The 180 Church Podcast with Dr. Sammy and Friends

Day In The Sun: Sunday Brunch

With the curtains closing on a tumultuous arc in American history and a tense presidential election, the United States is apprehensive of what the future holds. Former President Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, given during another time the nation was split, is still relevant today: a call for malice toward none and charity for all. This invokes the gospel message that appeals to a better nature, forgives sinners by grace, and redeems the broken with love. There is real, actionable work to be done to heal a divided nation. There is hope for resolution found in forgiveness for those who hurt us, generosity and care for our enemies, and love for our neighbors despite disagreement.

Pentecost: It's Our Turn Now! "Pocket Jesus - Breaking Selective Discipleship"

In this podcast episode, Pastor Lydia and Joe's conversation covers the value of integrity over a personality ethic, and a deeper look into why at times God's calling and purpose for our lives falls to the wayside of our priorities. The "Pocket Jesus" analogy is a much needed reminder of how at times we may just have our priorities out of order and are amnesic regarding our call in life: to lead to Christ and become like Christ. In opening up the discussion about the need for a return to integrity and reexamine our alignment to God's vision and purpose, we pick up where we left off in pursuing God's design for wholeness and pristine perspective about the purpose of our discipleship and faithfulness.

Pentecost: It's Our Turn Now! "Building Life-Giving Friendships"

In the Social Media era, friendships have been ill-defined by follower counts, convenience, and entertainment value. But even though our culture perceives connection differently now, the spirit of true friendship remains alive in the biblical paradigm and hopes to bring out the best of us and our relationships. During a tumultuous time where friendships and connection are more important than ever, the gospel calls us to not only surround ourselves with life-giving friends, but to be that friend along the journey as well.

Day In The Sun: Family Picnic

It's tempting to view our current political atmosphere and the mishandling of the pandemic as consequences of poor leadership. But what we value as a society — personality, charm, and success by any means necessary — points to the real root of the problem: that preoccupation with the self has brought us to where we are today. Though we can blame and replace our leaders as a temporary fix, the parable of the house on the rock teaches us that it takes a new foundation of integrity to upend the paradigm of normalized selfishness. It may be difficult to live by a character ethic, but that is why we need God to love us through our journey of living with integrity, so that instead of selfishness and sin, we perpetuate wholeness and value.

Pentecost: It's Our Turn Now! "What To Remember When Sharing the Gospel Feels Like a Chore"

In today's podcast, Pastor Lydia and Joe talk about what how we can nostalgically remind ourselves of the serendipitous moments at times mission feels like a chore. For many believers, we can find ourselves checking the box of our faith obligations, but we may very well miss the powerful things that God is at work in if we forget how that very same power changed our lies and fellow friends along the journey. It is the vision of God, his calling for you and I, generally and specifically, that reminds us once more of where the gospel met us and fuels how the good news can reach others.

Pentecost: It's Our Turn Now! "What Makes the Gospel Good News?"

Our culture today discourages us from authenticity and honesty and instead encourages us to mask our blemishes and the worst of ourselves. As a result, we often feel resistant to confronting our sinfulness, and we find the message of the gospel offensive. But when we finally do see our limits for what they are — when the light of God’s Shekinah glory gives clarity to our weakness — we see why the gospel is called the good news. The beauty of the gospel is that despite how deep our faults run, God’s love for us runs deeper. For believers, that message is one we’ve each experienced firsthand, and it is a truth we’ve lived through enough to share so that others may know God’s grace for themselves.

What to Remember When God's Calling Doesn't Seem to Make Sense

What to Remember When God’s Calling Doesn’t Seem to Make Sense
While we contend with the question of why God allows disruption and persecution in our lives, we may experience moments where the Father calls us towards the nonsensical, obscure, and uncomfortable. Why would God call us out of novel, momentous, and prosperous events? What purposes would heeding this culturally counterintuitive call serve? Where we tend to see the desolate, humble, and obscure, God sees opportunity and destiny. Through the prompting of the Holy Spirit and our obedience to His call, we find that we are called to the kairos moment of the seeker finding the Father.

"A Joyous Reunion"

Although we have experienced our lives and plans come to a screeching halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruptions caused by this public health crisis offer us the perspective to distinguish the trivial from what is substantial. We live in a generation that is ensnared by the distractions of our smartphones and since the advent of social media, we find ourselves worked up over the inconsequential so much that the voice of the Father is drowned out by these trivialities. But where we might have found ourselves caught up in these distractions, the Father invites us into a pursuit of meaningfulness, significance, and fulfillment: the call to remember the importance of relationship. for the sake of our freedom from the trivial, and to become a people of great substance.

Pentecost: It's Our Turn Now! "The False Gospel of Prosperity"

How do we move from a Personality Ethic to Character Ethic? How do we move from shallow living to deeper faith? Tune in to find out!

Pentecost: It's Our Turn Now! "The Tyranny of Ignorance"

In today’s episode, Pastor Lydia and Joe talk about how our self-interests contribute to a lack of self-awareness, and it is because of these interests that reveal a point of tension in our calling. We recognize that humans by nature are self-interested but if we can identify them and see how they shroud us in ignorance regarding our world and relationships, we can begin the process of putting the kingdom and mission of God above worldly interests. Change is not easy to come by, but it can be done through the Father’s love.