Awaken Westchester Church

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.

Guest Speaker Sam Castro Trusting Jesus for healing, wholeness, and hope

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.   Video clip used in sermon: https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/these-homes-are-crumbling-from-their-foundation-790384707513

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.