Live 360 with Tony Sutherland

Whenever I see someone struggling, failing, hurting, depressed, or lacking confidence I want to put my arm around their shoulder and start sharing things that will encourage them. This is that kind of podcast. I too have struggled, and I hope some of what I've learned in living over half of a century will help you. In this episode, we're going to look back at the TOP 7 podcasts of Season 2 of LIVE 360 and do a quick review of some of the key topics and points I've shared over the past 35 episodes. Strap on your seatbelt. We'll be traveling at the speed of sound for this one.

Some believe their best days are behind them, while others believe the best is yet to come. Yet, what we don't realize is that our best days are RIGHT NOW! That's right! our best days are right in front of our eyes but we can't see it because we're distracted by the circumstances surrounding us. We need to rise above SEE level. We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). After listening to this podcast, I hope you will have a better perspective of the glorious hope you have right NOW (Ephesians 1:18). Your best days aren't behind or in front of you. Your best days are NOW!

Satan has a strategy to discourage believers. Yet, what he doesn’t know is that his typical schemes have already been figured out. While we shouldn't study the devil, we should be aware of what he is up to (Ephesians 6:10; 1 Peter 5:8). Satan’s two main strategies are 1. to attack God’s credibility and 2. weaken our faith. We should never be paranoid, but we should always be prepared. We all get discouraged from time to time, but we don’t have to stay discouraged all the time. Take courage! God’s plans always overshadow Satan‘s schemes. This episode will be just the grace lift you need.

Turning failure upward is an ongoing process. There’s so much to learn and so many wounds to recover from. However, sooner or later, you’re going to have to release all the regret and wrongdoing by others and yourself and get back up. Yes, it’s reasonable to have hurts and disappointments, but your destiny isn’t worth staying down. I'll be the first to admit, I’ve contemplated staying down many times in my own journey. Yet, it was at those moments that I had a choice: Would I stay down or would I get back up? I’ve hit rock bottom a few times in my life, but the good news is my rock bottom was always a new foundation for me to build upon. Although it felt like I would never recover, staying down was not an option for me. The same is true for you. I pray this episode will encourage you to get back up and be the better for it. Don't. Stay. Down.

Gearing up for what’s next.

The best way to get to where you want to go is to GET GOING! In Matthew 28:28, Jesus didn’t say, “Prepare to go into all the world.” He said, “GO into all the world.” A few years ago, after several delays in my lifetime, I finally decided to shake off procrastination and just get going. Procrastination is the path to regret. My life is proof that starting is far more powerful than being “ready.” If we fail to seize the moments, we’ll never experience momentum. We must learn to actively increase our response-time to the urgency of the moments God has given us. We can delay, but the sobering truth is time does not. You will arrive at a destination, but you can choose your destination rather than allow time or others to choose it for you.

Robert Herjavek, successful entrepreneur and well known Shark Tank celebrity, best defines the word someday: “Someday isn’t a real day like Monday or Tuesday. It’s just another word for ‘never.’” Many sideline themselves from their future because they refuse to start NOW! Simply put, if you don't start, you’ve already failed.  Proverbs 6:4 NLT says, “Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do.” Sadly, some of the most innovative and breakthrough ideas are buried in the graveyard of “someday.” So, quit hitting the snooze button of your life. Your destiny is sounding an alarm deep inside. Don't settle for “not now.” Don’t. Start. Someday.

In this episode, I share some thoughts from one of my latest books, LEADER SLIPS (Learning and Leading Through Failure). There is great value in looking back in order to see forward. Although we shouldn't use our past as a compass, we can use it as a reference. In spite of my many past mistakes, here I am today, still fudging and forging new adventures in life and leadership. I am continually learning that life often takes what we have so that we will have what it takes. My leadership journey has been a cycle of failing, processing, learning, proceeding, succeeding and doing it all over again and again. Many leaders are trained in the classroom, but few are developed in the clash-room. It's not as much about what we’ve learned to do but more about what we’ve learned to endure.

In this episode I share 4 negative heart attitudes that we develop when we live a life of works-based Christianity. This is taken from the story in Luke 10:38-42 where Jesus visits Martha and Mary. Here we see Jesus sharing the words of Life with Mary who is simply sitting at His feet, while Martha is fretting about trying to serve Jesus. Martha is stressed to impress. This illustrates many Christians who haven’t learned the secret of simply resting in the finished work of Jesus. Are you anxiously trying to live for Jesus or are you living FROM Jesus. A huge part of living the 360 life is learning to rest in Grace.

Many Christians embrace the Old Covenant command found in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 to... “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength,” and to... “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Loving God first is a heart priority for believers and understandably so. Yet, what if Jesus came with a different command? What if He offered us a BETTER way to live and a greater freedom than we’ve ever known before? Have you ever considered that maybe Jesus wants us to love God SECOND. I can see the question-marks popping up and the gears turning inside your mind. Jesus said, “We love Him because HE FIRST loved us.” (1 John 4:19). After this episode, I hope you get a deeper and more fulfilling revelation of God’s love for you.

Before my revelation of God's Grace, I used to be one of those preachers that pulled the "fear card" with sinners. Angry, frustrated, and irritated, I'd misquote Genesis 6:3, “God won’t always strive with man.” By this, I hoped to convince people that God would eventually run out of patience and give up on them. Unfortunately, this is a classic move to frighten people towards salvation and good works. Ultimately, it proves futile. Ever since Grace got a hold of me, this verse and so many others have a whole new meaning. In Biblical context with the New Covenant, this verse foretells a day when God will no longer require striving to earn righteousness. Child of God, you no longer have to strive to get close to God or make it to Heaven.

In life we are in one of three places. We're either in the middle of a wilderness, we're just coming out of a wilderness, or we're getting ready to go right back into another wilderness. I don't know about you, but many times in my journey I discovered that the mountains inspired me, but it was the valleys that matured me. In this episode, I'm going to share some encouraging thoughts that will help you get a better perspective of what's happening behind the scenes in your wilderness. I hope to expose some of the enemy's lies and help you gain a stronger determination to stay the course and complete the assignment God has given you in your wilderness. Take heart! There's a destiny in your desert!

In this episode, I share a basic summary of my daily routine that has helped me achieve a better sense of direction and energy in my life for the past 35 years. This simple process may be similar to your own daily routine. However, I wanted to offer you some insights into my personal regiment, with the hopes that it will help you make some positive changes and noticeable gains in your own life.

I ended this 4 part series in a blaze of glory! The final 6 tests I share here will put some fire in your bones. I promise, this episode will be one for the books.

In this episode, I'm slowly making my way toward 15 different tests and what they taught me. I've lived a little while, so I'm taking my time to go deep into some of what life and leadership has shown me. Be sure to catch up on the past two episodes to get some needed context for this episode. I truly hope the tests I've taken and the lessons I've learned from them will help you discover how to have peace and joy to the fullest in every area in your life.

In this episode, I'm sharing more tests that taught me lessons. We're on our way to 15 different tests and what they taught me and are still teaching me. Some lessons in life can’t be taught; they have to be caught. God has never let me out of an experience until I got what He wanted for me in it. And let me tell you, I sure needed His enabling grace to make it through those tests. I hope the lessons I've learned in these tests will add value to your life and greatly help you when it's your time to take your own tests.

In typical life scenarios, we learn lessons that prepare us for the tests. However, if you've lived any significant amount of time, you've probably discovered that life is anything but typical. In REAL life, we often learn the lessons, and then we take the tests. And the tests always teach us more than the lessons ever could. Some lessons in life can’t be taught; they simply have to be learned. God won't let you out of an experience until you get what is in it for you. You'll just have to accept this if you dare to pursue the call God has on your life. The things I’m about to share in this episode you may likely forget. However, rest assured, real life will remind you of them. The truth is, my mess is my message. Mess + Age = Message. My test is my testimony. And the funny thing is, I’ve failed at every one of these tests, but that’s how I learned the lessons.

I’m taking a week off to re-calibrate and focus on some important things that are coming in the days ahead. We’re about halfway through season 2. In the meantime, I encourage you to catch up on some of the past episodes. There are 52 episodes to choose from. That’s one full year of inspirational content. I hope this podcast is helping you discover how to have peace and joy to the fullest in every area of your life. I’ll be back with a new and powerful episode next Monday... And until then… We’ll see ya!

In this episode, I conclude with sharing some final, powerful thoughts about my Dad. At the recording of this podcast, my Father will have been gone from this Earth for almost a month and just beginning his glorious eternity with Jesus. My Dad's life made an indelible mark on me forever. You will want to listen all the way through this episode to the very end. I will share something unforgettable that will tug at your soul and hopefully will leave a mark on your life forever as well.

Recently, my Dad of 81 years passed away from complications due to COVID-19. Here, I’ll be sharing MORE things about my Dad (part 2 of 3). Though I feel his absence in a profound way, I hope what I share with you will touch your heart and make a lasting impact in your life as well. Every father, son, and daughter needs to listen to this episode.