Every day we have to choose between comfort or growth. Comfort may be the American Dream, but it’s not God’s heart for us. God calls us to grow, and grow up. We have to take risks, step out on faith and trust Him if we’re going to become the men He created us to be.

This week we are looking at a story found in Matthew 14, Mark 6, and John 6. It’s the account of Jesus walking on water and Peter asking Jesus to call him out to walk on the water too. Join us as Scott and our guests, Ian and Ariea break down what it looks like to push through fear and step out on faith.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

Winter has been in full swing the past couple weeks. What are your thoughts on the winter season? Do you love the cold and the snow? Do you hate it because scraping off your car in the morning is annoying? Are you somewhere in between?

What is one way you’ve been winning this past week? This could be in your marriage, with your kids, with your career, or any other part of your life.

Read Matthew 14:22-32. Is there anything from this passage that sticks out to you? What does this passage say about who Jesus is? What does this passage say about how we should respond to Jesus?

When Jesus says “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” what comes to mind? Our relationship with Jesus is one where we can come to him no matter how we have fallen short or how much we have failed. Do you believe that to be true?

Read Matthew 14:29. Take a moment and imagine you are one of the disciples sitting in the boat. You see this figure walking out towards you. You hear this figure tell you to not be afraid. Then you see Peter step out of the boat and onto the water. Then you see Peter WALKING on the water towards Jesus. What would your initial reaction be? What would you be feeling?

Where in your life do you need to trust Jesus? What circumstances in your life have the chance to get in the way of keeping your eyes on Jesus? Is there anything you can be doing to best set yourself up to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus even when these circumstances come up?

As Christian, we are called to treat others as Jesus has treated us. Is there anyone in your life you need to treat with the same tenderness as Jesus treated Peter? Is there anyone you need to ask forgiveness from because you have treated them without tenderness?

Which of these applications that Scott mentioned stood out to you the most? Which of these are hardest for you to run after? 

  (1) Taking risks are necessary for growth. 

  (2) Faith in God is crucial. 

  (3) Failure is not the end. 

   (4) Overcoming fear is essential. 

  (5) Stepping out in obedience leads to life change and missional impact.

What else from the podcast spoke to you?

What did God/Holy Spirit speak/prompt/say to you?  What’s God asking you to do?  What does He want to give you?  What does He want you to lay down?

RESOURCES

• If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got To Get Out of the Boat, John Ortberg.

• Oceans, Hillsong UNITED

NEXT STEPS 

• Join Fight Club in Danville

• Register for the Pre-marriage Workshop at southland.church/marriage

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

• For any other questions or comments email [email protected]

Sometimes when we bring our pain and circumstances before God—if we don’t see results or quick fixes to our lives instantaneously—we just give up. Or we forget that we’ve journeyed off the path for years or even decades and we think we can microwave it and just instantly be better, healed or whole.

Jesus isn’t looking for you to give him the one thing that’s keeping you up at night—He wants you. He wants everything. He wants your heart. He wants all of you. He wants to build our faith. He wants to build our relationship with Him.

This week on the podcast, Scott sits down with our guests Mike Allen and Neil Gregory to unpack a conversation Jesus had with a man at a pool, when he asked, “Do you want to get well?”

DISCUSSION GUIDE

Did you grow up going to the pool? What comes to mind when someone says “Let’s go to the pool?” Share any good pool stories you have.

Read John 5:1-15. What stands out to you about how Jesus interacts with this paralyzed man?

What came to mind when the guys were discussing the prosperity gospel and churches that lean too heavily on supernatural healings & miracles? Do you have any experience with this?

How would you feel if you or someone you loved was sick for 38 years? Have there been any moments in your life where you felt stuck, hopeless, or frustrated at God like this?

Jesus asks this man “Do you want to get well?” When have you tried to “get well” in the wrong ways? When have you given up on “getting well” too easily? Is there something you need to do to “get well” that you have been unwilling to do?

What circumstances has Jesus called you up out of to get you where you are today?

What is Jesus telling you to “Get Up” from in your life right now? What do you need to heal from that can only come from God’s power?

Do you follow Jesus and have the power of the Holy Spirit? If yes, how can you listen to the Holy Spirit and what he is convicting you of? If not, what is holding you back?

What else from the podcast spoke to you?

What did God/Holy Spirit speak/prompt/say to you?  What’s God asking you to do?  What does He want to give you?  What does He want you to lay down?

NEXT STEPS 

• Join Fight Club in Danville

• Register for the Pre-marriage Workshop at southland.church/marriage

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

• For any other questions or comments email [email protected]

Welcome back to Locker Room! We’re kicking off Season 14 with a series called Encounters with Jesus. We’ll be zeroing in on some cool moments Jesus had with different people in the gospels. We’ll learn about who Jesus is, the mission he’s on and gain practical insight on who we are as men, and how we are called to live our lives.

The first encounter we’re looking at is described in Mark chapter 2, when Jesus was moved by the faith of four men who acted by any means necessary to get their paralyzed friend in close proximity to him so he might be healed. Join us this week for Encounters with Jesus: Through the Roof.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

What were some highs and lows of your Christmas season? What were the best parts? What were the worst parts?

For all the new Locker Room groups, how have you been involved with Southland? Have you gone through Fight Club? Are you part of a serving team? Do you attend Sunday mornings with your family?

Read Mark 2:1-12 with your group. Stop after each verse and discuss anything that catches your attention. What does this verse say about Jesus? What does this verse say about you? Is there anything that we can apply from this verse?

“Sometimes Jesus gives us what we need before he gives us what we want.” Presence before joy. Grace before freedom. Hard conversations before a healed relationship. Are there any ways in your life right now that Jesus is giving you what you need rather than what you want?

Jesus forgives sin. This is one of the most important messages of the Bible. Jesus has the ability to forgive sins because he is God and because he was the one who took the punishment of our sins when he went to the cross. What sins do I need to bring to Jesus and be forgiven of?

Imagine how the crowd reacted to this interaction between the paralyzed man and Jesus. How would you have reacted if you saw this interaction?

Make no mistake, the greatest miracle in this story is that this man received salvation. Have you received the salvation that Jesus offers? If so, tell your group the story of how you came to know Jesus.

How do you view the interruptions in your day? Do you find them frustrating? Are you listening for the Holy Spirit in your day to day in order to love people like Jesus loves?

Do you want Jesus to be moved by your faith? What about your faith do you need to be more intentional about? Is it the way you parent your kids? Is it the time you spend in the Word before anything else? Is it the way you intentionally spend time with your wife?

What else from the podcast spoke to you?

What did God/Holy Spirit speak/prompt/say to you?  What’s God asking you to do?  What does He want to give you?  What does He want you to lay down?

NEXT STEPS 

• Groups kick off January 17th. Join a Group at southland.church/groups

• Start a Locker Room Group.

• Sign up for Fight Club at the Danville Campus - starting Monday January 20, 7-9pm.

• Sign up for the Marriage Workshop, March 7-8 at the Lexington Campus. 

• For any other questions or comments email [email protected]

We've just wrapped up Season 13 of Locker Room, but we wanted to bring you four bonus episodes from our Men's Retreat in October. We've had a lot of guys talking about it, and a lot of men who couldn't be there. We've released one each week to remind our men who attended, and to share with those who couldn't be there.

This message was from the final session of the retreat, and is called Declare War and Fight.

Locker Room will be back in the new year for season 14 on January 17.

We've just wrapped up Season 13 of Locker Room, but we wanted to bring you four bonus episodes from our Men's Retreat in October. We've had a lot of guys talking about it, and a lot of men who couldn't be there. We're releasing one each week to remind our men who attended, and to share with those who couldn't be there.

This message was from the third session of the retreat, and is called There Will Be Blood.

Locker Room will be back in the new year for season 14 on January 17.

We've just wrapped up Season 13 of Locker Room, but we wanted to bring you four bonus episodes from our Men's Retreat in October. We've had a lot of guys talking about it, and a lot of men who couldn't be there. We're releasing one each week to remind our men who attended, and to share with those who couldn't be there.

This message was from the second session of the retreat, and is called Warrior King.

Locker Room will be back in the new year for season 14 on January 17.

We've just wrapped up Season 13 of Locker Room, but we wanted to bring you four bonus episodes from our Men's Retreat in October called Battle Ready. We've had a lot of guys talking about it, and a lot of men who couldn't be there. We'll be releasing one each week over the next four weeks to remind our men who attended, and to share with those who couldn't be there.

This first message was the opening night from our retreat, and is called, Open War is Upon You.

Locker Room will be back in the new year for season 14 on January 17.

This week we’re wrapping up season 13 and this Giants series with a big one: DOUBT. Men doubt God’s existence, God’s Word, His promises, making sense of the problems in our world and they even have doubts around God’s Son, Jesus.

The cool thing about God is He’s not afraid of our doubts and questions. He actually invites us to bring our doubts and questions to Him. God has given us a mountain of evidence to draw us into an encounter with Him. If you’ve got doubts and questions, that means you’re normal.

In this episode, we won’t answer every big question. But we’ll try and create some clarity for some of the bigger ones we run into in life. Join us this week as we sit down with guests Dusty Bailey and Kevin Comp to talk about the Giant of Doubt.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

Have you ever participated in a Trust Fall? Were you the faller or the catcher? What did it teach you about trust?

Doubt: the wavering between two minds or lacking confidence, assurance, or complete trust in God. How have you defined doubt in the past? How did this conversation help you reshape it?

The driving question of the podcast was “What if doubt isn’t the enemy of faith but the primary element of it?” For your own faith, has doubt been an enemy or primary element of it?

What specific ways does the enemy use doubt to discourage and destroy you?

Read Genesis 1:1 - Creator and Creation - how were you encouraged in your faith by what was shared about the world and universe we live in? What do you still struggle with when it comes to fully trusting Genesis 1:1?

Read 2 Timothy 3:14-17. What does your relationship with the Bible look like? Do you see a correlation between spending time in the Word and having a stronger faith? How can you rely more on God’s Truth and less on yourself/the world?

How has the enemy used pain and suffering to cause you to doubt? What has been the hardest season for you to cling to your faith?

Scott, Kevin, & Dusty all mentioned times of doubt in their own lives. They also mentioned several heroes of the faith in the Bible who doubted God. Which of those stories encouraged your faith the most? Why?

What else from the podcast spoke to you?

What did God/Holy Spirit speak/prompt/say to you?  What’s God asking you to do?  What does He want to give you?  What does He want you to lay down?

RESOURCES

• Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis

• The Case for Faith, The Case for Creator, Lee Strobel.

• Evidence that Demands a Verdict; Evidence for Jesus, Josh & Sean McDowell.

• The Reason for God, Tim Keller

NEXT STEPS 

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

• For any other questions or comments email [email protected]

If you lead in any way, you are going to face criticism. Dealing with criticism is a part of leadership—period. One of the greatest weapons that the enemy uses for leaders is discouragement. Discouragement can often come from criticism. It doesn’t matter how hard you try, how much you care, how pure your motives and right your decisions are—criticism is coming—and you shouldn’t try to avoid it. It’s something that we all have to navigate.

Join us this week as we welcome back Scott Nickell and Jon Weece to talk about how to face and process criticism in a healthy way.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

What is the wildest piece of criticism you have ever received?

Read John 15:18-21. There are so many areas of life where we can be criticized. We can receive criticism at work, at home, in church, from friends, from relatives, and the list just goes on and on. What are the areas of your life that you receive criticism most often?

Whenever you experience criticism, what is your gut reaction? Do you get defensive? Defeated? Something else?

Oftentimes when we receive criticism, our gut reaction is to get defensive. However, there are times when there is some truth in the criticism we are receiving. How can you determine when criticism has some truth in it and when it does not? Is there anybody in your life you can ask to speak truth to the criticism you have received?

Our identity as followers of Jesus is not dependent on what others say about us or to us, but is dependent on who God says we are. Is this easy for you to remember? How can we remind ourselves of who God says we are in the midst of the criticism we receive on a consistent basis?

Whenever we receive criticism, our body begins to build up stress. When our body builds up stress we can unintentionally become critical of those we care about. What spiritual and mental checkpoints do you have in your life to be able to process the stress that comes from criticism?

Read 1 Peter 2:23. Jesus handled criticism in two ways: He would either respond in truth and grace, as he did with the religious leaders, or he wouldn’t respond at all. One of the best things we can do when we experience criticism is to listen to the criticism and not respond. Is this something that is easy for you? How could it help you navigate criticism better?

What else from the podcast spoke to you?

What did God/Holy Spirit speak/prompt/say to you?  What’s God asking you to do?  What does He want to give you?  What does He want you to lay down?

NEXT STEPS 

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

• For any other questions or comments email [email protected]

Resentment and bitterness can infiltrate our lives in so many ways. Things that have happened to us beyond our control can darken our hearts and eat us up from the inside, negatively impacting our emotional and physical health, even affecting our relationship with Jesus.

The enemy loves to capitalize on this too, because we as men sometimes struggle to acknowledge our feelings, frustrations and fears.! Many men don’t have strong relationships where they talk about real things and it leaves them with gaping holes of unaddressed pain and legitimate frustration. We end up harboring resentment, holding grudges and building up cancerous bitterness. When we don’t address our wounds, it always, always comes out at some point.

We can’t control what people do to us, but we can control our response. The only thing we control is our response to the stuff that comes our way and we need God’s power to be able to respond in the right way!

On this episode of Locker Room, we sit down with our guests Jason and Parker to talk about how to move forward with processing resentment and bitterness, while still guarding our hearts and minds.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

Talk about the worst/best camp experience you’ve had.

What were your first thoughts when you saw the topic was Resentment and Bitterness? Do you struggle with these giants? Do you tend to hold a grudge?

READ Hebrews 12:14-15. What can this passage teach us about these giants and how to deal with them?

The only way that we can kill the giant of bitterness is FORGIVENESS. That starts with understanding we have been forgiven by God from a multitude of sins we can’t even fathom. Is that difficult to accept? What does it feels like to be forgiven by God and by others?

READ Mark 11:25. Share a time when you forgave someone. How did you feel afterwards? God commands us to forgive. Do you take this command seriously?

Three steps to forgiveness - Step 1: We own what happened. Step 2: We acknowledge the pain that it brought on us. Step 3: We choose to forgive. Which step is the most difficult for you? Where in this process do you get caught up?

READ Romans 12:19. Our world and our flesh loves revenge, but we are commanded as Jesus followers to have none of this. How can you fight feelings of wanting to get revenge?

The guys talked about the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. What stood out to you about that conversation? Have you had a time when you were able to reconcile with someone you forgave?

READ Romans 12:18. We can only choose our own actions and responses. Is this hard for you to accept?

What else from the podcast spoke to you?

What did God/Holy Spirit speak/prompt/say to you?  What’s God asking you to do?  What does He want to give you?  What does He want you to lay down?

NEXT STEPS 

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

• For any other questions or comments email [email protected]