Keep The Heart, P. O. Box 6004, Pensacola, FL (2026)

04/29/2026

Go ahead. Drop your filter and say whatever you want, however you want, whenever. Just know that hasty speech brings hasty trouble.

Do you need more trouble?

Proverbs 29:20
🗣 "Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him."
www.keeptheheart.com

04/22/2026

Tell yourself NO when your mind wants to go to those same old places of head noise. And then be prepared to take your mind to a better place.

HINT: Where can you find the peace of God? That's where you'll find peace for your heart AND mind. Interrupt your scroll and invest five minutes in your soul.

Isaiah 26:3
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

Note: The words "perfect" and "peace" in this verse are the same Hebrew word. The word is "shalom," which also means "completeness, peace, quiet, tranquility, and contentment."

Shalom shalom = peace peace. 💜
www.keeptheheart.com

04/13/2026

Put two words on your calendar and take them seriously: DAY OFF.

Don't book anything on the DAY OFF. And for even greater peace, turn the phone on silent and check it later, like at the end of your DAY OFF. All those reels on how to slice a cake can wait.

We are human BEINGS, not human DOINGS. We can't keep going all the time without a break. Enough said.

"And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." (Mark 6:31)
www.keeptheheart.com

04/01/2026

Yes, stopping the replay tape is hard. No, it is not impossible. Run it through the "thought filter" and go to a better set of thoughts.

Think of this as learning a skill. With practice, we become skilled at redirecting our minds to thoughts that help us, not harm us. It's a spiritual mind workout.

Philippians 4:8 "Thought Filter"
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
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03/18/2026

Every time I read the book of Job, I have to fight my imagination. It's too easy to make Job's friends out to be the pack of judgmental villains. But aren't they just like us?

When we hear that something has gone wrong in someone else's life, don't we start analyzing and assuming things, too?

Jumping to conclusions is hard-wired in human nature. Job's friends saw a full scale calamity and they assumed that Job had done something wicked to bring all those tragedies on himself. (Big Bossy Bildad said as much in Job 18:5.)

They were wrong.

We are also wrong when we think we know what we're seeing when we have no clue about the reality. It's better to hear all the facts before making assumptions.

That's what we would want people to do for us if we were going through a hurricane of negative events in our lives.

Job gave his pack of friends a group title: "miserable comforters." And that's what we are when we try to become judge and jury in the lives of our loved ones.

Quietly listening to really hear and understand is better than half-listening while thinking of what you're going to say as a comeback. Pause.

"I have heard many such things: Miserable comforters are ye all." (Job 16:2)

"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, It is folly and shame unto him." (Proverbs 18:13)
www.keeptheheart.com

02/25/2026

Are you a "Glory Ju**ie"? It's a title reserved for those who want others to notice them and validate their worth. It's also a dead end.

Seeking the praise of others leads to a performance-review mentality. It's people pleasing with low rewards.

No one noticed your new hairstyle.

No one said a word about your recent weight loss.

Your name wasn't mentioned in the list of people who were called out for bravos.

That's so much better for you. Less excessive praise leaves room for more humility.

Why would we seek the glory anyway? If there's anything praiseworthy about us, that glory belongs to God. He made us. We didn't make ourselves.

"Know ye that the LORD he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves..." (Psalm 100:3)

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

02/12/2026

It is common to have rough patches in married life. Two people said, "I do," but they had no idea what that meant. There are so many things that can go beautifully well in a marriage, and so many things that can go outrageously wrong.

Saying "I do" is saying you will deal with both.

When, not if, you are facing something difficult in your marriage, slow down, settle down, and pray. Overreactions are naturally easy, but calm consideration takes a lot of effort.

It takes temperance to tell yourself to handle a matter wisely. Temperance (self-control) is a fruit of the Spirit, and we will need God's help growing this fruit in our lives.

Remind yourself during the rough patches that you want a good outcome, and work towards that goal. Ask God to show you how to handle the issues, and then get into His Word and apply what He teaches you. God is always doing more than we can see, and hard times are one of His key strength-builders. Strength is never built by lifting light weights.

Handling matters wisely requires trusting God to guide us.

"He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he." (Proverbs 16:20)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

More about "Rough Patches" here: https://www.keeptheheart.com/product/rough-patches-temporary-marital-tensions/

01/30/2026

If you don't like your life, what would need to change to make you happy?

"I need this problem solved."

"I need more money."

"I need less stress."

"I need (fill in the ________.)"

This is an example of "Never Enough Syndrome." God has already given us the Ultimate Gift of abundant life, but we keep looking past the gift for something more.

Toddlers act like that. You could give them a room full of gifts and they'd still want more. They would rip the wrapping paper off all the packages and then look around to see if there are any more gifts.

Never-Enough Syndrome. It's a trap neatly set by a thief who wants you to fall for the lie that just one more something or someone would make your life perfect.

God never promised us a perfect life. He gave us the superior gift called the "abundant life." And that's more than enough. Pause and thank God.

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
www.keeptheheart.com

01/12/2026

We know that marinating our minds repeatedly in negative news is horrible for our mental health. Who needs scientific studies to confirm what our souls are already screaming at us?

The great news is this: you can stop doing that to yourself. Stop today. There will be another negative event that will be played on the news in a loop for hours, days, maybe even weeks. That will be your chance to opt out of the replays.

Hearing bad news once is enough. Hear it, see it, pray for those involved, and then turn it off. Repeatedly hearing and viewing negative news reports is the shortcut to high anxiety. Be informed, but beware of becoming overwhelmed.

Reruns of negative news reports are snares designed to keep people trapped in fear.

"The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." (Proverbs 13:14)
Proverbs for a healthy soul: https://keeptheheart.podbean.com/e/build-your-bible-habitproverbs-chapter-13/

01/06/2026

"Oh I just LOVE stressful situations," said nobody with a pulse.

But they happen, and they make great pop quizzes to test our skills at remaining calm.

Calm is a choice, after all.

So I had a great pop quiz today when the fence installers hit a water main while digging a hole for a fence post. As soon as I went outside and saw the water gushing out of the hole, I felt myself tense up.

And then I walked into the house and knelt down in front of the nearest chair and prayed, "I'm sorry, Lord. I was worrying. I'll stop now and I'll ask you for help instead."

And God answered. Help showed up in the form of a plumber from our church who happened to have the day off. He was in my yard in under an hour. People praise actors, musicians, and athletes. I appreciate PLUMBERS, electricians, car mechanics, air conditioner/heating repair people and all their homies. 👏👏👏

Most of all, I appreciate God's ability to train us to trust Him. We may not understand what God is doing when stressful things happen, but we can aim to pass the stress test.

Try it. You'll get a chance soon. Tell yourself, "You have the option to pray and remain calm."

"Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Proverbs 20:24)

12/29/2025

People who read and study their Bibles daily know what's coming next in the story. After reading the Bible through year after year, you know things.

You know how it begins.
You know that the practical Proverbs are in the middle.
You know how Revelation ends.

And you know how real people just like us made some great and not so great decisions.

King Solomon started well in 1 Kings 3, but by chapter 11, he was a self-indulgent mess. The poster child for self-sabotage.

Life application: Don't rely on feelings and emotions as guides. Doing so could change a great beginning into an unhappy ending.

Here comes another year. Walk in wisdom. Daily.

"Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." (Colossians 4:5)
www.keeptheheart.com

12/19/2025

Trying to live without the Bible is the easiest way to make a total mess of your life. It's like driving a car without a steering wheel. You'll get somewhere, but not without a wreck.

Show your soul some love by feeding it daily from the Word. You can read a chapter of Proverbs in less time than it takes to finish a mug of good coffee. And if you're drinking bad coffee, why?

Stay on topic, Francie.

Daily Bible reading is how we get wisdom. Want to handle that next crazy issue wisely? Baby step into the Bible with a daily chapter of Proverbs.

It's habit-forming.

"He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: He that keepeth understanding shall find good." (Proverbs 19:8)
www.keeptheheart.com
AUDIO PROVERBS HERE: https://keeptheheart.podbean.com/p/proverbs-chapters/

Keep The Heart

04/29/2026

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