PODCAST · religion
Ecclesia Houston
by Ecclesia Houston
A collection of media, reflections, and resources from Ecclesia in Houston, Texas. Ecclesia is Houston’s Holistic Missional Christian Community. For additional information on Ecclesia Houston visit us online at http://ecclesiahouston.org
Episodes
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As It Is In Heaven
What do you do when the world feels like it’s falling apart? Guest preacher Leroy Barber shows us how setting our hearts and minds on heaven changes the way we live here and now.
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Set Your Mind on Heaven
What if we spent as much time thinking about heaven as we do about things on earth? Pastor Chris begins a new series on Heaven and invites us to see why imagining heaven changes the way we live, grieve, and care for the people around us.
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Making The Invisible God Visible
There are so many voices in our culture trying to define what it means to be a Christian. Stereotypes, reductionism, and legalism can make us feel like we don't belong. Pastor Chris reminds us today that Jesus is the one who defines what it means to be a Christian, and that our primary goal is to...
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The Miracle of Imagination
What if imagination is one of the ways we practice hope? Continuing our Ordinary Glory series, Ericka Graham explores Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones and the invitation to see the world honestly while still imagining what God might make possible. Even in exile, grief, and…
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Losing Our Life To Find Our Life
What if some of the things we’re trying hardest to hold onto are actually keeping us from experiencing new life? Continuing our Ordinary Glory series, Ericka Graham explores Jesus’ invitation to lose our lives in order to find them. Through the paradox of crucifixion and resurrection, she…
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The Gospel According to Dolly Parton
We want to be a people who follow Jesus the way Dolly Parton did. Pastor Chris guides us through the way Dolly Parton lived a life of faith and implores us to follow in her example in how she loved and included all people.
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The Good Life
Pastor Chris continues the “Ordinary Glory” series on discovering the sacred in everyday life, teaching that the good life is not achieved but received, enjoyed, and shared wherever you are.
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Made For Harmony
We kick off a brand new series, Ordinary Glory, a series about discovering the sacred that's already present in your ordinary, everyday life. Pastor Chris Seay challenges the idea of "work-life balance," inviting us instead to live one integrated life, fully surrendered to God in every part of it.
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Learning to Read the Bible Again
What if we've become so focused on studying the Bible that we've forgotten how to experience it as a story? In this message from our A Faith for Today series, Josephine explores a different posture toward Scripture. Rather than approaching the Bible simply as a textbook, self-help manual, or...
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You Are God’s Beloved
So many of us grew up believing God is a judge waiting to catch us doing wrong, but today, Pastor Chris walks through Zephaniah, John 21, and the story of Peter's greatest failure to show a different picture. A God who delights in you, sings over you, and meets you with breakfast on the beach…
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Sin Is More Than Breaking Rules
What if sin is about more than breaking rules? In this message from our A Faith for Today series, Erika Graham explores a richer biblical understanding of sin—not simply as rule-breaking, but as "missing the mark." Rather than leading us toward shame or perfectionism, Scripture invites us to...
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Identity Theft
Guest preacher Leroy Barber explores a powerful parallel between financial identity theft and the spiritual identity theft happening to followers of Jesus today. Just as we protect our bank accounts and credit with daily vigilance, Leroy challenges us to guard our identity in Christ with the same...
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When Everything Shakes, What Remains?
After a devastating earthquake hit the region near Caracas, Pastor Chris and our team traveled to Venezuela to stand with our long-time partners and grieving communities on the ground. This week we hear directly from that trip: the loss, the prayers, the families living in tents, and the question...
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Helping Those in Need
In this message, guest speaker Dr. Ruth López Turley explores one of Scripture's most consistent themes: caring for our neighbors. Yet while the call to compassion is clear, the way of Jesus often challenges our assumptions about generosity, deservingness, and responsibility.
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What Happened To Us: Attention, Anxiety, & The Way of Jesus
What has technology done to us, and how do we live differently? Pastor Chris continues our series "A Faith for Today" by considering our relationship to an ever-evolving landscape of technology and faith.
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Instructions For Apostles
In this message from our A Faith for Today series, Pastor Ericka reflects on Jesus' instructions to the apostles in Matthew 10 and what they might teach us about following Jesus today. As Jesus sends his followers out to heal, serve, and share good news, he also invites them into a life of trust,...
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Taste and See
You can read every book ever written about friendship and still not know how to be a friend. You can study grief without ever really understanding it. And you can know all the right things about Christianity without ever actually experiencing God. Pastor Chris is launching our summer series, A...
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The Priesthood of All Believers
Pastor Chris invites us to show up as image bearers wherever we already are. Knowing the names of people who are struggling. Praying for your sick neighbor.
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From Babel to Belonging
From the Tower of Babel to Pentecost, this message traces the arc of a God who doesn't abandon scattered people but keeps pulling them back together. Pastor Chris shares what's happening at The Hill, a building that Ecclesia is converting into affordable housing. The sermon moves into a guided...
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Eyes To See
Mary Magdalene stood at an empty tomb, weeping, searching for someone who was already standing right beside her. In this message, Ericka Graham draws from John 20 to explore what it means to find resurrection hiding in plain sight, in the ordinary, in the everyday moments we're too busy or too...
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A Faith That Shows Up For Others
Mother’s Day carries many different emotions — celebration, grief, longing, joy, loss, gratitude, and everything in between. Ericka Graham reflects on motherhood, mercy, grief, community, and what it means to care for one another in a hurting world. Through stories of friendship, elephants...
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Incarnation
What if the version of Christianity you inherited was designed to help you get in and out without touching anything or anyone? In this message, Pastor Chris explores the doctrine of incarnation, not as a theological concept, but as the living foundation of what it means to follow Jesus.
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Be a Neighbor
What does it actually mean to be a neighbor? In this message from the More Than Belief series, Pastor Marcelo Robles, a 20-year ministry partner serving in the shantytowns of Buenos Aires, Argentina, brings a powerful reflection on Luke 10 and the parable of the Good Samaritan.
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A Faith That Doesn’t Show Up Isn’t Real
What does it actually mean to follow Jesus — not just believe, but live it out? In this message, we explore a challenging truth found in Isaiah and the teachings of Jesus: that faith cannot be separated from how we live, how we love, and how we respond to the needs around us. Through the images…
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A Faith That Lives
What if the faith you inherited was incomplete? Not wrong, just missing something. In this message, Pastor Chris kicks off a new series called More Than Belief, exploring what it means to have an embodied faith for everyday life. Drawing from James chapter 2 and the theology of Latin American...
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Easter 2026
This Easter, we gathered across our community to celebrate the hope at the center of our faith — the resurrection of Jesus. In this gathering, you’ll hear stories from people in our community and a message from Pastor Chris reflecting on what it means to experience new life, even in the midst of...
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A Profile of The Role Player
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...
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The Examen Prayer
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...
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The Binding of Isaac: You Don't Have To Live This Way
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...
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Keep Walking
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…
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Real Faith, Real Failure, Real Gratitude
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...
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You Can’t Be Spiritually Mature If You’re Emotionally Immature
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...
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Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
Lent is a season of reflection but it’s also a season about spiritual growth. In this preview episode, Pastor Chris, Pastor Rylea, and Pastor Ericka introduce our upcoming Lent series on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and why emotional maturity and spiritual maturity can’t be separated. We talk...
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What If We’re Climbing the Wrong Mountain?
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,...
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Bad Bunny & Culture: A Pastoral (and Puerto Rican) Take on the Halftime Show
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...
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When Becoming Is Hard
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…
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Friendship, Vulnerability, and Faith
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...
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Neighborhoods, Not Empires
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.
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What Are You Really Looking For?
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...
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When The World Is Too Loud
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…
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It's You I Like
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…
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Neighborhoods, Not Towers
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…
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Loving All In Advent
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.
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A Lifestyle of Generosity
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...
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Why Less Is More This Christmas
"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...
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Transformational Advent
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...
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Finding God in Our Pain
This week, Ericka Graham guides us through a heartfelt exploration of Psalm 22, the very words Jesus turned to on the cross, and reminds us why the Psalms still matter today. With raw vulnerability and powerful storytelling, she weaves together scripture, motherhood, Ruby Bridges, OCD, and the...
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How God Heals
Pain touches every one of us. Some of it was handed to us. Some of it we created. And some of it cut so deeply that it muted our voice and made us forget who we are. In this powerful message, Pastor Chris walks through the Psalms to show how God meets us in every kind of hurt and leads us toward...
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When Life Is Hard
Life is hard, and even people of deep faith face seasons of fear, pressure, and uncertainty. Pastor Sean invites us into David’s story of going into the wilderness to learn how Psalm 63 becomes a prayer for anyone wondering how they’re going to make it. When fight, flight, freeze, and fawn aren’t...
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The Strength That Breaks You
In this message from our series Songs of the Shepherd King, Pastor Chris Seay explores how King David’s greatest strength—his big heart—was also what led to his greatest breaking. Drawing from Psalm 51, this sermon invites us to see how our own strengths, left unchecked, can become our undoing…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A collection of media, reflections, and resources from Ecclesia in Houston, Texas. Ecclesia is Houston’s Holistic Missional Christian Community. For additional information on Ecclesia Houston visit us online at http://ecclesiahouston.org
HOSTED BY
Ecclesia Houston
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Ecclesia Houston have?
Ecclesia Houston currently has 300 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Ecclesia Houston about?
A collection of media, reflections, and resources from Ecclesia in Houston, Texas. Ecclesia is Houston’s Holistic Missional Christian Community. For additional information on Ecclesia Houston visit us online at http://ecclesiahouston.org
How often does Ecclesia Houston release new episodes?
Ecclesia Houston publishes regularly with 300 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Ecclesia Houston?
You can listen to Ecclesia Houston on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Ecclesia Houston?
Ecclesia Houston is created and hosted by Ecclesia Houston.
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