Train Wrecks for Jesus
Revs. Mark Townsend and Maggy Whitehouse are both ordained vicars ... and self-confessed f**k ups for Jesus. From spoonerisms at weddings, through breakdowns, divorce, failed emigration, shark attack (truly!) and back down to everyday stupidity and forgetfulness, we’ve lived and worked with the humiliation of failure for most of our lives. But every time we have fallen short, Grace and goodness have been the result even if it has only been the justified reduction of our egos. And this is our message - that it’s okay to be a Christian catastrophe (or any other kind of catastrophe for that matter). In fact, it’s pretty much essential in order to understand what Jesus was all about. Today we share some of our stories, have some laughs and we hope you will join us in future sessions by sharing your own f**k ups for Jesus (or Buddha or Krishna or ... or ... or). Remember, the cracks are where the light can get in. PLEASE NOTE: ABUNDANT USE OF THE F-WORD.
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Episodes
Wednesday May 01, 2024
Wednesday May 01, 2024
On ancient maps, once the far reaches of the undiscovered lands were chronicled, they often wrote 'here be dragons.' Dragons are mythical beasts and today we look at how myths can often be far truer than literal reality. It's myth we embrace every time we look for a perennial truth - a truth that is true always and everywhere as opposed to all the partial truths of the modern world. That doesn't mean that physical dragons exist - but energetic ones certainly do. 'I don't know if it happened and I don't know if it didn't happen but I know that the story is true.'
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Today Mark tells us about his wonderful book of the same name as our title - Jesus Through Pagan Eyes. it's half written by him and half in the form of interviews with Pagans who love the teachings of Jesus; Christianity not so much (and we're both on board with that).
Foreword by Dr Matthew Fox.
Fascinating stuff!
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Today we are looking at the ancient culture of revering relics, whether it's the bones of saints, a sliver of the 'true cross' or the Virgin Mary's wedding ring. Are these things icons or idols? What percentage are simply fake and, when it comes to faith, does that actually matter?
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Today Mark is talking beautiful sense about Easter and what it means to him and we look at the Easter/Oestre stories and the perennial wisdom which bleeds through everywhere that humanity will let it...
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Today we are discussing the levels of meaning in the phrase 'Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ' and that whole Garden of Eden thing of Original Sin (a concept only presented in the fourth century and one unknown within Judaism). We both love Jesus and Christ but there's a lot of unravelling to do to dissolve so much difficult energy around the idea that only Jesus can save us - and that he is saving us from a God so cruel he would sacrifice his own begotten son. If God's that harsh, who can truly love him?
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
As this is the Christian season of Lent, we're looking at our feelings and practices for the season and whether it's at all helpful! The tradition of 40 days being a time of clearing out and re-setting long pre-dates Christianity so what's its real ourpose?
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Today we ponder life after death and our experiences of people showing up at their own funeral or wake and the ministry of the dead.
Thursday Jan 25, 2024
Thursday Jan 25, 2024
Today Mark draws from his Druidic roots to talk about the power and life-giving force of trees and how they feed and nurture the planet and the lessons they can give us in how to live.
As Maggy's Kabbalah work is based on the Tree of Life (Genesis and Revelation) there's much to discuss both about real trees and the symbolism of the Tree.
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
That old legend of the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden is still trying to teach us about the dangers of making one thing 'right' and another thing 'wrong.' Fundamentalists of any kind always fall over this one - needing to be right and viewing any opposition as something to be condemned.
But true faith (in any tradition) is about embracing the paradoxes of life and being willing to hold the tension of all sides of an issue. It's simple but it's not easy. Today, we talk about our own experiences of trying to hold the paradox, about being introverts and one-upmanship. It's a good one!
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Did you know, we all have a happiness set point? It's the level of contentment that our brains can handle and despite our outer - or physical - circumstances we will re-set ourselves there. Maggy refers to Marci Shimoff's 2009 book Happy for No Reason to examine how and why this set point is so powerful - and how we CAN raise it to give ourselves a happier life. The work is quite simple but it's certainly not easy as our brains themselves resist it. So that's why you may find it hard to meditate, exercise or even manage a day out - your basic wiring resists!
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