Locker Room - A Southland Christian Church Podcast

/* Revised version with complete episode */

Each of us has a story to tell from the battles we have faced in our life. This week on the podcast, Scott sits down with three guests to share from their experiences.

Chris, Edgar and Matt share their stories: fighting legalism and its ability to trip us up in our faith, stepping up as a new believer to become the spiritual leader of our home, and making a radical change of heart to quit taking grace for granted and start chasing after the things God has for us to do.

-- A quick apology to our listeners: we misfired this week and released this episode incompletely. This release is an updated version with the full content!

DISCUSSION GUIDE

What is the worst injury you've ever had?

Where have you served/volunteered in the church? Where have you served/volunteered outside of the church

The men discussed the impact Fight Club has made on their lives. What group or team has made the biggest impact in your life?

The lie of legalism uses this equation: Salvation = Jesus + the good things I do. Why is this so dangerous? When it comes to your faith, what do you put your pride in besides Jesus?

Read Galatians 2:19-21. Legalism distorts the truth of the gospel. Speak to the impact of that passage and how it should crush our legalism.

Men have been called to lead their wives and families. What men have you seen do this well? What does it look like to lead your family well?

In what areas of your life do you lead? Are you leading in the way Jesus did? For the married men, are you the spiritual leader of your marriage? What steps do you need to take to do this better?

Have you ever been a "spiritually bankrupt grace abuser"? How have you compartmentalized your faith and okayed sinful behavior in other areas of your life?

Have you ever been "punched in the mouth by the Holy Spirit"? How has God radically transformed your life? Are you hungry to change and chase after God? What does that look like for you?

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]

Each of us has a story to tell from the battles we have faced in our life. This week on the podcast, Scott sits down with three guests to share from their experiences.

Chris, Edgar and Matt share their stories: fighting legalism and its ability to trip us up in our faith, stepping up as a new believer to become the spiritual leader of our home, and making a radical change of heart to quit taking grace for granted and start chasing after the things God has for us to do.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

What is the worst injury you've ever had?

Where have you served/volunteered in the church? Where have you served/volunteered outside of the church

The men discussed the impact Fight Club has made on their lives. What group or team has made the biggest impact in your life?

The lie of legalism uses this equation: Salvation = Jesus + the good things I do. Why is this so dangerous? When it comes to your faith, what do you put your pride in besides Jesus?

Read Galatians 2:19-21. Legalism distorts the truth of the gospel. Speak to the impact of that passage and how it should crush our legalism.

Men have been called to lead their wives and families. What men have you seen do this well? What does it look like to lead your family well?

In what areas of your life do you lead? Are you leading in the way Jesus did? For the married men, are you the spiritual leader of your marriage? What steps do you need to take to do this better?

Have you ever been a "spiritually bankrupt grace abuser"? How have you compartmentalized your faith and okayed sinful behavior in other areas of your life?

Have you ever been "punched in the mouth by the Holy Spirit"? How has God radically transformed your life? Are you hungry to change and chase after God? What does that look like for you?

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]

The wounds we receive from our parents send a message. This message is almost always a lie.

When we believe that lie, it drives a channel that confuses who we are, how we communicate and how we operate as men. The effects of these wounds include low self-esteem, a deep longing, deep emotional pain inside and a performance-orientation that makes us "doers" rather than "beings."

This week on the podcast we are diving back in with our second episode in a series called Southland Men. Our guest this week, Jordan Moody joins in for a conversation about growing up in a broken home and how God can redeem the past and give us a new path to walk, going forward.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

Jordan and Scott mentioned their family to all of us. Share about your family with your group.

Scott helped us understand that "wounds create trauma." What are things we can do as men to help care for our wounds or our friends' wounds?

Scott also talked about how wounds from family create 2 types of trauma. 1) The absence of good things that we need. 2) The presence of bad things that should have never happened. This trauma has a big impact on those affected. How can we help stop this from happening to future generations?

Read Romans 8:35-37. How can that kind of faith and belief encourage people to be "more than conquerors through Him who loved us?"

Scott brought up that he and Jordan texted about doing this podcast episode. This brought up a lie from the enemy about not deserving to have a seat at the table. Spend time praying against this mindset. How can we encourage men to look past this lie and share our testimonies?

This quote was mentioned multiple times, "You're not responsible for what happened to you – you're responsible for what you do with it." As you take a second to think about that, what does that mean for you in your life?

"Boundaries are like good fences." What are some good fences that you need to build in your life?

There was a specific callout to dads and how father wounds become inflicted on our kids. Spend a few minutes praying over father wounds in general for men. How has this affected you as either the son or the father? Remember Matthew 19:26 as you discuss.

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

- Spend time as a group praying over the Prevett family.

- If you're wrestling with Christianity, would like to become a Christ-follower, or need help figuring out what's next, email [email protected].

- Join a Group at southland.church/groups

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

This week on Locker Room we're pressing pause in our Southland Men series for a bonus episode to make you aware of a great resource for men and families.

Dave Stone, former Senior Pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky joins us on the podcast today to talk about a special story from the heart of their church family.

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NEXT STEPS

- Join a Group at southland.church/groups

- Get tickets or find out more at ordinaryangels.movie

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

This week on Locker Room we are kicking off a new series of episodes and we're calling it Southland Men.

Each week we will be hearing the stories of men in our church that are in the battle, recovering ground, and walking a new path. These guys are taking courageous steps, fighting both for their own lives and the lives of their families. These men are making their lives count.

Up first this week is a conversation with Addison Hughes, talking about three obstacles that many of us have struggled with in our own lives: perfectionism, idolatry, and fear.

DISCUSSION GUIDE:

Have you ever wiped out on the ski slopes or somewhere else? How'd it happen?

What group or team has made the biggest impact in your life? Why was it so valuable?

Perfectionism - Do you err on the side of perfectionism or carelessness? Why do you think that is? If you wrestle with perfectionism, what type is it? Self-oriented, expectation-driven, or others-oriented?

Idolatry - What things, good or bad, have been idols in your life? Which of these things have you been able to put in the right place in your life? What are idols you still struggle with placing in front of God?

Fear - What are some of the biggest fears in your life? Do you tend to catastrophize (fixate on the worst possible outcome)?

Read Genesis 1:26-27 & John 1:12-13. What do these passages say about our identity? Is it hard for you to accept this identity?

Read John 19:30 & Colossians 2:13-14. The Cross is Enough. Why do you think men tend to act like that isn't true? How do you try to earn what Jesus has already given you?

Read Matthew 11:28-30. What does it look like to go to Jesus in times of fear, anxiety or exhaustion? How has Jesus given you rest? What does his "yoke" look like from your experience?

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]

We're back this week for the second part of a conversation on six core values for living as a godly man with our guests Daniel Mercer and Ian Schweitzer.

In today's episode we'll hit values 3-6 and see how applying them in our lives will reinforce our identity, drive our decisions, move us towards intentionality and bless those people in our lives.

If you missed part one, be sure to check it out!

DISCUSSION GUIDE:

What's the worst injury you've ever had?

The guys told us their "father of the year" stories, what's yours? If you're not a father, what is something you've seen other fathers do that can be in the "father of the year" list?

The third "H" is for "honesty." In what ways have you seen the importance of honesty in your life?

What are you doing to fight for your integrity?

The fourth "H" is for "humility." What makes it hard for men to show humility well?

Why is pride so dangerous for men? What are you doing to crush pride and pursue humility?

The fifth "H" is for "hungry." Are you actually hungry for God and what he's doing in you and your community's life? The guys talked about how they're "hungry" in their lives, do you see any similarities in your life?

What are you doing to stay hungry? What is an area in your life that God is wanting you to grow in?

The sixth and final "H" is for "healthy." Our physical health is important, but so is our spiritual health. What did you learn from the guys about spiritual health?

What steps do you need to take as you pursue being healthy spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and physically?

After learning all 6 H's is there one that you want to work on this week specifically?

What else from this episode did you learn or grow in?

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

• Check out the Core 52 book by Mark Moore. Learn more here: https://core52.org/

• Check out Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

• The guys talked about Her Knight Father/Daughter dance, check out the website for more details https://herknightdance.org/

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

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

This week we're wrapping up our Ethos of Godly Men series on Locker Room with the first of a two-part roundtable discussion on six characteristics that are mission-critical in building the culture of godly men.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

What is your worst haircut story?

Looking back at your past outfits in life, what clothing choice do you regret the most?

What is your biggest pet peeve?

The first "H" is "Holy." As said in the episode the words "holy" and "holiness" are used over 900 times in the bible. Why do you think it's used that many times in scripture?

The Hebrew word for "Holy" is "Kodesh" and that means "separate" or "set apart." Does learning that meaning change your definition of what Holy means?

What do you need to do to pursue Holiness?

The second "H" is "Harmony." In music, harmony is so noticeable when it goes wrong but is so great when it's done well. Do you think it's the same way in everyday life or in community?

Where in your life do you need to seek harmony?

What else from this episode did you learn or grow in?

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

• Check out the Core 52 book by Mark Moore. Learn more here: https://core52.org/

• Check out Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

• The guys talked about Her Knight Father/Daughter dance, check out the website for more details https://herknightdance.org/

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

• Join Fight Club in Georgetown https://southlandchristian.churchcenter.com/groups/georgetown-campus-groups/fight-club

• Learn more about being a Marriage Mentor - email [email protected]

• Check out the Parenting Podcast and more at southland.church/podcasts

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

Tell Me More Takes Over Locker Room

This week on the podcast, we're joined by Jessica McKenney, Sarah Hopkins and Lydia Florence—the three hosts of our women's podcast, Tell Me More—to talk about the Ethos of Godly Men from their perspective.

We'll discuss the influence of men and fathers in women's lives, and the picture of a man's identity in Jesus. We'll also take a look at some of the patterns they are seeing in men in today's culture and provide encouragement to men who are in the fight, following Jesus on mission.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

What women have made the biggest impact in your life? How have they shaped who you are today?

The Tell Me More crew mentioned they have time for Hot Takes in their podcast. What's a hot take you have (an opinion that may not be popular)?

We have a man problem in our world. The brokenness in our world primarily comes from an absent man or a broken man. How have you seen this be true in your life? Where have you contributed to this brokenness?

The women talked about their relationship with their fathers. What was your relationship with your Dad growing up? How has that affected who you've become?

Often women have to carry the spiritual weight of families and churches. Why do you think men tend towards passivity when it comes to faith? What is a practical step of leadership you can take to engage in your faith, your family, the church, etc?

Have you been sold a bad picture of Jesus? A Jesus who is too weak, small, irrelevant, etc. Who is Jesus to you?

Jesus elevated women in a culture that treated them terribly. Do you value and live women the same way Jesus did? How does that show in your actions? What needs to change about how you treat and speak to/about women?

Read Mark 1:9-11. God the Father affirms Jesus as his Beloved Son and Jesus lived out of that identity. Where do you find your identity? Did you know that if you follow Jesus God calls you His beloved son, too? What practical steps can you take towards living out of that identity, God's beloved son?

Jesus was emotionally healthy. Meaning he laughed, cried, got angered, etc. All in healthy ways though. Are you more naturally unemotional or overly emotional? How can you grow in your emotional health?

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

• Check out the Tell Me More Podcast and recommend it to a woman in your life at southland.church/podcasts

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

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

"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." John 1:14(NIV)

In God's Word we have the blueprint for what it means to be a Godly man in our Leader and King, Jesus. When we read the gospels, we're not just looking at what Jesus says and the things He did. We want to look at how Jesus handles hard times and difficult people.

In this episode we'll look at how Jesus responds, what He does, how He uses His words and how He treats those who love Him and those that hate Him. We want to challenge you to pay attention to the rhythms that Jesus creates: being with His Father, and then living His life on mission with passion and purpose.

DISCUSSION GUIDE:

Have you ever trained for a race or event? What was that process like?

Add on to what the Scotts' favorites were in this episode. What's your favorite movie? What was your first concert? What's your favorite kind of music? Who's your favorite athlete?

In a world where men are expected to shove emotions down, what does it look like to ask the question "am I enough?" to God? Where do you need to stop seeking that validation?

Action 1: Be consumed with the gospel and remind yourself of your rescue story. What does it mean to be "consumed" with the gospel? How do you make sure you do this?

Action 2: Put away childhood and childish ways. How are you going to do this in your own life? Read 1 Corinthians 13:11, what does this motivate you to do in your own life?

Action 3: Seek wisdom and the gift of wise people. Read Proverbs 13:20, Who can you reach out to for wisdom? What about them makes you want to reach out to them?

Action 4: Move towards the mess and do hard things. This seems opposite from what culture would tell us. What "hard things" do you need to move towards?

These 4 actions aren't something that can be 100% changed overnight. What are you going to do to keep fighting to do these things?

What else from this episode did you learn or grow in?

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

• Join Fight Club in Georgetown https://southlandchristian.churchcenter.com/groups/georgetown-campus-groups/fight-club

• Learn more about being a Marriage Mentor - email [email protected]

• Check out the Parenting Podcast and more at southland.church/podcasts

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

"If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first." — Jesus; John 15:18(NLT)

If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. — 1 Peter 4:14(NLT)

Scott Nickell joins us this week on the podcast for an extended conversation on one of the biggest challenges we face today as followers of Jesus: how do we navigate in the rough waters of a culture and nation that is increasingly and actively resistant to us and our faith?

DISCUSSION GUIDE

What's the craziest experience you've had as an away team player/fan?

What makes being in an environment away from home so difficult? Do you think you would handle it well?

Arguably the most controversial verse in the bible to say in today's culture is John 14:6 where Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." How does this statement help us as Christ followers in conversations with others?

Scott Nickell said, "If we are going to be hated, let it be for the right reasons, not for being big jerks." Discuss how that can be implemented in your life. Are there any reasons people would hate you outside of your relationship with Jesus?

Where have you seen religious legalism combated? Why do we tend to see our relationship with God as works-based?

What are the big dominos you've seen fall in the lives of religious progressives?

Read 2 Timothy 3:1-7. Discuss how you can fight from the "terrible times". What does it look like in your life?

Scott quoted the book Post Christian, "the great challenge today isn't to convince people that there's a god. The great challenge is to convince people, there's one God." Do you agree with this in relation to false religions? Why or why not?

Oftentimes we give politicians and governments too much credit for how they rule our lives. How can we remember John 14:6 in corrupt governments?

What else from this episode did you learn or grow in?

What did God/the 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

• Watch Scott's sermon on How To Be Hated in 3 Simple Steps at https://southland.church/messages/how-to-be-hated-in-3-simple-steps

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

• Join Fight Club in Georgetown https://southlandchristian.churchcenter.com/groups/georgetown-campus-groups/fight-club

• Learn more about being a Marriage Mentor - email [email protected]

• Check out the Parenting Podcast and more at southland.church/podcasts

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