Wineskins

What does it mean to become People of the Way—not just in what we believe, but in how we inhabit our bodies, our communities and with the presence of God?

In this final conversation in our People of the Way series, David Ruis sits down with Krista Heide, an artist, pastor, spiritual director and Doctor of Ministry student whose work explores the intersection of creativity, trauma-informed care and spiritual formation. Krista has become a thoughtful voice within the Vineyard around the ways our experiences shape how we encounter God, worship together and become formed in the way of Jesus.

Together, David and Krista explore what it means to follow Jesus as embodied people—to recognize that formation happens not only through what we believe and understand, but through our bodies, our stories, our wounds, our creativity and our practices. Drawing on her experience as both an artist and pastor and on her deep theological work around trauma-informed worship and spiritual formation, Krista invites us to consider how the Church can become a place where people are genuinely able to encounter God, heal, and be formed into the likeness of Christ.

This conversation offers a fitting conclusion to this Wineskins series: following Jesus is not simply a set of ideas we agree with, but a way of life we learn to inhabit—together, with our whole selves.

David Ruis talks with Daoud Saeed of the Windsor Vineyard about his journey from Sudan to Canada—and the ways that journey has shaped his understanding of what it means to be a person of the Way. Having lived through and fled war in his homeland, Daoud learned to trust God and practice the teachings of Jesus in circumstances where faith could not remain merely theoretical.

As an immigrant, artist, graphic designer and web developer, Daoud brings a perspective that enriches our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus together in Canada. His story challenges us to think about discipleship not simply as something we believe, but as a way of life we learn to practice—especially when the road is difficult.

What does it mean to be People of the Way in a time when the Church is being invited to rediscover what it means to follow Jesus?

Recorded live at Vineyard Canada's Gather event in Calgary in 2025, David Ruis sits down with David Ross, a leader from Epic Vineyard Church, who also is a professor at Alberta Bible College, and an emerging theologian in the Vineyard movement. Through his writing on his blog 'Renewing Renewal' and his work in the classroom and local church, David has a particular passion for bringing together Scripture, theology, Christian tradition and the life of the Spirit.

Together, the Davids explore what it means to be a People of the Way—to move beyond simply holding beliefs about Jesus and toward a life shaped by his teachings, his character and his way of being in the world. Ross addresses God using foolishness to shame the wise, how hypocrisy being exposed in the Church clarifies the Way of Jesus, and what surrender actually looks like in seasons of suffering. Their conversation invites us to consider how theology and discipleship belong together, and how following Jesus is both something we think deeply about and something we must practice.

A quick note about the recording: this conversation was recorded live, in a room full of people—including quite a few children! So you may hear some of the beautiful ambient noise of a gathered community at the beginning of the recording. Hang in there—the room settles as the conversation gets underway, and the audio improves considerably. We decided that a little evidence of children being present was worth keeping in order to preserve the reality of the gathering.

Carol Lovejoy and David Ruis continue their dialogue about what it means to be a "People of the Way", especially in terms of how we relate to Jesus as a person, rather than using His name for power. What can their collective wisdom teach us about our own identity in Christ, the difference between power and authority, and learning to walk in the way of Jesus? This episode dives deep on what's in a name, God's authority and presence on earth, how the land remembers, and a whole lot more. You might want to listen twice!

In this second conversation, Carol Lovejoy and David Ruis dig into the importance of story - locating our personal stories within God's story and learning to really live in the present. It's tempting to live with the backward glance or the future driving us, but to really practice being a people of the Way we need to embody the teachings of Jesus in our everyday lives. Let this conversation challenge you with what is real.

When an octogenarian Indigenous elder and the National Director of Vineyard Canada sit down for a chat, truth bombs begin to fly! Carol Lovejoy is part of our national team, and she graciously agreed to share her wisdom with us. In this first of three episodes, Carol Lovejoy and David Ruis explore what it means to be a "People of the Way" following Jesus on the ancient path He invites us to journey in truth.

It's easy to minimize the necessity of church structure, or to simply think of it as a "necessary evil", but what if there's no healthy ecclesiology without church structure? When we minimize the administration of leadership as less valuable or spiritual than other gifts in the body of Christ, we cause harm to the Church. On this final episode of our first series we get into the pragmatics of how these episodes get on the ground in local church structure. Our goal is healthy leaders of healthy churches…we hope you expand the conversation!

For more resources and to learn more about Vineyard Canada, check out www.vineyard.ca

Everywhere you turn these days there are exposés of church leaders' sin. In this episode David and Joyce unpack the value and pragmatics of confession as a healthy discipleship practice for all Christians, but especially for leaders in the Church. What would it look like for us to grow in confession as a way to better shoulder our leadership responsibilities and see the Church flourish? If you've ever felt like confession is scary, weak, should be private, is meant only for really bad sin, or is a practice just for the Catholics...then this episode is for you!

For more resources, visit www.vineyard.ca

With so many examples of unhealthy uses of power in the Church today it's tempting to get discouraged and not wrestle with what healthy leadership is supposed to look like. In this episode David and Joyce unpack a lot of scripture as a deep dive into our theology of power. They explore how our practices of leadership must be rooted to the way of Jesus as we exercise the authority He has given us. We hope you join the conversation!

For more resources, visit www.vineyard.ca

A major weakness in the Church today is our lack of understanding and enacting discernment. Individualism clouds our understanding of calling and impedes healthy church leadership more than we might realise! David Ruis and Joyce Rees unpack scripture, some great stories, and explain from their vantage point why the future of healthy churches is absolutely dependent on leaders who have solid discernment practices and a biblical understanding of calling.

Find show notes here: https://www.vineyard.ca/index.php?action=resources;id=62