Best COTC Podcasts (2025)

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The Fifth Act | The Ministry of Philip - Suzy Silk 48:29

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22h ago48:29

48:29

This week, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our sermon series through the Fifth Act, with a teaching on Acts 8:26-40, in which Philip follows a prompting of the Spirit, meets an Ethiopian eunuch, explains the Scriptures to him, and baptizes him in the name of Jesus. This story highlights a key transition in Acts from a focus on the ministry of the apostl…

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The Joy of Hate Watching! 35:29

7d ago35:29

35:29

Ever hear of “hate-watching?” It is the tendency to watch movies and television shows that do not appeal to you. Some go beyond lacking appeal to making you cringe every time you see them. Indeed, occasionally you watch the shows just for the sake of mocking them. Psychologists say that this strong negativism makes us happy and even strengthens bon…

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Psalm 126 | Like Those Who Dreamed - Jon Tyson 51:47

8d ago51:47

51:47

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson brought a report from a recent trip to the Hebrides in Scotland and an impartation from Psalm 126, calling the Church to restored hope for God’s restoration to come not only on a personal level but also communally and nationally. He emphasized the deeply rooted, biblical importance of longing and praying for renewal, a…

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Where are all the Action Movie Heroines? 35:00

14d ago35:00

35:00

Have you seen the new John Wick movie, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina? Ana de Armas plays the lead and she is a badass in the film! It got us thinking how rare it is to see women presented as the lead in action movies. While they are prevalent in ensemble casts of action productions like Fantastic Four, X-Men, Game of Thrones, and name any …

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The Fifth Act | Reputation. Spirit. Wisdom. - Annie F. Downs 52:19

15d ago52:19

52:19

This Sunday, guest teacher, Annie F. Downs continued our sermon series through the Book of Acts, The Fifth Act, with a teaching from Acts 6:1–7, a passage centered around a pivotal moment in the Early Church when administrative changes were needed to keep up with the rapidly growing needs of the community. She noted that the men chosen to serve in …

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What Makes a Production a Classic? 41:42

21d ago41:42

41:42

Consider for a moment your go-to movies or television shows. You know, the ones you stream decades (or perhaps just a year or two) after their release and they still make you laugh, make you cry, or just stir something inside you. Would you consider these works to be “classics” and, if so, why? The answers often spur intense debate because the subj…

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The Fifth Act | We Are Witnesses - Suzy Silk 43:41

22d ago43:41

43:41

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our sermon series through the Book of Acts, The Fifth Act, with a teaching on the early believers living primarily as witnesses of the Gospel. Acts 5 reveals that the disciples had an internal operating system that enabled them to be witnesses of Christ no matter the circumstances they faced. In considering t…

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The Fifth Act | The Threat to Revival - Keithen Schwahn 59:43

28d ago59:43

59:43

This Sunday, Pastor Keithen Schwahn continued our series through the Book of Acts, The Fifth Act, by sharing a teaching on the story of Ananias and Sapphira from Acts 4:32--5:11 to illustrate how God is willing to dismantle anything in His Church that claims His name but misrepresents His character. The invitation to the Church today is to believe …

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How throwback films take you waayyy back! 33:52

1M ago33:52

33:52

Last fall, COTC reviewed the Peacock series, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, starring Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, and Don Cheadle. The series is based on a true story about a robbery that occurred at a party after the Muhammad Ali‑Jerry Quarry fight in Atlanta in 1970. Big afros, platform shoes, and even…

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The Fifth Act | Responding to Resistance - Jon Tyson 58:48

1M ago58:48

58:48

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our series through the Book of Acts, The Fifth Act, with a powerful message from Acts 4:18–31 on how the Early Church responded to resistance with unified prayer. In this passage, we see Peter and John boldly proclaiming the name of Jesus in the face of commands, threats, and pressure to conform. Today, we ar…

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Where are all the Sports Movies? 44:38

1M ago44:38

44:38

Remember movies like Little Big League, Any Given Sunday, Mighty Ducks, Major League, and Sandlot? From the 1990s to the early 2000s, the film industry released about four sports movies like these every year. But in recent years, we’re lucky to see two such films in theaters. What happened? Why have sports movies all but disappeared from the big sc…

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The Fifth Act | Unschooled, Ordinary Men - Suzy Silk 55:28

1M ago55:28

55:28

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our sermon series through the Book of Acts, The Fifth Act, with a teaching on how Peter, empowered by the Holy Spirit, healed a lame man and faced the persecution from religious leaders by continuing to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus as Lord. Like Peter and John, we are called us to prioritize being w…

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Sinners and the Mystique of Vampirism 49:39

2M ago49:39

49:39

Ryan Coogler’s recent hit movie, Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, has sparked a lot of buzz. What is the appeal of vampires and what adds credibility to a vampire production? In this episode, we dive into the mystique of this century-long cinematic spectacle. After sharing our thoughts on the new blockbuster, we discuss the classic vampire movi…

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The Fifth Act | Peter's Bold Proclamation - Jon Tyson 55:50

2M ago55:50

55:50

This week, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our sermon series through the book of Acts, The Fifth Act, with a teaching through Peter’s bold sermon after Pentecost that launched the Early Church. Through this passage, Peter explains not only how belief in Jesus is possible, but what has been driving the Church forward for the past 2,000 years.…

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When the Industry Goes Reel! 57:12

2M ago57:12

57:12

In this episode, we delve into cinema on difficult topics and social issues. Be aware that samples of these works and some aspects of our discussion may be triggering for some listeners. Many movies and TV series mirror real‑life circumstances and experiences. When handled deftly, the works often resonate with us or at minimum inform our perspectiv…

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The Fifth Act | The Holy Spirit - Jon Tyson 56:54

2M ago56:54

56:54

This week, Pastor Jon Tyson kicked off our new sermon series through the book of Acts, The Fifth Act, with a teaching on the Holy Spirit’s ability to empower believers to be witnesses for Jesus to the ends of the earth. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven after His resurrection, He instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit c…

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Who the Heck is Alan Smithee — and Why Should You Care? 37:48

2M ago37:48

37:48

Have you ever wanted to remove your name from something that turned out badly? Maybe it was a group project, a paper you wrote, or a decision with an undesirable outcome. A little-known pseudonym adopted by the Directors Guild of America has allowed its members to do just that when their films don’t turn out as planned. In this episode, we dive dee…

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Easter Sunday | God Conscious - Jon Tyson 49:11

2M ago49:11

49:11

This Easter Sunday, Pastor Jon addressed our need to become “God conscious” and receive the hope and life found in Jesus’ resurrection. John’s gospel account includes Mary Magdalene’s discovery of Jesus’ empty tomb and resurrected body, and this story displays how a personal encounter with the living God sparked a movement of hope that is still goi…

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Can Film Thrive without Music? 1:01:36

2M ago1:01:36

1:01:36

Music can certainly exist outside of movies, but do you think movies can thrive without music? Have you ever thought about the crucial role that music plays in film? Or is music so integrated into film today that it is tough to think about the latter without the former? In this show, we take a deep dive into the undeniable value of music in film, b…

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Missional Formation | Come and Die - Jon Tyson 1:03:20

2M ago1:03:20

1:03:20

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson closed out our Missional Formation series with a call to follow Jesus’ lead in making discipleship the heart of our mission. Throughout this series, we have established a radical minimum standard through what Church of the City believes are the nine core competencies of being disciples in the Kingdom of Heaven. While G…

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Missional Formation | Vocational Mission - Jon Tyson 1:05:20

3M ago1:05:20

1:05:20

This week, Pastor Jon continued our Missional Formation series with a teaching on vocational mission and workplace prayer, addressing the tensions many Christians face in bringing these areas together. Since God created humankind for the purpose of work, and we will spend at least one third of our lives at work, it’s crucial that we examine how wor…

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Missional Formation | The Redemptive Edge - Ashley Anderson 1:05:15

3M ago1:05:15

1:05:15

This Sunday, Pastor Ashley Anderson continued our Missional Formation series, where we are exploring what we believe are the “core competencies” of living life on mission with Jesus. This week we learned about the distinctive of The Redemptive Edge and the discipline of blessing beyond barriers. In His final few moments with His disciples in Matthe…

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Movie Ratings: Are They Meaningful and Relevant Today? (Part 2 of 2) 41:36

3M ago41:36

41:36

Do you consider the rating of a film before deciding if you will go to the theater to see it? While they may be useful now, those seemingly benign letters that make up the ratings carry a lot of historical weight. For much of the 20th century, they were used as a means of defining morality for the movie-going public while suppressing freedom of spe…

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Missional Formation | Disciple Making - Jon Tyson 1:03:31

3M ago1:03:31

1:03:31

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson continued Missional Formation, where we are exploring what we believe are the “core competencies” of living life on mission with Jesus. We began our final three weeks of this series on Sacrificial Mission by looking at the distinctive of Disciple Making. The vision of our church is that everyone in our church is sharin…

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Movie Ratings: Are They Meaningful and Relevant Today? (Part 1 of 2) 28:11

3M ago28:11

28:11

Do you consider the rating of a film before deciding if you will go to the theater to see it? While they may be useful now, those seemingly benign letters that make up the ratings carry a lot of historical weight. For much of the 20th century, they were used as a means of defining morality for the movie-going public while suppressing freedom of spe…

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Gareth Atkinson, Civic “There was a strategic approach but also some happy coincidences, based on exploring who would be a good fit and aligned with our values.” 34:17

3M ago34:17

34:17

In this episode Rachel and Louise discuss with three directors of Civic (Gareth Atkinson, Katrina Davis and Rob Harris) how they are using collaboration and diversification to make a bigger and better contribution to our built environment system. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership co…

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Missional Formation | Crucified and Consecrated - Sam Gibson 59:04

3M ago59:04

59:04

This Sunday in our Missional Formation series, Pastor Sam Gibson spoke on the distinctive of Crucified and Consecrated, focusing on the discipline of fasting. Living a crucified and consecrated life allows believers to put to death their fleshly desires and makes space for Jesus to resurrect His desires in us. Building a lifestyle of fasting is one…

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Public Domain and ... Winnie the Pooh? 36:56

3M ago36:56

36:56

In 2023, filmmaker Rhys Frake-Waterfield set off a frenzy when he released his film, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which presents the iconic cuddly bear as something more repulsive than inviting. His transformation of Pooh was enabled by the character’s recent release into the public domain archives. Public domain is a category of creative work…

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Missional Formation | Communitas - Jon Tyson 58:04

4M ago58:04

58:04

This week, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our sermon series on Missional Formation by teaching on the distinctive of Communitas and the discipline of core accountability through Romans 16:1-16, which uncovers the communal structure of the Early Church and challenges us to rethink community in light of God’s Kingdom. Jesus’ vision for the Church is more…

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What makes sequels and serials work? 53:54

4M ago53:54

53:54

Can you distinguish between a sequel and a serial? In this episode of the Cup of Tea Critiques Podcast, we define and explore the two concepts, with examples of familiar films from past and present. We also delve into the question of whether our expectations for a sequel/serial influence our positive or negative evaluation of it. What are some of y…

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Missional Formation | Disciple the Deficits - Suzy Silk 53:28

4M ago53:28

53:28

This week, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our sermon series on Missional Formation by focusing on the distinctive of Discipling the Deficits and the discipline of confessing sin as keys to being counter-formed from the ways of the world into the ways of Jesus. Pastor Suzy called us to walk in freedom by regularly inviting the Holy Spirit to search our …

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Shot on Film or Shot on Digital? 44:10

4M ago44:10

44:10

After watching a film, consider for a moment how it looked and just as important, how it made you feel. If you stay past the movie’s credits, you get an indication of just how the filmmakers were able to achieve these effects, because they provide details about the cameras that were used during the shoots. After listening to the podcast, think abou…

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Andy Puncher, design director "It was about identifying what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be and there was no role out there on any of the job sites for that, so I had to invent it." 27:21

4M ago27:21

27:21

Another in a series of conversations with guests who have moved away from a practice they founded, or co-founded, and onto something new. Andy Puncher formerly of pH+ talks to Rachel about reinvention and conviction. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver…