Episode 8 with Dammy Awosika

Elim MPower

We are in conversation with Dammy Awosika, one of the elders at Birmingham City Church.

Dammy is a network solutions architect designer, and he explains how he built his career in IT starting out from building PCs to working with servers and systems – and how he ultimately got into networking, which he has been doing over the last 20 years.

On this podcast we unpack the ‘Parable of the Good Samaritan’:

• The surprise it holds of who is supposed to be helping but doesn’t
• Who our neighbour really might be; and
• How we should help people in dire need, no matter what their or our beliefs are.

We need to take action when a deep need confronts us – not just hold views.

People sometimes get into difficulties in ways they could have avoided – but equally people can get into need through no fault of their own. Dammy described a time when a ‘good Samaritan’ passing by on a motorbike stopped to help him out on his journey to work one day when his car broke down.

Dammy identifies some helpful boundaries regarding the way in which we should offer people help. There are some things we ourselves should do; but also other things where we should make a ‘wisdom call’ to get others involved, where perhaps we have reached the limit of the help we can provide.

The priest and the Levite seem to apply personal boundaries that are just too strict around their willingness to offer any help at all to someone in need.

In telling the parable, Jesus is setting out his expectation that everyone should offer others help, and not just walk by. Jesus Christ died for each and every person, and therefore everyone should in turn show kindness toward others.

In many ways it’s a simple message behind the parable: help others!

The innkeeper seems happy with the promise of finance offered by the Good Samaritan if the stay is extended – so much so, that it raises the question of whether he knew the Good Samaritan already. If he didn’t, perhaps the innkeeper was inspired by the kindness of the Samaritan to be trusting towards him.

Dammy shares a great story of how just listening properly in the workplace opened up a professional colleague formerly viewed by others as difficult to get along with – so much so, that a great friendship started. Everyone needs to be heard properly from time to time; and we shouldn’t just accept the received wisdom from a group or tribe about another person or tribe – we should try to look behind the reputation for the real person.

Dammy closes by sharing about his recent driving holiday around 9 states in America, and how he experienced warmth and love from God as Father on the trip, and he prays for the men listening.