United Methodist Church Westlake Village

United Methodist Church Westlake Village
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Audio of Pastor Darren Cowdrey's weekly message, as we work together toward fulfilling our mission statement: "Setting a Course for a Better Life." Live-streamed weekly from our campus in Westlake Village, CA.  Video of this entire worship service is available for viewing or listening on our home page at http://www.umcwv.org for approximately 3 weeks, and then also available on our YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/4hFmuBZ All songs used in compliance with our CCLI and streaming licenses.Copyright License # 1291056Streaming License #CSPL075029 If you'd like to support our ministries, please follow this link: https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=6fe0e233-47e0-4a4b-8d21-f21ad5e75db8

  1. 3d ago

    From Paper Maps To Living Faith In John 14

    Send us Fan Mail Paper maps used to swallow the whole windshield, but at least they told us exactly where to turn. Faith rarely works like that. We start with a laugh about the “map generation,” then pivot to John 14, where the disciples are desperate for directions because Jesus says he will not be with them the same way. What they want is a route. What Jesus offers is a way of life. We walk through three reactions that still show up in modern Christian life. Peter hears threat and goes into battle mode. Thomas wants the plan and the timeline, which sets up the famous words: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Then Philip voices the ache many of us feel: “Show us the divine.” Jesus answers with a challenge and a comfort: if you have seen me, you have seen the Father. We talk about divine presence not as a distant ruler in the sky, but as love, healing, and liberation lived out in flesh and blood relationships. Then we sit with the line that refuses to let us off easy: “You will do greater things than these.” Not as superhero religion, but as a call to spiritual maturity, co-creation, and a shared commitment to justice and compassion. We tell a real story about friends losing hope through health and job crises, and why a simple invitation to a caring church community can become a lifeline, especially in a polarized season when “love one another” is more than a slogan. If this conversation hits you, subscribe for more, share it with a friend who needs steady hope, and leave a review so more people can find it. What would it look like for you to live like the “greater things” might start with love today? Support the show

    From Paper Maps To Living Faith In John 14

  2. Oct 11

    A Christian Response To Election Season Division

    Send us Fan Mail Election season has a way of turning ordinary people into permanent enemies, and we’re tired of watching it happen to our families, our churches, and our neighbourhoods. So we’re stepping into a different path with a simple phrase that gets a lot less simple once you read where it comes from: “Love one another.” Pastor Darren introduces a grassroots campaign designed to be shared freely, used anywhere, and lived publicly as an alternative message amid the noise, the bickering, and the chaos that drives so many of us up the wall.  Then we go straight to the source in John 13, John’s version of the Last Supper. This is Jesus’ final night with his disciples, and John highlights a moment the other gospels don’t include: foot washing. It’s intimate, vulnerable, and uncomfortable on purpose. Jesus doesn’t just teach love, he demonstrates it as servant leadership. The story gets even more confronting when we remember who is in the room and what Jesus knows is coming.  Because yes, Jesus washes Judas’ feet. He serves the betrayer. That one detail reframes Christian love as agape love that refuses to dehumanise, even when someone has wronged you. From there, we connect the dots to politics and public life: God does not need us to “fight the fight” like opponents in a cage match. We talk about choosing a truer north for the weeks ahead, including respect for truth, humility about complex issues, and real regard for the humanity and complexity of the people we disagree with.  If you want a faith-forward way to navigate political division without losing your soul, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a calmer conversation, and leave a review so more people can find the message, what’s one practice that helps you love when you disagree? Support the show

    A Christian Response To Election Season Division

  3. Sep 27

    Forgiveness Works When You Stop Counting

    Send us Fan Mail What if the leadership skill we avoid most is the one Jesus insists we practise daily: forgiveness? We start with a blunt truth from years of ministry and leadership work: people do not follow big vision for long if we refuse to model the basics. From there, we move into the final theme in our leadership series, grace, and the hard question behind it: what do we do after conflict when emotions are high, trust is thin, and everyone wants accountability on their terms? We dig into Matthew 18 where Peter asks for a number and Jesus answers with a holy exaggeration: stop counting. That leads into the parable of the unforgiving servant, a story about a crushing debt erased and a smaller debt enforced without mercy. We talk about why this hits so close to home in modern life, from family tension to workplace resentment, and how “I’m just being fair” can become a mask for gracelessness. We also name the difference between forgiving and staying vulnerable, because grace does not mean pretending harm never happened. Then we zoom out to Exodus and Pharaoh as a picture of what human systems can do when power matters more than humanity. Finally, we bring in John Wesley’s Aldersgate moment and his heart “strangely warmed,” a reminder that grace is not earned, it is received and then lived out. If you care about Christian leadership, conflict resolution, spiritual growth, and building communities that do not discard people, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the hardest part of forgiveness for you right now. Support the show

    Forgiveness Works When You Stop Counting

  4. Sep 20

    How Jesus Teaches Christians To Handle Conflict

    Send us Fan Mail Conflict can make us defensive, dramatic, or determined to “win” and Jesus invites us into something braver. We take a hard look at Matthew 18 and the classic step by step approach people quote when relationships break down, then ask a sharper question: is the goal really to prove someone wrong, or to become more Christ-like through the mess? We connect Jesus’ teaching to the Exodus story and Passover, a reminder that God’s people have always lived inside real conflict, not outside it. Along the way we talk about why public pressure rarely produces reconciliation, why “you did this” speeches tend to escalate the fight, and how simple “I statements” can keep us grounded in honesty without playing judge and jury. Then we go deeper into the heart of Christian leadership and spiritual formation: transformation over order. With help from Richard Rohr, we explore the “good news” hidden in disorder and why Jesus is not obsessed with niceness or control. Even the line about treating someone like a tax collector or Gentile lands differently when you remember how Jesus treated outsiders: with presence, truth, and relentless love. If you’ve been avoiding a hard conversation or replaying one you wish you handled better, this is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who leads in their church or family, and leave a review so more people can find practical, faith-based conflict resolution. Support the show

    How Jesus Teaches Christians To Handle Conflict

  5. Sep 13

    What If The Hard Path Is The Point?

    Send us Fan Mail Peter tries to stop Jesus from suffering and gets a response that sounds almost shocking: “Get behind me, Satan.” That moment is not about shaming Peter, it’s about naming the seductive pull of avoidance. When the calling gets hard, the most dangerous temptation is the exit door that looks like wisdom, protection, or common sense. We talk through what I call the “Peter problem” and why Christian leadership is not mainly about control, winning, or looking strong. Jesus models a different kind of power, sacrificial love, service, surrender, and the vulnerability of true power. Then we zoom out to Moses and the burning bush, another story where God’s mission arrives with real risk attached. The thread connecting both stories is acceptance: not acquiescence, not giving up, but grabbing hold of the path God sets before you and choosing to follow it even when it costs you comfort. I also share a story from my early impressions of Sierra Service Project, and how cynicism can sound like realism until you see people show up with deep faith and real commitment. Finally, we bring the lesson home with a church leadership invitation for election season, inspired by Church of the Resurrection’s resources: a simple public witness that cuts through the noise with one clear Christian message, “Love One Another,” shared through yard signs and shirts. If you’ve been feeling worn down by hostility, anxious about leadership, or unsure how to live your faith in public, this is a practical next step. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us what mission you think God is asking you to accept right now. Support the show

    What If The Hard Path Is The Point?

  6. Sep 6

    If Power Is Complex, What Is Yours For?

    Send us Fan Mail Power can feel like a set of keys placed in your hand, thrilling at first, then heavy when you realise what you can unlock and what you could damage. We start our “Lessons in Leadership” series by asking what Jesus teaches us about power, beginning with a familiar moment where Jesus presses Peter: “Who do you say that I am?” The real tension is not whether we know the right words, but whether our lives back them up. From there, we lean into the phrase “the keys to the kingdom” and what that kind of spiritual authority might actually mean. To keep it grounded, we talk about the first time you were trusted with real responsibility, driving the family car, owning a project, raising a child, and we connect that feeling to leadership in the church. Then we step into Exodus and the birth of Moses, where power moves in every direction: Pharaoh’s violent control, the Hebrew people’s resilience, Shiphrah and Puah’s faithful resistance, Pharaoh’s daughter’s moral courage, and Miriam’s smart use of information. Running through the whole story is God’s presence, a saving power that doesn’t just hover but pushes history toward justice, love, and life. Finally, we return to Peter with a twist: what if Jesus isn’t handing Peter a prize, but naming that Peter’s recognition is itself the key? We close with a communion reflection that gets personal fast: what does “Messiah” mean to you, and how is Jesus saving you right now? If this helped you think differently about Christian leadership, spiritual power, and the meaning of the Messiah, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. Support the show

    If Power Is Complex, What Is Yours For?

  7. Aug 31

    God Leaves The Flock To Find You

    Send us Fan Mail A teenager with severe social anxiety writes letters to himself just to make it through the day and one of those pages ends up in the wrong pocket. From there, Dear Evan Hansen turns into a story about grief, loneliness, a lie that grows legs online, and a message that goes viral because people are starving to hear it. We walk through the plot and why it resonates in a moment when technology keeps us “connected” while so many of us still feel isolated, unworthy, or unseen. Then we open Luke 15 and sit with Jesus’ three “lost” stories: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Each parable paints a different picture of the same reality. God searches, God treasures, God forgives. We talk about what it means to feel unmoored and how quickly pain can turn into the question underneath the question: Is God really looking for me, and am I actually valuable? We also reflect on You Will Be Found, the song that becomes a life-affirming anthem inside the musical even though the moment is built on fabrication. The irony is sharp, but so is the invitation: receive the words as God’s promise when you feel broken, ashamed, or alone. If you’ve been wrestling with mental health, teen loneliness, social media pressure, or your place in faith, press play and let this be a reminder that you are worth finding. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the line that hit you most. Support the show

    God Leaves The Flock To Find You

  8. Aug 16

    Hamilton, Grief, And The Path To Healing

    Send us Fan Mail A lot of us learned Alexander Hamilton’s life just long enough to pass a test, then let it fade. So we’re bringing it back in a way that actually lands, through the Hamilton musical and one of its most tender moments: “It’s Quiet Uptown.” We talk through Hamilton’s rise from an orphaned childhood to the centre of the Revolutionary War and the founding of American government, then track the growing political rivalry with Aaron Burr that ends in the duel everyone remembers. Then the story tightens into the part that hurts. Hamilton’s marriage to Eliza, the pressure of constant work, the damage of scandal, and the loss that no family wants to imagine: Philip’s death while defending his father’s honour. We name the strange silence that follows tragedy, when distractions stop working and words can’t reach the wound. If you’ve ever faced grief, regret, or the feeling that life has cheated you, this is where the conversation gets painfully real. From there we open 2 Corinthians 1:3–7 and sit with Paul’s claim that faith doesn’t erase suffering, but it can change what suffering does inside us. We look for God’s consolation as something concrete, often carried through friends, family, and church community, and we talk about forgiveness as a slow, honest pathway back toward wholeness, including learning to receive grace for ourselves. “It’s Quiet Uptown” becomes our guide, moving from unbearable loss to the smallest sign of repair: a hand taken in a garden. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs comfort, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. What part of the story are you still carrying today? Support the show

    Hamilton, Grief, And The Path To Healing
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About

Audio of Pastor Darren Cowdrey's weekly message, as we work together toward fulfilling our mission statement: "Setting a Course for a Better Life." Live-streamed weekly from our campus in Westlake Village, CA.  Video of this entire worship service is available for viewing or listening on our home page at http://www.umcwv.org for approximately 3 weeks, and then also available on our YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/4hFmuBZ All songs used in compliance with our CCLI and streaming licenses.Copyright License # 1291056Streaming License #CSPL075029 If you'd like to support our ministries, please follow this link: https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=6fe0e233-47e0-4a4b-8d21-f21ad5e75db8

Information

  • Creator
    United Methodist Church Westlake Village
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    533
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 United Methodist Church Westlake Village
  • Show Website
    United Methodist Church Westlake Village