Resilient Faith

 Dr. Baker received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Master of Divinity in Theology from Fuller Seminary, and has received a Certificate in Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute.  He is licensed as a Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist in California, and has served as an ordained minister.  Dr. Baker is the Executive Director of the La Vie Christian Counseling Centers with offices in Pasadena and Santa Monica, which have been serving the Los Angeles area since 1980.  Dr. Baker is heard frequently on KKLA radio addressing topics of emotional and spiritual health, and his best selling book Jesus- The Greatest Therapist Who Ever Lived has sold 2 million copies worldwide.

About Dr. Baker:

            Dr. Mark W. Baker has received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, a Master’s of Divinity degree in Theology, and a certificate in Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.  He licensed as a Clinical Psychologist as well as a Marriage and Family Counselor.  Dr. Baker is the Executive Director of the La Vie Christian Counseling Centers in Los Angeles.  

            Dr. Baker has appeared on numerous radio and television programs throughout the United States, Canada and Brazil.  He has been quoted in such national magazines as Glamour, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health and Mademoiselle; and has published articles in professional psychological journals such as Psychoanalytic Psychology, Southern Psychologist, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Journal of Psychology and Theology and Review of Religious Research.  Dr. Baker has presented professional papers to the Pasadena Area Psychological Association, the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, the Los Angeles Society of Clinical Psychologists, The California Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association's international convention.  

            Dr. Baker’s books include: You Can Change: Stories from Angola Prison and the Psychology of Personal Transformation; Managing Your Emotions for a Healthier Life; Spiritual Wisdom for a Happier Life: How Your 8 Key Emotions Can Work for You; Overcoming Shame; How God Heals Hurt; The Personal Power of Jesus; and his international best seller, Jesus The Greatest Therapist Who Ever Lived has sold 2 million copies worldwide.  Dr. Baker also co-authored with the N.Y. Times best-selling author Carmen Renee Berry the book Who's to Blame?: Escape the Victim Trap & Gain Personal Power in Your Relationships. Dr. Baker’s videos on spiritual and emotional health can be found on YouTube, FaceBook, Twitter and Linkedin.

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About Rabbi Michael Gotlieb

Michael has taught at the School of Christian Learning and shares Thanksgiving Service with BPC.  He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1990 where he also earned his Masters Degree in Jewish Studies. He completed his rabbinic internship at Columbia University. Before coming to KM, he served a congregation in North County San Diego for 5 years.

In addition to his congregational activities, Rabbi Gotlieb has served as president of the Rabbinical Assembly Southwest Region and is a member of the Southern California Board of Rabbis. He also volunteers at Santa Monica College Hillel and St. John’s Hospital.

Rabbi Gotlieb teaches courses at the American Jewish University and his editorials and commentaries have been published nationally.

The Rabbi’s wife, Jill, is a registered nurse and they make their home in Santa Monica. They have three children, Alissa (married to Zach Fierstadt), Jason, and Aaron, and a grandson Leo.

Rabbi Gotlieb has been the rabbi of Kehillat Ma’arav since arriving in Los Angeles in 1995.

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The Rev. Dr. Tom Tewell has been a friend of our church and teacher of the School of Christian Learning. We get to know him even better with his conversation with Lora East. 

About Tom:
The Rev. Dr. Tom Tewell has loved being pastor of multiple congregations during his fifty years in pastoral ministry, but in this current chapter of life, he thoroughly enjoys being a pastor to pastors, a guest preacher, a consultant to churches…and, most of all, a husband, dad, and granddad.
During his years in pastoral ministry, Tom served the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, the Presbyterian Church of New Providence, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston, and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. Tom was pastor of Fifth Avenue on September 11, 2001, when his congregation offered a message of Christian hope to New York City and beyond.

A graduate of Princeton Seminary, where he served as a Trustee for 15 years, Tom received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew Theological School. He has received numerous awards for his social justice ministry, particularly with the homeless in NYC where he led his congregation to know the homeless who slept on their steps by name. Known as a dynamic and inspiring preacher, Tom continues to be invited to preach each year in congregations, on college campuses and at conference centers all over America. Additionally, Tom has led multiple preaching seminars at several seminaries across the country.

Tom and his wife Suzanne reside in Claremont, California. The Tewells have two married sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren, who are the joy of their lives!

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Lora had a chance to sit down with a few of our teachers from the School of Christian Learning and talk about what inspired them to join ministry and so much more. Great interviews are coming, including today's!

About Dr. Christopher:

Dr. Smith-Christopher (he prefers simply "Daniel") is Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University with specialization in Old Testament Studies and Theology. He is the author of several books, including Micah: A Commentary (The Old Testament Library, 2015); A Biblical Theology of Exile (Overtures to Biblical Theology, ); as well as two textbooks for Catholic high schools: Introduction to the Old Testament: Our Invitation to Faith and Justice, and (with Fr. Patrick Mullen), Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God's Word (both Ave Maria Press). Dr. Smith-Christopher is also the author of “The Books of Ezra-Nehemiah” in The Oxford Bible Commentary, and “Daniel” in the New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. He is the editor of, and a contributor to: Subverting Hatred: The Challenge of Religious Nonviolence (Orbis Books). Dr. Smith-Christopher's teaching reflects wide interests. He has taught on topics in scripture, particularly of the Exilic and Persian periods, and on issues of peace, justice and non-violence, but also on the role of Scripture in African-American Gospel and Blues musical and lyrical traditions, the Bible in Maori/New Zealand cultural contexts, and cross-cultural interpretation of the Bible more generally. Dr. Smith-Christopher has taken both undergraduate and graduate students to New Zealand often, but also regularly takes classes on local visits to culturally-based parishes and congregations in the Los Angeles area, as well as taking students on a Train trip through the Southwest to visit and listen to Native American Christians share their traditions and perspectives. Dr. Smith-Christopher also team-teaches a course on Lamentations and the Blues in Memphis, TN. He has also consulted on many television and multimedia projects in these areas. "Besides teaching the Old Testament, and especially those Scriptures that arise from ancient Israel's traumatic experiences of conquest and subordination under empires - I am especially committed to finding ways to listen to diverse voices today. I am fascinated by the intellectual challenges, and the gifts, of readings from ethnically, culturally, and spiritually diverse Christians - and I seek to invite Christians from many backgrounds to share their readings of the Scripture and how their own insights can transform everyone's readings of the book we share. My reading of the Bible, and my life, has been transformed by listening to experiences other than my own."

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In today's podcast, you will learn how to breathe in joy and gratitude and breathe out anxiety. Our guest today is Megan Gillespie the interim Music Director at Brentwood Presbyterian Church. 

Here are todays topics. Enjoy:
Gratitude list – begin/end each day with a gratitude list – prayer & meditation

God/Higher Power/Universe – I pray each being listening to my words has a better understanding of themselves, their beauty, and their worthiness.

Breathing exercises:

 6-3-12-3 – anxiety reducer – performance enhancer – being in the moment – being present

Yoga nidra breathing exercise – body awareness – deep breathing – being present

In - Out - Out

Affirmations

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About Megan:

Megan or Miss Megan, as students like to call her, has run her private studio for over 10 years. Megan is inclusive, prompt, open, patient, empathetic, and leads lessons with a lot of humor.

In her work with YoungArts and the Music Center, she is passionate in her support of educational and scholarship programs created to encourage talented young people pursuing careers in the arts. 

Miss Megan’s students range from complete beginners to performers who desire careers in the arts or have a career already and want to hone their skills. She encourages all students to work towards performances in recitals, concerts, competitions, voice over, television, theater, and film work. Recently her students have won the Hal Leonard Competition and placed in the Spotlight Awards and Classical Singer Magazine Competition.
Miss Megan teaches the techniques she won YoungArts and Spotlight with, such as the bel canto technique, Alexander, Meisner, & Breath Technique. 

Students in the studio progress with rhythm, diction, pitch, breath support, performance, acting, repertoire choice, as well as working with tracks and live accompaniment.

Awards: Regional MET National Council Auditions, Fe Bland Vocal Competition, Beverly Hills Music at the Mansion, LACMA Sundays Live, Opera Florham, AMTL Recitals in Carnegie Hall, Birgit Nilsson Scholarship, YoungArts, and the Palm Springs Opera Guild.

Contact Megan:

musiccenter.org/spotlightwww.MeganGillespieMezzo.com
TikTok: @Megnificent_Lessons
IG: @Megnificent_Lessons
FB: @MeganGillespiesStudio

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Our beautiful Worship Arts Director, Katheryne Levin is retiring from Brentwood and we are so grateful for all she has done to make our music FAB for 23 years.

She will be moving home and leaving Los Angeles and her last day is August 28th. How will we go on without her magic? It won't be easy. We love her and her legacy.

Katheryne is a singer, musician, artist and leader. Her heart and soul is on display at every event at BPC and she transforms the music to a theatrical experience and TV show each and every week.
Please check out our lovely church and it's many talents, here.

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About Dean:
Dean Choi is the Associate Youth Director at BPC. He is currently a pastoral Candidate in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and identifies as a First-Generation, Transnational, Korean Male Adoptee. Before coming to LA, Dean assisted in college access work for two years in the inner city of Chicago Public High Schools as a College Advisor and four years working on the college side advising first-generation, low income, and minority students build communities through leadership trainings and retreats. In terms of Youth Ministry, Dean has more than 10 years of experience working alongside various Youth Ministry programs ranging from 5 kids to over 90. Dean is originally from the suburbs of Chicago and the youngest of four. Dean believes that Sabbath rest is foundational to our daily lives and a main way we can recover and reconcile the challenges we face in life in the presence of God.

BPC is blessed to know Dean and wish him well on his next endeavor in his faith journey. Blessings!

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About our Guest:
Rev. Rachel Penmore is the campus minister of UKirk at the University of TN. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida she grew in the Presbyterian church, and received her B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from Queens University in Charlotte, NC and her M.Div from San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, CA.

Rachel has served in many different ministry contexts including Yellowstone National Park, Travis Airforce Base, a Trauma 1 hospital, and the traditional church. She is always looking for ways to think outside the box for where God is moving in the world. 

Rachel is married to John, who teaches elementary school. They love any chance to be out in God’s creation with their daughter Faye, hiking, climbing, kayaking and throwing the Frisbee for their dog Frank. 

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About Sarah:
Sarah Emanuel, one of BPC's School of Christian Learning teachers, holds a PhD with Distinction in Biblical Studies, with a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, from Drew University’s Graduate Division of Religion. She received her M.A. in Religion from Wake Forest University, a graduate certificate in Ancient Jewish-Christian Encounters from Tel Aviv University International, and a B.A. in English and Liberal Studies from the University of Delaware, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and named a Woman of Promise.
Prior to joining the LMU faculty, Professor Emanuel was Visiting Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Colby College (2018-2020) and Visiting Assistant Professor of New Testament at Oberlin College (2017-2018). Professor Emanuel’s research attends to the Jewishness of Christian origins, the relationship among text, culture, and identity, and the interplay between traditional historical-critical methodologies and contemporary critical theory (e.g., queer theory, trauma theory, humor theory). She is co-chair for the CoLaboratory at Feminist Studies in Religion, Inc., where she co-hosts the podcast, "Feminists Talk Religion." She is also Content Area Editor of Biblical Studies at Ancient Jew Review. Some of Professor Emanuel’s most recent publications include Humor, Resistance, and Jewish Cultural Persistence in the Book of Revelation: Roasting Rome (Cambridge University Press, 2020), “Grace Be to You in the Presence of the Past: Ghosts, Hauntings, and Traumatic Dissociations in Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace and the Gospel of John” (Gorgias Press, 2020), and “On the Eighth Day, God Laughed: ‘Jewing’ Humor and Self-Deprecation in the Gospel of Mark and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 2020).
Professor Emanuel is Slytherin Sun Hufflepuff Rising. When she’s not teaching or researching, she can be found training, surfing, cello-ing, and exploring California with her partner, Zoë, and their three best fluffs: Gus, Doug, and Finn.

How to follow Sarah:

Follow Sarah on Twitter
Link to her book on Amazon

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