Paul Miller - Mission & Reconciliation in a Culturally Catholic Context

When the Cogdells stumbled into the Antioch Network gathering in Herrnhut Germany in 2008, they were amazed to find people talking about Catholic - Protestant reconciliation! One of them was Paul Miller, a YWAM missionary working with Catholics in France. He gave a remarkable talk on reconciliation for the purpose of Evangelical mission, in a culturally-Catholic country.

Recorded on 11 June 2008.

Mark Kinzer - Covenant Community & Israel

The first time Mark Kinzer visited CTR, we were hoping to get him interested in Wittenberg 2017. But he mostly wanted to talk about our community. When he came a second time, after Wittenberg 2017 had completed, he gave this teaching on covenant community and Israel. Worth re-listening in these days, when we are considering “all-in” community commitments at CTR.

Teaching given on February 10, 2018 at CTR.

Diane & John Michael Wall - Hospitality

We conclude the Foundations of Community with this, the 10th teaching of our series. It also completes the second half of the series, which focuses on the commitments to action. The fifth and final commitment is to Work.

Phillip Owens imparts to us his high value and immense capacity for work, explaining that it comes from God and is for God. Thomas wraps up by grounding our understanding of work in Jesus' report to his Father, John 17:4.

Teaching recorded for the retreat at Christ the Reconciler on 10 May 2022.

If you prefer to watch the teaching, and follow along with scripture slides, it’s also on YouTube:

Dan Davis - Hope for the Second Coming

As we observe the season of Advent, waiting and watching for the coming of Jesus, let us remember that Dan Davis’ last sermon at Hope Chapel was about the Second Coming. He had never taught on the return of Christ, in all the thousands of sermons he preached there. On September 8, 2019, he preached a beautiful sermon about the hope we have in the return of the Lord in glory. Our own Sandi Pedrotti closed the sermon with a meditation and invitation. Come, Lord Jesus!

Amy Cogdell - Apostolic Authority, Submission and Love

The end of Boundaries of Reconciliation #1, True & False Unity, was the ruling of the Jerusalem Council on the controversy of Gentiles becoming followers of Jesus. This second teaching in the series picks up there by addressing the gift of apostles to the church; the role of apostolic authorities in safeguarding unity, and the beauty of healthy mutual submission.

At the end of the teaching, Amy introduces the word "apostolate" and the concept of Christ the Reconciler as an apostolate, whose leaders carry apostolic authority for the community, but are also submitted to apostolic authority in their own traditions.

Teaching given at a Christ the Reconciler retreat on 12 November 2022.

The teaching is also on YouTube, if you prefer to watch it:

Amy Cogdell - Psalm 133

On October 9, Amy had the honor of being invited to give a guest sermon at the Bastrop Church of Christ. This was a beautiful full-circle blessing for Amy, because one marker moment in her journey into the Catholic Church was a dream she had, where she saw a Catholic woman preaching in a Church of Christ - which, in her experience, would never ever happen. And here, over 20 years later, the dream came true in the sense that Amy, a Catholic woman, was invited to preach at BCOC. Praise the Lord!

BCOC was in a series of sermons on the Psalms of Ascent, and Pastor Andrew invited Amy to address Psalm 133. Of course this Psalm begins with a famous statement about unity, but Amy felt drawn to also address the more cryptic phrase “oil running down the beard of Aaron.” She asks the question, “What’s up with Aaron’s beard?” And, if you want to find out … take a listen!

Thomas Cogdell - True & False Unity

In this teaching, Thomas Cogdell addresses the concern that work towards Christian unity could produce a "false unity." What is true unity? False unity? How do we rightly respond to those whom we disagree with, to the extent that we question whether or not they are "real Christians"?

This is the first in what is anticipated to be a series of four teachings on the topic of Boundaries of Reconciliation. It was given at Christ the Reconciler during the retreat on 10 September 2022.

The teaching is also available on YouTube, which has the scripture references and other helpful slides intermixed throughout:

Phillip Owens & Thomas Cogdell - Work (Foundations of Community #10)

We conclude the Foundations of Community with this, the 10th teaching of our series. It also completes the second half of the series, which focuses on the commitments to action. The fifth and final commitment is to Work.

Phillip Owens imparts to us his high value and immense capacity for work, explaining that it comes from God and is for God. Thomas wraps up by grounding our understanding of work in Jesus' report to his Father, John 17:4.

Teaching recorded for the retreat at Christ the Reconciler on 10 May 2022.

If you prefer to watch the teaching, and follow along with scripture slides, it’s also on YouTube:

Diane & John Michael Wall - Hospitality (Foundations of Community #9)

We conclude the Foundations of Community with this, the 10th teaching of our series. It also completes the second half of the series, which focuses on the commitments to action. The fifth and final commitment is to Work.

Phillip Owens imparts to us his high value and immense capacity for work, explaining that it comes from God and is for God. Thomas wraps up by grounding our understanding of work in Jesus' report to his Father, John 17:4.

Teaching recorded for the retreat at Christ the Reconciler on 10 May 2022.

If you prefer to watch the teaching, and follow along with scripture slides, it’s also on YouTube:

Amy & Thomas Cogdell - Formation (Foundations of Community #8)

In the 8th teaching of our Foundations of Community series, we continue the second half of the series, which focuses on the commitments to action.

The third commitment is to Formation. After a brief intro by Thomas, Amy talks about why we need formation, how formation works, and what we should do as a community regarding formation.

Teaching recorded for the retreat at Christ the Reconciler on 12 February 2022.

Or, if you prefer to watch so you can follow along with the points and scriptures referenced:

Thomas Cogdell - Reconciliation (Foundations of Community #7)

In the 7th teaching of our Foundations of Community series, we continue the second half of the series, which focuses on the commitments to action. The second commitment is Reconciliation. Thomas talks about keys to reconciliation, and how we live out John 17 through reconciliation at CTR.

Teaching recorded for the retreat at Christ the Reconciler on 12 November 2021.

Or, if you prefer video, here you go:

Thomas Cogdell - Prayer (Foundations of Community #6)

The first five teachings of the Foundations of Community series give insight into our renunciations as a community. This teaching begins the second half of the series, which focuses on what we are committing to. The first commitment is to Prayer.

Teaching given by Thomas Cogdell for the CTR Retreat (via Zoom) on 18 September 2021.

It’s a fairly complex teaching, so watching it on video is helpful, because the slides show the points that Thomas is making … even though unfortunately the top of Thomas’ head was cut off by the camera!

Amy Cogdell - Forgiveness (Foundations of Community, #5)

In the 5th teaching of our Foundations of Community series, Amy follows on Merisha’s teachings on repentance and confession, with a teaching on forgiveness. How does forgiveness work in God’s court of justice, in heaven? How do we “justify the wicked” and “condemn the righteous”, without realizing it?

Teaching given at the Christ the Reconciler retreat on 21 August 2021, which was held at Hope Chapel.

After she spoke, Rose Watson sang a beautiful spontaneous song over all who were gathered … and over you who are listening now online!

If you prefer video, the teaching is also available on YouTube:

Merisha Janke - The Gift of Repentance

Merisha Janke was invited by Pastor John McComb to give the sermon on Palm Sunday 2021 (March 28). She was asked to speak on the topic of "Repentance and Forgiveness." Merisha invited Thomas Cogdell to give a brief testimony at the end, about both personal and identificational repentance.

If you are on Facebook and prefer to watch a video, it is available by clicking on the image below. Note that the video is of the entire service, the sermon starts at about 0:50 minutes in.

Merisha Janke - Living in the Light

The fourth in our Foundation of Community series is, like the third, brought to us by Merisha Janke, our friend from Help for All Nations. Merisha speaks from her experience growing up in the Lüdenscheid community in Germany. She focuses on confession one to another as a crucial part of living in the light, and the power of the cross to deliver us from all hidden sin.

Teaching given on June 19, 2021, at Christ the Reconciler.

We also have the teaching on video, if you prefer to watch it … Merisha is wonderfully expressive! However, the audio is not quite as good, and the video recording ended about ten minutes before the end of the talk.

Amy Cogdell & Caroline Owens - The Advocate Vs. The Accuser

The 2nd teaching in the “Foundations of Reconciliation” series, following Caroline’s teaching on The Accuser of the Brethren.

Amy & Caroline work together to further unpack the ways in which we invite the Accuser into our minds, our lives, and the church - and how to instead welcome the Advocate, the Holy Spirit! Teaching given at Christ the Reconciler on 15 May 2021.

We also have the teaching on video, if you prefer to watch it.