Life Issues

[Originally broadcast the week of 31st May 2021]

To be a grandparent is a special thing and not to be taken lightly. It’s a position of privilege, so how do you be the Granny and Grandad that your children, as well as your grandchildren, need you to be?

[Originally broadcast the week of 12th February 2024]

What is life like with a severe mental illness? And what stigma generated by news headlines might you still face? Sharon Hastings qualified as a doctor, but lives with a psychotic illness. In this week’s Life Issues with Paul Hammond, she challenges the misconceptions around psychosis and shares what we can do to help.

[Originally broadcast the week of 5th June 2023]

What stops you believing in God? Maybe unanswered questions? But what if doubt and the mystery of God is part of what makes faith so powerful? Helping Helen explore how we can embrace the unknown is Zach Bolan, lead singer of Indie-Rock group Citizens, in this week’s Life Issues.

When Lucy climbed into the wardrobe, C.S. Lewis opened a world that has enchanted children and adults for generations. And it’s why we dedicated a Life Issues to the 75th anniversary of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. But the truth is there was so much more to C.S. Lewis than Narnia – books on faith/love and Sci fi – a boy from Belfast who could hold court in academia – and a man who gave hope to a nation in darkest times. So, in this week’s Life Issues join us as we discover C.S. Lewis: Beyond the wardrobe.

[Originally broadcast the week of 14th March 2022]

It can increasingly feel as if we are living in a society that has moved on from Christianity – either deeming it irrelevant or responsible for doing more harm than good. In this Life Issues, Sharon James encourages us to take confidence from and maybe shout about the way Christianity has changed the world, and share a Gospel that is and has always been a force for good.

In the 75th year of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, we ask what is it about the fictional land of Narnia in the classic novel by C.S. Lewis that continues to entice and entertain children and adults alike? Adventure and faith discovery in Narnia is the latest Life Issues podcast with Vicky Gibbens and her guest Dr Jem Bloomfield.

[Originally broadcast the week of 30th December 2019]

The night time economy - a catalyst for anti-social behaviour and debauchery, or a thirsty place for the message of Jesus? Joining Vicky Gibbens to share their insights are Carolyn Skinner, Founder of Third Space Ministries, and Ellie Barrett, who at the time of recording was the charity’s Night Life Ministries Assistant.

[Originally broadcast the week of 20th October 2024]

Words are one of the most powerful tools we have but often they can escape us. Particularly when it comes to prayer. But what if we don't need the "right" words or even our words? In this week's Life Issues Helen Lea is exploring the ancient practice of liturgy with authors of Liturgies for Hope & Liturgies for Wholeness Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore.

This week on Life Issues we’re asking - what makes a good dad? No dad’s perfect and becoming a dad can be one of the scariest things a man will do, with the sense of the endless opportunities to fall short, let them down, get it wrong. But if we all, like Jesus, need to hear a Father say you are my child, whom I love and I am pleased with you…. then what does it take to be a good dad, and is the way we treat dad’s in the media undermining the role at a time when youngsters need it most?

Thomas Aquinas once said: “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”  And although there are plenty of examples of friends who desert – a friend who sticks closer than a brother is a thing of great value. So how much effort am I making to say “you’ve got a friend in me, yeah you got a friend in me”? It’s the Life Issues podcast this week entitled – “maybe I’ll get by, with a little help from my….”