The Rev's reflections: Recent Episodes

Paul Gough

Brief reflections to help you begin the day with God or to help you pause with him during the day

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Refusing to play safe and going all out for God

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He pleased God by faith in him

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Jesus, just Jesus

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The urgency of the gospel

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Allowing the Bible to not just inform but challenge

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Two kings, one good, one bad

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The God of the Bible speaks....to you

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Loving the Son,obeying his word

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Owning up is freeing

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Everything has a beginning and an end

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A compassionate not cruel God

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Behind the humour a serious message

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The central message of this funny book of the Bible

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How God's love should always astonish

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Facing life's difficulties well

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Tuning out the noise to tune in to Jesus

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Jesus's pattern of life

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Followers of Jesus carrying the presence of God around

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How listening leads to doing

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How the church is full of people wanting to be perfect

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Jesus's use of questions to teach his friends

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The wise entrust their life into God's hands

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Living before the face of God, living in the word of God

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Learning to trust in wilderness times

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Learning to trust during difficult times

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The challenge to respond like Jesus

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We can worry about unnecessaries

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Judging from the inside

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Only love in the end counts

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God's love enables us to live well

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As you go share the love of Christ

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Jesus's love binds us together

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Increasing in loving

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Failure can lead to success

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God's in the business of changing lives even those consider the worst

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God loves a "failure"

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God's love in us triggers a greater love for others

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The abundantly generous God

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God treats us with kindness

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Compassion means action

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Stopping to become like Jesus

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Surrendering to the Spirit, being transformed

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Listening carefully for the voice of God because he's trying to get our attention

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Loving others requires first knowing we are loved

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Hard things can be done but not on our own

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The Spirit enables us to live well

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Ways of being a wet blanket Christian

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Jesus himself is the reward

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Eternity will be full of life only

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Able to do anything with the Spirit's help

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Blessing is God's theme tune

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Asking the question: is what we're doing life giving?

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Don't be a Jonah who run from God

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Dropping blessings as we go

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Change is par for the course for believers on a journey

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Change that brings stress then transformation

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Signs of new life can be disturbing!

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One man only leads the church and our lives

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Taking Easter into the everyday

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Moving just because we believe God said so

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To take God's place is very dangerous

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It's the weak God calls

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How the church speaks God's language

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What it looks like to stay close to God

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Hope in Jesus and you'll not be disappointed

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Waiting for Jesus doesn't always have to be a slog

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Keeping on our toes for Jesus coming back

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We grow best through challenge

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Be reconciled to a fellow disciple and start over.

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Love requires we're not choosy

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The love of Jesus shown by the love of a saint

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The rule of love,Jesus's rule

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True friendship needs time

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God wants to be your friend

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The light of Christ brings life

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Hostility towards the church will always be around in some form or other

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Why do we do what we do

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What we see isn't everything

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The closer we get to Jesus's return the more difficult

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Waiting for Jesus's return

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A church worth belonging to

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Living each day in the light of Jesus's return

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Transformed by the light of God

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Exploring the new this new year

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Living for God's purpose for you

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Gods love goes down and out!

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Why some have experiences of God and others don't

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God came down to earth but it cost him

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Paradise is a person

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Perfection is unattainable in this life but it shouldn't stop us from reaching out for it

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It's important we get our name right

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Seeing what's new in 2023

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Joyless Christianity is no Christianity

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Angels point us to the baby

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Joy is available, because of Jesus, all year round

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Joseph did what was right

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Learning to wait

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I want to see Jesus this Christmas

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Seeing Jesus Christmas 2022

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Jesus's way is also ours

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How we see God will effect our prayers and our hopes

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God does whatever he pleases

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How the church must keep celebrating Christmas

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God calls us to point others towards Jesus

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Obeying God brings life, really!

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God's around; we just need eyes to see he is

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God is willing to bless what to us is routine

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Opportunities come then go so take them eagerly

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How remembering Jesus encourages us to keep going

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How we need to wake up to who we really are!

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The assurance of God's promises

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The significance of remembrance

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How we need always to remember that the Christian life is all about Jesus and not us!

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How those who follow the transfigured Jesus bring renewal

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Jesus wants us to experience him

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Life isn't about us but him

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God will do what he says

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Nothing wrong with anything big but it does depend on what we do with it

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Cheap gods are not worth the hassle.

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How our personal faith has a public face

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Sabbath is God's slow down day for us

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Sabbath helps us recentre on the one who truly satisfies

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How sabbath is more refreshing than ice cream

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Doing what we're told is better than doing what we want

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The prayerful believer will prosper

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About Samaritans, the enemy of the Jews

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Jesus opens the door to allow us to call God, Dad.

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Not confined to a building God's everywhere to bless us

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How saying yes to sabbath is saying yes to heaven

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Resting from work and thinking about it

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Its OK to say no to things that are not our responsibility

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It's sensible as well as godly to say no to doing

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keeping sabbath is different for all of us because we're different

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My own tribute our late Queen

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How sabbath benefits everyone

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There's meaning in the Bible from the method of the Bible

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Treasure the sabbath and find other hidden treasure

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We're much more than our work

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How the earth is urging us to rest!

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Sabbath, the only commandment with remember attached.

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How taking sabbath seriously benefits all of us

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How psalm 150 is prophetic as well as powerful

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Imitating creation's praise

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How right that the psalms end in loud praise.

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The Old Testament is crucial in understanding Jesus

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Our identity is in God

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How the creator cares for us all the time

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How come we are special?

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How blessing is found in one place only

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God loves us as we are but he loves us enough to bring blessed change

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God's love flows freely and always

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Do you know how to receive?

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How slowing down is good for us

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Everyone needs wisdom....

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Meditation on God's word brings blessing

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In Jesus's economy losing is winning

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Seriously following Jesus will lead to sorrow

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We don't need to be embarrassed by lament

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How pretending everything's OK isn't healthy

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Celebration and sorrow

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Put off by Christians...

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Love to emulate

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Looking for love in the right place

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Feeling dry? Then drink!

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Living with unusual temperatures

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How there's only 1 fruit but 9 flavours

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Offering our body to God

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How self control is absolutely possible

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Self control an essential ingredient for fruitfulness

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Don't fret. The end will come!

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Be kind to yourself because God wants that for you

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His astonishing kindness

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How Jesus responded to a leper

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Oddities of following Jesus

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It's hard being a follower of Jesus

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God can never be what he isn't!

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God is faithful and its around us for all to see

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Learning from David in psalm 31

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Search me O God

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It's OK to be honest

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Observing how the psalmist prays

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How God runs after us for goodness sake

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Growing in goodness doesn't happen on our own

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Giving off the smell of goodness

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How goodness is given not gained

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How generous God actually is

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Giving thanks daily for God's kindness towards us

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We need to seek peace because the world won't give it to us

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Silence is healing

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Realising what Ezekiel knew.....

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Encouraged by the voice of God

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God is always close by

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Peace comes when we turn to God

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Telling the difference between happiness and joy

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How putting others before ourselves is a good rule to live by

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To be a church commended for its joy!

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Choose joy and shut the door on your past

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Love is possible

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How love isn't just a noun but a verb

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Being eager to share a word of encouragement

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Gifts exercised in the right spirit

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Choosing faith over fear

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Unravelling teaching on fear

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How we can choose to move on from negative things from our past

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Sharing hope in a despairing world

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Resurrection people wherever we are!

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How the resurrection impacts our ordinary lives

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If we'd have been there in AD33 would we have got Jesus?

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Contemplating his love for me

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Giving time to see how much Jesus suffered for us

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Jesus first or family?

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Walking the talking

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How love must remain even with our opponents

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To start a journey with Jesus IS free

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Focusing on Jesus is success

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Not caring what others think

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Seeing beyond what we see

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Love flows out when God's love flows in

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Getting prayer right even when it's wrong

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Something's coming....

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Being ready

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Frustration is part of life, even the Christian life

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Challenged by the face of Jesus in others

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Dealing with the conflict in Ukraine

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Thankfulness as part of our routine

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Never apologise for saying thank you

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Not lampooning but learning from David's fall

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Underdogs have the advantage!

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How God uses our past to prepare us for ministry

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Confronting giants sensibly

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Yo keep going we need to look forward

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God is looking for keen disciples to do his work

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Asking what more can we do for God

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Don't run away from it, face it and grow!

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How generous are we?

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Being careful with God

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To be stronger there's something we must do

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Is our worship like David's?

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What's the difference?

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How small sins are still sins

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Honouring one's parents

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Why did it happen?

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What we read will influence us for good and for ill.

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Knowing about God leading to following him

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Giving what we have experienced

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How being with Jesus and sounding like him means dying to self

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Why it's hard to sound like Jesus

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He never did anything without being in touch with his Dad

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Choosing to seek God to sound like him

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Being attentive to God 24 7.

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How a church can look good but underneath things are the exact opposite

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Traditions and habits can be difficult to change

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Going beyond what we see

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Relax, He already knows!

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Deciding to walk away from the crowd to follow Jesus

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Digging deep finding new treasure

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Serving God quietly behind the scenes will be rewarded

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Humility is key to good leadership

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Comparing Zechariah and Mary's response to an angel encounter

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Christmas was meticulously planned

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How following Jesus was never going to be a bed of roses

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What it means to really live

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How keeping on with God requires looking to Jesus

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How faithfulness is hard work!

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We can sign up to the wrong kind of faith!

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How the answer to happiness is a child

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How something other than the stuff of Christmas makes Christmas special

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Learning from the persecuted at Christmas

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Preparing for the surprise that is Jesus

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No barrier is too difficult with the Spirit in us

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It's best never to walk the Christian path alone

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Reading the right book will stir us!

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How stories can stir us to action

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How the gospel reaches everywhere

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To make a difference we're to get stuck in

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It was always God's intention to send us out.

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Don't underestimate what God can do to transform the lives of our non believing friends

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Transformation requires working with the Spirit

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For the Spirit to change us he needs us to work with him!

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How our environment can majorly influence us

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How to welcome a stranger isn't that onerous

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When no one talks to you

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Strangers are very easily missed

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Are we more attractive than the church building?

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How being faithful is best in the long term

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God's commitment to his church

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Does the church have a good reputation?

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It's uncomfortable being a stranger here

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How we meet angels

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In one sense we are like the refugees we welcome here

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We can't understand refugees from a distance

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God's capacity to think about all of us all the time at the same time!

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How it's amazing that we're going to be seated with Christ in a place of honour!

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Negative messages can be silenced

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Chop God down to size and we cut ourselves off from potential fruitfulness

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Worship is warfare

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How confession is a very healthy thing

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We're not allowed on the heavenly throne!

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Look after your body!

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God needs his people to step forward

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Making the most of each day

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The Bible being more valuable than anything we own.

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Prayer will help us understand the Bible

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How reading the Bible is worthwhile

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No surprise about today's world if we look back at what was set in place years ago

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Vulnerable with newcomers and each other is healthy

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We can't predict the future with God but we can trust God with the future

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Jesus's promise to build his church

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What will we remember about the last 18 months?

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Sabbath makes sense of life

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Sabbath is a day to look up

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Change can often be unhelpful especially where Sunday is concerned

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God's last word is always love

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Recognised by rest

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Resting in the finished work of Christ

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Stubbornness isn't helpful in finding rest

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Having our eyes open to who God really is

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How God's power is very real for us who believe

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God supplies our needs at the right time and he's never early!

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Sometimes we have to walk away and leave it with God

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Holding on to Christ

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Rest requires care

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Defy the loud voices of business and stop to rest

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God's worth trusting

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Imitating Jesus

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Relationship with Jesus is easy

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Why religion is unhealthy

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Come and find rest in Him

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Rest from unnecessary responsibilities

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The value of silence

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God promises rest and gives it

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Taking a break from words

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Rubbing shoulders with the rest-less ones

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Is your life in tune, in balance?

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You need it so take it,take a break

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We don't have to wait to live heaven

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Are we embarrassed by the prospect of Jesus returning?

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Success may mean surviving

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How we can learn a thing or two from the sport for church

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Choosing to get stuck in to seeing the world change rather than hiding away from it

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Every day an opportunity to change slowly over time

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The real possibility that even here our neighbours and colleagues will be suffering from debt

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How most of the time we have to trust

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Understanding comes after prayer

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Turning to God is the only solution in a fragile world

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Trusting God means no additions necessary

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A simple strategy to keep our heart clean

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Choosing to face up to the need for honesty leading to healing

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A good beginning can lead to a good ending

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We can't fix our heart but we don't need to.

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In the eternal future one love will be enough

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If we're going to debate anything let's debate love!

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Show how strange you are because you're covered in love!

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How love in the Bible is always twinned with faithfulness

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Are we relying on God or on what he can do?

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Be ready just in case the Spirit blows on you!

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The test of love

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The powerful force of unity

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The Spirit is on us to bring to an end injustice

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The Holy Spirit reassures us

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Is the Spirit bothered?

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God is good even in a confined place

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Even though life may be hard God will keep you safe

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Choosing to be thankful even when life is tough

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What Jesus left behind every time

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All about the goodness of God

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Remembering how patient God is

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People may forget us but God won't

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Remembering where we come from before we came to Christ

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Remembering helps us respond

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How encouragement is so important for us to reach our potential as believers

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Much better to go with God than to go without his blessing and presence

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Inspired by good and godly people

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Being around safe people for our encouragement

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Choosing to put on Christ as we wait

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Thinking about eternity helps us live for eternity

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Our view of heaven will affect our treatment of earth

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We don't know the future

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Being affected by things around us

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The value of stopping enough to wonder at the world around us

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Learning from Jesus about our emotions

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How John and Peter are so different to each other yet Jesus uses both

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How Peter responds can teach us an appropriate response when we see or hear Jesus ourselves

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How God is so different to us

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Even just before his death Jesus cares

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Life is found in its loss not its gain

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Declaring or denying Jesus

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When anger is right

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Is God interested in trivia?

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Giving our best

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How Jesus is always gentle. This is who he is.

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Times when God shows up in a special way

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The church is filled with sent ones sent to share good news

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The Bible is universally true

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How we get the title saint

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Does our visible life flow from our inner life

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Why moaning is a waste of time and effort

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How the character of Jesus grows in us

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How we all have gifts we can use to glorify God

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How we work with the Spirit to become like Jesus

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The Spirit points to Jesus every time

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How can Jesus be in 2 places at the same time

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God is closer than we think

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Clinging to Jesus isn't always healthy!

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Encouraged by Jesus during Lent.

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Christ's reign means every inch of land is his.

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How to live the resurrection life

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Reflecting on the challenge of being like Jesus

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Why often our lives don't look different to everyone else

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Encouragement to enjoy the privilege of belonging to the King

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How believers fall!

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The colours of the death and resurrection of Jesus

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Remember to put God at the centre of them

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Can we be anyone or?

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Brazilian footballers show off their love for Jesus

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Learning from the persecuted church and dying for Jesus

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Learning to keep going despite difficulties

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Why the suffering church gives prayer central importance

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What we can learn from the suffering church

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The Archbishop of Canterbury and his call to the church

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Does God barge in to our lives?

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How witnesses work

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Can our faith hold when difficulty comes?

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Cooperating with God in prayer

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Do we need a check up on our heart?

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Reflecting on saying and living what we believe

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Who we believe in

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Inspired by a woman's commitment