Miracles are supernatural events that occur because of God’s power. If you haven't listened to it already, I recommend you check out this episode on Jesus' miracles from May 2020 as an introduction to this series on miracles! Jesus performed miracles to show that he had the power of God. Today’s episode tells the story about the first miracle. Jesus has already been baptised by John and he has chosen some disciples but he hasn’t shown who he is and what he can do. Bible Reading: John 2:1-12 How much wine did Jesus make? 6 stone jars. Apparently each stone jar could fit 80L of liquid or 20-30 gallons. That is so much that I couldn’t even hold it! Jesus didn’t just make a little bit of wine - he made a crazy amount. Why would he make so much? Maybe to prove that this wasn’t just a little bit in the water jars that was forgotten about. Maybe to show that he can. Maybe so that people would start talking about him? Have you ever been embarrassed? I have never felt more embarrassed than when I swam the 50m freestyle race doing breaststroke. Jesus saved this couple from embarrassment. He cares about our feelings even if they’re silly, like my swimming race. As a mum, I think lots of things my kids get upset about are silly, but it means a lot to my kids so I make it mean something to me because I love them. My daughter Lucy cares a lot about her hair and getting it just right but I think it looks great however it is done but I try to care because I know it is important to her. God cares about us and our feelings, our embarrassments, because he loves us. Discussion Questions: Have you ever felt embarrassed? Share your most embarrassing story. How do you think Jesus turned the water into wine? If you had known Jesus when he was a boy and had thought he was just a regular guy and then saw him do this miracle, what do you think you’d be thinking? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message

How did I come to know Jesus? This episode is a personal one! The story about how someone becomes a Christian is called a testimony and today I am going to share mine with you. Some people’s testimony’s involve a dramatic change - one day they do not believe in God and then something drastic happens in their life and they just have to believe in God. Other people come to know Jesus gradually, slowly putting their trust in him bit by bit until they look back to some time in the past and remember that they used to not believe in God at all but now they are very strong in their faith. That is the case for me. There wasn’t a date I could give you where I prayed a prayer to become a Christian, but a series of events that built up my faith over time. In this episode I am going to tell you about some of those events that shaped what I believe today. Bible Verse: Philippians 1:27 My life is not like a pizza, divided up into segments like sport, church, school etc.  The whole of my life is defined by me being a Christian.  Tune in to hear the whole story! Discussion Questions: If you are sitting in the car with a Christian adult - a parent or grandparent I am guessing, ask them the same question that I just answered: Ask them - how did you come to know Jesus? For the kids - Share an experience or 2 that you think has helped you get to know Jesus. How much do you know Jesus? A little bit or a lot? And are you keen to get to know him more? Chat about how you will do it. Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message

Listen first to the episode “Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?” God didn’t want us to be his toys, but his friend. God doesn’t MAKE bad things happen but he does let them happen. God could stop it. He has the power to do anything. Bible Verse: Luke 1:37 “Nothing is impossible for God!” God has power over sicknesses. But God chooses not to do some things. eg God chooses not to sin. He chooses not to hate people when they hate him. People were wondering similar things in Jesus’ time regarding why people were born with ailments. It was generally assumed in society at the time that it was sin that caused certain people to have bad things happen to them in their lives. Bible Verse: John 9:1-12 So many people in life think that it is about having a fun time and doing things that make you laugh; being happy. This is not true. Life is about getting your enjoyment from God no matter what the circumstances. (Listen to this episode on What Is The Meaning Of Life? from last week if you haven't already!) God says that many bad things will happen in life. Expect it. In the world you will have tribulation (troubles). Bible Verse: John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” This is a sad verse and a happy one. We will have troubles but it will end up good in the end. God wrote the beginning and the end of the world. Do you ever sneak to the last few pages of a book to find out how it ends? I’ve read the back of the book and it all works out in the end! Discussion Questions: Why do you think God let Covid-19 happen? If you knew someone who was doubting that God is a loving and kind God because of all the horrible things that have been happening this year, what is one thing you might say to them that would encourage them to keep on having faith in God? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message

In today's episode Anna tackles the biggest question of all - What Is The Meaning of Life? This question springs from other questions: Why Did God Make People? What is God’s purpose for us being here? What is the purpose of life? What is the Meaning Of Life? Why Did your parents want kids? Why Did I want kids? People are different from all the rest of God’s creation because we have been made in God’s image. Genesis 1:26-27 “God said, “Now we will make humans, and they will be like us. We will let them rule the fish, the birds, and all other living creatures.” So God created humans to be like himself; he made men and women.” What is God’s image like? This verse says that God’s image is just like us. I think that refers to our spiritual nature rather than our earthly bodies. We have a higher level of thinking. An old quote about the meaning of life is this: “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.” CS LEWIS TO GLORIFY means to acknowledge and reveal the majesty and splendour of God by your actions. We can do that by praising him or by living in a way that is pleasing to him. Enjoying is a word that comes from JOY or Happy or Content and is enjoying something is to take delight or pleasure in it.  So our reason for being here on earth is to take delight and pleasure and happiness in God. A very pleasant instruction to do! Bible Verses about glorifying God by enjoying Him forever: Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:11) Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. (Psalm 33:1) Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For You will judge the peoples with uprightness and guide the nations on the earth. (Psalm 67:4) Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. (Psalm 100:1–2) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) If we remember these things and glorify God by enjoying him, then we will be content. Discussion Questions: Parents: why did you have kids Think about people you know. What do you think they would say if you asked them “What is the meaning of life?” Because of the more complicated language used in this episode I want you to discuss the meaning of the quote - The purpose of life is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. What do you think this means? What is one thing you could start doing today that can help you enjoy God? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message

Today’s question is Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen? This is something that many people struggle with and if you can’t get your head around it now that’s fine - some things become clearer over time and when we get to Heaven we will understand everything. I found this verse today that I think is helpful to keep in mind when learning about things that we struggle to understand: 1 Corinthians 13:12: “Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.” We will understand why God does things the way he does as we dig deeper and deeper into our learning about Him and as we read and learn more and more about what he has already done here on earth. Huge questions that many people cannot understand and then often stop trusting in God Some people think: God can’t be a caring God to let someone I love go through cancer God can’t be a caring God to stop people from going to Heaven when they die God can’t be a loving God to allow famines and starvation on the earth Why do bad things happen? Sin. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. God planned earth to be full of all things good. In the first episode titled GREEN I talk about how perfect God’s creation was - there was nothing wrong with it at all - it was GOOD! What happened? Adam and Eve ate the fruit and that was the beginning of sin. Every single person got sin because they were born from someone sinful - just like you get your genes from your parents, you get sin from your parents. This sin is called “original sin.” Q. Why does God Let Bad Things Happen? This question leads to many other questions: Why Did he allow sin to enter the world? Why did God put the tree in the garden in the first place? Why was the snake/Satan allowed to enter into the garden? It was God’s way of giving Adam and Eve a choice to obey him or not. God doesn’t want to control us - he wants us to be able to choose whether we obey Him or not, because loving him would not be real if he forced us to do it. Harry Potter Fans may remember Tom Riddle’s mum forcing a man to love her. It isn’t real if it’s forced. But we know now, that God will not let anyone into Heaven. If somebody keeps saying in their lives that Jesus is not real, that he is made up or is just a regular man that someone made stories up about, they will not be allowed to enter into eternal life. This is because they have not had their sins removed from them through having faith in Jesus. Everyone has a chance but some people waste their chance. Discussion Questions: Do you like playing imaginative games alone or do you prefer to spend time with other people who have their own opinions and thoughts? Why do you think God doesn’t want to control you? How do you feel about being able to have choices in life rather than being controlled? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message

Baptism. It is a strange thing Christians do with water. Why Do People Get Baptised? What is Baptism? It is an outward sign of something happening inside. Some people think they won’t go to Heaven if they are not baptised with water, but that’s not true. Remember the man next to Jesus on the cross? Luke 23:39-42 What does the bible say about baptisms? Phillip baptized a man in the Jordan River - Acts 8:26-40 Many people think that this means that young and old can get baptised. What do you think? A whole household got baptized - Acts 16:30-34 Jesus was baptised - Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus commanded the disciples to baptise people in Matthew 28:19-20 Pastors say special things before and during the baptism: Welcoming you into the church Baptising you in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit Usually there are specific things church leaders say and ask the church to support the person in their Christian walk eg. “Do you turn to Christ as Saviour? I turn to Christ” and “ I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Why Do People Get Baptised? To announce to everyone they know that their sins have been washed away. Discussion Questions: Have you been baptised or have you seen anyone get baptised? If yes, tell all about what happened. What rules and policies does your church have around baptisms - ie sprinkling, full emersion, babies baptised or dedicated, teens confirmed or baptised? If you haven’t been baptised, would you like to be? Why/why not? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message

Why Did Jesus Give Us Communion? What is communion? What is the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, Breaking of bread? Matthew 26:26-30 This wine is my blood and this bread is my body is not literally that, but is a symbol. Some people think that the wine and the bread literally changes to become Jesus body and blood. What do you think? My experiences taking communion Communal cup and plate walk up the front of church and kneel small cups and bread passed around Some churches let children take communion some churches just pray for the children some wait until a child has chosen to be baptised some churches require you to be a member of their gathering After Jesus died, people believed and started calling themselves Christians. Instead of going to the temple to worship God they began meeting together and called these meetings ‘church’ which means assemble. In these meetings, they began taking part in communion, or the Lords Supper, and we still do it today. Paul noticed some problems with the way the Corinthian church were doing it and wrote them a letter with some better ways to have communion: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Why Did Jesus Give Us Communion? To remember him. As an outward sign of something happening inside of us - we are accepting the wine and the bread outwardly and inwardly, we are accepting Jesus body broken and his blood shed for our sins. How Should We Take Communion? Only if we believe in Jesus and have become a Christian. With respect for Jesus and what he did for us on the cross. Reverently Discussion Questions: Do you think Jesus was saying a metaphor when he said the wine was his blood and the bread was his body, or do you think it really was and is during communion? Talk about your church - How does your church do communion? When does your church allow people to start taking communion? What rules does your church have around communion? Is taking communion something that you would be interested in doing? Why/why not? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message

In this episode Anna discusses the difference between Christianity and other religions and talks about how you can decide on which one you think is right (because you want to choose the right one, not just the one that you like the sound of). There are nearly 8 billion people on earth, in 195 different countries, and so there are a range of different beliefs. What does the word “religion” mean? The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. 30% of Australians do not believe in any superhuman power at all, and 18% of Americans do not believe in any religion at all. A few hundred years ago this would have been considered foolishness, as the spiritual realm was so obvious in their society. What is similar about Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism? Working in this life by doing good things to get eternal life after death. Christianity and Islam both believe in a creator God who we can pray to. How is Christianity different from the other religions? Christian God is knowable, loves and cares for us and doesn’t want us to work to get to heaven, as we couldn’t work enough! Grace/Works So how do we know which religion is the ‘right’ one? Learn about them Pray to God to show himself to you Have faith After Jesus fed 5000 people and walked on the water he got quite a lot of people following him around, wanting to know more. Jesus preached to all the people who were following him but some found it hard to understand. Many turned away and stopped following and listening to Jesus. “Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they were going to leave him. Simon Peter answered, “Lord, there is no one else that we can go to! Your words give eternal life. We have faith in you, and we are sure that you are God’s Holy One.” John 6:67-69 One thing all these religions have in common is they all say that you have a decision to make in your life - what to believe. You have your life to choose and then you have no more time left. Discussion Questions: Share your thoughts or questions about the other religions you know about or have heard about today. Is there anything that makes sense or sounds good to you? Is there anything that sounds crazy? Why/why not? Talk about faith. Do you find it hard or easy? Have you had any times where your faith has been tested? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message