Woodland Hills Church

Cedrick Baker takes us through the biblical invitation to character development. He demonstrates how God uses our trials and struggles to strengthen our faith, and he provides practical ways that we can agree with God’s character-development work.  

What does it mean to seek wisdom? Dan Kent answers this question by contrasting wisdom with double-mindedness. James’ letter says that those who are double-minded are tossed by the wind. They are pulled down two diverging paths. Dan connects James’ instruction with the “two-ways tradition” and shows us what it means to walk in the way of wisdom. 

Shawna Boren addresses how the testing of our faith leads to perseverance, and then she shows us how the work of perseverance produces transformation. Perseverance is a key component to growing up in our faith and communing with God, and thus knowing him. 

The Bible tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials. Upon first reading, this guidance seems absurd, but when we think about it through the life and death of Jesus, makes complete sense. Greg Boyd walks us through what James meant when he penned these words, and he provides practical guidance for how we can follow them.

In this first sermon in our series on the book of James, Greg Boyd calls our attention to the radical meaning of announcing Jesus is Lord. He then explains what it means to be a part of the twelve tribes of Israel, giving us tips on being faithful to this identity.

Sandra Unger draws us into the imaginative world of the movie Wall-E to challenge consumeristic habits that are destroying our home. Then she introduces habits that will shape us to be a people who offer an alternative way of life, one that brings beauty and goodness in the midst of darkness.

This sermon by Greg Boyd explores the meaning of salvation as Greg explores the theme of transformation found in the movie Project Hail Mary. Greg points out how God’s salvation occurs in three ways: Past, present and future. This movie demonstrates how the deep reality of God’s salvation manifests in our lives.

In this sermon, Shawna Boren invites us to see how the movie The Sheep Detectives points us to three themes in Scripture: The Good Shepherd, belonging, and sacrifice. The Bible returns to the imagery of sheep and shepherding so much that it must hold unique insight into God’s nature and our calling. 

As a part of our Reel to Real series, this sermon by Pierre Fulford unpacks how the movie Masters of the Universe unveils truths about Jesus in unexpected ways. Pierre highlights the importance of taking hold of God’s story to the point it becomes our story, transforming our lives from the inside out. 

In this sermon, Greg Boyd shows us how the movie Encanto reveals essential truths about God’s love, how we are to receive it and how we can participate in it. This wonderful story reveals how we are to live in love, as Christ loved us.

The Bible is largely comprised of stories. What role do stories play in our lives? How can stories change us? Why does God’s word to us come in the form of stories rather than propositions? These are questions that Dan Kent addresses in this sermon.

Greg Boyd concludes the series on Revelation by exploring the final words of the book’s epilogue. The main point is that Jesus is coming soon! Greg explains what this means and how we can respond to this announcement.

Dan Kent invites us to see the story of the Bible, summarizing five grand themes that begin in Genesis and are completed in Revelation. In this way, the book of Revelation calls us back to where we belong, even in the midst of a broken world that tries to pull us away.

Greg Boyd walks us through the vision of the river flowing through the holy city of God, showing us what it means to live as participants in the triune dance of God’s love. The fullness of the presence of God will occur at the end of time, but we can begin to live it now.

The concluding chapters of Revelation provide a vision of what it means to flourish. This vision is of a holy city, one that is built around the presence of God. There we discover the ultimate foundation of human flourishing, the meaning of all life. 

Dan Kent invites us to see three grand themes that are woven throughout Revelation and are brought together at the end of this grand book. These themes are the “two ways” pattern repeated throughout Scripture, the fact that the path of God is a person and that the destination of the path is communal.

This sermon by Greg Boyd focuses on the meaning of “The Lake of Fire.” Greg introduces the traditional meaning of eternal, conscious punishment, and then he expounds upon an alternative interpretation, one that is founded upon the reality that God is revealed in Jesus Christ on the cross.

In this teaching Greg Boyd explains the meaning of the 1,000 year reign of Christ, and shows us how this imagery is not a foretelling of future events, but instead instruction for how to live in the present, reigning with Christ in the midst of our everyday battles. 

The rider on the white horse appears in John’s vision, and it looks like God will conquer through violence. However, Shawna Boren explains there is more than meets the eye, and when we read at a deeper level, we actually see a rider who wages war like a shepherd caring for their flock.