Mid-faith Crisis

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Flaming June Sideways: Brain Strain...

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...

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 s...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine 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? Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Wensle...

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. Support the pod...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned i...

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...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this...

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 pr...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Mr Bates vs The Post Office Paul McGee - The SUM...

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! Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Herod's Secret Policeman Murder on the Orient Express Death on the Nile...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Herod's Secret Policeman Advent 2023: In t...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Episode 74: Effing the Ineffable Atomic Habits Nick Page, 7 ways...

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 Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: John Wright, The Ob...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine 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...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Joe and Ali Male are hosting a day...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Joe and Ali Male are hosting a day for Num...

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 Notices Joe and Ali Male are hosting a day...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your em...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine...

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. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Ment...