Beliefs of the Heart: Reflections

Send us a text with comments, questions, or ideas:This is the first time I've podcasted about a spiritual practice that I began doing fifteen years in place of an annual New Year's Resolution. And I believe it sets my heart on the Lord in ways that a New Year's Resolution never did.Here are some questions I ask myself during my week or two of self-examination:Pray, ask God, ask friends: What is God up to in my life?What am I curious about? What is stirring my mind? What is moving me?What is the one truth I wish I knew better?What has God's activity in my life been (things he keeps bringing up, curiosities, etc.)What “season” am I in? (retirement, empty nester, new job, new service, etc.)What keeps coming back to me, over and overWhat feels spiritually urgent to me?What might God want to multiply, or reduce, or begin, or stop?Share with a few friends. And share with me: Sam@BeliefsoftheHeart.comThanks,SamSupport the show

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.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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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: Chasing Loversby 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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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 the real nature of spiritual warfare. It is more hidden and insidious than exorcisms. There is a hidden enemy. That we never talk about. A reading and commentary on this article: When Two Parties Claim The Same Throneby 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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the showSupport the show

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 condition of our souls. And even secular thinkers are beginning to see the dangers of bad therapy; not all therapy, but the dangers of bad therapy. See this book: "Bad Therapy: Why Kids Aren't Growing Up" for a great analysis of what "bad" therapy is doing today.A reading and commentary on this article: Is Modern Therapy Serving Up Spiritual Malnutrition?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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the Show.

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 of the perils of the World one hundred times more than the Devil or the Flesh. One Hundred Times More!The battle against Satan is ubiquitous (even Hollywood gives it lip-service) and the nature of the Flesh is obvious (nobody committing adultery says, “Wait a minute, you're not my spouse”). But the war of the world is insidious. Its very hiddenness enforces its potency.Last week I was asked to preach at the Springs Church in Colorado. On any topic I wanted. And I finally decided to speak on the topic that is most deeply on my heart.That sermon expresses the substance of the first chapter of my next book, the book titled (can you guess?), The War of the World. I invite you to listen to that sermon either on my podcast Beliefs of the Heart Reflections or watch it on the video player below. And I would really appreciate any comments, insights, corrections, and even a little (if you want) sharing of your own experiences.SamYou can email me at: Sam@BeliefsoftheHeart.comSupport the show

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 Heartby 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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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 Heartby 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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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 music at: http://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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 background song, Ancestors. You can find more of Keith's music at: http://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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 can find more of Keith's music at: http://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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.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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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 of Keith's music at: http://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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, Ancestors. You can find more of Keith's music at: http://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show (https://beliefsoftheheart.com/giving/)Support the show

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 FANTASTIC 27 string guitar background song, Ancestors. You can find more of Keith's music at: http://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/06/30/is-it-dangerous-to-hear-god-outside-of-scripture/  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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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 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/Support the show

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. You can find more of Keith's music at: http://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

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, Ancestors. You can find more of Keith's music at: http://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

The world gives us false answers to our problems. Initially, they sound good and God's answer seem week. But in the long run, the answers of the world are counterfeit spirituality, even when preached from the pulpit. Adapted from this article:   https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/06/09/counterfeit-spirituality/  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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

The world tells us to cling to something inside us for significance; God says there is a better way.Adapted from this article:   https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/04/07/why-cant-we-admit-hidden-evils/  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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show (https://beliefsoftheheart.com/giving/)Support the show

The spiritual necessity of fearing God; and why doesn't our culture like this?Adapted from this article:https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/04/21/fearing-good/  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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

God is always speaking, and one of the ways he speaks most powerfully is in His silence. Learn to recognize this amazing and comforting voice of deeds.Adapted from this article: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/04/29/when-god-seems-silent/ 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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

Why do we all long so deeply to be a hero, to be seen, to be noticed? What is the longing beneath the longing?  Adapted from this article: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/05/05/my-first-parachute-jump-and-my-last/ 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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

When we let our biases cloud the science. Adapted from this article: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/05/12/political-popular-science/  by Sam Williamson.  Why do we believe what we do? It is always the hard science? Does anyone really reject science? Or do we choose the science we believe. Remember: flat earthers believe in science, they just mistrust many of the scientists.A 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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

When Christian heroic counsel created villainy.  Adapted from this article: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/05/26/hunting-heroes/ 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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show

When a friendship sours, what is God up to? Adapted with reflections from this article: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2021/05/19/bullied-by-a-boss/, 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://www.keithmedleymusic.com/Support the show