It's one thing to accept a supporting role. It's another thing to embrace it. guest preacher Tyshawn Gardner, looks to John the Baptist, a man with every credential to be the headliner, who chose to point away from himself instead. Through the stories of a college football recruiting trip, Andre Agassi living out his father's dream, and a Super Bowl moment most people forgot, we're reminded that the most significant thing you can do is find your role in something bigger than yourself and play it well.

We are a community full of people with different cultures, contexts, stages of life, personalities, vocations, religious backgrounds, and capacities. As we all enter into Lent in our own unique ways, our pastoral staff is inviting us to join together in one Community Spiritual Practice—the Examen—to learn, practice, and grow deeper in with God. You can pray the Examen on your own, as a family, or with a small group.

What if God's interruptions are actually invitations? In this message, Ericka explores the story of Abraham and Isaac through the lens of emotionally healthy spirituality and discovers that the most disruptive moments in our lives are often the most sacred ones. From the Ignatian Examen prayer to the ancient Jewish Midrash about Abraham smashing his father's idols, this sermon traces a through-line from Abraham's radical break with the gods of his culture to the cross of Christ. What old story do you need to put down? Whether you're carrying guilt you can't shake, patterns of self-punishment you can't break, or a picture of God you no longer believe in, this message is an invitation to receive something better.

Faith isn't about having all the answers. It's about taking the next step even when you can't see the road. In this message, Pastor Chris draws from the story of Abraham to explore what it looks like to trust God through fear, uncertainty, and the mistakes we'd rather not admit. Through stories of migrant brothers and sisters walking thousands of miles toward hope, and the raw vulnerability that happens when we finally share who we really are, we're reminded that God doesn't call the fearless. He walks with the afraid. Whatever season you're in, the invitation is simple: just keep walking.

In this message from our Lenten series on emotionally healthy spirituality, we explore the life of David through the lens of five hard spiritual truths: life is hard, you are not in control, your life is not about you, you are not that important, and you will die. These are not slogans for coffee mugs. They are the deep realities that shape mature faith.

David teaches us how to name what is real, process pain instead of projecting strength, embrace confession, reject entitlement, and cultivate gratitude. Even in failure, David shows us the path back to God through repentance and honesty.

Lent isn’t about giving something up. It’s about becoming someone new. As we begin this Lenten journey, we’re exploring what it means to develop an emotionally healthy spirituality — because, as we’re reminded: “You can’t be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.” Through the story of King Saul, we see what happens when insecurity, fear, ego, and unmanaged emotion go unchecked. Saul had power, success, wealth — and no real health. No real friends. No inner stability.

Welcome to The Ecclesia Podcast, a place where we share stories and conversations about what it means to live in a holistic, Christian, missional community. In this episode, Pastor Chris, Pastor Rylea, and Pastor Ericka preview our upcoming Lent series on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and explore why emotional maturity and spiritual maturity cannot be separated.

We talk about the ways unexamined anger, insecurity, and repeated patterns can quietly shape our faith and why Lent offers a unique opportunity to slow down, reflect, and grow. What does it mean to stop being a “one-year Christian 22 times”? How does faith evolve over time? And what role do practices like the Prayer of Examen and a Rule of Life play in real spiritual transformation?

This conversation is an invitation to honest self-examination, deeper formation, and a season of growth together.

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As we head into Lent, we are invited to slow down, create space, and listen. In this message, we reflect on the Transfiguration in Matthew 17, the wisdom of Fred Rogers, and the tension between mountaintop moments and valley realities.

We talk about why we are so tempted to stay on the mountain, why Jesus leads us back down into real life, and how prayer and fasting reshape our desires and our direction. Through stories of faith, failure, joy, and loss, this sermon explores what it means to stop climbing the wrong ladders and start listening to Jesus.

Pastor Chris sits down with Executive Pastor Ramon Huertas for a thoughtful conversation about Bad Bunny, art, and how followers of Jesus can learn to read culture with wisdom and humility.

At Ecclesia, we believe formation happens not by avoiding the world, but by learning how to live in it with wisdom, courage, and grace. This episode is an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and learn how to see what’s really there.

What do you do when you want to be kinder, slower, and more loving, but real life keeps getting in the way? In this message, Pastor Chris explores why becoming the person we want to be is often harder than we expect, and how the way of Jesus and the example of Fred Rogers invite us into a different way of living. A practical and honest look at kindness, generosity, presence, and choosing love in a hurried and divided world.

What if loneliness isn’t a personal failure but a signal that something sacred is missing? In this message, Pastor Chris explores why friendship may be one of the most holy and necessary gifts God gives us. Drawing from Scripture, cultural insight, and the life of Fred Rogers, this sermon invites us to rethink vulnerability, presence, and what it truly means to love one another well.

Pastor Chris contrasts the way of empires with the way of Jesus. Empires move fast, promise safety, and rely on fear and force. Jesus moves slowly. He notices. He draws near. He builds the Kingdom not through domination, but through love at eye level.

Ericka Graham explores one of the first questions Jesus ever asks: “What are you seeking?” Drawing from John 1 and the life and wisdom of Mr. Rogers, Ericka invites us to slow down, get curious, and reconsider what we are chasing in a loud, anxious world.

Rather than offering quick answers, Jesus offers his presence. Rather than judgment, he invites questions. And rather than defining people by their failures, he names them for who they are becoming.

In a week marked by grief, fear, and overwhelming noise, Pastor Chris reflects on what it means to stay human, connected, and curious when the world feels too loud. Drawing on wisdom from Fred Rogers, Scripture, and lived experience, this sermon invites us to name our feelings without shame, resist the pull toward withdrawal and outrage, and move toward one another with courage and compassion.

What would change if we truly believed we are loved exactly as we are? As we begin a new year, Pastor Chris invites us into a radically countercultural way of living: resting in God’s love rather than striving to earn it. Drawing from the life and presence of Fred Rogers and the Gospel of John, we explore what it means to live as the beloved, to abide in love, and to carry that love into our relationships with others.

As Ecclesia closes out 2025, Pastor Chris invites us to imagine the kind of people we are becoming together in 2026. In a world shaped by division, power, and isolation, this message asks a simple but demanding question: what does it look like to be a truly good neighbor?

Drawing from the life and wisdom of Fred Rogers, the teachings of Jesus, and the call of Scripture, we explore a posture of presence rather than domination, participation rather than distance. From the Good Samaritan to Jeremiah’s call to seek the peace of the city, this sermon reframes love as an active way of life rooted in neighborhoods, not towers. This is an invitation to live faithfully right where we are planted and to discover how God meets us, and our neighbors, in ordinary places.

Ericka Graham reflects on the candle of love and what it means to truly see one another as God sees us. Ericka explores how love multiplies when it is shared, how stories move us to action, and how faith calls us to run toward people in their lowest moments rather than away.

Pastor Chris explores generosity not simply as something we do with our money, but as a way of life that shapes who we are becoming. From giving to those we love, to caring for people we may never meet, to the quiet beauty of anonymous generosity, we are reminded that God blesses us so that we might be a blessing. True generosity loosens our grip on comfort and opens us to joy, freedom, and deeper connection with others.

"The dominant script of our culture is one of anxiety and scarcity. But the story of Jesus is one of abundance, generosity, and enough." – Pastor Chris

This Advent season, Pastor Chris continues our Advent Conspiracy series with a powerful message on spending less, not just to save money, but to reclaim freedom, joy, and purpose.

Drawing from Philippians 4 and 1 Timothy 6, and layered with stories from his own life, Pastor Chris invites us into a radical reimagining of Christmas: one where we resist the pressures of consumerism, live with margin, and give meaningful gifts that reflect the heart of God.

In this first week of Advent, we explore how the arrival of Jesus invites real and often uncomfortable change. Through the story of Herod, the wise men, and the themes of Advent Conspiracy, we are reminded that worship is more than songs or rituals. It is the offering of our whole lives. Like the baby in “The Luck of Roaring Camp,” the birth of Jesus disrupts our patterns and reshapes our priorities. This sermon invites us to embrace a season of transformation and worship fully.