Scripture tells us the Jesus is the exact representation of the heart and character of God. Jesus is what God is like as a human, and Jesus is a man of deep visceral emotion. His heart is huge and it feels with a depth of feeling that we struggle to imagine. When we read the gospel accounts of Jesus life we might expect that his primary disposition toward the world is anger over sin or frustration with our failings, but that is not the dominant response of Jesus, compassion and mercy is.

In Genesis chapter 2, God creates woman from man, but what is really taking place in this story? Is Eve really made from just a little rib? In Genesis chapter 2, God is laying out his vision for relationships and the radical difference between his kingdom vision for relationships and vision of the world around us. God reframes what leadership, headship, And authority within our relationships should look like under his rule

When Adam and Eve were in the garden there were two trees planted in the centre, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. The story focuses on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the restriction that God placed on it, but there is another tree present that Jesus wants to invite us to give greater attention to—the tree of life.

In this conversation between Pastor Andrew and Pastor Brenda, we enter into dialogue together to unpack more of our last podcast episode and Andrew’s teaching on Genesis 2 and the image of God. We also take things deeper and move from information into a way to practice the presence of God in your own life.

What was the Garden of Eden? Did it cover the whole earth? Was it a really beautiful orchard, or was there something greater going on? In this Episode we are talking more about the identity of humanity and the purpose of Eden as a divine throne room where heaven met earth. A place where the divine unseen realm met the natural realm, a place of deep connection to God.

Scripture opens with a stunning portrait of God; a window into what he is like. In a stunning turn, the writer of Genesis describes all of humanity as being made in the image and likeness of God, but what does that really mean and was the image of God broken when mankind sinned in the garden?

This week Pastor Alex asks the question does God like me? We know that God loves us but we often wonder if he enjoys us. Does God just put up with me or does he desire to be with me? This week we speak about how much God loves us and look at the beginning of our relationship with God.

In Genesis 1-3 we see the story of God’s identity and our own identity as humans as created finite beings. The story of scripture is is one where humanity by nature is subject to certain limitations. Instead of seeing the wisdom of God in our limitations, we fight against them and often view those limitations as a liability or even a fault to overcome rather than a constructive gift. In this message we talk about our how our constant wrestle with our limits robs us of the peace that God promises and five practical ways to reorder our lives God’s way.

In part three, we introduced the possibility that when God uses the plural, let us make man in our image in Genesis 1:27 he is not referring to the Trinity, but to what scripture calls, the heavenly host, the sons of God or God’s divine council. But how can we take this interpretation of Jesus is God’s “only” begotten son?

We long for another world and connectedness to God, but many of us feel trapped in the brokenness of this world and disconnected and distant from God. We know information about God, we know what we are supposed to believe, but He isn’t real to us. Many of us live with an inner conflict from the disconnection between what we believe should be and what we experience. We long and ache for beauty, purpose, and order, to know we are not alone and that rest and peace are possible. We ache for the day when death and pain are swallowed up. We are aching for something to make sense of, and bring healing to, the pain and grief we experience as normal life in a broken and dark world. We long for order in a sea of disorder.

We are reintroducing ourselves to the story of Genesis 1-3 (the prologue of scripture) and the theological messages found in the first pages of scripture, asking “What does God want to reveal about who He is and what He is like? What does he want us to know about our identity? What does He want us to know about the shattering of his good world and why we experience life the way that we do—instead of the way we once did? What does God want us to know about the deep longing and ache in our heart for another world, a true HOME?

In Part 1 we are asking if Genesis 1 isn’t so much about the material creation of the universe and the mechanisms required, but about the heart of God to reveal his true identity, our true identity and the reality of the world we live in? What if the main message of Genesis 1 is theological and not scientific? In this first part of our Prologue series we are unpacking how to read Genesis in context and how to understand the word create and how it is used in context.

When we read the bible it can be easy to think that its characters don’t really struggle with the same things we do. It can be easy to read the highlights of their lives and come away thinking that they somehow had a different kind of spiritual life than we have access to today. But the scriptures are filled with men and women who struggled with sin, doubt, disappointment and failure just like we do. The message of scripture through their lives is that God is never done and the stuff of our lives, even right now, is not beyond his capacity to redeem and restore. God was not done with them and he is not done with us.

When we read the bible it can be easy to think that its characters don’t really struggle with the same things we do. It can be easy to read the highlights of their lives and come away thinking that they somehow had a different kind of spiritual life than we have access to today. But the scriptures are filled with men and women who struggled with sin, doubt, disappointment and failure just like we do. The message of scripture through their lives is that God is never done and the stuff of our lives, even right now, is not beyond his capacity to redeem and restore. God was not done with them and he is not done with us.

In the first century the Apostle Paul wrote to his protoge Timothy with the purpose of equipping and encouraging him to live out his spiritual calling and identity in really difficult circumstances. Timothy has been asked to follow after Paul in leading the church in Ephesus. Those are big shoes to follow. Paul is aware that leading in Ephesus is challenging and that Timothy will face opposition on all fronts. Paul knows that when we face great opposition it can be easy to revert to patterns and ways of dealing with struggle that are ungodly, unholy and unhelpful. In response, Paul gives Timothy 3 archetypes of Godly manhood and womanhood; the soldier, the athlete and the farmer. Paul is giving Timothy a vision for Godly character that is needed for us today.

In the first century the Apostle Paul wrote to his protoge Timothy with the purpose of equipping and encouraging him to live out his spiritual calling and identity in really difficult circumstances. Timothy has been asked to follow after Paul in leading the church in Ephesus. Those are big shoes to follow. Paul is aware that leading in Ephesus is challenging and that Timothy will face opposition on all fronts. Paul knows that when we face great opposition it can be easy to revert to patterns and ways of dealing with struggle that are ungodly, unholy and unhelpful. In response, Paul gives Timothy 3 archetypes of Godly manhood and womanhood; the soldier, the athlete and the farmer. Paul is giving Timothy a vision for Godly character that is needed for us today.

In the first century the Apostle Paul wrote to his protoge Timothy with the purpose of equipping and encouraging him to live out his spiritual calling and identity in really difficult circumstances. Timothy has been asked to follow after Paul in leading the church in Ephesus. Those are big shoes to follow. Paul is aware that leading in Ephesus is challenging and that Timothy will face opposition on all fronts. Paul knows that when we face great opposition it can be easy to revert to patterns and ways of dealing with struggle that are ungodly, unholy and unhelpful. In response, Paul gives Timothy 3 archetypes of Godly manhood and womanhood; the soldier, the athlete and the farmer. Paul is giving Timothy a vision for Godly character that is needed for us today.

In the first century the Apostle Paul wrote to his protoge Timothy with the purpose of equipping and encouraging him to live out his spiritual calling and identity in really difficult circumstances. Timothy has been asked to follow after Paul in leading the church in Ephesus. Those are big shoes to follow. Paul is aware that leading in Ephesus is challenging and that Timothy will face opposition on all fronts. Paul knows that when we face great opposition it can be easy to revert to patterns and ways of dealing with struggle that are ungodly, unholy and unhelpful. In response, Paul gives Timothy 3 archetypes of Godly manhood and womanhood; the soldier, the athlete and the farmer. Paul is giving Timothy a vision for Godly character that is needed for us today.