Watch again

A joint Pentecost service with St James, as we celebrated this important event and prayed together that the Spirit will re-fill us all again.

A chance to get some updates and insights from Luke Sharp into all that Compassion are doing at the moment.

The most famous storm was a long one – 40 days of rain. And one man and his family lived with the hope that one day it would cease. His hope was not disappointed, the rains stopped and Noah and his family and the zoo he saved could live again. But they had important lessons to learn when the sun came out again.

Jesus’ teaching about the wisdom we need to build into our lives offers us the only chance of surviving the storms that we cannot predict. But if we build well, the houses of our lives will survive.

The story of Jonah is famous because of the whale. But it’s actually about a man being brought face to face with his own religious and racial bigotry. Sometimes only a crisis can make you realise what you need to face up to.

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…

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!

Jesus said just a cup of cold water would make all the difference. What is the equivalent for us today? What is the small action that shows a heart of kindness in action?

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 into the temptations that surround us so often. How do we grow in self-control?