Kings Church Eastbourne Audio Teaching: Recent Episodes
Kings Church Eastbourne
Kings Church exists to proclaim the gospel of Jesus in action and in words, to build a community of worshippers today and for future generations.
A Door of Hope: Kingdom Cultures, part 4. How much of you are you allowing God to use — the part, or the whole? It is your choice, he never takes that from you. By Bosun Olunloyo.
A Door of Hope: Kingdom Cultures, part 4. In the New Testament, the Greek word translated "hospitality" literally means "love of strangers". By Ruth Newton.
Genesis 1-11 Origins, part 2. Sabbath is the first thing declared 'holy' in the Bible, marking a day of rest and completion after God’s work of creation. By Clive Cernik.
Genesis 1-11 Origins, part 1. The name ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’ and in it’s opening chapter we see a narrative that precedes human existence and could only have come from God himself. It is, interestingly, absolute mathematical perfection. By Martin Cooper.
Dale Barlow joins us from our New Ground family as we commission new elders and deacons into the life of our church.
Godly Little Letters, part 4. All believers will contend for the gospel, they will struggle and strive for it, contest difficulty and take a stand. The extreme persecution of the first century couldn’t wipe out the faith of the early church. By Clive Cernik.
Godly Little Letters, part 3. Freedom, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and a change of identity. God loves to transform us out of what we once were into something completely new. By Oli Stevens.
Godly Little Letters, part 2. Looking again at the letter of 1 John we take a deeper look at one of the signs that Jesus lives in us, that we love one another. By Andy Thorpe.
Godly Little Letters, part 1. Looking at the letter of 1 John. John was an eyewitness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and today we look at three signs that he lives in us. By Andy Thorpe.
Against the Flow, part 7. It’s a common problem in the world, that we love the kingdom but not the King. We love Christian values, but we want them without the Christian faith. By Oli Stevens.
Against the Flow, part 6. Home and school are the two most important places for a child. They have a huge effect on their life chances, and can set the tone and trajectory of their lives. By Ben Holbrook.
Against the Flow, part 5. Diversity and racial reconciliation is at the very heart of God’s purpose for the world and has been on His heart from the very beginning. By Owen Hylton.
Against the Flow, part 4. Only God can ‘Bara ex Nihilo’ — create out of nothing. Only he can create life, and he has numbered our days before we were even born. By Martin Cooper.
Against the Flow, part 3. Time is the oxygen of friendship, and friendship is easily overlooked, yet it's one of the most important themes right through Scripture. By Clive Cernik.
Against the Flow, part 2. We’re living through a time where childhood is being reengineered, where social habits have changed, where milestones now take longer to reach amidst a crisis of mental health, and the stability and security of family life has been eroded. For the sake of everyone we will do all that we can to raise boys who become men of courage and godly character. By Jez Field.
Against the Flow, part 1. The gospel is not an upgrade, but utter transformation. We were once spiritually dead, but now we have been brought to life. By James Silley.
Immediately, part 4. Certain moments can be very significant and transformative, and can alter the whole trajectory of your life. In today’s passage the disciples have one such moment, and are called to deeper levels of commitment with Jesus. By Jon Robbins.
We feel that God wants to remind us of three things today: that he wants an increased hunger amongst us, to remind us of holiness, and that he loves humility. By Oli Stevens.
Immediately, part 3. Medicine and supernatural healing are complimentary, and God can use both for his glory. Some experience immediate healing through prayer, while others have their healing waiting for them in heaven. By Ruth Newton and Clive Cernik.
Immediately, part 2. Jesus sends out the twelve disciples in pairs to preach repentance and to fully trust in God for all their material needs. In the same way, we have all been sent, to take the Good News to everyone around us and to the ends of the earth. By Oli Stevens.
Immediately, part 1. Philippians 2 tells us that every knee will bow before Jesus, yet Mark 10:45 states that Jesus came to not to be served, but to serve. This is the essence of servant-hearted leaders. By Martin Cooper.
Jesus came ‘to seek and to save that which was lost’ — not just to reach us individually, but to impact the whole world in and around us. By Tapiwa Chizana.
We take a look at the Song of Songs, and see how we’re not just a face that get lost in a crowd. God is in pursuit of each one of us, to rescue us and draw us close to him. By Wendy Stevens.
How can we, as Christians, live in the most godly way in the run up to an election? By Natalie Williams.
Our King and the Kingdom, part 7. We look at the last thing Jesus said to his disciples before ascending to heaven — the Great Commission. By Jürgen Siegel.
The statement “you are known” can produce fear and joy in us — both of which can be experienced when we encounter Jesus. By Oli Stevens.
Our King and the Kingdom, part 6. So often Jesus said in his ministry that his ‘time had not yet come’. But finally, on Palm Sunday, we get to see this incredibly significant moment arrive. By Oli Stevens.
Our King and the Kingdom, part 5. When Jesus gave The Sermon on the Mount, it was revolutionary and the crowds were amazed at both his teaching and the authority in which it was delivered. By Oli Stevens.
Our King and the Kingdom, part 4. Healings are a sign of the Kingdom to a broken people living in a broken world, that one day all things will be restored and made new again. By Ben Holbrook.
Our King and the Kingdom, part 3. We will be looking at Jesus as our model for prayer, which for us can become like breathing as we talk to God and he talks back. By Clive Cernik.
Our King and the Kingdom, part 2. In Matthew 17 the Transfiguration takes place, the veil comes off and the disciples see who Jesus really is for the first time. By Andrew Wilson.
Our King and the Kingdom, part 1. Right at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry he has an encounter with Satan in a high place, but our King is obedient, and conquers the enemy. By Oli Stevens.
The Forgotten Arts 2024, part 4. Living frugally is to become more content, grateful and to relish in what you have, managing what we have rather than resenting what is missing. By Wendy Stevens.
The Forgotten Arts 2024, part 3. Sometimes we don’t just need to fast from things that are causing us to sin, but to completely cut them off from our lives. By Martin Cooper.
The Forgotten Arts 2024, part 2. Christians have fasted and prayed and abstained from things for centuries; and it’s always been about wanting to know Jesus more. When it’s not about that, things quickly go off track. By Andy Thorpe.
The Forgotten Arts 2024, part 1. Confession isn’t a heavy word; it means to be on the outside as we are on the inside. It doesn’t just mean we confess our sins, but we confess truth, we confess the goodness of God, and we’re honest about the state of our hearts and our walk with Jesus. By Clive Cernik.
By Faith, part 11. We conclude our series on the life of Abraham by looking at one thing that each one of us will experience and none of us can escape: death. When the believer passes through this they no longer live by faith, but by sight. By Oli Stevens.
By Faith, part 10. In Genesis 22 Abraham is tested and asked to give up his only son Isaac, the one in whom all of God's promises were wrapped up in. By Carl Slezacek.
By Faith, part 9. Success for the people of God does not rest on their own ingenuity to make things happen, which unleashes chaos, but rests on God’s promise. By Rachel Wilson.
By Faith, part 8. Abraham repeats his mistake of lying about his wife to a pagan King, Abimelek, but he does so out of fear and unbelief in the Goodness of God. By Clive Cernik.
By Faith, part 7. Even though you and I are sometimes successful and sometimes sinful, sometimes faithful and sometimes failures, Jesus will in the end get us across the line into the presence of God. By Lex Loizides.
By Faith, part 6. How do we respond when life is painful and prayers seem unanswered? By Ben Holbrook.
By Faith, part 5. From the moment that God took Abraham out of the world, God spent the rest of Abraham’s life getting the world out of him. By Andy Thorpe.
By Faith, part 4. God makes a Covenant—an unbreakable promise—with Abram. In his grace and provision, God ensures the promise depends on him alone, and not on Abram’s performance. By Jürgen Siegel.
By Faith, part 3. Who is this amazing and mysterious character Melchizedek, who shows up in Genesis chapter 14? Is he simply a Canaanite King, or could he be the appearance of someone much more incredible? By Clive Cernik.
By Faith, part 2. Not have enough can be a problem! But so can having too much. By Oli Stevens.
By Faith, part 1. The one constant in the story of Abraham is the faithfulness of God, and today we see that Abraham wasn't without sin, and took a wrong turn on the journey. By Martin Cooper.
The Pursuit of God, part 2. The things we own can end up owning us. But when we learn to let go of the need to own and possess, we can enjoy everything as a free gift of grace. By Oli Stevens.
The Pursuit of God, part 1. Looking at Psalm 63 and our new lives in Christ where the compass of our hearts have been recalibrated, from chasing worldly desires and ambitions, to pursuing hard after God. By Oli Stevens.
God of All Things, part 4. To be human is to be created from the dust of the earth, to be sown in weakness and perishable. But those who follow Jesus will be raised imperishable, resurrected in the image of the man of heaven. By Adz Brennan.
God of All Things, part 3. One of the greatest challenges we face is believing that we can provide for ourselves, and in doing so we eat from the wrong table. But God provides bread from heaven again and again, proving he’s more than enough, and ultimately provides Jesus — the bread of life. By Andy Thorpe.
God of All Things, part 2. We journey from Genesis to Revelation to see what God does with cities right the way through the Bible. By Sophie Rogers.
Quite often we get caught up in the here and now, but passages like Psalm 78 remind us to take a longer view, and teach the next generation. By Ben Holbrook.
God of All Things, part 1. Trees are mentioned in the Bible more than any other aspect of creation, and all major characters and events had a tree marking the spot. Jesus was crucified on a tree, and although this was the ultimate symbol of shame, it became the very heart of the Christian message. By Clive Cernik.
Encounters with Jesus, part 6. Acts 1 isn’t about the absence of Jesus, it’s about the radical outbreak of his presence. We look at what could mistakenly thought of as the disciples final encounter with Jesus: his ascension to heaven. By Rachel Wilson.
Encounters with Jesus, part 5. Looking at John chapter 4 where a Samaritan woman, who was an immoral social outcast, has an unexpected meeting with the Son of God, despite many social taboos and racial tensions. By Clive Cernik.
Encounters with Jesus, part 4. In Matthew 26 during the Passover, we see Jesus break bread and established communion for the very first time. And in prophetic symmetry, in his death on the cross Jesus became the perfect lamb of God, sacrificed for the sins of the world. . By Ashley Steinschauer.
Encounters with Jesus, part 3. Tragedy is not unusual, can come without a moment’s notice, and can leave your life in devastated ruins. These moments, while bitter, often provide an eternal perspective on what’s important as we follow Jesus. Marcellus joins us from Kings Church Heathfield to share on rebuilding in life’s rubble through the book of Nehemiah. By Marcellus Edmunds.
Encounters with Jesus, part 2. It's much better living in our world where God is sovereign, and there's suffering, than it would be living in a world where there's suffering, but God wasn't in control. By Martin Cooper.
Encounters with Jesus, part 1. Looking at John 2 where Jesus is revealed as the Lord of abundance, producing fruit that lasts and does not run out. He’s the Lord of plenty, and he longs to share it with you today. By Oli Stevens
Pentecost is a celebration of the birth of the church, where all the barriers which have separated human beings are overcome by the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit. By Clive Cernik
Romans 14-15. The world is desperate for peace and unity — to find ways to bring enemies together. But the Christian gospels says that we must first be reconciled to God before we can be part of a reconciled people. By Oli Stevens
Romans 12. The way we think has a huge impact on us, with deeply rooted patterns of behaviour and thought affecting our daily lives. Transformation through self-help is sort in secular culture, but only Jesus can get to the root of the problem. By Ben Holbrook
Romans 8. For those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, you are eternally secure now and in right standing with our Lord God. By Clive Cernik
Looking at Romans 3 and the state of the human condition. Without Jesus, we have no defence or way of defending ourselves when we stand before God. By Jürgen Siegel
Jesus was resurrected with scars. He chose fully identify with those who have painful pasts. Instead of forgetting what was, we rejoice that our scars have redeemed. By Oli Stevens
You Are What You Love, part 5. Our Father goes out of his way to search for the one that's lost, because they are of real value to him, and he desires all to be saved. By Wendy Stevens
You Are What You Love, part 4. People will sometimes say “I really like Jesus, I just don’t like the Church”. The problem is this: while Christ is the head, the Church is his body, and they are in separable. By Oli Stevens, Andrew O’Kane and Bosun Olunloyo
You Are What You Love, part 3. Those who have been forgiven much, love much — and our love never stays in the abstract, it always takes action. By Andy Thorpe and Carrie Baker.
You Are What You Love, part 2. So often we talk about churches and charities support the most vulnerable. But those churches and charities are made up of individual people making individual choices to free the oppressed, feed the homeless, and clothe those in need. By Lucy Butt.
God is not mentioned in the book of Esther, yet his hand is seen on every page. It shows us that God’s silence is not the same as God’s absence. By Chris Short.
We have a heart set free and released from fear. Everything we are and have is in the orbit of God’s grace. As we give, it’s in response to this great freedom and love, and not in spite of compulsion and reluctance. By Clive Cernik.
Acts, part 27. As we recap of the book of Acts, we consider what God is calling each of us to do as the story of the global and local church continues to be written. By Martin Cooper.
Acts, part 26. Looking at the unusual kindness of God, what happens when unwelcome drama hits our lives and an unchanging, faithful God, who we can trust. By Rachel Wilson.
Acts, part 25. Someone once said “don’t ruin a good adventure with too many questions”. With every story, there are parts where we are not in control. By Oli Stevens.
Acts, part 24. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our Christian faith, the centrepiece of our hope. It’s also the reason when Christianity began so quickly and spread so forcibly. By Andy Thorpe.
Acts, part 23. In Acts chapters 22 and 23 the Apostle Paul has to make a legal defence for his actions, and the remaining chapters turn into a trial story where Paul defends the Christian faith against the charges made against it. By Andrew Wilson.
Acts, part 22. When God speaks we tend to do one of three things: we either listen and do what he says, listen and don’t do what he says, or hear him but don’t listen. By Martin Cooper.
The Forgotten Arts. In Genesis 18 we see Abraham do something quite foreign to British culture – he haggles — and with God himself, who is surprisingly open to our prayers. By Clive Cernik.
Acts, part 21. The early church was mobile and dynamic, and along with this came to need to say ‘goodbye’ to close brothers and sisters. By Clive Cernik.
Acts, part 20. Ephesus was renowned for being a place where the supernatural and the occult were commonplace, but Paul reasoned and persuaded about the Kingdom of God. By Martin Cooper.
Acts, part 19. God loves to use people as part of his unfolding plan and story. By Oli Stevens.
We’re taking a break from our series on Acts to focus on an old treasure — worship — and to understand why we worship the way that we do.
Acts, part 18. There’s something incredible about Christianity that has caused it to spread across the globe like no other religion. It also spreads through our towns and streets, our schools and workplaces, where God is already present.
Acts, part 17. Looking at Act 16 and Paul’s second missionary journey with Timothy — a young man who said “yes” to God.
Acts, part 16. Jesus was a Jewish messiah and the gospel came first to the Jews. But what happened when the gentiles got included in? Did they need to go through all the requirements to become acceptable to God under Jewish law?
Acts, part 15. Following Jesus doesn’t simply lead to a blessed and comfortable life, as it can so easily be presented today. The Apostle Paul shows us that it involves mission, with seasons of trial and hardship.
Acts, part 14. On their first missionary journey Paul and Barnabas are told to go, but are not yet told what to do. So often God reveals one step of the journey at a time.
Acts, part 13. We see the church in Antioch formed in Acts 11 as the believers are scattered and the Good News spreads out. It unites all different kinds of people and we believed we're called to mirror and replicate this kind of church here in Eastbourne.
Acts, part 12. The things that God is doing amongst us must break out of our four walls and reach our town. The Spirit’s work amongst us is precious, but we can’t keep it to ourselves.
Acts, part 11. In chapter 9 Saul encounters Jesus and has his eyes opened to who Jesus really is. The miracle of salvation is one of the greatest miracles we can witness as people's lives are changed for eternity.
1 Scroll 12 Chapters: Hosea. The book of Hosea is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other Minor Prophet, and introduces us to the concept of God as a bridegroom, married to his people. .
1 Scroll 12 Chapters: Jonah. One of the most popular stories told to children, the book of Jonah is one that challenges our perception of morality and grace, as God's mercy can extend far beyond what we're comfortable with.
1 Scroll 12 Chapters: Habakkuk. We know very little about the prophet Habakkuk, but he opens with some honest questions to God; questions which he knows are from a man's perspective, limited in knowledge and understanding.
1 Scroll 12 Chapters: Micah. In the Minor Prophets we see God express a surprising bias, and it’s not toward the strong, the winners at life, those at the top of the tree. It's towards the clingers-on, the falling, the weak, the vulnerable, to those on the very margins of society.
1 Scoll 12 Chapters, part 10. Jürgen introduces the scroll of The Twelve, also known as the Minor Prophets, which make up the last twelve books of our Old Testament.
Acts. part 10. In Acts chapter 8 we see the wonderful gospel of Jesus spreading out, reaching different types of people, bringing down the walls between us and nothing can stop it.
Acts, part 9. We take a look at the amazing example of someone who lived their life, right up to the point of death, with absolute certainty and conviction in who God is.
Acts, part 8. The best kind of leadership is one that imitates Jesus, who came to serve and not to be served. We have both elders (servant leaders) and deacons (leading servants), and today we take explore the diaconate role.
Acts, part 7. We're not just called to stay inside the four walls of the church. We're also called to scatter, sowing the seeds of the gospel into everything we do.
Acts, part 6. Looking at the story of Ananias and Sapphira and the fear of God that gripped the community in its wake.
Acts, part 4. We've seen firsthand that God heals, but we're also faced with the realities of suffering and death. Our great hope is that in God's Kingdom, no one is ever lost.
Acts, part 3. In chapter 2 we see the importance of baptism and community. To live without fellowship with other believers is like trying to live without water to drink or air to breath.
Acts, part 2. Looking at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 and the birth of the church.
Our vision is to advance God’s Kingdom, using every means possible to proclaim the gospel and equip every household to grow as disciples of Jesus. We want to be a church that welcomes the world in, but also gets the saints out.
How do we understand Biblical gender roles at Kings and where do we land between complementation and egalitarian views?
We’re only one step away from new life, from new hope, from forgiveness and resurrection. That one step is repentance and faith, putting all your trust in Jesus and following him.
This is the day that many Christians remember Psalm Sunday—the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. He was welcomed as a King, yet his Kingdom came in a way that was never expected.
The parable of the prodigal son is really about two lost brothers, and even a prodigal father. It shows us there are at least two ways to be lost.
Joshua Generation, part 11. If you want to finish well in your life, you must live well today. Don’t leave it too late to accept and follow Jesus—it’s too risky. Don’t carry bitterness or unforgiveness in your heart. Who we are tomorrow depends on decisions we make today.
Joshua Generation, part 10. In Joshua 22 we see that God is still leading his people despite all their stumbling and mistakes. So often it’s two steps forward and one step back. But God does not give up on them.
Joshua Generation, part 9. Character is something that develops over a lifetime, through all kinds of experiences, and is something that cannot be fast-tracked. In Joshua 14 we look at the godly character of Caleb and how he helps form the next generation.
Joshua Generation, part 8. War is part of the fallen human condition, and will always be amongst us. But we have One who has come to bring peace. Jesus is the hope of the nations.
Joshua Generation, part 7. The amount of information and distraction in modern life is greater than any other time in history, and it can be almost overwhelming. There’s also a battle for the mind and a battle against the flesh, and in this we must not set aside our advantage: knowing God.
Joshua Generation, part 6. Chapters 7 and 8 are tough and have to be walked through carefully. Through them we see the mercy and grace of God to those that are willing to repent. But we also see the holiness and sovereignty of God over those who don’t.
Joshua Generation, part 5. Jericho was a mighty obstacle standing in the way of God’s people as they entered the Promised Land. But by faithfully following the Lord’s commands, God fights the battle on Joshua’s behalf, and Jericho is taken.
Joshua Generation, part 4. When God's people crossed the Jordan River it marked both the exit from the wilderness and the entrance into the promises of God. Christianity is the same. Salvation and forgiveness marks the way into God's Kingdom, but it's only the way to a far greater end.
Joshua Generation, part 3. We want to be a people who are tuned into what God is doing, where he is leading, and have the faith and courage to follow him.
Joshua Generation, part 2. Looking at how the story of Rahab reveals the mercy, grace and forgiveness of God.
Joshua Generation, part 1. We kick off our new teaching series looking at the book of Joshua where God’s people come out of exile and enter into all that was promised.
We had the great pleasure of commissioning two new Elders, Ben and Martin, as well as hearing updates from Seaford and hearing from Dave Holden. Apologies for the poor audio in places (a handheld microphone wasn't patched-in to our livestream).
Looking at Psalm 1. When we delight in God’s Word, we are like a tree planted by streams of water, which brings life to us, and life to those around us.
Magnetic Jesus, part 2. Understanding the marriage process and how much work a husband had to do in preparing a place for his bride helps us grasp passages like John 14.
Magnetic Jesus, part 1. Why are people still talking about Jesus? Why do people still sing songs of worship to him, spending their lives following him? Jesus a magnetic person. There’s just something about him that draws us to himself.
Life in the Spirit, part 3. God wants our faith to be steeled with certainty. When we feel this certainty, we are emboldened to live for him.
Life in the Spirit, part 2. The Holy Spirit is not a reward for having done well. It’s a gift for weak Christians. It’s not about being good enough to be counted worthy. We need the Spirit, because without it we’re useless!
An afternoon session with Terry Virgo on how we approach the filling of the Holy Spirit, and how we can lead others in understanding what Scripture teaches around this.
Life in the Spirit, part 1. Is Christianity a fading recollection of what it was like when Jesus was here? Is a book all that we have left? It is not so—the presence of God has returned to us through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
John is bringing two messages to us on leadership roles in the local church, and how they are used to serve, pastor, protect and guide.
Colossians, part 3. What are the things that take centre stage in our day-to-day lives? And what happens when we place Jesus at the centre, and work everything else out from there?
Colossians, part 2. The Lordship of Christ always produces new life to you as a believer. He doesn’t leave you as one that is dead—he cause you to be alive in him.
Colossians, part 1. Everything is built on the fact that Jesus is our Lord. It’s something we should never fall away from, and is the very essence of our community.
The entire DNA of a tree is in its seed. Once it’s been planted, its DNA drives growth and increase. This is a picture of the Church.
We are secure in the love of Christ, yet there are no guarantees in life. Ecclesiastes 11 reminds us to plant and sow, even in the midst of unpredictable circumstances.
Surprised by Joy, part 5. What do we do with pain, loss, challenges to mental health and heightened anxieties? Philippians 4 gives us some amazing ways though which we can set ourselves in the peace of God.
Surprised by Joy, part 4. The Kingdom of God will come through you. It will come through every one of us pursuing Jesus and the work he’s got for us. So while we’re called to stand firm in our faith, we’re not called to stand still.
Surprised by Joy, part 3. How do we start to work out what God has already worked in us? In Philippians 2 we’re given four ways to do just this.
Surprised by Joy, part 2. Unity is actually the byproduct of us all serving one another. When we value others above ourselves, looking first to the interests of others out of love, something beautiful happens: we become one in mind and spirit.
Surprised by Joy, part 1. Difficult times in life can feel like dark tunnels that we have to travel through. Instead of waiting for the light at the end, God wants to fill the tunnel with light, right where we are.
The Grace of God, part 4. Terry shares from the book of Ezra, reflecting on those who had survived exile, and were called to return and rebuild the house of God.
The Grace of God, part 3. We tend to think of ‘dead works’ as being of more formal, legalistic religion. But the Bible actually defines it as something different: a work without faith.
The Grace of God, part 2. Once we have died, sin can no longer enslave us. This is a truth we first have to know, but then also consider, as we are transformed by the renewal of the mind.
The Grace of God, part 1. Reflecting on Romans 5:17 in the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness for all who believe.
Ruth Chapter 4, part 2: In the story of Ruth we see Boaz take on his role as ‘Kinsman Redeemer’, who pours out his life so we can be blessed with an abundant life with him.
Ruth, chapter 4, part 1. In the story of Ruth we see Boaz take on his role as ‘Kinsman Redeemer’: one who brings redemption to all that was lost. In this Boaz reflects the heart of God and is a picture of Jesus, who acts as our very own Kinsman Redeemer.
Ruth, chapter 3: God rewards those who takes risks to seek him in faith or wait on him. We then find him seeking us.
Ruth, chapter 2: Life is full of patterns and random events. God is good and sovereign over all our choices and provides for our every need.
Ruth, chapter 1: When life deals us bitter blows there can be a build-up of resentment and pain, but we learn from the story of Ruth and Naomi that God can bring us through the toughest of times.