Pastor Chris Seay continued our Lenten series in the story of the Exodus; sharing an important and heartfelt word on God's desire for intimacy with us. We've been raised to merely follow rules, when what God truly wants from us is relationship

Pastor Chris Seay begins a conversation that we pray will guide us through the upcoming season of Lent. How might the weeks ahead be for us an exodus from the pharaohs that have taken hold of our hearts and lives?

Pastor Sean Palmer considered what the story of the paralyzed man and the film Lars And The Real Girl have to teach us about the demands of love, and how communities are called to carry the lost and hurting by way of loving acts that may seem radical, or even foolish, to the world. 

Pastor Sean Palmer closed our series in Nehemiah with a challenging message of the nature and purpose of worship. We are designed to orient our lives around worship; but if we choose not to worship God, we will either worship ourselves, or idols that will inevitably devour us. 

Pastor Chris Seay continued our series in Nehemiah, considering the various ways he modeled leadership, and how we are a people called into rhythms of curiosity, hospitality, focus, and celebration. 

This week, Pastor Sean Palmer follows last week's message by defining what is a wall in our lives. As we examine Nehemiah's story of faithfulness and continue to build our wall, we learn from Nehemiah the need to discover the why.

Pastor Chris Seay continued our series in Nehemiah; considering his story of faithfulness, focus, and leadership in the face of discouragement and conflict. God is calling us to vital and transformative work, individually and collectively, and we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted from that command. 

Pastor Sean Palmer continues our engagement with the story of Nehemiah; asking us to consider our goals for the "new year", WHY we make resolutions, and what we can expect as we seek to faithfully follow God's will in the months to come. 

Beloved family, we pray blessing and peace upon your Christmas celebrations. As we pause in remembrance of the Incarnation, we're each called to consider anew the implications of Jesus' arrival in our hearts and lives. May this unexpected gift disrupt us. May we be changed in ways that propel us forward in greater faithfulness, hope, and love, throughout the year that lies ahead. God bless you, Ecclesia. Merry Christmas.

Note: No audio this week. Our weekly sermon podcast will return next weekend on 12/31. 

Pastor Chris Seay prepared us for the final week of Advent with a message on the kingdoms vying for our hearts; those consumed with wealth, power, and influence, and that of our true King. Living in a world of "Herods", are we prepared to pledge full allegiance to Christ, knowing that he comes to upend a great deal in our hearts and lives?   

Pastor Chris Seay shares a message from Pucallpa, Peru; just one of the many communities with whom we've been called to partner in this Advent season. As we consider the many stories of those in need, will we enter into them with genuine empathy; truly feeling the burdens that we are called to join God in lifting? 

Teaching Pastor Sean Palmer continued our teaching in this sacred season, offering a message on hope in the midst of darkness; the seemingly improbable triumph of our infant savior standing against the "dragons" of a broken world. 

Teaching Pastor Sean Palmer shared an insightful and personal teaching on the challenge of living a life shaped by gratitude. We have earned nothing, and we are owed nothing. All good things are given to us solely by the grace of God.

Pastor Chris Seay taught through Isaiah 25, and continued laying the groundwork for our ongoing response following this challenging time for so many; a plan for the next two years that will include serving the poorest in our city, the first-responders who worked tirelessly and selflessly through the storm, and our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico following the devastation of Maria. We're excited for the healing, the feasting and dancing, the rejoicing to come in this season ahead. 

Pastor Chris Seay examines what it looks like to be a Houstonian Christian during this season of hurricane recovery. Jerusalem is a holy city, but so is our city of Houston. God resides in Houston, Texas and loves the people of Houston. This week, we examine 5 lessons we can learn from the Astros World Series run. As we experienced last week, there are a lot of baseball metaphors. 

Pastor Chris Seay began a conversation that will unfold over the next three weeks; our plan for the coming months as we continue to commit our time, energy, and resources to faithfully love and serve those most impacted by this hurricane season. This week was a reminder of our "job description" as a people in Christ; our commitment to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. There are also a lot of baseball metaphors. 

Teaching Pastor Sean Palmer shared a message on attaining wisdom. God has not made us to walk the paths of this life alone. We are called to learn from the experience of those who have gone before us.

Guest teacher Tracy Wilde taught through the Parable of the Good Samaritan; challenging us to consider if the primary question is not merely, "who is our neighbor?", but instead whether or not we are willing to truly be a neighbor, with compassion put into action. 

Our guest teacher John Ortberg offered an impactful message on the importance of the table throughout scripture, and its vitality in creating and strengthening relationships and community. As a church family, and in our homes, how will we ensure that everyone has a place at the table, and no one is left out?