Mid-faith Crisis: Recent Episodes
Nick Page & Joe Davis
A podcast for every Christian who has ever asked ‘Is that it?’ Mid-faith Crisis explores the Christian faith with honesty and humour. If you feel that you have more questions than answers, if you feel as though your faith is changing, if you feel that if the worship leader sings that chorus one more time you will strangle him with his own guitar strap, then this is the podcast for you. Warning. Contains traces of theology and occasional innuendo.
So, Joe is still away, but here's a little something from the vaults – an interview with Brian McLaren about his book Life After Doom. Given all the extreme weather we're experiencing at the moment, this seemed like a good episode to revisit! We'll be back with you next week. In the meantime, remember, humans are a mess, but the birds are awesome!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Brian McLaren
- Centre for action and contemplation
- Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart
This week's episode brings us to worship. How do we define it? Is it just music, or does worshipping God involve more than just warbling? What are our places of worship, and do we still have to sing? Also we talk about death and head injuries, just to cheer everyone up a bit.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Odyssey
- Emily Wilson Translation: 'A complicated man'
- Episode 332: Bill
- Graham Kendrick
- Primary School Bangers at Glastonbury
We're back in the library as we continue to sort out our house of faith. This time we're thinking about books we don't use as much, and why it's worth keeping old bits of the Bible around, because you never know which bits are going to come in handy. Also, Joe has had some issues with paint, and Nick has been giving martini recipes to medical staff.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Dark Night of the Shed | Nick Page
- The Badly Behaved Bible | Nick Page
As we continue our journey around our house of faith we've come to the library. And this week, we're restocking the shelves with your book recommendations. You can find a full list on our website.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Sacred Veil | Eric Whitacre
Books mentioned in the episode.
See the complete list of recommendations.
- Faith Unravelled | Rachel Held Evans
- Unforming, De-Westernising Christian Formation | Cindy S. Lee
- Finding Your Hidden Treasure | Benignus O'Rourke.
- Life Of The Beloved | Henri Nouwen
- Unapologetic | Francis Spufford
- Know Doubt | John Ortberg
- Reimagining the Landscape of Faith | Charles and Mary Hippsley.
- There are Rivers in the Sky | Elif Shafak
- Devotions | Mary Oliver
- Universal Christ | Richard Rohr
- The Return of the Prodigal Son | Henri Nouwen
- The True Wilderness | H.A. Williams
- Every Job a Parable | John Van Sloten
- The Badly Behaved Bible | Nick Page
- Speaking Christian | Marcus Borg
- The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse | Charlie Mackesy
- For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain | Victoria MacKenzie
- Kissing Fish | Roger Wolsey
We continue our discussion about prayer, this time focusing on our current approach to prayers and praying. We talk about the role of personality, about confession and the need to be 'meeked', and about finding simple ways to trigger moments of stillness and prayer. Also, Nick reveals his impressive new technique for avoiding difficult prayer situations.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Cloud of Unknowing - Wikipedia
- 'Whistling Swans' | Mary Oliver
In the first of our sort-of series on decluttering faith, we look at the prayer room. We discuss the mystery of intercession and think about prayer as 'primary speech', as an art more than a science. Prayer is crucial in our journey of understanding, both of God and of ourselves. So what needs clearing out? And what do we want to keep? (And keep those book suggestions coming!)
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Joe has a sickness bug. Nick has a bad back. In this short and utterly inadequate episode, we talk a little bit about well-meaning but tone-deaf sermons and what really might bring us happiness in the life to come. Also we think a little about books for mid-faith crisis. What are your favourites?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kids Doesn’t Have to Heal From
- What Dreams May Come
- City of Angels | Wikipedia
- Adrian Plass | Heavenly Playground
- Paul McGee | The SUMO Guy
We're back with our reflections on the Mid-faith Crisis weekend. We discuss the theme of spiritual decluttering and the joy of generous conversation. Also Nick wonders if he's actually had a mid-faith crisis and Joe is accidentally biblical.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Pied Flycatcher
We talk, in an incredibly expert way, about the afterlife, about nostalgia and longing, about a new heaven and a new earth and about the different dimensions of existence. Also, is Nick the worst Anglican ever, and should Joe be the new Knepp-based host for Springwatch?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Iolo Williams - Wikipedia
- BBC Two - Springwatch
- Knepp - Rewilding Pioneers
- Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons - Wikipedia
- Ashmolean | In bloom - how plants changed our world
- Bruce Cockburn - Songs - Festival Of Friends
We have a very special interview this week. Joe talks to our friend Ruth about how she is facing terminal cancer. She talks about focusing on what matters, about the normality of death, and about the importance of talking about grief, loss and mortality. There is hope. And there is, above all, 'The ever present one who loves me more than I can imagine and who is with me every step of the way.'
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Arts and cultural engagement ‘linked to slower pace of biological ageing’ | The Guardian
- The Swallow, The Owl and The Sandpiper – Sandpiper Trust
- Cancer is so limited | Robert L. Lynn
We talk about the power of vulnerability, about how noisy fear can be, and about those times when we vent instead of lament. Thanks for all your feedback - it really meant a lot this week!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Stevens & Pound
- John Shelby Spong - Wikipedia
We talk about change and the anxiety which often accompanies it. How do we live in that space where one thing is ending, but a new thing has yet to begin? Also, Joe has been listening to frogs and Nick turns out to be a great evangelist for atheism.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Wilhelm Worringer - Wikipedia
- William Bridges | Transitions
- Brad Stulberg | Master of Change
How do we talk about mystical or transcendent experiences without appearing to be nuts? More than that, what is the motivation for talking about them in the first place? We discuss the problems with loaded words, the desire to call people into deeper experiences and whether we are refugees from culture. Also, why it's best not to respond to the 'How are you?' with a PowerPoint.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Knepp
- Harry Baker - Tender Tour
- MOURN
We think more about the personalisation of the good news. What is the evidence for fullness of life in our lives? Are we the best judges of our own spiritual development? Does salvation look different for different people? Also, Joe has been birdwatching and Nick has had enough joy, thank you very much.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Knepp - Rewilding Pioneers
- Violin Concerto | Elgar
- What is the good news? Nick's version - Mid-faith Crisis
We discuss truth and fakery, the simplicity and complexity of the good news, and about how we can encounter the risen Christ through art, music and, crucially, other people. Also Nick gets annoyed and Joe hasn’t put in his holiday request form yet.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- “Resurrecting Faith” – A Lent Course
- BBC Radio 4 - Everything Is Fake and Nobody Cares
- The Repair Shop - Series 15: Episode 11 - BBC iPlayer
- U2 - Easter Lily EP
- Andrew's story - The Returning King
After a false start last week, Joe is back with a bit of clarity about his theme for the year. Also, as we approach Easter, we think about what it means for us in this year of uncertainty and conflict.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- You Are Not a Frog: Podcast for Doctors
- The Shipwright's Arms
Yes, it's the fabled Mid-faith Crisis New Year's episode. We talk about how our themes worked out last year (spoilers: not so good) and what we want to focus on for the next 12 months. How appropriate for episode number 365! Also Nick eats a doughnut and Joe has been to a play.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- I Swear
- Louis Theroux - Inside the Manosphere
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
- Prospect of Whitby - Wikipedia
- St Paul's Bow Common
- The Nap Ministry | Rest is Resistance
Mid-way through Nick's writing month and it's time for a catch up. Nick has an apology to make and Joe wants to be Supreme Leader. Also we think more about all that sheepy and goaty stuff, and we discuss how best to prepare for the official Mid-faith Crisis New Year themes episode.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- “Resurrecting Faith” – A Lent Course
- Pachomius the Great
In this week's episode we think about goals and training, coping with overwhelmingly needy emails and, most importantly, dealing with the mubble fubbles. Also, Nick has an epiphany and Joe has dressed up for the occasion.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- “Resurrecting Faith” – A Lent Course
- Four temperaments - Wikipedia
- mubble fubbles | Oxford English Dictionary
- Episode 358: 'We've invented a new category of sin'
- Matthew 25:40 NIV
- Pachomius the Great - Wikipedia
- Ultralearning - Scott H Young
We revisit genial sin, consider discipleship as an investment account and revel in the origins of the word 'Lent'. Also, Nick shows off and Joe is actually fully clothed.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- “Resurrecting Faith” – A Lent Course
- With great power comes great responsibility
- Isaiah 35:1-2
- Lent - OED
- Alexei Navalny
- Episode 358: ‘We’ve invented a new category of sin’
As we enter Lent, how can we make space in our lives to hear from God? In this episode we talk about the role of the wilderness in our lives and how it can actually be a place of encounter and change, a place where you hear the voice.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- “Resurrecting Faith” – A Lent Course
- Wahaca | Tacos, Margaritas, Sunshine
- Simon de Voil
- Bridgerton | Netflix Official Site
- Church of the Wild | Victoria Loorz
- Strong's Hebrew: 4057. מִדְבָּר (midbar) -- Wilderness, desert
- Desert Fathers - Wikipedia
- Batter my heart, three person’d God (Holy Sonnet 14) | John Donne
More feedback this week on the key questions: are we friends of Jesus or are we followers? Can we really be friends with a tree? What is a soul friend? Just how great is Kate Bush? And what happened to Nick's head? So many questions…
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Mentioned in this episode:
- “Resurrecting Faith” – A Lent Course
- Arnolfini - Bristol's International Centre for Contemporary Arts
- Kate Bush Moments of Pleasure - YouTube
- Martin Buber - Wikipedia
- I and Thou - Wikipedia
- Overview — The Works of George MacDonald
- What a Friend We Have in Jesus - Wikipedia
In this episode we think about the metaphors we use for our relationship with Jesus. Are we friends of Jesus? Or followers? Or slaves? Does the relationship feel different at different times in our faith? And will Joe and Nick's relationship survive the revelations about tea?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- “Resurrecting Faith” – A Lent Course
- The Traitors
- H Is for Hawk (2025)
- Del Amitri
- Del Amitri - Don't Come Home Too Soon (Official Team Scotland Song World Cup '98)
- Icon of Christ and Abbot Mena - Wikipedia
- Thomas Aquinas - Wikipedia
We return to the subject of grace, forgiveness and justice. Are all sins really the same? If so, what do we make of 'serious sin'? Is the evangelical view of sin secretly Catholic? And has Nick accidentally created a new category of sin?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- "Resurrecting Faith" A Lent Course with Joe Davis and Dave Tomlinson
- Slime Family Portrait
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year
- Natural History Museum
- The Ayoub Sisters
- Odyssey Ensemble
- The Terrible Takes on Philip Yancey's 8-Year Affair
- Venial sin - Wikipedia
- Mortal sin - Wikipedia
We talk about self-understanding (and our apparent lack of it), and reflect on whether you can have seasons of spirituality. And, in the light of revelations about another major Christian teacher, we discuss how you can never fall from grace, you can only fall into it.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Traitors
- Kate Bowler
- Mid-faith Crisis 212: An Interview with Oliver Burkeman
- Four Thousand Weeks | Oliver Burkeman
- Meditations for Mortals | Oliver Burkeman
New year, new podcast. But same old us, sadly. Anyway, good to be back with you. This week we visit some old emails and talk about the 'right' way to grieve, how names for God are a bit like old streets, and why Jesus might be a dance teacher. Normal service has resumed, then.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Pluribus
- The Divine Dance - Richard Rohr
- Mar 25 Lady Day
- Perichoresis
In our final (probably) podcast for 2025, we each look back on the three things we've learned this year. Which doesn't, apparently, include (a) watching the Ashes and (b) not eating mince pies while recording. Happy Christmas everyone and a massive thank you to everyone who has supported the podcast this year.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Wake Up Dead Man
- A Christmas Carol - Wikipedia
- Gerald Dickens - Website
Joe is back from Mexico and Nick has recovered from man flu. We talk about who we really are as individuals, and how that affects our relationship with others. Also, we think about what it is that we really need to prepare for Christmas, and the difference between entertaining people and hospitality.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Palestine 36
- Winter solstice - Wikipedia
- When is the winter solstice in 2025?
Joe talks to Professor Ros Gleadow, Emerita Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University, Australia. They discuss the scale and impact of the climate crisis and, crucially, what we can do to make a difference.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Ros Gleadow - Wikipedia
We have an interview with Dave Tomlinson. Dave and Joe discuss some of the difficult questions people have about God and faith and talk about how we, as Christians, can be part of the repair of the world.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Dave Tomlinson - YouTube
- Charles Hartshorne - Wikipedia
Jesus gives us a crucial challenge: 'Who do you say that I am?' We discuss our answers to that question. Meanwhile, Joe launches MFC verify to examine some claims about Christmas and Nick talks about Bible translation and why there are unicorns in the King James Version.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The VelociPastor - Wikipedia
- Wintering | Katherine May
- How to Winter | Kari Leibowitz
- Hygge
- Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus | Dave Ripper
- Beyond Justification: Liberating Paul’s gospel | Douglas A Campbell and John DuPue
This week, we spend a lot of time discussing the spiritual lessons to be learned from Traitors. Also, we talk about heavily paraphrased Bible verses and Joe has had a near-death experience in the toilet.
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- The Mid-faith Crisis Church Weekend Away 2026 - one place left!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Daniel Swift | The Dream Factory
- Patrick Grant | Less
- “Are We the Baddies?” — That Mitchell and Webb Look
- BBC One - Hamza's Hidden Wild Isles
- BBC One - The Celebrity Traitors
Joe is not very well this week. So here's just a little something to keep you going: an edited excerpt from an episode done many years ago on Nick's book The Badly Behaved Bible. As Nick says, it's not so much a 'greatest hit' as one of our least worst efforts. We talk about the inspiration of scripture and how many of our problems with the Bible are not with the book itself, so much as the things people say about it.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Badly Behaved Bible | Nick Page
- If you want to listen again to the series, it continues with Episode 79: Exile Stories
This week we mainly talk about the Bible. we touch on how it was put together and we share with listeners the Bible verses and stories which mean the most to us. Along the way, Nick does a quick history lesson and Joe reckons that Jesus spoke like a market trader.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Negroni - Wikipedia
- Perfect Martini
- Harry Craddock
- Munther Isaac - Wikipedia
- Promised Land or Lands of Promise?: Understanding Israel Today in the Light of Christ
- From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth: A Christ-Centred Biblical Theology of the Promised Land
- Nick Page | The Badly Behaved Bible
- First Nations Version New Testament
It's our ninth anniversary! So, for a nice, relaxed, party-like topic we talk about Israel. Why is it that so many Christians support modern Israel so strongly? How can we respond when there is so much violence and hatred on all sides? Where is the Kingdom of God in all this? Also Nick has discovered some scriptural golf balls and Joe has been rewriting the Bible. Again.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Level 42
- BBC One - Hamza's Hidden Wild Isles
- The Divine Comedy
In a packed feedback episode, we consider time, baptism, re-writing scripture, the omniscience of God and the problem of evil. Among other things. Also Nick has his nerd buttons pressed, and Joe has a new heretical disorder.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Minster in Sheppey
- Traitors BBC
- Marcion
- Thomas Jefferson bible
- The Long Walk
- Thomas Kelly - A Testament of Devotion
- Wild at Heart
- Episode 51: The Mystery of the Cross
- Episode 50: The Scandal of The Cross
- Episode 154: An interview with Brian McLaren – Part 1
- Episode 155: An Interview with Brian McLaren – Part 2
- John Smith - an excerpt from Nick's book A Nearly Infallible History of the Reformation
Joe interviews Thomas Jay Oord. Theologian, philosopher and, it seems, Joe's new BFF, Tom directs the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He share his faith journey with us and discusses the idea of an uncontrolling God, the limits of both science and religion, and how the idea of love shapes everything around us.
- Thomas Jay Oord
- Thomas Jay Oord - Books
- God after deconstruction
- God Can't
- Open and Relational Theology
- Thomas Jay Oord on substack
- Centre for Open and Relational Theology
In a follow up to last week's episode we think more about how to process anger. Joe interviews psychotherapist Becky Francis and we talk about the need for reflective practice, and digging into the anger produced by grief and loss. And in a shock move, Joe ends with a Bible passage.
- The Wombles
- Rolf Dobelli | Stop Reading the News
- Norway's NRK broadcasts 12-hour wood burning programme
- Thomas Erickson | Surrounded by Idiots
- Becky Francis Therapy
- Gottman | The Four Horsemen: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling
- Vanstone | The Stature of Waiting
In what has been a brutal week, we think again about what it means to be a peaceful presence in our world. What practices will help us? What actions should we take? How do we stand up for what is right, without demonising our opponents?
Book Now! The Mid-faith Crisis Church Weekend 2026 - Rydal Hall
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing - BBC iPlayer
- The Great British Sewing Bee - BBC iPlayer
- The Great British Bake Off - Official Website
- Pendon Museum
- This Present Darkness - Wikipedia
- John's Poem: One Consequence of Salvation (I hope)
- Dave Gregory | Divine Windows: Seeing God through the lens of science
- God Saw That It Was Good - Videos
- Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says - BBC News
- Contact your MP - UK Parliament
- Cartoon - Duty Calls
Yes, we're back. And this week Joe interviews a surprise special guest on the podcast who tells us all about an article wot he wrote. Also we have BIG NEWS about the Mid-faith Crisis Church Away Weekend 2026! Join us in the Lake District for a weekend of conversation, relaxation and reflection.
- The Mid-faith Crisis Church Weekend Away 2026 - Book Now!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Inception Point — AI spam podcasts with no listeners – Pivot to AI
- The Mid-faith Crisis Church Weekend Away 2026
- Bryn Haworth
- We've learned all we can from US megachurches. Let's be inspired by the Global Majority Church | Nick Page
Nick is (momentarily) back from holiday, Joe has (surprisingly) been in a prayer meeting and we talk (randomly) about the importance of small moments of joy and kindness, and the necessity of creating everyday rituals to enrich our lives.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Great Dixter
- Shostakovich Fifth Symphony | Aurora Orchestra
- The Dark Night of the Shed | Nick Page
- The Ritual Effect | Michael Norton
Lots of feedback this week. We talk about prayer and ritual, about what labels we use to describe ourselves and about finding joy in giving. Most of all, we touch on the hard work of transformation and the need to celebrate the small successes of our spiritual and emotional lives. Also, Joe has an Egret hat-trick and Nick has some new cocktail glasses. Cheers!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Naked Gun
- Police Squad
- Little Egret
- Great White Egret
- Cattle Egret
- Nick & Nora (glass) - Wikipedia
- The Thin Man (film) - Wikipedia
- England vs India: Series has been best since 2005 Ashes, says Jonathan Agnew - BBC Sport
- Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes | William Bridges
- The Changing Mind | Daniel Levitin
- The 100-Year Life
We revisit Joe's theses and in particular discuss nonviolence – in many ways the forgotten element of Jesus' teaching. We discuss the early church's adoption of nonviolence, how we can so easily 'other' people and treat them as subhuman, and what we can do to be a non-violent presence in the world. Also, Nick takes credit for the Euros victory, and Joe has been to visit a rare tree.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Rare tree to flower for sixth time in 100 years at Borde Hill - BBC News,
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) - IMDb
- What is restorative justice? | Restorative Justice Council
- Mau Mau rebellion - Wikipedia
This week we talk about the Reformation, and whether we are overdue for another go at it. Joe nails his theses to our podcast door. And Nick questions whether a second reformation starts much closer to home.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Official Website | Leon Russell
- The Union - Elton John
- Tawny Owl facts - The Barn Owl Trust
- The Drinker | UK moths
- Ninety-five Theses - Wikipedia
- Indulgence - Wikipedia
- Cistercians - Wikipedia
- Rievaulx Abbey | English Heritage
- Assisi and the basilica of St. Francis
We finally get around to talking about the sacraments. Where did they come from? How many are there ? Is there really a premier league? And what sacramental practices can you build into your life?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- White Admiral
- Visual Commentary on Scripture | In My End Is My Beginning
- Comma Butterfly
- Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
- Vincent Donovan | Christianity Rediscovered
- Hugo of St Victor
We talk cynics, sceptics and assorted doubters. What is it that pushes us towards cynicism? How can we remain open to the possibilities of prayer? Does anyone still play the prophetic bongos? And most importantly, what's happening with Nick's apricots?
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People have sent in limericks about the Trinity. Joe is wondering what to do about the climate crisis. Nick is very grumpy about AI, a mood not improved by the AI-generated description of their photo on Facebook. We talk about the need to be people who care, who live lives of both gratitude and action. So join our long-term partnership, as we prioritise our relationship and spend quality time together.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Andor
- Faith amid the fury - how Lion king Itoje keeps his peace
- Luke 19:41-44 Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
- Mark 3:21; 31-35 Jesus' family stage an intervention
- Episode 136: Ruth Newton on ecology and the Kingdom of God
- Episode 89: Ruth Valerio on Creation and the Environment
- AI and History
Tim Hewes is the author of Finding Beauty Behind Bars - A Climate Activist’s Enforced Retreat, a book he wrote after being arrested during Extinction Rebellion protests. He tells us about how he became so concerned, why he got involved with non-violent protest and the remarkable story of the day that eight Met policemen were sent to arrest a highly dangerous clergyman.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Sgroppino recipe | Good Food
- Saint Uguzo of Carvagna
- Scandinavia with Simon Reeve - BBC iPlayer
- The Salt Path
- Finding Beauty Behind Bars - A Climate Activist’s Enforced Retreat | Tim Hewes
- Finding Beauty Behind Bars – Christian Climate Action
Back after our break, we celebrate an episode with all the threes by totally solving the issue of the Trinity. I mean, we absolutely nailed it. Completely sorted. It's not like Batman, but it might be like a canal. Anyway, you're welcome.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- National Cheese Day
- Surprised by Hope - Tom Wright - SPCK Publishing
- Heaven: It's Not the End of the World | David Lawrence
- New Heavens, New Earth: The Biblical Picture of Christian Hope | N.T. Wright
- Episode 3: Father, Son and Floaty Thing - Mid-faith Crisis
In this Nick reflects on saying goodbye to his beloved dog, Bill, so we talk about joy, prayer, vulnerability, grief and love. Please be warned – along with the usual nonsense, this has some very un-English, tearful moments. But that's love for you.
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- Nick's Blog
Mentioned in this episode:
- G.K Chesterton on the childlikeness of God
- Nick Page - Bill
- The Dog House | Channel 4
This week we tackle some feedback, talk about elders and gatekeepers and Joe has an update on his theme. Also, we think about why theology is such a loaded word, how the creed ignores most of Jesus' life and how the manager of Tottenham Hotspur reminds us of something important about the Kingdom of God. Oh, and Nick has some very helpful medication.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- BBC Two - Inside Our Minds, Inside Our ADHD Minds
- Bridges Transition Model
- There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy | Frederick W. Faber
In an episode recorded actually together in the same room, we talk about getting older. What is the invitation of this part of life? How does it affect our faith? We talk about being an elder, becoming an 'adult of God', and what our new roles might be as we age disgracefully.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Feminine Face of God by Sherry Ruth Anderson
- Bridges Transition Model
- Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes
In an unexpected move - well, unexpected for Joe, at least – we revisit an episode from 2017. Eight years ago we had a stab at writing our own creeds and now, having completely forgotten even doing it, we go back to see what we wrote and whether we still agree with it. Also we have important clarifications about cauliflowers, and we worry whether both the podcast and our lives are now travelling in reverse.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Romanesco broccoli
- Self-similarity
- An idiot’s guide to the Council of Nicea’s big posh creed of compromise | Premier Christianity
- Mid-faith Crisis Episode 22: The schism starts here
- Epistula Apostolorum
This week's topics include the ethics of slug control, the 1700th anniversary the council of Nicea, whether transformation is always difficult and what it would be like if we met our internal critic at a party. Also, how do we approach difficult events when it really seems like God is to blame? Oh, and Nick has a theory that stories are like cauliflowers. Or something like that.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Knepp - Rewilding Pioneers
- Leonardslee Gardens
- An idiot’s guide to the Council of Nicea’s big posh creed of compromise | Premier Christianity
- Romanesco broccoli - Wikipedia
- Self-similarity - Wikipedia
- Self-similarity: Properties and Applications – Sera Markoff
- Meliorism - Wikipedia
Nick gives his belated thoughts on Easter and reflects on how it's not about the doctrine but about the story: we are invited to live in the story of Easter and to allow it to give pattern to our lives. We talk about some classic story shapes, and how the Easter story is embodied in baptism and in the eucharist. Finally we reflect on what meal would tell our story: chicken Madras, or cheese and wine?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Tulip Festival - Arundel Castle & Gardens
- Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
It’s the Easter Special! Well, half an Easter Special maybe. Nick has the flu so in this shortened episode, it's Pastor Joe to the rescue, reflecting on how the Easter story of suffering, bewilderment and joy is a challenge to us to live all of life. Maybe, like the disciples on the Emmaus road, 'we had hopes'; but maybe, also like them, we can look back and recognise that Jesus was with us all along. Now, anyone for a liturgical breakfast?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Richard Rohr — Center for Action and Contemplation
- John O'Donohue | Anam Cara
As we head into Holy Week, we discuss what it's like to celebrate Easter in mid-faith crisis. We explore how Easter is about our identity as Christians and how, by examining the practices of the early church, we might be able to develop a shape for our own rituals. Also we touch on why the Mid-faith Crisis is like owning an old car, and we say hello to Grandpa Joe!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Meditations for Mortals | Oliver Burkeman
- Episode 50: The Scandal of The Cross - Mid-faith Crisis
- Episode 51: The Mystery of the Cross - Mid-faith Crisis
- Epistula Apostolorum - Wikipedia
- Irenaeus - Wikipedia
- The Longest Week | Nick Page
- The Longest Week: Holy Week Devotional Reading Guide
We're back! Joe has returned from Mexico and Nick has returned from an unfortunate act of wire-cutting. We catch up on how things are going with our themes, discuss how life (and theology) keeps adding complexity, and think about how we respond to fear when, inevitably, it arrives. Also we talk a little more about the need to embrace uncertainty, and the importance of telling yourself some good stories. Meanwhile does Nick have a poltergeist or just a very clean rodent? And what is a squidgy goat?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Turquoise-browed motmot
- Witness, Nick Page & Eddie Lyle
- Mid-faith Crisis Themes
- Beatrix Potter
- Evenings at the microscope
- Temperance (virtue) - Wikipedia
- Paul McGee How Not to Worry Podcast 1
- The Power of Regret, Daniel H. Pink
With Joe away in Mexico we have an interview with Bekah Legg. She talks about the work of Restored with the victims of domestic abuse, and shares a little of her own story of loss and grief.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Restored
- DR Congo conflict: Mobile phones, coltan and the fighting - BBC News
It's our annual themes episode! We talk about our themes for the year, and reflect on how last year's themes worked out. And Joe has received an encouraging birthday card. Church notice: we're taking a brief break, so the next podcast will be in two week's time.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Episode 279: Focus and … er… something else
- Sort Your Life Out
We discuss how culture shapes art, and especially, how the culture of the time affects the Bible. How do the cultural norms and assumptions affect the text? Can we give power to the powerless within the story? And what about our own cultural lenses? We touch on creating our own sacred texts and ask the crucial question: can we still watch Carry On Films? Also Nick has had a dream. A very worrying dream, as it happens.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Milton Jones
- Carry On Films
- ‘Notoriously cruel’: should we cancel Picasso? Collectors, artists, critics and curators decide
- Road Dahl - statement
- The Taming of the Shrew
- The Merchant of Venice
- Baruch son of Neriah
Or not. Because in this episode we delve into some follow-up to last episode's interview with Danielle Strickland. How can we address some of the deep, ingrained attitudes which affect all of us? What does this mean for ideas of femininity and masculinity? And how do we respond to loss of power and prestige without lashing out? Also the boys have had a business meeting in a place called Upham. No, really.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Brushmakers Arms, Upham
- Rebecca Solnit - Meditations in an Emergency
- Rebecca Solnit, Men Explain Things to Me
- Catherine Cowell, Finding God's Feminine Side: and working out how we lost it in the first place
- Rylan: How to Be a Man
This week, Joe interviews author and speaker Danielle Strickland, about patriarchy – the male-centring and male-ordering of the world. They discuss the challenges of calling it out, the heretical concept of the male-ness of God, and the way in which patriarchal thinking and theology affects the world and the church. Most importantly, they talk about some practical things we can all do to make a difference.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Danielle Strickland - Website
- The Other Side of Hope
- Better Together: How Women and Men Can Heal the Divide and Work Together to Transform the Future
- The Liberating Truth - How Jesus Empowers Women
- baremarriage.com
- Christians for biblical equality
- Deep and Wide Academy
More on metaphors. We talk more about the idea of Jesus as 'Lord', and discuss how changes in culture, society or even technology might change our understanding of long-standing human metaphors. Also we talk about ritual and sacraments and how so many of them are simply heightened versions of everyday human activities. Meanwhile, Nick's preaching has some unexpectedly dramatic consequences and Joe thinks everyone should wear a tiara.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man
- Sacraments of the Catholic Church
- Sacrament
- Japanese tea ceremony
Happy Candlemas to one and all. In this episode we talk a lot about baptism: what is it, where did it come from and does it still matter? And did Nick really write a book on it without realising? Also we have more on the neurodiverse approaches to church, we touch on different ways of understanding justice, and we think about whether laying down your life for others means denying who you truly are. Finally, we have a worship song about Worthing and we launch the mystical experience helpline.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Candlemas
- Erin Burdett, With All Your Mind: Autism and the Church
- 'I want to love God with all my mind, but as an autistic Christian, my brain works differently to yours'
- Brains faggots
- Tapioca
- Is it Worthing? - song
Lots of interesting feedback this week, including more reflections on worship songs, our calling to attend to our own 'small' world, the difficulties of Bible translation (and food translation come to that) and why, for the Goths, Jesus was head of the household. Also we talk about neurodiversity and churches. How can we attend to different ways of thinking and different learning styles? Must one size fit all? Oh, and lots of TV watching homework because, as Joe says, 'Life's too short to not watch a lot of TV'.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde at the Inauguration service
- Severance
- Faggot (food)
- Burn's Night
- The War of the Worlds - Jeff Wayne's Musical Version - Full Musical
- Eddie Lang- recordings
- Eddie Lang
- Ted Lasso
- The Detectorists
- Danielle Strickland
- Nick Page's Blog: Reflections on episode 315
- Nick Page, And Now Let's Move Into A Time Of Nonsense
- Clive James, Poetry Notebook
Joe has forgotten how to count and Nick is bewildered by a worship song. We discuss whether the metaphors we use are helpful, how God is always 'in translation' and what we can do to avoid reinforcing unhelpful patriarchal systems. Also, we touch again on the subject of judgment, and think about relationship, restoration and reading the Bible more in sorrow than in fury.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Severance
- Ted Lasso
- Nick Page, Revelation Road
- Wyvill Monument
- Episode 253: Mothering Father – an interview with Lacey Finn Borgo
We return to the Bible this week, to the thorny topic of how we deal with difficult Bible verses, particularly verses about eternal punishment and divine vengeance. As our correspondent puts it, it's like Biblical whack-a-mole: you hammer one passage down, only to see new ones pop up. So we talk about the inadequacy of systematic theology, the need to recognise contradiction and mystery and how everybody, frankly, is whacking their moles. Most importantly, we consider how, despite the difficulties, we can continue to engage with and be inspired by the scriptures.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Wicked
- Dune: Part One
- Dune: Part Two
- Nick Page, The Badly Behaved Bible
- Gregory Macdonald, The Evangelical Universalist
- Midrash
Happy new year (although, as we all know, the official Mid-faith Crisis New Year isn't until March). Anyway we're back, and in this episode we mark a special anniversary - 45 years since Nick became a Christian. So, what's changed? How did we understand 'conversion' back then and how do we understand it now? And how do we see our purpose today, all those years later?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Discussing the new year in Episode 229 (Starts at 10:25)
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
- The Traitors
- Red One
- The Holdovers
- What is the good news? Nick’s version
Happy Christmas! In this festive episode we share – and then judge – our Christmas micro-sermons. Also we think about the practices that will nourish us this Christmas and reflect on how the darkness and worry of the nativity stories does not diminish the life and hope. Remember everyone – you're still alive, and that's a wonderful thing!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Strictly Come Dancing FInal
- Coldplay - ALL MY LOVE (Official Video)
- Coldplay - ALL MY LOVE (Official Video) (Directors' Cut)
- Conclave
- Winter solstice
After a brief debate about which of us is the more miserable, we discuss whether social media can help us engage with our shadow, detaching from the news without feeling guilty, and how hate actually tethers us to the object of our hatred. Also, as we enter Advent, where do we look for the hope? And what can we do to add to the hope and love that is really all around us?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Joy
- Ludwig
- Anne Lamott, Almost Everything
- Tish Harrison Warren, Go Slow and Repair Things
In this episode, we talk about the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and, more specifically, about the systems of thinking which lead almost inevitably to coercion and abuse. How can we challenge systems like this? Is there any hope? And is God relying on us to be the answers to prayer?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Brian Draper Advent 2024 - The Inside of Love
- Episode 94: Happy New (Liturgical) Year
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Paddy McGuinness Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge
- ‘Prolific, brutal and horrific’: Makin report calls out the Smyth abuse and the cover-up
Joe talks to award-winning and Billboard-charting artist Flamy Grant, the 'shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen' from North Carolina. As well as sharing their story of growing up in the evangelical church, they talk about the need to trust peoples' experiences and how, so often, we have a view of God who 'doesn’t love very well'. Along the way, Flamy talks about mystical encounters, dealing with opposition and abuse and why, in the end, it's all about joy.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Paddington in Peru
- Flamy Grant- Website
We talk about prayer and laughter, about creativity, and about the everyday acts of hope that help us transcend the news. Also we discuss judging a theology by the fruit it bears. Meanwhile Nick talks about his retreat and there is a lot about cheese. Business as usual, then.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Westonbirt, The National Arboretum
- Paddington in Peru
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Norman Wirzba, Love's Braided Dance - Hope in a Time of Crisis
- Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
- WSJ: X Algorithm Feeds Users Political Content—Whether They Want It or Not
- Waitrose: Christmas Stollen, Panettone & Pandoro
In times of disappointment, darkness and fear, how should we respond? What difference can we make? We talk about joy as a revolutionary act, and how we can refuse to join in the game. Also, we discuss reclaiming labels such as 'Christian', and we have powerful stories about the power of prayer, mystical coincidences and, of course, parking spaces. Brought to you by Saint Joe of the Cheese and St Nick, patron saint of innuendo.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Battle, East Sussex
- Where did the Battle of Hastings happen?
- William I 'The Conqueror'
- Heretic
- All Saints' Day
- Show of Hands - Roots
We have an interview with singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph. He talks about his career, the craft of song-writing, his campaigning worked the importance of just turning up. And we end, of course, with a song.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Martyn Joseph
- Martyn Joseph - Chapel Porth Beach
- Let Yourself Trust
- Tour Dates 2024
- Liberal Backslider
Is God really in charge of the universe? Do prophecies actually happen? We have some fascinating feedback about hearing from God and how he is calling us to collaboration and co-creation. Meanwhile, Nick quotes Ezekiel and Joe goes all mystical about Robins.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Dear Evan Hansen
- Alex Horne and the Horne Section
- Robin
- Bearded Tit
- Essence–energies distinction
- Thomas Jay Oord
- Ezekiel 37:1-14 The Valley of Dry Bones
In this episode we explore one of the central questions of theology: is it right to pray for a parking space? If we believe in an interventionist God, then what kind of intervening does he do? Does Joe really have the spiritual gift of parking? Also, we touch on sadness as holy ground, grieving for past versions of ourselves, and how to respond when people present prophecies and words of knowledge. Oh and it was our eight anniversary this week. Not that one of us noticed…
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Hunter's Moon
- This week's Hunter's Moon – the biggest supermoon of 2024
- Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
- Daniel Pink, The Power of Regret
- Cabel Sasser, Panic - XOXO Festival (2024)
Joe talks with Shaun Lambert about mindfulness, wonder, and the need to 're-perceive' God. As well as actually leading us in a contemplative exercise, Shaun talks about strengthening our 'attention' muscles, encountering God in the present and becoming a more responsive but less reactive presence. All this and Diadochos of Photiki too!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Nick Cave interview with Stephen Colbert
- The Boy And The Heron
- Goram IPA Zero
- Lucky Saint Beer
- Shaun Lambert, Mindful Formation
- Diadochos of Photiki
- Scargill Movement
- Ephrem the Syrian
- Mark 9:15
We talk about the virtuous circle of comfort: how what we receive we can share with others. Also whether the real purpose of the Holy Spirit is to help us to pay proper attention to our lives and to learn the right lessons. What if God is not arranging the events of our lives, so much as asking us to pay attention to them? Meanwhile, Nick has a correction to make, and Joe receives some good news about cheese.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Hobby
- RSPB Minsmere
- Great green bush-cricket
- Ludwig
- Inside Out 2
- Pendon Museum
- Wittenham Clumps
- Teresa of Ávila
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
- Graham Lawton, This Book Could Save Your Life
Nick has had a bad week. We talk about approaches to resilience, the meanings we attach to events, our tendency to project bad stories, what perspectives might help us through really rubbish moments and how sometimes your favourite Bible verse doesn’t help that much. Meanwhile Joe introduces the 'numes' – a new scale to measure numinous moments and places. And we hear from a listener who is going through the menopraise. Genius.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Resilience in Life and Faith: Finding your strength in God
- Rudolf Otto's Concept of the "Numinous"
Three. Hundred. Episodes. Who'd have thought it? We think about some of the key things we have learned, and are still learning through doing this podcast. We reflect on such topics as what we think about God, how we read the Bible and the amazing capacity of theology to annoy you in entirely unexpected ways. And in the end, it turns out Jesus is still very important. Thank you for all your support - now go and enjoy a Negroni.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Negroni week
- Karl Rahner
- Nick Cave, Wild God
Joe interviews John Philip Newell about his new book The Great Search. What are the things we are really yearning for? Who are the prophets to whom we should pay attention?
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- Nick's Blog
Mentioned in this episode:
- John Philip Newell
- Etty Hillesum
- Simone Weil
- Martin Buber
- Edwin Muir
- Julian of Norwich
- Carl Jung
Yes! The brothers have reconciled and the podcast band is back together. So, in this week's show we talk about redeeming the word 'religion', what it is that we can give to the church, whether Jesus was a bit smitey (again) and in the words of one contributor, the 'ready brek feeling of the warmth that Jesus can bring with that desire to be a better human being'. Also, we touch on the dangers of satire and we start to discuss some aspects of a twenty-first century faith. Phew!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Sam's very long email on a twenty-first century faith
- Martin Buber
This week's episode is all about money. Why are we so embarrassed by it? Why do we fear dealing with it? Is ethical investing worth it? And do we really have to tithe? Thanks to Sian MacInnes FPFS for her great input on today's show.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- eccr.org.uk (now the Just Money Movement)
- VouchedFor
We talk about the benefits of belonging, and not belonging, to a church. Are there perspectives and opportunities that we can get from a church that we can't get elsewhere? When is it right to leave? And, most importantly, is there anyone is not able to sit?
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Yes, we're talking again about the Bible, this time discussing how the Bible was compiled and what Paul meant by the line 'All the writings are God-breathed'. Also, we have a truly wonderful final email, and loads of feedback on whether our listeners are friends, companions, pilgrims, fellow community members, paying punters or family members. We don't know, but we're very grateful for all of you!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Olympic sport climbing
- Men's kayak cross final | Paris 2024 Olympics | BBC Sport
- Marcion of Sinope
A mixed bag this week. We talk about Christian outrage over the Olympics, about the need to belong (without being defined by our belonging) and how Joe actually found himself singing worship songs. Also we consider whether our listeners are really our friends, or, as Nick so tenderly puts it, 'potential threats'. Whatever the case, thank you for being… something or other.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Chalk stream
- Dionysus
- Christians shouldn’t be offended by the Olympics opening ceremony
In this episode we dive deep into the idea of the wrathful God. Can we understand it in a different way? And what do we do with all the bits in the Old Testament where the almighty gets all smitey? Are the accounts of the tribal, violent, Old Testament God real? Or are they stories? And if they are, how do we read them? Meanwhile, Nick has been spending time with hundreds of dead people, and Joe thinks that all Independent Financial Advisors are out to get him.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Inside Out 2
- Chaldon Mural
- Hythe Crypt (Ossuary)
- Mid-faith Crisis Episode 51: The Mystery of the Cross
- Mid-faith Crisis Episode 50: The Scandal of The Cross
- George MacDonald – The Consuming Fire
- William Placher, Narratives of a Vulnerable God:
- Nick Page, The Badly Behaved Bible
We're back! And after a long break there is a lot of catching up to do. Has Nick really stopped watching the news? Is there actually such a thing as a Purple Hairstreak Butterfly? Is the Mid-faith Crisis Podcast the Kendal Mint cake of spirituality? And what happened when Joe took Nick to the theatre?
Also - our friend Andy is carrying out some research looking at how podcasting is becoming a significant resource for those who are going through some sort of faith shift in their lives. Will you help by taking part in a short survey? Go here.
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- Nick's Blog
Mentioned in this episode:
- Take a short survey on how podcasting is affecting your faith journey
- No knead bread recipe
- Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
- News is bad for you – and giving up reading it will make you happier
- Sgroppino
- Church of St John the Baptist, Inglesham, Wiltshire
- Treecreeper
- Cathedral - Forest of Dean
- Wilding movie
- Purple Hairstreak
- The Book of Mormon
- Kendal mint cake
- Stacey Solomon - Sort Your Life Out
Joe interviews friend and fellow celebrant Claire Bradford about her experiences walking the Camino. They discuss the importance of doing things when you can, the Joy of Missing Out and and how the pilgrimage, far from being about solitary detachment, led to an amazing sense of community and connection.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Claire Bradford - Creating Ceremony
- Camino de Santiago
- Episode 212: An Interview with Oliver Burkeman
- The Way
Joe talks to friend of the podcast Dave Tomlinson about his book 'OMG, A Bad Christian's Prayer Book'. Dave also chats about prayer, and about the need for us to be committed to hope or, as he terms it, 'defiant imagination'.
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- Nick's Blog
Mentioned in this episode:
- Dave Tomlinson on Facebook
- Dave Tomlinson: The Holy Shed
- OMG A Bad Christian's Prayer Book
We discuss the concept of the sabbath, mainly because Nick has heard an interesting sermon on the topic. What if we see sabbath as the start of the week and not the end? How does it help us escape the world of 'things'? And is it obligatory to have a bath? Also, we touch on whether you can have 'Stage 4' churches, talk a bit about demons and exorcism, and ponder whether mysticism, far from being an escape from reality, actually helps you to see it more clearly.
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- Nick's Blog
Mentioned in this episode:
- Abraham Heschel, The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man
- Rowan Williams on Mental Health
We carry on our discussion about churches and church leadership. Do churches need visible locations? How do we preserve their communal identity without creating barriers that keep others out? And, crucially, when Jesus said 'where two are three are gathered' does that include rabbits? Also, we reflect more on bad behaviour in the church – but in this case on how many clergy are on the receiving end of bullying by church members. Which is why we have declared this Sunday to be the international 'Be Kind to Clergy' day!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Nick Page at St Andrews Literature Festival 22 June 2024, Great Missenden, Bucks
- Rowan Williams, Being Christian - Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer
In keeping with his theme, Joe has been nature churching. We discuss his experiences so far, what makes something 'church', the importance of your spiritual trellis and whether some churches turn the tricycle of faith into a unicycle.
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- Nick's Blog - episode notes
Mentioned in this episode:
- Renovaré Podcast: Joe Davis and Nick Page — Disagreeing and Staying Friends
- Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer, A Church Called Tov
- Johnny
- Uffington White Horse and Dragon Hill
- The Church of Tomorrow, John McGinley
- Liquid Church, Pete Ward
We have a think about Pentecost. What was it all about? Was it really the birthday of the church? Is it an eschatological thing? Actually, what even is an eschatological thing? Nick, has a three-point sermon, and naturally, each point begins with the same letter. Also an interview with Lisa-Jayne Lewis, our very own Eurovision correspondent.
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Following his year of wisdomness, Nick wrote an article on wisdom. We discuss whether the church downplays wisdom in favour of revelation, the steps we can take to intentionally gain more wisdomness and the need, as Nick puts it, to 'Squeeze the tube of your mistakes for the toothpaste of wisdom'.
- Apple apologises after iPad advert backlash | BBC News
- A.J. Jacobs, The Year of Living Biblically
- Eurovision
- Northern lights in uk
- With Pity Not With Blame: Contemplative praying with Julian of Norwich and 'The Cloud of Unknowing'
- Nick Page: How to be wise: Confessions of a recovering idiot
In a feedback-fuelled episode, we chat about heresy, gratitude, and the circuit board of love. Is heresy just speculation that is not the official speculation? Do we have to score 100% on our exams to get into heaven? Also, we think about whether sin is better viewed as separation and Nick gets rather agitated about how we read the Bible. Again.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Spotted Flycatcher
- Eurovision Song Contest
- Pilgrimage
- Positive News
- The Good News Hub
- Do You Have a Stepford God?
- The Stepford Wives
- Sara Pascoe reads a hilarious letter asking for clarity on God's Law
Brian McLaren talks about his new book, 'Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart'.He and Joe discuss how denial is exhausting, why our enemies are not people, but systems and how we all need to exercise our power to show up. 'Once you discover the God of love you fire all your other gods'. Also, remember, humans are a mess, but the birds are awesome.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Nick Page: How to be wise: Confessions of a recovering idiot
- Clangers
- Clangers on QI
- Brian McLaren
- Centre for Action and Contemplation
- Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart
This week we discuss the relationship between human skills and endeavour and the work of God. Or as Nick put it, 'Why does God get all the praise when I did all the work?' Does the fact that we live in a God-filled universe mean that the Divine should get all the credit? Or, by dismissing humanity's input are we actually devaluing the fact we are made in the image of God? And if that sounds too deep, there's a lot of custard.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Custard
- Freud's Last Session
- C. S. Lewis on praise
There's a lot about depth this week. We talk about dusting off the Bible and reading more deeply, and how the mid-faith crisis can be accompanied by different emotions, including the desire to go deeper. Oh, and Nick has been down a well. As if that wasn't deep enough we discuss our target demographic, Joe's bulging portfolio and the way in which so much of the church has taken Jesus' teaching on leadership and done the complete opposite. Warning: contains anger, bewilderment, grief and elephants.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Let There Be Light
- Little Gidding
We thought it was time to revisit the stages of faith – which is really what this podcast is all about. Joe takes us through his understanding of the six stages, but as well as exploring the crisis itself, we also look at the signs which tell us that we might be emerging into a newer, deeper faith. Also, Joe has a theme and Nick might still be recovering.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Let There Be Light
- Redstart
- Borscht
- The modern myth of the Easter bunny
- Ostara and the Hare
- The Long Table
- Nick Page, The Dark Night of the Shed
- Brian McLaren, Faith After Doubt
- Richard Rohr, Falling Upward
It’s our new year themes episode. Joe’s had a bad week so is behind with his homework. Nick has broken his Lenten fast from anger in a spectacularly ill-judged way. And we have thoughts about beetroot.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Staying Defiantly – The Conversation
- Barbie
- Ostara and the Hare: Not Ancient, but Not As Modern As Some Skeptics Think
- Beetroot
- The State of the Culture, 2024
- Liquid Church
- Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Previous theme episodes
- Episode 98: New year, new theme
- Episode 142: 'Own Your Nickness'
- Episode 184: 'Sort it Ahhht!'
- Episode 185: A Worthing Pier experience
- Episode 227: Service and Wisdomness
- Episode 235: Too much nard
It's Easter! And we reflect on what Easter means for us this year and how we can see our own faith journeys patterned in the events of Holy Week. Meanwhile, Nick is impressed by Hot Cross bun technology and Joe has discovered the word 'heuristic'. Happy Easter everyone.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Flaming June
- Sideways: Brain Strain
- Heuristic
As the song goes, 'Praise him on the trumpet, the psaltery and harp!' But why? In another of our excitingly named Moderately Interesting Questions, we explore the nature of praise. Does God demand it? How do we approach it? And what the heck is a psaltery anyway? We talk about praise as gratitude and heightened appreciation, how it needs to be based on intellectual content, and why attempts to do mood-altering worship never really work. Yes, it's worship on the dancefloor, so you'd better not kill the timbrel.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Baldred of Tyninghame
- New Year's Day
- Cornish Pasty Association
- Harry Baker Tour
- OMG A Bad Christian's Prayer Book
We delve into the feedback this week, especially various reflections on the What is the Point of Joe?' episode. Also we talk about being the person that God imagined, how we over-value and over-share achievements, the role of regret, and whether the true sign of Christlikeness is getting 40% off at Mountain Warehouse. And we have some brilliant historical research on church crockery and a lot of stuff about gemstones, most notably, beryl.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Staying Defiantly: A Conversation for Church Leaders
- Abingdon and District Model Railway Show
- Fish Pie
- Woman in Black
- Episode 274: What is the point of Joe?
- Why were you not Rabbi Zusya?
- Martin Buber
- Beryl Ware from Woods
- Beryl (mineral)
Joe talks to Jo about the menopause. And perimenopause. And post-menopause. What is it and why does it matter? And why don't we talk about it more? You will learn a lot.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Staying Defiantly: A Conversation for Church Leaders
- Limes
- Nick's microblog
- Courage Coaching
- What the fog? Facebook group
Joe is having an existential crisis and, worryingly, is asking Nick to help. So we discuss meaning and purpose. What are we here for? What is our calling? Is there a purpose to our lives or are we just fooling ourselves? Is it true that everyone on earth is a pun? Does Joe's purpose involve cheese?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Wensleydale cheese
- Intercourse, Pennsylvania
We discuss Lent, Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. We reflect on the purpose of fasting, the way that Lent creates contours in the year, and the cheery fact that we are all going to die. From dust we are made and to dust we shall return. But what kind of dust? That's the question. Also in the new, fabulous 'Thankful for Food' feature, Nick, inexplicably forgets to mention pancakes.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Alex Horne and The Horne Section - Seasons song
- Pickled walnuts
- Nadia Bolz-Weber
- Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year
Last week we talked about lots of different kinds of church. This week we're thinking about the purpose. What, actually, is the point of church? What are we supposed to do? And has this whole thing just been market research so that Joe can start a cult? Warning: there's a lot of food in this episode, none of it healthy.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Staying Defiantly: A Conversation for Church Leaders
- Black pudding
- The Traditional Full English Breakfast
- The Delia Effect
Last week we asked what people would like to see in a church. Turns out a lot of people have an opinion. A lot. We talk about the need for safe places, shared values, and how to balance evangelical roughage with full-fat, dairy liturgy. Most of all, though, it's a feast of feedback. Common themes include food, honesty, trust, food, the need for a safe place, music, no music, inclusivity, more food, silence, listening and, er, food.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Staying Defiantly - A Conversation for Church Leaders
- Charlie Bigham's Chicken Korma
- Tutts Clump Cider
Welcome to our first ever publicly broadcast planning meeting. And just to get us started, Nick has a few of what he is calling 'Mid-faith Crisis Moderately Interesting Questions'. Snappy. Before that, we talk about haggis, ghosts, whether it's wrong to get angry and the idea of church as a place to share stories.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Haggis
- Burns Night
- Ghosts
We're back! And we talk about what life has been like in the past week or so. We discuss how we can support one another in grief and mourning, how our faith affects our approach to these times and how, even though we can say goodbye with hope, pain and loss are always real. Meanwhile, Nick is enjoying the improvements in oven chips technology and we discuss whether Baptist church meetings would prepare you for Traitors.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Waitrose Frozen Crisp & Fluffy Chunky Chips
- BBC The traitors
- Mafia (party game)
- Wink murder
- Mr Bates vs The Post Office
- Deuteronomy 33:25
Happy Not-the-actual New Year! We start this year with an interview with Paul McGee, aka The SUMO Guy. Among other things, Paul talks about his faith journey, about the importance of hippo time and how it's better to have a 'to be' list than a 'to do' list.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Mr Bates vs The Post Office
- Paul McGee - The SUMO Guy
Joe is back from Mexico and Nick has got out of bed. We think briefly about our highlights of the podcasting year, before going on to talk about different kinds of fear, and whether we are actually more insignificant even than worms. Thanks to you all for your support this year. See you in 2024!
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Joe is in Mexico where, assisted by Harvey the dog and an un-named cat we reflect briefly on the importance of knowing that, wherever we are, Jesus is with us. Also, we pay a visit to Nether Hell and wonder why humans can't hibernate.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Herod's Secret Policeman
- Murder on the Orient Express
- Death on the Nile
- Colour Revolution:Victorian Art, Fashion & Design
- Viaticum
After a brief bout of illness, we're back. As well as catching up with each other, we talk about leaving and returning, and ponder on whether everything is the incarnation. Also, Nick has written a new Christmas story and we talk way too much about our Ebenezers.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Herod's Secret Policeman
- Advent 2023: In the Midst!
- Crown Him with Many Crowns
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
- Ebenezer
- Christmas: Tradition, Truth and Total Baubles
- New Year's Day
- 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture
Nick has been to a leadership summit and the results are mixed, to say the least. We talk about how to build an environment which might encourage contact with God. And Joe talks to friend of the show Brian Draper about his new advent series.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Episode 74: Effing the Ineffable
- Atomic Habits
- Nick Page, 7 ways to stop sinning
- Dallas Willard "Your system is perfectly designed to yield the result you are getting."
- Brian Draper Advent 2023: In the Midst!
- Christmas Day: Where the Light Begins
This week we have an interview with poet Harry Baker. As well as performing some of his poetry, he talks about faith and prayer, and about how creativity is, inherently, a worshipful act. As he says, 'If I didn’t write poetry about dinosaurs then who would?'
- Christmas, Tradition, Truth and Total Bauble - talk by Nick Page at Southwark Cathedral
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Harry Baker: Website
- 'A Love Poem For Lonely Prime Numbers’
We reflect on the interview with Olivia Jackson, and explore the need for us to have more confidence, and the way in which so many Christian organisations get built around their star names. Also, Nick is having strange feelings about model railways and we have a rebuke from a listener.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- John Wright, The Observant Walker
- The Beatles - Now And Then (Official Music Video)
- Mud - Tiger Feet (Live TOTP 1974)
- Little Trains & Big Names with Pete Waterman
- Episode 261: (Un)certain -- an interview with Olivia Jackson
- Episode 166: An Interview with John Philip Newell
- Nick's blog, such as it is
- Trigger's Well Maintained Broom | Only Fools and Horses
- Ship of Theseus
- About Mary Fleeson - Artist
This week we have a fascinating interview with Olivia Jackson, author of (Un)certain. Described as 'A Collective Memoir of Deconstructing Faith' it's a fascinating insight into the experiences of people going through spiritual change.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Alfred the Great
- Jackson Pollock
- Kardomah
- Olivia Jackson - (Un)certain
In this episode, we talk about the pain of the mid-faith crisis, and the difficulty of dealing with the loss of what you used to believe. We used to be anointed, but now we're un-nointed. So, how does that affect us mentally and physically? If we are in the ministry, what happens about our job? We discuss the importance of change, writing a eulogy for our old beliefs, and whether we need doctrinal viagra.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Book of Mormon
- Will Gompertz
- Simon Reeve - To The Ends Of The Earth - Tour
- Grayson Perry - A show all about you
- Trigger's Well Maintained Broom | Only Fools and Horses
- Psalm 42
We discuss Bible translations among other things. Why are verses translated in different ways? Which is the 'correct' version? And can we trust the translators? Meanwhile, Joe is grumpy and Nick has been thinking about earthworms, and we reflect on some wisdom from Saint Arnold of Schwarzenegger.
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Joe and Ali Male are hosting a day for Number 6s on the Enneagram. Send an email to enquire about a place.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Kardomah
- The Miracle Club
- Robert Alter
- Mary Phil Korsak
How do you deal with the tough times when the old ways of praying and responding no longer work? We talk about finding God in disappointment, and understanding the presence of the divine. 'This too shall pass.' Meanwhile, Joe has pain in his ankle and Nick has some unexpectedly good hymns.
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Joe and Ali Male are hosting a day for Number 6s on the Enneagram. Send an email to enquire about a place.
Mentioned in this episode:
- The Great Escaper
- The Creator
- Take this moment sign and space
- We cannot measure how You heal
We're back! And in a largely content-free episode, we reflect on our time away. Joe is thinking about construction rather than deconstruction and claims to have been attacked by a kingfisher. Nick has started blogging again and has been thinking about beauty and the difficult art of gratitude. Quote of the episode: 'I'm at peace with my plumbing.'
Church NoticesJoe and Ali Male are hosting a day for Number 6s on the Enneagram. Send an email to enquire about a place.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Nick's blog
Joe interviews Joanna Godfrey Wood about her book In Search of Stillness. What is the difference between stillness and silence? How can we find inner stillness in our lives today? What is it for and how can we use it? They also explore a little of Quaker faith and practice and touch on the importance of listening to each other as a community.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Quaker Quicks - In Search of Stillness
- A Testament of Devotion, Thomas Kelly
- George Fox
- Margaret Fell
Joe interviews Dr Ali Male who takes us through the Enneagram. Or, to put it another way, it's a conversation between a number one and a number seven, mentioning the number five and the number nine to whom they are respectively married, and pausing only to abuse a number four along the way. Some sound issues - apologies about that.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Enneagram Made Easy: Discover the 9 Types of People
- The Enneagram: An Introduction
- Richard Rohr, The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective
We have some listener reaction to the interview with Lacey Finn Borgo on the feminine divine. Along the way we talk about whether the church is becoming too feminised, the importance of difficult outrage, how we recalibrate and redeem some of the old theological phrases and whether Joe will have to check his hugging technique.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Rylan: How to Be a Man
- Episode 253: Mothering Father – an interview with Lacey Finn Borgo
Joe talks to our friend Lacey about the feminine divine, the effect of patriarchy on faith, and how 'anger is not your enemy, bitterness is.’
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Sarah Bessey, Jesus Feminist
- Sue Monk Kidd, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter
- Theresa Kim Pecinovsky and Khoa Le, Mother God
It's Joe's turn to reflect on his version of the good news. What would he change? What has been his journey so far? Is he really just an enormous butterfly. Are we all just bits of plumbing walking about? To sum up: 'It's not very satisfactory but it's just how we see stuff.'
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Your Name
- BBC: Forest, Field and Sky: Art out of Nature
- Episode 50: The Scandal of The Cross
- Episode 51: The Mystery of the Cross
- What is the good news? Joe’s version
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Chanctonbury Ring
- Wilderthorn
- Frederick Buechner (pronounced BEEK-ner)
- Dr Seuss = Dr. Soice
- T. S. Eliot's Little Gidding
- What is the good news? Nick’s version
It's episode 250! But there's no time for celebration, as we discuss the issue of whether the Lords Prayer needs updating. Should we start 'Our mother who art in heaven'? Is Nick really part of the oppressive patriarchal system? Also more feedback on lament, the theology of Barbie, Faurés Requiem, and the importance of dissonance.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Oppenheimer
- BBC Radio 4: How to Play - Fauré's Requiem
- Lord's Prayer opening may be 'problematic', says archbishop
- Peter Chrysologus
- The Observer view on the brilliance of Sinéad O'Connor's greatest song
In this episode we discuss the role of music as a place of spiritual encounter. We touch on the need for authenticity in worship and the way in music and song connects us to each other and connects us deeper to our true selves. Also, do angels sing? Or are they into hip-hop? Meanwhile, Joe has been to Barbie, Nick is suffering from a touch of 'old' and pith has gone out of the window.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Barbie 'I am become death'
- Snow Patrol - What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get? (Official Video)
- Steve Curtis Chapman - With Hope
- Closing music - Josep Castanyer Alonso
We're back! And we have an episode of top-notch feedback on peoples' sacred spaces. We think about sacred memories, gardening with God, and encountering the divine in the intensive care unit. All this, plus chiffchaffs, blackcaps, Saint Trillo and Saint Treacle, and a great quote from the Archbishop of Pith.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- St Trillo's Chapel
- Tennyson Down trail
- The Botanical Garden of the University of Bern
- The quotes from this week's show
We talk about how we experience God in nature. If your 'church' is the mountains or the countryside what does that mean? Is there anything you can do to enhance the experience? Also we talk about images of God, more on the incarnation and, of course, it's a happy new financial year to Joe. You see? Interesting and fun.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Secret Byrd
- William Byrd
- BBC: Wiltshire church hosts summer Christmas carol service
- William Inge
- Four typologies of God – Samuel's email
- Botolphs
- Mary Oliver, Wild Geese
- Prunella vulgaris - Heal all, or Woundwort
- Wilderthorn
Wassail! It's the height of Summer which as everyone knows is the traditional time for the Midfaith Crisis Christmas Special! As usual we dive into the mystery of the incarnation. Was it a miracle or a reset? What does it tell us about the world and our humanity? And do our Christmas services relate it to the wrong bit of Genesis?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Luxmuralis
- Rowan Williams, The Dwelling of the Light
Joe is back from holiday and Nick is recovering from some cricket. Meanwhile we tackle some of the difficult questions. What empowers us to be more Christlike? Does it matter if the resurrection is historical truth or mystical metaphor? And can you have too many multiverses?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Swallowtail Butterfly
- God in Film Podcast - Thor: Ragnarok and Love & Thunder
- Utah primary schools ban Bible for 'vulgarity and violence' - BBC News
- Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse
We discuss our responses to the interview with Chris Scott in the last episode. Is it possible that the gospels could be both historical truth and life-informing myth? What is the relationship between beliefs and actions? And is the chiffchaff really a sign of hope and grace?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Jesus Myth: a psychologist's viewpoint
- Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony
Joe interviews Chris Scott, psychologist, psychotherapist and priest about his book The Jesus Myth. It's a thought-provoking exploration of how myth can carry deep truth, and whether we need to jettison what Chris calls 'bronze-age' images of God.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Jesus Myth: a psychologist's viewpoint
We discuss speaking in tongues. Is there a place for it in public worship? Or should it only be exercised in the privacy of your own home? Also we have more on retreats, a lot of love for the Song of the Chiffchaff, and we ask why there aren't any global conferences for people who put the chairs out.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Glossolalia
Joe and Nick have both been on retreat, so this week we talk about our different approaches, what works for us, and why we find it vital to go to a place where 'there is less of you to get in the way'. Also, brilliantly, the Song of the Chiffchaff is now an official, actual song.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All
- David Goodbourn Lecture 2023 - The Wretched of the Church: Dominance and Submission
- The Resurrection, Cookham
- Baldred of Tyninghame
We reflect on the Coronation service. Was it weird or wonderful? Amazing or anachronistic? Holy or hypocritical? Or was it just like every other church service only with more bling and a woman with a sword? Also what happens when you ask ChatGPT to write a worship song featuring the Chiffchaff?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Private Eye: Man in hat sits on chair
- The song of the chiffchaff
- The Coronation Ceremony in 4 Minutes - BBC
- Did that really happen? -- Caitlin Moran on the coronation
- Supertunica
- Monty Python-Holy Hand Grenade
We discuss different ideas of heaven and the afterlife. Will we have bodies? Do we go to heaven? Will it be largely standing around on bits of gemstone singing? And, most importantly, will there be a buffet? Meanwhile, Nick is thinking of blogging and Joe looks in fridges.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
- Clive Anderson: Me, Macbeth and I
- Race Across the World
- 1 Corinthians 13:12
- Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth
- Dave Allen - Teeth will be provided
- Eschatology
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
- N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope
- N.T. Wright, New Heavens, New Earth: The Biblical Picture of Christian Hope
- David Lawrence, Heaven: It's Not the End of the World
- C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
- Philip Larkin: An Arundel Tomb
Cheer up everyone, it's an episode all about hell. We reflect on the Staying Defiantly event that Joe hosted earlier in the week. In other news, Joe's been to Bristol, Nick has been to IKEA, God is love and beer is good.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Housemartins
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022
- Staying defiantly
- MFC Episode 41: What the hell!
- Gregory MacDonald, The Evangelical Universalist
- Robin Parry, 7 Myths About Universalism
- Robin Parry - Burning Love: The Theological Hermeneutics of Hell
- Four Views on Hell: Second Edition
- Inventing Hell: Dante, the Bible and Eternal Torment
- "The believing faculty": George MacDonald on Universal Salvation
Nick has been useless. Joe has been watching an eagle. We discuss the role of imagination in faith, whether wishful thinking is always bad and the heroic doubt of Thomas. Also how to replace defensiveness with love.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Wisden Cricketer's Almanack 2023
- Knepp
- White-tailed eagle
- Pulborough Brooks
- Bunnahabhain Moine 22 year old
- John Wick Is So Tired
Joe isn't feeling Eastery yet. Nick's valves are burning out. Meanwhile we talk about how we want to be when things go wrong, how Christianity really needs two symbols, and in what ways theology can be dangerous.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Staying Defiantly: What the Hell?
Happy Easter! And while we're at it, Happy New Year and Happy Nard-day! Joe is back from his travels and Nick is in a cupboard. We talk about what Easter means to us and reflect on how the shape of the week reflects the shape of our existence. Also Joe has a new theme for the official MFC new year. And Nick has been inhaling the New Testament.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Spikenard
- Brian Draper
- Discussing the new year in Episode 229 (Starts at 10:25)
Just a very quick update. Joe is in Mexico and Nick is in a dangerously low house. We talk about recognising our need for sleep as part of our spiritual life. Warning: dubious quality sound but that's what you get when one of you is recording on his iPhone over dodgy internet.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Church of the Wild, Victoria Loorz
- The Jesus Myth - A Psychologist's viewpoint, Chris Scott
- A time to keep silence, Patrick Leigh-Fermor
- The Stature of Waiting, W.H. Vanstone
We talk a bit about politics this week, particularly the conflict between private morality and public leadership. Can we learn to listen to people with vastly different views? And should those views automatically debar them from certain roles? Meanwhile, in one of the worst 'support the podcast' segments ever, we end up wondering whether those who donate should really have less to listen to. And all this while Joe is ready to escape.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Staying Defiantly: What the Hell?
- This is officially the best British seaside town to move to in 2023
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- Labyrinth - Knossos, Myth & Reality
- All Saints Tudeley
Joe is enjoying his birthday. Nick has been immersed in art. And we discuss the difference between judgement and condemnation, whether tradition and religion are necessarily bad, and what enables us - well, one of us - to remain part of the established church.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Staying Defiantly: What the Hell?
- What's love got to do with it
- Dream Horse
- Chagall windows at Tudeley Church
- George MacDonald, The Consuming Fire
Nick's life is chaotic. Joe has escaped a fire. And meanwhile, we discuss whether to choose a local or non-local church, how do we actually have a relationship with God, and whether we need a spreadsheet to measure how like Jesus we are.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Fabelmans
- Women Talking
Life is heavy. Life is stressful. It's hard to respond wisely, when anger is easier. In this episode we talk about responding to stress, Christianity as an eastern religion, the power of patience, and the way in which Jesus critiqued power. Also, we reflect on the current terrible events in Turkey and Syria. And Nick blesses BP and Shell with a new liturgical gesture of blessing.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1306836.The_Stature_of_Waiting
- The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and How It Died
We discuss the crucial questions: Is God just some kind of cosmic life-force? Was Jesus just God in a man-shaped onesie? How do we avoid weaponising our language? Why are we suddenly so popular in Denmark? And, what kind of bird did that? Oh, and we've decided to celebrate the MFC new year in March. Just like they did in 1752.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Bank of Dave
- Saint Patrick's Breastplate
- Starlings over Eynsham
- The new year once started in March—here's why
- Curious Question: Why does our tax year start on April 6th?
- Feast of the Annunciation
Nick is depressed by a worship song, Joe is frustrated by the church and the feedback sends us off in all directions. Enjoy - because, let’s face it, we’re all just waves tossed in the ocean and vapours in the wind. Or something.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Bank of Dave
- Burns supper
- Haggis
At the third - or possibly fourth - attempt, Nick and Joe return. In an episode which has been dogged by disease, broadband failure, diary clashes and equipment meltdown, we eventually talk about our yearly themes. May the bongo-playing angel guard our steps.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Invitation to Solitude and Silence - Ruth Haley Barton
- Bongo-playing angel
- A Man Called Otto
- I Wanna Dance with Somebody
- Charlotte
- The Genre-Bending, Death-Defying Triumph of Charlotte Salomon’s Art
- Starling murmurations
- Murmuration over Spar
- Your Theme
What gifts did 2022 bring us? And what were the hardships? We share our experiences this year and reflect on how our themes worked out. We touch on whether accepting mystery means not asking the difficult questions and how language about incarnation is as limiting as the event itself. Also, Joe has had a bad experience at the panto and Nick is annoyed about maths.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Taste: My Life through Food
- Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
- Spirited
- Christmas Carole
- Brian May - Queen: The Guitar Solo
- Sprachspielen: Incarnation
- Episode 184: ‘Sort it Ahhht!’
- Episode 185: A Worthing Pier experience
It's a final, bonus episode for the year. And one recorded in a storm of technical challenges (sorry about that). Do we talked need to find a special purpose in life, or should we just embrace being a disciple? Did Jesus endure the incarnation, or did he enjoy it? And were the ancient Jews really that interested in pomegranates?
Thanks for all your support this year. Happy Christmas everyone!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Harry and Meghan
- The Jerk
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Carols from King's
We return to the topic of paying attention and Joe's latest pier-based epiphanies. We chat about how attention can be a kind of prayer and how we can cope with the distracting and even sinful thoughts which stop us paying attention to God. And a moderately enthusiastic Christmas to one and all.
- No Lessons and Carols: the Mid-Faith Crisis Christmas Service 2022 Sign up today!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Secret life of the pencil
- How to cook the perfect shepherd’s pie
- Nick Page, Christmas: Tradition, Truth and Total Baubles
Yes, it's our now annual disagreement about the birth narratives in the gospels. Along the way we discuss the problems of inculturation, why hospitality, celebration and fun might be the real meaning of Christmas, and the difference between netball and basketball. And we introduce the helpful concept of back-tithing.
- No Lessons and Carols: the Mid-Faith Crisis Christmas Service 2022 Sign up today!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist
- Nick Page, Christmas: Tradition, Truth and Total Baubles
- Nick Page, The Wrong Messiah
- Raymond Brown, The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus
Nick has been thinking about spirituality and sport. Joe has had a transcendent moment on the pier. We ramble on about advent as a time of preparation, the difficulty of staying in the moment, the idea of God being on our side, and the spiritual practice of just turning up.
- No Lessons and Carols: the Mid-Faith Crisis Christmas Service 2022 Sign up today!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Blind Side
- Advent in Two Minutes
As we head into Advent, we have an interview with Brian Draper. Brian talks about wonder, hope, leaning into the darkness, sharing the inherited riches of our faith, and how 'not knowing is the most intimate'. Meanwhile, Nick has been all arty and Joe has been fighting technical issues. And losing. Heavily.
- No Lessons and Carols: the Mid-Faith Crisis Christmas Service 2022 Sign up today!
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Brian Draper Advent Emails
- Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem
- Thomas Oord, God Can't
- The Lavender Hill Mob
- 3-Ingredient Cocktails Robert Simonson
- The Light of the World
- Octavio Moss - Holy Ground
We talk about the complexities of being Christlike, the joy of temperance and the idea of a self-limiting God. Also, Joe wants to be both Matthew and Luke, and let's all do the Hinkumbooby.
Coming Soon - No Lessons and Carols, the Mid-faith Crisis Christmas Service. 20 December 2022. 8 pm GMT. Stay tuned for more details.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Hinkumbooby
- Episode 117: The theology of ‘I dunno’
- Episode 198: No such thing as the great commission
- William Placher, Narratives of a Vulnerable God: Christ, Theology, and Scripture
We talk about how we can use outrage to avoid dealing with our own pain, finding peace in the difficult times, not giving up on love, beauty and creativity, and how systematic theology always fails when it’s punched in the face.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Revolver Special Editions
- Hokey Pokey
We discuss some big issues this week: anger, empathy, hope, the prophetic act of listening, the difficulty of making life choices and, most importantly, whether the hokey-cokey should be the official MFC worship song.
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- Staying Defiantly: What does it look like for church leaders to stay when the church leaves you frustrated.
This week we talk about the need for lament, how Jesus spoke about fear more than anything else, and what we can learn from our old ways of doing things. Also, does being Christlike mean casting out demons and raising the dead? And if we wore a Mid-faith Crisis wristband, what would it say?
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- Staying Defiantly: What does it look like for church leaders to stay when the church leaves you frustrated.
In this episode we talk about hope. In the midst of the chaos and anxiety surrounding us, how do we have hope? What does it mean to fix our mind on higher things? Is it just about going to heaven or can it involve cheese? Also, Nick 'discusses' some worship song lyrics. And Joe has technical issues. Many, many technical issues.
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- Staying Defiantly What does it look like for church leaders to stay when the church leaves you frustrated. A webinar with Joe Davis, Jo Ibbott and Dave Steell.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Hamza Yassin & Jowita Przystał Salsa
- Episode 51: The Mystery of the Cross
- Episode 50: The Scandal of The Cross
We talk a lot about rules and doctrine this episode. What's the balance between belief and behaviour? Should the church be an exclusive club? And just how much doctrine does anyone actually need?
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We're back! Nick's been in the West Country pondering the state of his aura. Joe's been speaking at a conference and has caught the plague. We talk about the Queen's funeral, magical apothecaries and how there is a lot more spirituality about than people realise.
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In a temporally confused episode, we have an interview with Stuart Murray Williams. We talk about the idea of Christendom, and, more to the point, what's going to happen after it's gone away. Also Nick may or may not be on holiday and Joe may or may not be in the USA.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- James Bryan Smith, The Good And Beautiful You
- Stuart Murray Williams
We talk to Oliver Burkeman, author of the brilliant Four Thousand Weeks – Time Management for Mortals. We talk about mortality and finitude, the joy of missing out and viewing your time management with grace. And never mind mortals, what about time management for immortals?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Paul Field, God of the Moon and Stars
- Glory be to God for dogs…
- Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks
A globetrotting episode, with correspondence from around the world. We discuss the complicated relationship between those who attend church and those in authority, the need for a different set of guides and how you can return to old practices with a new attitude. Also more on Christmas in midsummer, a deeply moving poem and a surprising email for Nick.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Fisherman's Friends: One and All
- Brian McLaren: Do I Stay Christian?
Back together again, we reflect on the relationship between authenticity and vulnerability. We also talk about the need for patience, honesty and empathy when we are caught up in controversies and disagreements. And in the end we decide to follow Jesus. Warning: ends with a chorus. Sung badly. Over zoom.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Trickster: The Many Lives of Carlos Castaneda
- Bullet Train
- Alan Moore: Storytelling
With one of the team taking a well-earned break we thought we'd repeat an episode from the mists of time. Or July 2019 to be more precise, when, for reasons that have never been entirely convincing, Joe decided that he really wanted to talk about Christmas. The incarnation is for life, not just for Christmas!
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Joe is struggling to concentrate. Nick is inadvisedly drinking limoncello. We talk about the confidence to be quiet, the origins of liturgy and how communities can bring comfort in tough times.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Where the Crawdads Sing
We talk to Brian MacLaren about his new book – Do I Stay Christian? A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned. The book explores the reasons for leaving and reasons for staying, and the real question that affects us all, whether we stay or leave: 'what kind of person do I want to be?'
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Cotswold Sculpture Park
- Brian McLaren: Do I Stay Christian?
A bit of a short episode today, for personal reasons which we talk about in the podcast. Thanks for all your support, as always.
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In a week where suddenly a lot of people are concerned about their integrity, we look at thankfulness in prayer, how silence is quite risky and whether anyone should be a hermit. Also, a much needed reminder that, whatever the news, there really is a lot of love in the world.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- 'Organising the natural goodness of people': Rev Richard Coles
- Elvis
- St Michael and St Mary's, Melbourne
- St Mary & St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill
- The Eynsham Shirt Race
- Guile Point Lighthouse
- Sister Wendy
- Simeon Stylites
- Cenobitic monasticism
- Eremitic
Nick is tired, Joe is hangry, so in a slightly shorter than normal episode, we reflect on the recent interview with dave steell about leadership. We talk about the problems of over spiritualising what happens in church, confusing unity with uniformity and whether the most important tool is empathy. Also, an unusual fact about orchids and Nick receives an alarming email from his co-host.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Orchid -etymology
- Storytelling with Alan Moore
In this second part we talk about dealing with conflict. How do you deal with conflict with staff members, other churches, and, most importantly, within your own congregation? We discuss what unity really looks like, how disagreeing well is a prophetic act and the importance of having an imaginary riot shield.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- One Church Brighton
In the first of a two-part special, we interview Dave Steell, pastor of One Church Brighton on the challenges of leading a church through changing culture and theology. How far can you share the journey you are undertaking? What do you do if your spirituality is at odds with that of your church? And is it possible for leaders live out a life of authenticity and integrity without losing your job?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- One Church Brighton
It's a tale of two Andrews this week, as we are mildly– and not so mildly – rebuked for previous episodes. We talk about John the Baptist, revival, the importance of the gospels and whether God's presence is just, well, imaginary. Also, is the tricycle of faith less stable than the bicycle of belief?
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks
- Episode 198: No such thing as the great commission
It's the 200th episode! So we spend some time looking back at the origins of the podcast, share some of the things we've learned and think about what has changed since October 2016. Oh, and we also decided to re-listen to the very first episode, which was apparently recorded in a toilet. All this and the return of a much-loved correspondent.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- San Salvador - La Fin de la Guerra
- San Salvador in Performance
- Paul Merson - A Walk Through My Life
- Episode 1: The Hungry Caterpillar of Faith
- Episode 84: Now that’s what I call Ethel vol 1
Don your lycra, sew on your sequins and and prepare to give nil points to the podcast, because we have an interview with journalist Lisa-Jayne Lewis who talks about community, diversity and what the church can learn from the Eurovision Song Contest. It's boom-bang-a-bang-tastic.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Eurovision Song Contest on Youtube
We explore the role of imagination in prayer, and how that can help us with a real relationship with God. Also why disputes might help us, whether worship song writers should go to sea, and whether there is such a thing as 'the great commission'.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Downton Abbey: A New Era
- Paul Merson - A Walk Through My Life
- BBC young dancer 2022
- The Atlantic: Why The Past 10 Years Of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
We think about why, throughout history, people have moved massive boulders in the name of religion. What boulders of doctrine or belief are we pushing uphill? And what are we building with them? Also Nick is conflicted about social media and we think about the possibility of multiple choice worship song lyrics.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Nick Page: The joy of the mid-faith crisis
- BBC - Living with the Gods
- Living with the Gods Talk
- Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
- Buckminster Fuller
- Stonehenge
- Newgrange
Lots of questions this week. Why do we sing things we don't agree with? Have we misunderstood the writings of Paul? How do we know that God is love? What behaviour have we a right to expect from leaders? And will Nick ever remember the second point he was going to make?
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Moon Knight
- Rebecca Solnit, Men Explain Things To Me
- The Shires
- I stand amazed
- Episode 175: An interview with Matt Hyam
- Steve Chalke, The Lost Message of Paul
A bit of a catch-up. Joe is back from holiday and Nick's been preaching over Easter. We chat about looking for the living among the dead, the discipline of hope and whether having one foot in the grave means that you're getting in or climbing out.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Enneagram Type Five
- Resurrection of Christ
- Serenity Prayer
Joe is on holiday, recording (a) via some flaky internet and (b) on the world’s worst mic, so apologies for that. But consider this is a little bonus episode. We have a chat about how we feel about Easter this year and how our celebrations of Christian festivals always reflect our emotional state.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Brant Hanson, Unoffendable
- Kathy Escobar, Faith Shift
This week a really crucial question: what does God actually do? If he's just love, what good is that? We talk about finding joy and power through our relationship with God. We talk about how metaphors create reality and, especially, how the metaphor of the church as Christ's body might be a bit more than metaphorical. It's been a sad week, so there are tears. But there are also elephants. So that's good.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Mary Oliver, Wild Geese
- Compton Verney
- Grayson's Art Club!
We explore the idea of taking responsibility for God's believability. If God is not going to intervene in a miraculous way, is it up to us? Also, we discuss the importance of enjoying joy whenever and wherever you find it. Not to mention the annoying nature of nostalgia (and, indeed, the annoying nature of Nick) and whether Vanilla Ice was a minor prophet.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- onetreeplanted.org
- Chuckle Brothers
- Etty Hillesum
- Etty Hillesum, Sunday morning prayer
- Rowan Williams, Tokens of Trust
- Fun Boy Three. It Ain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It).
- Mary Oliver, Don’t Hesitate
More follow up this week on how to respond to peoples' prayer requests. How are we supposed to discuss our spiritual journey without feeling superior? Do we need 'get out' phrases to avoid controversy? And is it OK to feel like we need a break when the world is on fire? Also Joe has had a computer related trauma and Nick has a cake-related ethical question about fasting. Turns out that life is complicated.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- The Duke
- Ash Wednesday
- Prayer, Joy Cowley
It's been a worrying week. How do we respond to big events? Can we get the balance right between ignorant bliss and doomscrolling despair? Also, we have great emails about the sovereignty of God and whether it's OK to ask people to pray in ways we wouldn’t. And, most importantly, we discuss why we really need new wristbands.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Episode 104: Strength to walk the journey
- Episode 169: A deep desire to pray
After a deluge of theological cocktail suggestions - and some new TV shows as well - we turn our attention to outrage. Every day we are invited to get outraged about something - but is that healthy? Can outrage be a positive force? Also we talk more about attention, collaborating with God, 360 degree feedback for discipleship, and Death in the Nile by Kevin Branagh.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- David Baddiel, Jews Don't Count
- Death on the Nile
When we do something good is that just God pulling the strings? We explore our own kingdoms, the role of wisdom and suffering the continuing effects of 'Long Calvin'. Also Joe has an idea for a TV show and Nick wants to rebrand theological ideas as cocktails. Send us your recipes!
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks
- BBC: This is Going to Hurt
- Harry Enfield and Chums: Considerably Richer than You
- Another 'Considerably Richer than You' (low-res but a favourite)
We carry on exploring yet more fallout from 'the now famous epiphany'. Joe changes his theme, Nick has learnt the benefit of staying put, and we explore whether 'acceptance' is too close to fatalism, and the importance of finding the right things to pray for.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Mentioned in this episode:
- Inside Out
- Islands of Abandonment, Cal Flyn
- BBC: The Green Planet
Last week Joe had an epiphany. This week Nick's written a 'poem-ish thing'. We talk more about the need for acceptance and how we so often fail to recognise the wonder of 'ordinary time'. Also we discuss resisting the urge to solve things, the need to spend time in neutral, the latest film from Kevin Branagh and Nick's latest 'messiah purchase'. (Astute listeners will notice that the intro reaches a new low, and not just because Nick has the wrong glasses on.)
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
- Nick's poem-ish thing
- Gerard Manley Hopkins, 'Pied Beauty'
- Kevin Branagh's Belfast
- Episode 148: The Messiah Purchase
Joe has had an epiphany. Nick has been to a baptism. We talk about the need for radical acceptance in life, about the difference between themes and goals and how we need to remind ourselves why we went to church in the first place.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Links to stuff mentioned in the show
- 'Hope Is Not a Bird, Emily, It's a Sewer Rat' by Caitlin Seida
- “The Golden Triangle” of Spiritual Transformation
- The Serenity prayer of Reinhold Niebuhr
It's our 2022 themes episode. We reflect on how our themes worked out last year, and look ahead to what we're going to be concentrating on in ZOZZ. (Or 2022 as some call it.) But we start something very serious: our very first Mid-faith Crisis Ministerial Scandal. Resign!
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
- Cortex: Your Theme
- Theme System Journal
- Episode 142: Own Your Nickness
- Episode 98: Your new year's theme
Nick has some thoughts on the cricket and whether we can draw any spiritual lessons from sport. Can we plan for spiritual success? What would that even look like? How does our view of God affect our confidence in the spiritual life? Can we learn to play - or even pray - without fear? Also we are confronted with an ornithological-based heresy and we talk about the military symbolism of the Gadarene swine. Like you do.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
- Don't Look Up
- Around the World in Eighty Days
- Things Fell Apart - Jon Ronson
- Jesus and the Pigs - from the Wrong Messiah
- Episode 142: Own Your Nickness
- Episode 98: Your new year's theme
It's a Christmas Day episode. Nick has discovered cocktails, Joe has mastered snowballs. We discuss our suddenly altered Christmas plans, talk about what it means to bring good news to all people at Christmas, and we end with a quote from Gandalf. Or not. See you in Zozz!
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
We talk about Christmas and mid-faith. How do we approach the nativity stories? Are they historic accounts or symbolic tales? What is striking us about advent this year? Also, we talk theological tenancy agreements, the Devil's vegetable and whether some people will have a restricted view of the second coming. Oh, and Nick has an award. Of sorts.
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
Yes, it's here. We have an interview with Becky Francis, a sex therapist and relationships counsellor. What is the relationship between sex and mid-faith crisis? How can counselling help? And why is it that something which God created is only really talked about by Christians in 'shameful' ways? It goes without saying that this episode contains some sexual content, so best not to listen to this with your parents.
- Becky Francis - Hope Counselling
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There seem to be a lot of trigger words in this week's podcast, some quite surprising. Mainly we talk about discipleship and whether trying to be like Christ is really setting the bar too high. As well as discussing what has helped us move towards Christlikeness, we also talk about special cuddles, a trial separation from church and Nick gets very angry about sabbaticals.
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More about how we approach our difficulties reading the Bible and the need to learn to live with uncertainty and mystery. Then we talk about what we can learn from our children during the mid-faith crisis and how their naïveté is a thing to be cherished. Also, Nick and Joe argue about the new Bond film and we discuss whether to talk about 'special cuddles'.
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Is there any point going to church if it’s just going to add to our cognitive dissonance? We explore the idea of putting a bit of space into the relationship and the need to ensure that, if we walk away, we are walking towards something helpful. We also discuss how we can trust scripture, when certain bits are interpreted so differently, and why it is sometimes easier to be honest with strangers than with people we know well. Also Joe talks about the moon, Nick has a new time-management app, and we end with a great poem.
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- The Museum of the Moon
- Brent Geese
- Charles Foster - Being A Human review
- David P. Gushee - Changing Our Mind
- Nicholas Coulton, The Bible, the Church and Homosexuality
- Mary Oliver - The Summer Day
We were both a bit tired in this one. But before our batteries gave out entirely, we talked about how the wrong ways of reading the Bible can sometimes be the right ways, how it’s really important to ask why you decided to follow Jesus in the first place, and, just as importantly, what you and he are going to do together today. Oh and we look back on the first ever Mid-Faith Crisis Church Weekend. And there’s the unwelcome return of Joe’s nipple infection.
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- Hebrews 2:6
Author Matt Hyam talks about how justice lies at the very heart of the gospel – and how Jesus' message is an invitation to experience the life of the age to come. Lots of thought-provoking, and even eye-opening stuff. (Sorry about the sound quality with this one, but believe us, it's worth a listen.) Also, more on VIP worship experiences and next year's MFC Lee Abbey week is open for booking!
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- The Mid-Faith Crisis week at Lee Abbey - Book Now!
- Matt Hyam, There Must Be More to This: Reimagining Evangelical Faith with Justice at the Core
It's a rather odd episode this week covering a bewildering range of topics, including Christian hairstyles, the Euthyphro dilemma, pluralistic ignorance, the unusual Christian fairytale of the Emperor's old clothes and whether hibernation should be an option. Finally we have a discussion about whether salvation is much more an attitude than an event. And most importantly, a bit of verbal smiting about the idea of VIP tickets for worship events.
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Chris Tomlin and Hillsong VIP tickets
Yes! It’s the fifth anniversary of Japan’s 12th most-listened to Christian podcast. A big 'thank you' to everyone who supports us. This week we talk about loads of stuff, including reframing our viewpoint, accepting problems and difficulties, the unhelpful idea that the salvation button is on, and how physical actions can help us. Also, Nick has been ill, but in a good way.
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- Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks
We talk about whether the stages of faith echo the stages of life. Is it possible to have your faith stage and your life stage out of sync? Does age bring wisdom and freedom? Also, some more on Genesis – do we place too much importance on this book? How do we read it responsibly? Finally we talk about how we use what power we have for good. Not to mention why the podcast is like a banana and how a poached egg is a sign of love.
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Why do bananas ripen other fruit?
- A photo of Bill
- Mike McHargue, Finding God in the Waves
- Mary Phil Korsak, At the Start, Genesis Made New
- Mary Phil Korsak, Eve Malignant Or Maligned
- Episode 54: featuring interview with Bethany Sollereder
- BBC Gardeners World
It’s our Genesis episode. Or the beginning of our Genesis episodes, perhaps. We talk about why Genesis has such influence and power, reading it as a story, the freedom of creation and how we might read it afresh today. Also, do we become like the gods we worship? Nick can’t find the verse but is pretty sure it’s in the Bible. (It is. See below.) And Joe has been having trouble with his pollinators.
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- Black widow
- Woman at War
- Abba are back
- A bit of Nick preaching
- Psalm 115:3-8: Those who make idols will be like them…
- Paul Kingsnorth, The Cross and the Machine
- Chiastic structure
All the 'P's this week as we talk about pensions, prayer, paradox, people, priests, providence, patience and perspective. We talk about how 'mystery' helps us rediscover practices we have previously rejected. And we discuss the stories we tell ourselves and the concept of learned helplessness. Also Nick has been to more old churches (some with very peculiar carvings) and we discover that we are all, basically, just confused at a higher level.
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- Sheela-na-gig, Kilpeck Church
- Terrance Tiessen, Providence and Prayer
- Derren Brown, Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine
If we don't believe in an interventionist God then why are we still driven to pray about world events? Why, despite the questions and the difficulties of prayer, do we still find ourselves on our knees in the face of what's happening in the world? Plus there is feedback on seeing good and evil within human beings, and whether the best prayer is 'thy will be done'. Also, Joe thinks that Nick might just have ruined his life.
- Christian aid prayer for Afghanistan
Joe and Nick have been visiting lots of old churches, making one of us very happy. We discuss our different ideas of sacred spaces. Then tacklesome moving and challenging feedback – thank you for trusting us with your stories! Oh and there's a truly angelic musical moment at the end.
- Medieval graffiti in churches
- St Botolphs Church
- Coombes Church
- Christ in the trenches
An episode in which Nick explains his aversion to the idea of Celtic spirituality. Following on from last week's interview, we talk about whether new theologies have to appeal to ancient roots. Also we discuss ‘deep knowing’ and how we put it into action, and there is helpful feedback from listeners on coping with the endless deluge of bad news.
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- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Ian Bradley, Following the Celtic Way
- Positive news on the environment
- Harry Chapin - When in doubt, do something
- Economist
- Delayed Gratification
- Tim Harford, How to Make the World Add Up
We are joined by John Philip Newell, who talks about his new book Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul. In a wide-ranging interview, John Philip talks about the sacredness of the earth and of every human being, the concept of original sin, and giving expression to what the soul already knows.
- John Philip Newel- Earth and Soul
And we're back. Interesting questions in the feedback this week. Is there is a one-size-fits-all salvation? Are we good citizens of the Kingdom of God or are we yobs? Is church just a good behaviour club for the anxious middle classes? And how can we live in a genuinely authentic way? Also, Nick has had a transcendent experience on Lindisfarne, Joe is anxious about the background noise and both of us hate bindweed.
- Episode 123 What is the Good News (Part One)
- Episode 124. What is the Good News (Part Two)
- Episode 125 What is the good news? (Part Three)
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Episode Episode 13: Values, not vision
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Mid-faith Explorers Group in Manchester
Among this week’s topics, we discuss renaming the Old Testament, speaking in tongues, and whether Joe is a druid. Also there is more feedback from the interview with Dave Tomlinson including ideas about original goodness as well as original sin, and the relationship of faith to salvation. Easy stuff, then.
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- Time, Jimmy McGovern
- Episode 50: The Scandal of The Cross
- Episode 51: The Mystery of the Cross
- Episode 162: Dave Tomlinson
Joe is back from holiday and has encountered a very angry version of the Lord’s Prayer. As well as the usual fascinating feedback, we talk about the interview with Dave Tomlinson, about the relationship between mid-faith crisis and rational enquiry, the gravitational pull towards uniformity and about what salvation might mean in practice. Normal levels of uselessness were achieved. We’ll be back in two weeks.
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- Mark Cavendish wins stage 4 of the Tour de France
- Mary Chrnalogar, Twisted Scriptures
- Stina Kielsmeier-Cook, Blessed are the Nones
This week we have an interview with Dave Tomlinson. Dave talks about Christian humanism, our ‘common origin in goodness’, the importance of holding your nerve, the absolute importance of rational enquiry and the empathy of apes. So, lots of stuff, then. We’ll be back in two weeks.
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- YouTube: The Holy Shed
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
- Alfred Delp: Committed to Christ
Nick’s been listening to God and God, appropriately enough, has been telling him to listen. So this week, helped by some great feedback on the power of deep listening, we talk more about spiritual direction, about the conviction that God is active and present in every area of our lives and how we can help others hear from God. Also, Joe takes us through his quite boring pre-holiday ritual and we introduce a new part of the show consisting of Nick’s more thought-through responses.
- Stevie Wonder: Isn’t She Lovely
- Renovaré Seminar - Learning to Listen: Exploring the What, Why, and How of Spiritual Direction
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This week’s feedback leads us to think about whether church is like a running club, how to use our stories and memories as soul places, and how mid-faithers should read the Bible. We talk about reading big chunks quickly, and small chunks slowly. But can we inhabit the text? And what happens if instead of wrestling with the text, we decide to dance with it. Meanwhile, Joe has suffered from a gas shortage and Nick thinks it's weird being 60.
- Five steps to mental well-being
- Midfaith Crisis Episode 36 (has stuff about children)
Some interesting alternative Bible translations
- Mary Phil Korsak, At the Start: Genesis Made New
- Mary Phil Korsak, Glad News from Mark
- Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible (also available as separate volumes)
- David Bentley Hart, The New Testament
- N.T.Wright, The New Testament for Everyone
Joe has been traumatised by the dentist. Nick has had spiritual speech therapy. But apart from that we continue our discussion of soul places. What is it that makes something a soul place rather than just a ‘place’? Are there spiritual practices we need to renew? How do we rediscover the ancient paths that lead to rest for our souls? And has anyone got a 10,000 year plan?
- Jenni Talks Podcast: Faith and Doubt with Joe Davis
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Nick is back and he’s been in lots of old churches. Joe is facing a highly invasive camera. We talk about whether God is all powerful and why churches need to be places where our souls find rest. Warning: contains inappropriately puerile humour. Like most weeks, frankly.
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- Wenhaston Doom
- Westhall Church
- William C. Placher, Narratives of a Vulnerable God
This week we start with an email on prophecy from someone who may or may not be related to one of the hosts. Should you suggest that a ‘word’ from the Lord may not actually be accurate? We talk more about the terms we use for God, and discuss whether we should emphasise 'kingdom' more than 'church'. Also, is there such a word as ‘masculising’? Is rebuking the best kind of prophecy? And thank the Lord for the apophatic tradition!
Brought to you by Mid-faith Crisis - A More Loving Podcast.
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We have feedback from the Brian McLaren interview, which leads into a discussion about whether we should all go to more than one church. Do we need one, small community for our discipleship and a range of other places for our worship? Also we talk about karate churches, authoritarian leaders, theological conspiracy theories and whether quite a lot of us are suffering from ‘languishing’. Meanwhile, Nick has been told to shut up on medical grounds and Joe is going all David Attenborough again.
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- There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing
- Rachel Held Evans
In the second part, author Brian McLaren explores how doubt is a friend of faith, and how the Bible itself reflects the four stages of faith. Also, lots of great stuff about dealing with criticism and the challenges and difficulties of being teachers and leaders. And can we make Christianity more like karate?
- Brian McLaren, Faith After Doubt
- A Prayer for Enemies
The first of a two-part interview with author Brian McLaren talking about his new book, Faith After Doubt. Joe talks to Brian about four stages of faith: simplicity, complexity, perplexity and harmony and how these affect churches, leadership and even our reading of the Bible. Also Joe's hearing is questioned and we announce our very own Mid-faith Crisis Church Weekend!
- The Mid-Faith Crisis Church Weekend 29-31 October 2021
- Nick Page, I don’t like your platitude: the case against christian cliches
- Brian McLaren
- Brian McLaren, Faith After Doubt
We reflect on the three acts of Easter - death, waiting, rebirth - and how this most profound of Christian festivals gives us permission to grieve and to celebrate. Also, is it better to go to church or to plant a wildflower meadow? And we invent the liturgical sink. Happy Easter everybody.
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- Chiffchaff bird facts
- Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom
- Philip H. Pfatteicher, Journey into the Heart of God: Living the Liturgical Year
This week we are joined by Dave Steell, Minister of One Church, Brighton, one of the most exciting and innovative churches in the UK. Dave talks about whether churches have a shadow side, why training baristas is good news and how ‘it’s not about heaven versus hell, it’s about scarcity versus abundance.’ Also Joe has more chair problems, and Nick wants to make it clear that Luther’s theses were never nailed to anything.
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Episode 13: Values not Vision
- One Church, Brighton
- Probaristas
- Skylark Coffee
This week we delve into the feedback about the names we use for God. Is using different names just making God conform to our own images? Are we speculating above our theological paygrade? And, if culture eats strategy for breakfast, what does it have for brunch? Also, we have an email from God. Apparently.
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- The Regent honeyeater
- Chiffchaff Song
- Cal Newport, A World Without Email
- YHWH
- Jehovah
Our 150th episode! And we pick up on the feedback about shopping, giving and whether tithing is a law, a burden or a cop out. Also, we talk about what it was that first gave you spiritual back ache, and Joe declares himself a one-man blessing machine. All this plus the latest appeal from the Stone the Heathen Tabernacle of Grace. Oh, and Joe is trying to talk to ants about property rights. No, really.
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- STG's NEW Marvellous Map of Great British Place Names
- Green Christian
- Green Christian: Joy in Enough
- Wesley’s Sermon #50
- Wesley’s Four Lessons on Money
- Mark Powley, Consumer Detox
We have an interview with Margaret Metcalfe, who talks about language and power. Do the words we use about God exclude others? What values do our metaphors and images express? And how do we find the words that help people flourish? Also we have to issue an INNUENDO WARNING as we discuss rude-sounding place names. Meanwhile, Joe has had a surprise cheese party and Nick has an important appeal to make.
- Grayson Perry’s Art Club Series 2 Episode 1
- We want a shrubbery
- George Orwell, Politics and the English Language
This week we talk about the spirituality of shopping. We discuss the rise of lockdown shopping and the idea of the messiah purchase - that one purchase which is going to solve all your problems. And which never does. Also, Joe is spectacularly grumpy and fidgety, we discuss hot issues like ‘is Worthing better than Hawai?’ and we have the latest, final episode of the Lee Abbey saga. Don’t worry, next week’s podcast will be brilliant. Apparently.
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- Unboxing videos
- BBC Repair shop Series 6, Episode 13
- Repair shop engagement ring story
- Nicks Kneeler in action
- Prie dieu
How do we make sense of Lent this year? To help us we have a great interview with our friend Lacy Finn Borgo. She talks about allowing hope to bloom, about naming our losses, why the Christian life is cruciform and why smashing a plate might help. Also we’ve hit a snag about Lee Abbey, Joe seems to have given up doing good introductions for Lent and Nick is talking a load of old collops.
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- Lacy Finn Borgo
- Good Dirt Ministries
- Kintsugi
- Lacy's Kintsugi Plate
- Collop Monday
- More utter collops
Joe has hit clay bottom and is recharging about as effectively as an old Nokia phone. We talk about the difficulty of waiting and how holy ground doesn’t look like what we think it does. Also, the burning question - can you leave a review of heaven on TripAdvisor?
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- Lee Abbey: Midfaith Crisis Week
- Nick's Punditry on the BBC
- Lawyer appears as cat
- Pandas in the snow
- W.H. Vanstone, The Stature of Waiting
After a brief sick leave we’re back, and considering if it’s OK to still enjoy the kinds of Christian practices we have rejected. Is it hypocrisy? Or an admission of failure? Or is it that we’re approaching the same point from a different perspective? All this plus West Side Story and St George of Wham.
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- The Pilgrim Ways
- Greed
- Wandavision
- JoJo Rabbit
- ‘It’s not a good time to be a Nazi’
Nick’s had a spiritually challenging experience at the chemist. So is it OK to complain? How would Jesus complain about bad service? Also we discuss denying ourselves, how our lives are a training programme for Christlikeness, and the importance of making your prayers absolutely clear to God. All this, plus possibly the worst opening of any podcast ever.
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When does the mid-faith crisis end? Or is it ever, really, finished? We look at the idea of not so much moving on, but more finding a new place of stability in mid-faith, and how to recognise the sings that you might be in a new, more positive place. Also Joe is doing a workout and Nick gets weirdly enthusiastic about some grapes.
- Brian MacLaren, Faith After Doubt
- The 3,000 Step Workout
- Vittoria Grapes, Waitrose
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The Naked Pastor: Ex-evangelical
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We’re back! We reflect on the treasure we found in 2020, and, more importantly, think about our guiding themes or words for 2021. Also, as Nick points out, there’s a lot of God around, so we talk about encountering the divine in everyday life and how that is going to inform the podcast going forward. Let us know your themes for 2021!
- Episode 98: Your new year’s theme
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It's our final episode of the year. Nick has been self-isolating, Joe is uncharacteristically unChristmassy. We pick up on some feedback, explore how we can connect with the core message of Christmas, and reflect on how we can bring a bit of comfort and joy to people this Christmas. And if you do nothing else, go to the end for a lovely blessing and a beautiful song. All this, plus a vital question about poinsettias. Happy Christmas everyone!
- Revealed: British have the sexiest accents
- Episode 98: Your new year’s theme
- Christmas: Truth, Tradition and Total Baubles - CCT Lecture
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BUY THE BOOK
- St Andrew’s Bookshop
- Eden
- Bookshop.org
- Hive
- Re-Vived
- Amazon
More on Nick’s book and we discuss why Christians assume that Christmas trees, holly, ivy and general greenery are somehow pagan. Would Christmas olive trees feel they were more spiritual? Are flower arrangers really engaging in an ancient Christian practice? Also, we explore compulsive certainty, whether you can have a Christianity that doesn’t believe in the supernatural, and the crucial question of the day: where does eggnog come from?
- Eggnog Recipe
- Eggnog history
- Snowball
- Göbleki Tepe
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- St Andrew’s Bookshop
- Eden
- Bookshop.org
- Hive
- Re-Vived
- Amazon
We interrupt our series on Nick’s book because we’ve got an interview with Brian Draper about Advent. After a brief discussion of Jesus themed merchandise and a quick couple of Advent facts Brian talks about being open and present to this season and how this is our chance to have an advent like absolutely no other. Reflecting on his own experience of Covid, he suggests that we have a God who invites us to embrace darkness, not to escape it.
- The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk Online
- Flyzeye: A Grim Nativity Poem
- Episode 105: Soulful Nature - An Interview with Brian Draper
- Sign up for Brian’s emails
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BUY THE BOOK
- St Andrew’s Bookshop
- Eden
- Bookshop.org
- Hive
- Re-Vived
- Amazon
Nick has a new book out - Christmas: Tradition, Truth and Total Baubles. So we talk about that, mainly on the idea that we always want our traditions to be a lot older than they are. Also we explore underwhelming prophecies, whether you can be a leader of badgers, the spiritual gift of limericks, restorative justice, the economics of being a writer and why the entire country has emerged from lockdown to find out that things are actually worse.
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BUY THE BOOK
- St Andrew’s Bookshop
- Eden
- Bookshop.org
- Hive
- Amazon
The Bible is very clear that those who oppress the vulnerable, abuse power and cause injustice will face the judgement of God. So what do we mean by justice? How should people face the consequences of their actions? What role do we play in unjust systems? We explore the distinction between justice and revenge, the need for restoration of both victim and perpetrator, and the shocking nature of forgiveness. And it’s a big ‘welcome back’ to George MacDonald and Fluffy Rohr.
- Support our correspondent Chris, who is running a hill race every month through 2020 to raise money for IJM. Donate here.
BOOKS MENTIONED
- Nick Page, Christmas:Tradition, Truth and Total Baubles
- Gregory MacDonald, The Evangelical Universalist
Ruth Newton is parish priest of St John's Sharow, a Silver Eco-Church and is currently undertaking a doctorate in the intersection between environmental activism and church. In this fascinating interview she talks to Joe about the relationship of theology to ecology, about how Christianity has to answer the key questions that people are asking, and how justice - both ecological and social - is a crucial components of the Kingdom of God. Also, the power of advocacy, the challenge of being a scythe-less Grim Reaper and the challenge of relating an animal rights agenda to the story of the Gadarene swine.
- Ruth Newton: Greening the Lectionary
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Welcome back to Lockdown everyone! And welcome back to our discussion of creation and where it all has come from. How do you square a loving God with an often brutal creation? What about nature red in tooth and claw? We look at how loving means allowing freedom to the beloved, explore the concept of tsimtsum and wonder ‘what are we to make of all this?’ It’s a bit of a quotefest, and more than a little mind-mangling at times. But if you need cheering up, listen to the ending!
- John V Taylor, The Christlike God
- Excerpt on ‘Tsimtsum’
- William C. Placher, Narratives of a Vulnerable God
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzimtzum
It’s all gone a bit cosmic this week, as we discuss the creation of, well, everything. Did it all come out of nothing? Is creation divine or does it simply point to the Divine? Is Wednesday really the best day for major cosmic events? And does the Horsehead nebula know just how good it looks? Also, Joe has issues with (a) anger and (b) cake.
- Nick Page: Christmas, Tradition, Truth and total Baubles
- The five marks of mission
- Julian of Norwich and the hazelnut
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We talk about getting fresh ideas into the winter wellness plan, and building accountability. There’s a discussion about what the ‘essence’ of church really is, and how the call to be ‘the body of Christ’ is a lot more literal than we sometimes imagine. Meanwhile, Joe has a new family member and Nick has been wondering why he went to Düsseldorf.
- Knot numbers hit record level at RSPB Snettisham
- How Did We Get Here?
- Between the Covers
- The Social Dilemma
- Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport
- Podmarch: Everybody Now – Climate Emergency and Sacred Duty
It’s our fourth birthday! We listen back to the first episode and reflect on where it all went wrong - sorry - I mean, all that we have learnt. How has our view of the Mid-faith Crisis changed? What is the core advice we would give for listeners who are just joining us? Also more on toadstools, wellness, the joy of making stuff, and whether Covid-19 will actually change the church at all. Thanks for listening!
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This week we look a bit more at spiritual wellness plans. Joe shares a lot of ideas, while Nick is mainly focused on guttering. But we do talk about the idea of winter thinking – and of the benefits of actually anticipating dark times, instead of being surprised by them. Also mushrooms, spiritual foraging, the return of Ethel and who is Brian?
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We talk about the need for patience in a society that expects instant solutions. Why did the early church talk about patience much more than they talked about evangelism? Why did Paul list patience and kindness as the two leading qualities of love? How do we train ourselves to be more patient as individuals and as a society? Also we talk but the need for a spiritual wellness plan as winter approaches, and whether the government should take communication advice from Baptist ministers.
- Alan Kreider, The Patient Ferment of the Early Church
- W.H. Vanstone, The Stature of Waiting
- Episode 104: ‘Strength to walk the journey’
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We’re back! Yes, Luxembourg’s premier Christianity podcast returns and in a revolutionary new approach to podcasting, instead of discussing a topic, we are discussing what topics we might like to discuss in future. Basically, we’ve forgotten what the podcast is about so we’re pitching ideas at each other. Do join in and let us know what you’d like to hear about. Also Joe claims worthing is now the foodie capital of Europe and Nick is on a contemplative challenge.
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There are some really horrible bits in the Bible. How are we to read them? Should we just ignore them? Or is our very response to them telling us something from God? We discuss how to respond to passages which are violently opposed to contemporary attitudes today. Also we touch on the benefits of being kind to yourself, and propose a Midfaith Crisis devotional called ‘Carry on up Your Quiet Time’.
Episode 83: We need to talk about Jehovah
Episode 81: The Not-so-good Book
The Badly Behaved Bible on Amazon
The Badly Behaved Bible on Eden.co.uk
The Badly Behaved Bible on Hive.co.uk
The Badly Behaved Bible at Waterstones
Some deep questions this week. Do miracles actually happen? And what about prophecy? Can we actually experience God's love? Has Joe filled in a proper annual leave request form? And is it ever right to call down fire and brimstone on double-glazing salesmen?
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After waiting hours for some printing to get done we revisit our statements on the good news and ask a key question: where did it all go wrong? Have we misunderstood the good news? Or is it just that we look on things differently in our times? We talk about belonging, inclusion, love, forgiveness and food. All this, plus an appeal for grandparents for Joe.
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Have you been mis-sold your personal salvation policy? In the midst of some pretty bongo-filled weeks, Joe and Nick finally get around to their versions of the good news. But not before we share some more excellent stuff from listeners. Warning: contains pith.
- Onward
- Woman at War
- Rob Bell: Introduction to Joy
- Joe’s good news
- Nick’s good news
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Never has so much feedback been packed into one podcast. We’ve had so many responses to our question about ‘what is the good news?’ that we decided to do a bumper selection from all the emails. There's loads of great stuff in here, so enjoy some actual content from our wonderful listeners.
- Renovaré: Finding Good Words to Share the Good News
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Last episode Nick posed the question ‘what is the good news?’ This week - predictably – they completely fail to answer it. So this is just the start of the discussion. Is the gospel different things to different people? Is it more than just reserving a place in heaven for when we die? Meanwhile, Joe is preaching the gospel of courgettes, and Nick has done some nerdy Bible analysis and inventing words like doctrinification.
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Back after a short break and we begin with an argument over courgettes of all things. After that, there’s some great feedback, with more on staying in churches when it’s difficult, why faith is like a jigsaw and how the moments of failure teach us about ourselves. Also we talk about the homogenous unit principle, Lewis Hamilton the Musical, and whether irritation should be included in Strengthsfinder.
- Me and White Supremacy
- Sitting in Limbo
- Hamilton: The Musical
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Emma Watson interviews Reni Eddo-Lodge
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When is it right to leave a church? Is it ever right? Can you leave on good terms? A heartfelt email leads us into a discussion of how difficult it is to stay in a church when our fundamental beliefs change. Also, we talk about the need for personal encounter, what we can do when we no longer sense God, and the danger of elderflower-related injuries.
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Nick is being crushed by a deadline but fortunately we have feedback to come to our rescue. How do we deal people and churches who have caused us pain in the past? Are we often too cynical about the traditions from which we have come? It’s all about the importance of humility, kindness, compassion and finding community. Meanwhile, Joe has an Alan Partridge moment, and there are horrific revelations from the regions of Kingley Vale.
- Kingley Vale
- BBC: The Salisbury Poisonings
- BBC: Staged
- Me and White Supremacy
A great interview with Jeff Lucas. With his usual depth, humour and honesty, Jeff talks about prayer as a mix of gratitude and complaining, the need for honesty about our fragility and brokenness, and how disillusionment is gift to be cherished. Not to mention the difficulty of distinguishing between the voice of God and chicken tikka masala.
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The now usual batch of interesting, intelligent and often moving feedback. We look at beliefs versus action, beliefs versus knowledge, a four-person Trinity and speaking in tongues. Among other things. A mixed bag, then…
We’re going live! Join us at 19:30 BST on 10 June for a a Mid-faith Crisis lockdown live special.
- A Boy called Sailboat
- The Feast - Guidelines
It’s Pentecost! And, in what must be the most disrupted podcast ever, we discuss the Holy Spirit, and how the church has never known quite how to approach the subject. Also Nick takes several phone calls, Ethel tells us what she’s been doing in lockdown, and we take our first steps into the exciting world of gardening innuendo.
We’re going live! Join us at 19:30 BST on 10 June for a a Mid-faith Crisis lockdown live special.
Does it matter what you believe? Welcome to part two of our discussion – well, round two, maybe, since we end up having an argument about it. But never mind that, we have another load of terrific feedback, including a quote from Hafiz (who was a Persian poet) and a poem from Dave Hopwood (who isn’t a Persian poet). And there’s a lot of people saying nice things which makes Nick very uncomfortable.
We’re going live! Join us at 19:30 BST on 7 June for a Mid-faith Crisis lockdown live special.
Some good feedback this week, including news from down under, another question about hell, and a question that brings up some important questions. How can we reconcile the humanity and the divinity of Jesus? Does it matter what you believe? Is it possible to be a Christian and not worship Jesus? And most important of all, did Gregory of Nazianzus make vegan sausage rolls? These, and many other questions are barely answered at all in this show. Still, at least Joe got to listen to some birdsong.
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What is spirituality? Is it doing 'spiritual things' like praying, meditating, reading the Bible? Or is everything that we do spiritual? Also, some epic emails, we share more of our regular daily practices, and Joe seeks greater insight by wearing multiple pairs of glasses.
- Joe's extra pair of glasses
- Extraction
- Afterlife
- Grayson Perry's Art Club
- Episode 102: Stan has no authority here
- Ronald Rollheiser, The Holy Longing
- Daily Prayer online
- Ancient Christian Devotional
- Time to Pray app
We'd like to say that this is a deeply profound episode. but basically, it's us mucking about. There's a bit about quiet times, and we wonder whether Satan could reschedule. Meanwhile, Joe is getting wet both indoors and out.
What are the origins of Easter? Did Christians build their churches near sacred groves? We touch on Odin, the age of yew trees, and how a man called Gerald invented the entire Wicca religion. Yes, we’re continuing last week’s discussion of pagan myths and origins. Where do we go for the truth? And can we really believe in anything now that it is revealed that Nick does, actually respond to emails?
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- History of Wicca
- Ronald Hutton, Modern Pagan Festivals: A Study in the Nature of Tradition
- Jeremy Harte: How Old is that Old Yew?
We explore how scarcity and limitations make us more grateful, how we constantly need to re-learn forgotten skills and habits, and how we all need to cherish the small, often unregarded moments of joy. Also, we celebrate the wisdom of Saint Joni of Mitchell, think about what we are looking forward to doing when all this is over, and Joe enrages Nick with another historical fact.
- Midfaith Crisis Episode 84: Now That’s What I Call Ethel Volume 1
- Saved!
- Schindler’s List
- Son of Rambow
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople
- Stranger than Fiction
- Moana
- Solace Podcast: Calm, Contemplative Worship
- Immerse - Live Wilderthorn Performance
- Henri Nouwen: Return of the Prodigal
It’s Easter, everyone. We talk about celebrating the whole story – even the dark bits and, why, this year, Easter Saturday may be particularly relevant. Meanwhile, we look at how to annoy people into the Kingdom of God, share listeners’ film recommendations, and Joe makes Nick very VERY angry with his ‘fun historical fact’.
- Local Hero
- A River Runs Through It
- Contagion
- Groundhog Day
- Mad Max
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Mad Max: Fury Road, Black and Chrome Edition
- Pleasantville
- Kenny
- Easter Prayers from Open Doors
We have an interview with Dave Hopwood, who talks about how he uses film to communicate and explore deep truths about Christianity. Meanwhile, Joe is awake, annoyed, and grieving. Nick discusses the morality of buying eggs. We touch on whether Australia actually retained the Ashes in 2019, and why Hugh Grant should actually be the Prime Minister. It’s a very long episode, but let’s face it, what else are you going to do at this time?
- National Theatre: One Man, Two Guv’nors
- The Ashes 2019
- Ben Stokes wins the third test match
- Dave Hopwood: Writer and Speaker
- Austin Kleon: Steal Like an Artist
- The boss who put everyone on 70K
- Joe Lycett: Comedian changes his name to Hugo Boss
- La La Land
- The Green Mile
- Cinderella Man
- Calvary
- The Company Men
- About A Boy
- 1917
- Hamilton
- Mamma Mia!
- Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
- Paddington 2
- Brad Pitt Acceptance Speech
A mixed bag of poetry, prayer and lots of good feedback. We talk briefly about paying attention and its relationship to prayer, and touch on techniques that might help us learn how to slow down and look. Meanwhile, Joe’s pigeons have relationship issues and Nick is about to go on holiday in his own kitchen. And some listeners suggest that what this time of crisis really needs is a live-streamed Midfaith Crisis Service. As if we haven’t all suffered enough.
- Ann Lewin, Watching for the Kingfisher
What can you say in the face of everything that is happening in the world? In a time of lockdowns and self-isolation, we have more great feedback about healing, and we explore what hope we can be sure of in these times. It’s all about buying a field, people. Meanwhile, Joe is grumpy and Nick has stockpiled the wrong things. And we hear from Ethel, who has her customary unique take on current events.
- Jeremiah buys a field
- Encircling prayers
Loads of great response to Ruth’s interview in episode 104: lots of praise, some questions and a bongo load of mystery. We talk about why the questions and wrestling are important, and how we have to learn to live alongside grief, rather than get rid of it. Meanwhile, Nick has a sore throat and Joe has had a power nap.
- Episode 104: ‘Strength to walk the journey’
- Megan Devine, It’s OK that you’re not OK
- Richard Coles: ‘My life is not over. But it feels like it is sometimes’
We have an interview with author and speaker Brian Draper, about how experiencing nature can open up spaces for us to make a deeper connection between faith and everyday life. Brian talks about the soul, contemplative walking, labyrinths, mindfulness and how the natural world offers wisdom, beauty, wonder and healing.
- Brian Draper, Soulful Nature - A spiritual field guide
- Brian Draper
- Stefan Gillow Reynolds, Living with the Mind of Christ
- Richard Mabey, The Nature Cure
- Florence Williams, The Nature Fix
- Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Support the Podcast
How do we approach the subject of healing? Do miracles happen? Or is all of life a miracle anyway? We have a profound interview with Ruth Brown, about her response to her cancer diagnosis. Also Joe has problems with both his bowels and his toenails, Nick has been to a Japanese choir concert instead of the rugby, and we touch on the heart-warming kindness of John Wick 3.
- The Blind Side
- H.R. Vanstone, The Stature of Waiting
- Midfaith Crisis Facebook community
- Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Support the Podcast
We discuss guilt and confession. Is guilt ever good? Can confession be therapeutic? If so, to whom do we confess? Also, we explore how we should react when God doesn’t show up, there's some welcome birdsong from Australia, and Nick is worried about creeping vegetarianism.
- Midfaith Crisis Facebook community
- The Journey, read by Mary Oliver
- Jane Austen at the publishers
- Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Support the Podcast
Along with some important, moving and actually quite hilarious emails, we talk a bit more about demons, Satan, and the lies which dominate both our personal and public lives. Joe finds the metaphor of demons quite helpful, and Nick decides that the Beatles were right.
- Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Support the Podcast
This week we’re thinking about involvement with the world. Should we just do the things that we’re passionate about? And if so, how do we make sure that we’re passionate about the right things? Should we ever put demands on people? Has Nick really felt the call to just lie on the sofa and drink? Does everything great happen in Worthing on a Thursday night? So many questions.
- David Benner
- Mary Oliver: Wild Geese
- Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Support the Podcast
We’ve reached three figures! In this episode we chat about why we started the podcast, what’s the best (and worst) thing about it, and where we go from here. Expect a bit of dodgy audio. We recorded part of this while walking round the ramparts of an Iron Age hill fort. Like you do. Thanks for sticking with us everyone and for making this podcast what it is.*
*We’ll leave you to decide what it is, exactly.
- Danebury Hill Fort
- Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Support the Podcast
It’s a mega-feedback episode. We explore whether silent retreats are really good for extroverts, what we think of demons and the demonic and pick up on how our themes are going. All this, and a stunning lack of planning for the imminent 100th episode. * Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter? * Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020 * How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020 * Support the Podcast * Walter Wink, The Powers That be: Theology for a New Millennium.
Happy New Year! We’re back with a discussion of how to reflect on last year using the examen approach. And we talk about setting themes for the new year, rather than new year’s resolutions.
- Mid-faith Crisis - The Big ConversationSaturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
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Support the Podcast
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Soul Place: New Year Examen
- Don’t Tell Me the Score: Walking - Professor Shane O’Mara
- Cortex: #95: 2020 Yearly Themes
In a strange reversal, Joe is quite grumpy, and Nick is quite upbeat. It’s the shortest day of the year, but there is light in the darkness, folks. We talk about naming our hopes and fears, dealing with the overload of drama, being aware of God's presence and what Christmas really means to us. Happy Christmas everyone!
Coming Soon
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Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
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How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- Support the Podcast
Joe has been putting his coffee cup on the altar. Which is not a euphemism for some kind of spiritual discipline, but a real event, which leads us into lots of chatty rambling about winter, fasting, how stripping things back reveals the underlying structure of our lives, and how even though it looks like nothing is happening, God is always happening. Meanwhile, Nick, as usual, delves into obscure bits of liturgy and Joe has been seeing some strangely shaped clouds.
Coming Soon
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Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
-
How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- Support the Podcast
We reflect on the profound effects that something as simple as kindness and hospitality can have. It’s all about being the Kingdom of God and how we need each other to live it out. Meanwhile, Nick’s had a review, Joe gets bored of history (again) and there’s the Mid-faith Crisis Christmas Appeal.
Coming Soon
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Mid-faith Crisis - The Big Conversation Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00am to 4.00pm An event to explore faith and conversation. Why do we need to talk about faith? How do we do it? Why does it matter?
-
How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- Support the Podcast
It’s Advent - which is really the start of the liturgical year. It’s supposed to be a period of fasting and waiting and paying attention to the coming of Christ. It’s all about hope, people. Nick gets obscurely historical, Joe gets needlessly wiffly and Ethel rebukes us both. And it’s the return of Martin Buber’s Christmas album.
- The Two Ronnies: Four Candles
- Martin Buber, I and Thou
Coming Soon
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- Support the Podcast
More fantastic feedback. More hope in the darkness. Some tough, poignant and sacred stories this week. But we also talk about science, human growth, not looking down on others and the amazing ability of humans to look for patterns and imagine the future.
- BBC: The Secret History of Science and Religion
- Journal through Grief - Nick’s blog about his son Josh
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- Support the Podcast
An interview with Lacy Finn Borgo, friend, teacher, author of famous emails, spiritual director and founder of Good Dirt ministries. Joe and Lacy pick up on recent discussions about death and sorrow, as well as talking about the crucial value of seasons of silence, and the importance of helping your children to wonder. Also, we share the perils of man-flu, and Nick discovers that he has another god-child. Much to his surprise.
- Good Dirt Ministries
- Anda Union
- Murdoch’s Crazy Eyes
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- Support the Podcast
We have more wonderful, moving emails reflecting on last week’s episode about death. Thank you to the listeners who share such poignant, sacred things. Along the way, we explore the difference between facing your own mortality, and coming to terms with the grief of losing a loved one. And we touch on the importance of properly grieving and saying goodbye. Meanwhile, Joe quaffs from the full flagon of life, while Nick sips the dry sherry of isolation. And we come up with the great idea of countering the All-Black Haka with Morris Dancing.
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
- Support the Podcast
- England v New Zealand: The Haka
We discuss death, the afterlife and all that stuff. Basically because we have two fabulous emails. Can you really make friends with death? What happens after? Will Joe really be a star? And can Jesus' injunction to ‘love our enemies’ apply to death and the other things that happen to us?
Ruth is the Global Advocacy and Influencing Director with Tearfund - a job title which makes Nick and Joe quite jealous. She talks about her work as an environmental campaigner, the Christian response to climate change and the single most important thing we can do to make a difference (hint: it involves eating fewer sausages).
- Ruth’s Blog
- L is for Lifestyle
We talk about disagreement within the church. Are the ideas we adopt in Mid-faith Crisis really new, or merely rediscovered? And in this new way of thinking, how do we respond to people who want to ‘bring us back into the fold’? Joe talks about paradigms. Nick has some surprising financial success. And to think we were trying to do a shorter podcast…
Order! Order! It’s a mid-faith crisis look at politics - or political debate and discussion to be precise. How can we disagree well with one another? How do we deal with criticism and difference? Can we resist the urge to fight fire with fire? Does Nick listen to the podcast just to hear his own opinions? Many crucial questions. But what the people really want to know is…
We’re back from our holidays with a bumper bag of feedback, including reaction to the Steve Chalke interview, questions about the Badly Behaved Bible and whether we have to go through lots of mid-faith crises, rather than just one. Also there’s an alarming amount of quotes from female pop singers. So, business as normal, then.
A wide-ranging, powerful, thought-provoking (and quite long!) interview with Steve Chalke. Steve talks about his new book, The Lost Message of Paul and how his message has been misunderstood. The result, claims Steve, is that 'although Paul has often been presented as the champion of exclusion, he was the very opposite. He was the great includer; a revolutionary who saw a new inclusive world dawning and gave his life to help bring it in.'
We're away on our holidays at the moment. But to keep you going, here's a supercut of the best moments from long-time contributor to the podcast, Ethel Sadoldperson (Mrs). May you all be greatly blessed.
We're going to take a short break after this episode. See you in a couple of weeks.
In the final part of our romp through Nick’s book The Badly Behaved Bible, we look at the acts of violence in the Old Testament. How are we to understand these? Also, we explore why Jesus, Paul and Matthew would all fail preaching class and how we can read the Bible more rabbinically.
- What is Cricket?
- Guardian article on Third Ashes test
- BBC, In Our Time
- In Our Time: The Talmud
- Burton L. Visotzky, Reading the Book: Making the Bible a Timeless Text
- Midrash - Wikipedia
- Midrash - Oxford Bibliographies
Continuing through The Badly Behaved Bible, we discuss the crucial role of doubt in the development of faith and how the authority of scripture actually works out in our lives. Or, to put it in the words of Saint Edwin of Starr, 'Law (huh) what is it good for?' Also Joe gets insecure about the logo and there are some amazingly good emails.
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Exploring the Enneagram with Dave Tomlinson
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Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
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The Badly Behaved Bible on Amazon
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Eden.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Hive.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible at Waterstones
Continuing through Nick’s book, The Badly Behaved Bible, we have reached some of the… er… murkier bits. We look at the rough, even rude bits of the Bible and wonder why Jesus is not allowed to mention the toilet. Then we chat about how the theology of the Bible is not a fixed thing, and the dangers of unchanging and unchallenged theology. Warning: contains bongos. (And one rude bit which is unbongoed but that’s OK because its in the King James Version.)
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Exploring the Enneagram with Dave Tomlinson
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Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
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The Badly Behaved Bible on Amazon
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Eden.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Hive.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible at Waterstones
Or, canons, colons, unicorns and other stories. Continuing our relentless march through Nick’s book, The Badly Behaved Bible, we look at the formation of the canon, the problems of translation and the perils of taking the Bible too literally. Also, a lot about why God gave us a story instead of a set of doctrinal bullet points and a DVD box set, and how stories invite us in and involve us. And the difference between the questions ‘Is this true?’ and ‘Did this actually happen?’ A bit of a long one, but there you go.
- How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Exploring the Enneagram with Dave Tomlinson
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Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
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The Badly Behaved Bible on Amazon
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Eden.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Hive.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible at Waterstones
It’s the second in our series looking at Nick’s book, The Badly Behaved Bible. This time we’re looking at how the Bible was created and the importance of exodus and exile - not just in the creation of scripture, but also in our own lives. We all need foundation myths – stories about why we’re here, what has happened to us, and who God is. And it is in exile that we can most profoundly shape these tales. Also there’s a bit about drunk seagulls. No, really.
- Rood Screens
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Rood Screens in Norfolk
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How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
- Exploring the Enneagram with Dave Tomlinson
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Paying Attention to God: Lee Abbey 2-6 March 2020
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The Badly Behaved Bible on Amazon
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Eden.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Hive.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible at Waterstones
It’s the first of our series on Nick’s book, The Badly Behaved Bible. We talk about the misinformation surrounding the scriptures, whether Christians have to read the Bible at all, and how we can experience the Bible and not merely ‘study’ it.
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How to Survive the Mid-Faith Crisis: Lee Abbey 8-12 June 2020
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The Badly Behaved Bible on Amazon
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Eden.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Hive.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible at Waterstones
How do we deal with feelings of failure? How do we change the wrong narratives that tend to trap us? We explore the power of the stories we tell ourselves about our lives. Featuring an introduction by a very special guest! (Warning: contains cricket references.)
How to run a Mid-Faith Crisis Bookgroup: Download the Complete and Utter Sheet
- Peak-End Theory
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Amazon
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Eden.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible on Hive.co.uk
- The Badly Behaved Bible at Waterstones
Happy Christmas everyone. For some reason Joe has decided that mid-July is the ideal time to reflect on Christmas. So grab a mince pie, pull a cracker and join us to reflect on the idea of incarnation and how crucial it is, not just to Christmas, but to every single day of our life. Also we announce the first Midfaith Crisis Book club. Sort of. Much to his embarrassment, we’re going to work through Nick’s latest book, The Badly Behaved Bible. So get hold of a copy and join us. Or not. Whatevs.
- Buy on Amazon
- Buy on Eden.co.uk
- Buy on Hive.co.uk
- Buy at Waterstones
Nick’s been on a pilgrimage. (Or a pubgrimage as his wife called it). We talk about what defines a pilgrimage, and what makes it different from a hike. (It’s something to do with intentionality, a sacred destination and quality footwear.) Also lots of the usual quality feedback.
- Episode 63: On Pilgrimage with Alexander Shaia
- St Martin’s Church, Canterbury
- The Pilgrim’s Way
Can we really say anything about God? We talk about the need to get rid of old images of God and replace them with new ones. And even then, whether the new ones can possibly tell the real story. It’s all apophatic theology versus kataphatic theology and whether we can ever eff the ineffable. All this plus the new album from Martin Luther Vandross.
A lot of feedback this episode, with people sharing their thin places, and questions about counselling and communities. We talk about the benefits of spiritual direction, Joe wants more bongos in the opening and Nick has to chase the dog.
- Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo
- Amelie the Musical - UK Tour
Yes, we’re back from our trip to the RSPB Minsmere Bird Reserve. And in this, short, but perfectly formed episode, we reflect on what we saw there, talk about letting go of things and the importance of welcoming our visitors - even the unwelcome ones. There’s an email about a visit to Chernobyl and Joe drifts off into talking about death. Happy days.
- The Mid-faith Crisis Bird Sheet
- Nick and Joe in 'Bless Off’ T-shirts
Nick interviews writer and all-round top bloke Adrian Plass. We talk about church, living in community, speaking honestly, some surprising answers to prayer and how he’s finally come to really like God. Also, check out Adrian’s latest books The Shadow Doctor, and Shadow Doctor: The Past Awaits.
We talk about the places where you really get a sense of God's presence. We know that God is with us everywhere and at every moment – but why is it that we feel that presence more in some places than others? Joe talks about the Minsmere Bird Reserve, Nick talks about a cave church on Patmos, both struggle to find the words. There’s a bit of badly-quoted poetry, some great emails, a quote from Saint George Michael and a surprising amount of Bongos.
- RSPB Minsmere
- Neil Gaiman interview
- Gerard Manley Hopkins: As Kingfishers Flash Fire
Nick talks about his new book. Also we look at the importance of asking the right question, the need to recognise what path of life we’re on, and how to build more attentiveness into your day. Not to mention some merchandise possibilities and the therapeutic value of John Wick 3.
Nick Page, The Badly Behaved Bible
- Buy on Amazon
- Buy on Eden.co.uk
- Buy on Hive.co.uk
- Buy at Waterstones
Nick’s been on a course. On an island. An island off the coast of Ireland. We talk about different kinds of spirituality, about the need to get out of your comfort zones and the importance of paying attention to others, to creation and to God. * Nick Page, The Badly Behaved Bible Buy on Amazon | Buy on Eden.co.uk | Order at Waterstones
We talk about work and its importance in our lives. How can we be a blessing in the workplace? What can it show us about our own stories? What’s the problem with the phrase ‘work-life balance’? And why does Nick think that it’s OK to record a podcast while eating a fish finger sandwich?
Yes it’s here! Like a thief in the night, the second coming episode has actually arrived. We talk all things apocalyptic. Don’t get left behind - listen to the episode! Also, you can now support the podcast by donating stuff. Well, money, technically, although we’re not averse to jewels, gold, exotic spices, etc.
- Nick Page, Revelation Roadon Amazon UK; on Amazon.com
- The Rapture Index
- Michael Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly
- J. Nelson Kraybill, Apocalypse and Allegiance
- Wes Howard-Brook, Unveiling Empire
Support the podcast. Donate now. Or sometime. Whenever.
What does Easter mean for people in mid-faith crisis? We look at how the most important Christian festival can help us explore our journey in a new way. There's stuff on deconstructing faith, why victims of manflu need more help, the new Christian festivals of 'Washing the Donkey Saturday' and the Bifidus Digestum, Calvinist Kinder Eggs and the sheer joy of telling people to 'bless off'. * Books by Austin Kleon * Deconstructing faith: Meet the evangelicals who are questioning everything * Help! I’m having a mid-faith crisis! * Midfaith Crisis on Facebook * Brian McLaren, We Make the Road By Walking * Philip H. Pfatteicher, Journey into the Heart of God: Living the Liturgical Year * Triduum Sacrum
Nick has written an article. It's about how psychology can help us not to sin quite so much. So Joe asks him questions about it. Oh and Joe is quite jet-lagged. That's about it, really. * 7 ways to stop sinning
We're joined again by Alexander Shaia who reflects on a 55-day pilgrimage along the Camino way. He talks to Joe about the challenges of coming home from these kind of life-changing experiences. With Joe recording some of this from his holiday in Mexico, this is an acoustically-challenged episode. And temporally-challenged as well, as bits were recorded at three different occasions in several different places. The podcast is usually all over the place, but this is ridiculous.
So, we’re in the mid-faith crisis. Do we still seek to make converts? And if so, what does conversion look like these days? The boys reminisce about their previous lives as evangelists and Ethel has an evangelistic thrust. Also, a crucial question: could you plough a field with chickens? * Bible Society: #SheToo Podcast
We've got follow up! Listeners send us great tips for being unhappy. Nick's wife, Claire, sends in three pages of notes on his behaviour. Joe shares a Valentine's Day poem. And we talk about the links between mid-faith crisis and depression. A bit of a mixed bag, then. * Brian Bilston, You are a map * Martyn Joseph, Liberal Backslider
We were going to do an episode on happiness, but then we realised we weren’t very good at that. So here are our top tips for being unhappy. From endlessly comparing yourself to others, to replaying all the bad things you’ve done, to simply reminding yourself what a horrible person you are - here are the key skills you need to take unhappiness to the next level. Anything we’ve missed? Send your top unhappiness tips to joe@midfaithcrisis.org. Enjoy!
And we're back! After a brief New Year break, we have an interview with Trevor Hudson. Trevor takes us through the cycle of grace, how God's love is actively involved in our lives, and how our lives should be rooted in 'a profound sense of acceptance and self-acceptance.' Terrific stuff. Apologies for those of you expecting the podcast on the second coming, but, you know, you just can't predict these things.
All of Trevor's books are worth a read, but those referred to in this podcast are: * The Cycle of Grace (also some videos accompanying the book) * Discovering Our Spiritual Identity * Holy Spirit Here and Now
What actually is the real meaning of Christmas? What does it signify for those of us in the mid-faith crisis? In this yuletide episode we discuss signs and symbols, light and darkness and how Christ is always with us. Meanwhile Nick is spectacularly grumpy, Joe can’t stop singing and Ethel sends us a verse of her favourite carol.
An interview with Mark Scandrette about personal growth, the role of the enneagram in understanding ourselves and how through the beatitudes Jesus calls us back to what is real and true. Meanwhile, Joe recommends lighting a candle in the darkness, and Nick wants to ‘bless’ the person who invented comments in Microsoft Word. * The Beatitudes * Mark Scandrette * The Ninefold Path * Saved * Wit * La Veuve de Saint-Pierre * The Enneagram: An Introduction
It’s the long awaited (and quite long) film show. We pick our top films to help us think about spiritual formation. Typically, Joe’s all come from 2018 while Nick’s all come from around 1940. And, sadly, there’s no place for any of the Carry On films. This is our list - but what do you think? Email Joe@midfaithcrisis.org and let us know what films you would recommend for anyone in the mid-faith crisis!
In the feedback from our personality episode, we discuss the 'masks' we wear in order to conform, their relationship to personality, and how they can become a burden to us. Also Joe advertises his cult, Nick has a new book out, and we remember that great worship song composer, Graham Ken and Dick.
Oh No, Mr Snowman! by Nick Page and Clare Fennell Episode 53: Personality Types
In this episode, Joe interviews theologian Bethany Sollereder to explore the issue of death and dying. Why is our culture so afraid of death? Why is grieving important? Who, what or where is apoptosis? We also find out why Joe playing snooker instead of attending his Pastoral Care modules was actually a good thing, why Nick sending off his manuscript is actually a bad thing, and when little Martin Buber’s Christmas Album will be out.
What role does personality play in faith? We explore ideas about personality types, and how our different personalities affect what we believe and how we behave. We also take a look at some bad language in the Bible and find out what Myers-Briggs type Ethel Sadoldperson is. * Sandra Krebs Hirsh, Soul Types * Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert, The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective
Yes, it’s the second anniversary of the Mid-faith Crisis podcast. We reflect on why we started this, what, if anything, has changed in our lives over the past two years and the importance of discussing the real questions. Plus loads of lovely feedback (specially designed to embarrass Nick) and the difficulty of playing a defensive back three of Bonhoeffer, Bultmann and Tillich.
In this second part of our discussion of the cross (recorded about 5 seconds after the end of the first part) we explore some of the major historical models of the atonement. Was it about victory? Ransom? Substitution? Justice? Example? (Answer: all of the above.) And how did Jesus explain it? (Answer: he didn’t really.) Along the way we discuss the mystery that lies at the heart of this event and the danger of taking metaphors too seriously.
For the first part of this discussion listen to Episode 50: The Scandal of the Cross.
Books mentioned
- Mark D. Baker and Joel B. Green, Recovering the Scandal of the Cross
- Jane Williams, Why did Jesus Have to Die?
In the first of two-parts on this topic, we explore the cross - the event which lies at the heart of the Christian Gospel. In this first part, we look at the many different ways the first Christians talked about it and why it seemed so foolish and scandalous. And we touch on an important question: why does talking about the cross make people so cross?
Make sure to check out Episode 51: The Mystery of the Cross - which is a companion to this episode, and in which we explore some of the main explanations of what the cross is all about.
It’s a feedback episode with great stories from the listeners about the power of forgiveness. We touch on the need to forgive ourselves, discuss whether laughing at something means not taking it seriously, and address the fate of Nick’s beard. There is also stuff about removing our fig leaves, but it’s probably best not to dwell on that.
Forgiveness is, perhaps, the most characteristically Christian thing that we do. But what does it look like? How do we go about forgiving those who have hurt us? We discuss strategies for forgiving others, how it sets us free and how we are really all just Jesus tribute acts. Added bonus feature: Who is Ethel Sadoldperson? Books mentioned:
- How to Forgive – A Step by Step Guide, John Monbourquette
- Don’t Forgive Too Soon, Dennis, Shelia and Matthew Linn
We say that 'God is love'. But how do we know that? This episode explores the need for experiences, feelings and emotions. We look at the need for new experiences, new metaphors, new ways of understanding, and how these things can breathe life back into old phrases which might have lost their power and meaning. It also begins with Joe singing: you have been warned.
In which our heroes sit on a bench in the North Devon countryside, and ramble on about how the knowledge that God loves us can transform our lives. Featuring sheep, house martins, and a van passing by.
In which our heroes discuss the value and practice of going on retreat and the need for solitude, silence and reflection. Including our top tips for those thinking of going on retreat (#retreathacks). Plus feedback on the whole 'calling' thing, and there's a story from the Desert Fathers, as opposed to the Dessert Fathers.
Stuff we mentioned… * Herminia Ibarra, Working Identity * AndaUnion: Derlcha (youtube) * Theatre Re: The Nature of Forgetting * Patrick Leigh Fermor, A Time to Keep Silence * Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
In which we look at calling, guidance and all that stuff. Do you have to be called to the ministry or is it OK just to want to give it a go? Does God micro-manage our life, or is it all a lot more up to us? And what does it mean to hear from God. Meanwhile, Joe is panicking about Lee Abbey and King Lear sends his love.
Joe interviews Steve Chalke. Always engaging and thought-provoking, he talks about how we wrongly define church, what the gospel is and the meaning of the Greek word, pistis. No, really.
Along with a humungous amount of excellent, thought-provoking feedback this week, Joe temporarily masters technology enough to record an interview with listener Shane Styles, whose guidelines for social media use we both found so helpful.
Shane's 10 steps on finding the balance and disengagement: 1. Practice the sabbath. 2. Do not have your email or social media notifications pushed to your phone ever. Do not have your social media notifications pushed to any device. 3. Only check or look at your social media on one device, remove it from all other devices. 4. Only check social media once a day. If it is for work, then have set times. 5. Fast from food one day or for a set period every week. 6. Do not engage with work, news or social media for the first hour of the day, and the last hour of the day before sleep. 7. Have a period of quiet time most days and in this time do not look at any media, email, social media, work or news. 8. Try and walk in nature, see the ocean, sit in the park for a time most days, combine it with excise if you can. 9. Share what you are going to do with someone, a mentor and be kept accountable to change. 10. Control email, do not allow it to control you. Find a way.
In what can only be described as a 'low-key' episode, our heroes meet in a hotel in the countryside somewhere to discuss the future of the podcast, whether Hitler can be forgiven, Stanley Spencer and Joe's new found fame on another podcast. Also listener Shane gives us some great guidelines on using social media. Plus a brief special guest appearance from our better halves.
Shane's 10 steps on finding the balance and disengagement: 1. Practice the sabbath. 2. Do not have your email or social media notifications pushed to your phone ever. Do not have your social media notifications pushed to any device. 3. Only check or look at your social media on one device, remove it from all other devices. 4. Only check social media once a day. If it is for work, then have set times. 5. Fast from food one day or for a set period every week. 6. Do not engage with work, news or social media for the first hour of the day, and the last hour of the day before sleep. 7. Have a period of quiet time most days and in this time do not look at any media, email, social media, work or news. 8. Try and walk in nature, see the ocean, sit in the park for a time most days, combine it with excise if you can. 9. Share what you are going to do with someone, a mentor and be kept accountable to change. 10. Control email, do not allow it to control you. Find a way.
Stanley Spencer: Sandham Memorial Chapel
Spencer: The Resurrection of the Soldiers
In which our heroes discuss hell, damnation and other associated, cheery subjects. Is there such a thing as an orthodox view of hell? What are the options? We explore what the Bible says (not a lot), what the early church believed (different things) and just where the idea of a loving, just creator God fits in. Plus, we invent the Gehenna Tattoo and feature excerpts from Jonathan 'Laughing Boy' Edwards' classic chuckle-fest Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.
Some books and websites mentioned during the show: * The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk * Discovering Prayer * Tony Schwartz, The Way We're Working Isn't Working * Mark Buchanan, The Rest of God * Gregory MacDonald, The Evangelical Universalist * Robin Parry talk: 'Burning Love - Rethinking Hell' * Jon M. Sweeney, Inventing Hell: Dante, the Bible and Eternal Torment
In which our heroes discuss the need to detach from distractions, especially social media and all that stuff. We talk about the need for space in our lives, and how to detach from the things which stop us doing the 'deep work' that is so necessary, both in our professional and our spiritual lives. * Austin Kleon on Hurry Slowly Podcast * Steal Like an Artist * Cal Newport, Deep Work * Nick's book hits No.1 on Amazon. Sort of.
Happy Easter, everyone. This week we have the second part of our interview with Alexander Shaia on his idea of the fourfold journey as it is reflected in the gospels. Meanwhile Joe joins us from his holiday in Mexico - accompanied by the world's biggest Pina Colada. * Find out more at Quadratos.com
In the first of a two-part interview we hear from Alexander Shaia, author, teacher, speaker and, most remarkably, a person who is prepared to go to Worthing and spend time with Joe. He talks about his background, about the power of story and myth, and about how the moments when we feel we have lost our way can be 'the most fertile, rich moment of your life'. Also loads of feedback, and a special guest introduction!
In which we talk quite a lot about how a wrong image of God leads to problems with prayer. Plus lots of other topics, (not least why the mid-faith crisis and the mid-life crisis are not synonymous) and lots of great letters. And do you have a least favourite worship song or hymn lyric? Go on, share it with others.
In which our heroes tackle a whole bunch of feedback on various topics, including stages of faith, the good and the bad side of beauty and mainly a lot of good stuff on how to talk to your children about your beliefs. Meanwhile, Joe explains that 14th February is really friendship day and Nick tries out hypnotic auto-suggestion on sleepy listeners, and we look forward to gold dust appearing magically in our Bibles.
In which our heroes share their expertise about being parents. A short podcast, then. Anyway, we discuss how to talk to children about God in the Mid-faith Crisis, why pretending to be an expert on parenting is ridiculous, and the relative merits of vulnerability, honesty, integrity and lecturing your children about sin. We also explore whether Nick should have some kind of warning system and the possibility of people donating in order to shut us up.
In which our heroes discuss the body. Is dieting a spiritual discipline? Is it wrong to care about our appearance? How can we achieve a balanced view of our own bodies? Is St Belinda of Carlisle correct in saying that 'Heaven is a place on earth?' Yes, it's the body episode. And, appropriately enough, our own bodies were in meltdown at the time. So be warned: this episode contains coughing.
In which our heroes discuss different ways of building thankfulness into our lives. What difference does it make? And is Nick ever going to be able to say 'Thanks for your feedback' and actually mean it? Meanwhile Joe gets all poetic and does stuff on a beach with stones. Nick shares a picture which proves that Joe was probably possessed at one time. * That picture.
Yes, it's the Christ-tide Eve-Eve show. In which our heroes discuss all things Christmassy. We focus on what's really important about Christmas, the sparkliness or otherwise of Joe's baubles and Nick's opinion that the main problem with Christmas is that there's simply too much joy and fun. Happy Christmas everyone.
In which our heroes reflect a bit on last episode's arguments before going on to discuss the spirituality of… er… Paddington 2. Why do we respond so deeply to goodness and kindness? What does it mean to be good? How can we think the best of everyone, even Australians who are gloating about the cricket score?
In a strangely argumentative episode, Nick and Joe talk about what it means to follow Jesus. Nick gets very insistent on the resurrection, Joe uses the word 'ontological' and there's a lot of discussion about reality and metaphors and stuff like that. We also feature some more book recommendations, share the latest news about the week for the bewildered and discuss whether Gregory of Nyssa ran a bakery.
In which we have an interview with Roy Searle, one of the founders of the Northumbria Community. Roy talks about the importance of space, the need to escape the 'consumer-based faith', about 'living life with the questions' and how our thirst for authenticity can lead us deeper with God. We also hear from listeners with their book recommendations (see below) and Joe engages in the little known sport of hermeneutical gymnastics. Warning: contains the words 'pith' and 'spong'.
Don’t forget the Renovaré Day on Nov 24
Book recommendations
David recommended * Mike Yaconelli, Messy Spirituality * Mitch Albom, Tuesday’s with Morrie
Peter recommended * Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance
Hannah recommended * Tom Wright, Surprised by Hope * James K. A. Smith, Imagining the Kingdom and Desiring the Kingdom * Greg Boyd, Benefit of the Doubt * Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace * Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary
David recommended * Eugene Peterson, The Pastor * John Spong , Why Christianity Must Change or Die * Brian McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses and Mohammed Cross the Road * Karen Armstrong, A History of God * Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels
Lee recommended * Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World
In which our heroes get up early and talk about books. What books have transformed your understanding of God or of what it means to be a Christian? Nick and Joe share their top five (and Ethel Sadoldperson gives us her recommendations). And we have a special guest appearance from Rachel Davis as well! But what do you think? Let us know.
The Titles * Return of the Prodigal - Henri Nouwen * Moominpappa at Sea – Tove Jansson * Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer - Richard Rohr * The Courage to Doubt – Robert Davidson * We Make the Road by Walking – Brian McLaren * Into the Silent Land – Martin Laird * Dance of the dissident daughter – Sue Monk Kidd * Unapologetic: Why, despite everything, Christianity can still make surprising emotional sense – Francis Spufford * Bitten by a Camel: Leaving Church, Finding God - Kent Dobson * George MacDonald: An Anthology or The Gospel in George MacDonald - George MacDonald
Also mentioned * New Heavens, New Earth: The Biblical Picture of Christian Hope - N.T. Wright * Surprised by Hope - Tom Wright
In which our heroes talk about all the feedback from the last episode, reflect on the first ever Day for the Bewildered (including Ethel immortalised in icing sugar) and talk about whether Nick should become a woman for the sake of balance. But more important than that: we have a big announcement. You'll have to listen to the whole podcast before we tell you. Or you could just fast forward to 29 minutes in, if you can't wait. Your shout.
It's our first anniversary! And to celebrate, we've got actual content, with an interview with the very wonderful Jill Rowe, in which she talks about women and gender and being loved and how we are all, in the end, 'just walking each other home'. So light the candle and sing 'Happy Birthday'. Warning: this episode does contain a lot of discussion of Joe's swelling. (It's his elbow, in case you were wondering.)
In which our heroes deal with more feedback from recent episodes. How do we cope with the painful, destructive effects of sin? Do we hold our beliefs, or do our beliefs hold us? Is there really such a thing as prophetic Bongo playing? Also we have a quote from Thomas a Kempis's famous work The Imitation of Christ and his less famous The Imitation of Bruce Forsyth.
In which our heroes discuss sin, guilt and other bad stuff. Do we take sin too seriously? Or not seriously enough? And is there anything we can do about it anyway? Meanwhile Nick has been reading Romans, Joe has forgotten to record Bake Off and Ethel sends us a lovely poem.
In which our heroes deal with the excellent feedback from last episode. After our podcast on creeds, we hear from the listeners about their beliefs. Can we have certainties during the Mid-faith Crisis? Or is it all just 'maybes' and 'perhapses'? Is 'perhapses' even a word? So many questions. Talking of which, there's news of the first ever Mid-faith Crisis Day for the Bewildered. Only a few tickets left so book now!
In which our heroes try to come up with a creed for the Mid-faith crisis. In what will surely end up as a schism between them, Joe and Nick try to define what our core beliefs are. Is Nick living in the past? Is Joe really going to do the seagull dance? And what do you think are the core beliefs of our faith? Write in and let us know, before Joe is excommunicated and Nick is burnt at the stake.
In which our heroes record the podcast - in a Pod! On holiday! Yes, a bit of an unusual edition this one, recorded on holiday in Scotland. We talk about sacred spaces, about the need for 'seasons' in your life, about looking at yourself non-judgementally and, most importantly, whether Nick is a better cricketer than his brother. And best of all, it's recorded in the Pod - an upmarket shed with a shower, double bed and, sadly, background noise from a rather loud fridge. (Sorry about that.)
In which our heroes write a letter to their younger, less bald versions. And, indeed, where we share some lovely letters that our listeners have written as well. Along the way we touch on Nick's pathetic need to be special, and what really lies behind Joe's enduring relationship with the cheese counter.
In which our heroes discuss change and transformation. How do we change? What does it look like? How can Nick claim to have changed when he is, essentially, doing the same jokes he was 20 years ago? Talking of which, Nick's new book is almost out, Joe has being doing odd things with stones on a beach and both the boys try to bring more pith into your life.
In which our heroes sit in Joe's garden, listen to the birdsong, chill out and discuss... er... anger. What makes us angry? Is it always wrong? How do we deal with it? Also, we hear about Nick's inability to answer emails, we have our competition winner, and we reveal an entirely new Myers-Briggs category.
In which our heroes discuss the use and abuse of labels. Are you liberal or conservative? Progressive or traditional? Catholic or evangelical? What do we really mean by these labels, and how can we avoid using them in a way to make ourselves feel superior? Also we welcome the return of little Marty Buber and we have a genuine competition, just like real, grown-up podcasts do!
It's our second ever interview! It's another man called Dave! Joe interviews Dave Tomlinson, author of How to be a Bad Christian, The Bad Christian's Manifesto and his latest book, Black Sheep and Prodigals. We talk about how it's a bad thing to leave God in the hands of the experts, the limitations of language and the role of stories in the Bible. Meanwhile, there's feedback from the article in Christianity magazine and, in a shock development, Nick is very happy.
Christianity Magazine: Help I'm Having a Mid-faith Crisis! Dave Tomlinson
In which our heroes discuss how hard it is to be truly honest and what stops us from letting others see behind the masks we wear. Along the way we take feedback from listeners, wonder at our sheer inability to organise our diaries, and Nick reveals how all other writers are, in fact, his enemy. All this, plus Ethel Sadoldperson's campaign to become an MP. Oh, and Joe's audio sounds truly terrible. Sorry about that. Just being, you know, honest.
In which our heroes discuss the necessity of waiting and the hope of resurrection. It's Easter Saturday, a day when, in the gospels, nothing much happens. Hopes have been dashed, dreams have been crushed, and all there is to do is wait… But waiting itself has value, has worth. And God is a God who waits. Along the way we discuss Nick's shambolic time management, and Joe bonds with a squid.
“Waiting can be the most intense and poignant of all human experiences – the experience which, above all others, strips us of affectation and self-deception and reveals to us the reality of our needs, our values and ourselves.” from The Stature of Waiting, by W.H. Vanstone
In which we feature our very first interview! Joe interviews Dave Steell, who leads One Church, Brighton, and discusses the idea that, with the right values, the vision takes care of itself. It's about who we want to be, not just what we want to achieve. And either side of the interview, we launch a liturgy for the bewildered, talk about forest church, and discuss whether churches should offer refunds. * One Church Brighton
In which our heroes discuss one of the key practices of the Christian life. Yes, it’s the first of a series we’re calling by the catchy title of Stuff we have to do as Christians, even though we might not like it and we’re no longer part of the official church, so suck it up. And this week is all about prayer. Does it work? Is it ever right to pray for a car parking space? How do we speak our prayers out loud without looking like a crazy person? All this plus exciting news of the Mid-Faith Crisis weekend!
In which we look at what it means to belong. Joe shares his life story, Nick has been giving himself, and we discover the menopraise, which is like the menopause, but for churchgoers. Also there is a lot of childish argument at the beginning. And quite a lot during the rest of the podcast, come to think of it...
In which our heroes look at what it means to be saved. What does it mean to be born again? Should we even still be using the phrase? We explore surrender and rebirth and all the possibilities that opens up for us. Along the way, Nick gets grumpy about the Celts, Joe defines pantheism, and we float the possibility of a real, live Mid-faith Crisis get-together.
It's a feedback show! In which our heroes share some letters and emails from some of our listeners - all of which are more profound, intelligent and deeply moving than the normal rubbish we provide. Along the way we explore how to disagree well, why The Velveteen Rabbit is one of the great books of spiritual formation, the need for us not to give into cynicism and how to channel our grumpiness into good. * Support Oasis Trust home for refugee children * Support Open Doors work with persecuted Christians around the world
And read the Velveteen Rabbit.
In which our heroes discuss the gospel. What's so good about the good news? Along the way we explore the concept of a press release from the kingdom of God, and how Jesus invites us to join our kingdom with his – because we all need a bit of regime change, folks. Meanwhile, Nick rants about language, we welcome back the trousers of ambiguity and Joe mysteriously fails to set off the sermon alarm.
In which our heroes discuss happiness. Happy new year, everyone! But what does it mean to be happy? Can we really pursue happiness? What really makes for a happy life? Along the way, Nick blames the Declaration of Independence, we explore why new year's resolutions never last and Joe claims the greatest gift of Christmas is actually cheese.
In which our heroes celebrate Christmas. Why is it good news? It's a special Christmas episode, enlivened by the fact that Joe and and Nick are actually in the same room for once. We look at how the Bible really depicts Christmas, why it really is a cause for celebration, and the hope of its key message: 'Do not be afraid'. Plus a look at some stupid Christmas carol lyrics, whether you can get epiphed at epiphany, we have actual poetry and Joe makes heroic attempts to pronounce Lamb shawarma. * Love Came Down at Christmas is, of course, a poem by Christina Rosetti. This version was created for this video from Open Doors. Please have a look. * Also, Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe for Roast Potatoes with Prunes and Caramel is fantastic. Try it.
In which our heroes discuss church. What is it? Why do people stop going? This week's podcast look at the strengths and limitations of church, what our attitude to church should be, and why we have to take responsibility for our own spiritual formation. All this despite Joe's bad back, Nick's hangover and some concerns over whether the guitar is really 'Satan's banjo'.
In which our heroes discuss what it means to have a dialogue with the Bible. How do we read the Bible? Why are people threatened when it is questioned? How can we allow God to speak to us through our reading? Also, we invent the brilliant new cookery programme Pastor Chef, we pick verses at random from the scriptures, and Nick shares the least appropriate Christian calendar ever.
In which our heroes discuss the difficulties of having false and even pagan images of God. Are the images we have helpful? How do we change them? Plus Joe uses the word 'apophatic', Nick gets the all-clear from Dr Strange, they try not to confuse Michael Buble with Martin Buber, and they ponder whether worship song writers are actually smuggling pub names in to their lyrics.
Topic: Carl Jung and the stages of life
In which, our heroes discuss Carl Jung's ideas about mid-life and the masks we wear. Along the way, Nick and Joe discuss what realistic worship songs might sound like, whether Brian McClaren should have a performing goat, and Nick's failure to preach enough about sin.
Recommended reading: Richard Rohr, Falling Upwards.
Topic: Introducing the mid-faith crisis
What are the symptoms of the mid-faith crisis? And what can we do about it? This introductory podcast looks at how we can respond when our faith seems to be in meltdown. Along the way Joe and Nick explore doubt and hope, the dangerously scary inner work of the heart, Nick’s experience dating Teresa of Avila, the possibilities of backsliding as an Olympic event and what it’s like to wear the trousers of ambiguity.