Severn's All You Can Eat Buffet

How much is who we are and what we do influenced by inheritance from our families? Today, our panel discusses our family backgrounds, how we've recognised (sometimes after a long time) that we have become more like our parents than we expected, and how we've been able to move on from feeling locked into inherited patterns of behaviour.There is a very big realisation lurking in here about the way we end up conflicted and stressed about all of this. It's to do with our expectations of perfection, initially in our parents, and then in ourselves. What can happen when we spot that and call it out for the impossibility that it is?We'll look at this more next week when Owen brings more about how we see ourselves and our limitations. If you would like to share any thoughts or questions, email us - [email protected]

Why would God be bothered about climate change and its consequences for life and the planet? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at what the Bible says about God’s relationship with our planet and the role given to humanity in creation. The Bible mentions “dominion” over the earth, but what does this mean? Does God encourage us to act like we own the planet and consume what we like, or are we given greater responsibility? And is taking this seriously part of what it means to worship God?To join our COP26 prayer group, text COP26 to 07828 934275.

How much are we shaped by family and patterns inherited from our parents? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at the influence of family on famous leaders in the Bible and people in our own time. We choose our own paths, but it can help us to grow awareness of how our choices are influenced by vows we made to ourselves when growing up. Can Jesus' offer of "born again" new life then break us free of inherited destructive patterns?Next week, we'll gather our panel to discuss what this all means and how it feels to us. If you have questions or anything you'd like to share, email us at [email protected]

What happens when we doubt - is it the end of our faith? In this talk, Dan Green looks at one of Jesus’ followers who doubted and how they reconnected with the source of their faith and life. What can this mean for us when we struggle to reconcile simplistic ideas with the complexity of lives and relationships? This talk is part of our series on "Questioning Our Assumptions".

What do we think about these ideas about spiritual and emotional health, why they don't always match up, and why life would be better if they do? Join our panel discussing how we've struggled with inner conflicts and sharing honestly, what it means to start stripping off our protective scales, and how long we think it might take to become emotionally healthy.Next week, Owen will be talking about family and how we can be shaped by our earliest experiences. If you'd like to share any thoughts or questions, email us - [email protected]

How much do we struggle to square simplistic Sunday school beliefs with our complex world? In this talk, Owen Lynch revisits some of the dramatic stories we tell our kids and puts them into context. What does God want us to know from the stories of creation, Adam and Eve and Noah’s Ark? And how can questioning our assumptions about these, while unsettling, lead to a deeper, healthier spirituality? (For more info, see “Genesis for Normal People” by Peter Enns and Jared Byas)

We can look nice and spiritually sorted on the surface, but what's going on underneath? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at what affects our emotional health which is often hidden from view until it bubbles up into occasional outbursts of impatience, anger or pain. Growing our awareness of what causes that pain can help us, not just to manage it but to outgrow it with God's help.Next episode, we'll have a panel to discuss what they've found good or difficult about this. If you have questions or anything you’d like to share, email us at [email protected]

Why do we often end up feeling different inside from how we want to look on the outside? Can growing our awareness about this help us to become more healthy and better able to face challenges?Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch discuss experiences of this, including how they have been building friendships in a church context with small groups of people who want to help each other grow.This podcast is the start of a journey exploring more about spiritual and emotional health, why these need to link together (and what happens when they don't), and what we are learning from life and relationships.If you would like to ask questions or share your experiences, email [email protected]

If we all see the world in our own unique, biased way, what about Jesus? Can we tell how he saw the world differently from us? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at the ways Jesus looked at life, faith and religion differently from anyone else, in ways which shocked the establishment in his time - and might shock us now. This is part of a series in which we are questioning our assumptions about God and faith and wondering how God might want to change our viewpoints. 

After bad times, how can we bounce back with hope? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at what the Bible says about God’s love being poured out into our hearts. Did we earn or deserve this? Is there anything we have to do to receive it? If not, and if we can count on God’s unconditional love, can that hope give us a basis for whatever comes next in life?

What happens when life makes it hard to believe in God? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at crises of faith and identity which can arise in difficult times, perhaps because our faith expectations don’t match the reality of the world around us, or when the church seems to be offering easy answers which seem wrong, insensitive or even offensive to us. Have we undervalued questions, debates and doubts? What can we learn from Paul, whose personal crisis of faith and identity made him change when he met Jesus?

How many times does it take for us to learn? In this talk, Sarah Blackburn looks at two of Jesus' most famous miracles which look remarkably similar. After seeing what Jesus could do, why would his disciples need to learn the same lessons over again? Why do we? If we keep finding ourselves struggling or stuck in patterns of behaviour we would like to change, what can we learn from Jesus' perseverance and grace?