Finding God's Unwavering Presence in the Warmth of Summer and Crispness of Fall

Ready to embark on a journey of resilience and faith? What if I told you that in the ebb and flow of life and its trials, there's an unwavering presence that accompanies us? I'm Pastor Lora East and in this touching episode of Resilient Faith, I share an insightful undertaking of my summer experiences, teeming with travels, connections, and introspective moments, all under the compassionate aura of God. A soul-stirring poem 'For Summer's Ending' from the book 'Ash and Starlight' forms the backbone of our discussion, casting a gentle reminder of the sublime constancy of God in our lives.

Drawing from my own experiences, we explore the essence of resilience in faith through times of adversity and change. As we transition from the warmth of summer to the crispness of fall, I urge each one of us to offer gratitude for our past while holding onto hope for the future. God’s love remains steadfast, even as we oscillate between complacency and sacrifice. Engage in this heartening episode, and let your faith, resilience, and an understanding of God's ceaseless presence be your guiding light.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

Welcome to Resilient Faith, the podcast. Opportunities to find deeper resilience within ourselves can come when life seems most challenging. This podcast is to help you develop that resilience and connection with God. Being resilient and having power starts with faith. Welcome, friends, to another episode of the Resilient Faith podcast. My name is Pastor Laura East and I'm the Associate Pastor at Brentwood Presbyterian Church.

Speaker 1: 0:54

I apologize for being away from the podcast for so long. My goodness, I really have missed contributing to this wonderful collection of interviews, meditations, prayers and conversations about the life of faith and how to keep our faith resilient during such roller coaster times. As we are ending the summer and getting into fall, I thought I would share a poem that I just found that I really am enjoying and finding meaningful. It's called For Summer's Ending and it's from a book called Ash and Starlight, and so I want to read this poem to you, for us, to let it marinate over us today, to hear what the Spirit might be saying to us through these words For summer's ending, near One, thank you for all the ways you've companioned me this summer. You've traveled with me as I made road trips to visit scattered special family, waited at airport gates thick with frustrating delays, buckled kids in the car for an adventure at the zoo, driven across town to eat crisp, cold salads with the dear friend, folded clothes and packed the suitcase. Another time You've traveled with me, jesus, as I've set in medical waiting rooms, as I've kissed loved ones goodbye while holding back tears, as I've lingered by the window with a cup of coffee, overcome with too many thoughts to name. You've made your presence known through tracked in sand on the kitchen floor and the smell of fresh strawberries dumped on the counter. I've heard your voice in the joyful shrieks of children and sprinklers and the creak of the porch swing as dusk settled. You've held me through weeks that were stressful and weeks that evaporated in elation, weeks when I was complacent and selfish and weeks when I was sacrificial and servant-hearted, weeks when I was honest and integrated and weeks I didn't even recognize the person in the mirror. You never failed to remind me how you loved me and still had good for me to do. Sometimes I caught your message, how I thank you, traveling and strengthening one, for going with me through these summer months, for offering reassurance as I enter the fall and all its change. I hold out my gratitude for what was and my quiet hopes for what's to come. Amen.

Speaker 1: 4:42

I think what resonates with me about this poem is that I have indeed traveled a lot this summer and I have tried to reconnect with friends and spend time with the children in my life that I love so much. There has been lots and lots of coffee. There has also been definitely some stressful times and also some times that were fun and filled with joy. And through it all, for whatever the summer brought for each and every one of us remembering that God went with us through it all and companions us even now, even today, for we trust in the words of Psalm 139, where can I go from your spirit or where can I flee from your presence, if I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea? Even there, your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me fast. So, friends, I pray today that you will feel wrapped in God's arms today, held in the Spirit's hand, held fast by the love that will not let you go. May it be so for you and also for me. Amen.

Speaker 1: 6:31

You've been listening to Resilient Faith. The podcast Resilient Faith is sponsored by Brentwood Presbyterian Church in West Los Angeles. You can follow our church and this podcast on Facebook at BPCTeam and Instagram at BPC underscore USA. Make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and thanks for listening.