Word from Bear Creek: Recent Episodes
Brook McBride
Retirement has a way of making you look back over your life.
Not just the big moments, but the small turns. The conversations you almost forgot. The doors that opened briefly and quietly before closing again.
Lately I’ve found myself thinking about a few of those doorways.
One takes me back to high school when a drummer from our school band asked me to sing lead vocals in his heavy metal band.
Even now, that sentence makes me laugh a little.
I said no, of course.
Truthfully, I’m not even sure why. Maybe I was cautious about the crowd he ran with. Maybe I worried where all that might lead. Or maybe I simply didn’t trust myself enough to step into something that uncertain.
Then another memory surfaced.
This year, I didn’t get a chance to preach a Mother’s Day message.
And yet over the last few days, I found myself needing to write one anyway.
Maybe because retirement has a way of making you look backward with softer eyes.
Or maybe because some memories take decades before you finally understand what you were really seeing.
Pastor Brook re-recorded his sermon because the online recording cut out half way through the service. Take a listen - it's worth it!
Confessions of a chronic lyric-misser
I have a bit of a reputation.
Not for great pitch.
Not for knowing all the words.
But for… confidently singing the wrong lyrics.
For years—years—I thought Forever in Blue Jeans by Neil Diamond was called:
“Reverend Blue Jeans.”
I sang it that way. Loudly. Repeatedly. Usually in the car… windows up, thankfully.
And honestly… it kind of worked.
“Reverend Blue Jeans” sounds like someone you’d trust.
Not flashy. Not polished. Just… present.
A pastor who shows up in denim.
This morning, I woke up with a kind of hope I didn’t have before.
I had a hard time pinpointing just what it was because it was coming from a different place...a different source.
This hope didn't come from what was happening out there:
the news reports, the election results,
or whether or not our leaders will somehow get it together and make peace.
This hope was quieter. It came from something closer.
Next week, when you walk into the sanctuary…
you’re going to see shoes.
One hundred sixty-eight pairs.
But here’s the thing—
they won’t just be placed there.
They will be brought.
Easter people—-
There’s something about coming through Good Friday into Easter that never quite gets old.
I’ve walked that road more times than I can count now.
The shadows. The silence. The questions that hang in the air like fog.
And then…
the light.
The name spoken.
The surprise of life where we thought there was only loss.
This year felt different.
Join Pastor Brook as he navigates the ups and downs of the Easter story. Also, Sasquatch.
Opening Day always does something to me.
There’s a crack of the bat, the smell of the grass, the feeling that maybe—just maybe—this is the year everything comes together.
And when it does? When the ball clears the fence?
That’s my kind of joy.
Touchdown joy.
Home run joy.
The kind that shows up when the result goes your way.
I’ve lived a lot of my life there.
And then there’s Julio Rodriguez.
Our North Puget Sound District Superintendent, Rev. Mark Galang, preaches on Jesus in the Garden.
I grew up sharing a bedroom with my two older brothers. Three boys in one room is not always the recipe for peace.
One morning I woke up to the sound of them fighting. Not just arguing. Really fighting. Voices raised. Bodies moving into “stand off!” position! High noon at the McBride corral! The kind of tension that makes a younger kid lie still for a moment and wonder what to do.
I was scared.
And if I’m honest, I was a little bit of a tattletale.
So I went and told Mom. She brought my brothers in and had a sit-down with them. The lecture was delivered. Justice had been served—at least from my point of view.
But then I had a new problem.
In these days it can feel as though the world is coming apart faster than we can hold it together.
Wars rage across borders. Cities crumble under bombs. Families are scattered. The fragile structures that generations have tried to build—institutions meant to protect human dignity and restrain the worst instincts of power—are being tested and, in some places, deliberately torn down.
In this look at Jesus' life we see how he was tempted in the wilderness just after his baptism.
Here’s an op-ed piece i sent to seattle times today. Concerning a wonderful child i baptized and confirmed who is now being held by ICE. Tragic. It’s long but trying to share my Christian conviction for the world. Praying for Nathan’s family
Most of us are running harder than we realize.
We keep moving — finishing one task, solving one problem, carrying one more responsibility — rarely stopping long enough to ask what all this running is doing to our souls.
There is a moment near the end of the film Forrest Gump when Forrest, after running across the country for years, simply stops. No dramatic music. No grand speech. He turns to the people who have been running behind him and says, almost casually, “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll go home now.”
And that’s it.
No explanation. No achievement unlocked. Just a human being realizing he doesn’t need to keep running.
One of my favorite stories about my parents is wonderfully simple.
One night my dad went to bed early and, as a joke, turned himself around so his feet were on the pillow and his head was at the foot of the bed. When my mom came in, she followed her nightly ritual — leaning over to give him a gentle kiss goodnight.
Only this time, she kissed his feet.
The funny thing came next.
She didn’t even notice.
I wrote earlier this week about a small ritual I’ve fallen into over the years. Every Sunday morning, before I leave for church, I stand in front of the mirror for a few quiet seconds.
Not to fix anything.
Not to judge.
Just to notice.
It’s a way of asking a simple question: am I actually here? Or am I about to step into the world performing a version of myself I’ve learned to play?
Lately it feels like something similar is happening at a much larger scale. As if, through certain stories that keep resurfacing — the Epstein situation being one of them — we’re being made to stand still long enough to look at ourselves again. Not individually this time, but collectively. As a nation.
Let me start off with a secret confession this morning: I’ve been losing my soul to Seahawk football lately. I mean who can blame me! One more game and the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl! Amazing! I love this team!
One of the fascinating aspects of football these days is the challenge flag! What,!?! you mean you can challenge a referee’s call!?!? That was unheard of in my day! Challenging a referee’s call got you one thing back in my prime…kicked out of the game!
Listen to hear more!
Familiar doesn't mean faithful. Last week we talked about fear. Today we name fear's silent partner: comfort.
Pastor Brook looks at the Innkeeper and ways we can make room for Jesus in our hearts. Plus, our choir sings Night of Silence.
Pastor Brook discusses how God made us to be creative and how we can use our creative energies to make changes for good!
Join us as we hear the story of the feeding of the 5000 one more time with an emphasis on learning about strength.
Pastor Brook looks at how we navigate life with imperfections and experiencing God's grace in the midst of them.
Join us as we take a look at what it means to live in between the blessed and the broken.
Join us as we look at Psalm 121 to see God's presence in the big (mountains!) and the small.
On Sunday we celebrated the annual Blessing of the Animals. Since we were unable to record the outdoor service, Pastor Brook re-preached his sermon just for you! Join us!
Join us as we rediscover our inner Shiphrah. Who is that? She and Puah were key individuals to God's plan to save the descendants of Israel from the tyranny of the Pharoah. See how...
Hear Pastor Dave Orendorff share with us about what Jesus got wrong, but changed his mind and got right.
As we consider the role of fathers, we look to examples of those who do the work of fathering well.
Join us for Pentecost and for a message of how we might come together and understand each other and share with our own languages.
Join us as we learn from Jesus how to engage with others who are going the wrong way and how to help them find the right path.
It's our Palm Sunday parade day - a day of fun and celebration. We look at who is leading YOUR parade?
Join us as we consider Peter's failure and what it tells us about the sacramental power of failure. It's a fail-a-bration!
Join us as we remember that we're called to do good out in the world, and that by doing good we spread good influence well past the individual we may be helping.
Join us as we talk about the foundations of our faith as United Methodists, and how we can experience the "thin" places of the world and experience God.
Join us as we learn what gifts we all have and how we can assist those with other gifts and challenges.
Join us as we learn how we are close to God by seeing our blessings instead of feeling apart from him because of sin.
Join us as we learn our instinct to stay on our mat, as an ill man did, and keep doing what we're comfortable with then, instead, do as Jesus commands and stand up and take our mat with us!
Join us as we talk about the difficulties and the "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days" many of us have in the month of January.
Join us as we retell the story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus and how we might heal past wounds with the spirit of love. Please note that due to the nature of this service, it is significantly longer than our typical podcasts as it covers the whole service. Sing along!
Join us as we remind ourselves who taught us how to stargaze, how we find our North Star, and also the North Star of Christianity, Jesus.
Join us as we get together to continue our talk about Ruth and Naomi and never giving up, even and especially when circumstances are uncertain.
Join us as we talk about how Ruth helped Naomi recover after she adopted the name Mara, which means "bitter." We also talk about how we can apply the same spirit as Ruth to ourselves and others.
Join us as we talk about acting, and how Ruth and Naomi's story shows how actions and loyalty can make someone speechless and its parallels in John Wesley's actions and how it forms the spirit of the United Methodist church.
Join us as we look deeper into the first chapter of Ruth to see how things can go from bad to worse, and what to do about it.
Join us as we discuss all the ways we can give, and we are promised that we will receive what we give in equal measure.
Join us as we look at ways to incorporate forgiveness and hope into broken relationships
Join us as we continue to explore how to help someone who may be in a pit like Joseph with the deeds we do, and how we might avoid some of the mistakes we often make when trying to help with words.
Join us as we talk about Joseph in the pit, how we might find ourselves in our own pit, and how we might find a way out.
Join us as we explore the opportunities and the obstacles that we are granted and challenged with through the gifts and privileges we are given.
Join us as we learn why we live to please God, what we believed would happen when we didn't, and why we can choose to be grateful to God even when times are tough.
Join us as we are reminded that God has a plan for all of us, even when we have trouble seeing it!
Join us as we learn the importance of the difference in the gospel of John, how the spirit of Christ can change us for the better and forgive us, no matter how dark our days feel.
Join us as we discuss the commandment to listen and learn the power the act of listening has to heal.
Join us as we discover the 95 reasons God looks at you and says, "YES, THIS ONE IS GOOD"
Join us as we refine our faith by understanding the opportunities to prove our own strengths and grow using the struggles in our lives! Guest preacher: Josie Walsh
Join us for a message from Jesus, "He who is without sin cast the first stone." and how we can use it today in our lives to not cast judgement on others!
How do we cultivate strength in the midst of sorrow? We build a strong core and soft knees.
Join us for the story of the Midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh to save the newborn sons of the Hebrews and how we can use their wisdom to earn freedom for people today.
Join us as we learn the importance of being hopeful and knowing that caring about each other is a good way to help people to not give up.
Join us as we learn the importance of taking a break and resting on the Sabbath, as we were meant to from Genesis.
Join us as we learn to be less self-centered and prideful, to be humble and experience the people, communities, and world around us.
Join us as we experience the healing energy of Jesus through faith, and how each of us can be a force of good and healing too!
Join us as we discuss an important lesson from Jesus: "For whoever exalts themselves will be humbled, and whoever humbles themselves will be exalted."
With guest pianist, 12yo Tiffany Aditya.
Join us as we discuss some of the difficulties we've had and how we might better live and interact with all people, not just those we're most familiar with.
We celebrate Las Posadas. What is Las Posadas? (Spanish: “The Inns”) religious festival celebrated in Mexico and some parts of the United States between December 16 and 24. Las Posadas commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge where Mary could give birth to the baby Jesus. When they were unable to find lodging in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary were forced to seek shelter in a stable, where the Christ Child was born.
Las Posadas is celebrated in cities and towns across Mexico. Each evening during the festival, a small child dressed as an angel leads a procession through the streets of the town. The procession is primarily made up of children dressed in silver and gold robes carrying lit candles and images of Mary and Joseph riding a donkey. Adults, including musicians, follow the procession, which visits selected homes and asks for lodging for Joseph and Mary. Traditionally, the procession is always refused lodging, though the hosts often provide refreshments. At each stop, passages of scripture are read and Christmas carols are sung. (Definition provided by Brittanica.com)
Join us as we begin our Journey, as Peter did when he left the boat to join Jesus on the water.
Join us as we sit around the table of Christianity, with Jesus and Abraham sitting at the head and serving as the example of hospitality.
In our third (and final) week of a deep dive into the story of the Good Samaritan, we hear about ways to find shelter and ways to become shelter for othes.
In week 2 of our fall series on being a neighbor, we look again at the Good Samaritan story through a different lens. We hear Beth Taylor, Darin Danner, and Pastor Brook in a dramatic retelling, and Pastor Brook takes us into the good news of the Good Samaritan
Preaching: Will Rand
Join us as we appreciate and take in the lessons of the words of Paul and apply them through our own instincts, and not through our hearts and minds. Announcements: Blessing of the Backpacks - Sunday, September 10th! Bring your backpacks to be blessed for the start of the new school year! Block Party - Sunday, September 10th! The Seahawks game will be presented on a 20' screen for all to watch, games will be available for the kids who come along! Bake Sale - During the Block Party, bring any and all homecooked baked goods! Money raised goes to help the Riverton Park UMC Refugee Services. Worship Leader/Liturgy Training - Sunday, September 17th. Hosted by Will after worship. Go Deeper: Finding a Third Way in Divisive Times - Sunday, September 24th. Hosted by Pastor Brook and Dave O. after worship. Brews with Brook - Sunday, September 24th from 5 - 7pm at Black Raven Brewery in Woodinville. Fall Marriage Class Oct 22.
Join us as we learn about accepting God's boundless love in the good times and the hard times. Prayers for the people on Maui and in the Canadian provinces affected by wildfires. Announcements: BCUMC Goes to the Ballpark - Saturday August 26th at 1:10 pm, tickets available ($25 each for 100-level ticket!) We are also accepting sponsors for tickets for Camp Unity members! Fall Marriage Class - Each Sunday in October after worship.
Join us as we learn that we all have the agency to inspire! Announcements: Sing! - Sunday August 20th at 9 AM, join our Music Coordinator, Will, and all the other singing enthusiasts in our church family to learn a song for service that day! BCUMC Goes to the Ballpark - Saturday August 26th at 1:10 pm, tickets available ($25 each for 100-level ticket!) Fall Marriage Class - Each Sunday in October after worship.
Pastor Brook, Will, and Mona talk about our Advent theme this year, "Where is your gaze?" - how it came about, what their thoughts are on it, and how we are using it throughout our Advent season. Take a listen!
As we begin our series on generous giving, we take a look at Leviticus 23:22 and Matthew 25:41-46 to see what the Bible says to us about generosity.