Podcasts

Some of the talks I've given, usually in churches, have been recorded. 
​I have included a few of these recordings here, with an introduction to each.
"For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake."
​2 Corinthians 4:5

The Ministry of Reconciliation

I feel that I've come into a post-Covid awareness or conviction - that reconciliation is central and absolutely foundational to our gospel.  We have been reconciled to God through Christ, and have been given the ministry of reconciliation.  "He has committed to us the message of reconciliation."  In this podcast, my appeal is for the Christian community to be those who gather not divide; who build bridges not walls.    30 minutes.  

The Covenant Love of God

I strongly believe that if the nature and process of covenant, and what covenant really means, was better understood, that this would resolve so many of the insecurities and uncertainties that people experience today.  In this session I look firstly at the way people cut covenant with one another in Old Testament days, then how this was expressed in God's covenant with Abram, and finally offer some reflections on how this covenant was fulfilled in Jesus.    29 minutes.

The Glory, the Presence and the Voice of God

At about the time Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments, God told him to come up the mountain then down to the people at least four times.  But then, in Exodus 24:12, God said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here".  What was required of Moses to enable him to stand and to wait in God's presence?     9 minutes.

A Theology of Race

When Peter stood and appealed to a massive Pentecost crowd to 'save themselves from this crooked generation', I'm not sure that even he realised how much saving needed to be done.  In May 2022 I was asked to speak at an almost overwhelmingly white British church under the heading 'The Christian and Race'.  I appealed for the UK Church to develop 'a theology of race' - to be more influenced by the reading of scripture than we are the reading of The Daily Mail, The Guardian, or whatever our media of choice is.  Search me, God, and know my heart, and see if there is any offensive way in me.     Part One: 12 minutes.  Part Two: 12 minutes.          

Together for Ipswich

Three months after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, I outline why, on the day covid gave way to Ukraine in the UK media, I became very busy heading up the Together for Ipswich Ukraine refugee response.  In this short piece, I explain how Together for Ipswich has rapidly became "a collaboration of the 85 churches in the town, coming together to work intentionally and strategically with Civic Authorities and other agencies to see the people and place of Ipswich thriving".     5 minutes.

A Season to Celebrate

In conjunction with the weekend of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, a church in Suffolk asked me to speak on 'A Season of Celebration'.  Firstly we shared communion, when I talked about 'the celebration of brokenness', and then (in this talk) I took the opportunity to share under four more headings, featuring the celebrations of covenant, of commemoration, of completion and of congratulation.     20 minutes.    

Mission Partnerships

As part of Burlington Church's Feasting February series, I offer four reasons why this 'resourcing church' commits to giving away 15% of its income to its mission partners, both locally and internationally.      25 minutes. 

​Do No Harm

Andy Peck, who hosts The Leadership Show on Premier Radio, chats with me about my experience of working as a Church and Community Mobilisation consultant in Central Asia and Africa.  This interviewed was designed to support church leaders as they consider how to best support mission agencies and initiatives around the world.  Broadcast on 30 January 2022.      27 minutes.

Patterns of Prayer

In the first of two sessions from Daniel Chapter 6, I look at Daniel's pattern of prayer, compare this with the patterns that Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 6, and suggest some simple, practical steps towards establishing a more consistent and intimate rhythm or habit of dialogue with our Heavenly Father.      13 minutes.

The Role of Civil Disobedience

During the Covid lockdown, and for the first time for 800 years, UK churches were instructed not to meet.  Then, it was not due to reasons of plague or pandemic, but of power.  Whilst most people understood the rationale behind the recent closures, and regarded them as 'reasonable', many Christian believers were forced to think again about if and when they, like Daniel, should be ready to defy the orders of the authorities, for the sake of the gospel.  Here I  suggest a few pointers towards this tricky subject.      13 minutes.  

Going Fishing

After his three fold denial of Jesus, Peter needed something special to get him back on his feet.  In this talk, I describe Peter's decision to go fishing as the 'necessity of normality', and the 'miracle of the mundane'.  I then look at how the newly resurrected Jesus approached Peter's restoration, and suggest that this approach can also help us to emerge refreshed and recommissioned into 2021.      17 minutes.     

Lord of the Sabbath

The Sabbath?  Keep Sunday Special?  The Lord's Day?  Christian believers have always had very different opinions and practices regarding the setting aside of one day a week for rest and worship.  As a follow up from my session on 'Viewing the Ten Commandments through New Covenant lenses', here I seek to interpret New Testament teaching on the Sabbath, and specifically at why Jesus called Himself 'The Lord of the Sabbath'.        Part one: 6 minutes.  Part two: 14 minutes.

Viewing the Ten Commandments through New Covenant lenses

How should the Old Testament, particularly its laws and instructions, and most particularly the Ten Commandments, be viewed in these New Covenant days?  Here, I  suggest why it is that some Christian believers get themselves into a muddle when looking at Old Testament law.  I claim that the central character of the Old Testament is in fact... Jesus!  And I outline the difference between the moral, the civil and the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament, and the different ways that New Covenant believers should approach them.     15 minutes.   

Our Daily Exercise on the Road to Emmaus

Easter Day, 2020.  For the first time since 1213, and due to COVID-19, all the churches in England are shut.  And yet the Archbishop of Canterbury estimates that ten times the number of people who typically go to church are now dialing in to church online.  In this talk, delivered to a listening church over the phone, I invite the congregation to listen in also to the conversation that Cleopas and his friend had with a stranger on Emmaus Road.     14 minutes.         

Church in the Community

The whole of creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  I share how a dream he had, one hot night in a run down rural hotel in Eastern Ukraine, led me to a new determination to encourage the church to be community-based rather than buildings-based.    21 minutes.

Honour and Shame

Much of the bible was written to those living in 'honour and shame' societies, whereas in the west, we predominantly have a 'guilt and innocence' worldview.  In this session, which is based on Luke 14:1-14, I suggest some of the fundamental differences between these two cultural paradigms, and look at some scriptures specifically from an honour and shame perspective.  I urge my listeners to think through what aspects of our all-encompassing gospel will resonate most with those we relate to from other cultures.    Part one: 13 minutes.  Part two: 15 minutes 

Praise Community Churches (1975-1994)

Simon Harris (Pastor of Burlington Baptist Church, Ipswich), interviews me here on my experience ​of planting and leading Praise Community Churches in the 1970s and 1980s.  Also available on http://burlingtonbaptist.org.uk/podcasts.php (9 February 2019)     23 minutes
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Dramatic Encounters With God

There is no doubt about it.  Saul and Ananias got caught up in a very dramatic encounter with God, in Acts 9.  But that was so far away, and so long ago.  Do people still dramatically encounter God today?  And if so, is it always in other parts of the world?  Speaking to a church in Felixstowe, I share some more recent times when God has burst dramatically into the lives of people I know, and discuss what we can learn from these encounters, and from Acts 9.      27 minutes


​Dreams

Has God ever spoken to you in a dream?  Is there a difference between dreams and visions?  How should we approach the interpretation of dreams?  Should we aspire to dream, or just accept them when they come along?  Here I describe a dream I repeatedly had as a child, and how the dream became an extraordinarily precise reality 46 years later.  Also available on http://burlingtonbaptist.org.uk/podcasts.php (17 February 2019)     25 minutes
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​Questions Jesus Asked

The four gospels record 173 of the questions that Jesus asked.  On average, that's two questions in every chapter.  Some were to demonstrate that he knew exactly what people were thinking.  Others were out of frustration.  Some were rhetorical, whilst others were used as a training and equipping tool.  In this session I look at the value of asking questions, and urge the Church to relearn the art of asking questions in its community, rather than blurting out answers that are often based on assumptions.     24 minutes 
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​Mission Partnerships

Where to go?  What to do?  Who to go with?  These are typical questions that churches look at when developing their mission strategies.  And the Apostle Paul did the same.  When can I come and see you?  What can I impart when I’m with you?  Who shall I bring with me when I come?  In this podcast I look at three foundational values for us to consider when seeking to select an overseas mission or initiative to partner with.  Is it Kingdom based?  Is it integral, or holistic?  And is it sustainable?     18 minutes   
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World Church Partnerships

What can we learn from the New Testament about the way the early church engaged with other local churches around the world?  Who did they send?  What did it cost them?  Did they always get it right?  What were the benefits?  What were their priorities?  In a follow up to 'Mission Partnerships' (above), here I take a look at some of the ways in which the early church stumbled their way into world church partnerships.     14 minutes  
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​In Christ Alone

In this study from Colossians 1:15-23, Paul proclaims the supremacy of Christ in the church, and urges the Colossians not to be led astray from their pure devotion to Jesus.  At a first glance, the issues that were leading them astray seem hardly relevant to us.  However, with some very slight contextualisation, I suggest in this podcast that very similar and seemingly positive aspects of contemporary Christians' lives could actually be sending us down the same cul-de-sacs.     21 minutes    
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Maintaining Unity in a Diverse World

From a biblical perspective, rather than from the perspective of popular culture or situational ethics, are same-sex relationships permitted?  And, more to the point, are they celebrated?  Are acceptance and affirmation the same thing?  In this podcast I look at some of the issues surrounding sexual orientation that have often threatened the unity of the church, and to alienate Christians from one another.       Part one: 13 minutes.  Part two: 14 minutes
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Waiting and Waiting and Waiting

In this podcast, I look at ​three different aspects of waiting.  Each of them is counter-cultural.  Firstly there is waiting, as in our practical service of God.  Rather like a waiter, serving at tables.  Then there is waiting, i.e. seeking more of God, His person, His will, His character.  And then there is waiting.  In other words, our attitude towards God during those times when there's nothing we can do but wait.       20 minutes
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All Things

​The mission of Jesus and the early church was truly integral.  In Luke 4, and quoting from Isaiah 61, he basically said, “My Father and I are interested in everything; every aspect of your lives, be it your salvation, your health, your education, your livelihood, your home, your protection, your hobbies.  There is no person that we do not love and want the very best for, be it the poor, the prisoner, the blind or the oppressed.  And what’s more, we are interested in every aspect of your society, be it its justice, its politics, its social structures, its arts, its culture, its economy.”     20 minutes  
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What does the Bible say about Mental Ill Health?

Expressions used for mental ill health conditions have obviously changed so much over the years, and there is no specific biblical mention of many of the words we tend to use these days, e.g. mental health, depression, emotional, psychological, dementia, schizophrenia etc.  But there are many scriptures where the writers speak from deep anguish of the soul, and where things just didn’t make sense to them in their minds.  In this podcast I review some of these, and suggest that the church is a hospital, a school and an army in equal measure.  Let it train brilliantly and let it fight hard, but let it offer healing as well.  “I desire mercy,” says the Lord.       Part one: 10 minutes.  Part two: 19 minutes
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Martha, Lazarus and Mary

What was it that Jesus loved so much about this household?  Martha worked like she didn't need the money.  Lazarus loved like he'd never been hurt.  And Mary danced like no-one was watching.  Today I look at their gifts, talents and specialisms, and at the way they allowed one another to express them without restraint or criticism.       30 minutes
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The Full Armour of God

While the devil came only to steal, Jesus comes with lavish generosity.  While the devil came only to kill, Jesus comes to bring life.  And whereas the devil came only to destroy, Jesus gives us an abundance of creativity.  Here I take a look from Ephesians 6:10-20 at the importance of us taking on 'the full armour of God'.  Why?  In order that we might stand.       21 minutes     
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