Finding Common Ground: Recent Episodes

Sandy Brodine, Megan Knott, Kristen Barnett, Paul Blacker, Paul Minty, David Landis-Morse with production by John Rowe

Our hosts they take a critical look at the church's weekly bible readings, getting at a fresh understanding through humour, irreverence and honest conversation.The short bible passages that are read each week in churches throughout the world can be puzzling to understand, as they are only parts of the overall text and the links between the different readings are not always clear. Listen in to our group of hosts each week to hear different perspectives and tough questions. Some of our hosts are trained in understanding the bible and some are doing their best to understand for themselves. All the hosts believe that the bible - and our conversations about it - must have an urgent and important impact on how we live: individually, collectively, politically, economically, socially and biologically. And sometimes humour and irreverence is the only way to a fresh and living perspective.

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The finale of season 2 of Finding Common Ground, the Season of Creation. Join Megan and special guest Andrew Bennet as we look back over ideas of sustainability and facing up to the climate crisis with hope. Andrew shares some insights from his career in sustainable agriculture, balancing wilderness and farm to provide sustainable food; and he shares what motivates him and what his sense of hope is.

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Paul is joined by David and special guest Michael Clarke to talk about environmental sustainability from a Christian perspective. Michael Clarke has studied environmental sustainability for many years, notably on the topic of bushfires in Australia and how we live alongside them.

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Join Paul Minty,  Sandy Brodine and Kristen  Barnett as they discuss the reading for Storm Sunday in the Season of Creation. 
Produced by John Rowe.

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Sandy, David and Paul explore readings from Job and Luke and discuss how our attitude to 'being saved' can have a big say in whether we engage with climate change with a sense of ugency. Check out Uniting Church - towards zero for more inspiration and practical advice.

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Join Sandy, Paul, Megan and Kristen as they talk about Job 38:1-18  and Luke 5:1-11. These bible readings are from the 1st week of the 'Season of Creation' series C that you can find on https://seasonofcreation.com/worship-resources/readings/. The panel tackle issues such as whether the popular concept of heaven has actually contributed to environmental destruction.

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Welcome back to a new season! We preview this season's theme - the Season of Creation, a series of Bible Readings from Uniting Church of Australia Season of Creation. Join us as we tackle the topics of sustainability, the environment, creation and salvation.

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Sandy discusses the absence of palms while David considers the political themes and Paul is critical as usual.

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Join Rev. Sandy Brodine, Paul Minty and David Landis Morse as they chat about this week's reading. Jesus is in the town of Bethany on his way into Jerusalem. He dines at the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and Mary anoints Jesus' feet with her hair. It's an unusual reading that sounds  a bit odd to our modern ears, so we enjoyed wrestling our way through it! Please subscribe to our podcast wherever you hear it, and if you'd like to let us know what you think, you can find us at Common Ground Heidelberg on Facebook. 

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Join Rev. Sandy Brodine, Paul Minty and David Landis Morse as they chat about this week's reading: The 'Prodigal Son.' It's a reading many of us have heard loads of times, so we hope that this time we hear it with fresh ears! Please subscribe to our podcast wherever you hear it, and if you'd like to let us know what you think, you can find us at Common Ground Heidelberg on Facebook. 

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Join Paul Blacker and Paul Minty as they pull apart this week's readings:  Luke 13: 1-9

Isaiah 55: 1-13. Do you agree with their wrestlings? Why not share your response on the Common Ground Facebook page?  

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Sandy enthuses about the imagery of Jesus as the mother hen in Luke 13:31-35, but David and Paul M are not so sure...

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Paul Blacker and Paul Minty discuss Luke 4 and Deuteronomy 26, two of the church's bibles readings for Lent week 1. Feeding the resident alien is contrasted with the temptation of global power - themes that feel very urgent today.

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Our new podcast ‘Finding Common Ground’ will connect you with our hosts as they take a critical look at the church’s weekly bible readings.

Our hosts are Sandy Brodine, Paul Blacker, Paul Minty and David Landis-Morse and they use humour, irreverence and honest conversation to get at a fresh and living perspective on the bible.