Best Elm City Vineyard Church Podcasts (2025)

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God's Dreams and Ours: God's Dreams and Ours 44:20

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9d ago44:20

44:20

What dreams do we have for our life? Are they God’s dreams or our dreams? Both? Sometimes, we protect God from our own dreams, wondering if we gave into his ways and will if he would squelch our true desires. Other times, we give up on dreams understanding the call to discipleship to mean that dreams are for yesteryear. There is another way. Throug…

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We Have Seen the Lord: Breakfast After Betrayal 34:03

16d ago34:03

34:03

As we end our series, We Have Seen the Lord, it is apparent that these resurrection accounts are more than just seeing Jesus alive with one's own eyes. People see Jesus and experience peace, comfort, and faith. As we turn to John 21, Peter sees Jesus as alive and as one who comes to restore in the face of past mistakes. When we fail, we often expec…

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We Have Seen the Lord: Faith & Belief 44:16

23d ago44:16

44:16

In this third part of the “We Have Seen the Lord” series, we will consider the striking encounter between Thomas, often labeled “Doubting Thomas,” and Jesus, where Thomas in the end affirms his deep and real faith in Jesus as Lord and God. This week we are all invited to consider what it means to embrace faith in Jesus without the physical scars of…

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We Have Seen the Lord: Peace 28:53

30d ago28:53

28:53

When the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). This Sunday we will discuss having peace—even when everything else around us may be chaos. - Series Description - In the days after the first Easter, John records several striking encou…

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We Have Seen the Lord: Mary Magdalene 51:56

1M ago51:56

51:56

On this first Sunday in our new post-Easter series, “We Have Seen the Lord,” we will consider a remarkable encounter at his tomb between the risen Lord and Mary Magdalene, a most unlikely witness in male-dominated first-century Palestine. The words Jesus speaks to Mary in her grief and bewilderment 2000 years ago continue to reverberate for all of …

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Resurrection & Forgiveness 38:47

1M ago38:47

38:47

Restoration. Renewal. Resurrection. Easter Sunday is a chance to reflect, celebrate, and trust that Jesus, our God of life, defeated death. This God of hope is not through with us yet. There is more for us. Here’s the Good News! If Jesus was put to death by humanity but came back to love humanity still, that means God’s forgiveness has incredible p…

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A Humble King 26:53

2M ago26:53

26:53

“Hosanna in the highest!” Each year, we celebrate Palm Sunday as a way to remember when Jesus triumphantly enters into Jerusalem. Using this story, we’ll take a deeper look at the concept of humility. Together as a community, we may discover where God shows himself to be humble and where He is calling us to “take on humility” in our own lives. Join…

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Conviction & Embrace: Practicing Conviction in Community 34:29

2M ago34:29

34:29

As we finish out the Conviction and Embrace series, we will consider what it means to practice conviction in community. What kind of people must we seek to become if we are to speak words of conviction wisely and winsomely into one another’s lives? How can we avoid the pitfalls on the one hand of never speaking words of challenge to one another, an…

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Conviction & Embrace: Repenting to an Available Savior 24:56

2M ago24:56

24:56

What happens when we come to the end of ourselves? What can we do when self-improvement isn’t enough to change a destructive or unhelpful habit? Does Jesus still love us, even when we feel incompetent? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is we have an available Savior who we can turn to when He knocks on our door, ready to embrace us. Join u…

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Conviction & Embrace: The Gift of an Advocate 38:03

2M ago38:03

38:03

Among God’s greatest gifts to his people is the gift of the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Advocate, as Jesus refers to him in John’s Gospel. As we continue with our Conviction series this week, we will consider just what a gift it is to have on our side someone who knows us fully, who loves us unconditionally, and who leads us into all truth, includi…

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Conviction & Embrace: The Father Disciplines and Convicts Us of Sin Out of Love 29:16

3M ago29:16

29:16

God’s love for us like a father or parent takes many forms, one of which is discipline. When we receive conviction or discipline from God, this is only and always a way our Heavenly Father is loving us. It is God lovingly leading us to what He knows is good, and will lead to goodness for us. Discipline is God drawing us in. Drawing us in to knowing…

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Conviction & Embrace: Live in the Light Because Jesus Convicts, Not Condemns 42:18

3M ago42:18

42:18

In the first talk of our Lenten series, Conviction & Embrace, we will uncover the power light has to reveal sin and darkness. Do we fear that light? Or do we trust that light also comes with the warmth of embrace? Conviction is about exposing — even rebuking—sin. While potentially scary, conviction is not condemnation, where darkness reigns as sin …

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Abiding in the Love of God 34:47

3M ago34:47

34:47

So many of us live trying to do enough to prove that we are enough. But what if we didn’t need to prove anything? What if our value and worth weren’t things we had to prove, but rather gifts from an unfailing source of unconditional love? Jesus says that’s exactly our situation. Maybe we even believe that. But what if we knew it deep in our souls? …

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Building a Life of Prayer: Praying Like Jesus, Praying with Power 34:58

3M ago34:58

34:58

Jesus commands unclean spirits to flee. Jesus tells blind eyes to open. Jesus invites healing to come - at all levels. Can we do any of this…or is it just Jesus? Scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit’s empowerment of all believers to “do the stuff” of Jesus, starting with his closest disciples and moving to people who never met Jesus in the flesh in …

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Building a Life of Prayer: The Power of the Ask: Growing in Intercessory and Petitionary Prayer 40:21

4M ago40:21

40:21

Prayer is mysterious. Jesus demystifies it by encouraging us simply to start praying. If we need something? Ask God for it. If we have a cry for justice, then shout it out. The newest part of this teaching by Jesus seems to be the shock that someone wouldn’t pray for their needs or the needs of others. What’s the difference? Jesus knows God as Fath…

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Building a Life of Prayer: Foundations of a Godward Life: Listening Prayer 31:35

4M ago31:35

31:35

As we begin a four-week series entitled “Building a Life of Prayer,” we will focus on one of the stones in the foundation – listening prayer. By listening prayer, we mean a quiet and settled godward orientation where we hold ourselves open before God, free of striving, settled and attentive, seeking both to encounter and to receive from God, even w…

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Love Your Neighbor Beyond Your Comfort Zone: The Cost of Following Jesus and Loving the Wrong Neighbors 38:59

4M ago38:59

38:59

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus was attacked by an angry mob simply for speaking well of the enemies of his own people, and he later taught that God would bless us when people hated and mistreated us on his account. Elsewhere, the Scriptures guarantee that to be faithful to Jesus and to love those he loves will often put us at odds with oth…

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Love Your Neighbor Beyond Your Comfort Zone: Love Foreigners as You Love Yourselves 32:35

4M ago32:35

32:35

As we love our neighbors beyond our comfort zone, this includes neighbors who have recently arrived to our country. Scripture has a long witness of blessing the stranger in our midst and showing them hospitality - the goodness of God in practical ways. In the book of Leviticus it says, “do not mistreat foreigners living in your country, but treat t…

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Love Your Neighbor Beyond Your Comfort Zone: Neighboring Those Behind Bars 49:41

5M ago49:41

49:41

What does it mean to proclaim liberty to the captives? How can we neighbor people that are locked up? When it comes to loving incarcerated people, we have to be intentional to even see folks who are often invisible to us. Yet, in a city like New Haven, many of drive past a correctional center regularly to get to our work, homes, our home groups. Of…

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Love Your Neighbor Beyond Your Comfort Zone: Loving New Haven 41:32

5M ago41:32

41:32

In Matthew 22, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two com…

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Silence, Light, and Joy | An Advent Series: Good News for All People 28:03

5M ago28:03

28:03

In Luke's account of the birth of Christ, an angelic herald proclaims to a group of shepherds "good news of great joy for all people." ECV exists to call all people to revolutionary lives of action through Spirit-empowered communities that love and obey Jesus Christ in all things. This week, we will consider this "all people" aspect of what it mean…

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Silence, Light, and Joy | An Advent Series: Joy 28:58

6M ago28:58

28:58

Joy is a major theme of the Christmas story, and for good reason—Mary rejoices with her cousin Elizabeth as she carries Jesus in her womb, angels announce the birth of Jesus as "good news of great joy" to the shepherds outside Bethlehem, and the Magi rejoice "exceedingly with great joy" as they approach the place of Jesus' birth. And yet even in th…

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Silence, Light, and Joy | An Advent Series: The Light of God 37:42

6M ago37:42

37:42

It’s that time of year. It gets dark before 5pm. It can seem like darkness is all there is. While that is true for December in the northeast, that can also feel real for our souls. But what if we remember that anything can be illuminated by God’s light? This light brings about truth—revelation about what is so, grace—warmth and kindness from the on…

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Silence, Light, and Joy | An Advent Series: Silence 40:42

6M ago40:42

40:42

On this first Sunday of Advent and of the liturgical year, we reflect on how Jesus was born to humble people in quiet village places, and not in a great city or to the rich and powerful. In our own time, too, it is in humility and quietness that we are invited to encounter Jesus and to receive from him the one true life, so often revealed in whispe…

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Worship: Worship 45:38

6M ago45:38

45:38

In this third and final week before Advent, we will finish our 3-week series on worship with a time of extended musical worship interspersed with brief reflections on Scripture to help us review, reflect on, and embody worship in all areas of our lives. With word and song, our physical bodies, attentiveness to God in ordinary moments, and offering …

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Worship: Worship 44:31

7M ago44:31

44:31

Worship is more than music. It is a whole life surrender to God’s will. This kind of whole-life worship reshapes our lives to look radically different than the patterns of this world. This week, in the second installment of our teaching series on worship, we’ll be exploring what it means for us to lead fully submitted lives of worship, beyond our c…

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Worship: Worship 45:24

7M ago45:24

45:24

Do we live slow enough to notice invitations from God to worship? We don’t ever start worshipping God ex nihilo, out of nothing. We join in. We respond to an invitation. During our short series on WORSHIP before Advent, we are taking time to see worship as more than music. Worship is the site of our noticing God and drawing near. Worship is obedien…

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Hope 44:11

7M ago44:11

44:11

This Sunday, we have the privilege of hearing from Julia Pickerill, co-senior pastor with her husband, Eric, at Vineyard Columbus, a flagship Vineyard church and the largest Vineyard church in the world. Julia and Eric have been part of Vineyard for many decades, led Joshua House, a rich and rooted young adult community at Vineyard Columbus for man…

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Enemy Love: Calling in Our Enemies 45:38

7M ago45:38

45:38

During our series on Enemy Love, it may have been easy to wonder…but what about the Pharisees - the religious teachers that strongly oppose and eventually help kill Jesus? Jesus doesn’t seem too chummy with them. How is that love? Jesus does have a strange way of showing this group love. But by putting the pieces of our series together - creative e…

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Enemy Love: Proximity Not Offense 31:09

8M ago31:09

31:09

It can be easy to avoid our enemies, but it may be even easier to be offended by them. Jesus calls us to do something different: to love them. When we give up being offended, opportunities for love abound…even love that gets close. Jesus demonstrates this in his ministry. He gets close to people that his own community would consider enemies. When a…

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Enemy Love: Enemy Love 46:38

8M ago46:38

46:38

If your sworn enemy asks you to love those who hurt you, you should run. If God asks the same, you should lean in and listen. Most people nod and agree with the teaching to love your neighbor — even if we don’t. But to love our enemies? Most laugh. Why love people who will hurt us? Why prioritize people who want to harm us? This seems foolish, unwi…

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Healing: A Healed City 41:27

8M ago41:27

41:27

In this fourth week of our teaching series on Healing, we’ll be looking at what scripture has to say about the healing of our cities. The brokenness in our connections to one another can be so easy to see in the city around us. But real hope for the healing of our city can be harder for us to grab hold of. Do we hope in our own striving? Or is our …

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Healing: A Healed Heart 47:35

9M ago47:35

47:35

God heals broken bodies. God heals troubling thoughts. But what about hearts? Broken hearts are not just the stuff of junior high drama. A broken heart steals our joy, robs our peace, and leads us to numbness. God isn’t only invested in our spiritual lives. God is invested in healing our hearts and emotions. We can ask God for full hearts in order …

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Healing: A Healed Mind 47:08

9M ago47:08

47:08

God desires an integrated healing for us — body, mind, emotions, communities, and the world around us. In the Gospels, Jesus heals bodies. Does he heal minds too? With our increasing awareness of anxiety, depression, and trauma, it would be great if Jesus’ healing was more than skin deep. This Sunday, we’ll talk about how God does heals us through …

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Healing: Healing the Body 45:39

9M ago45:39

45:39

God heals. We see this in scripture. Jesus performs miracles and then his disciples do the same work of healing people from sickness and setting people free from dark forces. We see this in church history. Saints do healing work and communities rejoice. Hundreds of years later, do we see God’s healing in our lives? In our community? This Fall, we’r…

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God is __!: God is Light! 34:43

9M ago34:43

34:43

This week, for the final message of our summer series on the book of Ephesians, we will be looking at what it means to live as children of light. In a world like ours, with forces at play that are neither safe nor kind, it can be easy to keep parts of our lives hidden in the dark. But when we hide from God and from others, shame grows, and we becom…

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God is __!: God is Generous and Gives Gifts and Empowerment to Build the Body 56:21

10M ago56:21

56:21

In Ephesians 3, Paul writes about his ministry of bringing "the news of the boundless riches of Christ" to non-Jews (Gentiles), "to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God" (3:8) "now revealed...by the Spirit" (3:6).What is this mysterious plan now revealed? Would you believe that it's the church? "Through the churc…

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God is __!: God is Love and Wants Us to Know His Love 34:42

10M ago34:42

34:42

What does God’s love mean to you? A question like that can elicit some pretty complicated and beautiful responses. Join us this week for another family friendly service filled with testimonies and lessons on what God’s love means to some of our youngest ECVers. - Series Description - How often do we lose sight of God’s character? We rupture a relat…

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God is __!: God is a Unifier Who Makes Us One Providing Reconciliation 30:02

10M ago30:02

30:02

Church can be one of the easiest places to feel like we don’t belong. In this week’s portion of Ephesians, Paul reminds us that we have been brought in and no walls stand between us and Jesus. Not only so, but Jesus is the cornerstone of the new building being created by God from those who are called by him from the prophets to the apostles and on …

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God is __!: A Living God Makes Us Alive 16:15

10M ago16:15

16:15

When we look around, things aren't perfect, or even ideal. The Bible uses stronger words- there's a way of death, and we see it daily. From wars between nations, injustice among people groups, or the internal strife we each feel. But there's also a promise that something unexpected can come from what we see, and people can be made ALIVE. Join us as…

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God is __!: God is Powerful; So is Our Inheritance 38:00

11M ago38:00

38:00

How often do we lose sight of God’s character? We rupture a relationship and feel guilty. We sin and justify ourselves instead of seeking forgiveness. We lose our job and feel devastated. We need to remember who God is. God is powerful. God is alive. God is a unifier who makes us one. God is love. God is generous. God is light. The letter to Ephesu…

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Hope in Heaven: Revolutionary Household Codes 21:33

11M ago21:33

21:33

When Paul wrote to the church of Colassae, perhaps Paul wondered, “What if tomorrow, different households became faithful witnesses to the person of Jesus in all that they do? What would our world look like with multiple homes on fire with the Holy Spirit?” Paul’s ancient letter to the Colossians encourages the church of Colassae to dwell with Jesu…

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Hope in Heaven: Seek the Kingdom, Live the Kingdom 41:52

11M ago41:52

41:52

When we look at the world around us, there is so much death. So many default ways of being and living that bring about harm, emptiness, something other than freedom. We see it in our individual lives, and we see it in the oppressive systems and structures all around us. And yet, Jesus invites us to live with our minds and hearts set on a different …

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Hope in Heaven: Complete Not Captive 38:56

12M ago38:56

38:56

Paul’s letter to the Colossians urgently encourages the church in Colossae to remember their connection to Christ, where the fullness of God lives. Christ, the head of the Church. Christ, the one who aids God in reconciling all to Himself. Paul wants the Colossians to know that they are complete in Christ. Yet, many of them are living captive to de…

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Hope in Heaven: Rootedness in Christ's Supremacy 55:36

12M ago55:36

55:36

In the first two weeks of our teaching series on the book of Colossians, we've explored the "hope laid up in heaven" (Col 1:5) that the gospel articulates, good news that "bears fruit" in the communities to which it has come all over the world. While Christ's supremacy has been "proclaimed to every creature under heaven," the rule and reign of God …

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Empty: Empty and Filled 1:10:20

1y ago1:10:20

1:10:20

We conclude our post-Easter teaching series, Empty, on the Sunday that concludes Eastertide in the church calendar: the feast of Pentecost. We've explored the idea that empty things-- like the empty tomb of Easter morning-- can be places of blessing. When we empty our schedules, wallets, resumés, beds and more to be present to God we can experience…

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Empty: Empty Beds 54:18

1y ago54:18

54:18

Join us this Sunday as we continue our Empty series. We will focus on the Empty Bed. Is it a site of restless anxiety or a place of reflection and peace? Sometimes, our culture's messaging on sex and our trust in God's goodness in this tender area of our lives determines whether we hide in shame or isolation or whether we open up this part of our l…

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Empty: Empty Teacups | The Power of Our Words 39:06

1y ago39:06

39:06

The Bible talks a lot about power of the words that come out of our mouths. Proverbs says that death and life are in the power of our tongue. Are our tongues producing words of life or words of death? Join us this Sunday as we discover if our mouths are full of gossip, slander, and lies or truth, encouragement, and edification. - Series Description…

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Empty: Empty Contacts 39:41

1y ago39:41

39:41

When we come to Jesus, we are not only joined to him, but to his people—to his household. In the way of Jesus, our identity as members of his household takes precedence over all other memberships and identities, and, humanly speaking, becomes the locus of all our other relationships. To continue the “Empty” series, this week’s sermon will be called…

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Empty: Empty Resumé 44:18

1y ago44:18

44:18

It is easy to live our lives thinking that are worth is in our accomplishments. Thankfully, Jesus has a list of accomplishments that are different than our own. They are freeing and completely free. Child. Reliant on God’s power. One who discerns the way of Jesus with him, not alone. This is the way to a life where we don’t withdraw from the world;…