CBC Podcast

5 steps to knowing joy and peace everyday. Although this letter was written two thousand years ago it remains as relevant as ever. How can we know peace and joy - not just when everything is going well, but especially when the going gets tough.

We know that to be an elite sports person requires a life that is dedicated to training. Many sacrifices have to be made along the way. And they do it because of the rewards. Their eye is fixed on the prize. And Paul wants to encourage us as Christians to keep our eye on the prize and to press on with following Jesus.

Paul had all sorts of things going for him - and yet compared with the privilege of knowing Jesus, all those other things counted as nothing. Can we know Jesus like this?

Wherever Paul travels he is with others, and along the way, and in his letters he introduces us to many of his co-workers. But he also knows that life in community is not easy. Why is being a part of a church community important and how do we make it work?

What do we mean when we talk about God working in us - and does that mean we can just sit back and let God do it all? And how does this lead to a life with less grumbling and more joy?

Living as a follower of Jesus should lead other people to notice that our life is different and ask us about it. But are we ready to answer those questions and if not - how can we prepare?

Paul wants us to follow Jesus' example - and in this passage from Philippians 2:1-11 he helps us to see what that looks like.

Why are so many Christians reluctant to share their faith, and why would the example of someone being put in prison because they were a Christian, give us confidence to talk about Jesus? Just some of the questions we're exploring today.

Today we start a new series looking at Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. If you were in prison, facing possible execution, because you were a follower of Jesus, and were writing to Christians who were experiencing persecution for their faith what would you message and prayer be? Paul's letter is full of joy and thanks and his prayer is not for an ease in their circumstances but that...

Fasting - as a spiritual discipline - has fallen off the radar in many parts of the western church. So what's it all about, should I fast, and how do I start?

The 'average person in the street' - who was alive in Jesus' time - would have been familiar with shepherds. They would have also been familiar with this as an image, a metaphor, for leaders - who were sometimes described as being bad leaders. And so what does Jesus mean when he describes himself as the good shepherd?

On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection - a day that changed everything. How can we help those we come across this week to find Jesus?

On Good Friday we reflected on the cross and Jesus' great love for us.

Jesus deliberately and intentionally put his story within the context of the Exodus story. How does this help us understand what is going on?

As Jesus enters Jerusalem at the beginning of this most important week there are many people who are asking, 'who is this?' Our answer to this question has eternal consequences.

Jesus told the parable of the tenants just a few days before Good Friday, challenging the religious leaders whether they were going to treat him just as their ancestors treated the prophets - the prophets who were vindicated as the people were taken into exile. None of what was about to happen to Jesus was a surprise or a mistake. It was all a part of God's plan in order that we might know pea...

Jesus tells a parable set in the context of first Century Jewish wedding. He was not making the point that it is really important to be on time for a wedding - so what it the point this parable and how is it relevant to us?

If you like gardening (or perhaps more so if you don't) you will know the risk of pulling up a flower when you think it's a weed. What is Jesus trying to teach us through this parable of the wheat and the weeds - and what difference does it make to my life?

This week we're looking at the parable of the rich fool. Jesus had a lot to say about our possessions and our attitude towards money and wealth. Where do we base our confidence in the future? How does God want us to use our 'stuff'? What does it mean to be rich towards God?

Forgiving others can be very difficult - but it is essential if we want to be obedient to Jesus. But how can we forgive others and what does this look like? Our ability to forgive others needs to come from a place where we recognise how much God has forgiven us.

How good are we at listening to each other? Do we spend the whole time someone else is speaking thinking about what we're going to say? Following on from his talk about Listening to God (link below) Steve Clark reminds us that because God notices us, we can have the confidence to put others first and notice them and really listen to them. You'll find Steve's previous talk from October...

Today we're looking at two parables (Luke 11:5-8 and Luke 18:1-8) where Jesus is teaching us about how we should pray.

Jesus tells a story about two men - one was a member of the religious elite, and the other was despised and hated, a cheat, a "sinner". One could boast of his righteous deeds, the other couldn't even bring himself to lift his head towards heaven. But when God looked at their hearts what did he find? Again, apologies for the audio quality of this podcast, which was recorded on a phone...

Light is a metaphor that we are familiar with and Jesus used one image - not lighting a lamp and hiding it under a bowl - as the start of three different parables. [Due to technical issues this audio recording was taken from a phone - sorry for the poor quality.]

Money, particularly our personal finances, might be one of those topics that we are uncomfortable talking about - but Jesus has a lot to say about money and our attitudes towards it. So, what does he say, and how are we going to respond?