Resilient Faith

Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.  When we encounter setbacks, disappointments and failures in life; they are inevitable. This is the price we pay for our willingness to take risks, and to follow our dreams. We must never lose faith.  God stands ready to protect us. We must call on HIM in prayer and meditation. Tell Him what is in your heart...

Easter celebration and resurrection through the lens of imaginative prayer. We will visualize the story and immerse in the sights sounds and feelings of the story.   Place yourself in the scene.  Use your imagination. Pray as you are able. God will speak to you.  Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed! Support the show Support us here: https://www.bpcusa.org/financial-ministry/ BPC Youtube Channel: h...

We are in the last days of Lent; Palm Sunday marked the beginning of Holy Week. For Jesus it must have been a week of very mixed and intense feelings; the entry into Jerusalem seemed to be a triumph.  Jesus observed Passover with his disciples and then, the Garden of Gethsemane; prayers for deliverance, his betrayal, arrest, incarceration, torture. Friday, the crucifixion. Jesus was surrounded by...

In Luke 18:9-14, we read the parable of the two men who went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Verse 9 states that Jesus told this parable “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and who looked down on everybody else.”   The parable is among the many passages in the Bible that address humility which is not a popular topic these days. This ancien...

In Mark 12:28-31, Jesus is approached by a teacher of the law who asks Jesus which of all the commandments is the most important. Jesus answers him with this.   Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”  In this devotional w...

This week, we tackle the challenge of holding on and letting go.   Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6b (MSG) There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth … A right time to hold on and another to let go.” Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6b (MSG)  Deuteronomy 30:15, 16a NIV “ See, I have placed before you today life and happiness, and death and adversity, in that I am commanding you today to...

Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well.” You may also want to read Luke 12:22-34.   What is enough?  Has that question ever occurred to you? Do you struggle with the question of your being enough? Smart enough, pretty/handsome enough, talented enough, caring enough, generous enough? A good enough friend, parent, spous...

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart . . .” Proverbs 3:5a  As we begin our Lenten journey, it seems appropriate to explore the topic of trust, trust in God, trust in ourselves and trust in others. Trust influences our experience of life and is fundamental to our sense of safety and security in the world. It is foundational to our psychological and spiritual development from birth through adultho...

Weekly Lenten Devotional  Ash Wednesday 2023  You may wish to light a candle as you begin this Ash Wednesday reflection. May its light illumine your Lenten days.    Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Ps. 139:23 “. . .we come from dust and return to dust” is a paraphrase of the familiar Ash Wednesday pronouncement from Ecclesiastes 3:20 as we receive the imposition o...

The Giving Spirit provides both direct tangible aid and educates communities on how workable solutions informed by direct community engagement, powerful data, and our common humanity can alleviate and ultimately end homelessness leading the “first mile” of service to our unhoused. The first mile of care provides immediate, tangible aid to the unhoused by procuring, assembling, and directly serving...

Over forty years ago, Gayla Cooper felt reluctant to spend even one day ministering to children in a Tijuana orphanage.  However, after meeting a group of children from a Mexican orphanage, Gayla’s heart was touched so deeply that she decided to pack her bags and move to Mexico to work in the orphanage full-time. Meanwhile, Scott Congdon traveled to the very same orphanage with a community service...

Westside Food Bank (WSFB) was founded in 1981 by the Westside Ecumenical Council, when several Westside social service agencies worked together to create a food bank warehouse that could deal with food purchases and collections on a larger scale than any single direct service agency could. Now, we provide nutritious food for more than 112,000 households in need and their families with the help of...

In this episode, you will learn about our Mission Partner, MBF and how Spiritual healing is necessary in medical healing of the body. Our guest is Patrick Coughlin, VP of Partner Engagement. He will share the reason behind the mission and how and why MBF started. About Patrick: Patrick Coughlin was called to Medical Benevolence Foundation (MBF) in May of 2018. As Vice President of Partner Engageme...

Join Resilient Faith Podcast as we interview Tracey Evans, Hospitality Manager with Hope on Union.  To learn more and to volunteer, contact Tracey here: Hope on Union l United University Church    uuc-la.org     How does BPC focus on Mission work? BPC is a Matthew 25 Church! Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you som...

Join Resilient Faith Podcast and Pastor Lora East as she interviews Rev. Heidi Worthen-Gamble, the Mission Catalyst for the Presbytery of the Pacific. How does BPC focus on Mission work? BPC is a Matthew 25 Church! Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger a...

What am I doing here? Why were we born and what is my purpose?  - Dave asks this or us in this sermon. It makes us all think, right? WHY was I born, why were we born. Let's use 2023 to find out!  Romans 8: 5-14 NIV 5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit des...

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2,6-7 The people walking in darkness     have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness     a light has dawned. For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given,     and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called     Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and pe...

In the quiet, we hear God. It’s easy to reflect on the past; that is why they say hindsight is 20/20. As we reflect on this past year, let us be grateful. When we take moments of silence and still, we can hear God. It may not always be great at deciphering the message, but I do know that God soothes me and allows me to get through stressful times. This holiday season can be one that is stressful,...

Join Pastor Dave with a beautiful message about Joseph, and the importance of his role in welcoming our savior, who would be named Jesus. Thank you Lord for our dads, and now important they are in our lives. Matthew 1: 18-25 Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[ a ]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came togeth...

Pastor Dave hits us with a core issue in today's world: how when we are hurt, it spills out to others. How do we reconcile with ourselves and with God? How can we spill out love and not hurt? Listen to ponder the issue.  Scripture is from NIV.  Luke 1:26-38 The Birth of Jesus Foretold 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27...

Join BPC during Advent for our Sermon Series: Reconciled. Lora East speaks on John the Baptist. The seriousness of the season, the pain and suffering in the world and that we do need to repent. That we need to bear fruit, to be clean in spirit and to prepare ourself for God. Advent is a season of more than blinking lights and parties, but a time of Emmanuel - God with us. Don't burn out for t...

Welcome the season of thanks with this great sermon from our Interfaith Worship in 2021. A lot has happened in the last year, and we are very grateful for each of you.  Please continue to spread love and joy and share the message of our podcast.  God Bless.  Support the show Support us here: https://www.bpcusa.org/financial-ministry/ BPC Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrentwoodPresbyte...

Make it a daily practice to have gratitude and space for yourself. Pause, be still and have a conversation with God. Psalm 98 A psalm of praise. 1 Sing to the Lord a new song,     for he has done marvelous things;    his right hand and his holy arm     have worked salvation for him. 2 The Lord has made his salvation known     and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his l...

In this beautiful service, Pastor Lora reminds us of the joy of remembering those that have left us. Take time today to have gratitude for those that you have lost and those precious memories.  Blessings and Peace.  Support the show Support us here: https://www.bpcusa.org/financial-ministry/ BPC Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrentwoodPresbyterianChurch

In the series, we dive into letting go of perfection in exchange for being imperfect, vulnerable and, yes, worthy of God’s love and belonging just as we are. As Christians, we found a lot of resounding themes within the wisdom of this book, and connected it to our life of faith. During this 5 week series, gain insight as to how you can better value yourself as a beloved child of God, let go of wha...