West Hills Friends

Stephen Deatherage shares an original short story with Latin dialogue about how the cross has given way to life.

Mark Pratt-Russum shared a message about sourdough starters and leavened bread. What metaphors describe what it feels like to be present in the world right now? Whether it be a stone crying out, mustard seeds, or hidden leaven, how does carrying the Light of the Divine disrupt the darkness for you right now?

Mark Pratt-Russum shares a message about the story behind the song, "We Are The World." Queries were: 1. How does holding the unknowns of another's story and experience give you more capacity for grace in your relationship? 2. When have you experienced another holding the knowledge of your past challenges in a way that created more space for you to be yourself? 3. How do we create a community wher...

Mark Pratt-Russum offered a message about becoming aware of the influence of principalities and powers and the way they shape our thinking and motivations. How does your relationship with the Divine challenge you to act with integrity and conviction in the world?

Kevin Melvin offers a message about knowledge of God and the search for meaning. What if knowing the nature of God is not material to the exploration?

Mark Pratt-Russum shares about the feeling of always being in trouble. Queries were how much does worry about being in trouble dominate your inner dialogue? How have you received or offered grace? How did it change your heart?

Mark Pratt-Russum shares the message for the morning. Queries were how does the soil under your feet, the watershed in which you live, the light within your own heart, call you back to yourself? In what ways can a community like West Hills Friends be of service to people experiencing the turmoil of our times?

Mark Pratt-Russum shares a message about the imaginal cells of the butterfly within the caterpillar. What "imaginal cells" are within you? What possibility of transformation might you already be carrying? Where are you in your current process of transformation? What are the voices within you saying about where you are?

Mark Pratt-Russum asks us to consider holy days as being invitations to wholeness days. When have you experienced something in the routines of normal life that awakened you to an alternative way of being in the world? How do you stay in touch with what makes you whole?

Mica Coffin shares a message about pet peeves and pet delights. Are there pet peeves--cherished annoyances or irritations--that you have been coddling? Have you covered up deeper concerns by focusing on annoyances? What are your pet delights? How do you broaden your perspective to bring more of the goodness of life in? What does it mean to you to choose between life and death, blessings and curses...

Stephen Deatherage shares a message about timshel, the Hebrew word for “Thou Mayest.” The word Timshel is referred to in the John Steinbeck novel East of Eden. Timshel means we have a choice on how to live our lives, and the power to choose our own path.

Mark Pratt-Russum shared a message about attentiveness to the "other way" that Jesus spoke about. How has your life been shaped by attentiveness to this "other way"? How have you been able to access this other "Spirit" and as a result, responded or moved in a new way? How has being in community with other seekers shaped you, and the way you carry yourself in the world?

A Pastor Molly story about how we walk through grief together. (Photo: Reuters/Therese Apel)

Inspired by Nadia Bolz-Weber's blog post "Impersonating Ourselves," Greg delves into the topic of personal growth and the challenges of aligning our inner transformations with our external presentations. What does it mean to step more fully into who you are called to be? What parts of your past identity do you need to release to move forward? Join us as we navigate the intricate paths of identity,...

Mark asks, "When have you asked something taboo, or embarrassing, challenging or distressing 'What are you here to teach me?'"

When have you done "the work" only to discover that it has revealed more work to be done within you? Mark talks about the resistance to liberation we often feel we bump up against. Photo by by stevecoleimages

A light-hearted story about Jesus’s call to welcome the stranger (Matthew 25: 35-40) Written and narrated by KD Burnett Introduction and queries by Stephen Deatherage

Gil George reflects on the concept of ubuntu, a term originating in Southern Africa that refers to the recognition that 'I am because we are'.

Mark Pratt-Russum asks how can spiritual communities like ours be offering the world the gift of listening to and responding from a new and yet ancient intelligence?

It feels like all of our communities are asking the question, "Why are things so frustrating right now?" Why aren't we bouncing back from the pandemic? For this message, Mark explores the idea of liminality, of the space between one thing comign to an end, and a new thing emerging. Are we, as the human collective, in a liminal place? If so, how might this help us make sense of why everything seems...

Perhaps one of the greatest lessons we learn in practicing how to get along with other people is when we say something with the best of intentions, but quickly see that what just came out of our mouth hit a persons ears and made them feel completely unseen. There are lots of shortcut things we say to people, thinking it is a trusted consultation in a time of suffering, but up there with the worst...

Klarissa Oh has been serving as one of our released ministers for the last two years. She announced that she will be returning to OAASIS, and will be stepping down from her role in our community this July. This is Klarissa's final message to our community. She shares what she has learned, both encouraging and challenging us. In particular, Klarissa challenged us to see the ways in which white supr...

Mark Pratt-Russum shares about downed river logs, our belonging to the earth and the earth belonging to us. Our reverence of the divine exists in the fibers of a downed tree being worn away by the river. "Wild places are at the heart of the sacred moments that resist the passage of time."

Caryl Menkhus Creswell shares her story and how her experience has been interwoven with her understanding of children's spirituality. Caryl is a sought-out international trainer of Godly Play and guide regarding children's spirituality, and she is (by some amazing grace) the leader of all things Godly Play at WHF.

Sometimes we think that changing someones mind on something is as easy as giving them the facts. I think we all know that is hardly enough. But why? In this message Mark Pratt-Russum explores the power of group identity in creating belonging, and how we need to be aware of this power when in engaging with folks with whom we disagree.