Siloam+

Unfaithfulness, repentance, restoration. These are the main themes found in Hosea. Shocking language is used, but it is for a purpose, and that is to point us back to Jesus. The judgment must happen for restoration to take place. Join us in this conversation as we unpack Hosea a little more!

Are you familiar with the Minor Prophets of the Bible? Most people are not. So, why did we choose the Minor Prophets for the summer series? The Minor Prophets are relevant to our world today and the things we are currently experiencing. But, they also have eternal relevance pointing us to Jesus. Join us are we dive into the Minor Prophets, book by book, throughout the summer!Click here for the summer series booklet -> Minor Prophets Booklet

As you recite the Apostles Creed, you are stating you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Born of the virgin, Mary. Why is this so important to believe? Because it is true and it sets us apart from other sects who do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. Join pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford as they talk about Jesus.Show Notes:Annunciation with the Unicorn Polyptych - Master of the Annunciation with the Unicorn Polyptych — Google Arts & Culture

"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth." This IS what we believe. It is not "I do" but "I believe" How amazing is it to recite that each with other believers! God wants us to come to Him. He invites us into that relationship. Listen to this episode to hears pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford as they dive into God the Father.

Have you ever wondered why we recite the Apostle's Creed? Does it seem like it doesn't fit in a Southern Baptist Church? Did you know the Apostle's Creed pre-dates Roman Catholicism? This is the first episode of a series on the Apostle's Creed and what it means and why it is so important. Give this podcast a listen as an introduction to this new series.

Do you want to hear more from Pastor John as he is beginning his sabbatical? Listen to this podcast to gain a better understanding.

Have you ever tried to explain the Trinity to someone? Or heard it explained and left more confused? The last stanza of the traditional stanza of the doxology is "Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." Did you know you praise all three? The doctrine of the Trinity is difficult to explain, but vitally important. Join pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford as they explain the doctrine of the in more detail.

As we continue this series on the doxology, we get to "Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts." Take a look at Psalms 148. What are heavenly hosts? Are they angels? Do they have wings and halos? The examples given in the Bible range from the sun and moon to four headed beasts to bright figures and humans. BUT they are all commanded to praise God. We should be pointing all creatures to praise God. So, what's happening in heaven? Praise. God created all the heavenly hosts to praise Him.

Creatures are all created things. Humans, trees, bees, we are all part of God's creation. All creation was created originally, uniquely for God's glory, and each has a song to sing.. Every life is sacred and has sacred values before God. Join us in this 4 part series on the doxology as pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford take each stanza and explain the meaning behind it.

Surely you know the doxology. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow..." Have you ever thought about what it actually means? Doxology flows out of theology. Theology means the study of God, while doxology means to praise God or glory words. Join us in this 4-part series on the doxology as pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford take each stanza and explain the meaning behind it.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Did you know this part was not original to the bible? It was added later. Listen in as Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford explain why it is a part of the Lord's Prayer.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver is from evil. Does God tempt us? Does God cause us to do evil? Join Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford as they unpack these questions that are usually asked after reading this portion of the Lord's Prayer.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Forgiveness is HARD! Why should we forgive those who have really hurt us? Well, because God said to. Listen in as Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford unpack the topic of forgiveness in the Lord's Prayer.

Give us this day our daily bread. What does this mean? Is Jesus talking about actual bread? Yes and no. We are to depend on God regularly throughout each day for both our spiritual and physical needs. Join Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford as they break down the meaning behind this portion of the Lord's Prayer.

Your Kingdom Come. What does this mean in the Lord's prayer? In this episode, Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford dive into the meaning of "Your Kingdom Come".

Hallowed be thy name. How often do you use the word "hallowed"? Do you even know what it means when we pray "hallowed be thy name"? Join Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford as they explain the meaning of this stanza of the Lord's Prayer.

Our Father. Those are the first two words of the Lord's Prayer. Change the pronoun "Our" to "My" Father. It makes the Lord's Prayer more intimate because He IS your Father. You ARE His children. Join pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford as they dig deeper into the "Our Father" portion of the Lord's Prayer.

The Lord's Prayer is used as a modeled prayer whether you are praying for yourself, for others, or in a group setting. But how has praying the Lord's prayer shaped your prayer life? Your Spiritual life? Or the way you view the world around you? Are you saying it out of repetition, not truly grasping what it means? Join Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford as they give an introduction into the Lord's Prayer.

Why do we recite the Lord's Prayer, Doxology, and Apostles's Creed in the worship service? These are intentionally placed in our worship service, but many don't truly know what they mean. Join us as we briefly discuss the intentionality of reciting each of these in this episode.

WE'RE BACK!!!! It has been too long! This episode was meant to be fun, while also allowing you to learn a little more about our pastors. Tune in to hear their answers to some questions related to their lives and pastoral life!

Judson College was founded here in Marion in 1838 and unfortunately had to close its door in 2021. However, the legacy left behind will always hold a special place in the lives of those girls that attended. Samford University was formerly Howard College, which was founded here in Marion in 1841. The campus was located on what is now Marion Military Institute. Join us as we recap the extraordinary days we had with Judson and Samford in the last month.

"God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things for Him." - Elizabeth WellsOneness and peace in Christ is impossible if you do not have a relationship with Him. We try to create peace, however, it fails. But true peace only comes from Jesus himself. When our relationship with God is broken, other relationships are unhealthy too. Without Christ as the center of your relationships, division is created. Whatever division you struggle with, Jesus breaks down that dividing wall. How great is that?! Whatever differences we have, we can be brought together in Christ. God is doing very detailed, specific construction in our lives to be part of this grand structure of Church. We may want instant change, but God's work in us is a lifelong adventure. We are being built for a dwelling place by God, for God, so we can rightly fit together for Him to dwell.

We seem to grab pieces of scripture instead of reading it all in context. But when you see it for all it's worth, it will change you. Did you know Paul was in prison when he wrote Ephesians? Knowing that changed the way I read this epistle. Paul is wanting people's eyes to be opened to see what God is doing. He wants us to know we ARE the fullness of Christ as the Church. We are the fullness of Christ even though we were dead because of our disobedience and sins. But, let us not forget where we came from. There's nothing in us that causes God to love us, but He loves us because we are His masterpiece. We are not saved by works, and we're not continued to be saved by works. We are to walk hand in hand with God and do good works. And the good news is this is not the end!

Have you ever truly paid attention to the way Paul prays? Take a minute to read Ephesians 1:15-23. Yeah...it can be intimidating to think you have to pray that way. Thankfully, that is not the case! Our Heavenly Father hears your prayers whether it is simple or sounds like it came from a seminary professor, whether it's interrupted, or you spend hours talking with him. What God really wants is for us to just pray, to engage in conversation with Him. Join us as we go on a little bit of a tangent in regards to this passage.

Have you been joining us on Sunday mornings as we make our way through Ephesians? Join us on the podcast as we dive deeper into this epistle, starting with Ephesians 1:3-14. "Furthermore, because we are united in Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan." Ephesians 1:11

Did you know that Ephesians is a dark purple? Yeah, well neither did we. Join us as we discuss the relationship between Ephesians and colors! No but really, as we walk through the book of Ephesians on Sunday mornings, we decided to have a podcast series that goes into a bit more depth. Come along side us as we walk through this great, little book of the Bible.

Guest speakers have been a normal occurrence this year in light of our 200th anniversary. Everything from the origination of the Alabama Baptist and NAMB here at Siloam, to the ugly days of segregation have been highlighted. Join us as we discuss the special events that have already taken place this year and those to come.

Unexpected sickness while on vacation resulting in a 5-day hospital stay. Cancellation of VBS after one day. Monthly community food distribution cancelled. There are even more things the enemy has done lately to try and cause us to waver. But WE'RE BACK!!!! Tune in as we give a recap of the last few months.

How are women portrayed in Scripture? Are they any lesser than men or equal? How can they serve the church? Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford dive into questions surrounding women and the church. We are so thankful for all the many dedicated women in the church who serve week in and week out. We pray this podcast is an encourage to them and the men of the church as well.P.S. We apologize for the issue with Josh's audio in this podcast. He set the microphone on the wrong setting. P.S.S. Technical director help needed.

Throughout 2022, we will have special conversations with guests who are helping us celebrate our 200th anniversary as a church. Today, we sit down with Dr. Lonette Berg and Elizabeth Wells. They are helping us update our Siloam history book. In doing so, they are helping us remember: both the distant past and not so distant. We discuss why this endeavor is worthy and why we all should be a part of it. Links: https://www.abhconline.com/https://library.samford.edu/special/uarchives.html

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford take your questions concerning community outreach. What are we already doing? What are ways for you to plug in? What is coming up? How can we be the hands and feet of Christ to those who need it most? Join us while we look at these and related questions.Links: https://chalmers.org/

Why do I church buildings look like they do? Are church buildings really even important? Can I just "be the church" all by myself? What about VR churches? These are just some of the questions and issues that arise on this episode of the podcast. Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford dive into the world of church architecture and how God has created us as physical beings.Show notes:The Church is a Building: Toward a Theology of Sacred Architecture: https://nojesuittricks.substack.com/p/the-church-is-a-buildingHow to Prepare for the Metaverse: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/prepare-metaverse/VR Church video: https://twitter.com/grcastleberry/status/1488580625124708357VR Church article: https://churchleaders.com/news/412960-craig-groeschel-vr-church-jesus.htmlCorrection: Pastor Josh mentioned a video of Walmart on the metaverse. While it is true Walmart is preparing to have a prominent presence on the metaverse, the video he mentioned was actually from 2017 and thus not an accurate representation of what the Walmart experience on the metaverse will be like.

Is physically being in church THAT important? In the digital age where podcast, livestreams, and your favorite worship music is available at a click, why go through the effort to show up and deal with other imperfect, messy people? Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford discuss why this is vital to our Christian growth and mission to the world.

In the inaugural episode of the Ask the Pastors series, Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford address questions regarding the basics of the Bible and theology. We offer some practical advice and resources, as well as give updates to what we are planning to study as a church in the upcoming months.Some resources mentioned:Faithlife TV Courses: https://faithlifetv.com/categories/logos-mobile-edThe BibleProject: https://bibleproject.com/

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford preview the upcoming 200th anniversary of Siloam. 2022 will be a jam packed year so this is a jam packed episode! Have a pen and paper ready. Here is the form for questions mentioned at the end of the episode: https://forms.gle/NSG7qm3TYseoaaH19

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford sit down with their wives, Vanessa and Rebecca, to talk all things Christmas! We discuss our favorite movies, carols, food, etc. Join us for a fun, light-hearted Christmas episode that rivals Hallmark in its Christmasiness!

Pastors John and Josh talk about how the mind of Jesus leads us to live an "incarnated" life like Jesus did. How do we serve others? What does that look like in light of Advent? Join us as we discuss these things and more!

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford discuss how Advent is a time of humility. Taking a deeper look at Philippians 2:1–5, we discuss practical ways to live like Jesus during the Advent season.

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford take a look at the relationship between evangelism and Advent. We talk about why during the Advent season people are highly receptive to gospel conversations.

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford sit down with Mrs. Casey Dunaway to talk about fasting. Casey brings a needed perspective on fasting and helps clarify the best ways to seek God without being distracted while fasting.

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford discuss the spiritual discipline of feasting. We differentiate between simply eating and intentionally feasting with others to worship God and enjoy His gifts. A resource we mentioned:Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts by Joe Rigney- https://www.amazon.com/Things-Earth-Treasuring-Enjoying-Gifts/dp/1433544733

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford sit down with Janice Williams to discuss the effects of technology on our spiritual disciplines. We talk about the good and the bad of technology as well as how we can use it effects in community.Some resources mentioned in the podcast:The Ledger of Harms: https://ledger.humanetech.comThe Social Dilemma: https://www.thesocialdilemma.comHow to Prepare for the Metaverse: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/prepare-metaverse/

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford discuss the whys and hows of Bible memorization. We talk about some upcoming opportunities we will have as a church to memorize Scripture together!Some resources we mentioned were:Dwell: https://dwelldifferently.com/The Bible Memory App: https://biblememory.com/Verses: https://www.getverses.com/Fighter Verses: https://fighterverses.com/Corner Room Music: https://www.cornerroommusic.com/Example of Bible memory with hand motions for children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqdcR3Y6oGk

Pastor John sits down with Doug, Roy, Art, and Mike to discuss prayer in community!

Pastors Josh Watford and Roger Harper discuss reading the Bible with spouses and kids. They talk about the theology of reading as a family and also practical tips on what has worked for them. If you are married or have any kids in your life–or hope to one day–this one is for you!

Pastors John Nicholson and Josh Watford sit down with John David Goode and Joe Zumwalt to discuss reading the Bible in large sections at a time in community. We talk about ways in which reading it in community allows the Spirit to speak to us in different ways and how we can practically do this.

Pastors John and Josh welcome special guest Pastor Thomas Fletcher to the podcast. We chat about how the spiritual disciplines impact our lives now and our lives to come. Pastor Thomas offers some great illustrations to help us grasp these truths better.

Pastors John and Josh discuss the importance of church attendance even during a pandemic and why community is vital to us growing in Christ.

In the inaugural episode of Siloam+, Pastors John and Josh discuss the purpose of the spiritual disciplines in community and how to steer clear of "checkbox Christianity."