The Collide Podcast

Who are you inviting to your table? As Thanksgiving approaches, Willow Weston takes a closer look at the people Jesus chose to eat with—and challenges us to consider whether our own relationships reflect His example. It’s easy to surround ourselves with people who think like us, believe like us, vote like us, worship like us, and generally make us comfortable. But Jesus lived differently.

Growing up above the Roslyn Cafe, Willow’s childhood table was surrounded by all kinds of characters. Looking back, she wonders whether that eclectic gathering place filled with people from every walk of life might be exactly the kind of place Jesus would have chosen to eat.

Throughout Scripture, Jesus repeatedly shared meals with people others avoided. In Mark 2, He calls Levi—a despised tax collector—to follow Him, and the very next scene finds Jesus at a dinner party surrounded by tax collectors and sinners. In a culture where sharing a meal was a declaration of friendship, Jesus was making a powerful statement about who was welcome at His table.

Willow challenges us to recognize the ways we can develop what she calls “spiritual eating disorders”—drawing lines around who we will and won’t befriend. We may avoid people who make us uncomfortable, disagree with us, bring us down, or don’t appear to be changing fast enough. Without realizing it, our faith can become insulated from the very people Jesus continually moved toward.

But Jesus didn’t come to escape messy humanity. He entered into it. He sat at tables, shared meals, and called unlikely people His friends. And He invites us to follow Him into that same kind of life.

This Thanksgiving—and beyond—Willow challenges us to look around our tables and ask: Does the way I live and love look like Jesus?

• Look at who’s around your table: Our relationships can reveal something about the way we’re living out our faith. Are we only surrounding ourselves with people who are like us?
• Remember how Jesus ate: Sharing a meal was an intimate declaration of friendship in Jesus’ culture—and He intentionally ate with people society and religious leaders rejected.
• Stop treating people like projects: Jesus didn’t build relationships only with people who appeared spiritually promising. People aren’t projects to fix; they’re people to know and love.
• Practice hospitality that looks like Jesus: Sometimes an invitation into your home, a seat at your table, or a shared meal can communicate God’s love more powerfully than words.
• Make room for someone new: Don’t let Thanksgiving be the only time you consider who is welcome at your table. Let your everyday life tell a story of radical hospitality and friendship.

Following Jesus isn’t an invitation to escape the messiness of humanity. It’s an invitation to enter into it with Him.

Willow reminds us that Jesus was willing to sit across the table from people who were rejected, misunderstood, hurting, and far from perfect. Through something as ordinary as eating together, He communicated something extraordinary: I see you. I am with you. I call you friend.

As you gather around the table this Thanksgiving, consider who might be missing. Who needs an invitation? Who have you kept at a comfortable distance? Who might experience the love of Jesus simply because you made room?

May our tables—and ultimately our lives—look a little more like His.

Collide Bible Study | A Six Week Journey Toward Healing

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Christine Stone experienced a horrific accident that changed her life forever. Through the process of healing from that accident, Christine met God in all new ways for herself, and also allowed her pain and brokenness to be used to empower other women to seek and receive counseling for their own stories.

Christine is a hopeful, honest, and strong voice to speak to the incredible truth that God is present and beautiful to each one of us, even in unspeakable hardship. She has been integral in the Collide story and we can't wait for you all to hear Christine's heart and connect with her amazing story of one woman's pain being transformed into a ripple effect of healing for hundreds of women.

The definition of the word love has become an abstract concept in our culture. In this episode, our host Willow Weston reflects on the true meaning of love and the intentional, beautiful, sometimes difficult way Jesus went about doing it.

We encourage you to listen to this episode cuddled up somewhere quiet, with journal in hand. As Willow discusses the true meaning of love and the way Jesus lived it out, let the words wash over you. Let us know what sticks out to you by commenting on this episode or interacting on social.

In this episode, Collide’s founder and director Willow Weston shares the message on her heart that derives from John chapter 6, where a small boy offers exactly what he has and Jesus uses it to do something incredible.

For every “Not me” we tell God, He responds with “Yes, you.”

Yes, you have gifts and talents.

Yes, you are worthy and redeemed.

Yes, you have something to offer the world.

Yes, He plans to use you to build the kingdom.

A breast cancer diagnosis can leave you wondering if life will ever feel normal again. If you've walked through loss, illness, disappointment, or a season where you can't see God's purpose, this conversation will remind you that your story isn't over. Barb Demorest shares how God met her in one of the hardest seasons of her life and transformed her pain into a ministry that's bringing hope to women around the world.

Barb Demorest is the founder of Knitted Knockers, a nonprofit organization that provides free, hand-knit breast prosthetics to women recovering from mastectomies. After her own breast cancer journey, Barb discovered firsthand how a simple act of kindness restored her dignity and confidence. Today, Knitted Knockers has mobilized thousands of volunteers across the world to serve breast cancer survivors with compassion, practical support, and the love of Jesus.

• How God can bring purpose out of painful seasons you never would have chosen.
• What to do when you're asking, "Does God still have a plan for my life?"
• Why small acts of kindness can change someone's life forever.
• How serving others often becomes the pathway to your own healing.
• Why God loves using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.

If you've been wondering whether God can still use your life after heartbreak, disappointment, or suffering, this conversation is for you. Barb's story is a beautiful reminder that God doesn't waste our pain—and He often uses the very places we feel weakest to bring hope to someone else.

• Knitted Knockers — knittedknockers.org

Books Mentioned:

• Yes, You! Bible Study by Willow Weston

Learn more about Collide: wecollide.net

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