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 . 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 .
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 . 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 .