The ECC Podcast

We are all called to make disciples of Jesus. This task can often seem burdensome, like an extra "activity" in our lives. Often, we relegate such a "sacred" task to those we consider more "sacred". Come and discover an ancient way of living that God invites us into that will begin to help us all walk in the calling to make disciples of Jesus. Guest speaker: Allen Chang.

In this message, Elaine will be looking at how being human entails a worldview that sees caring for creation as part of the Christian calling. Looking at the creation narrative in Genesis, we will see that from the beginning, God envisioned the flourishing of both humanity and the rest of creation, together.

God calls us to be with Him and then to work with Him as He fulfills His purposes in this world. Seeing God and how He has uniquely crafted each one of us not only helps us understand what our calling is, but also gives us the confidence we need to believe that it is possible... and to actually step out and walk with Him in it.

Andreas will explore the questions: Why work? How did God originally design us for work? Will there be work in heaven? What does this all mean for me today?  

Using the 2 big ideas of work and rest, Ken will share with us this Sunday how we should bring “God-stuff” into both of these areas of our world as we live our life. 
These are 2 areas in which we spend the majority or all of our time in... and we should not leave God out of any of these (or any areas of our life for that matter).

In this message, we will have the privilege of hearing from Jeff Golby and be updated with what's been going on with the Acts for Water ministry.

Join us for a reflection on the nature of fear and how it shapes our lives. Through the paradox of holding both fear and hope, we’ll discover through looking at Romans 15:13 how God meets us in our fears and the importance of actively increasing our sense of hope. Together, we'll learn to pause, reflect, and actively work toward further understanding fear through faith as we cultivate hope in ourselves, our community, and our broader systems.

Click this LINK for more information about the Hope-Action Theory.

One may be thinking of Asian cultures or Muslim cultures when “shame culture” is mentioned. And you would not necessarily be wrong. But, shame is alive and well in our very own culture, no matter our religious affiliation or ethnicity. Whether we are living in our own culture of shame or we encounter others who experience this, one no longer needs to keep up appearances, or hide from their community. In fact, vulnerability becomes a blessing to others.

The Gospel offers us freedom from guilt and from the burden of guilt. In the Gospel, we learn that Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins through His death on the cross. But sometimes, even though we know He has forgiven us, we can still feel guilty. 
In this message, Gray Poehnell will explore not only how the Gospel frees us from our guilt , but also how it can free us from our feelings of guilt.

Is there a place for doubt as I journey with Jesus? Am I even allowed to challenge things? If I doubt, does that mean the next logical step is to stop following or believing? Does God’s “silence” during my seasons of doubt mean God is absent. There are so many struggles we have as we seek to hold on to God when it seems He isn’t holding on to us.