Radical Grace for Real People with Ben Bergren

Radical Grace for Real People is a podcast ministry of Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ben Bergren is their Senior Pastor. Visit us at communitylv.org

Rooted and Growing Deep: Learning 10/19/2026

Rooted and Growing Deep: Learning Everybody reaches for something when things get hard. A diagnosis, a breakup, a plan that didn't work out, and suddenly you're hungry for answers. The question is where to turn when life falls apart, because the buffet out there is crowded: news talk, conspiracy theories, anything that lets us feel smarter than the next guy. This message follows two people who were at the end of their rope, Jacob running from the family he blew up and two disciples walking home with their hopes in the past tense and finds that God shows up in exactly those places. Press play to hear why hard seasons are when we're most ready to grow, and why you shouldn't leave it to chance. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/43350274

Rooted and Growing Deep: Welcome 10/14/2026

Rooted and Growing Deep: Welcome Most of us think welcome means saying hello and moving on. But how to make someone feel welcome is a harder question, and it matters more than we admit, especially for the person who walked into a room full of strangers carrying something heavy and wondering if anyone will notice. In this message, we look at a fifteen-year-old who knelt in an airplane aisle and spelled “How are you?” into the hand of a lonely stranger, and at a dinner party Jesus described, where the excuses for staying away didn’t feel like sin. They just felt like Tuesday. Welcome isn’t about fixing anyone or finding the right words. It’s about refusing to let someone be alone and unnoticed. This is week one of our five-week Core Values series. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/43298609

The End of the Beginning: Is it too Late for Me? 09/28/2026

The End of the Beginning: Is it too Late for Me? If you've ever wondered is it too late for me, this message is for you. Using a parable Jesus told about workers hired at every hour of the day — some from sunrise, some with barely an hour left before quitting time — this episode makes the case that grace doesn't run on a stopwatch. Whether you've followed Jesus your whole life or you're only now wondering if there's room for you, the timing was never the point. God's generosity was. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/43052373

The End of the Beginning: Am I Good Enough? 09/14/2026

The End of the Beginning: Am I Good Enough? "Am I good enough?" Most of us ask it and already assume the answer is no — short tempers, old grudges, the gap between who we want to be and who we actually are on a bad day. Even Martin Luther asked it, obsessively, until a mentor told him something that flipped the question entirely. This isn't a pep talk about trying harder. It's about where the goodness actually comes from — and it's not from you. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/42901865

The End of the Beginning: Am I Good Enough? 09/14/2026

The End of the Beginning: Do I Belong? 09/07/2026

The End of the Beginning: Do I Belong? Pastor Ben talks about what Jesus actually says about doubt, identity, and belonging, including a true story about two strangers, a stubborn dog on a beach in Wales. If you've ever felt like you're on the outside looking in, this one's for you. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/42805655

KCLC Radio: You've Got a Friend in Me 08/24/2026

KCLC Radio: You've Got a Friend in Me If you've ever wondered how to make real friends as an adult, you're not alone in asking. Church can be a strange place for this — you can sit next to the same people every week and still feel like strangers. In this message, we look at what separates simply being connected from actually being someone's friend. Whatever season of friendship you're in — full, empty, or somewhere in between — this one's for you. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/42534130

KCLC Radio: Hold On 08/17/2026

KCLC Radio: Hold On Thirty-six years ago, a girl group with some serious rock-and-roll pedigree wrote a song about hitting bottom, and it became a number one hit. Today we're going back to that song, and further back to a judge named Samson, to ask a question most of us would rather dodge: why do you keep repeating unhealthy patterns even after you know better? /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/42457615

KCLC Radio: Believe it or Not 07/27/2026

KCLC Radio: Believe it or Not 1981 was a year that swung wildly between despair and disbelief · hostages freed, a president and a pope both shot at, and a one-hit-wonder song that somehow still gets stuck in your head. That song is the key to today's episode and the story from Acts 3. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/42222760

KCLC Radio: Landslide 07/27/2026

KCLC Radio: Landslide The meaning behind Fleetwood Mac's Landslide changes depending on what season of life you're in: changes, growing older, wondering if you can handle what's next. In this episode, Pastor Ben Bergren follows that same question through the story of Moses. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/42222720

Galatians 6: Grace Refined 07/06/2026

Galatians 6: Grace Refined Stop comparing yourself to others·Paul says grace already settled your worth, not your ledger. If you've ever caught yourself keeping score—against a sibling, a coworker, that person from high school on Facebook—you're not alone, and you're not crazy. It's how we're wired. Paul helps us see a better path forward. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/41971745

Galatians 4: Who's Your Momma? 06/22/2026

Galatians 4: Who's Your Momma? Why is grace so hard to accept? Jesus offers forgiveness and love without a price tag — and yet most of us keep reaching for something we can manage, something we can earn. In this sermon from Galatians 4. You didn't find grace, grace found you. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/41720355

Galatians 2: The Jerusalem Crowd 06/08/2026

Galatians 2: The Jerusalem Crowd Most of us have a "Jerusalem crowd" · a person or a room that makes us go quiet when we know we should speak up. Peter had one too. And when that crowd showed up in Antioch, he stopped living out what he actually believed. Paul called him on it publicly. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/41569200

Galatians 1: No Fine Print 06/01/2026

Galatians 1: No Fine Print Grace is free·no asterisks, no fine print. So why do we keep building tollbooths on a road we didn·t pave? A look at Paul·s letter to the Galatians. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/41489155

Galatians 1: No Fine Print 06/01/2026

Pentecost: Love that Unites 05/25/2026

Pentecost: Love that Unites Pentecost is the day the Holy Spirit was given to the early church. Nothing has changed God's heart and mind since then. We have the same Spirit and the same mission today. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/41412165

Did Jesus Just Turn Down a Hug? What He Said to Mary and Thomas Changes Everything 05/11/2026

Did Jesus Just Turn Down a Hug? What He Said to Mary and Thomas Changes Everything Jesus told Mary ·don·t hold on to me· · then told Thomas ·put your finger here.· Same risen Jesus, opposite instructions. Here·s why both make perfect sense. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/41257900

This is Us: Inspired Growth 05/04/2026

This is Us: Inspired Growth We conclude our sermon series "This is Us" about our mission statement at CLC. What does it mean to be on a path of Inspired Growth? Mary Magdalene show us the way. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/41138055

This is Us: Inclusive God 04/20/2026

This is Us: Inclusive God The story of Zacchaeus in the gospel Luke illustrates Jesus' inclusive love for all. All four parts of mission statement are contained in this story! Jesus welcomes all without condition and the crowd hated that. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/40931660

Easter 2026: You are Seen! 04/06/2026

Easter 2026: You are Seen! Did the resurrection of Jesus happen? Does he care? Does he even notice you? Listen in and find out! /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/40741335

Spirituals and the Exodus: Soon I Will done 03/24/2026

Spirituals and the Exodus: Soon I Will done We come to the end of this season and our series on Spirituals. "Soon I Will Be Done" reminds us we are going home one day in the same way the people of Israel crossed the Jordan to finally be home after 40 years. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/40599495

Spirituals and the Exodus: There is a Balm in Gilead 03/16/2026

Spirituals and the Exodus: There is a Balm in Gilead There is quite a story to the Spiritual, "There is a Balm in Gilead." Hear the hymn and how it ties to the book of Numbers, Jeremiah and the gospel of John. There is healing to be found in your life! /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/40494255

Spirituals and the Exodus: Wade in the Water 03/09/2026

Spirituals and the Exodus: Wade in the Water Today we hear the Spiritual, Wade in the Water and we hear the story of the people of Israel at the Red Sea. This Spiritual also points to the waters of Baptism. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/40362580

Spirituals and the Exodus: Motherless Child 02/23/2026

Spirituals and the Exodus: Motherless Child As we begin the season of Lent we are going to explore both the story of Exodus and the genre of music called "Spirituals." Today we begin with the beginning of the Exodus story and we welcome Knixx Taylor singing, "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child." /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/40195990

Ash Wednesday 2026 02/20/2026

Ash Wednesday 2026 We are called to be humble and invited to serve. Are there exemptions to that rule? To find out, we look at the story of Joseph found in Genesis. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/40172720

Transfiguration: The Big Reveal 02/16/2026

Transfiguration: The Big Reveal There is a reason this story is told before the season of Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Listen in and find out why this is an important moment in history and why it is important for you today. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/40120925

Foundations: Prayer 02/02/2026

Foundations: Prayer If Christ is our foundation and we build the walls of love and service on that foundation, what holds them up? Prayer. Prayer anchors our lives to the foundation. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/39959720

Foundations: Serving Others 01/26/2026

Foundations: Serving Others We continue in our sermon series on Foundations. Today we build on the foundation of Christ and we do that by serving others. /episode/index/show/benbergren/id/39875105

Radical Grace for Real People with Ben Bergren

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