Lent is a season that invites us to be intentional. How will you grow closer to God and your neighbor?It is a time of strength training: what will you do to strengthen your faith? In this special  Ash We...

In today’s podcast, Pastor John brings in Becky and Noah Walton as conversation partners, who, when asked what people who are struggling need to hear, responded with, “I SEE YOU.”Here’s what else Becky shared:“My son is an addict—...

For today’s podcast, we will listen in on a conversation between Rev. John Hilley and Chris Peterson, the new youth director at East Brentwood Presbyterian Church. This conversation took place on Epiphany Sunday when we once again heard the ...

Rev. John Hilley focuses on the text from Ruth 1 and Ecclesiastes Chapter 4: 9-12. These texts are more frequently read at wedding occasions than in the lead-up to Christmas but their message is relevant: the daring belief that our lives...

Today we have a special edition of the podcast for you as we bring you inside the sanctuary of East Brentwood Presbyterian Church from last Sunday’s service  remembering. Charlie Strobel, founder of the Room in the Inn. Room in...

Are you a parent struggling with a youth or young adult who is suffering from substance addiction? This episode features Yarnell Beatty, a Tennessee parent who lost his oldest son, 24-year old  Alex, to a drug overdose in 2016.  Yarne...

Would you cast your net again if you had already been fishing for hours with nothing to show? That’s a question that might make one think deeply about the habits in our everyday lives. This week John brings us into the story of Peter, who conti...

If you could give your faith life a “tune up,” what would you focus on? What would you hope to strengthen or improve?Ash Wednesday has historically been seen as the beginning of 40 days of deprivation - of giving up - ...

It’s a new year so it’s fitting that today Pastor John is discussing what rituals and habits we hope to establish in 2024. Rituals mark sacred turning points in our lives. They can help us make meaning of celebrations, losses, and transition...

When was the last time you were truly amazed? Amazement and awe are often precursors for joy. Pastor John has been thinking about how we can incite more joy in our lives and what are the needed practices. For starters, it helps to pay attention...

In this brief podcast the week before Christmas, Nate and John point you to a couple of treasured moments that will help you make room for joy this week. Here are links to the treasures they mention:

How easy is it for us to seek our isolation or seclusion in response to the presence of an event that makes us feel weary? No need to worry,  Luke 1:24-45 provides a clear picture of what that looked like for Elizabeth, as she had been una...

“Can joy and pain coexist?” Is the question asked as we approach the 2nd Sunday in Advent. On this week’s episode of Music, Hope, Word, & Prayer, John Hilley invites Coordinator of Faith Formation, Ajené Holmes, into discussion ...

“Jesus in a new light,” is how some might describe the representation of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46. On this week’s episode of Music, Hope, Word...

the eye within the eye” was advice given to John Muir, famous naturalist and early advocate for wilderness preservation upon hearing the news of his temporary blindness at the age of 28. Thanks to my friend

Music, Word, Hope and Prayer welcomes The Rev. Dr. Mike Gregg to talk about generosity. Mike is a pastor in the Baptist Alliance and now a therapist at The Pastoral Center for Healing on the campus of East Brentwood. This episode is a broadcast...

Every once in a while we come across terrible stories in Scripture. Matthew 22:1-14 is one such story. Jesus tells a story about a we...

In this podcast, Rev. John Hilley explores Luke 24:13-27. It is there in verse 20 when the disciples said: “we had hoped he would be the one to redeem Israel.”  There’s a crucial line in there that’s easy to miss. Will Willimon pointed it ...

We would like to think that the church can be a safe space. Many want, and with good reason, call into question whether it can be such a place – a place that is safe. After all, its history is uneven. It has a history of the gifts and ...

We’ve been thinking a lot about this space we call “Church” and what makes it a welcoming place; an interesting place; a safe space. And that has meant asking ourselves can it be<...

Can the Church be a “safe space?” From the looks and sounds of it, the church can come across as more anti- than pro- (…anti-women, anti-science, anti-LGBTQIA+) and more judgmental and more hypocritical. Yep, we can be judgemental and hypocriti...