Pastor Chris first asked the children of our community who should receive the best gifts on Christmas, and then called us each to consider why and how we give gifts in this beautiful season. As a people who have received God's greatest gift, how will we respond in great thoughtfulness and love to those in our own lives, while worshipfully extending our greatest gifts to Jesus?
The Wealth Of Wisdom
Gideon Tsang asked us to consider how we seek wisdom, how it finds us in our seeking, and how it reveals the deeper motivations behind our actions. In this season, how will our response in generosity to the Kingdom naturally flow from grateful hearts as we receive the truth of who we are; beloved children covered in God's extravagant love?
Advent Conspiracy: Worship Fully
Pastor Josh Hilburn welcomed us into the Advent season, teaching on how we're called to Worship Fully in anticipation and response to the divine gift of Jesus' incarnation. Join us over the coming weeks as we consider how Ecclesia, as individuals and as a family, will worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all as we await our Savior's birth.
Empty Your Cup
Pastor Chris Seay asks us to examine what fills "the cup" of our life: gratitude or negativity. As we approach the sacred Advent season, we explore the role of gratitude in our life and how the pattern of negativity can too easily become routine. Chris reminds us that as we pour out our cup, God will call us out of our pattern ofnegativity and fill us with gratitude.
Let It Shake
Our guest teacher, Jonathan Martin spoke passionately about a particularly tumultuous week in our nation, and the ongoing presence of deep fear, anxiety, and division. In these times of turmoil, the Church is called even more boldly into action, empowered by the Spirit to live and speak as a prophetic witness of reconciliation, healing, and hope.
The Will Of God
The Heart of A King
Pastor Chris Seay explores the unique faith of King David, and how his life modeled many aspects of living with a transformed heart. When our hearts change, we live with an greater awareness of God's presence in our every moment, worship with joy and abandon, freely extend radical generosity, and cultivate deeper and unexpected friendships.
Politics of Jesus: Incarnation
Pastor Josh Hilburn continues our discussion on how the Church is called to engage in this season. The politics of Jesus is not about simply feeling something, but truly showing up and doing something. Focused on people, and not simply issues. How will we overcome anger and fear and be a people of incarnate kindness, compassion, and justice in the name of the Kingdom?
Politics of Jesus: The Third Way
Politics of Jesus: Part One
Jack Wisdom opened a discussion that will unfold over the next three weeks on how we, as the Body of Christ, are called to engage in a deeply broken political climate as a loving reflection of our Savior. Jesus continually and radically upended earthly expectations of power in ways that cannot be politicized or de-politicized, or claimed by either conservative or progressive ideology.
Transformative Community
Pastor Josh Hilburn concluded the recent walkthrough of our calling and identity as Houston's Holistic Missional Christian Community, and why we believe community is vital to who we are. When we live with vulnerability and honesty, offering our committed presence, and opening our hearts and homes to diverse experiences and viewpoints, God will change us in surprising and remarkable ways.
The World is Not Worthy of Them: Christian Identity
Pastor Chris continued our series, about "living lives of courageous faith" and our call and identity as Houston's Holistic Missional Christian Community. Chris taught on our unique Christian identity and reminded us that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is good news for everyone. In light of that good news we are called to live authentically and seek out those who often feel excluded.
The World Was Not Worthy Of Them: The Mission
Pastor Chris continued our series, about "living lives of courageous faith" and our call and identity as Houston's Holistic Missional Christian Community. Today, Chris spoke about the meaning of missional, and our charge to be the people Jesus sends into the world, never to pull away, but always to lean in; vulnerably engaging all of culture and creation with curiosity, presence, and love.
Podcast for Parents Ep 3
In the third episode of our podcast for parents, Kelly talks with Ecclesians Danny and Tammy Flack, who have 3 adult daughters. They discuss growing up in a legalistic environment and how that affected their early parenting, moving to Puerto Rico, which had great influence on their parenting style, and provide insight into how each of their daughters required different types of parenting.
The World Was Not Worthy of Them: We Are Ecclesia
Pastor Chris continued our series, "The World Was Not Worthy Of Them" with the beginning of a reintroduction of our calling and identity as Houston's Holistic Missional Christian Community. He discussed the foundation of the early church, our unique witness to this great city, God's love for the whole of creation, and how we begin to offer the fullness of our lives in gratitude.
Podcast for Parents Ep 2
In the second episode, Katie Rushing provides insight into how she reconnected with herself after becoming a mom, how she carves out intentional time with God, and prioritizes time for friends and her husband, Davis. Katie and Kelly also discuss battling perfectionist tendencies and how that can affect parenting.
Redefine the Relationship
Pastor Josh Hilburn continued our conversation about living lives of courageous faith, a people set apart. He invited us to consider our misconceptions about the meaning of "blessing", how we might begin to shift our view of sacrifice instead to investment, and grow into greater peace with the often slow and inefficient movement of transformation in our world and relationships.
Podcast for Parents Ep 1
In this episode, Bob and Mel Sutton, who are such kind people and so honest about their marriage and parenting journey, talk about what life was like with a baby who cried for 7 months straight, what marriage looked like before kids and then after kids, navigating through fighting siblings and house rules, and Mel talks about her role as a sex therapist and some of the intimacy issues many couples face.
The World Was Not Worthy Of Them
Pastor Chris entered the scripture in Hebrews, introducing the central thought that will guide us into the fall. How are we, as followers of Christ, called to live lives of courageous, magnetic, truly sacrificial faith, and to be a people willing to meet potential hardship and suffering with joy and obedience for the sake of the kingdom. We also celebrated over twenty-five baptisms of community members.