If we are to rise to the challenge to build the church, we need to think carefully about the difficulties and distractions we will inevitably face.  We need to know why we should sacrifice our time, energy and money for something that can be so disappointing. 

The last year and a bit have brought all sorts of changes to how we interact with church. Now that things are getting closer to normal how should we respond, and what would God want to say about it?

Straight after the Lord’s Prayer Jesus starts talking about fasting. In our culture we might associate fasting with special diets or with Muslims observing Ramadan, so what exactly has it got to do with Jesus, or with us?    

Popular opinion says that temptation is mainly about cake, booze and sex. Jesus has a much wider view on it and wants to help us make the right choices, even in the most challenging situations.

Forgiveness is absolutely central to Jesus and a life following him. But actually trying to forgive can be really hard. How can our prayer lives reflect and support our need to be forgiven and to forgive?

In many affluent Western countries it can feel unnecessary to ask God for bread when we can easily buy pretty much anything we want to eat.  But what if we are not so well off? And what if actually we need more than just something to eat?

We look at what is probably the most challenging line of all in the Lord’s prayer. Why is it so challenging, and what does it mean for me to pray it?

The second line of the Lord’s Prayer is one we might easily skip over, and even misunderstand, but it’s a powerful prayer that is life-changing and even world-changing. 

The opening line of the Lord’s Prayer is so much more than an introductory ‘Dear God...’  How we address God can both reflect and subtly shape how we think about him and, as a result, change how we pray.

Few things are as basic to the Christian faith as praying, yet few things provoke as much guilt and discouragement.  We know we should be better at prayer but struggle to make it happen.  Is there anything that can help?