In this episode of The Backdrop, Curtis goes on tangents about condemnation, spiritual practices, and the Kingdom of God.

Resources mentioned this episode:

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun
The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg
Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
John: A Commentary by Marianne Meye Thompson
Kingdom Ethics by Glen Stassen and David Gushee
The Next Right Thing Podcast

Meredith leads us through an experience that is one great way to open ourselves up to being shaped by the Spirit. This Lectio Divina was originally led by Lesley on Sunday night. And yes, there's a fair amount of silence in this one, so don't worry, the podcast hasn't stopped!

This week Curtis preaches a sermon on John 3, where Jesus encourages us to open ourselves up to God's Spirit, so that we can be shaped, both as individuals and as a church.

In this episode of the Backdrop, Curtis talks about when exactly Jesus cleared out the temple, whether we follow culture, more about ancient temple building stories, and other odds and ends that flesh out John 2.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Lost World of Genesis One and
Ancient Near Eastern and the Old Testament, both by John Walton

Meredith walks through a framework for how we might join Jesus in engagement with the injustice we find in the world around us.

In this week's sermon, Curtis looks at the story of Jesus clearing out the temple courts in John 2, asking what it might have to do with our commitment as a church to "do justice".

Meredith talks about things big and small that inform our understanding of John 2.

Resources mentioned in this podcast include:

John: A Commentary by Marianne Meye Thompson

This week, Meredith unpacks the story of Jesus' sign at the wedding in John 2, and how it invites us to revolt against a culture of scarcity by trusting in Jesus' offer of abundance.

On this week's Backdrop Pod, Curtis takes a look at ten allusions that John makes in 1:35-51, and how understanding them helps flesh out our understanding of the passage.

Resources mentioned in this Backdrop Pod:

John: A Commentary by Marianne Meye Thompson

As we continue to look at the opening chapters of the book of John, Curtis considers the calling of the first disciples in 1:35-51. John wants us to 'witness' to what we know about Jesus, but what does it mean to be a witness, and what doesn't it?