PCOM Podcast

Alyona Koolhaas, PCOM's MOPS and nursery coordinator, shares stories of God at work from her childhood in Kiev to the fall of the Soviet Union to falling in love with an American in Wisconsin. From her love of tiny tots to her deepening relationship with great big God, this is not a story to miss.

Pastor Courtney on how sitting in a different chair can change your life. (Seriously.) Also: words of wisdom from Clayton Simon, gentle invitations to innovation, recommendations, and news about what's coming next.

Pastor Courtney reads an excerpt on whimsical worship from her new book - Happy Now - and asks the question: is it okay to play in church? She invites listeners to write in with stories of their own joyful worship experiences, and to offer feedback in how our church can imagine new ways of fellowship, mission, and worship after the unique season we've encountered. Happy Now by Courtney Ellis

How can we love our neighbors as ourselves if we don't seek to know and understand our neighbors' points of view? Pastor Courtney unpacks the power of story to see things--and people--as complex, nuanced, and interesting rather than one-dimensional.  We talk about how many years it took Courtney and Daryl to begin seeing one another well within their marriage (hint: it's still a journey!), an...

What is the role of the imagination in a life of faith? Can a Christian imagination transform our lives, our churches, and our communities? Words of wisdom from a literature professor, a philosophy professor, and a Psalm. Plus: an invitation to explore our own imaginations for the sake of the Gospel. C.S. Lewis's essay on faith and imagination Karen Swallow Prior's book: On Reading Well The Holy P...

Jeff shares stories about his cooking failures (see: nearly burning down the house) and a few tips along the way.

How can our food affect and influence our lives of prayer? Can cooking be an act of prayer? How about a beautifully set table? Do we always need to pray before our meals? What are some new prayer practices we might engage around the food that we eat? Whet your appetite for an episode on food, faith, and our good Creator God!

What do we do when our feelings feel too big, untidy, or unacceptable to bring to God? A story from Psalm 137 on bringing a difficult feeling before the Lord, lessons from speaking anger rather than letting it simmer, and a picture of the God who answers our prayers from a place of expansive goodness and light, no matter what we ask. Psalm 137

How the objects we use to gently lead us into prayer can help us connect with the Object of our prayer. Prayer beads for Protestants, pocket stones, and visual reminders that God is with us. This episode is all about easy physical reminders that God is near.

How writing out our prayers (especially when we never have to show them to anyone else, including ourselves) can slow the spin of thoughts, worries, fears and doubts in our head... and can even lead to silliness and giggling. 

Pastor Courtney describes ways written prayers can help guide us on our journeys, and invites us to read a prayer this week. Whether we are drawn to an ancient prayer from Scripture, the words of the church fathers and mothers like St. Augustine or Julian of Norwich, or a modern-day liturgy about changing diapers or enjoying hot coffee, the words from the community of faith are a wonderful tool fo...

Good news! We don't have to sit still to pray! Wisdom from the Jesuits, the Benedictines, and an old friend of Pastor Courtney's on praying in motion, plus an invitation to you to pray on the go this week.

The good news of prayer is that we can start so small. How small? We're so glad you asked! Pastor Courtney invites us into a super-simple prayer practice. Plus: wisdom from Ellie Roscher's book 12 Tiny Things, Psalm 121 , and a "bird from the Lord." A Bird from the Lord (Fathom Magazine)

We intro our summer series on invitations to creative prayer with a poem by Aarik Danielsen (read by the author!). Join Pastor Courtney to discover rich rhythms of prayer from out of the box places as we connect with God more deeply this summer. Prayer Language by Aarik Danielsen Fathom Magazine

Let's explore the visual arts and continue to expand our imagination around what good and authentic worship of God can look like. 

Hear from Emily Wood, ER doc Ian Ellis, Fuller NT professor Chris Blumhofer, singer/songwriter Natalie Schlabs, author and activist Dorcas Cheng-Tozun, novelist Shawn Smucker, and journalist Aarik Danielsen on a year like none other and how God saw them through. Take a tour through the past with us as we revisit April and May of 2020 - the uncertainty of almost everything AND the faithfulness of G...

Pastor Courtney shares some stories of whimsy and an invitation to join God in holy play. How do you play best? Recommendations for kids: Bluey on Disney + Big Nate books Books by Kate DiCamillo Recommendations for adults: Ted Lasso on Apple TV The Cornell Bird ID app

Change is hard! How do we embrace positive change and also name, normalize, and grieve the losses change entails? When is change too much? How can we love one another well in seasons of change? Plus: why Pastors Courtney and Daryl sobbed as they drove away from their wedding reception. (Hint: it's NOT that they were sad they married each other!) Resources: The Leaders Journey podcast: Two Feet Wal...

May the Lord bless you and keep you, make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.  God has not abandoned you. God will not abandon you. Amen. 

Hear from Pastor Daryl on what God has been doing in and through PCOM over the past year. Plus: hear how YOU can be part of what God is doing! Renew video For more information: https://www.mypcom.com/renew

Congregational stories about vaccines from Pastors Jackson & Daryl, Clayton Simon, Dwight Woodruff, Elaine Pappas-Puckett, Mary Smith, April Rudge, Kristy Vetter, Heidi Galloway, Jon Mooney, Jon Saur, and Vicki McRobbieralls. Clayton Simon's Marina Hills Animal Hospital mRna Video Hesitant about the COVID vaccine? Have no fear, we've got your back! Check out these resources, from people far wi...

Invitations versus commands, angelic arrivals, the answer of presence, and the gift of more information. What are you afraid of?

Deciduous trees, evergreen trees, and sleeping babies in between.  Here is a link to the image of our Floss silk tree (Ceiba speciosa):  https://imgur.com/a/CVAK00A

Frederich Buechner on how life will be both "beautiful and terrible." The heartbeat of the Gospel meeting us in our sin, brokenness, and sadness with the merciful grace of God.

What makes a great story? Tips from Jesus - and from Pixar! Plus: how enjoying and telling great stories can draw us closer to one another. Storytelling According to Pixar A few of Pastor Courtney's storytelling favorites: Gettysburg (based on Michael Shaara's book The Killer Angels) Inside Out (Pixar) Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly)