Churchcentral Birmingham: Talks

Love is central to every element of the Christian life. And that includes our meetings. Today Jonny looks at what love has got to do with how and why we meet together.

In the craziest dating advice ever given, Naomi tells Ruth to do some weird stuff in chapter three! But through the courage of Ruth, the character of Boaz, and the amazing covenant love of God, redemption begins to take place. Kirsty does an incredible job of exploring this bizarre story, showing us the simple beauty of God's love.

Recording issues, but this version still worth listening to! Tom helps us unpack the important, central principle of LOVE in the church, especially in our gatherings.

Ever had something happen, seemingly by chance, but that actually was God guiding your life? Joel helps us explore such a moment in the the ancient story of Ruth. We then see some amazing 'coincidental' foreshadowing of the amazing story of Jesus!

Unity doesn’t mean uniformity; diversity makes for a healthier body. Jonathan unpacks these themes and applies them into our moment as a church.

We were chuffed to welcome Rich Bowpitt from Oasis Church Birmingham. We explored several aspects of 'welcome', and how we can be those who pass on the welcome we have received from God, into the lives of others.

We resume our series in Exodus by examining the veil and altar of the tabernacle and how they highlight what is needed to approach God's presence.

When your back's against the wall, turn and pray.

The Bible doesn't teach us about spiritual gifts so we can define the USPs of our churches. It does it because we need God’s power. Today Jonny talks us through the 9 gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and looks at how we can practice them to release that power into our churches meetings.

Naomi (sweetness) has experienced so much pain that she asks to change her name to Mara (bitterness). What do we do with our moments of extended pain? What do we do when life is turning us bitter? Annabel beautifully shows us two things we can do, and three things God does.

This Sunday we focussed on the habit of reading scripture. We get to hear from three different church members. Ed Edmondson shares about his experience reading the Bible everyday. Cara Sherman shares about the practice of memorizing the Bible. Then Jonny Mellor concludes by sharing the practice of studying the Bible.

Our monthly all-ages together morning looked at the whole theme of musical worship! Some of us naturally love it... some loathe it! So why do we do it and how can we experience the joy of it? Rich and Beccy lead us through some stories and questions before we got practical in our 'Choice Time' stations and then a worship time!

God moves powerfully through individuals for the sake of the church by giving the gifts of the Spirit. When they’re used well it’s like a beautiful symphony where God is the conductor. When they’re used poorly it can be chaotic! In this sermon, we learn some of the ground rules of spiritual gifts so we can follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.

Where is God in pain? No easy answers, but one of the main answers the Bible gives is... He is in the love of a friend. We explore Ruth's amazing friendship to Naomi, and see how it's relevant for us in Shenley today.

In this talk we explore how to break bread together without missing the point and getting it horribly wrong!

*Some audio issues in first 7 minutes*. As Naomi crossed a border to Moab, now Ruth begins the journey across the border into Judah. What can we learn from her journey? What are the borders around us and how can we cross them to see people from every background experience the love of God in Shenley?

How do we know what to do? What if we miss God's plans? This talk unpacks what the Proverbs have to say to you if you are facing a big decision in life.

We returned to 1 Corinthians after a summer break. And what better way to start the term than a spot of treasure hunting! We had to dig, but we found gold together.

We start three months in the book of Ruth, exploring the God who shows up 'right where it hurts'. In the first five verses, we see a crazy level of pain experienced for a woman called Naomi. What can we learn from this saddest of starts?

The book of Proverbs has tons of practical wisdom on forming and sustaining healthy friendships. Elise looks at this key need of human beings, and how as believers we have all the resources to live it out well in the church and beyond.

Wisdom in scripture isn't only a personal thing. It also impacts our engagement with everyone around us, especially those on the margins. We see God's heart for the vulnerable and the poor in this talk, and then we're urged to live out God's justice in our lives.

Blake helps us understand what the Lord's wisdom has to say to our family life. Raising children - for lots of reasons - can be a sensitive theme, but the Lord has plenty to say to the whole church on this theme.

"Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me." In today’s talk, Josh explores whether our words have power and how we can harness them for good.

Who is free? What does it mean to be living in freedom? Today James examine Paul's letter to Philemon, to see what we can learn.

To grow in wisdom, we’re instructed to have a “fear of the Lord.” What does it mean to fear the Lord? Does this mean we should be scared of God, or something else entirely? In this talk, this theme is explored. We learn why it’s necessary for wisdom and how we can take steps to grow in our fear of the Lord.