As we take our end of season break, please enjoy some of our very favorite episodes from 2020, released on Mondays and Thursdays throughout December! We will catch you back with Season 3 in January! New Year, new episodes! Worship leader and songwriter Matt Redman has penned some of the most-beloved worship anthems in the modern Church. Songs such as “The Heart of Worship,” “10,000 Reasons,” “Blessed Be Your Name,” and “Build My Life” are sung around the world and will continue to be sung for many years to come. In early 2020, Matt released his 14th album,Let There Be Wonder.   On this episode, Matt and our host Adam Russell mine Matt's wisdom on the role of worship leaders as servants who not only lead people in singing to God, but who help people see God. From there, they delve into the challenges faced by worship leaders in this time of quarantine and virtual church.    This is a rich conversation, as Matt’s words have resonance and relevance now more than ever.

As we take our end of season break, please enjoy some of our very favorite episodes from 2020, released on Mondays and Thursdays throughout December! We will catch you back with Season 3 in January! New Year, new episodes! This episode is part of our new series, Black Voices In The Vineyard, which features interviews with Black leaders from around the Vineyard movement.  Kim McNeal and her husband have lived in Raleigh, NC for over 20 years, but they are proud natives of the “City of Brotherly Love,” Philadelphia, PA (#goeagles). Presently, Kim works as a financial literacy educator at a non-profit and serves as an elder and worship leader at Raleigh Vineyard Church.  On this inspiring episode Kim shares her journey of faith, beginning with a seminal moment of seeing Aretha Franklin perform when Kim was only 5 years old to the start of her life following Jesus in college. Kim has spent many years in both the white and black Church, bringing with her helpful and challenging insights into journeying together as the people of God from "every tribe, tongue, and nation."

As we take our end of season break, please enjoy some of our very favorite episodes from 2020, released on Mondays and Thursdays throughout December! We will catch you back with Season 3 in January! New Year, new episodes! Lauri Varieur is a former VP of Creative Brand/Social Media/Visual for top fashion brands BCBGMAXAZRIA and Donna Karan. She is now co-lead pastor — alongside her husband Wade — of Vineyard Fullerton, an eclectic church plant in downtown Fullerton, CA celebrating its 6th anniversary.   On this episode, Lauri shares her journey growing up in the greater NYC area and coming to a real faith at the Manhattan Vineyard under the leadership of Mike & Char Turrigiano.  Feeling called into the "mission field" from a young age, Lauri found herself in the fashion industry with a call to pastor those around her. This is an inspiring conversation about our call to follow Jesus in every context in which we find ourselves.

As we take our end of season break, please enjoy some of our very favorite episodes from 2020, released on Mondays and Thursdays throughout December! We will catch you back with Season 3 in January! New Year, new episodes!  Edgar King has been the lead pastor of Trinity Vineyard Church, a multicultural community of faith in Nakuru, Kenya since 2017.  Born and raised in Nakuru, Edgar has a passion for the people of his city and creating a place where everyone is welcome. He holds an undergraduate degree in Economics and Statistics from Kenyatta University and a Diploma in Theology from the Vineyard School of Ministry- Africa, and is on the National Leadership Board of the Association of Vineyard Churches of Kenya.  Edgar spends his time leading worship, training worship leaders and helping others grow in their journey toward Jesus. In this intercontinental episode, Edgar and our host Adam Russell chat about life in Kenya, some of the challenges and opportunities that come with caring for a diverse worship community and the gift of being a part of the global Vineyard family.   Show notes: Edgar’s Church https://trinitynakuru.org Vineyard Worship Together- Edgar King https://bit.ly/2GpzoY4

As we take our end of season break, please enjoy some of our very favorite episodes from 2020, released on Mondays and Thursdays throughout December! We will catch you back with Season 3 in January! New Year, new episodes! Brian Doerksen is a Canadian singer/songwriter, worship leader, author and pastor. He is best known for his songs “Come, Now is the Time to Worship” and “Refiner’s Fire” which have been sung in churches internationally. He has been making music for 30 years, and has won more awards in both the United States and Canada than can be counted on all his fingers and toes.  Brian has been married to his high school sweetheart, Joyce, for over 35 years and they have 4 daughters and 2 sons. In this episode, Brian shares his journey of faith, songwriting and becoming a worship leader with our host Adam Russell. Brian’s story is a beautiful example of a life marked by intimacy with the Father, and this grounding conversation will reorient our hearts toward vulnerability and authenticity before God and each other in worship. Brian’s Song- “Father, I Want You to Hold Me” https://bit.ly/2YJBSXG

As we take our end of season break, please enjoy some of our very favorite episodes from 2020, released on Mondays and Thursdays throughout December! We will catch you back with Season 3 in January! New Year, new episodes! Aarti Sequeira is a cooking show host, journalist, and cookbook author. If her face is familiar, it might mean that you, too, have enjoyed a pulse-racing episode of Guy’s Grocery Games or know her as the season 6 winner of Food Network Star.  Aarti is also the author of Aarti Paarti: An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul. An incredibly multi-faceted woman, she also holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and produced a documentary for HBO about the genocide in Darfur called Sand and Sorrow.  Aarti lives with her husband and 2 daughters in Los Angeles.    In this episode, Aarti and our host Adam Russell raise a proverbial glass to all things food and hospitality, exploring the unifying and intimate nature of sharing a meal and the innate way in which food breaks down cultural and social barriers. They also explore the ways our spiritual practices adapt to the season of life we are in, and the sweetness of the unearned attention and love of the Father. This laughter-filled episode is good for the heart…and will likely make you very hungry.    Aarti’s Website https://aartisequeira.com   Aarti’s Cookbook https://amzn.to/3aEo99i   Aarti’s Cooking Show- Community Table https://bit.ly/2DQy8fF  

Welcome to the plague year(s)...we guess? In the last Ferment episode of the year, Adam and Heather review their 2020 high notes: favorite Ferment guests, favorite quarantine moments and newly acquired hobbies. They also chat about how the robots are winning and how online church is different than church. Oh, and Adam yells…a lot. So buckle up and enjoy the Russell ride and we’ll catch you in 2021! Edgar King on The Ferment https://bit.ly/2HKTPjc Matt Redman on The Ferment https://bit.ly/37bLJJe Aarti Sequeira on The Ferment https://bit.ly/3q9752z Chris Lizotte on The Ferment https://bit.ly/36f01cD Kathleen Edwards- Total Freedom https://spoti.fi/37fejJD My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall II https://spoti.fi/3o5gW7B John Mark McMillan – Stabal Session (Live) https://spoti.fi/3q8LwPJ John Mark McMillan – Juggernaut https://spoti.fi/2VdQ3Ca Andy Squyres - Dead Horse https://spoti.fi/39uTVqV War On Drugs - Live Drugs https://spoti.fi/37bRyGA Harden Coffee https://hardencoffee.com New York Times Cooking Instagram Account @nytcooking Rick Rubin @rickrubin Vineyard Single – Familia https://youtu.be/Zdz6xAB8bH0 Vineyard Single - Cherry Blossoms feat. Daena Jay https://youtu.be/kA3qGH-We0Y Criminal Podcast https://thisiscriminal.com/episodes Broken Record Podcast -  Lenny Kravitz episode https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/#/episode-72-lenny-kravitz/

Jacob Heppner is a CrossFit Games veteran with three top-10 finishes and a career-best finish of sixth overall in 2019. Raised in an agricultural community in San Joaquin Valley, Jacob learned the value of hard work early on. He was homeschooled until high school, where he fell in love with football, and went on to play at Central Methodist University while earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. He was also exposed to CrossFit during this time, then competed in his first Games in 2014 after marrying his wife Kelli. Jacob currently lives with his wife and kids in Basehor, Kansas.      In this episode, Jacob and our host Adam Russell talk about the value of doing hard things on a daily basis, how our dreams shift over time, and finding joy and opportunity in hard situations. Especially during a difficult season of disrupted routines and unsettled emotions, this episode is motivational in taking ownership of our lives and choosing a goal to work towards.   Jacob Heppner’s Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/35SUybo  

We’ve always heard that the two things we don’t talk about at the dinner table are religion and politics, but in this episode of The Ferment we are going to talk about them both and how we navigate them as a unit…or don’t. Featuring conversations with 8 different pastors spanning gender, racial, cultural and political divides, we hear the perspectives of just about every ideology that exists amongst people who study the Bible and love Jesus deeply. Up first is Shane Claiborne, a prominent speaker, activist and best-selling author who founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia and worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. He is followed by David Englehardt, pastor of Kings’ Church NYC in Manhattan and founder of Englehardt Law, and Rose Madrid Swetman, who is currently the Regional Leader for Vineyard USA in the Northwest Region and an Adjunct Professor and Moderator for the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. Next we hear from Montel Richardson, who pastors a 172-year-old historically black church in Campbellsville, KY and founder of the H.O.P.E. Project, which seeks to be of service to the community in practical ways. Parker Frey is a pastor at the Oxford Vineyard Church in Ohio, and Jason Coker is the Lead Pastor at the Oceanside Sanctuary in California, as well as a member of the Human Development faculty at Cal State San Marcos. Finally, we wrap up with Melody and Bud Winderweedle, pastors of Ekklesia Vineyard in Chattanooga, TN.   With such a diverse group of pastors, the conversations cover topics of pro-life vs. pro-birth, moral hierarchies and how they affect our priorities as Christians, the value of face-to-face conversations, how we navigate racial unrest and the beauty of practicing lament. This episode provides valuable opportunity for developing empathy and learning to love our brothers and sisters in Christ during an extremely polarizing season.   Shane Claiborne’s website: https://www.shaneclaiborne.com David Englehardt’s church – Kings’ Church NYC: https://www.kcnyc.org/team Rose Madrird Swetman’s website: http://rosemadridswetman.com/ Montel Richardson’s website: https://montelrichardsonministries.org Parker Frey’s church: https://www.oxfordvineyard.com Jason Coker’s website: https://www.jasoncoker.net/about Melody and Bud Winderweedle https://ekklesiavineyard.com

Brian Zahnd is the lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri, which he founded in 1981 with his wife, Peri. He is a passionate reader, avid hiker and mountain climber, Bob Dylan aficionado and author of several books including Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, Postcards from Babylon, A Farewell to Mars, Water to Wine, and Beauty Will Save the World.  Brian and Peri have three adult sons and seven grandchildren.   In this special repost episode, Brian and our host Adam Russell discuss the hidden treasures to be found in academic theology when our experience of Christianity no longer feels worthy of Jesus, and the effects a founding pastor’s evolving faith can have on a church body. Brian also shares the historical parallels of our current times and the need for Christians to prioritize practicing love in such a divisive political season. This episode is packed full of personal testimony that is challenging and honest and is sure to inspire a deeper look at our own relationship with Jesus.      Brian’s Website https://brianzahnd.com Postcards from Babylon https://amzn.to/3he6MP8 Word of Life Church https://wolc.com