Awaken Westchester Church: Recent Episodes
Awaken Westchester
Jesus commonly referred to Jesus as "Father." When he does so, what is being communicated about God? And what does Jesus's usage of Father reveal about the relationship with God that Jesus is inviting us into?
Inteview with Art Alexakis of Everclear on writing "Father of Mine": https://youtu.be/nmIsEdBHids?si=m21sMG9tG9IUMVyQ
"Father of Mine" music video: https://youtu.be/kkcbxjWG9Mc?si=tORHWFVyV6GtELN8
This week, Debbie Krekeler talks about her recent medical missions trip to The Gambia. You'll hear what she was doing, some of her favorite stories, and how she was able to live out the message of Jesus.
This week we talk about baptism - what is it, what does it represent, and why would we want to take that step in our Christian faith.
How do we build resiliency in our lives? How do we keep going when life feels dark and painful? This week, we look at Paul's "thorn in the flesh" to discover how we can find the strength to keep going despite the struggles and hardships that arise in life.
This week, Sam Castro invites us to follow the way of Jesus by stepping into the places of need around us through active love and compassion.
This week, we celebrate Mother's Day and baby dedications by looking at how we can pass on the best of who we are to the next generation and help them shape a world filled with love and the values of Christ.
Resurrection isn't just to be remembered and celebrated once a year. Instead, its truth is to be a continual reminder to examine how our lives are being formed. Join us this week as we look at how we can embody the truth of resurrection throughout the entire year and what the resurrection of Jesus communicates about our lives and all creation.
The resurrection offered a new story for the disciples of Jesus to live. This week, as we look at Jesus's resurrection, we'll learn how to trade the old, confining stories for ones that birth new life and new beginnings into our lives.
The wilderness is an inhospitable landscape many of us would choose to avoid. Yet, no one is exempt from journeying in the wilderness and experiencing its barrenness. Listen this week as we look at the Israelites' forty year journey through the wilderness to discover how our wilderness wanderings can bring purpose and value to our lives.
How do we triumph over the giants in our lives? How do we move beyond the obstacles in our path? Join us this week as we explore the timeless story of David and Goliath; a story about hope, faith, and courage despite the overwhelming challenges we all face in life.
This week, Sam Castro looks at the story of Noah to uncover how the storms in our lives, while painful, can be a powerful catalyst for transformation. Just as it was with Noah, God uses storms to re-create our lives in a way that is more true to the version of ourselves God has always dreamed for us.
Life is seasonal. Seasons end. Seasons begin. Join us this week as we explore how to be fully present to the season of life we find ourselves in and how to recognize the invitations God is offering to us in our current season of life.
After a moment of great triumph, the prophet Elijah, afraid for his life, fled into the wilderness to die. Instead of dying, he found himself sustained and filled by God to continue carrying on his purpose of speaking for God and leading Israel in their relationship with God. This week, we look at Elijah's story to see how we can find new hope and strength in moments of defeat, fatigue, and depression.
As we begin our journey through Lent, we look at the story of Jesus in the wilderness as a way to explore the inner messaging we're allowing to serve as the foundation of our lives. By replacing faulty narratives with true, life giving messages, our hope is to experience the transformation and resurrection power of Christ.
Why do we pray? Join us this week as we look at some of the reasons why we pray, and what we're hoping to see happen when we pray.
Then, we'll offer some ways you can be more intentional about prayer during this upcoming Lent season, both individually and communally.
In order to remember where we've come from and how God has been at work in our lives, we need an intentional practice of remembering. Join Sammy Castro as he looks at how God instructed the Israelites to continually be reminded of God's provisions as they entered the Promised Land and how we can create practices that do the same for us today.
We begin our series on spiritual practices by looking at the Bible. Why do we read it? And how do we read it in a way that is authentic, life giving, and transformative?
This week, as we look back on 2024 and ahead to 2025, we explore the purpose behind giving. As we see in the beginning of God's story with humanity, the invitation to give was rooted in God's desire for a community to create a space where everyone could experience the healing and redeeming love of God. We'll look at what our giving goes to at Awaken and hear the stories of transformation that have occurred within our community.
The call of Abram in Genesis 12 has been foundational to Awaken from the beginning. Listen this week as we look at Abram's acceptance of God's invitation to leave home and follow God on a journey that would lead to the blessing of all people. You'll discover how we at Awaken are continuing to follow this call and actively blessing those around us.
The journey of following Jesus is one of transformation. As we grow in our awareness of God's boundless love for us, our lives are changed. Listen as we begin a new series looking at the vision of Awaken by chronicling the journey we've been on over the years.
As you make your resolutions and begin a new year, guest speaker Joe Mrugalski encourages us to spend time reflecting on the God who is always with us, offering new beginnings and fresh grace every day.
What does the birth of Jesus into our world mean for our lives today? What does it reveal about the true nature of God? Listen as we explore three truths of the Christmas story that have the power to change how we understand God and transform our lives.
Video clips shown: Young David: https://youtu.be/w6QR_KxDibQ?si=W7lmefj6wEHWaTnY
"Begin Again" from A Christmas Carol: https://youtu.be/MEiN_iYHnU0?si=JKU-oJOQQQcLoQ2g
The magi travel to the manger offering their greatest treasures to Jesus. They didn't see their blessings as something to hoard and hold onto, but rather as gifts meant to serve and bless the world. As we continue our journey of Christmas, we'll look at what treasures our lives are being built on. Are we building our life in a way of that generously blesses the world, or, like Scrooge in the beginning of A Christmas Carol, do we find ourselves closed off to the healing path of Jesus?
The invitation of Christmas is to be present to the saving work that God is up to in our world now. This week we explore Scrooge's encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Present to see how we can be present to God's healing work in our lives right now, instead of living in the future with our fear, or in the past with our pain.
A Christmas Carol is a classic tale of transformation. Join us this Christmas as journey with Scrooge to uncover how we can find more peace, hope, love, and joy. This week, we'll travel into our past as we trust Christ to bring healing to the parts of ourselves in need of redemption.
Join us this week as guest speaker Sam Castro looks at John 12 to show us how to cultivate a life of awe by slowing down and being present to the wonder around us.
In Numbers 13, the Israelites stood at the edge of the Promised Land, but chose to follow a report of fear rather than trust and courage. Fear, retreating to comfort, and unbelief thus became normalized.
As we explore our final Twilight Zone episode, we'll explore what has become normalized in our society and how to pursue a life of beauty instead of any ugliness that has become normalized.
Join guest speaker Joe Mrugalski as he looks at the final prayer Jesus offers for his disciples revealing his love and concern for us today.
In this fourth episode of our Twilight Zone series, we explore our universal search for meaning, purpose, and identity. Rather than coming to one single destination, this is an ongoing search that changes with each season we pass through. Listen as we look at how Jesus teaches his followers to pursue these questions in his Sermon on the Mount.
Twilight Zone clips from:
"Five Characters in Search of an Exit" 1961.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEpaq332pmI
In Philippians, Paul tells his readers that he has found the secret to contentment. But what is that lasting contentment built on? Does it come from having his every desire fulfilled, or is there a deeper mystery he is inviting is readers to discover? Listen this week as we look at Paul's words and the life of "Rocky" from the Twilight Zone episode, "A Nice Place to Visit," as we learn how to find a contentment that is durable and eternal.
Video clip from "A Nice Place to Visit" 1960
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77ueTRaYTwg
When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Holy Week, the crowd greeted him with joy and excitement. A short time later, the crowd turned on him, demanding his death. What caused this change and response from the crowd?
Listen this week as we look at how our collective fear, anger, and powerlessness can create a powerful mob seeking out a scapegoat upon whom to place our fear and anger.
Video clip from "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" 1960.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPOoEQ2vx7w
Jesus often made a distinction between our inner and outer lives, teaching that the way to true, pure living is by addressing the inner life we all carry within. No matter how clean and polished our outer lives look, we'll never find the true life we desire without removing any rot and decay we have within.
Join us as we look at The Twilight Zone episode, "The Masks," and discover how to live an integrated life of peace and purity.
Audio clip link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMGJLZDLpUg
from The Twilight Zone, "The Masks" 1964.
One of Jesus's final acts before his crucifixion was to wash his disciples' feet. After this act of service, Jesus commanded his followers to follow his example of serving and loving others. Listen this week as we conclude our vision series and look at how we can serve and love our neighbors to bring peace and healing to our shared world.
What is the church? How does the church look when it's operating at its finest? This week, we look at the second way we create followers of Jesus at Awaken, by creating communities of belonging. Listen as Dave looks at how the first followers of Jesus understood church and how that influences the way Awaken has been created.
At Awaken, love is at the center of how we define ourselves as a church. In 1 John 4, the author writes that God is experienced through love. Because of this truth, we strive to ensure that everyone who walks through the doors of Awaken is welcomed in love so they can experience the powerful, healing presence of God. Listen this week as we talk about how we do this each Sunday.
At Awaken, our vision is to create followers of Jesus. This vision goes back 2,000 years when Jesus first started inviting others to follow him. But how do we follow Jesus in our world today? And why would we want to follow this path? Join us this week as we explore our vision and look at why the path of Jesus has endured for over 2,000 years.
In our final parable of the summer, guest speaker, Sam Castro, looks at the parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16 to see how Jesus taught about how to understand and use our resources wisely.
In this week's parable, Jesus flips the script on who finds themselves in right standing before God. Rather than the moral religious man, it's the crook and traitor who leaves the temple in proper standing. Join us this week as we explore how this happened and what Jesus was teaching about the purpose of true religion.
This week, our guest speaker Sam Castro looks at the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant to explore how we can walk the path of forgiveness and healing.
In this parable of the sower, Jesus talks about a seed being sown all over and how the right soil condition can lead to the seed developing into the fullness of its potential. This week, we'll explore what (or who) the seed represents, and how we can set our lives up in a way to experience the full potential of the seed in our lives.
Is this life all about us? Are we to continuously gain and acquire at the expense of others? Or, are we to use what we've been blessed with to serve the world around us? Join us this week as we look at this convicting parable of Jesus found in Luke 16 to explore what purpose our lives are serving and where that way of living leads.
When asked about the end of the age and coming of God's Kingdom, Jesus responds with a parable about a first century Jewish wedding. Within the parable is an urgent invitation and warning to not miss the life of God that is present and available now.
Is God a God of judgment or of grace and mercy? Jesus addresses this age old question in a parable he tells about a fruitless fig tree in Luke 13. Listen to see what this parable teaches about the true character of God.
Join guest speaker Sammy Castro as we look at the parable of the watchful servant and parable of the wise manager.
While Dave was in Pittsburgh promoting Learning to Float, he joined Pastor Jeff and Scott at Freedom Life Center for a sermon conversation around the ideas in the book. Enjoy this lively discussion!
Foundations matter. They matter for buildings. They matter for our lives.
This week, we look at a parable inviting us to reflect on our inner life and ask whether the foundation we're building our lives upon is leading us in the direction of the good life and able to sustain us through the inevitable disruptions we face.
In response to the religious leaders complaining about who Jesus spends his time with, Jesus offers a collection of parables on the value of lost objects. Rather than seeing items of no value that have been discarded and past over, Jesus shows how these lost objects have not been forgotten, but are diligently searched for and produce much joy in the searcher when found. Listen as Dave explores the Parable of the Lost Sheep to see the value and joy God sees in your life.
Video clips used from Tinkerbell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJWCKMPAoGs&t=3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snoAZ-pj2MY&t=6s
Join guest speaker Sam Castro as he looks at the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery to show how the grace of God is more powerful than our lowest moments. The grace shown by Jesus invites us to trust our goodness and potential despite any lies that would try to define us by our moments of shame.
Dave's new book, Learning to Float, is now available!
Listen as Dave offers seven ways to float your way to purpose and joy by creating healthy and sustainable rhythms to life.
You can find the book here on Amazon.
The expectations we place on ourselves and allow others to place on us can be overwhelming. They can take us away from a life of purpose and joy. Listen as we look to the life of Jesus to see how to manage expectations and live from a place of freedom and freely offering the best of who we are to the world.
What messages will we allow to shape our inner thoughts? How do we distinguish between what's true and what's a lie?
The apostle Paul warned the Colossians to be awake so they wouldn't be captured by those selling a lie. Join us this week as we look at this ancient wisdom to see how we stay watchful so we can filter out the toxic messages and allow only that which is true to shape our inner dialogue.
Video clip used from A Beautiful Mind: https://youtu.be/pSP3GIWbJ7Q?si=oRHkLoiHDXbWhfsv
How do you win the battle in your mind? How do you leave behind the lies and false narratives shaping your life? Join us this week as we look at a powerful practice Paul gives his readers to win the battle in your mind and shape your life in a direction true to your God given identity.
At the end of his letter to the Philippians, Paul encourages his readers to think on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. By focusing on these qualities, Paul promises his readers they will find the God of peace.
As we begin a new series, we start by exploring how we can find the God in peace in the midst of the chaos and challenges of life by being intentional about where we choose to focus our attention.
How do we deal with times we've been disappointed by others? What about the moments in which we have disappointed others? Join guest speaker Sam Castro as he looks at the story of Jesus and Peter to see how we can move beyond shame and reconcile a relationship that's been marred by disappointment.
This week, guest speaker, Joe Mrugalski, looks at the connection between Passover and the Christian ritual of communion.
What does faith according to Jesus look like? This week, Dave looks the parable of the widow and the unjust judge to explore how Jesus talks about and viewed faith.
Why didn't Jesus stay on Earth after his resurrection? Why didn't he stay to lead us into a world of peace and goodness? Join us this week as we explore these questions and explore how we are now being invited to carry on the mission of Jesus in the world.
Video clip used sermon is from Kung Fu Panda 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTllxH4vhiI
Resurrection is a truth to be experienced. Listen this week as we look at the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to Peter and discover how resurrection offers a forgiveness that heals our shame and restores our truest self.
We all have expectations about God and how we expect God to act. But what happens when God falls short of those expectations? Listen this week as we look at the story of Palm Sunday to see how we can allow the truths of God to shape us rather than us shaping God through our understanding.
This week, Dave looks at a story of Elijah to discover how we receive healing from our painful experiences through times of rest and retreat.
As we continue our Lenten series, guest speaker Sammy Castro looks at the prophet Jonah to unveil how cynicism can gain a stronghold in our lives and offers wisdom for moving beyond cynicism.
Fear is a response to a perceived threat. While helpful for a time, in certain situations, prolonged states of fear can separate us from God, our truest self, and others. Listen this week as we look at how Jesus invites his disciples (and us) to move from a place of fear to a place of peace.
In Matthew 20, Jesus tells a parable about a loving, generous landowner. But not all are impressed with his generosity. Some are offended by his generosity and feel he has been unfair to those who worked the hardest and proved themselves the worthiest. Watch this week as Dave looks at this parable and challenges us to let go of living by the metrics we so often configure in our heads about who is deserving and who isn't.
As we begin Lent and our Letting Go series, Dave teaches on the story of Joseph to explore how we let go of our ego and learn use our God-given gifts and talents to serve the world around us.
This week, Dave is joined by guest Debbie Krekeler to talk about how we use all of our unique gifts and talents to share the good news of Jesus and bring healing to the world.
This week, guest speaker, Sam Castro, explores the theme of hope and how to cultivate more of it in our lives.
In our final week of Advent, Dave looks at how the birth of Jesus reveals God's love for all humanity, and how we can receive and make that love known to those around us.
At the heart of the Christmas story is a message of hope that will bring "great joy for all people." But how do we receive this joy? And how do we ensure that the joy of Christmas is a joy we carry with us through the year? Listen as we look at Luke's Gospel to discover how to receive and keep the joy of Christ.
This week's Advent theme is peace. Listen today as Dave looks at how we can discover more peace in our lives and how that peace can spread to the world around us.
"I'll Begin Again" from Scrooge: A Christmas Carol. Netflix. 2002
The theme of Advent Week 1 is hope. Listen as Dave shows how the opening genealogy of Jesus given by Matthew inspires hope for our lives and the difficult situations we go through.
Join us as we begin the season of Advent and explore how we can say yes to this moment and be filled with more peace, hope, love, and joy.
"Later Never Comes" from Scrooge: A Christmas Carol. Netflix. 2002
At Awaken, our vision is to "create followers of Jesus." Listen this week as Dave looks at Jesus's calling of the first disciples and explores what it means to follow Jesus with our lives today.
Current studies suggest our culture is desiring community, open to exploring spirituality, but also less interested in church and religion. What do these studies reveal about where we are as a culture? What do they reveal about the status of church? Listen this week as Dave begins a new series exploring these questions and more!
Sometimes, we mistakenly get hung up on ideas about faith that take us away from a full relationship with God. Join guest speaker Joe Mrugalski as we look at what God truly desires from each of us.
This week, join us as Dave looks at two parables of Jesus: The Parable of Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Fine Pearl. Both parables reveal a surprising and beautiful picture of the God of grace reflected in Jesus.
This week, we look at the story of Zechariah. Zechariah's story is about hope and how to hold onto hope when all you see in front of you threatens to steal the hope within your soul.
Listen this week as Dave looks back on the first sermon he publicly spoke about the idea of Awaken and then discusses where Awaken is today.
This week, Dave revisits the first sermon he ever gave in 2007, offering commentary and an invitation to trust in the goodness and healing power of God through the pain and suffering we experience in life.
This week, Dave looks at the story of David and Goliath to explore how to tap into the Spirit given greatness we all possess within.
"God comes disguised as your life."
In every moment, the Spirit is speaking, inviting us to take the next step in our journey. Listen as Dave shows how to discern where the Spirit is at work, and how to know what season of life you currently find yourself in.
What happens when you follow wisdom and you don’t find the rewards or type of life she promises? What about those times when you did everything right, and you still get the shaft?
Listen as Dave explores these questions as we close out our series on wisdom and the book of Proverbs.
Wisdom promises to be a tree of life for those who hold onto her. It is a source of health and vitality. Join Dave as he looks at how the ancient wisdom of Proverbs teaches us to live a life of vibrancy and abundance by being honest with our emotions, creating space for our selves, and walking our path instead of comparing who we are to others.
Proverbs has a lot to say about quarreling. This week, join us as we explore how to avoid quarrels and how to wisely respond if and when you do find yourself in a quarrel so you can walk the path of inner peace Proverbs promises.
Join guest speaker Sam Castro as he looks at how to apply the wisdom of Proverbs 4: gain mastery of your heart, or it will master you.
Rather than providing a step by step manual or blueprint to life, Proverbs provide a toolkit of wisdom; inviting us to inspect our lives, listen to the Spirit, and discern what wisdom to act upon in each moment. Listen this week as Dave looks at some of the conflicting wisdom in Proverbs to understand how Proverbs and God are empowering us to live by the wisdom we have been gifted with.
Do you ever feel like life is a giant ball of chaos? Ever find yourself in need of ordering you life in a way that bring peace? Join us this week as we look at how the biblical authors understood wisdom to be the force that brought order, meaning, and life from chaos, and discover how we can live by that same wisdom in our lives today.
Within Proverbs, we find Wisdom and Folly daily competing for our attention. Whose path will we choose? Will we walk the path of Wisdom, or be seduced by the path of Folly? Listen this week as Dave shows how we can build up the muscles to choose Wisdom over Folly.
The book of Proverbs begins with an invitation to heed the call of wisdom and discover life! Join us this week as we begin our exploration of Proverbs by looking at where wisdom is found and learning how to recognize the voice of wisdom in our lives.
Join guest speaker Steve Bailey as he looks at the parable of a father with two sons to show how we can experience true union with God.
What is biblical justice? Who are we to consider our neighbor? Join guest speaker Jasmine Young as she explores these questions and looks at how the Metro District of the Christian & Missionary Alliance is pursuing justice.
How do you tell the story of resurrection in a way that is fresh, new, and inspiring despite having heard the story many times before? How do you allow the truth of resurrection to move from your head to your heart? Join us this Easter as we look at how to experience the truth of resurrection in our lives today!
Palm Sunday: the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Holy Week. Join us as we look back at the prophet Zechariah to understand the significance of Palm Sunday in the time of Jesus and for us today.
This week we look at the book of Ezekiel! Join us for Ezekiel's vision of how God shows up in the losses we experience in life.
The prophecies of Jeremiah largely fell on deaf ears. It wasn't until after his death that others became aware of the wisdom and divine message he offered. As we read these words of Jeremiah 3,000 years later, what can we learn about perseverance and having the courage to follow the vision the Spirit births in our heart?
The first of the prophets to have his words collected into a scroll, Amos confronts the injustice and indifference rampant within the northern kingdom of Israel during a time of luxury and plenty for many. How can we respond today to the timeless message Amos offers?
Guest speaker Sammy Castro shows how the book of Hosea reveals the heart of a compassionate God always pursuing us, even in the dark places our feet may tread.
While the prophetic book of Nahum delivers a message of judgment over Nineveh, its message challenges us all to reflect on how we are treating our neighbors. Is our life being built on love and grace? Are we living in a way that extends care and mercy for all people? Listen as we look at this ancient book to see how we are being invited today to live as God's people.
This week we begin our Lenten journey through the Old Testament prophets. Listen as Dave offers three main prophetic tasks and five important truths about the prophets that will help us understand their message and what their words means for us today.
How often do we find ourselves speeding through life blind to the needs around us? Join us this week as we look at the life of Jesus to see how to keep our hearts open and able to respond with compassion to what those around us are going through.
Guest speaker Stephen Bailey shows how God has filled us with His Spirit so we can be poured out to bring grace and healing to our world.
From the beginning of the Bible, God has been looking for a community of people through whom to bless the world. Listen this week as Dave talks about how the church is not to exist solely for itself, but to be a source of love and blessing for the entire world.
This week, Dave looks at the second part of our Awaken vision: creating communities of belonging. Join us as we explore the type of community the New Testament describes the church to be. One of love, acceptance, encouragement, support, kindness, forgiveness, and healing.
Let's commit to growing in love this year!
Listen as Dave talks about the first way we live out our Awaken vision of creating followers of Jesus: welcoming others into God's love.
As we begin 2023, Dave offers 5 questions to ask ourselves based on one of Paul's prayers in the letter of Ephesians. Join us as we start our series "Resolutions" and begin the year with greater awareness and intention!
After the birth of Jesus, there is an immediate threat on his life, forcing his parents to flee to Egypt. Egypt has been a threat to the promises of God from the beginning of the Bible. Will it now derail God's plan of salvation? Listen this week as we look at how to live in a world where Jesus has been born, but much of the world still appears the same.
Join guest speaker Sammy Castro as he shows how the magi's heart is what made them open to receiving from God.
There is a universal longing we all carry for the restoration and healing of all that's been broken and lost in our lives and the world. In his Gospel, Matthew shows how this longing finds fulfillment in the person of Jesus, but not everyone recognizes this truth. Listen now as Dave shows how the story of Herod and the Magi reveal 2 ways we miss the hope of God being birthed in our world and 2 ways to recognize it.
Have you ever experienced the loss of God? Has it ever felt as if God is removed from this world or your particular situation? Listen this week as we explore how Matthew's use of the Old Testament in the birth story of Jesus reveals the truth of God's faithfulness and eternal presence with us.
In Matthew 15, Jesus healed an age old curse that had led to prejudices and stereotypes directed toward the Canaanites. By doing so, he was expanding the worldview of his disciples, offering them a bigger view of God.
Listen as we look at how the technologies we use today can narrow our world and deepen the prejudices we hold. Then, discover 4 ways to break free into a larger view of God and the world we share together.
Listen as Joe Mrugalski prepares us for the Christmas season by looking at the incarnation of Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas.
Our time is a precious, limited resource. But have we given thought to how we're spending our time and what we're giving our attention to? Listen as we explore how the technology we use is set up to capture our attention and how that affects us.
As we continue our technology series, Dave shows how the services we use are set up in a way to extract a profit from us and turn us into products exploited for others' gain.
Link to video shown: interview with Sean Parker, first president of Facebook
This week, we begin a new series on our relationship with technology. Listen as Dave talks about the algorithms that guide our lives and the danger they can pose to how we value ourselves and what we perceive as valuable.
Listen as guest speaker Stephen Bailey looks at the ideas of identity, community, and purpose through the lens of the Jonah story.
This week, we conclude our "Fruits of the Spirit" series by looking at the final 3 fruit: faithfulness, gentleness, and set control. Listen as Dave offers one final practice for how to allow these fruits to flow through our lives.
This week we look at the next 3 fruits of the Spirit: patience, kindness, and goodness. Join us as Dave looks at the story of Ernest Shackleton to show how we can allow these 3 gifts to flow through us in greater ways.
Love, joy, and peace - the first 3 fruits of the Spirit. Listen this week as we look at how an intentional practice of gratitude creates space for these ways of living to grow within us. And be sure to join us for our 30 day practice of gratitude!
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. Who doesn't want more of these qualities? As we begin a series on "the fruits of the Spirit" listen as Dave talks about how we can create space in our lives to receive these 9 gifts of the Spirit.
We are wired to naturally categorize our experiences as good or bad. But what if doing so closes us off to the new possibilities the Spirit is birthing in the moment. Listen this week as we see how Jesus invited his disciples to approach their experiences with open eyed curiosity rather than through their past experiences.
What do we do when we come across those awkward passages of the Bible that seem archaic and regressive? Join us this week as look at the importance of understanding the historical situations in which the Bible was written.
Join us this week as we talk about forgiveness and how to cultivate a peaceful heart unburdened by bitterness and revenge.
In his "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus teaches his followers to be discerning about what they allow into their hearts. Listen this week as Dave shows how to put Jesus's teaching into practice by creating a filter for your soul.
The battle within the mind can become a tiring, self-defeating battle. The path to victory, as Paul writes is by "taking our thoughts captive". Join us this week as we explore how to put this idea into practice, producing a life of vitality and freedom.
Listen as guest speaker Sam Castro shows us how to discern the Spirit in a world filled with noise.
In one of the oddest stories of the Bible, Elisha calls down a curse on a group of adolescents mocking him as enters Bethel. Watch this week as we compare this event to a similar event in the life of Jesus, revealing the true character of God.
When God invites Abram to "go forth", Abram was being invited into a new world filled with hope and possibility. It was a call to leave behind all that was familiar, along with the despair and hopelessness that arises when we settle in life thinking tomorrow will be nothing but a repeat of today.
This week, guest speaker Joe Mrugalski explores Paul's meaning behind the phrase "a law unto themselves."
Saul spent much of his life resisting God. Eventually, it was the persistent love of God upon Paul's life that transformed the path he was walking. Listen this week as we look at how we sometimes resist God in our lives, removing ourselves from the love and healing the Spirit wishes to lead us into.
This week we kick off our new series: Catchphrase! A look into some of the odd and interesting pithy statements found throughout the Bible. Join us as we look at our first catchphrase, "eat this scroll", an invitation to Ezekiel as he is tasked with bringing a message from God to the Israelites living in exile.
When the first Christians proclaimed "Jesus is Lord" they were announcing Jesus to be the true ruler of the world. This was a radical statement in a world where many believed and claimed the Roman Caesar to be Lord. For us not living in a world of Lords and kingdoms, what does claiming Jesus as Lord mean for our lives?
The Bible begins with a picture of wholeness and harmony and everything in its rightful place. A short while later we are shown how the original wholeness begins to fracture leading to a world distant from what is first described. Join us as we see how the Bible continues the story by showing how God has not given up on us or this world but, through Jesus, is actively restoring all that has been broken.
In the Gospels, we find Jesus predominately described as a teacher. Watch this week as we explore 3 ways in which Jesus embodied the role of teacher and look at his purpose in teaching.
Throughout the Gospels, we see multiple characteristics of Jesus. This week we start our 4 week series by looking at what it means to see Jesus as a friend.
How do we live as followers of Jesus without the physical presence of Jesus available to us? Join us this week as we see how God has provided the Holy Spirit to lead us in the path of Jesus.
You can watch the video viewed during the sermon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEePUxK44tw
At the heart of resurrection is the question: what type of world are we living in? Join us as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and look at how the stories we believe shape the worlds we live in.
Palm Sunday remembers Jesus's entrance into Jerusalem during Passover. It is a hopeful time for the Jewish nation, but also a time that ends in disappointment when their hopes were left unfulfilled. Join us as we look at the story of Palm Sunday and conclude our "Letting Go" series by exploring how to move forward from the disappointments we encounter in life.
Perfectionism: the need for everything to be perfect. Join us this week as we look at how to combat perfectionism and be at peace with the perceived imperfections around us.
For some, it feels as if the best part of our lives have passed us by. These glory days are in the past with no hope of a better future. For others, it can be the shame of our past that prevents us from believing in a hopeful future. Join us as we talk about letting go of our past so we can embrace all the goodness and resurrection before us in each moment.
How often do we get caught up comparing ourselves to others? It's exhausting! And it takes us away from the path that is authentic and true to who we have been created to be. Join us this week as we look at how letting go of comparison can set us free to be the unique person God has created us to be.
Instead of providing a miraculous sign for those asking, Jesus says the only sign he will provide is "The Sign of Jonah". This is a sign of resurrection through descent. A new life that comes when we lose the certainty we often cling to. Watch this week as we look at how letting go of certainty can lead us deeper into our trust of Jesus.
When Jesus began teaching, he proclaimed a time of Jubilee for all people. It was a time of setting free and being released from all that enslaves us. This season of Lent, we begin a journey of letting go and releasing all that stands in the way of us experiencing the freedom of Christ.
When Moses was called to the top of Mt. Sinai, he was invited to come to the top and "be here." Like us, Moses could be somewhere physically but far away spiritually or mentally. The invitation offered by God in each moment is to be fully present so we can discover the wisdom being offered to us in our present situations.
In life, we often come upon challenges that we would rather avoid. Instead of avoiding these challenging moments, the only way out of what we are facing is by walking through them. By doing so, we find our way to the other side with the transformation it brings.
We work hard. We strive. We try our best. But no matter how much effort or energy we invest in something, there are always circumstances out of out control. Join us this week as we look at when to count our losses and move on in order to keep our hearts soft and open to receive the goodness in front of us each moment.
Throughout his teachings, Jesus continually insisted on the power of the inner life - the unseen, hidden life lying just below the surface. Listen this week as Dave explores why we would want to address our inner life, how to do so, and what to do with what we discover within.
Continuing with the vision of Awaken guest speaker Joe Florio gives a picture of what it looks like to walk with Jesus today and live out our vision of creating followers of Jesus.
What was at the heart of the early church? What defined these first communities of Jesus followers? Join us this week, as we continue talking about our vision and goals for 2022 by looking to the early church for an example of what their communities were founded on.
One of the ways we desire to live out our vision of creating followers of Jesus is by welcoming others into God's love. This week, Dave explores how we as a church can prepare ourselves to be a place of welcome, grace and love for all people who will step foot into Awaken.
Who we follow and look to for guidance and wisdom through the journey of life deeply matters for what type of life we create for ourselves. Join us as we begin the year by talking about how following Jesus produces a life of abundance, joy, and the ability to persevere through all that comes our way.
Joy is at the heart of the story of Christmas. Listen now as Dave offers 3 reasons why we often don't make time for joy and how to intentionally make time for joy in 2022.
Peace - it's something we all long for. Join us as we look at the story of Christmas and how the birth of Jesus ushers peace into our lives.
Join us this week as we see how the birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of a long awaited promise foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures.
How do we remain hopeful in the midst of the darkness we experience around us? Join us as we kick off our advent series with a message on hope.
Rather than a static, non-changing journey, faith is meant to to be an ongoing, evolving journey. This journey is not to be lived alone, but with the company of others who are walking the path with you. Join us as we look back on where we've been over the past few weeks and how together we can continue growing in our faith.
Hospitality - showing love through action - is what drew others into the Christian faith early in its history. Join us this week as we explore how to be people of hospitality in our lives together, extending grace and aid to all those around us.
Gratitude is an intentional, conscious practice where we stop to acknowledge all the goodness that has come our way. Join us this week as we look at 5 ways to practice gratitude and in the process discover a life of joy and contentment.
What kind of world we believe we're living in fundamentally shapes how we live our lives. By trusting our world is one of abundance, we become free to trust there is enough love, grace, and resources for everyone. That belief frees us from feeling the need to hoard, grip, and claw our way to what we believe is ours often at the expense of others. Listen this week as we see how this question about our world has been at the heart of human existence from the very beginning.
What if in a given 24 hour period your only task was to pursue that which fills you most with joy? That is the question at the heart of Sabbath. An opportunity for us to rest from all our striving so we can simply be and enjoy the gift of life we've been given.
Work, when done well, is meant to be a filling, satisfying experience that brings beauty and meaning to the world we live in. Yet, work can often be seen as a slog that drains life from our souls and creates systems that dehumanize others. Join us this week as we discuss how to find the work you have been created to do and offer others the best gift you have to give.
Within all of us there exists an ache. An ache for all that has been broken, whether within us or the world around. At the heart of the Christian faith is the belief that through Jesus, God is making all things whole by restoring all that has been broken. Listen this week as we explore how living with this awareness changes us as well as how we engage the world.
Contrary to our culture of speed, the way of Jesus is marked by a slow, patient journey. In that journey we come to discover grace and compassion for ourselves and others. Listen as we discover how God works through this slow, patient process.
What does a life of stability look like? How can we put down roots within the places we inhabit to create lasting, meaningful change in our communities. Listen now as we talk about the power that comes through stability.
Church is not a product. It is a unique expression of faith that organically comes into being through the surrounding community and people who call that church their home. That uniqueness is also true about you. No one person is alike and no one's spiritual path is the same. Listen as we talk about what makes Awaken unique and how you can step into the unique expression of humanity that you are.
This week we began exploring the book Slow Church in order to paint a picture of who we as a church desire to be. What is Awaken's mission and how are we living it out here in Westchester? Listen now as we begin this new phase of Awaken's journey!