Southern Soul Chats

🍁 Happy Thanksgiving from Southern Soul Chats! 🍁 This week, we’re taking a break to reflect on God’s goodness and spend time with loved ones. We’ll be back on December 1 with the start of our Advent series—a season of hope and anticipation you won’t want to miss! We are so grateful for your continued support, prayers, and encouragement. Your partnership allows us to equip and empower others to grow in their faith through this ministry. As Giving Tuesday approaches on December 3rd, we invite you to consider supporting our mission. Every gift helps us reach more hearts with the truth of God’s Word. Visit www.steppingfwd.org to learn more about us and to donate. Together, we can make a lasting impact! “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” —Psalm 107:1 Have a blessed Thanksgiving! 🧡

In this series finale episode, Prisms of Light, we reflect on God’s purpose for humanity and the sacred calling placed on each of us. With the body, soul, and spirit we’ve been given, we are called to connect with God, respond to His love, submit to His guidance, glorify Him in all we do, and multiply the knowledge of His goodness throughout the world. Like a prism refracts light into a spectrum of colors, each of our lives is a unique expression of God’s light, meant to illuminate different facets of His character and love. We are not called to hide this light; rather, as Jesus taught, we are to let it shine “so the world will know” who God is. At the heart of this mission is the Great Commission, Jesus' command to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. In this episode, we dive into the meaning of the Great Commission, discussing its profound call to share the gospel, baptize believers, and teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded. Living it out means embodying our faith in word and action, reaching others through both intentional relationships and daily encounters. Through practical steps, we explore how to become vessels of God’s light in a dark world, reflecting His truth in every part of life. This episode closes our season series Next Steps with an invitation to embrace our purpose boldly, allowing God’s light to shine through us so that others, too, may be drawn to Him. As we grow in our journey, may we each become a prism of God’s love, illuminating the path for others to come to know Him. Biblical Rooting: Matthew 28:19-20 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Show Resources: Living IN Jesus, Christian Families Today  The Walk, Stephen Smallman  What is Christian Discipleship?, Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/what-is-christian-discipleship  What Is Baptism? Its Meaning and Importance in Christianity, Dr. Ray Pritchard  https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-does-baptism-mean.html  Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples, Francis Chan  Beautiful Resistance, Jon Tyson  Real-life Discipleship, Jim Putman, Avery Willis, Brandon Guindon, Bill Krauss  A. Boyd Luter Jr., “Great Commission, The,” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 1091.  George W. Peters, “Commission, Great,” ed. Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard F. Vos, and John Rea, The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (Moody Press, 1975).  Benjamin Espinoza, “Baptism,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).  The Pursuit of God, Tozer  Disciple Others, Tony Shepherd - https://www.9marks.org/article/disciple-others/  The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis  To Be Made Well, Amy Julia Becker  Check out this Documentary on Prime: Jesus The Game Changer  Your Support Matters This podcast is a branch of Stepping Forward Ministries, a Houston based 501 c3 nonprofit. Our mission is to use the unwavering truths in the Word of God to teach, equip, and empower people to StepFWD  in their relationship with Christ. One of the ways we do that is through this podcast! If you'd like to know more about us please visit www.steppingfwd.org We'd love for you to provide feedback on how we can continue to bring you compelling content that matters to you. Your stories and thoughts are important to us. We believe that faith in action extends beyond our podcast, and together, we can make a difference. Reach out via Social Media (Steppingfwdministries) or at www.steppingfwd.org today!  Also, don't forget to visit our donation page now, and let's keep this incredible journey going together. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, pays an epiosde forward for someone to hear about the love of Christ. Don't wait, your action today fuels the excitement for tomorrow's episode. You can go to our webpage to donate!    Intrested in sponsoring our podcast season or episodes? Email us @ www.steppingfwd.org    Have questions on how you can ask Jesus into your life, email us @ [email protected] or drop us a message at www.steppingfwd.org    

In this episode of Southern Soul Chats, A New Light, Dr. Ferguson and Leah Dyer dive into the foundational themes of law, grace, and relationships from both secular and spiritual perspectives. First, we’ll explore the concept of law, contrasting its secular role in maintaining social order with its Biblical purpose of revealing God’s holy standard. From there, we’ll unpack the transformative power of grace—a system that goes beyond rule-keeping and invites us into a relationship grounded in God’s mercy and love. Then, we’ll examine our personal standards for relationships versus God’s standard, reflecting on what it truly means to love, forgive, and extend grace as He does. Finally, we’ll discuss practical ways to shift from our own expectations to God’s, learning how to live out His principles in our everyday interactions. Tune in for insights on embracing God’s grace-filled approach to relationships and making His ways our own. Biblical Rooting:  Romans 6:14-23  "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."  Show Resources: Living IN Jesus, Christian Families Today  “In the Bible we read about “the law”. What does this mean?”  https://www.biblica.com/resources/bible-faqs/in-the-bible-we-read-about-the-law-what-does-this-mean/  The Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan Smith  God’s Grace from from Lexham Survey of Theology  “What is the Definition of Grace? (According to the Bible): Unpacking the Multifaceted Meaning of Grace”, The Bible Project https://bibleproject.com/articles/biblical-grace-and-a-generous-god/  Until Unity, Francis Chan  “Light Your Torch” (Season 4, Episode 3) - Southern Soul Chats  “Digging Deeper” (Season 3, Episode 3) - Southern Soul Chats  “The Big G-O-D" (Season 3, Episode 1) - Southern Soul Chats  Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community, Ruth Haley Barton  Simply Christian, N.T. Wright  https://millingtonbaptist.org/pastors-table-blog/what-masks-reveal-about-our-spiritual-lives/ Bob Erbig  Beautiful Resistance, Jon Tyson Reminder, beginning in Febuary 2025 we will only bew streamimng on Apple, Spotify, and You Tube. More info comimg soon! Your Support Matters This podcast is a branch of Stepping Forward Ministries, a Houston based 501 c3 nonprofit. Our mission is to use the unwavering truths in the Word of God to teach, equip, and empower people to StepFWD  in their relationship with Christ. One of the ways we do that is through this podcast! If you'd like to know more about us please visit www.steppingfwd.org We'd love for you to provide feedback on how we can continue to bring you compelling content that matters to you. Your stories and thoughts are important to us. We believe that faith in action extends beyond our podcast, and together, we can make a difference. Reach out via Social Media (Steppingfwdministries) or at www.steppingfwd.org today!  Also, don't forget to visit our donation page now, and let's keep this incredible journey going together. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, pays an epiosde forward for someone to hear about the love of Christ. Don't wait, your action today fuels the excitement for tomorrow's episode. You can go to our webpage to donate!    Intrested in sponsoring our podcast season or episodes? Email us @ www.steppingfwd.org    Have questions on how you can ask Jesus into your life, email us @ [email protected] or drop us a message at www.steppingfwd.org    

In this episode of Southern Soul Chats, Dr. Ferguson and Jeremy Ferguson chat about the challenging, transformative journey of forgiveness. Forgiveness is often misunderstood as a feeling or something we do only when we’re ready. But in truth, forgiveness is an act of obedience, rooted in God’s example of mercy and grace. We explore the difference between righteous and destructive anger, the impact of holding onto unforgiveness, and how choosing to forgive protects our hearts from the enemy’s schemes. Drawing from Scripture, we discuss practical ways to cultivate a forgiving spirit, even when it feels difficult or undeserved. Through stories, insights, and biblical principles, we’re reminded that forgiveness is a reflection of God's heart—and a powerful way to guard our relationships and our own peace. Tune in as we discover how God equips us to forgive, not based on feelings, but on the foundation of His love within us. This episode encourages us to let go of bitterness, embrace freedom, and offer others the same grace we've received through Christ. **Trigger warning, there is minimal content around sexual abuse** Biblical Rooting: Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV   “In your anger do not sin”a]">[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."  Show Resources: Southern Soul Chats, Examining the Roots, Season 3 Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table Documnetary: Jesus the Game Changer, TUBI Lexham Theological Wordbook Good and Beautiful God   World Bibllical Commentary Ephesians  Living IN Jesus, Christian Families Today    Your Support Matters This podcast is a branch of Stepping Forward Ministries, a Houston based 501 c3 nonprofit. Our mission is to use the unwavering truths in the Word of God to teach, equip, and empower people to StepFWD  in their relationship with Christ. One of the ways we do that is through this podcast! If you'd like to know more about us please visit www.steppingfwd.org We'd love for you to provide feedback on how we can continue to bring you compelling content that matters to you. Your stories and thoughts are important to us. We believe that faith in action extends beyond our podcast, and together, we can make a difference. Reach out via Social Media (Steppingfwdministries) or at www.steppingfwd.org today!  Also, don't forget to visit our donation page now, and let's keep this incredible journey going together. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, pays an epiosde forward for someone to hear about the love of Christ. Don't wait, your action today fuels the excitement for tomorrow's episode. You can go to our webpage to donate!    Intrested in sponsoring our podcast season or episodes? Email us @ www.steppingfwd.org    Have questions on how you can ask Jesus into your life, email us @ [email protected] or drop us a message at www.steppingfwd.org