Podcasts about Emmaus

What if you're in the middle of a dust storm right now — and you don't even know it?When visibility drops to near zero, when you feel disoriented and alone, it's easy to miss what God is actually doing. In Luke 24, two disciples walk seven miles with the risen Jesus — and don't recognize him. Not because he's hidden. Because they're downcast.Drawing from the Road to Emmaus, guest speaker Chris Simning unpacks three questions that stop us in our tracks: Is something blinding you from seeing God at work? How can you be fully alive in your brokenness? And what truth do you need to acknowledge today?Through his own story of living with two disabilities, Chris shows what it looks like to find road signs of God's faithfulness — even when the storm hasn't passed.Jesus is ever so near. You may just need new eyes to see him.Scripture: Luke 24:13–31, John 5, Ephesians 3:16–19, 2 Timothy 3:16For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel. Stay Connected With Hillside Community Church.Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/c/HillsideCommunityChurchInstagram | https://www.instagram.com/hillsidechurches/Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/hillsidechurchesWebsite | https://hillsidechurches.com

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Chipnee Girls Camp in Port Burwell, Ontario.The disciples of Emmaus shared an intense run home after having seen and heard the Lord. When we are together, we cease to be fragile.

Fr. Matthias Shehad continues his Harmony of the Gospels Bible study by exploring the events at the tomb during Bright Saturday and Resurrection Sunday. He discusses the significance of Christ's descent into Hades as a liberator, not condemned like others, and explains the guards placed by the Pharisees to prevent the disciples from stealing Jesus' body. Fr. Matthias examines the accounts of the women visiting the empty tomb, their encounter with the angel—identified as Archangel Michael—and the initial disbelief of the disciples. He highlights the resurrection appearances, including Mary Magdalene's encounter with Jesus and the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, emphasizing how Jesus opened the scriptures to reveal the fulfillment of prophecy. The study reflects on faith's role in accepting the resurrection and warns against counterfeit beliefs, calling for alignment with Scripture over popular tradition. #Resurrection #EmptyTomb #HarmonyOfTheGospels #BibleStudy #HolyWeek #ChristIsRisen #StPaulHouston #Coptic #FrMatthias Subscribe to us on YouTube https://youtube.com/stpaulhouston Like us on Facebook https://facebook.com/saintpaulhouston Follow us on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/stpaulhouston Follow us on Instagram https://instagram.com/stpaulhouston Visit our website for schedules and to join the mailing list https://stpaulhouston.org

Ephesians 6:17 - The Sword of the Spirit Pastor Mike Dean

In this message we explore the concept of "The Hero's Journey," a storytelling framework identified by Joseph Campbell. It highlights how this pattern is embedded in human nature and is evident in various cultural stories, including religious texts like the Bible. Pastor BP, connects this framework to the story of two disciples on the road to Emmaus, illustrating how they move from despair to realization and hope through an encounter with Jesus. The message emphasizes the importance of understanding one's beliefs and doctrine, encouraging viewers to reflect on their personal journeys and embrace transformation and growth.

Two disciples talk on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus. It's the morning Jesus rose from the dead. News of an empty tomb is getting around, but it's no consolation. Jesus was not there. Little did they know, he would join them on the road—their closest companion presenting as a stranger. What would Jesus say to these beleaguered disciples? What would they say to this "stranger" about him? And what is the Holy Spirit saying to us through this touching account of disciples transformed—not by an encounter with Jesus in person, but in the Scriptures? It is there in the Word of God rightly interpreted in light of Christ that sad hearts turn sunny, that broken hearts burn with love for him.

Dr. Arthur Just of Concordia Theological Seminary-Ft. Wayne, IN Ever to Emmaus: A Theological Memoir Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service Concordia Commentary: Luke 1:1-9:50 Concordia Commentary: Luke 9:50-24:53The post A Life Lived on the Road to Emmaus, Part 3 – Dr. Arthur Just, 7/16/26 (1971) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

It is easy to overlook 1 and 2 Chronicles as little more than a repetition of Israel's history told better elsewhere. Scott Hahn reveals something drastically different. In this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn and Shane Owens uncover how Chronicles tells the story of God's kingdom through covenant, worship, and prayer. Together, they explore how these often-neglected books offer one of the clearest visions of salvation history and what they reveal about the Christian life today. Join Scott Hahn and Shane Owens as they reveal why 1 & 2 Chronicles are two of the Bible's most important books—and why their message is more relevant today than ever. To dive into deeper into the importance of 1 and 2 Chronicles and salvation history, you can pre-order Dr. Hahn's new book, Kingdom Come, below: ➡️ https://stpaulcenter.com/kingdomcome ✨ Get the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible for FREE ➡️ https://stpaulcenter.com/memberships ___ Other ways to grow with the St. Paul Center: ⛪️ If you're a Priest looking to attend one of our annual Priest Conferences: https://stpaulcenter.co/priestconferences

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:  Isaiah 22–24; Hebrews 12 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the July 15th episode of the Daily Radio Bible. On day 196 of our journey through scripture, Hunter guides listeners through powerful passages from Isaiah 22–24 and Hebrews 12. Today's readings invite us to consider the sobering messages of judgment, restoration, and hope found in the words of the prophets, as well as the call in Hebrews to persevere in faith, endure God's loving discipline, and be transformed by the consuming fire of His holy love. Join Hunter as he reflects on God's desire to restore and renew us from the inside out, offering prayers for strength, peace, and presence as we continue our walk together through the Bible. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Our God is a consuming fire. This is what Hunter reminds us after reading the scriptures—this fire is not a destructive, external judgment but a purifying, transforming presence within us. Through Jesus, our great champion, God reveals a love that will not let us go, a love that is relentless and restorative. The consuming fire of God's holiness is not something that destroys us, but something that cauterizes, forges, renews, restores, and makes us new from the inside out. Remember the story of the two men on the road to Emmaus. As the resurrected Christ walked alongside them, their hearts burned within them—not from fear, but from the revelation of God's love and truth. It was a fire that restored hope, not left them judged and hopeless. That is the fire Hunter invites us to feel—the fire of resurrection and restoration, the fire that awakens us to God's presence, correction, and discipline so that we might obey and follow Him more closely. God's love, as George MacDonald wrote, loves unto purity. All that is not of love's kind is purified away. This is the fire that burns in the hearts of God's people. This is the work God does—removing all that stands between Him and the beloved, so that nothing hinders the fullness of His presence in our lives. Let us open ourselves to this holy fire. Let us welcome the transforming presence of Christ within. May His relentless love burn away all that is not of Him, and make us into people marked by hope, restored by grace, and filled with the unshakable joy of His presence. That's the prayer Hunter makes for his own soul, for his family—his wife, daughters, and son—and that's the prayer he has for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

It is easy to overlook 1 and 2 Chronicles as little more than a repetition of Israel's history told better elsewhere. Scott Hahn reveals something drastically different. In this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn and Shane Owens uncover how Chronicles tells the story of God's kingdom through covenant, worship, and prayer. Together, they explore how these often-neglected books offer one of the clearest visions of salvation history and what they reveal about the Christian life today. Join Scott Hahn and Shane Owens as they reveal why 1 & 2 Chronicles are two of the Bible's most important books—and why their message is more relevant today than ever. To dive into deeper into the importance of 1 and 2 Chronicles and salvation history, you can pre-order Dr. Hahn's new book, Kingdom Come, below: ➡️ https://stpaulcenter.com/kingdomcome ✨ Get the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible for FREE ➡️ https://stpaulcenter.com/memberships ___ Other ways to grow with the St. Paul Center: ⛪️ If you're a Priest looking to attend one of our annual Priest Conferences: https://stpaulcenter.co/priestconferences

Can your Bible become just another book to study, or is it meant to be the place where you meet the living Christ? In the first episode of our new Life in the Word series, Greg and Nathan expand on CFC's Sunday sermon series also called Life in the Word by exploring the Bible's surprising picture of itself: not as a database of information, but as the meeting place between God and His people. From the Tabernacle in the wilderness to John declaring that Jesus "tabernacled" among us, from the road to Emmaus to the quiet practice of biblical meditation, they discuss how Scripture is designed to lead us into communion with a Person. Join Greg and Nathan as they consider the difference between knowing the Bible and truly encountering the God who speaks through it.

"The Maniac Made Whole" - Pastor Roland Hammett - 7/12/26 Hear more sermons at http://www.lvbaptist.org/service-podcast/ Watch Our TV Broadcast here: https://www.lvbaptist.org/wfmz-program/ Visit us here: Lehigh Valley Baptist Church 4702 Colebrook Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049

Ephesians 6:16 - The Shield of Faith Pastor Mike Dean

Drawing from the road to Emmaus, we see how the risen Jesus draws near in our doubt, opens the Scriptures, and reveals the good news of who he is and what he has done. As we encounter Christ in God's Word, may the Holy Spirit set our hearts on fire with love for Jesus and passion to make him known.Preacher:Sermon by Guy MasonBible Reading:Luke 24:13-35This episode is part of Burning Hearts, the 2026 City on a Hill Conference, where we gathered for three days to be transformed by God's Word and leave with hearts burning for Jesus and his mission.Find out more at cityonahill.com.au/conferenceSermon by Guy Mason

Drawing from the road to Emmaus, we see how the risen Jesus draws near in our doubt, opens the Scriptures, and reveals the good news of who he is and what he has done. As we encounter Christ in God's Word, may the Holy Spirit set our hearts on fire with love for Jesus and passion to make him known.Preacher:Sermon by Guy MasonBible Reading:Luke 24:13-35This episode is part of Burning Hearts, the 2026 City on a Hill Conference, where we gathered for three days to be transformed by God's Word and leave with hearts burning for Jesus and his mission.Find out more at cityonahill.com.au/conference

Drawing from the road to Emmaus, we see how the risen Jesus draws near in our doubt, opens the Scriptures, and reveals the good news of who he is and what he has done. As we encounter Christ in God's Word, may the Holy Spirit set our hearts on fire with love for Jesus and passion to make him known.Preacher:Sermon by Guy MasonBible Reading:Luke 24:13-35This episode is part of Burning Hearts, the 2026 City on a Hill Conference, where we gathered for three days to be transformed by God's Word and leave with hearts burning for Jesus and his mission.Find out more at cityonahill.com.au/conferenceMentioned in this episode:Podcast Intro

Drawing from the road to Emmaus, we see how the risen Jesus draws near in our doubt, opens the Scriptures, and reveals the good news of who he is and what he has done. As we encounter Christ in God's Word, may the Holy Spirit set our hearts on fire with love for Jesus and passion to make him known.Preacher:Sermon by Guy MasonBible Reading:Luke 24:13-35This episode is part of Burning Hearts, the 2026 City on a Hill Conference, where we gathered for three days to be transformed by God's Word and leave with hearts burning for Jesus and his mission.Find out more at cityonahill.com.au/conferencePreacher: Guy Mason

It's the OneLife Nashville Podcast's 5 year anniversary!We want to give away a copy of Tim and Tiffany's Discipling Toolkit, Participating in Christ!Be the first to leave a comment with your name and address at our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website podcast page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. (Only we will be able to see it.)When New Testament writers quote the Old Testament, are they taking passages out of context—or are they reading them exactly as the prophets intended?In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of Messianic Prophecies and the interpretive riddle that connects the Old and New Testaments. Throughout Israel's history, the prophets repeatedly confronted kings and called the nation back to covenant faithfulness. Yet they also looked beyond Israel's immediate crises to a future day when a righteous King would arise and accomplish what Israel's leaders had failed to do.As we trace this prophetic pattern, we discover that many prophecies experienced partial fulfillment in Israel's history. Certain elements came to pass through subsequent kings or historical events, while other portions remained outstanding. Over time, these unfulfilled elements accumulated into an increasingly detailed messianic profile—a prophetic portrait of the coming King who would finally bring God's purposes for Israel to completion.We discuss how the New Testament authors recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of many of these long-awaited promises. Yet the story does not end there. Even after Jesus' first coming, some prophetic expectations remained unresolved, causing those prophecies to be pushed forward once again—this time toward His return.Along the way, we examine Jesus' remarkable challenge to His disciples in Luke 24. On the road to Emmaus and later in the upper room, Jesus rebuked His followers for failing to believe everything the Scriptures had spoken concerning the Messiah. Not some things. Not their favorite things. Everything written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.That challenge remains just as relevant today. Like the first disciples, we can be tempted to embrace certain prophecies while neglecting others. In this episode, we invite listeners to reconsider the whole prophetic witness of Scripture and to take seriously all that God has promised concerning His Messiah—both what has already been fulfilled and what still awaits fulfillment.Key Passages: Luke 24:25-27; 44-47Leave us a question or comment at our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website podcast page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Episode 924: The Emmaus Road Encounter - In this episode, we join the disciples on the road to Emmaus as Jesus reveals how the Scriptures, from Moses to the Prophets, point to Him as the Messiah. Download or request your FREE Study Notes for this series at https://gregfritz.org/study-notes/. Greg Fritz is on a mission to get the truth of the Good News to as many people as possible. The truth is God has a plan and a meaning for your life. You are extravagantly and deeply loved by God, and you were created for a purpose.  Receive a free CD and our newsletter: https://www.gregfritz.org/free-cd/   Follow Greg on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gregfritzministries/  Follow Greg on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregfritzministries/ Watch more videos: https://www.gospeltruth.tv/   Learn more on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrR9Rsx4h_RqYigda2PysZQ  Email us: info@gregfritz.org  Partner with us:  https://gregfritz.org/partners/ Donate: https://gregfritz.org/donate/

Hear more sermons at http://www.lvbaptist.org/service-podcast/ Watch Our TV Broadcast here: https://www.lvbaptist.org/wfmz-program/ Visit us here: Lehigh Valley Baptist Church 4702 Colebrook Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049

Dr. Arthur Just of Concordia Theological Seminary-Ft. Wayne, IN Ever to Emmaus: A Theological Memoir Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service Concordia Commentary: Luke 1:1-9:50 Concordia Commentary: Luke 9:50-24:53The post A Life Lived on the Road to Emmaus, Part 2 – Dr. Arthur Just, 7/6/26 (1873) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Hear more sermons at http://www.lvbaptist.org/service-podcast/ Watch Our TV Broadcast here: https://www.lvbaptist.org/wfmz-program/ Visit us here: Lehigh Valley Baptist Church 4702 Colebrook Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049

Ephesians 6:15 - Peace Shoes Pastor Mike Dean

Hear more sermons at http://www.lvbaptist.org/service-podcast/ Watch Our TV Broadcast here: https://www.lvbaptist.org/wfmz-program/ Visit us here: Lehigh Valley Baptist Church 4702 Colebrook Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049

2 Timothy 1:5-7 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.    How do I fan the flame? How do I burn, and not burn out?     2 Timothy 1:8-14 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.  9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,  10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. 13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Acts 2:42 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.    Fan the flame by being devoted to the gospel of Jesus.   Remember the gospel. Refuse to be ashamed of the gospel.   Guard the gospel.  Preach the gospel.   Practice the gospel.  Matthew 7:24-27 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."     Luke 24:13-35 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" 19 "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus." 25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.  

Let's look at what is perhaps the most fun of Jesus' resurrection appearances, if we can even rank them that way. It's Jesus' appearance to his disciples on the road to Emmaus. Do you think Jesus enjoyed surprising them like that? They felt their hearts burning within them as the scriptures were opened and the bread was broken by their risen Savior. This message was preached by Pastor Erick Cobb on June 28, 2026.

Send us Fan MailEverybody has that verse or story, the one you go back to when life gets heavy, when you need hope, or when you're trying to figure out what God is saying. In this series, we're keeping it simple: each week we'll open up a few favorite Scriptures and talk about why they matter in real life. Not as random “inspo quotes,” but as words God actually uses to shape us, steady us, and lead us. You'll hear verses you've never noticed and ones you've loved for years, with a fresh perspective either way. Come ready to find a new favorite—and to let an old favorite hit your heart again.

From the Table to the RoadSeries: Luke 24: The Road to Emmaus Preacher: Cory BrockSunday MorningDate: 28th June 2026Passage: Luke 24:13-35

John 11:35 - Jesus Wept Nathan Wallace

Grab a copy here: stanthonystongue.com/margins In this episode, I walk through Issue III of The Margins, my Catholic zine on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.This issue is about the Heart against the machine: Christ's burning love against cold religion, mechanical faith, spiritual numbness, and bloodless Catholicism.We also talk about Emmaus, Christ's wounds, adoration, Scripture, saints, mystical heartache, and why the Sacred Heart is not just something to admire, but something we are called to imitate.Physical copies are available now:stanthonystongue.com/margins

For the 47th episode of Reading the Art World, host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Ruth Bernard Yeazell, Sterling Professor of English at Yale University, about "Vermeer's Afterlives," published by Princeton University Press.Vermeer's Afterlives traces how Vermeer, who died in 1675 and was largely forgotten within decades, was reconstructed by the critics, forgers, poets, and novelists who encountered his work over the following two centuries. Yeazell argues that the quiet, enigmatic Vermeer we revere was shaped as much by the process of recovery as by the paintings themselves: by the order in which his canvases were reattributed, by the near-absence of biographical record, and by the frameworks critics brought to an artist they were meeting for the first time.The conversation moves through those afterlives in full: Théophile Thoré, the French journalist who encountered Vermeer in The Hague in 1842 and assembled a catalogue—more than three-quarters of which no longer holds—but whose act of naming shaped what Vermeer would become; Han Van Meegeren, whose forged Supper at Emmaus was declared the greatest Vermeer ever painted because it supplied a scholarly gap critics had convinced themselves was waiting to be filled; and the writers who have tried to narrate the stories his paintings leave untold. The conversation closes on Proust, who Yeazell argues grasped what most literary respondents missed: Vermeer's paintings stage acts of looking, not storytelling.For anyone interested in Dutch Golden Age painting, the history of artistic reception, or how a body of work accumulates meaning across time and discipline, this episode is essential listening.ABOUT THE AUTHORRuth Bernard Yeazell is Sterling Professor of English and Director of Graduate Studies at Yale University. Her books include "Picture Titles: How and Why Western Paintings Acquired Their Names" and "Art of the Everyday: Dutch Painting and the Realist Novel," both published by Princeton University Press. Her writing has appeared in the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books.PURCHASE THE BOOKhttps://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691277820/vermeers-afterlivesSUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND HEAR INTERVIEWS:For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com, hear our past interviews, and subscribe at the bottom of our Of Interest page for new posts.Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkelly"Reading the Art World" is a podcast featuring live interviews with leading authors and writers on important new art books. Megan Fox Kelly is an art advisor and past President of the Association of Professional Art Advisors who works with collectors, estates and foundations.Music composed by Bob Golden

Hear more sermons at http://www.lvbaptist.org/service-podcast/ Watch Our TV Broadcast here: https://www.lvbaptist.org/wfmz-program/ Visit us here: Lehigh Valley Baptist Church 4702 Colebrook Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049

"Closeness To Jesus" - Pastor Roland Hammett - 6/21/26 Hear more sermons at http://www.lvbaptist.org/service-podcast/ Watch Our TV Broadcast here: https://www.lvbaptist.org/wfmz-program/ Visit us here: Lehigh Valley Baptist Church 4702 Colebrook Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049

Hear more sermons at http://www.lvbaptist.org/service-podcast/ Watch Our TV Broadcast here: https://www.lvbaptist.org/wfmz-program/ Visit us here: Lehigh Valley Baptist Church 4702 Colebrook Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049

Longing is often the first step of pilgrimage: the ache for something deeper, larger, and more alive than our present experience. Through Psalm 84 and the road to Emmaus, Christine reflects on how our personal longings are gathered into the larger story of God's healing, liberating, and reconciling work in the world. As our summer pilgrimage series begin, what sacred journey God is inviting us to notice in our own lives?Welcome to St. Peter's Chelsea!Sign up for our newsletter to connect with and find out more about weekly offerings! https://view.flodesk.com/emails/6776ab74d8316b405487c04fhttps://www.stpeterschelsea.orgFollow us online!https://www.facebook.com/StPetersChelseahttps://www.instagram.com/stpeterschelsea/linktr.ee/stpeterschelsea

The Stranger at the TableSeries: Luke 24: The Road to Emmaus Preacher: Cory BrockSunday MorningDate: 21st June 2026Passage: Luke 24:13-35

0:14 Opening the Remnant Question4:02 Oldest Religion, Big Question6:07 Revelation and the Remnant9:24 Remnant Through History14:30 Church as Faithful Remnant18:49 Commandments and Grace23:58 Doing the Father's Will26:47 Emmaus and the Scriptures34:53 Jesus at the Center38:20 Bible Interpreted by the Cross41:44 Faith Before Religion44:59 Grace Produces Good Works47:30 Living as Salt and Light50:03 Closing Prayer and InvitationSign up for my newsletter to receive fresh posts, encouragement, and Bible reflections straight to your inbox. There is a blog post that accompanies this episode at PrMarlon.comConnect with me.Check out our church at Cloverdale.orgThe intro music Fleet of Happy Fingers by Ryan Bell

This week, Ryan Patrick Murphy shares a message from Luke 24:13–35. Anchored in the story of two disciples walking the road to Emmaus, Ryan invites the Table Boston community into a deeper, more daily encounter with God through Scripture — making the case that the Bible is not a supplement to the Christian life but the very soil it grows in.Ryan walks through five practical keys to hearing God's voice in Scripture, drawn straight from the disciples' experience with the risen Jesus. The first is simply to read the Bible every day — not as a medicine we reach for in crisis, but as a vitamin for daily nourishment. The second is to read widely across the whole Bible, invoking A.W. Tozer's conviction that "nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian" and framing Scripture as a five-act redemptive story that we cannot faithfully live in unless we know all four acts that came before us. Ryan then calls the community to read not for information but for transformation — to slow down and sit with whatever phrase or passage stirs the heart, pray it, memorize it, carry it through the day. Fourth, Ryan draws from the Emmaus meal itself to show that Scripture is meant to be lived and discussed in community, not consumed in isolation. Finally, he challenges listeners to obey what they already know — that no prophetic word is needed to love the neighbor, forgive the enemy, or trust God with what we have.Ryan anchors the whole message in Karl Barth's concept of the "threefold Word of God" — the living Word (Jesus himself), the written Word (Scripture), and the preached Word (the teaching of the local church) — showing how all three are meant to work together. The written word, he argues, is not a secondary spiritual tool; it is a doorway into encounter with the living Word. Just as the disciples' hearts burned while Jesus opened the Scriptures to them — even before they recognized him — so the Bible remains the primary and irreplaceable way God speaks today.Ultimately, this sermon is an invitation to fall back in love with the Bible — not out of duty, but because we love the One who wrote it. Ryan closes by praying for renewed hunger, especially for those who have grown cynical or have been wounded by ways Scripture has been misused, asking God to tenderize hearts and release grace for people to open the Word again — in the mornings, on commutes, in community, and at the dinner table.

Pastor John Miller continues our series in the Gospel of Luke with an expository message through Luke 24:13-35 titled, “The Walk To Emmaus.”

What does it look like to have a wholehearted love for God in a world full of distractions? In this message from the Half-Hearted series, Pastor Caden Dulmage challenges us to develop a heart for the word by rediscovering the power, authority, and beauty of Scripture. Through Isaiah 66, 2 Timothy 3, and the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we are reminded that spiritual growth doesn't come from simply doing more for God—it comes from being transformed by His Word. This sermon explores what it means to tremble at Scripture, train ourselves in godliness, and find Jesus on every page of the Bible. If you've struggled with distraction, spiritual apathy, or a fading passion for God's Word, this message is an invitation to return to your first love and become a person of the Book.

Hear more sermons at http://www.lvbaptist.org/service-podcast/ Watch Our TV Broadcast here: https://www.lvbaptist.org/wfmz-program/ Visit us here: Lehigh Valley Baptist Church 4702 Colebrook Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049

Hear more sermons at http://www.lvbaptist.org/service-podcast/ Watch Our TV Broadcast here: https://www.lvbaptist.org/wfmz-program/ Visit us here: Lehigh Valley Baptist Church 4702 Colebrook Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049

Reading the Bible with JesusSeries: Luke 24: The Road to Emmaus Preacher: Cory BrockSunday MorningDate: 14th June 2026Passage: Luke 24:13-35

Motion Church | Easter: "Does the Offer Still Stand?" What happens when you show up with an expired coupon? You already know the answer — and so does God. This Easter at Motion Church, we're looking at the Easter story through a slightly different lens: redemption. What does it really mean to be redeemed? And is the offer of salvation — purchased at the highest price imaginable — still available to you today? The answer is a resounding yes. The Bible defines redemption as "the act of God buying back or rescuing humanity from slavery to sin and death through the costly sacrifice of Jesus Christ." Romans 3 makes it clear: every one of us has sinned and fallen short, leaving us with a debt we can never repay on our own. But God, unwilling to leave his prize creation in that condition, set a plan in motion — sending his own Son to satisfy that debt once and for all. Jesus didn't just come to show us what it means to be human. "Jesus, from the moment that he entered into humanity, had a purpose, and that purpose was to redeem humanity." The cross was the cost. The empty tomb is the guarantee. As the disciples discovered on the road to Emmaus, the resurrection isn't just a miracle — it's the proof that the offer holds. "The resurrection guarantees your redemption. The offer still stands." And here's the thing about this offer: it doesn't come with an expiration date. God doesn't go out of business. "He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end… the offer stands from generation to generation." The coupon never expires — but you and I do. "It's a tailor-made offer that's just for you that doesn't expire, but you do." So the question isn't whether the offer is still good. It is. The question is: what are you waiting for? "Redemption offers freedom. Redemption offers peace. Redemption offers belonging, purpose, healing for the hurting, and being made whole to those who are broken. Redemption offers eternal life." Don't let your coupon go unredeemed.

Send us Fan Mail"Our Mission Mandate as ChristiansI. Introduction: The Core Nature of ChristianityThe Thesis: Christianity is inherently and fundamentally a missionary religion designed to convert others to faith in Jesus Christ. The Defect of Passive Faith: Any form of Christianity that does not actively bear witness to Jesus is explicitly labeled as defective, as the Bible strictly mandates this lifestyle. II. The Historical and Physical Proof of the ResurrectionThe Core Event: The mandate is rooted in historical reality: Jesus was crucified, buried, and physically raised from the dead 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. Tangible Evidence over Isolation: * Jesus did not appear to just one person or in secret; he repeatedly manifested to groups of disciples (ranging from 8, 10, to 11 at a time). He proved his physical, bodily resurrection by speaking, allowing disciples to touch his wounds, and physically eating broiled fish. The 40-Day Instruction Period: Jesus spent 40 busy days on Earth post-resurrection, using his authority as King to instruct his followers on their vital mandate before ascending into heaven. III. The Fivefold New Testament Commission (Chronological Review)The speaker outlines how the critical mission to spread the message of Jesus is uniquely underscored by being recorded five distinct times in the New Testament: Commission 1: John's Account (The First Evening)Occurs on the evening of the resurrection behind locked doors. Jesus provides peace, shows his wounds, and sends them out with the model: "As the Father has sent me, even so I'm sending you.". He breathes on them to receive the Holy Spirit and speaks on the authority of handling forgiveness. Note on Thomas: Thomas misses this first meeting, doubts, but makes a grand confession of faith ("My Lord and my God") the following week. Commission 2: Luke's Account (The First Evening)Connected to the Road to Emmaus disciples returning to the 11 in Jerusalem. Jesus proves his physical nature by eating, then opens their minds to understand that his suffering and resurrection fulfilled the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. He commands that repentance and forgiveness of sins be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. Commission 3: Luke's Account in Acts (The Day of Ascension)Jesus corrects the disciples' focus from political timing (restoring the kingdom to Israel) to global witnessing. He promises the immediate power of the Holy Spirit to make them witnesses from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Commission 4: Matthew's Account (The Royal Commission)Takes place on a designated mountain in Galilee during the 40-day window. Jesus claims "all authority" in heaven and on earth. He issues the authoritative directive to go, make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Triune God, and teach obedience to his commands, backed by his perpetual presence. Commission 5: Paul's Account (The Ministry of Reconciliation)Focuses on the conversion and commission of Paul, a former chief persecutor of the church. Frames evangelism as being driven by the love of Christ because believers are entirely new creations. Defines the church's status as "ambassadors for Christ," entrusted with the message and appeal for the world to be reconciled to God. IV. Conclusion: The Universal Scope and Purpose of the MandateNot Restricted to the Apostles: The commission was explicitly not just for the original 12 disciples; it is binding for all believers across all time. A Shared, Joyful Responsibility: While some possess a distinct spiritual gift of evangelism, every Christian is expected to witness to Christ through both their spoken words and the actions of their lives. The Ultimate Goal: To share what God has done so that mankind can receive the forgiveness of sins, walk in eternal life, and be incorporated into the body of believers. Bible Insights with  Wayne ConradContact: 8441 Hunnicut Rd Dallas, Texas 75228email: Att. Bible Insights Wayne Conradgsccdallas@gmail.com (Good Shepherd Church) Donation   https://gsccdallas.orghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTZX6qasIrPmC1wQpben9ghttps://www.facebook.com/waconrad or gscchttps://www.sermonaudio.com/gsccSpirit, Truth and Grace MinistriesPhone # 214-324-9915 leave message with number for call backPsalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

In this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn is rejoined by Dr. Petroc Willey to discuss St. Clement of Alexandria's powerful interpretation of the story of Jesus and the rich young man. Dr. Willey is a Professor of Theology and Catechetics at Franciscan University and consultant to the Dicastery for Evangelization. In their conversation you'll learn about this story's message of hope, how Christ's commandment of love reveals both the depth of our sin and the depth of God's mercy, and the importance of seeking the deeper transformation the Gospel calls us to. Come and rediscover this ancient and eye-opening interpretation of the story of Jesus and the rich young man with Dr. Hahn and Dr. Willey! ✨ Get the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible for FREE ➡️ https://stpaulcenter.com/memberships ___ Other ways to grow with the St. Paul Center: ⛪️ If you're a Priest looking to attend one of our annual Priest Conferences: https://stpaulcenter.co/priestconferences

“Why are Esther’s chapters not sequential?” This question leads to a discussion about the structure of the Book of Esther, addressing why it begins with chapter 10 and revisits earlier events. Other topics include the meaning of Romans 5:7, the implications of modern technology as a new Tower of Babel, and advice for those new to reading scripture. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 04:47 – I'm reading the RSV of the Book of Esther. Why are the chapters not sequential? It starts with chapter 10 (or so) and then later goes back to chapter 1. 12:50 – What does Romans 5:7 mean? “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.” 20:26 – Could modern technology be a new Tower of Babel? 33:28 – What is the best scholarly work that refutes Bart Ehrman's view that the gospels are not reliable? 42:05 – I am grew up, but I have not actually read much scripture before. I would like to start. What is the best way to start? I get bored easily, and I don't want to start and then lose momentum. 50:20 – On the road to Emmaus, one of the disciples is named and the other is not. I've heard speculation that is because the other was his wife. What do you make of this speculation?

It is by no means deliberate that the last few sermons have not had the ‘classic' Spurgeon three point structure, but I hope that it at least undermines the weary assertion that this preacher ‘invariably' has three points. This sermon has an interesting balance, because it has two main divisions but is still divided into thirds. The sermon finds us on the Emmaus road, with two disciples who are thinking foolishly, “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Spurgeon is blunt and forceful in dealing with this matter. Speaking first to the true believer, he asserts, first, that unbelief is folly, and, second, that unbelief arises from slowness of heart. The preacher simply explores those two assertions arising from the text, analysing and anatomising our dull hearts. He closes that portion of the sermon with an encouragement—that slowness of heart is not the same as hardness of heart, and that those who weary of their doubts should abandon them for the faith that not only saves but also secures. Then, with that element of the sermon concluded, Spurgeon asks his believing congregation to pray as he speaks directly to the unconverted. The last third of the sermon is a sustained plea to those who do not yet believe, seeking to expose and to correct the folly and dullness that grips such hearts, concluding with warnings and pleadings. The sermon is striking in its directness and in the arrangement which serves as a vehicle for that direct address, looking first the doubting believer and then the unbeliever in the eye with affection and concern, and speaking to the soul. Read the sermon here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/folly-of-unbelief Check out the new From the Heart of Spurgeon Book! British: https://amzn.to/48rV1OR American: https://amzn.to/48oHjft Connect with the Reading Spurgeon Community on Twitter! https://twitter.com/ReadingSpurgeon Sign up to get the weekly readings emailed to you: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon. Check out other Media Gratiae podcasts at www.mediagratiae.org Download the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Ted Coniaris, lead pastor of Community Christian Church in the greater Chicagoland area. After an intentional and extended succession process with founding pastor Dave Ferguson, Ted has stepped into the lead role during a pivotal season for the church. In this conversation, he shares what it looks like to lead through transition, clarify vision, and build a disciple-making ecosystem for the future. A transition built on trust and clarity. // Ted describes a multi-year succession process that included months of private conversations, an 18-month apprenticeship, and a highly visible transition with full support from church leadership. One of the most unique elements was launching a new vision before the transition was complete. While unconventional, this approach created immediate alignment and buy-in across the church. Because the process was prayerful, transparent, and unified, the congregation experienced less anxiety than expected, resulting in what Ted describes as a surprising sense of peace and readiness for what's next. Renovating, not rebuilding. // Ted uses the language of “renovation” to describe the church's next chapter. Community Christian Church has a rich 37-year history of helping people find their way back to God, especially those far from faith. Rather than starting from scratch, Ted is focused on building on that foundation while addressing a critical gap: what happens after people come to faith? This has led to a renewed focus on creating a clear and intentional disciple-making ecosystem. A bold, layered vision for the future. // Ted outlines a four-part vision that builds sequentially: every heart on fire, every person a pastor, every child and student equipped, and every neighborhood a thriving church. This framework begins with spiritual passion—not just participation—emphasizing that people today are searching for something deeper than casual faith. From there, the vision moves toward activating every believer in ministry, taking seriously the priesthood of all believers. The end result is a multiplying movement of disciples impacting communities at scale. Rethinking discipleship through Growth Track. // To support this vision, the church is developing a clear pathway called Growth Track, built around three movements: Alpha, Disciple, and Pastor. The goal is not just information or assimilation, but transformation and activation. Ted emphasizes helping every person identify their calling, answering the question, “Who am I called to reach?” This reframes discipleship from passive participation to active mission. Ancient practices for modern renewal. // One of the more surprising shifts has been a return to ancient spiritual disciplines. Through rhythms like “Ignite Week”—a church-wide season of prayer, fasting, and reflection—Ted is seeing increased spiritual intensity across all age groups. These rhythms create deeper roots than one-time events, shaping both individual lives and the overall culture of the church. A multiplying model through microchurches. // In addition to strengthening internal discipleship, Community Christian is expanding outward through a rapidly growing microchurch movement. With hundreds of microchurches already launched globally, the model focuses on simple, scalable principles: low control, high support, and strong coaching relationships. Rather than centralizing growth in large gatherings, this approach empowers everyday people to lead and reach others in their own contexts—creating the potential for exponential impact. The leader's soul is the strategy. // Ted closes with a powerful reminder: the most important strategy a leader has is their own spiritual health. Passion for God, integrity, and relational support are foundational. Ministry is difficult, but leaders who tend their own spiritual lives and refuse isolation will be better equipped to lead others effectively. To learn more about Community Christian Church, visit communitychristian.org. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Portable Church Your church is doing really well right now, and your leadership team is looking for solutions to keep momentum going! It could be time to start a new location. Maybe you have hesitated in the past few years, but you know it's time to step out in faith again and launch that next location. Portable Church has assembled a bundle of resources to help you leverage your growing momentum into a new location by sending a part of your congregation back to their neighborhood on Mission. This bundle of resources will give you a step-by-step plan to launch that new or next location, and a 5 minute readiness tool that will help you know your church is ready to do it! Click here to watch the free webinar “Launch a New Location in 150 Days or Less” and grab the bundle of resources for your church! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Super excited to have you listening in today. GI gotta be totally honest. I asked this person to come on today to have a bit of an update conversation from a conversation we had out just over a year ago. I’m really excited for this because it’s kind of fun to follow along with this story. And this is an area that really is, applies to all of our churches and I want all of us to lean in. And so pay attention, whether you’re cutting your grass or whatever you’re doing for the next 30 minutes, it’s going to be a great conversation.Rich Birch — We’ve got Ted Coniaris with us. He is the lead pastor at a fantastic church, a multi-site church in the greater Chicagoland area called Community Christian. They have, if I’m counting correctly, seven physical locations, as well as micro churches that meet in homes throughout the week and online space, plus community freedom locations, which meet in correctional facilities across the region as well. Ted, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Ted Coniaris — Thanks, Rich. Really glad to be here. Great to see you again. We get to cross paths a few times a year, so it’s always great to connect. Appreciate the time.Rich Birch — I appreciate you you taking time to come on and and connect. Friends that are listening in, just kind of bringing you up to speed. We’ll link to the previous episode if you want to go back and and check that. But the last time we talked, you were apprenticing as the lead pastor at Community Christian under Dave Ferguson. And I think that was a year ago. And you you know there’s all the steps. I think you were step three, step four, somewhere in there. Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — And there was this handoff on the horizon. And now we’re on the other side of that. And so that’s part of why I wanted to get you on. Here we are a year later. Let’s talk about those things. You’re still there. So that’s a good thing.Ted Coniaris — I mean, as far as you know, this could be a fake backdrop. Who knows?Rich Birch — Yeah, true this is the… Yeah, so you know what? You were…Ted Coniaris — No, it is true.Rich Birch — It takes a lot of time. Talk to us through, you know, what’s happened since then. Talk us about that transition. Kind of bring us up to speed.Ted Coniaris — Absolutely. So as you said, we went through an 18 month apprenticeship, but before that we had about six, eight, probably eight months of conversations just Dave and I, before we went above ground with elders and everything else, maybe even a little longer than that. So it was quite a long process walking through our apprenticeship process as a church and really wanting to do that at the highest level, just like we do at every level of leadership as a church. Ted Coniaris — So that was an amazing process. Dave is an incredible leader and even better man and somebody that it was a great privilege to spend more and more time with him. He and Sue—his wife—Melissa and I spending time with them, and then John and and Lisa, his brother and his wife. We spent a lot of time together, so it was great. And then since then, May, they’re still around. They’re still a part of our church. Dave is now the CEO of Exponential, spending full time doing that.Ted Coniaris — And John is leading something called the Chicago Collective, which is a network of churches, networks of churches throughout Chicagoland, working to plant more churches, which we desperately need in Chicago area. So if you’re listening, you’re like, man, I’m thinking about planning a church in Chicago. Please reach out to me. I would love to help you do that. We desperately need more more churches here.Ted Coniaris — So since then, it’s been great. Honestly, there’s been so much change, so many things going on, but it’s truly, truly been really, really good. I think I’m tired in the right ways. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — I’m probably also tired in some of the wrong ways too… Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — …but it’s been a great it’s been a great transition.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. You know, when we you were on last time, you were talking about really stewarding the mission of the future, while also chasing new vision, which is, is at that phase kind of easy to say, you’re like, okay, we’re looking forward to the future. Now you’re in the seat. And it’s like, you got to keep doing that. Now that you’re sitting there.,you know, what’s become clearer for you as you’ve thought about the next chapter and, and, you know, as you think about the future, what are, cause there may be some questions you’re wrestling with as you’re thinking, you know, up over to the horizon. Yeah. What are the things that are, are, are bubbling in your brain on that front?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, great question. I mean, so much has become more clear. But one of the great gifts that I felt like the Lord gave us as a church in this transition on the very front end was a real clarity and unity around our new vision as a church. It’s not so typical to launch a new vision for the church before the transition has even occurred. And I wouldn’t recommend that in other situations, but it just, the way that it went with us, this just felt like what the Lord was leading us to do.Ted Coniaris — So we actually actually launched the new vision for the church while Dave was still the lead pastor. And he stood right there beside me and in full support with our elders and everyone else. And so it was actually unique in that way. But that’s just really been confirmed. Honestly, that’s been one of the biggest things that I am grateful for through this process is just the Lord’s gift of clarity on the front end and just giving me ah real clear direction to run. Ted Coniaris — And I would say too, that there’s a big difference between a transition that’s been prayed over for years. Rich Birch — That’s good. Right, right.Ted Coniaris — It just lands differently than a transition.That’s just like been negotiated in some back room somewhere. You know, it’s like this…Rich Birch — Right. Right. Right. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — This has been prayed through and put above ground and has been a really healthy, visible process that I think resulted in the church just being wide open, saying, yeah, this feels right. This feels good. And we’re in. And so almost it’s like a a sense of exhale that I’ve been experiencing, which has surprised me…Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good.Ted Coniaris — …in the church.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — I thought there would be more anxiety in the transition. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — But there’s really been like a quiet permission-giving that’s happened.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good.Ted Coniaris — Almost like, you know, just the family knew the transition was healthy so they could just sort of relax into it and say, okay, what’s next?Rich Birch — Right. Right.Ted Coniaris — And in hindsight, what felt a little crazy of launching the vision now feels like if we hadn’t have done that, we would have missed a real amazing opportunity because people were really bought in right from the get-go, which has been great.Rich Birch — Well, and what, yeah, that’s great. And in hindsight, being able to look back at that moment and saying like, no, like, yeah, maybe not the kind of thing that you write in a book and say, that’s the way to do it. But it’s like, we did that. And there’s in hindsight, man, amazing to have kind of both of your endorsements on the future direction. And like, Hey, we’re excited to be going in this direction. There was a mutual support there that ended up accelerating pointing things to the future. That’s incredible. That’s great.Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And so now it’s really…Go ahead. Sorry.Rich Birch — No, you go ahead. You go. Go ahead.Ted Coniaris — Okay. Yeah. Now it’s in the season where it’s how do we take that vision, that sort of north star for the future and building on their 37-year history as a church that’s been so rich and good in and move in this new direction, but also be aligned with our past.Ted Coniaris — You know, it’s not about tradition, but it is about, you know, God has been doing a unique and wonderful thing here that we want to continue in, but also kind of build on what’s next. So I felt like as a church, one of our great strengths as community, and this is really a reflection of Dave and John, is we’re a community where everyone is welcome. Like that that’s without a doubt. Anybody and everybody can walk through these doors and probably tens of thousands of people have over these last 37 years, and found their way back to God. It’s incredible. Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s amazing.Ted Coniaris — I mean, when it comes to that zero to one, those people finding the Lord from a really hard spot, man, God has just used this church in such miraculous and amazing ways for so long. And we want to keep that. Like we love that about this place and just think it’s an amazing amazing strength of this community. But now we want to answer sort of the next question, which is now what? So everyone’s welcome.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — Now what? Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And so we want to build on that path towards what’s in the future. And the way we’re talking about it here is sort of renovating our disciple-making ecosystem, which is a big mouthful. But you know it’s renovating, and it’s a certainly a lot of you know jargon, but bear with me for a second.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — You know, we’re renovating because we’re not starting from scratch.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — We’ve got a great house, a great church.Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — Things are great. It’s time for a renovation. And what we’re renovating is a very clear, focused outcome, which is disciple-making. And I think that’s an area where we have not been as strong over the years. It’s like that first part of the journey. And we have a lot of evangelists here and we’re passionate. We want to keep that. But we also want to answer that that: now what? That disciple-making ecosystem. And it’s an ecosystem because not any one thing, this program doesn’t make you a disciple-making church. Rich Birch — Right, right. Ted Coniaris — Or just a good teacher doesn’t make you a disciple-making church. It’s all of these things kind of together create an environment and a path for that to happen. And so we’re just renovating all of those things with the vision, teaching, creating new rhythms as a church, and also creating a, for the first time for us at least, a clear disciple making process, which we’re we’re calling it Growth Track.Ted Coniaris — And a lot of churches use that term. But just trying to say, okay, our vision is to see every person step into their God-given calling to be a pastor. If every person is a pastor, it’s like, what if we actually took the priesthood of believers seriously? Right? And how would that change our disciple-making process if that was the end result? Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Right? I think a lot of times we can slip into being really like our disciple-making becomes more about assimilation. Or more about collecting a certain level of information or knowledge or even practice.Rich Birch — Yep. Yep.Ted Coniaris — But we’re trying to have a different output. We want to see people finding their way back to God, which has always been the core of our mission, and then released as pastors in the world and equipped to do that. Ted Coniaris — And so what’s our process for taking someone from a seeker to a pastor. We really didn’t have that. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — And so we’re in the process right now of just building all of that out, aligning all of our teams and creating just a clear answer to that, that “now what” question.Rich Birch — Yeah, love that. And, you know, that makes sense for a church of of this age. You know, people have changed, you know, what we used to call seekers or the people that were arriving, they’re different. It’s like the most obvious thing to say, but people are different today than they were 37 years ago when this ball got rolling. Rich Birch — And and what what are some of those early changes that you’ve made to renovate? What are some of those things that that do look a little bit different or are are, you know, kind of pointing in a new direction? Where where what are you learning on that that front?Ted Coniaris — Well, obviously the first one is the new vision, and I’ll just share that really, really quickly.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — But it’s, and they all build on each other. That’s really the the key for us. And while this is unique to Community Christian Church, it’s not a vision that’s unique to Community Christian Church. Like, I think this is really like a biblical thing, but it starts with every heart on fire.Ted Coniaris — And it talks about, when you ask the question about what’s different, I think one of the things that’s really different, people aren’t looking just for a place to blend in the background and be like, oh, this is cool.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — You’re cool Jesus followers. I’m cool. We can be cool together. This is cool. That is, that is… Rich Birch — That’s amazing. I love it. Ted Coniaris — That is not what the next generation is looking for. Rich Birch — No.Ted Coniaris — They are looking for fire.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — They are looking for passion. And rightfully so. Rightfully so. Thank God for that. Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And so we want to lean into it. We don’t want to be a place where everybody’s buddies with Jesus. We want to create a place where people are consumed by him. Rich Birch — That’s good. Ted Coniaris — Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus talked about, you know, we’re not our hearts beating or burning within us when they talk with Jesus along the road. That’s that’s the kind of community we want to be, a consumed community. And that’s the starting place for everything else. Everything else. And that’s not just emotionalism. It’s a passion for. It’s it’s a a focus on. Ted Coniaris — The second part, which builds on that, it’s not even worth going to the second part if you don’t do the first thing. The second part is every person a pastor, right? Because if you start with every person a pastor, but the heart’s not on fire, there’s not a passion and a consuming focus, you know, what kind of pastors are you raising, right?Rich Birch — Right, right.Ted Coniaris — It’s not the kind that the world needs. And so it’s every heart fire, then every person a pastor just really taking seriously the priesthood of all believers. I’m not the pastor, you know. You all are the pastors. I function as a pastor in this context, but you function as a pastor in whatever context God has placed you.Ted Coniaris — And if we could do those two things, if we can have every heart and fire and every person released into their God-given calling as a pastor, then maybe we could accomplish the third thing, which is every child and student equipped. Rich Birch — Wow. Yep.Ted Coniaris — Because that’s going to take all hands on deck. What our kids, what my kids, I have 16, 14, and 10-year-old, all boys. So please pray for us. But what what my boys are facing today, it’s like the challenges I faced have been weaponized and placed in the hands of every single kid. And yet our student and youth ministry, our kids and and student ministry, looks almost identical to what it did look like 37 years ago. Why is that? I mean, there’s different strategies, practice in those sort things.Rich Birch — That doesn’t make sense. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — But if you look at like the form even of itself, we’re like, it kind of looks the same. It looks sort of like the youth group I went to as a kid. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — And I think we need to be doing a lot more and investing more in the next generation in in relational deep ways. But it can’t happen without every heart and fire and every person being a pastor. And if we can do that, every heart of fire, every person pastor, every child and student equipped, then we can accomplish the Great Commission, right? Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And that’s really the last part of the vision, which is every neighborhood a thriving church. Because the way you change the world is by having you know a community of Christ followers, place where Jesus is King, we’re on mission together within arm’s reach of every person on the planet.Ted Coniaris — You know that’s, that’s the plan. And so that’s what we’re targeting and going after. So that’s different. And so for us to do those things, there’s things we’re trying to change and layer in behind that. Really renovating our teaching ministry. We’re kind of going old school. We’re going back through like long series, books of the Bible, just walking through scripture, teaching people the Bible, just like the disciples on that road to Emmaus. You know, that was when Jesus opened the scriptures to them. It’s lit this fire inside of them.Ted Coniaris — I think that’s even more necessary. 37 years ago, basically a Christian culture-ish. Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — Today, not so much. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — So nobody’s walking through the doors with like this biblical knowledge. They’re walking through the doors with nothing.Rich Birch — That’s so true, yeah.Ted Coniaris — And so, you know, we need to do that. So we’re doing that, creating rhythms in our calendar years. A lot more I could say about that. Spiritual disciplines communally, not just as individuals, feels maybe like a little spin on liturgical calendars of old. Rich Birch — Yep. Ted Coniaris — We’re embracing some of that in a new way for us.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And then this this Growth Track is a big part of that. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — And then there’s there’s more beyond that, but that’s just a few of the things.Rich Birch — Dude, I love it. I love I love the how those four layer on. I love the focus. I think it totally just feels right on with where you know culture’s at. Could you unpack a little bit of what you’re doing with Growth Track? What does that look like, that particular tactic in the… You know I think the idea of every person a pastor is a very compelling, that’s like a lean-in, “what did you just say?” kind of thing. Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — And then but what are you, you know, help us, help us understand, you know, a little bit of that, what you’re doing with Growth Track to kind of point towards that.Ted Coniaris — You mean like the mechanics of it or like just the overall strategy?Rich Birch — Yeah. How’s it work? What are you teaching there? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What, yeah, what’s, what is it?Ted Coniaris — Well, it’s all…Rich Birch — How’s it work?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, we’re getting ready to to launch it all this fall. Rich Birch — Great. Ted Coniaris — And yeah, we’re really excited about it. But essentially, it’s it’s three steps. “One. Life. Go.” is kind of how we talk about the Growth Track. And the first step is tried and true. It’s Alpha. Rich Birch — Yep. Ted Coniaris — I think Alpha is probably the single greatest tool available… Rich Birch — Sure. Sure. Ted Coniaris — …to help you know my friends and neighbors and family find their way back to God. I I love Alpha. I’m running an Alpha right now at an office with a buddy and his partners, all the partners of his business.Rich Birch — Yep. Ted Coniaris — We’re doing Alpha together over lunch. It’s amazing.Rich Birch — Love it.Ted Coniaris — So Alpha is step one.Ted Coniaris — Step two, we call disciple because disciple is both a noun and a verb. It’s who you are and it’s what you do. And so it’s, you know, we’ve used Rooted in the past as a church and Rooted is fantastic. We love Rooted. It’s been helpful to for us. But we felt like there were ways in which we wanted to adjust that to our context a little bit more… Rich Birch — Sure. Ted Coniaris — …and also have an opportunity for people to make a commitment to the church. We don’t do membership, but we do ask people to commit to belonging here. And honestly, I think that’s a big missing step in the overall discipleship of a lot of like churches like ours. Because if you don’t have a commitment, and there’s just kind of growth that happens in your life that only can happen in a committed relationship. And it’s not about you committing to me. It’s really about us committing to each other. And when we do that, it opens the door to a different layer and level of transformation in your own life.Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that.Ted Coniaris — And committing to that unity on the front end is is really important. And so we want to do that. We also do several other things a part of that, but that’s kind of a general idea. Ted Coniaris — And then the third step is pastor. That’s the goal. That’s where we’re going.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — It’s also a noun and a verb, right? Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. Cool.Ted Coniaris — It’s who you are and it’s what you do. Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And this is designed to do that. So we took some learnings actually from Brian Sanders, and he has something called the Calling Lab. He does the Tampa Underground down in Florida.Ted Coniaris — He’s done some great work on that.Ted Coniaris — And it’s essentially a similar process of triangulating your true sense of calling. We want everybody in our church to be able to say, I exist to help blank find their way back to God. Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Like, who are you called to reach?Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Because what’s a starting ground for someone to be a pastor? You know, like, is it education? Is it more this, more that? Well, I think the journey of learning and growing and honing your gifting, it has to start with the calling. And I think there are so many people who just, they don’t know how to finish that sentence. Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — Even if it is your kids or your neighbors or your coworkers, have you really done the work? Have you invested to say, no, these are the people, like names and faces that I’m called to reach. And then I’m released into that context as a pastor. So when I show up to work, I want to show up. I’m the pastor of BMO Harris Bank today because that’s where I work and I’m a teller there.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — you know I’m the pastor of You know, my neighborhood and in Downers Grove, in my part, my north, you know, little west quadrant there. That’s what I want to show up. That’s what I want our whole church showing up as. Thousands and thousands of pastors released into every arena of life. And so a lot of churches have Growth Track, or something like it. We’re really trying to say, okay, what’s what is the unique thing that that we’re feeling Lord’s calling us to produce here? And that’s it. And so we’ve designed these steps to work together to produce that that thing in us.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s very cool.Ted Coniaris —Hope that’s helpful.Rich Birch — I love that. Oh, it’s super helpful. I love I love what you’re doing there. And that’s thanks for taking the time to unpack that. Rich Birch — Pivoting in a slightly different direction, we were together at Exponential at Dave’s event. And well, it’s not Dave’s event. I understand that. At the Exponential conference. And we were at a breakfast together. And you mentioned about some just kind of in passing some stuff that was going on at the church that was and part of it was some of this around spiritual vitality, you’re seeing that increase.Rich Birch — I’m assuming that some of these, you know, pieces of these puzzles coming together. But then you also talked about the kind of growth of your microchurch, you know, planting movement that’s connected to Community. Could you unpack that a little bit more? Tell us a little bit about, you know, that that, how does that fit into the whole story that God’s writing here?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, I think the spiritual vitality, I’ll start there. The way we talk about it a lot is it just feels like everywhere you go, the spiritual temperature is just increasing. In kids, in students, in adults, our small groups, in our services, it’s just across the board. There’s just like an increased heat or passion around our faith.Ted Coniaris — I think a part of that is is truthfully in a season of transition, there’s always an opportunity to be open to something new. And we’ve been trying to really place our focus on, well, what’s the new thing? Like, how what is the condition of your heart? Are you on fire, truly on fire? I think putting that question, that vision in front of us as a church has been refining – that in and of itself. Ted Coniaris — But we’ve also just seen, I mean, there’s so much I could speak to on this, but one of the things I’m just really excited about is what’s happening with our students right now. We talk a lot about students being the leaders of tomorrow’s church, but I’ll tell you here, they’re the leader of today’s church. Rich Birch — So true. Ted Coniaris — I mean, they are setting a tone with passion and a desire.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s very true.Ted Coniaris — Like we do our services. I’m at the Yellow Box location, right? It’s our Naperville church here. And teaching here on Sunday. And there’ll be a group of students that will just come and sit on the ground in front of the stage… Rich Birch — Right. Right. Ted Coniaris — …have their Bibles open with their notebook, taking notes. And then during worship, it’s like they’re in the pit of a concert. You know, they’re at the stage, hands up.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, it’s true.Ted Coniaris — And you’ve got a room full of thousands of adults watching this and they’re leading us. Nobody asked them to do it. Nobody told them to do that.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — So I think some of it, I point to that. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Others other parts of it is we’ve really kind of pushed our chips into the middle on some of the ancient stuff instead of new trendy stuff… Rich Birch — Yeah. Ted Coniaris — …specifically prayer and fasting.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s cool. Tell me more about that. I’d love to hear about that.Ted Coniaris — So yeah, earlier I talked about, you know, we’re embracing the calendar rhythms as a church.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — I really believe that, you know, rhythms are so much more powerful than events because, you know, an event is just a drop in the ocean. But if you can build some rhythms, you could actually build some roots. Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — And, you know, our most valuable resources, our people, and our most valuable real estate is our calendar. And so we’ve said, you know, three times a year as sort of the calendar turns and that’s sort of the rhythm of our community. There’s sort of three seasons, there’s winter, there’s fall and there’s spring/summer. So to launch those seasons, we do what we now call an Ignite Week where we ask the whole church to commit to a full week of prayer and fasting. Rich Birch — Wow. Very cool.Ted Coniaris — And then we have intentional programming in that week to do like a full spiritual reset to say, okay, God, what are you saying to me right now? For the individual, we have like prayer and fasting guides to help guide people through that experience. For the groups, we do these discipleship conversations where we want everybody in each group to say, okay, what is God saying to me right now? And what am I doing to say yes to him?Ted Coniaris — And then for our locations, we take a break from all of our regular series stuff and we do Hearts on Fire Sunday. And we just say, okay, God, what are you doing here? What are you doing today? What are you doing right now? And it feels very different than our regular Sundays. Ted Coniaris — And then for the church as a whole, all of our locations together, we do what we call our Ignite Gathering on Saturday morning. It’s actually coming up this Saturday. And we just gather the whole church together. And what’s happened in these Ignite Gatherings is really exciting. It feels like a a catalyst for the rest of the church. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — It’s like the church we’re going to be a year from now, we get to see in that room on Saturday morning. Rich Birch — That’s very cool.Ted Coniaris — And ah after a week of prayer and fasting, gathering the church together to worship, to break the fast together in communion, it’s it’s powerful. Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — I mean, it is powerful. The environment of that space is so different There’s such a hunger for the Lord and honestly, a true actual physical hunger after all that fasting.Rich Birch — Yes. Yes.Ted Coniaris — But it’s it’s it’s really changing the whole, as I said earlier, this ecosystem of our church. so those are some of the real important you know pieces of that ecosystem. Rich Birch — Oh, I love that. Yeah, I love that. And and um it isn’t isn’t it interesting? So we’re seeing lots of that kind of things or echoes of that across the country where, you know, there’s a there’s been a shift that, you know, we’ll probably understand better five years from now. We’ll look back and we’ll put all the pieces together and understand what God’s doing. But it does appear like, you know, the Spirit’s on the move. They say, what is that? Aslan’s on the move, right? Something is shifting in people. And you know, we’re trying to keep pick keep pick up keep up with it and do what we can to continue to steward what’s here.Rich Birch — And my experience with, you know, our our churches would have similar backgrounds, similar history. You know, we’re a heart for people who don’t, and your church has a heart for people who who don’t follow Jesus. You know, we’re trying to create a space for those folks. But though my experience has been those people are different today than they were 20 years ago. That people are coming much more, it’s like they’re farther along in the process. They’re they’re much more engaged than than um than they have been in the past. And so they’re willing to jump into the deep end of the pool on some of this stuff, maybe even more quickly than our long-term people… Ted Coniaris — Yeah, I think that’s true. Rich Birch — …because of whatever God’s doing in in their life. That’s that’s, yeah, that’s really interesting. That’s a cool thing to, you know, to be a part of, to hear you know a part of that. What about on the microchurch side? What’s happening there?Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — What is that? Yeah, what’s that? What’s happening with that?Ted Coniaris — So during COVID, we just sort of began dipping our toe in the water of starting microchurches under this belief that the macrochurch movement, even megachurch, doesn’t need to be at odds or in conflict with the house church and microchurch movement. Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — Like, is there way for us to just see that as one thing instead of competing things, reaching all different kinds of people? And so we’ve just kind of dipped our toe in that. And here we are a few years later. Took us few years kind of figure out what we wanted to do. Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — We’ve been doing it for about three years now. We have you know somewhere around, i was just texted the guy for the today number because it’s growing so fast, somewhere around 350 microchurches all around the world.Rich Birch — Wow.Ted Coniaris — And it’s it’s a simple, simple, simple strategy where you’re just basically saying anybody in the world, anybody on planet Earth, feeling called the planet Earth or maybe you already have and you don’t know what to do with it. Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And what’s interesting is that there are, I don’t know how many people, but there are a lot of people on this Earth. And a lot of people are asking that exact question and they just need someone who’s going to say, we can help you. We can help you.Rich Birch — Interesting.Ted Coniaris — We want to help you do that. We want to coach you, train you, and then set you up with a cohort of others doing the same thing to help you do it in a sustainable fashion. It’s it’s very low investment. It’s very low control, but it’s super high results.Rich Birch — Yeah. Huh.Ted Coniaris — And so it’s it’s sort of a little mind shift because a lot of times we want to have everything controlled. We want to have everybody’s theology statement. We want to have all this stuff. We want to know it’s going to be successful. We want to da-da-da-da-da. It’s like we’re not doing any of that. We obviously do teach some theology, but what we do is just keep like, what are what are these sort of ecclesiological minimums?Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And how can we just center on those things… Rich Birch — Yeah. Ted Coniaris — …and launch as many people as possible and see what the Lord does? And he’s been doing some remarkable things. And I think you know our world has a giant need. We need to see millions of people find their way back to God. And a lot of us have strategies where the wild success is if we had thousands of people come and find their way back to God over decades.Ted Coniaris — This this is a strategy that could reach millions. Like I think we legitimately can see a network of these and people down the chain will have no idea kind of where it came from and they don’t need to. But I legitimately think in 10 years time, we could easily reach a million people and have a a church of a million people, but not in the traditional sense.Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — But through this.Rich Birch — Yeah. Well, I love that because, man that’s a great vision to cast. Because you can’t build enough or a big enough yellow box for all of even Chicagoland, right?Rich Birch — Like that’s just not going to, you know, you can’t.Ted Coniaris — Oh, yeah. No.Rich Birch — And and that is a, you know, it’s a just a resource intensive, you know, that’s been my life’s work. I've spent a lot of time on that. it’s not I’m not downing that, friends. Save your cards and letters. I still think that’s a piece of the puzzle. Ted Coniaris — I agree.Rich Birch — But how do we, is there a way for us to, work together to find solutions? How what how does the, I appreciate the, know, we’re not trying to be high control. We’re trying to, you know, we’re not you know we’re trying to really foster something that’s already in happening. We’re going to we’re going to get behind it, do what we can to support it. And we’re not going to try to over control. But I’m going to ask the control question. How do you, what is the kind of level of interaction that you’re, you’re finding is kind of the appropriate, it’s the, you know, not too little, not too much. Where have you found that’s like, hey, this, this is the kind of good sweet spot that that we have found so far with these, you know, 350, you know, microchurches.Ted Coniaris — Are you asking like, what’s the relational rhythm or…Rich Birch — Yeah. What is, yeah. What is the connection? What’s the relational rhythm between, or even connection between community and those 350? Like, are they, how are they, how do they relate to you and your team, your people, your volunteers, and then vice versa? What does that, you know, how does that, what’s that look like? What’s the connection there?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, it’s it’s purely coaching, training and ongoing support.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — And we also make it clear there’s no financial arrangement – them to us or us to them.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — And what we find is that just keeps the relationship very clean.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, that’s good.Ted Coniaris — We’re here to coach, support, train, launch, walk alongside.Ted Coniaris — It’s a relational currency. Rich Birch — Yeah. Ted Coniaris — And it’s an expertise currency and a material and resource are the currencies. And so that’s really what we’re doing so when it comes to you know what is the relational controls or how do you keep tabs or you know, whatever might be behind the question for us it’s more about that thriving coaching relationship… Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Yeah. Ted Coniaris — …and that this is a journey and you know if somebody is unwilling or unable to connect, I mean, they just go do their own thing. Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And we’re not going to try to stop them. Rich Birch — No. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — You know, we want to be dancing with the people who want to dance. We’re not you know spending our time or energy on that. And so it’s really that that coaching system and network. That’s the key in scaling that coaching system and network is how you reach a million people.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s great. That’s a huge vision. I love that. That’s that’s super inspiring. Rich Birch — Well, Ted, this has been a great check-in and lots of good stuff. Just want to encourage you in your leadership at Community. Appreciate what you’re doing there. Thanks for letting us kind of pull back the curtain a little bit and and get a sense in there. Any kind of final words you’d have for leaders that are listening in today? You know, we’ve covered a lot of ground, but anything you know you’d you’d want to kind of remind us just as we close off today’s conversation.Ted Coniaris — Yeah. And you know, the thing that’s just sort of striking me in the moment is just to encourage the pastors who are listening in particular to, to really remember that, that the strategy is your soul. And your own passion and hunger and thirst for the Lord and your integrity and walking that out, that is the key strategy. That is the most important thing. And you can’t do that alone.Ted Coniaris — You know, a lot of times talk about leadership being lonely. I kind of have a different view. I think loneliness is a choice. And I think you can choose not to be lonely. And so I know there are people who feel discouraged and that discouragement leads to isolation and that isolation feels like loneliness and it just becomes this downward spiral. There are different choices you can make to change the direction of that.Ted Coniaris — I know a lot of people are are struggling. The ministry is hard. It’s really hard. But I think that if you can really focus on your passion, your fire, tending your flame with the Lord, it will make the work of ministry lighter. It will make the successes and failures less impactful on you. And to find to find some people who can you can really be vulnerable with, who are sharing the same kind of load that you carry, that would be if I could just say one thing to a group of, you know, 5,000 pastors, that’s probably the thing I would just say right now.Rich Birch — That’s so good.Rich Birch — So good. Well, Ted, I appreciate you coming on today. Where do we want to send people if they want to track with you or with the church? Where do we want to send them online?Ted Coniaris — Communitychristian.org, church website, probably the best place. You can find us on socials and stuff like that. I don’t really do social stuff. It’s not my thing.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — But you could go to the church. You can find all that. So it’s Community Christian Church in the Chicago area, and you’ll find everything.Rich Birch — That’s great. Thanks so much, Ted. Appreciate being here today, sir.Ted Coniaris — Thank you, Rich. Appreciate you too.

St. Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus has become so paradigmatic that many today speak of their own conversion experience as their “Damascus moment.”   But what happens after that Damascus moment?   In this installment of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn and Rob Corzine address this question as they explore the nature of conversion itself. Shifting the focus from Paul to Peter, they show how the life and legacy of St. Peter reveal conversion not as being a one time experience—but rather something that is ongoing, ever deepening, and often marked by struggle.   Discover how Peter and Paul reveal one of the foundational truths of the Christian life.