Matthew retells the story of Jesus stilling the storm as part of a group of stories about how Jesus confronts all manner of hell-bent evil.

He did it because we need to hold onto the core truth of Jesus’ authority over everything – especially when things seem to be going wrong.

Storms come to all of us.

Without the storm Peter would have never had the chance to walk on water.

Peter’s experience was written for the next generation of Christians to be encouraged by, because every Christian has to learn to walk by faith in the middle of the storms.

Crosses make nice necklaces, lapel pins and tattoos.

Take your pick. It’s a good reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus. But today the cross is vacant.

Jesus’ story is that death didn’t get the final word.

Life did. Resurrection life.

And his promise was that this new life is ours to share. Life always trumps death!

The call to be as holy as God is holy sounds as odd now as it probably did when it was first written down in Leviticus.

Is this even possible? And what would it look like on the school run, or handling finances, or dealing with the awkward colleagues or aging family?

Many people are good starters. Perseverance is the quality that ensures you finish well.

Peter sees it as essential for those running this Christian race.

Self-control is one of the most underrated virtues. We can excuse ourselves too easily when we give in to the temptations that surround us so often.

How do we grow in self-control?

Today knowledge can feel just 2 clicks away on Google. But is that knowledge, information, what Peter meant? Sometimes it can feel like it is, and those who have this knowledge can feel superior to everyone else.

That’s dangerous.

But what if Peter meant there was a different way of growing in knowledge? What if it was about a growing relationship – both with God and others. What does it take to get that sort of knowledge?

Goodness can sound soft and prissy. No one wants to be called a goody-two shoes.

Unless you have faced the opposite and been the victim of evil.

Goodness is the authentic integrity that is creative and trustworthy.

It may not be glamorous but it makes all the difference in the world.

I believe lots of things that make no real difference to my day to day life.

New Testament faith is different. It was never a static acceptance but trust in a person who transformed everything.

Faith was dynamic.

And it was the bedrock for everything else that would be possible…

Why did Paul send Onesimus back? Was he encouraging slavery?

How do we read the New Testament on these issues when we hold to different views of what is right?