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In our world, sex before marriage is normal, hooking up is normal, funky sex is normal, and pornography is normal. Normal is: sex is casual and inclusive, not exclusive and monogamous. In college, having a “body count” is normal. Normal is riddled with shame and regret. Normal is broken. Normal is living in guilt. Normal is unchecked and distorted desires that make us more like animals than God’s prized creation. Normal is struggling dating relationships. Normal is struggling marriages. Normal is divorced. Normal is habitual sexual sin and sexual addiction. Let’s not be normal! Let’s stop being normal, like everybody else! God made you for love—don’t settle for lust. The gospel is about freedom in Christ—don't settle for crippling addition. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” — Romans 12:2(NIV) Join us this week on Locker Room as we talk about a subject

If you are a parent and have kids in your home, you are passing on something to them. Whether you’ve been intentional or not, well-meaning or not, you are building a legacy. The question is, will that legacy you are giving them be good, healthy and eternal? Or is it something else? John Sampson joins Scott on the podcast this week to talk about leaving a legacy for our kids of loving God and others, and preparing them for life as an independent adult.   DISCUSSION GUIDE We started off with some fun in the podcast, which of the Chuck Norris lines did you like the most? The role of parents is, “teaching and training our kids to love God, love people, and leave home.” After hearing that, does it change your view on what it means to be a parent? A couple of acknowledgments have been made. 1. Parenting is the hardest job on the planet. 2. There are no perfect parents, no perfect children, and no perfect families. Does that reminder release any stress you have about either being a parent or potentially being a pare

Phones, technology and social media are simply tools for communication. The effects of using a tool depend on the purpose for which it is used, but the tool itself is neutral in origin. It’s similar to having a hammer. You can build something with a hammer. You can also destroy something or hurt someone. The tools are not the problem. How something is used is the problem. The same is true with social media and smartphones. In this episode we’ll discuss how to use technology appropriately and navigating when and how to introduce technology safely into the lives of your kids. Our guest on the podcast this week is Scott Harvey. Scott has 20 years of experience in law enforcement, specializing in hostage negotiations and communication. He is also a husband and girl dad, and author of the book, Silence Kills: Communication Tactics to Speak with Confidence and Build Your Influence.   DISCUSSION GUIDE What was the first cell phone you owned? What year did you get it? What did you primarily use it for? Which tool (li

Parents work really hard to be intentional when their kids are young. In those early years we teach them so much: how to walk, talk, eat, have manners, to say they're sorry, to learn to play with others, to be grateful…all these things. But the decisions our teenagers make in middle and high school have bigger consequences. The stakes are higher; the fallout greater. The decisions they make in these seven years set up their lives in college or young adulthood, and in turn can set the tone for the next forty years of their lives. So we want to do our best to take advantage of these seven years in middle and high school. In today’s episode of Locker Room, we circle up with members of Southland’s Student Ministry: Connor Hall, Casey Whitehead and Peter Sohn to talk about some of the unique challenges facing our teens as they navigate our current culture.   DISCUSSION GUIDE What were you like in your teenage years? “Parents are primary, student ministry is secondary.” What encourages you about the partnership bet

This week on Locker Room we’re kicking off a four-part series on parenting. In this first episode we are looking at raising littles: from babies up through elementary. If you’re a dad or a parent with little kids—you will find encouragement in our conversation today. Next week we'll talk about raising teenagers (middle and high school) and we’ll navigate some really relevant topics that are on the forefront of culture right now. In week 3, we’ll look at navigating parenting with smartphones and social media in a digital world. Week 4, we’ll talk about raising girls. Our guests around the table today are from our Southland Children’s team: Jason Byerly, Kelsi Collins, and Krista McCoy Tudor. Join us as we dive into the wild ride that is parenting littles! Southland also has a Parenting Podcast that you can find at southland.church/podcasts or anywhere that you get your podcasts. Scott Nickell is leading that effort—it’s a great podcast that’s really encouraging for parents. You should check it out!   DISCUSSIO

The Bible describes David as “A man after God’s own heart”, yet his life got sideways and there was a season where David lived a double life. David wasn’t the only person on the planet that has lived a hypocritical double life as a child of God. No doubt there are some of us that are currently living a double life. We may be compartmentalizing our own sin and trying to manage our own darkness while projecting a different image towards others. Our guest Alan Chan joins the podcast this week to talk about the process of overcoming past shame and embracing the transformation of walking a new path with Christ.   DISCUSSION GUIDE If you could put together the perfect fast food meal what would it be? (Ex. Entree - Chick-fil-A chicken Sandwich, Side - Arby’s curly fries, Drink - McDonald’s diet coke, dessert - Cookout Milkshake) What was your first full-time job? How did you connect with the other employees? An invite to volleyball and Thursday night dinner connected Alan to the church. Who helped you connect to the

At some point in our lives, we all have to do battle with hard things.  We’re back this week with Chris, Edgar, and Matt to share more of their stories. We’ll share stories of navigating the pain of divorce, choosing to partner with God on mission in your daily work, and the experience of walking through faith with a family member in the last steps of life. If you missed last week’s episode, be sure to check it out first and come back here for part 2. DISCUSSION GUIDE What can we as men learn from Chris as he shared how he walked through divorce and healing from that? Chris talked about how hard divorce was and how the enemy attacked him. How can men rally around other men going through this? He talked also about how he was prepared for the hard moments going into dating and marriage again. What can we learn from that preparation even in the hardest things? Chris mentioned his non-negotiables. These are super specific and deep. What challenged you about that list? “Men, we are not our vocations.” How have y

  /* 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

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 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 w

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. --- 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 lockerroom@southland.church    

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 the

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 G

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 lear

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 rela

“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

“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,

Developing a healthy, intentional ethos (culture and characteristics) as a Godly man is critical. It’s about building disciplines that drive us to deeper places, move us closer to Jesus, and infuse purpose back into our lives. On today's episode we will dive into 3 things that should be non-negotiables for us as men. DISCUSSION GUIDE : Are you a person who sets goals/resolutions? What goals have you set for yourself recently? How has it been going for you? Share a funny story of when you gave up on a goal way too quickly. Challenge 1: Pursue Jesus Daily - What does it look like for you to follow Jesus on a day-to-day basis? Does reading come naturally to you? How often are you actually in God’s Word? Would you like your time reading the Bible to look different? How so? Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 & Hebrews 12:4. Based on these scriptures, why is it so valuable to be reading the Bible? If you don’t have a daily Bible reading rhythm make one now. Take a few minutes now to discuss a plan to read daily and togethe

There isn't a tougher job on the planet than parenting! At the same time, there are a ton of voices speaking into how to do it. We are releasing a new podcast for parents that focuses first on the heart of the parent because at the end of the day, you can't give what you don't have. We want so many things for our kids, but often what matters most when it comes to our parenting is the condition of our own hearts. That's what our new podcast is all about. This first episode is published here on the Locker Room podcast feed. To subscribe to future episodes, find, "Parenting - a Southland.Church podcast" on your favorite podcast platform, or listen on our website at https://southland.church/podcasts -- Episode 1: Parenting Begins in Our Hearts The most influential thing on the hearts of our children—for good or for bad—is the state of our own hearts and what comes out of us. We have all been influenced by our own individual experiences growing up. Some of us only had one parent around. Some of us didn’t have a st

If you are a Christian, you are playing an away game. There was a day when the church was a predominant influence in culture. Not anymore. In the U.S. the church has lost influence in our communities and been pushed out to the margins, and Christ-followers are no longer warmly met, but now face vitriol and resistance.  But this is nothing new. In this episode of Locker Room Scott and returning guest Kevin Comp sit down to look back into history to a time when a group of young men who followed the Lord were faced with an ultimate test of faith versus a culture that wanted nothing to do with God. Discussion Guide: Which option would you pick between truth or dare? Why?      Describe a time when you saw someone do something courageous. Where did their strength come from? What effect did their courage have on you?   Read Daniel 1:1-21. The first chapter of the book of Daniel provides context for the type of character and courage Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) possess