Jesus assumed his followers would fast. Why? How does going without food help deepen your walk with God?

Jesus is famous for telling us to love our enemies. It's a great idea until you actually have an enemy. How, in the real world, is it possible to not lash out but love?  

People living in the kingdom of God don't need the puff and bluster of religious language and big impressive oaths. When each person is honest in their intentions we are free to trust each other. How good is that!

Matthew 5:33-37

What do we do when we know we need to move on, to get going into the next stage of life, new season, new thing but somehow our hearts feel stuck?

For many of us, for our families, our communities and even our countries are facing very significant points of transition - personal transitions - loss of a loved one, new job, loss of job, loss of mobility, transition out of lockdown, transitions economically, climatically…

But often times these transitions are not what we wanted. We can feel like they’ve been thrust upon us. So understandably our hearts feel resistant. Where is God? Is there a way forward?

"You could be forgiven for thinking that this talk is for the married, previously married or remarried but if you're not in any of those categories stay with me because there are nuggets in Jesus teaching that actually apply to all of us wherever you are in the relational spectrum."

The question is this, Are your intimate relationships ones of consumption or covenant? 

Coldplay asks a good question, How in the world I am going to see you as my brother and not my enemy? This question haunts our world. Violence, hatred, rejection, cold shouldering, trolling and cynicism.

Life can be terrifyingly fragile. Especially if you're in a place where all your comfort and security have been removed and you don't know where your next meal is coming from. But when things get better we can forget that fragility and our need for God. 

God knows that about us. So he put in the calendar of his people one week a year where he commanded his people to camp and to party and to remember...

40 million people today are trapped in slavery. Does God care? And if he does, is he doing anything about it? 

Jo French-Morales shares about her time serving with International Justice Mission in Guatemala and the heart of God for justice for the poor and oppressed. She shared this Franciscan Blessing at the end, which we've included here:

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Amen.”

Did Jesus come to start a new religion? Or what? 

Followers of Jesus are to the world what salt is to food. As someone who couldn't eat salt for many years, Sarah knows a little about how important this stuff is and why Jesus thought it'd be a really helpful word picture for Jesus' new followers to understand their identity and purpose.