Mid-faith Crisis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.