/the-measure-of-our-lives/
- by Sam Williamson.
And very special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTASTIC 27 string guitar background song, Ancestors. You can find more o...
Lennon's haunting, beautiful, whimsical song has always fascinated me and frustrated me. It's delightful music sucks me into a vortex of lies and death. It is really a deadly song.
A reading and commentary on this article:
- https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/12/08/imagine-theres-no-heaven/
- by Sam Williamson.
And very special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTASTIC 27 string guitar background song, Ancest...
I once observed a man--A Christian man!--desperately trying to gain approval from work colleagues, and it got me thinking about the breadth of God's salvation. Is there a heaven, a kind of heaven, that God wants for us today?
A reading and commentary on this article: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/11/03/when-salvation-isnt-enough/ by Sam Williamson.
And very special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTAS...
We don't let Jesus offend us enough. When he says things like, "The pimps and prostitutes are closer to heaven than you are," we should be shocked. But mostly we just miss his point, or don't even think about it.
But Emmanuel Kant WAS offended, so much so that he completely, 100%, rejected the Gospel of God in favor of the gospel of self-deceit.
A reading and commentary on this article: https:...
A friend recently corrected me for writing my book, "Hearing God in Conversation," by saying any kind of hearing God outside Scripture is dangerous and usually just wrong. And she was convincing.
But I think she was wrong as well.
A reading and commentary on this article: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/06/30/is-it-dangerous-to-hear-god-outside-of-scripture/ by Sam Williamson.
And very s...
We want success, impact, significance. Right? But our success is not always the best thing for our friends. Not that they are jealous but that we are sometime insufferable without suffering.
A reading and commentary on this article: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/06/23/when-success-fails/ by Sam Williamson.
And very special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTASTIC 27 string guitar background song, Ancestors...
I am ashamed to admit my participation in a kind of humanistic viewing of evangelism prospects. We called it "Selective Evangelism, and this is my story.
https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/03/17/enlightened-supernatural-light-switches/ by Sam Williamson.
And very special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTASTIC 27 string guitar background song, Ancestors. You can find more of Keith's music at: http://w...
Too many people try to "save" Christianity by choosing to ignore core elements. One modern "salvation" attempt is to eliminate the supernatural. How important is the supernatural to Christianity? To you?
https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/03/17/enlightened-supernatural-light-switches/ by Sam Williamson.
And very special thanks to Keith Medley for his FANTASTIC 27 string guitar background song...
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