Are you competitive? You might think this question is only about sport but competitiveness takes many forms. Colleagues compete in the workplace for a better bonus or coveted promotion. Children compete in the car for what music is played as we travel. Friends compete to win the post dinner board and card games. Neighbours compete to have the tidiest garden on the street.

Transitions are tough. We often feel knocked back, or like we’re starting again. In our church family, September brings a lot of transitions: starting school, moving up in school, finishing primary school, starting secondary school, starting GCSEs, starting to think about further education/work, moving to university. There is a lot of change on the horizon.

We know we have an enemy who is totally against God and us as His people and he looks for ways in to undermine all the good that the Lord is doing in and through us. There are often strongholds that hold us down, perhaps some generational sin that can be prayed through. We can’t blame the enemy for everything so we have to do our part in that big old battlefield of the mind. Taking ungodly thoughts captive and replacing them with God’s truths persistently until the enemy loses his footing. We also may have to come against spiritual forces with determined and specific prayer.

Family discipleship can feel overwhelming in the middle of busy schedules and everyday chaos. Here's some practical encouragement for building family Bible habits, weaving faith into daily life, and remembering that raising disciples is something God calls the whole church family to do together.

How do we know God is pruning us? Perhaps we are experiencing unusual hardships and trials, facing challenges and difficulties that test our perseverance and patience (James 1:2–4).

It’s a call not just to attend Easter, but to expect God to move: transforming lives, drawing in newcomers, and revealing the love of Jesus through both our words and our actions. Here's 6 ways we can model that this easter...