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How can God be perfectly just and perfectly merciful at the same time? If justice means getting what we deserve, doesn't mercy undermine it? In this final message of our Unexpected God series, we explore how Jesus challenges our conventional understanding of justice by asking what if mercy isn't the opposite of justice, but the very means through which true justice becomes possible? Download Discussion Guide

We often think of goodness as following the rules, doing the right things and avoiding the wrong ones. But when Jesus encounters a wealthy young man seeking eternal life, he reveals something far more radical: God's goodness is expressed through extravagant generosity. So why do we struggle so much to live generously? And how can we trust in God's abundance when the world around us seems to offer so much evidence of scarcity? In this fourth message of our Unexpected God series, we explore how trusting God's goodness can loosen our grip on what we have, challenge the myth of scarcity and invite us to participate in God's kingdom here and now. Download Discussion Guide

When we think of an all-powerful God, we often imagine our own understanding of power, only infinitely amplified. But Jesus reveals something radically different. From washing his disciples’ feet to surrendering his life on the cross, Jesus demonstrates a power that doesn't dominate but serves, doesn't retaliate but forgives and doesn't coerce but transforms. What if God's greatest expression of power isn't found in controlling others but in self-giving love? And what might that mean for those of us who seek to become like the God we worship? Download Discussion Guide

We often imagine God’s holiness as separation — a kind of "purity" that requires distance from sin and sinful people — and that assumption quietly shapes everything from our atonement theology to how we relate to the world around us. But Jesus, the clearest revelation of what God is like, consistently moves toward the people our religious systems have deemed unclean or unacceptable. In so doing, he reveals holiness not as avoidance but as humility that gives itself in love. Where does this leave us for how we ought to pursue holiness both as individuals and as a church? Download Discussion Guide

Ontario Poet Laureate Matthew "Testament" Jones brings an encouraging word to our community, offering some insights into what it means to follow Jesus in this day and age, reminding us of the power of gratitude, being grounded in the Word and resisting the spirit of fear that tries to ensnare and bring us down. It's a different, but refreshing, perspective then we're used to at Grassroots! Enjoy. PS - the last 10 minutes of podcast had recording troubles and the audio quality is awful. Our apologies :(

Genesis 3 suggests the problem with the world runs deeper than rule-breaking: beneath our sin is a rupture of trust, a distorted picture of God’s goodness that teaches us to grasp, hide, blame and fear. Jesus comes not only to deal with sin but to show us what God is actually like, because when our image of God is healed, it changes how we see ourselves, how we treat others and how we live in the world. Download the Discussion Guide

Bill has been attending Grassroots just under a year and is a man with a beautiful life story that demonstrates the faithfulness of God. Listen in as he shares about his life story and the evolution of faith - a conversation that will bless you!

The Psalms contain a lot of enemy-destroying prayers - we call these the imprecatory Psalms. In fact, so does much of the Old Testament. Did David and others believe God would actually destroy his enemies? And what does it look like for us to read and apply these texts in our lives now that we have the advantage of understanding the perfect revelation of the Father through his Son? Have a listen to find out!

Earlier this summer we did a short series on Forgiveness, ending with a high level look at the role reconciliation is to play in the work of forgiveness and in the life of Jesus followers. In this teaching, Dr. Samuel Sarpiya of Redwood Church, nicknamed "the peace and reconciliation guy," takes us deeper by sharing his own journey with reconciliation work and offering several practical steps that any work of reconciliation will require of us.

Visiting speaker Keith Jagger leads the community through Psalms 42-43 (originally one psalm), exploring how these chapters reflect the human-divine experience of all of us. Keith helped facilitate reflections/insights from the community during the second half of the message.

As Pastor Steve closes this series on Forgiveness, he explores the sometimes awkward and difficult work of reconciliation, suggesting that as followers of Jesus, the work of reconciliation should always be what we strive for, yet accepting that because we cannot control the other person, it is not always guaranteed. 5 principles of reconciliatory work are shared as a place to start this important work.

Forgiveness is not pretending the prison never existed. It is refusing to keep living there. This week, Steve explores level two of forgiveness: releasing our own hearts from bitterness, resentment and anger through time, intentionality and empathy. Download the Discussion Guide

Forgiveness is not pretending the offence didn’t happen or acting like the pain doesn’t matter. In this first message of The Air We Breathe, we explore Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18 and the invitation to release others from the debts they owe us. Forgiven people become forgiving people, learning to breathe in grace and exhale forgiveness. Download the ⁠Discussion Guide⁠

Guest speaker Russell Pinson shares how maturity as followers of Jesus looks exactly opposite from how the world views maturity. Whereas maturity means increasing independence, Christian maturity means increasing dependence on Jesus. Download the Discussion Guide

Revelation ends not with fear but with healing. In this final message of the series, Pastor Steve looks at the Tree of Life in Revelation 22 and the surprising way John connects it to the cross. The way of Jesus is not domination, violence or self-preservation but self-giving love — and every time we live that way, we begin to enact new creation here and now. Download the Discussion Guide