The 180 Church Podcast with Dr. Sammy and Friends

This week, John Eldredge continues our series on resilience by exploring the unconverted areas of our lives. In difficult times, rather than being Christ-like, many of us react with fear, anxiety, anger, or rage—these are our unconverted places. To cultivate greater resilience, we must bring these emotions to Christ in the very moment they arise, asking Him to enter and unite with us in these area...

The first Noel reveals profound truths about human frailty and dependence, overturning the myth of self-made independence. Jesus, as a vulnerable infant, required the nurture of others, exposing the illusion that we can thrive on our own. His incarnation also affirms the transformative power of attachment—how community and mutual reliance are essential for strength and redemption. By entering the...

The Advent of Jesus is most often described as the arrival of Christ to the world, but implicit to an arrival is a story of departure. Christ’s departure from an eternal status quo to corporeal calling in the gospel of Mathew sets the scene for Nativity and the drama implied by His arrival. The significance of Christ’s arrival to the present invites us to take part in the story of redemption and c...

In this next segment from his series on resilience, John Eldredge demonstrates the practice of spending time with Christ within us as the ultimate source of resilience. Most of the time, we operate in what Eldredge terms the shallows and the midlands of our being - the distractions and concerns of this world which leave us feeling exhausted or directionless. By practicing benevolent detachment and...

When we face situations where we think failure is inevitable, we can become so caught up in our emotions that we focus only on the catastrophe ahead. However, no one is a fortune teller, and by getting caught up in fear, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to build towards a better future. Instead, when faced with such situations, we can start by recognizing that our emotional swings are normal an...

We often wrestle with the weight of our past mistakes, living in the shadow of guilt and feeling like we must constantly atone for our failures. The gospel offers a radically different message: Christ has borne our guilt and shame through His one perfect sacrifice, freeing us from the need to earn forgiveness. This freedom doesn't absolve us of responsibility but invites us into a life of sanctifi...

A common motif of the human experience is the grapple between fatalism and hope. It is a duality often cinematically depicted as a glistening ray of light cutting through darkness. As fickle as hope may seem to be, fatalism is just as paper thin. In what could feel like immense darkness, looming death, and utter despair, sometimes God shimmers a light that defies all calculable odds, as demonstrat...

When so much of daily life is solving problems and overcoming difficult circumstances, it's not enough to have only lofty ideals or moral philosophies. And while Christianity has its share of moral teachings, the core of the gospel is Jesus himself, who offers up himself as Son of God and Savior. In response to human brokenness and suffering, Jesus did not come to preach - he came to offer divine...

This week we examine the story of Bartimaeus, a beggar who physically was blind, but spiritually saw more clearly than anyone else. Despite being near a crowd that could offer him money, Bartimaeus prioritized calling out to Jesus, recognizing Jesus as God's promise. Then, after being healed of his blindness, he immediately followed Jesus, as he recognized that this was the opportunity of a lifeti...

What is the Dunning-Kruger Christian? The kind that overestimates their ability to lead their Christian life. In a post-pandemic church, where we increasingly see lesser commitments to our faith community and relationships, many of us have conflated spiritual discipleship with cognitive growth, but there isn’t a podcast or book in the world that would protect you against the spiritual dangers like...

Things we have built into habits, we can easily do again, but things we rarely do, we may struggle to even remember how they're done. If we build a discipline of studying, internalizing, and applying Scripture, we will have solid ground to stand on when faced with difficulty. After all, God's words gave Joshua the confidence to lead a nation, and Paul the confidence to preach even after being tort...

We often seek personal ambition and greatness, but Jesus teaches a different path—one where true greatness is revealed through serving others. In Mark 9:30-37, when the disciples argue about who is the greatest, Jesus teaches them that greatness lies in humble servanthood. Using a child as an example, he shows that welcoming and serving the powerless is like welcoming him. Through this, Jesus call...

In our spiritual development, whether seasoned believer or curious seeker, a part of our discipleship process involves some changes, namely in the area of our priorities. As societies and people have changed over time, so too have our priorities and their associated concerns. Nevertheless, we habitually continue to structure and revolve our lives around the “main thing,” so to speak. It is seeming...

When we cry, especially unexpectedly, it's a signal to pay close attention. While we may see it as a moment of weakness that requires a tangible solution, God sees it as something more precious - an expression of our heart that reveals more about ourselves and calls not for a solution, but for a safe and loving space to be in. If we want to cultivate a community that encourages such safe and lovin...

As we gather together for Retreat Sunday Service, we visit the theme of rest. In this day and age, especially in a competitive city like New York, it is easy to become anxious and stressed out. However, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul invites us to rest, to let go of the things we can't control and give them up to God. In turn, this frees up our minds to be present with what God has put in...

At today's “Desserts in the Sun”, Dr. Sammy speaks about Jesus' wisdom for anyone who worries too much. Worrying, especially about things we can't control, often dominates our minds with negative thoughts. Jesus teaches that worrying adds no value to our lives and instead contributes to our problems. Rather than trying to think more positively, Jesus advises us to stop negative thoughts in their t...

The benediction, traditionally, is a word of blessing bestowed to a congregation at the end of a worship service. Although the benediction is a regular practice, its significance goes beyond serving as just a good word, but as a means to also cultivate moral discernment. Insofar as we attempt to navigate our weeks, relationships, and resources, the benedictions we receive on a weekly occurrence ca...

This past Sunday, three members of our community gave their testimonies and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible, many have turned to baptism as not only a public announcement of faith and a declaration of intent, but also as a symbol of a new beginning of life lived in Christ. As our members share their experiences, we are reminded that while everyone has a unique experi...

Pettiness, in addition to dealing damage in our relationships, is a symptom of our humanity. We have a propensity towards pettiness because of our self-interest, and we must recognize that we cannot completely eliminate the temptation to strike back when we feel wronged. However, in Ephesians 4, Paul reminds us that there is something greater to desire than what pettiness can give us, and that is...

God is slow to anger, but what does that mean? God’s anger, unlike our anger, is motivated by righteousness. Human anger often results in abuse, violence, and hurt, but God’s anger is not irrational or spontaneous. His anger is righteous indignation and the end of indifference, in contrast to our own reckless spite. For instance, in the Old Testament, God expressed his anger against a sinful Israe...

Over the past few weeks, we have discussed the negative impacts of anger and the importance of self-control. When anger takes hold of a community, as it did in Ephesus, it leads to gossip, sin, and ultimately division. Self-control, as a fruit of the Spirit, counteracts this by enabling us to step back and exercise patience instead of reacting in anger, fostering love and humility. Additionally, i...

As we continue our series on eliminating anger, we peer into an often overlooked but paramount imperative from Paul in his letter to the church of Ephesus: to not allow the devil a foothold in your anger. When we harbor anger in our hearts and minds, it is akin to inviting spiritual and emotional garbage in our lives - and where garbage lies, pests reside. It’s when our lifestyles exhibit unresolv...

In his letters to the Corinthians, Paul warns the church against letting the thorns in our side go unchecked. These "thorns," such as insecurities or things that trigger our anger, can lead to pride, a superiority complex, and ultimately the destruction of our relationships. Instead of giving in to our thorns, Paul shows us that admitting our insufficiency allows us to truly accept God's grace and...

Anger can destroy relationships. Many instances of abuse and misunderstanding result from us internalizing our anger rather than resolving it with those around us. In Ephesians 4, Paul urges us to resolve our anger before the day ends. Anger is based on judgment and righteousness, and when we choose to be slow to anger, we can better assess why we are angry. However, allowing our anger to surpass...