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.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to Resilient Faith, the podcast.
Opportunities to find deeperresilience within ourselves can
come when life seems mostchallenging.
This podcast is to help youdevelop that resilience and
connection with God.
Being resilient and havingpower starts with faith.

(00:32):
Welcome, friends, to anotherepisode of the Resilient Faith
podcast.
My name is Pastor Laura Eastand I'm the Associate Pastor at
Brentwood Presbyterian Church.

(00:54):
I apologize for being away fromthe podcast for so long.
My goodness, I really havemissed contributing to this
wonderful collection ofinterviews, meditations, prayers
and conversations about thelife of faith and how to keep
our faith resilient during suchroller coaster times.

(01:14):
As we are ending the summer andgetting into fall, I thought I
would share a poem that I justfound that I really am enjoying
and finding meaningful.
It's called For Summer's Endingand it's from a book called Ash
and Starlight, and so I want toread this poem to you, for us,

(01:40):
to let it marinate over us today, to hear what the Spirit might
be saying to us through thesewords For summer's ending, near
One, thank you for all the waysyou've companioned me this

(02:05):
summer.
You've traveled with me as Imade road trips to visit
scattered special family, waitedat airport gates thick with
frustrating delays, buckled kidsin the car for an adventure at
the zoo, driven across town toeat crisp, cold salads with the

(02:27):
dear friend, folded clothes andpacked the suitcase.
Another time You've traveledwith me, jesus, as I've set in
medical waiting rooms, as I'vekissed loved ones goodbye while
holding back tears, as I'velingered by the window with a

(02:50):
cup of coffee, overcome with toomany thoughts to name.
You've made your presence knownthrough tracked in sand on the
kitchen floor and the smell offresh strawberries dumped on the
counter.
I've heard your voice in thejoyful shrieks of children and

(03:13):
sprinklers and the creak of theporch swing as dusk settled.
You've held me through weeksthat were stressful and weeks
that evaporated in elation,weeks when I was complacent and
selfish and weeks when I wassacrificial and servant-hearted,

(03:34):
weeks when I was honest andintegrated and weeks I didn't
even recognize the person in themirror.
You never failed to remind mehow you loved me and still had
good for me to do.
Sometimes I caught your message, how I thank you, traveling and

(03:59):
strengthening one, for goingwith me through these summer
months, for offering reassuranceas I enter the fall and all its
change.
I hold out my gratitude forwhat was and my quiet hopes for

(04:20):
what's to come.
Amen.

(04:42):
I think what resonates with meabout this poem is that I have
indeed traveled a lot thissummer and I have tried to
reconnect with friends and spendtime with the children in my
life that I love so much.
There has been lots and lots ofcoffee.

(05:05):
There has also been definitelysome stressful times and also
some times that were fun andfilled with joy.
And through it all, forwhatever the summer brought for
each and every one of usremembering that God went with

(05:28):
us through it all and companionsus 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 fromyour presence, if I take the
wings of the morning and settleat the farthest limits of the

(05:50):
sea?
Even there, your hand shalllead me and your right hand
shall hold me fast.
So, friends, I pray today thatyou will feel wrapped in God's
arms today, held in the Spirit'shand, held fast by the love

(06:12):
that will not let you go.
May it be so for you and alsofor me.
Amen.
You've been listening toResilient Faith.

(06:33):
The podcast Resilient Faith issponsored by Brentwood
Presbyterian Church in West LosAngeles.
You can follow our church andthis podcast on Facebook at
BPCTeam and Instagram at BPCunderscore USA.
Make sure to subscribe on yourfavorite podcast platform and

(06:57):
thanks for listening.