United Methodist Church Of Westlake Village

Send us a textHave you ever found yourself proudly declaring, "God and I are good on our own" only to discover the painful limitations of spiritual isolation? This soul-stirring journey explores the transformation from fierce independence to the healing embrace of community faith.The path begins with childhood church wounds and a Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack—"I am a rock, I am an island"—as spiritual self-sufficiency becomes both armor and prison. When cancer strikes, that carefully constructed independence crumbles in the face of fear and uncertainty. The contrast between facing a life-threatening diagnosis alone versus surrounded by church family becomes the powerful "tale of two scans" that reveals how deeply we need each other.Through authentic vulnerability, this message examines the complications of church-as-family without glossing over the hard parts. Yes, spiritual communities can wound us. Yes, some relationships require boundaries (Romans 12:18). But the gradual qu