It’s an old adage, but “actions speak more loudly than words.” “Walking the walk” is more important than simply “talking the talk.” Faith lived out in action is a powerful and expected response to the love of Jesus in our lives. This is the third of a four part series on witness. For two different […]
The word “humility” comes from the Latin for “of the dust.” What does it mean to be grounded in our faith and aware of God’s holiness and our humanity? This is the second in a four part series on witness. Worship opened with a first person monologue. Pastor Mary’s is based on 1 John 3: […]
Pastor Mary and Ivan Ivanov’s house 6:00 pm Potluck Dinner 7:00-9:00 pm Brainstorming for Worship Join us at 6:00 pm for dinner. Please bring a side dish to pass. The main dish is a surprise! RSVP’s are helpful but not mandatory. Sign up at church or contact the church office (213-798-2181 or lakeharbor@aol.com) or Karen […]
We begin a new series for the next four weeks of the Easter season with the theme of WITNESS. What are important parts of our witness as Christians? Jeff Verry, our Congregational Care Coordinator, shares the first message of this series based on the New Testament letter I John. People are looking for authentic relationship where […]
The story of all those who surrounded Jesus parallels our own failures, fears, and missteps. Where do we go from here? We journey into our fullness, continuing to embrace the Gifts of the Dark Wood where the Spirit beckons us into extraordinary life. We opened worship with Mark 16: 1-7 and “None Like You.” To […]
We do not travel alone in the Dark Wood, but are blessed with the presence of others who help us see, reflect with us, and discover together with us the riches of a life lived with intention. As Jesus comes into Jerusalem at the beginning of that fateful week, he is surrounded by those who […]
The gift of temptation may bring images of resisting evil – sometimes in seriously dangerous forms or seemingly benign as the pastry in front of you. But instead, the temptation for this week is following the “shoulds” dictated only by logic, outside expectation or shine “rewards,” instead of following the path our intuition and imagination […]
The path of life is rarely clear or straight-forward. We find ourselves lost in a Dark Wood, unclear which direction to go, perhaps having strayed from the path we though we were on. It is at these times that the gift of getting lost is that we begin to pay more attention than we usu […]
Ancient civilizations and religions all metaphorically describe the voice of the divine coming through thunder and lightning. We often describe experiences of insight as a “sudden flash,” or “seeing the light,” or “rocking my world.” Storms of life can make way for moments of insight, like the sun radiating in a clearing in the woods […]
Many of us sometimes feel empty inside and we fear that there is nothing there of worth. But what if we let go of our obsession with worthiness and released into the idea that if we want to be filled – to find God – getting empty is the best way. God will find us! […]