That's My Church

Associate Pastor Daniel Headrick preaches on the parable of the laborers in the vineyard from Matthew 20:1-16. "It's not fair!" We've all said it, perhaps more so lately during Coronavirus time. Jesus' parable teaches us that God's economy runs on something called grace, which subverts our human notions of fairness. How might we be more open to grace for those we think are undeserving?

Last Sunday's sermon was called “Tell It To The Church.” This is what Jesus tells his disciples to do in Matthew 18 if all else fails in our attempts to achieve reconciliation with one who has sinned against us. In an era of consumer religion, where customers “shop” for churches to find just the right fit, the notion of church discipline may seem like a quaint and bygone practice. What relevance do Jesus’ words of reaching out to those who have wronged us still have in an age of social media and consumer religion? Jesus offers a different way, one of life giving growth…if we are willing to listen.

Daniel speaks with Julie Katz with the American Jewish Committee's Atlanta office about antisemitism. Julie and Daniel have been in a Baptist-Jewish dialogue for three years with several others. They discuss the rise of antisemitism in Europe and America, the ways in which Holocaust knowledge is fading, and Covid-19 conspiracy theories. Julie also tells us how Christians can be allies to their Jewish neighbors.

Daniel interviews his friend and interfaith colleague Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal, Senior Rabbi at Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta about how he and his congregation are responding to the Covid-19 crisis.

This week Daniel interviews Christian author and literature professor Marilyn McEntyre. Author of Word by Word: A Daily Spiritual Practice and Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies, among many other words, Marilyn teaches us how to savor and care for words. Words that have been abused and corrupted by culture need reclaiming, and the church is fertile ground for such work. Join us!

James and Daniel talk about preaching during a podcast that is roughly twice the length of our average sermon. Two preachers...double the time! We talk about our resistance to neat definitions of preaching and about the need to pay attention to the text, world events, and the needs of the congregation.

We conclude our two part special on Handel's Messiah in advance of Sunday December 15th's 10:30 AM performance in the NDBC Sanctuary. Dr. Keith Walker and Dr. Steve Sheeley are our guests on this podcast. We talk about some of the scandalous moments behind the scenes, a rather eccentric cameo by Jonathan Swift into this story, and Keith's approach to orchestration. Enjoy!

In advance of our December 15th worship service featuring Part One of Handel's Messiah, Associate Pastor Daniel interviews Dr. Keith Walker and Dr. Steve Sheeley about the history and composition of Messiah. Very few works have penetrated our hearing of Scripture and our perception of Advent like Handel's Messiah. Join us for this conversation!

This week we address the intersection of science and faith with NDBC member and scientist Dr. Jim Mahaffey. What was God doing before God created the Universe? What is the role of wonder in our world? Join us!

This week in "That's My Church" we address prayer. Does prayer change God, or does it change us? Or both? Do only eloquent prayers get heard by God? And much, much more. Enjoy!

In our ongoing quest to cover one-word topics, this week the clergy of NDBC discuss the Bible. The Church Moderator makes a brief off-mic cameo, and James talks about Christmas during his childhood...and much more! Enjoy.

James and Daniel talk about Church, or as they were taught in seminary to say "ecclesiology." The topic is so much bigger than the time allotted in a podcast, but we begin to discuss the church's battle with "relevancy," the fact that our division is illusory, and more! Plus, Daniel quotes Carlyle Marney. Enjoy!

In this episode, James & Daniel talk about grace. How do we experience grace? How is it incarnated in our lives?

In this episode, James and Daniel talk about joy. What is joy? Why is it so elusive? How do we "practice" joy? We talk about our call stories, and much more.

In this first episode of "That's My Church" we begin a conversation with Senior Pastor James Lamkin and Associate Pastor Daniel Headrick about a theologically informed response to mass shootings and gun violence. Why is this so hard to talk about? What might a Christian response to mass shootings look like? Join us for our first conversation.