Cultural Connections

Calvary Baptist Church
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Religion

Cultural Connections is a podcast that tackles the real-life issues modern people face every day. From trending topics to personal struggles, each episode approaches today’s cultural conversations through a Biblical lens. Our goal is simple: to help you navigate everyday life with timeless truth.

  1. 1d ago

    If God Can Use a Dummy, He Can Use You

    Pastor Daniel Cox and Marie Cox sit down with Jo, Ted, and Rocky. Jo is the ventriloquist. Rocky is the dummy. Ted is Jo's husband. They have been reaching children with the gospel since Rocky showed up in 1989. This week they were at Calvary Baptist training teachers for a new children's ministry. In this episode: • Forty kids came to Christ at a Boys and Girls Club when Jo drew the net • Balaam's donkey, and a dummy that preaches • Jo started at 14 with a seven dollar figure from the Sears catalog • Encourage your children. One wrong word can shut down a gift • Flannel graph is so old it is new • Kids' brains are being wired by screens. Attention spans are shrinking. Stick and move • Rocky, a giant hot dog, and Psalm 56:3 • Lighthouse Ministries and Lighthouse Children's Homes • Why a church should still major on reaching children • Reach the children, and you have a door into the family Guests: Jo, Ted, and Rocky  ·  tedjoandrocky.com Pastor Daniel Cox & Marie Cox · Cultural Connections https://www.culturalconnectionspodcast.com Calvary Baptist Church, Englewood, Florida · https://calbaptist.net Scripture Psalm 56:3 · Numbers 22:28 Chapters 0:00 Welcome. Jo and Rocky 0:56 Rocky's story 1:23 Forty kids at the Boys and Girls Club 2:36 If God can use a dummy 3:21 Ted and Jo, Camden, Arkansas 3:50 She started at 14 5:13 Encourage your children 7:38 How Jo stays in character 9:37 How Jo teaches kids 10:28 Flannel graph is so old it is new 11:22 Kids, screens, and shrinking attention 13:42 Stick and move 15:49 The giant hot dog 17:28 What time I am afraid 18:00 Lighthouse Ministries 20:39 Why reach children 24:24 Reach the children, reach the family 24:48 Rocky and the grandchildren 29:06 Rocky's favorite bit 31:45 Thank you for our kids 33:23 tedjoandrocky.com If this helped, send it to a children's worker, a parent, or a pastor who thinks he has nothing left to give. Not as a gimmick. As a reminder God uses whoever will go. #ChildrensMinistry #Ventriloquist #Gospel #CulturalConnections #ChristianPodcast #LighthouseMinistries Times are from 28audiosrt.srt. Slide if the camera has pre-roll. Education category.

  2. Sep 15

    24 Things We've Learned in 24 Years of Marriage

    A pastor and a licensed counselor put 24 years of marriage in a bucket of numbered slips. Forty-five seconds to a minute to explain each one. Go short or go long, and you do not get the point. This is not a lecture. It is 24 things Daniel and Marie Cox have actually had to live. Pray when you are struggling. Do not use vulnerability as ammunition. Laugh together. Your spouse cannot meet every emotional need you have. And your spouse is not your enemy. In this episode: • Pray together, especially when you are struggling • You can disagree and still be deeply in love • There will be seasons when one of you carries more of the load • Talk about money before money becomes a problem • Never use vulnerability as ammunition later • Forgiveness doesn't mean pretending nothing happened • Physical intimacy is more than physical • Learn how to apologize without adding the word but • Your children shouldn't become the center of your marriage • Ministry can strengthen a marriage, and it can also put enormous pressure on one • Don't compare your marriage to someone else's marriage • Give each other room to grow • Don't keep score • Love is a decision, not just a feeling • Some arguments aren't worth winning • Assume the best before assuming the worst • Don't make permanent decisions during temporary emotions • We're still learning how to love each other well • Laugh together • Your spouse cannot meet every emotional need you have • Protect your marriage from outside voices • Your spouse will change, and you need to keep getting to know them • Date your spouse even when life is busy • Your spouse isn't your enemy If your marriage feels like a scoreboard, this one is for you. Pastor Daniel Cox & Marie Cox · Cultural Connections https://www.culturalconnectionspodcast.com Calvary Baptist Church, Englewood, Florida · https://calbaptist.net Scripture 1 John 1:7 · Ephesians 4:32 · Proverbs 27:6 · Galatians 4:16 · Proverbs 11:14 · Proverbs 17:22 Chapters 0:00 24 years, 24 things 0:46 Ground rules 1:46 Pray together 2:45 Disagree and still be in love 4:11 Seasons when one carries more 5:30 Talk about money 7:15 Vulnerability is not ammunition 9:00 Forgiveness is not pretending 10:22 Intimacy is more than physical 11:44 Apologize without but 13:09 Children are not the center 13:33 Ministry and pressure 15:56 Don't compare your marriage 17:32 Room to grow 19:01 Don't keep score 20:11 Love is a decision 21:41 Some arguments aren't worth winning 22:42 Assume the best 24:11 Temporary emotions 25:45 Still learning to love well 26:58 Laugh together 28:36 Your spouse is not your Messiah 29:49 Protect from outside voices 31:28 Your spouse will change 34:04 Date your spouse 35:00 Your spouse isn't your enemy 36:55 Close If this helped, send it to a couple you love. Not as a lecture. As a reminder you are on the same team. #ChristianMarriage #24Years #CulturalConnections #BiblicalCounseling #ChristianPodcast #Marriage

  3. Sep 8

    You Don't Have to Perform for God

    You do not have to perform for God. You already have His favor in Christ. A pastor and a licensed counselor talk about the performance trap. It shows up in ministry, in parenting, and in marriage. It starts when we try to earn from God what He already gave us. In this episode: • Daniel's 5K, and finishing the race well • I was trying to earn God's favor by preaching harder and praying more • You are saved by grace. You also do not have to earn His smile • I do not serve God for something. I serve God because of something • Excellence vs perfectionism • Performing to please people. Galatians 1:10 • Ministry that feels like a prison • If sitting at Jesus' feet feels like punishment, you are in the trap. Mary and Martha • The parenting performance trap. Your kids are not your identity • Keeping score in marriage • Ephesians 1:6. Accepted in the beloved • Romans 8:1. No condemnation in Christ • Separate your worth from your performance If you are exhausted from trying to be enough, this one is for you. Pastor Daniel Cox & Marie Cox · Cultural Connections https://www.culturalconnectionspodcast.com Calvary Baptist Church, Englewood, Florida · https://calbaptist.net Scripture Ephesians 2:8-9 · Matthew 5:41 · Galatians 1:10 · Luke 10:38-42 · Ephesians 1:6 · Galatians 2:20 · Romans 8:1 Chapters 0:00 Finish the race 0:48 Intro 1:10 Stuck in the performance trap 2:18 You don't have to earn His favor 2:52 I serve God because of something 6:39 Excellence vs perfectionism 10:54 Performing to please people 13:07 The trap in ministry 19:03 Church people and proving something 19:33 If sitting at Jesus' feet feels like punishment 23:41 Ministry should not feel like a prison 24:20 The parenting performance trap 28:33 Keeping score in marriage 32:54 Accepted in Christ 34:17 Crucified with Christ 34:55 No condemnation 38:52 Separate your worth from your performance 39:25 Close If this helped, send it to someone who is tired of performing. Not as a lecture. As rest. #PerformanceTrap #Grace #ChristianPodcast #IdentityInChrist #CulturalConnections #BiblicalCounseling

  4. Sep 1

    Can You Disagree Without Losing the Relationship?

    We've lost the ability to disagree without losing the person. It is not just toilet paper and pecan pie. It is identity, politics, church, and marriage. A pastor and a licensed counselor talk about the lost art of disagreement. When it is a preference, you can let it go. When it is Scripture, you stand. Either way, you do not have to be a jerk. In this episode: • Why disagreement feels like a personal attack • Disagreement is not the same as disrespect • Identity in Christ vs identity in a party, a team, or a label • James 1:19. Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath • Did Jesus disagree? Grace and truth. Woes to the Pharisees. Kindness to the woman who did not know • Check your motive. Listen to understand. Do not attack character • Biblical conviction vs personal preference vs opinion • How a husband and wife disagree without cracking the foundation • Questions to ask before you wage the battle If you have won the argument and lost the person, this one is for you. Pastor Daniel Cox & Marie Cox · Cultural Connections https://www.culturalconnectionspodcast.com Calvary Baptist Church, Englewood, Florida · https://calbaptist.net Scripture James 1:19 · John 1:14 · Ephesians 4:15 · Matthew 23 · John 8 · Romans 3:4 · Philippians 2:3 · Luke 17:1 Chapters 0:00 Pecan pie 0:44 Intro 1:05 We are going to talk about disagreement 1:38 The lost art of disagreement 3:26 When it became personal 5:05 Identity, politics, and labels 6:05 Disagreement vs disrespect 6:21 Swift to hear, slow to speak 9:14 High standard, deep compassion 12:06 Did Jesus disagree? 14:29 Speak the truth in love 15:35 Grace to those who do not know 17:41 You are allowed to disagree 18:02 Motive, listening, and character 24:01 When to stand your ground 24:50 Conviction, standard, preference 26:05 Philippians 2:3 26:54 Disagreement in marriage 28:39 Can we disagree and look like Christ? 31:11 Questions to ask yourself 33:38 Close If this helped, send it to someone you still love and still disagree with. Not as a weapon. As an invitation to stay in the room. #Disagreement #SpeakTheTruthInLove #ChristianPodcast #Marriage #CulturalConnections #BiblicalCounseling

  5. Aug 26

    She Was 16, Raising Her Siblings Alone. Then God Rewrote Her Story

    She was 16 in a Denver apartment with no heat, no water, and two younger siblings to keep alive. Her dad was in prison. Her mom was in jail. Nobody came. This is Brandy’s story, the first in our series This Is My Story. She had only told it to a couple of people. A pastor and a licensed counselor sit down with her as she tells the truth: addiction, abandonment, a studio apartment, and the unseen hand of God before she even knew His name. In this conversation: • Born into addiction, alcoholism, and days without electricity in a Colorado winter • Sixteen years old, playing mom, asking neighbors for bread • “Sin has a way of finding the wounded” • Addiction as a false god and what it does to a family • Meeting Kevin, homelessness, and a mother-in-law who taught her how to love • A blind pastor in Colorado, and the night she surrendered to Christ • No longer orphaned: finding family in the body of Christ • Seven children, Hurricane Ian, and a church family at Calvary • Watching her daughter lead a child to the Lord • What she wants for her kids: serve, stay humble, love people If your story feels too broken to be used, hear this. God does not promise easy. He promises to be with you in the valley. He takes a mess and turns it into a message. And your story does not end with you. Pastor Daniel Cox & Marie Cox · Cultural Connections https://www.culturalconnectionspodcast.com Calvary Baptist Church, Englewood, Florida · https://calbaptist.net Scripture Isaiah 61:3 · Micah 6:8 · Psalm 68:5 · 2 Corinthians 5:17 Hymns Fanny Crosby, Blessed Assurance (“This is my story, this is my song”) The Unseen Hand Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:22 Welcome 0:47 Everyone has a story 1:47 A new series: This Is My Story 2:21 Meet Brandy 3:42 Childhood in Denver 5:20 Sixteen, prison, and jail 8:16 Sin finds the wounded 9:52 Alone, abandoned, orphaned 10:54 Addiction as a false god 13:34 God saw her through 14:23 Kevin 15:43 A mother who mothered her 16:51 How she found Christ 17:32 The blind pastor 19:37 No longer orphaned 20:07 Seven children and a new life 20:46 How they got to Florida 22:25 Hurricane Ian 23:06 Serving at Calvary 26:30 Full-circle moments 27:53 A daughter leads a child to Christ 32:08 There is hope 32:39 What she wants for her children 33:34 Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly 36:18 Your story does not end with you 37:31 “I’m Brandy, and this is my story” If this helped, send it to someone who needs hope. Not as entertainment. As a reminder that God is still rewriting stories. #ChristianTestimony #ThisIsMyStory #BeautyFromAshes #Gospel #ChristianPodcast #CalvaryBaptistChurch

  6. Aug 18

    Cultural Connections | Ep 23 | Pride, Narcissism, and Christ-Centered Humility

    Have you been called a narcissist lately? The word is everywhere. Thanksgiving dinner, church, marriage, ministry. We throw it at anyone who seems proud or hard to deal with. That is not how this works. Pastor Daniel Cox and his wife Marie (a licensed counselor) talk about what narcissism actually is, what it is not, and how Christians should handle it. They come at it from the pulpit and the counseling room. And they ask you to look in the mirror before you start labeling people. In this episode we discuss:  • NPD versus narcissistic tendencies (pervasive, persistent, patterned)  • Why not everyone called a narcissist is one  • Grandiose versus vulnerable narcissism  • How it often shows up in men and in women  • Gaslighting, empathy, and “I’m sorry you feel that way”  • Hurt people who still demand that everyone accommodate them  • Grace and boundaries, including a simple boundary script  • What to do if you are married to one, work for one, or were raised by one  • Can someone change? Yes, with Christ, through true repentance  • Why the opposite of narcissism is not self-hatred. It is Christ-centered humility If you are living with this, you do not have to pretend it is cheap. Pray. Set a boundary. Get wise help. Do not try to be their savior. Resources Erwin W. Lutzer, The Power of a Clear Conscience (chapter 8) https://www.amazon.com/Power-Clear-Conscience-Free-Your/dp/0736953051 Bill Gillham, Lifetime Guarantee https://www.amazon.com/Lifetime-Guarantee-Making-Christian-Doesnt/dp/0736947868 More from the show: https://www.culturalconnectionspodcast.com Scripture  2 Timothy 3:2 Romans 1 Psalm 103:14 Romans 14:5 Philippians 3:14 Galatians 5:16-17 Jeremiah 13:23 1 Timothy 1:15 Philippians 2:3 1 Corinthians 15:10 Chapters  0:00 Intro 0:21 Welcome 1:29 The topic 2:40 The myth of Narcissus 3:40 NPD versus tendencies 4:33 Pride is the first sin 5:29 Personality disorder versus behavioral disorder 6:13 This did not happen overnight 7:14 Lovers of their own selves 8:27 Lutzer on a broken conscience 9:40 Common tendencies 10:25 Grandiose and vulnerable 14:38 How it often looks in men and in women 18:10 Gaslighting 19:34 Hurt people hurt people 24:18 Grace and boundaries 27:53 Pray, then set a boundary 31:38 The boundary script 33:28 Professional help 36:50 If you were raised this way 39:43 When a label helps and when it does not 41:08 Can someone be healed? 43:52 Turn the mirror on yourself 48:53 Patterns of the flesh, and change in Christ 53:02 You cannot change them 53:47 Christ-centered humility Cultural Connections Pastor Daniel Cox and Marie Cox Calvary Baptist Church, Englewood, Florida https://www.culturalconnectionspodcast.com  https://calbaptist.net  https://www.youtube.com/@CulturalConnectionsPodcast If this helped, send it to someone who needs wisdom. Not as a weapon. As an invitation to look in the mirror. #Narcissism #ChristianCounseling #CulturalConnections #BiblicalWorldview #Boundaries #Pride #ChristianPodcast

  7. Aug 11

    Episode 22 | Complicated Grief & Our God Who Redeems

    Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and complicated grief.  If you are struggling, please reach out for help. If you or someone you know is in crisis: Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) free, confidential, 24/7 Or visit 988lifeline.org In this episode of Cultural Connections, Pastor Daniel and Marie sit down with Addison for a raw and redemptive conversation about the suicide of her mother when she was 13. Addison shares the complicated grief, the guilt and shame that followed, the fear of closeness, and how God met her in the darkness and turned her pain into a desire to comfort others with the comfort she herself received. This is not a light episode, but it is full of hope. Suicide is never the answer. Life and death belong to God alone. And the gospel of Jesus Christ still heals the deepest wounds. Key themes: • Complicated grief after suicide • Guilt, shame, and anger that survivors often carry • God’s grace in the middle of trauma • Turning pain into ministry (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) • The call to run to Christ and to trusted community Helpful Resources • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988 • 988lifeline.org • Talk to a trusted pastor, friend, or biblical counselor • Calvary Baptist Church – calbaptist.net Website & Show Notes Register and stay updated: https://culturalconnectionspodcast.com Chapters 0:00 Welcome & website announcement 1:42 Introducing Addison 2:27 Beginning the conversation on suicide 5:14 Addison’s story – her mom 11:10 Complicated grief and trauma 13:32 The moment she found out 15:53 Guilt and personalizing the loss 18:21 Shame and how she told people 21:08 Shifting emotions over the years 24:28 Fear of closeness and vulnerability 26:57 Why she pursued counseling 30:57 What she would tell her 13-year-old self 36:52 A word to those struggling or contemplating 40:09 Closing & final encouragement Subscribe, like, and share this episode with someone who needs hope. Calvary Baptist Church, Englewood, Florida https://calbaptist.net https://www.youtube.com/@CulturalConnectionsPodcast #culturalconnections #ChristianPodcast #SuicidePrevention #GospelHope #BiblicalCounseling #Grief #2Corinthians1 #CalvaryBaptist

  8. Aug 4

    Cultural Connections | EP.21 | Stop Letting Your Feelings Define Your Identity

    Your feelings are real… but they were never meant to become your identity. Culture says “I feel it, therefore I am it.”  The Bible says something very different. In this episode we expose the dangerous modern idea that emotions should define who you are and show why feelings make wonderful servants but terrible masters. You’ll learn:  • Why “I feel anxious” so easily becomes “I am an anxious person”  • The difference between primary and secondary emotions  • Why “when something is hysterical, it’s historical”  • How Cain, Peter, and Jesus Himself handled intense emotion  • Practical questions that help you dig beneath the surface instead of being controlled by it  • Why your identity is not what you feel it’s who Christ says you are This conversation will help you stop being ruled by your emotions and start letting truth lead. 🌐 https://culturalconnectionspodcast.com ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 – Welcome 1:14 – The cultural shift: Emotions as identity 3:17 – Living in a “my truth” generation 4:10 – God created emotions (and why that’s good) 9:00 – How your past still drives present emotions 12:40 – “When something is hysterical, it’s historical” 14:52 – Primary vs. secondary emotions (Cain’s anger) 21:00 – The iceberg: What’s really under the surface 24:36 – How Jesus handled overwhelming emotion 27:00 – Practical questions to dig deeper 31:12 – When Peter’s feelings got it completely wrong 34:06 – Why “this is just who I am” is dangerous 38:03 – From “broken” to “human” 40:40 – How to process emotions without being ruled by them 43:48 – Final word: Feelings don’t get the last vote 44:54 – Closing If this helped you, like the video, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. More episodes & resources: https://culturalconnectionspodcast.com #EmotionsAndIdentity #ChristianPodcast #FeelingsVsTruth #BiblicalCounseling #CulturalConnections

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Cultural Connections is a podcast that tackles the real-life issues modern people face every day. From trending topics to personal struggles, each episode approaches today’s cultural conversations through a Biblical lens. Our goal is simple: to help you navigate everyday life with timeless truth.

Information

  • Creator
    Calvary Baptist Church
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Cultural Connections
  • Show Website
    Cultural Connections

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