The Spiritual Value of an Examined Life

In our fifteen years of working together, Gary and I realize that God has put a few key messages on our hearts: Calling, Hearing God, Friendship, Humility …

… and the incredible spiritual value of Living an Examined Life.

Christian self-examination is not narcissistic self-preoccupation, nor is it is morbid self-flagellation. Christian self-examination is the learned skill of breaking free from the things that hold us back and the awakened spiritual recognition of the talents God has planted in us for His Kingdom.

It’s a jail-break seminar coupled with spiritual-investment counseling.

Join us for this podcast as we talk about what God has put on our hearts.

And join our course on "Living an Examined Life" by clicking here: Living An Examined Life (thenobleheart.com)

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

At the very beginning of the book of Job, Satan asks God, "Does Job serve God for nothing?" And, honestly, we should all ask ourselves the same question. Do we serve God for God Himself, or do we USE Him to get crowns and gold stars?

It is ever-so-easy to serve God for honor-roll children and Facebook likes. It is ever-so-easy to use God's glory for our hidden purposes.

In this episode, Gary and Sam share their reflections on Oswald Chambers' February 5 Devotional:

Do we serve God to be the Hero, or are we willing to serve God even if it means we'll be a doormat?

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

A chance conversation on the way home from an airport led us to re-think what God is calling us to do?

What season are you in? What is God calling you to add to your life, to subtract, or to multiply? He is always talking, always refining, always inviting. And giving us room to respond or not.

What are YOU going to do with the little time remaining in your life? God has an idea.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites: 

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

Oswald Chambers wrote, 

• "God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. 
• His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s."

How often in our lives does God's deepest purposes seem His biggest mistakes? How often do we find His plans for goodness to be so baffling that we almost lose heart?

Join us as we discuss together, "Finding hope in the baffling purposes of God."

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites: 

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

Ancient societies taught their children "courage," both as a skill and as a virtue. But we've lost that art, except as ways of hiding our heads in the sand or putting our trust in ourselves.

How are we to face the terrors and torments of life: death of loved ones, disgrace, discovery, or the need to speak an uncomfortable truth?

Join us as we reflect on the powerful spiritual gift of Courage!

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites: 

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

God has a clear and beautiful purpose for your life, a life He has designed, birthed, nurtured, and shaped since before we were born.

His plan it to bring life to others through our lives; to bring hope, and joy, and peace, and encouragement, and purpose, and Life with a capital "L." Through each of us to others, His life in us bring His life to all we meet.

Join us as we reflect on the powerful, spiritual vitality of "Realizing the life you were designed to live, that brings life to others."

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites: 

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

Even non-believers highly value an honest self-appraisal. Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living," and Mark Twain said, "Making good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from evaluating our bad decisions.” 

Why are so many people today so scared to admit their faults? To humbly say, "I need help"? Why are so many of us believers so afraid to look deeply into our hearts for behaviors, motives, and blindness?

Join us as we reflect on the powerful, spiritual value of an examined life.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites: 

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam was lonely. He wasn't lonely because there was something wrong with him. He was lonely because he was perfect, he was made in the image of God. And God wants for his people, friendship.

Yet Christians today never talk about spiritual friendship. We talk about servanthood, brotherhood, and sisterhood, but Jesus says, "I no longer call you servants, I call you friends." And Scripture says, "There is a friend that is CLOSER THAN A BROTHER."

What does God have for us in the realm of Spiritual Friendship?

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites: https://thenobleheart.com/ and https://beliefsoftheheart.com/.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

The second most repeated command is Scripture is to "remember the Sabbath." While Scripture also forbids us to conform to a moralistic approach to the Sabbath, Jesus also says it was made for our good. 

What is the value of taking "time away" with God? What are its treasures? And what are best practices? 

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites: https://thenobleheart.com/ and https://beliefsoftheheart.com/.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.

We long to see a community of believers committed to helping each other grow into their calling, into becoming the men and women God designed us to be.

Too many organizations recruit and train people for IT'S purpose; but Jesus leaves the 99 to find the lost sheep, to make it His. How we use our community's strengths to help believers find their God-given purpose for them personally?

Prompted by this article by Sam Williamson: https://beliefsoftheheart.com/2012/06/12/i-long-for-a-calling-driven-church/

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites: https://thenobleheart.com/ and https://beliefsoftheheart.com/.

For more information about Gary or Sam visit their websites:

• The Noble Heart
• Exploring Intimate Theology - Beliefs of the Heart.