You may be wondering, “Do I really need another newsfeed?” Most of us are feeling inundated with bad news these days. Can anyone really claim to offer hope? Let us transport you to a different type of newsfeed. Step back in time and peak through the window of a community 2000 years ago. Like us, the Philippians were surrounded by bad news. Like us, a cry of protest rose up within them. Life was by no means easy, but this community of diverse people experienced a solidarity and deep friendship in Christ that still rings with hope all these years later. We wondered what their daily news might have looked like.

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Tags: Ghandi, Madonna, Women’s March, Philippians, Jeremiah Burroughs, The Bible Project

Can we have joy in suffering and adversity? It seems unlikely, but that’s the 64 million dollar question Philippians challenges us with in this week’s blog. The Apostle Paul says the secret in being content in every circumstance is…well, we won’t give it away here. Join us for this week’s reflections on the good news that’s often hidden in unlikely places, like suffering.

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Tags: W.E.Hill, Peter Gomes, Joy in Suffering, Muscular Hope, De-centered Selves

In 2016 as our community studied Philippians, we answered a question via email each week in preparation. We always enjoyed this online pre-meeting as we filtered our lives through the text of the week. Stories, confessions, reflections, all were shared, and when we finally gathered in person on Wednesday evenings, it was as though the meeting had already begun with good energy. God was preparing our hearts as the questions helped us deepen Paul’s words and immerse ourselves in the text. We invite you to listen in on a few of our stories, and perhaps share some of your own.

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Tags: GBS (Guillain-Barré syndrome), Psalm 121:5, 1 Corinthians 13:12-13, Psalm 23, Romans 5:3-5

Winnipeg readers might remember a popular call-in radio show from the ’70’s called “Beefs and Bouquets.” For 30 seconds, callers could air praise or complaints about something going on in the community. In this spirit, Watershed’s teacher/pastor Paul Patterson thought it’d be fun to write to the 1st century writer of Philippians. Paul the Apostle was a gifted writer and visionary, but he could also be a name-caller and a bragger.

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Tags: Philippians 3:1-7, Youth For Christ, Beefs and Bouquets, Gains and Losses

Having unity while still honoring diversity among us is trickier than it first seems. We invariably start relationships off with high ideals and hopes, but life has this way of testing our aspirations. It doesn’t take long to experience each others’ sharp edges. How can we be a people who truly live the gospel we believe in, where everyone and everything belongs? Find out what Philippians 1:27 has to say about unity to our divided 21st century world.

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Tags: Rodney King, M. Scott Peck, David Congdon, Fibonacci