Hello Hello! Welcome to a special episode with Pieter Valk - Counsellor, Author, Public Speaker, Co- Founder of the Nashville Family of Brothers and Co-Founder of Equip - an organisation that seeks to help churches love gay people better. And if you've seen some of the messaging of the church of late, you'll know we need that...

Join us for a special chat in this episode on that is both touching, compassionate, funny and heart-warming, as well as bringing the loving word of God in truth and hopefully an uplifting message for those who experience same-sex attraction - and no... there's no tricks, just trusting in God and looking to the church to do better in how it has historically "loved" gay people - if we can call it that. It's a big call to answer,  and one I want to play a part in answering, so here goes the first step. 

To hear more from me - @agodmademan on IG

And my website & blog - www.agodmademan.wordpress.com

My Blog on my own "coming out" - https://agodmademan.wordpress.com/2022/11/06/so-its-been-a-year-since-i-came-out/

And to hear more from Pieter :

@pieterlvalk on IG

https://www.pieterlvalk.com/about

https://www.familyofbrothers.org/about

https://www.familyofbrothers.org/blog/nfob-is-a-life-raft-well-an-aircraft-carrier-xr4eg

https://equipyourcommunity.org/

Well, this was a time to be alive. 2020 was hard going for many people, for many reasons - myself included. 

So, because I felt separated from some friends and family throughout that year, and had a lot going on that I wanted to share. I made this podcast as a kind of Christmas gift to friends and family far and wide originally I burned this on CDs and mailed it out to them, but now I think it is time to give it the digital treatment. It was my best attempt at replacing what our catch-ups would have achieved if we could have them. 

So in this episode, I retraced my 2020 through music, not music of that year, but the music that spoke to me then and continues to now, it's a delicate listen. But possibly my favourite thing I've recorded, which makes it all the more baffling that I didn't remember to upload it at the time. So this is episode #5,  uploaded almost 2 years after it was made, but it still tells a story of a time in my life and I don't want to leave it out, so give it a spin if you like, with a hot drink of choice and a comfy chair is my recommendation anyways. This is from me to you. 

If you like it, let me know if you'd like another review for 2022 as well!

Alrighty! Episode #10! Very excited to have interviewed my host here in France, Nicolas Roiz! We conduct the interview in French and my summary and comments can be found at about 26 mins into the podcast*. In this special episode, I ask Nico more about the French founding principle of "La Laicite" as well as chatting about his experience as gay man in relation to his faith, God and his travels. He speaks 6 languages, wears his heart on his sleeve and is one of the most interesting people I've had the pleasure of getting to know whilst doing an internship here in France these past 2 months. I hope you "On Earth" something new in this podcast. And if nothing else, have a laugh - you'll hear a lot of laughter in this one, it was lots of fun! We could have spoken for hours but I hope you enjoy our whirlwind episode!

We are back with another episode in this journey of humanising our neighbours! Adam and Helen have kindly joined me for a conversation on Charity - What does it mean, why being a faith-based charity sets them apart, and discussing more of what happens day to day in their roles at Glasgow City Mission, the oldest missional charity in the world! We'll be chatting through common presumptions about charity and those that receive support from them, I'll be challenging my own bias and getting a great reason for being careful with asking people where they are from. This was a brilliant chat and I hope you learn something from this uplifting episode.

*Disclaimer - I am a volunteer at Glasgow City Mission have been since the summer of 2018. I am also currently doing a fundraiser for them, to cycle 300 miles across 8 weeks. You can follow my progress and donate at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nathan-epemolu

This show’s guests are Elder Holbrook and Elder McIntosh! Elder Holbrook and Elder McIntosh are volunteer missionaries’ part of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints (CoJSLDS) – also colloquially known as Mormons. Having reached out to me over Instagram recently we had a call that led to this podcast – which I’m really excited for!

I want to be upfront in which I have a few aims. I want to better understand what members of the LDS believe, what the similarities and difficulties between the CoLDS and Christianity are, and to understand who Elder Holbrook and Elder McIntosh are as people.

A quick note for any wondering, this isn’t about converting listeners to one faith or another, but I think only right that whether you agree or disagree with the CoLDS, that decision is made based on knowing what they believe and practice and then critically engaging, I don’t want to be dismissive of something based on my not understanding it. I’ll say at the top of the show, I won’t become a member of the CoLDS, but I think I should be able to say why, and that’s what this is about.

Happy Listening and come and give us a follow @agodmade_man on IG or Search "On Earthed Podcast" on Facebook to find us there too. Leave us a review wherever you listen!

In this episode I sit down with Hamish Wills, an old friend, to talk about all things China. I spent 10 months living in China and speak Mandarin Chinese and frankly, wanted an excuse to talk about a country that has my heart and has changed my outlook on the world in general. Hamish and I talk through some highlights from our time there, debunk a myth or two and talk about some of the less than ideal situations we found ourselves in. All in all, on the cusp of Chinese New Year, I'm very excited to talk about my experience in China.

For more from the On Earthed Podcast, you can either find us at agoatinatree.com or on our Facebook page @OnEarthedPodcast too.

So this episode's guest is Kristyná Allnutt, who is a teacher teaching near Glasgow, Scotland. Kristyná joins me in the dive of the mind into "Kingdom Lens Living" that is, to see God's world and everything in it with an eye for renewal, hope, and potential. I believe we can only do this because God first did it with us in sending Jesus to die for us on the cross so that we could be restored to God. Through the lens of teaching as a  profession, we talk through the experience of being ourselves being like children - also needing teaching of our own. If you want to hear some uplifting, hopeful podcasting, you've come to the right place. Had a lot of fun and laughter on this one. Find more about what I'm doing at agoatinatree.com! 

I just love a review, even when in some ways it's been a year to forget. Make yourself comfortable and let me take you through a personalised journey in 2020. It's a different kind of podcast where I'll also be using music to tell my story as I take you through a testing year of ups and downs. But as we roll over into 2021 Let us quickly remember what we're leaving behind, that the way to move forward I think! 

Here's a playlist of all the songs featured in this episode - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1VjeOKZjYs1A7JYQaZjdPb?si=4mDoA7pASK2B8tHrRe3x8Q