Living Water Radio is designed to bring encouragement, reflection and a sense of relationship to Christians and others looking for Christian community in the Los Angeles area during the pandemic and in the "new normal" that follows. It is co-produced by Pastor David Berkedal and Reverend Sally Welch.
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Send us a text Summary: The official tagline of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, my home denomination, is “God’s work. Our hands.” It’s too long. Today, we’re going to find out why. Referenced Bible verses: Matthew 25:40; Mark 7:24-37; Romans 5:8-9; 1 Peter 2:9-10; John 20:30-31; Romans 10:17; John 14:6 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch …
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Send us a text Summary: We can’t earn our way into heaven, but we can eat our way there. Today, we’re going to find out how. Referenced Bible verses: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23; Romans 4:13; John 6:51; Galatians 5:22-23 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and benediction. Our …
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Send us a text Summary: What image comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “The Staff of Life”? Today, we’re going to learn a new one, and what it has to do with the renewal of the Church Referenced Bible verses: Hebrews 11:21; Leviticus 26:26; John 6:56-69: John 6:51 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our …
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Send us a text Summary: If you wanted to describe what Jesus did for us on the cross, you couldn’t find a more difficult way than the way Jesus describes it in John 6. Today, we’re going to find out why that’s a good thing. Referenced Bible verses: John 6:51-58 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos …
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Send us a text Summary: You can buy a loaf of bread at the grocery store for between $5 and $7. Jesus gave the world a bread that transforms and feeds us forever. Today, we’re going to find out what it is. Referenced Bible verses: John 6:35, 41-51; John 10:10 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to…
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Send us a text Summary: If doing the work of God isn’t impossible, you’re doing it wrong. Today, we’re going to find out why. Referenced Bible verses: John 6:1-21; Matthew 6:31-33; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Matthew 5:16; Matthew 19:25-26 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and …
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Send us a text Summary: Two big stories will dominate our consciousness this week, and they happened almost back-to-back. Two thousand years ago. Today, we’ll find out what they are. Referenced Bible verses: John 6:1-21 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and benediction. Ou…
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Send us a text Summary: When our divisions seem to have brought us to rock bottom it can seem like there’s no way forward. There is a way forward, and it has two seemingly unrelated parts. Today, we’re going to find out what it is. Referenced Bible verses: Colossians 3:9-11; Galatians 3:27-28; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56; John 14:6 Please note that Rev. Sa…
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Send us a text Summary: Do you like reality TV? True crime stories? Soap Operas? Realistic fantasy dramas? We’ve got a doozie for you! And it all leads up to the Truth. Today, we’re going to find out what it is. Referenced Bible verses: Mark 6:14-29; Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21; John 14:6 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the fir…
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Send us a text Summary: What is life? And why does the Christian Church have a diminished presence in the Western world today? The answer to both questions is the same. Today, we’ll find out what it is. Referenced Bible verses: Genesis 1-2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Matthew 18:20; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen i…
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Send us a text Summary: The vast majority of those in the United States who are not members of Christian churches or other religious organizations still believe in God or in some “higher power”. How can they be directed from a generic spirituality to a living faith in Jesus Christ? Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: Exodus 20:…
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Send us a text Summary: Do you ever look around and wonder if Jesus is asleep somewhere? If he cares about us? So did His disciples, at least once. Today, we’re going to find out how Jesus answered them. And us. Referenced Bible verses: Mark 4:35-41 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring enc…
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Send us a text Summary: There are lots of kinds of mandarin oranges. Tangerines are one of them. Be a tangerine church. Today, we’ll find out why. Referenced Bible verses: Mark 4:26-34; Ephesians 6:2-4; Exodus 20:12 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and benediction. Our Em…
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Send us a text Summary: There are people in our culture who are looking for transcendence in their lives. They’re not finding it in our churches. Why? How do we present a sense of transcendence in our worship, and in our lives? Is that even possible? Today, were going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: John 1:1; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Thessalonians …
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Send us a text Summary: What the people of God should and shouldn’t do on the sabbath can’t be more relevant to revitalizing the Church in our time. Today, we’re going to find out why. Referenced Bible verses: Genesis 20:8-11; Matthew 15:17-20 Mark 2:23 – 3:6 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to…
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Send us a text Summary: As if contemplating the Holy Trinity isn’t enough to make us question our sanity, we heard news last week that made us question what it means to be human, and it wasn’t A.I. Today, we’re going to find out what it means. Referenced Bible verses: John 3:1-17; Matthew 28:19-20 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen…
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Send us a text Summary: Adele had a hit song with “Set Fire to the Rain” about a toxic moment in a relationship. Today, we’re going to find out why those words are also an excellent way to describe the restoration of a relationship on the Day of Pentecost. Referenced Bible verses: Acts 2:1-21; Exodus 3:2-6; Genesis 11:8-9; Matthew 3:11; Titus 3:4-8…
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Send us a text Summary: What relationships do you value most? There is one relationship that defines every other relationship, and we in the Body of Christ all have it in common. Today, we’re going to find out what it is. Referenced Bible verses: 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:14-15; John 17:6-19; John 19:26-27; Matthew 5:23-24; John 1:12-13 Please not…
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Send us a text Summary: How can we improve our vision? Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: Proverbs 29:18; John 15:9-17; Galatians 5:20- Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and benediction. Our Email Address: TheRevsDavidandSally@gmail.com Here’s the lin…
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Send us a text Summary: When Sally and I go to an American supermarket and I look at the produce section, I often think, “This is what brought down the Soviet Union.” Today, we’re going to see how our bearing much fruit is the expression of lives that have been transformed forever. Referenced Bible verses: John 15:1-8; Galatians 5:22-23; John 12:24…
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Send us a text Summary: How do we share Jesus without a culture? Is that even possible? Or desirable? Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: John 10:11-18; Matthew 28:18-20 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and benediction. Our Email Address: TheRevsDavid…
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Send us a text Summary: The moon obscured the sun this past week, as the world obscures the Son of God. God was revealed in the sun, as always, this past week, as God shines in Jesus Christ. Today, we’re going to see how we reflect that Light. Referenced Bible verses: Matthew 7:13-14; Romans 3:22b-26; 1Corinthians 13:12; John 1:23; Romans 1:18-21; …
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Send us a text Summary: There was good news last Sunday, but who heard it? There will be doubt this Sunday, but who will believe? Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: 1 Peter 2:2; John 20:19-31; Genesis 2:7; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 28:16-20 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our video…
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Send us a text Summary: The familiar will, once again, become strange tomorrow. We’ll mark the day when God washed people’s feet, instituted the means of communion with him, and commanded people to love. It’s a weird day, but it helped build the foundation of our eternal lives. Today, we’ll see what it is. Referenced Bible verses: Matthew 22:36-40;…
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Send us a text Summary: Jesus entered Jerusalem with crowds shouting “Hosanna!” A few days later crowds were shouting “Crucify him!” What happened? And what does it mean for us? Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: Proverbs 21:2; Mark 14:1 - 15:47; Mark 11:1-10; John 10:18; Luke 23:34; Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears o…
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Send us a text Summary: There are influences in our culture today that are making people outside the Church more open to encountering Jesus. And people inside the Church less so. Today, we’re going to find out what they are and how they can be opportunities for us share the good news of the cross. Referenced Bible verses: John 12:20-33; Matthew 11:…
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Send us a text Summary: Many people, and most Christians, know John 3:16 by heart. They know the text. But they often don’t know its context so they look for a pretext, an excuse. Today, we’re going to find out why a Lenten focus makes that totally unnecessary. Referenced Bible verses: John 3:14-21; Numbers 21:4-9 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch …
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Send us a text Summary: Is there a way to excel in Lent? The Roman numeral XL stands for 40. Maybe that’s a clue. Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: Philippians 4:8; John 2:13-22; 2 Corinthians 8:7 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and benediction. Ou…
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Send us a text Summary: How do we reverse the institutional decline of the Church in the Western world? Lent. Today, we’re going to see why. Referenced Bible verses: Lamentations 3:40, Mark 8:31-38; John 16:33 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and the benediction. Our Emai…
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Send us a text Summary: Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. It’s also St. Valentine’s Day. Today, we’re going to put the Lent in Valentine! Referenced Bible verses: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21; Matthew 5:16; Galatians 5:22-23 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encourage…
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Send us a text Summary: Have you ever thought that if God would give you a really clear sign, your faith would really be strong? Today we’re going to find out why that’s probably not the case. Referenced Bible verses: Mark 8:27-38; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 16:19-31 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to b…
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Send us a text Summary: The hype machine is rolling out for the Super Bowl. Jesus embodied just the opposite behavior. Today, we’re going to find out why. Referenced Bible verses: Mark 1:29-39 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and the benediction. Our Email Address: TheRev…
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Send us a text Summary: Holy Communion is a sacrament, a sacred event. Some say it is the second sacrament. Is it? And what does it have to do with Evangelism? Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: Matthew 26:20-30; Mark 14:17-26; Luke 22:14-23; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 6:27 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen…
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Send us a text Summary: We are often confronted with choices in our lives. How do we know how to go in the right direction? Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: Mark1:14-20; 1 Peter 2:9-10 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and the benediction. Our Email…
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Send us a text Summary: We have no excuses before God. Only a Savior. Today, we’re going to find out why. Referenced Bible verses: John 1:43-51; Romans 1:20-21; Leviticus 4:19-20; Matthew 7:12; Matthew 5:43-45; 1 John 4:18-19; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to…
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Send us a text Summary: As we start the new year, is your glass half-full or half empty? It’s neither. Today we’re going to find out why. Twice. Referenced Bible verses: Mark 1:4-11; Romans 5:8-10; Romans 6:1-5; Mark 4:7-8 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and the benedict…
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Send us a text Summary: We are now in-between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Christians live in-between lives in many ways, and in some ways we do not. Today, we’re going to find out what they are. Referenced Bible verses: Matthew 5:14-15; John 1:3-5; Luke 6:26; Romans 12:2; Romans 6:1-4; Revelations 3:14-16 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch app…
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Send us a text Summary: Advent may be shorter this year than usual, and that’s a problem. Today, we’re going to find out why. Referenced Bible verses: Luke 1:28-36; Mark 13:37 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and the benediction. Our Email Address: TheRevsDavidandSally@gm…
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Send us a text Summary: There are many good reasons to be afraid these days. And one great reason not to. Today, we’re going to find out what it is. Referenced Bible verses: John 1:6-8, 19-28; Psalm 27:1; Romans 5:3-5; 1 John 4:7-8; 1 John 4:18; 1 John 4:19; John 3:16; John 16:33 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-o…
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Send us a text Summary: How would you feel if a member of your family was homeless, living in the desert, wearing the skin of a dead animal, and eating bugs. Jesus was fine with that. Today, we’re going to find out why. Referenced Bible verses: Luke 1:35-37; Luke 1:39-41a; Mark 1:1-8; Matthew 11:11 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-scree…
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Send us a text Summary: What does the end of the world have to do with the birth of Jesus Christ? And where do we fit in with what God is doing? Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: Romans 10:17; Mark 13:24-37; Galatians 4:4-5; John 15:16; Exodus 20:4; John 6:44 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30…
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Send us a text Summary: This coming Sunday is Christ the King Sunday throughout the world. The news in many churches is not going to be good. Today, we’re going to find out what the good news is, and where to find it. Referenced Bible verses: Genesis 1:26-28; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 22:20; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43; John 3:3; Luke …
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Send us a text Summary: It’s hard to talk about Jesus in a way that leads people to receive transformational faith from God. Today, we’re going to find out how. Referenced Bible verses: Acts 2; Romans 10:17 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and the benediction. Our Email A…
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Send us a text Summary: Can we all be forgiven? God is merciful and God us just. Which do you hope God will be toward you? Which do you hope God will be toward those who have wronged you or who have wronged others? Or are mercy and justice the same? Today, we’re going to find out. Referenced Bible verses: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4; Matthew 18:23-…
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Send us a text Summary: We are saints and sinners. Today, we’re going to find out why that’s a very nice thing to say. Referenced Bible verses: Genesis 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12; John 3:16 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of our videos to bring encouragement and the benediction. Our Email Address: TheRevsDavid…
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Send us a text Summary: What is the Church and who are its members? What is a church and who are its members? Today, we’re going to find out how the very future of the Christian faith in the Western world will be influenced by how we answer those questions. Referenced Bible verses: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:12-13; Hebrews 1…
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Send us a text Summary: Musicians and artists are often asked, “what are your influences?” That’s a good question for Christians, too. Today, we’re going to find out how influencers work in the Christian life. Referenced Bible verses: 1 Corinthians 5:15-16; John 3:5-8; 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the fir…
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Send us a text Summary: The attack on Israel by Hamas has sent many to their Bibles asking if Armageddon is upon us. Today, we’re going to take a look at why, and what the future may hold. Referenced Bible verses: Revelation 16:12-16; Matthew 24:3-8; Matthew 24:43-44; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 18:6-8; Luke 12:11b-12; Revelation 22:20 Please note that R…
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Send us a text Summary: We’ve been living in “postmodern” times for a while now. Isn’t it time for something new? Some say that’s “metamodernism”! Today, we’re going to find out what that is, and how the Church can live in it. Referenced Bible verses: Romans 12:1; Matthew 16:17-18; Luke 12:32 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in t…
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Send us a text Summary: Funerals have changed. In the place of reflections on the meaning of life and death, many now put the “fun” in funeral. Today, we’re going to find out what that means. Referenced Bible verses: John 3:16; Romans 6:3-5; Romans 12:1-2; John 11:25-26 Please note that Rev. Sally Welch appears on-screen in the first 30-or so of ou…
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