At Tearfund Learn, our favourite thing is to hear stories from Footsteps readers. A few years ago we sent out a survey to all Footsteps readers…

Pastor Joel Rosales Matute from Honduras explores how the church can welcome and support ex-offenders.

How should God’s commandments in the Old Testament challenge the way we think about land and justice today?

AIDS and Jesus by Rev Tim Oakley, Wundanyi, Kenya. Is AIDS like leprosy? The two are different – but both are feared. Both can isolate the suffering from those around. AIDS now is like leprosy was once – no cure. Since Old Testament times the Jews had treated leprosy as if it was the direct result of sin. Just as sin must be rejected, so a leper was pushed out of his community. Yet it was only a disease – one that can now be cured. We all hope that AIDS will also become curable too. But how ...

Jesus has taught us clearly that it’s not outer dirt or cleanliness that matters to God, but the cleanness of our hearts. So what is the importance of hygiene?

What are the barriers faced by people with disabilities in church?

Caring for children.   It is very easy to value children more for what they can become, rather than for what they are in themselves. Children may be seen as a bit of a burden from the time they are born, until the time when they can be useful. This is how children were viewed in the time of Jesus. What Jesus said about children and his attitude to them was, therefore, very revolutionary in his time.

Childbirth in the Bible by Rev Meagan Manas and Helen Gaw. These three Bible studies can be used together or separately. The opening activity can be used before any or all of the discussions.

Christ triumphs over conflict by David Scott. God loves diversity; he has created us all to be unique and this is something to celebrate.

Krish Kandiah helps us think about the kind of worship that God wants from his people.

Family planning is a sensitive issue about which Christians may have very different views. This study may help you to think more about your beliefs, and what your attitude should be towards others who may have opposite views.

by Alice Keen God wants everyone in the world to have enough to eat and to be able to choose to fast or feast as part of their worship of him.…

by Rev Joe M Kapolyo.

What does the Bible teach about running a business and making money?

There is no doubt that God’s overarching intention is to redeem his creation; a creation that he declared to be wholly good (see Genesis 1:12, 21, 25, 31). Creation and new creation dominate the beginning and the end of the storyline we see in the Bible, starting in Genesis and ending in the Book of Revelation.

Good use of resources by Rose Robinson

God’s prophet Elisha doesn’t provide the miraculous cure Naaman expects. What is the difference between healing and a cure?

How the Millennium Development Goals reflect God's heart for the poor Written by Amanda Jackson, Campaigns and Policy Coordinator for Micah Challenge International. www.micahchallenge.org

In the midst of suffering by Jane Bates Bring to mind a time when someone, perhaps a family member or someone in your community, was suffer-ing from an incurable disease.

Inviting God into your network  Read Acts 1:1-26, 2:1-4 (1:1-11) This provides the background to our study.

With God’s help, churches and Christian organisations are doing great, important work. Sharing what has worked well and the lessons we have learnt can help others to grow.

Learning from Jesus by Roland Lubett Learning and education were highly valued in first-century Jewish society. Every village and community had a synagogue, which served as the place both of learning and prayer.

God was determined that the Fall would not be the end of the story of creation. He sent Jesus to save us from sin and to make it possible for the relationships between God, humans and the environment to be restored.

The Bible is a story of God’s relationship with people. In his covenant with the people of Israel, in the journey to the Promised Land and in his sending of Jesus Christ we see him reaching out to us, seeking to gather us to him, to live with him and be looked after by him.

Giving from the heart

Simple acts of kindness can result in a chain of events that bring great blessing to many

Our stewardship of natural resources As a couple, we are experienced in environmental science and church leadership. We are enthusiastic about the many references to nature in the Bible and God’s call to us to work with creation in a way that protects and cares for what God has made.

Trees are often mentioned in the bible. They remind us of God’s creation; they are used as a picture of the mature Christian, and we read about how the Jews used them with care.

Preparing for Disasters Adapted from Disasters and the Local Church by Bill Crooks and Jackie Mouradian Read Genesis 41:25-40 God warned the Egyptian king through a dream that drought and famine were coming to his land.

by Dr Jorge Patpatian. Read Genesis 1:27-2:25.   Sex is often a taboo subject, surrounded by silence and denial. As Christians we should ask ourselves: ‘What is God’s plan for human sexuality?’ The Bible is not silent on the topic of sex, but rather points out some important aspects of the issue:

Some Christians believe that seeking medical help shows a lack of faith in God. This Bible study challenges that idea.

Do we see ourselves as rulers or stewards of God’s earth?

Jesus was concerned about children and their needs. He enjoyed their company and loved to spend time with them.

What does this little-known Bible passage tell us about women and land rights?

The ministry of Dorcas by Mary Kanene. In this bible study we look at the value of a particular woman in God’s service – Dorcas.

1 Samuel 7:2-14 I believe that prayer is one of the key factors that have led to the success of Footsteps. So, as we celebrate 20 years we can raise a pillar called ‘Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” ’ [1 Samuel 7:12]

by Chris Hawksbee. Very early on in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, we find that trees are mentioned. Not just one variety of tree, but various kinds...

This Bible study can be used as a tool to engage churches and communities with the issue of sexual violence.

God provides all that is needed for every living creature to thrive

What do we really know? by Rev Michael Beasley Read Luke 8:42a-48. As human beings, we often know less about others than we think we do. Consider the story of the woman with the haemorrhage. What do the following people know about the situation described, and what don’t they know?

An invitation for children to look more closely at God’s wonderful creation

How would you feel if I told you that God hates Christmas? Or that he is annoyed by Advent, Lent and Easter? What if I told you that prayer meetings…

There are some Christians who believe that seeking medical help shows a lack of faith in God. Some Christians wrongly think they should throw away…