Love First Podcast: Recent Episodes
Don McLaughlin
This is not just a podcast to inspire more love; it's a revolutionary call to love better.
''A terrible virus has spread across the planet and turned the human race into bloodthirsty monsters. Mankind's only hope for survival is . . .'' Originally part of the tagline for the sci-fi thriller I Am Legend, these lines describe the undercurrent of unrest and turbulence in our world. The virus we have been facing for a long time is hate—an epidemic infecting social media, politics, neighborhoods, and homes. Communities of believers, which should be clinics with the cure, are instead suspected of being primary carriers of the virus.
But there is hope. Hate, even in its most nefarious forms, is no match for the love modeled by Jesus. Love is his cure for the sick and dying world. But not just any love. This is not just a podcast to inspire more love; it's a revolutionary call to love better. Historians, sociologists, and theologians agree that we are experiencing the most fundamental changes in global society in the last five hundred years. And while the church has a lofty vision and mighty power, we are disastrously unprepared. This podcast presents an understandable, practical, and doable approach to loving others with such clarity and conviction that the world will truly know the God who loves us first.
Podcast hosted by North Atlanta Church of Christ.
Division seems to be all around us. Is it necessary? Can we just get along? Are all divisions bad? What causes division? Should we just be quiet about controversial things? These are all disorienting questions that many of us face as we interact with the world today. The good thing is that we can reorient around God’s Kingdom. Today, let’s talk about what it means to follow Jesus in polarizing times.
Don McLaughlin discusses how people from different walks of life came together for one common goal that affected everybody. He draws from Nehemiah chapters 3 and 5 to show us that making sure every voice is heard is important as we make home feel like home again.
Join Don McLaughlin for this episode of the Love First Podcast—The Disagreement Dilemma: Learning how to root our differences in relational love
Jesus knew the transformative power of eating a meal together. He used meals more than any other setting to teach and model his coming kingdom. Join us this evening as we witness the healing power of eating a meal together. Join us on the Love First Podcast as we set the table for racial equity with Dietra Hawkins and Don McLaughlin.
We are less than a week away from a national election. Polarization is running high. Should we avoid divisive topics? Should we just give up on unity?
Join Don McLaughlin for the next installment of the Love First Podcast as we talk about ways to find unity in Christ as we engage the most divisive topics—starting with the debate on abortion.
Join Don McLaughlin for a conversation with Tyler White as they discuss Tyler’s new book, “Contact: The Shaping Power of Intentional Interaction.
You can buy Tyler's book at https://contact-book.com/
On Sunday morning, September 27, 2020, the Sharpe Road Church of Christ in Greensboro, North Carolina was enjoying their virtual worship when their broadcast was hacked. In a flash, the screen was filled with hate speech, racial slurs, and pornographic images. In a coordinated attack, five individuals launched their assault on this African-American church. On this episode of the Love First Podcast, we host a conversation with the Sharpe Road preaching minister, Nick Glenn, a fellow minister from Greensboro, Jason Noble of the Friendly Avenue Church of Christ, and Dr. Jerry Taylor and Dr. Doug Foster of Abilene Christian University. The conversation is witness to the powerful impact of love and friendship is fighting the evil of hate and racism.
Take action at www.carlspaincenter.org/solidarity
We can’t escape the unrest. COVID-19, racial tension, economic angst, and the Presidential Election coming up on November 3. Churches and Christ-followers are not immune. This episode of the Love First podcast is the first in a crucial seven-part series to prepare us to lead with love, unity, and hope.
Mosquitoes, bug spray, and fixing our broken relationships. Join us for the Love First Podcast as we explore effective, practical, biblical steps to healing our divided families, churches, and nation.
Do you feel like we are talking past each other in regard to Jesus and justice? Do you get tired of hearing about it? We know Jesus gets it, but can he lead us through it? Will his first-century ways translate to our twenty-first century days? Let’s talk about Jesus and Justice Fatigue on the Love First Podcast.
Could you forgive your mother's murderer? Join Don McLaughlin and Dr. Everett Worthington for the Love First Podcast as they discuss the Psychology of Forgiveness on Thursday at 7 PM.
In this episode, we discuss the nuances of forgiving ourselves and forgiving others.
Join us for the Love First podcast this evening @7:00 EST. Our special guest is Dr. Everett Worthington, professor of psychology at VCU and internationally renowned researcher on forgiveness. Dr. Worthington has authored more than 30 books and 350 scholarly articles on what forgiveness is, how we grow into being forgiving people, and how we reap the tangible benefits of forgiveness. His engaging style and stunning personal story make this a "don't miss this" podcast!
In this episode of the Love First Podcast, Don McLaughlin addresses a question that many Christians are asking right now: Should the Church reject Critical Race Theory?
Pursuing unity and compelled by the great mission of God, this episode of the Love First Podcast begins a two-part exploration of this current debate.
Hard conversations, like a challenging workout, can yield great benefits, but neither is easy! There’s always the temptation to skip out on hard stuff of life. In this episode, we drill down into how to stay with—and reap the rewards— of the hard conversations.
On this episode of the Love First Podcast, Don McLaughlin welcomes Dr. Robby Luckett back as he takes us through some crucial history about White Supremacy, Segregationism, and how this history shapes our lives today.
You do not want to miss this powerful episode.
Love First Podcast: John Lewis, the Confederate Flag, and the Justice Generation Join Don McLaughlin and Dr. Robby Luckett—a nationally recognized Civil Rights historian and professor from Jackson, Mississippi. Robby leads us through the pressing questions of 2020, connecting John Lewis, the Confederate flag, and how a new generation pursuing justice is rising.
The second installment of our series with Award-winning Investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell. He cracked Civil Rights-era cold cases and offers powerful insights for today’s conversations about policing, protests, and justice.
Our guest is Award-winning Investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell. He cracked Civil Rights-era cold cases and offers powerful insights for today’s conversations about policing, protests, and justice.
Don McLaughlin walks us through the history of the Pharisee movement and addresses this question in regard to discipleship, racism, and COVID-19.
Join us on the Love First Podcast for Part Two of Don McLaughlin's conversation with Dr. Jerry Taylor about the Gospel, Race, and Justice. Dr. Taylor takes us on a journey to the interior of our souls where the Spirit does the heavy lifting, and then he gives us talking points for some heavy lifting in the discussion of monuments!
Here's a BONUS EPISODE of the Love First Podcast. We recorded 3 bonus episodes to further dive into the lived experiences of people with disabilities and families of people with disabilities.
Here's a BONUS EPISODE of the Love First Podcast. We recorded 3 bonus episodes to further dive into the lived experiences of people with disabilities and families of people with disabilities.
On this episode, we have Tina Seward, Charlene Evans, Kelly Woo, and Joe Stryker.
Here's a BONUS EPISODE of the Love First Podcast. We recorded 3 bonus episodes to further dive into the lived experiences of people with disabilities and families of people with disabilities. Tonight, we will play the first one. After that, all three episodes will be available on Apple Podcasts and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.
Tonight, we have Millie Brabham, Jennifer Giesemann Williams, Brandon Gibbs, Connie Bates, and Donna Jordan as special guests!
Special guest Dr. Jerry Taylor takes us on a personal and theological journey with the gospel, race, and justice. Dr. Taylor is a nationally respected and trusted voice in non-violence and social action rooted in the spiritual disciplines. He is the founding director of the Carl Spain Center on Race Studies and Spiritual Action at Abilene Christian University.
Love First Podcast: Looking for Jesus in All the Right Faces—Diversity, Equity, and Disabilities Pt 3
Called the most “invisible people in the world,” the one billion people living with disabilities are often invisible to the church. This is the most unchurched part of our U.S. population, but not for a lack of desire. We are calling the church to see Jesus in the faces of those who live with disabilities and to love first! Tonight we have an amazing conversation with Philip Woody and Jo Dooley Ekstedt about how to advocate for those with disabilities and practical steps on navigating resources and services.
Resources: • Watch Phil and Evan Advocate in front of the Georgia Senate Subcomittee on Health and Human Services: https://livestream.com/accounts/26021522/events/8730585/videos/207193309 • Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities: https://dbhdd.georgia.gov/available-services?fbclid=IwAR1LtWO-wAFrIj_hXQq4Zz1II6qEqS-HbS99z0L-wCi1N7taOCRIAhrT9T4 • Information about NOW/COMP Waivers: https://www.incommunityga.org/faq-2?fbclid=IwAR3ztATPAKfOi5yiMRt-eLXT_RoewUpBrXyx_xkyz0HgtFjoqZsiioB2Fwc
Join Don McLaughlin as we continue our conversation about disabilities and justice in the midst of national and international protests.
Protest and disability justice have a long, complex history in America. So what should Christians and churches do? Should we protest injustice? Should we stay out of the protests? Tonight we unpack this question and provide practical guidance from the example of Jesus.
Then, we turn to a conversation between Nolan Huber-Rhoades and Ryan Lee—a writer and advocate for the fair treatment of people with Autism.
Some of Ryan Lee's articles include: https://www.autismspeaks.org/life-spectrum/young-man-autism-calls-acceptance-during-world-autism-month
https://www.autismspeaks.org/life-spectrum/how-i-learned-accept-my-autism-and-love-myself?fbclid=IwAR2pX5ThJ9bQ5DRAGsH3exJtX1WxXGuGer0xXU1g_FzG4jTGzPEkWnRW35U
https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/what-watching-good-doctor-made-me-realize-young-man-spectrum?fbclid=IwAR24KjXZXp5x1vI7BosulhCIDvgxuCsmmNhQxm5zE9mLE1dZAKFzGqzR1e0
https://www.autismspeaks.org/life-spectrum/just-because-you-cant-see-our-autism-doesnt-mean-we-dont-have-challenges?fbclid=IwAR2cdj1T340p_MNBG3-OeoFIwxBrweCjvs46LwjzqyLCCeUr8gHRb3Vg-sE
Do you know a person with disabilities or special needs? Are they in your family, your classroom, your community? Are you comfortable, confident, and at ease, or are you nervous, afraid, or anxious? Tonight we begin a conversation around Diversity, Equity, and Disability: How is God calling the church to love, include, and engage people with disabilities and their families?
Is White Privilege just a hoax? What can I do to make a difference?
In this week’s podcast, Don McLaughlin asks the question, Is ‘White Privilege’ just a hoax? Tonight, we discuss the truth about race, housing, money, and how a simple Google search can open our eyes.
In this week's podcast, Don McLaughlin helps us understand why we can't look away from injustice and oppression. As we continue to mourn the deaths of #AhmaudArbery & #BreonnaTaylor, we look at another instance of racist aggression outside of Wilmington, North Carolina, and the history that laid the foundation for the aggression to take place.
“What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”
Twenty-seven centuries have passed since God asked and then answered his own question. But what does this look like in our times and specifically in response to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery?
Join us for this conversation on the Love First Podcast
As the pandemic started, there was a lot of energy about unity and togetherness. While there is certainly still a lot of that, some of that energy has retreated into cynicism and polarization. It leads many of us to ask, "Why can't we be unified?" This week, Don McLaughlin will help us think through this important question.
In this week's episode, Don McLaughlin to going to walk us through one of the biggest questions that people have right now: Should the nation remain closed or should we open?
Then, he hosts an interview with Eric Kee. Eric is a minister among the Navajo People in Tuba City, AZ. Their conversation centers around the impact of the pandemic on the Navajo Nation and the church family in Tuba City.
As always, the podcast will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Youtube after the episode airs on Facebook Live.
The coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to illustrate the life and death impact of how we live in relation to those around us.
Good citizens save lives. Irresponsible citizens put others at risk with their lethal decisions. But what does it mean to be a responsible citizen? That’s the discussion Don McLaughlin is leading us through on this episode of the Love First Podcast
Self-interest leads us to build based on hate. We see it in the ancient world of Jesus and the world we live in today. People make choices that are politically expedient and self-serving. The way of Christ is fundamentally different than that, though. The way of Christ about self-sacrifice instead of self-preservation. The way of Christ builds a house on love, not hate.
On the front end of the coronavirus, many denied it would happen. Now we realize it’s real, it’s dangerous and its impact is overwhelming. Think about a video of a tsunami – from a distance the wave doesn’t seem that big. But as it gets closer, it leads to destruction. Today, we see how serious the virus is.
When we were asked to take measures at first it seemed doable because it would only be temporary. College students asked to extend their spring break, high school students taking online classes, parents becoming homeschool teachers – what was just going to be for a short while has now become longer term. Employees who first had hours cut are now being laid off, companies closing their doors.
We started making adjustments. But over time, those adjustments start to take a toll. Now we don’t know what we will need to change or for how long. Sometimes, we also are unsure if the adjustments we’re making are good to make. This is why community matters. Sometimes we need to reach out and ask others for advice. We need others, and others need us: the gifts we each have can help each other.
We see this example of community in the early church. In Acts 16, Luke writes that one of the apostles’ plans was to travel to Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit said no and stopped them. Then the apostle Paul had a vision in which he saw a man from Macedonia asking him to come and share the gospel with the Greeks. So, Paul and his companions travel further west and end up in Europe – which is how the Western world heard the gospel. That adjustment was vital to the spreading of the gospel. But take note – Paul shared his vision with the community, and they made the decision together. Even though the vision was to Paul from God, the community made the decision together.
So, what do you do when you don’t know what to do? Well, sometimes you just do. 1. Do what you should have been doing before this. Take care of life, but also take care of life after life. If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, or it’s been awhile since you’ve asked God for a new relationship – do it now. And if you need to mend relationships with parents, children or siblings – take care of that now. 2. Do what’s doable even if it’s brand new to you. Take the time to learn something new. Get out of your comfort zone. 3. Support the good that is being done by others. Even if you don’t agree fully with the person, the leader or policymaker, realize that supporting the good they are doing for the community, state or country, doesn’t mean you are giving up your integrity or giving someone a blanket endorsement.
Have you ever stacked up dominoes and knocked them down? In a way, we are all like a game of dominoes – we are all connected, and during this pandemic it can feel like we are all stacked up ready to fall. We have this sense that this is an inevitable situation and there is no way to stop it from affecting us.
People respond to this feeling in several ways. Some mock it. Others are in denial or are experiencing grief. And for some it leads to feelings of resentment, bitterness and anger, looking for someone to blame for this pandemic, someone who caused the first domino to fall.
Looking for someone to blame for what troubles us is not new. Think about Moses and Jesus – when things were going well the crowds followed them and praised them. But then as things got difficult, the crowds turned on Moses and on Jesus and blamed them for all their problems. In more recent past, we have done this too. We have a history of naming a virus by the people or ethnicity that we think caused it and it perpetuates hatred and violence.
Scott Berinato, a senior editor at Harvard Business Review, wrote an article about how the discomfort we are feeling may be grief. It’s an anticipatory grief and a sense of impending loss because we fear what we are going to lose. It’s normal to feel these things.
But there’s another way to play dominoes. The original way. Dominoes weren’t made for us to stack up and knock over. If you look at the face of every domino, they have numbers or blank spaces and it’s all about connecting the dominoes. The way you win the game is you become imaginative about connecting – you study the dominoes and look for ways to connect, not ways to knock someone down.
The way to play dominoes is figuring out how we connect for good. How we connect in love. In 1 John 4:19, scripture says we learn love through the character of God and then we discover we are capable of that kind of love because of God.
So, where does the pandemic of hate come from? You may not think that you hate people. You may say, “I’m not blaming the virus on a particular culture or person. I didn’t attack someone.”
There’s a famous teaching of Jesus that helps us understand hate as a spectrum. In Luke 14:26, Jesus says unless you hate your father, mother, brother, sister, your own self, you can’t be my disciple. Why would Jesus say you have to hate people?
The key that unlocks the meaning of hate is in Matthew 10:27, where Matthew writes about the same story. Here it says that unless you love me more than father, mother, sister, brother, even your own life you can’t be my disciple.
Why the difference? In both the Hebrew and Greek languages, the word hate is a spectrum. The Greek word for hate can be translated as “neglect by degree.” It is about the choosing of one and the not choosing of another. When Jesus says unless you “hate” others, he is saying you must choose me over all others.
In that context, maybe we are haters. Maybe we all risk neglecting others by degree when we choose to think of ourselves first, instead of thinking about others. In a very pragmatic and practical sense, we can be haters. It’s like seeing the stacked dominoes and feeling as though it is inevitable that we will be knocked down versus looking for imaginative, innovative ways to connect with one another.
Deliverance and relief will come. In every pandemic this is true. Researchers, academics, leaders across the world are figuring out how to work together. God created the world for imaginative, innovative connection. And He is the connector.
Think about the story of Esther. Her whole story turns on a virus – the virus of hate. In this case, there is a conspirator who is trying to influence the leaders to exterminate the Jews. Esther is called upon by her cousin Mordecai to do something. He says to her: “Who knows but for such a time as this you were made Queen.”
But before Esther responded to the call, she and Mordecai had to be converted. Mordecai took Esther in when she’s orphaned. She was a minority, a captive in a foreign land. Mordecai spent this vulnerable young girl’s whole childhood teaching her how to protect herself. When circumstances shift, he realizes that his instruction was incomplete. He taught her how to protect herself, but he hadn’t told her that advocating for others is also important. These two are not in conflict, protecting herself and others were both things she could commit to.
Esther ultimately responds, “if I die, I die” and she sees that there is more to her life than her protecting herself. We now have an opportunity to show the world we know how the game is played and won. Just like Mordecai learns and teaches Esther. And just like the heroes of history: women and men willing to sacrifice themselves for others.
To beat the coronavirus, we have to physically distance ourselves. But in reality, we can’t win with social distancing – when close ourselves off from each other, we become lonely, fearful and depressed. That is why the World Health Organization recently said we need to shift our vocabulary from social distancing to physical distancing. This is more than semantics. We know we need each other. We still need to be social, but during this time we have to physically distance ourselves.
Our willingness to socially distance ourselves is what leads to fear and hate, it’s the root of racism, sexism, every ism. And it didn’t begin with technology. It started when sin entered the garden of Eden. Jesus came into the world, he closed the distance between us, to show us a different way. For those who stacked up the dominoes in their favor, he disrupted everything. And for the vulnerable, outcast and hurting, for those who needed connection, Jesus restored them.
There’s two ways to play dominoes: one of them kills us, and the other revives us. Let’s think connection in order to cure the pandemic of hate.
Questions:
Go to LoveFirst.org to submit a question. The first three people to submit a question will get a free copy of Love First: Ending Hate Before It’s Too Late.
Why do some people deny the impact of the coronavirus and do not take it seriously?
Three possible answers: Some people lack information or have misinformation. There are some people who make a living off of creating strife and stirring up controversy. And some are grieving – and one of the stages of grief is denial. (Refer to the HBR article)
Why do some people panic, and some people don’t? What do I do if I meet someone who is panicking?
Panic can be rooted in previous trauma, family systems, implicit memory. And there are a lot of reasons why someone panics or doesn’t panic. The most important thing we can do is meet people where they are.
Our Family minister and executive director of the Genesis counseling center, Dr. Major Boglin, recommends that when people are panicked or concerned, we should meet them in their pain. Don’t scold them, judge them for panicking or dismiss their concerns. Instead, create a place of safe connection. Assure them of your concern and connection and let them share with you. Let them talk about their concerns. As they feel more comfortable, safe and calm, they likely will be able to move out of fear and into a problem-solving mindset. Thank you for listening to the Love First podcast. Please subscribe, like and share the podcast. Go to LoveFirst.org to join us.
In the launch of the Love First Podcast, Don McLaughlin talks about what it means for the Church to lean into Faith, Hope, and Love in the midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Listen on multiple platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3HrLXmVhMTswl43aRRfUw6
Radio Public: https://play.radiopublic.com/love-first-podcast-60nEk7
Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/40ll
Google Podcasts: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80YzBkMmE0L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz
Apple Podcast: Coming Soon