Music, Hope, Word, Prayer

 Are you traveling this June? Or do you have your nose in a good book? This episode explores the encounter between the prophet Elijah - the Bible’s version of a Superhero - and a widow who becomes his safe haven and survival plan (I Kings 17:8-16) . Whether you are traveling or reading in your lazy boy, John Hilley considers how the stories that come from strangers we meet along the road or in the...

Each year the church celebrates Pentecost. The  story of Pentecost is about God showing up in unexpected ways and through unexpected people ( Acts 2:1-21 ). These days things are happening faster than we can keep up with, let alone stomach or understand and yet, nevertheless, God continues to do a new thing in the lives of people and a community. John shares a travel story from Guatemala, our need...

It's a music director takeover on this episode as Nate Strasser talks glamping, cadbury eggs, and sacrifice and how they're all related. The passage for today's podcast is Romans 12 and Nate brings in guest violinist Kameron Myers for two beautiful songs. 

This past Sunday, May 22nd, at East Brentwood was a wonderfully uplifting service as we gathered together around the words of Jesus and as we celebrated the contributions and gifts of the many volunteers who help us. There was our annual Blessing of the Bicycles – kids and adults brought their bicycles to church and wheeled them right into our sanctuary. This episode explores the promise of a very...

I think we can all agree parenting is getting harder all the time. Children are experiencing things we never imagined. How do we guide them? If you were going to share advice with your kids or grandkids or a younger person who trusts and looks up to you, what would you say?  The Book of Deuteronomy (6:20-25) says: “When your children ask you why do you live the way you do, you are to tell them wha...

This episode takes content and music that was shared on Mother’s Day May 8, 2022 and introduces us to a heroine of the church – a woman who had two names. Some called her Tabitha; some knew her as Dorcas. Music for today’s episode is an original composition honoring the life of Rachel Held Evans. 

John Hilley and Nate Strasser feature the music and themes of the wildly popular Disney movie Encanto , featuring music by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It’s a must listen - and enjoyable episode - even if you haven’t seen the movie and despite the heavy subject of our mental health (May is Mental Health Awareness Month). This episode is a little longer because the music is so good and the theme is so impor...

A special episode for Easter (April 17, 2022) featuring "Because He Lives"  arranged by Nate Strasser and message by John Hilley, “An Expansive Life.”   Hear the word Expansive   and you think of possibilities. Easter is the possibility that comes with springtime. Or you think of advice like a good Ted Talk that expands your understanding. There is nothing “expansive”, however, in the Re...

This episode reflects on the story that begins Holy Week: Jesus’ chaotic entry into Jerusalem riding on a colt. Join John Hilley as he talks about the nature of crowds (“Do you trust a crowd?”) and talks about Jesus as the colt whisperer and more importantly as the human whisperer who speaks to the deep longing within us that leads us to sing, speak out, join the parade. Scripture passage: Luke 19...

You hear the phrase “Brazen Acts of Beauty” and what comes to mind?  Through music and spoken word Nate Strasser and John Hilley explore this theme in light of the vulnerable, beautiful story of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with oil ( John 12:1-8 ). A brazen act of beauty these days can simply be paying attention and considering what another person is going through. We invite you to expand your mind...

Worthiness is usually conferred in awards given and in money earned. Join John Hilley and Nate Strasser as they reflect on the recent Academy Awards brouhaha and as John reflects on our relationship to money in light of the biblical stories from Isaiah 55 and a parable of Jesus (Luke 13). Money concerns run in the background of our lives like ambient noise until something breaks through and makes...

God is our refuge. There is nothing that can separate you from God, or could keep God from gathering you in, protecting you fiercely. Jesus’ lament forJerusalem is surprising given how he is treated by Jerusalem. And yet, no matter how much we try to separate ourselves from God, God will run to protect us. God’s love for us is fuller than we can imagine.

There is a lot to rejoice about right now, turning the corner on COVID #s and with Spring around the corner…and yet there is a lot to feel uncertain about. The being in the desert kind of uncertain. But what if this time isn’t about getting out of the desert? What if we are called to dwell in our doubts, fears, anxieties, and uncertainty? What if we are meant to stand in solidarity with those trap...

Your journey with God is not a performance. It can be intimate and rewarding in ways that aren’t necessarily measured. We invite you to begin your journey with God this Lent by listening to this special podcast. We’re flipping the script on Lent from being understood as a perfectibility project or an imposed sacrifice of denial. You are invited to pursue the wealth of the inner life which reframes...

We are pleased to welcome as our guest Dr. David Dark, professor at Belmont University in Nashville, TN and also author, cultural critic, and friend. Against the backdrop of Jesus’ teaching to “love our enemies” (Luke 6:27-38) David shares stories and insights that take us off our guard in God’s big story of love when it comes to “turning the other cheek.” David shares a hopeful and practical mess...

The Beatitudes are the cornerstone of Jesus’ teachings. Beatitudes means “blessed.” But what Jesus has in mind is not what most of us have in mind when we think blessed. In this episode, Pastor John looks at Luke’s version of the beatitudes, where Jesus proclaims blessings and woes. We claim God’s blessings. Yet, we cannot avoid the woes, those places and things we’d like to ignore or imagine don’...

The Apostle Paul wrote, “If Christ is not raised, then your faith is in vain” ( I Corinthians 15 ). If it could be said that the whole of the Christian faith stands or falls with any one claim, the claim that God raised the crucified Jesus from the dead is that claim. Pastor John found himself thinking about this as he sat beside a church member who was in her final hours. It got him thinking abou...

What will you be known for? Jesus says love is what the world needs from us. The world needs us to treat one another in a way that is noticeable. It’s our mission.  The Apostle Paul was adamant that divisions don’t define us and that we are nothing without love. In this episode we are looking at the great “lov e chapter” of I Corinthians 13 and an important word that we might be known for: koinoni...

We are underway with a series called Ekklesia where we are  examining what is the purpose and key functions of the church in these days. EKKLESIA is the Greek word for  church. In this series we are asking questions such as: What is our purpose? What is our use? Or maybe we could say like Amanda Gorman, Is the effort “still worth it”? This series is important as we discern what purpose God  has fo...

Pastor John recently visited Matthew 25, a feeding station for hungry people and it has him thinking about one of the key functions of the church: to serve. Join him and Lindsey and Nate for this episode that was recorded on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend and features powerful music, including “Up to the Mountain.”  John reflects on our purpose, especially that of the church, which is to gather a...

We are living through a time when all the stories the larger culture tells us about ourselves are being rewritten: the story of what the United States is; what it means to be a man or a woman; what it means to be a child; what it means to love oneself or other people. And what it means to be the church. Some say the church is being dismantled; others say the church is aging out, no longer relevant...

In this episode we explore the idea of paths forward - both those that seem easy but more importantly, the ones that are a little more ambiguous. Today’s scripture takes us on a road trip with the Three Wise Men, the Magi, as they search for the Christ Child. I imagine that, for the Magi, following a star to Bethlehem was not easy. However, I also imagine that the hardest part might have been not...

Home is not necessarily a place, but where we find authentic belonging. In this episode, we find Jesus pursuing his education in the synagogue, increasing in his wisdom even as a young man. After the Passover festival, he strays from his birth family to dwell in the Temple, listening to the Rabbis and asking questions. Jesus claims and takes up space, choosing to dwell where God has chosen him to...

Today’s episode is about joy. It’s not always easy to find in this world and sometimes even in our own homes. But here’s what we hope you can come to believe about joy: that even on our worst days, even if we’re not choosing it, joy has a way of finding us, if only we’re open to it. And when we’re open to it, that little bit of joy can make all the difference. Because when love comes to visit, joy...

Home is where we live out the whole tapestry of life - the good and bad - the mundane and extraordinary. Home is more than a destination, not merely a building with four walls an assortment of projects to be done, but rather a space where life happens. And it is a place we do invite guests (or don’t because we are embarrassed because of the mounds of dirty laundry and dust. This episode invites yo...