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 Nov 08, 2023
Wednesday Nov 08, 2023
Today we talk about betrayal and resistance. And about the forgiveness that flows from Grace to EVERYONE, no exceptions. That's a challenging thought for the ego which wants an eye for an eye. But, as we all know, that just leaves the whole world blind...
Here's the Elizabeth Gilbert quote that Maggy couldn't find in time:
“As I focus on diligent joy, I also keep remembering a simple idea my friend Darcey told me once -- that all the sorrow and trouble of this world is caused by unhappy people. Not only in the big global Hitler-'n'-Stalin picture, but also on the smallest personal level. Even in my own life, I can see exactly where my episodes of unhappiness have brought suffering or distress or (at the very least) inconvenience to those around me. The search for contentment is, therefore, not merely a self-preserving and self-benefiting act, but also a generous gift to the world. Clearing out all your misery gets you out of the way. You cease being an obstacle, not only to yourself but to anyone else. Only then are you free to serve and enjoy other people.” (Eat, Pray, Love).
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
In this episode Maggy talks about how easy it is to let our energy drop when we are in a challenging situation and how the attitudes, toxic religion, gun culture and on-the-road diner food affected her energy levels on her visit to the USA. She realised how easy her life is at home and how blessed she is to live in a peaceful environment. A little lesson in humility!
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Today Mark speaks of his continuing journey to find the historical - and personal - Jesus; the one who never intended to found a religion and the one who would never, ever sanction a war in the name of God.
We also look at 'edge-dwelling' and the need for deep reconciliation for the whole World - and how thoroughly that World dislikes those who try to hold that middle ground!
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Christianity hasn't been very good at loving its enemies (to say the least) but why is this seminal teaching of Jesus so frequently ignored? For a start, it's damned difficult! Far easier to point out the speck in the eye of those we loathe than to see the plank in our own. We talk of our own routines to encourage loving our enemies and how we face up to this almighty challenge.
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Compline is the service of night prayer and today we look at some of the deep beauty in this liturgy, including that part which involves confessing our sins. Speaking out loud our regrets for that day (or week or year...) is a powerful release. It needs to be with a wise and compassionate mentor but there is much value in confessing.
Tuesday Sep 19, 2023
Tuesday Sep 19, 2023
Today's podcast turns into a love letter to Mark and Maggy's teacher Fr. Richard Rohr, via his teaching about the World, the Flesh and the Devil. We tell stories of his kindness and support as well as detailing his powerful revelations that the only way out of the World's messiness is to own our own complicity in the systems that we both love and hate and how we must work together for healing.
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Some of you know that Mark and Maggy are (respectively) magician and comedian as well as ministers. Today we talk about why we do such challenging - and to some inappropriate - work and share some of our stories of life on the road.
You'll like this one. Not a lot, but you'll like it...
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
'You're not a fuck-up but you do fuck up.' Words Mark received in a moment of presence and stillness. Today we discuss those precious times when our thoughts are not ruling us and we can hear better... And we look at rock-bottom moments. We've all had them...
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Today we take apart some of the stories and rumours about the Apostle to the Apostles, Mary of Magdala - who was, emphatically NOT the woman with the alabaster jar. And we refer back to last week's podcast which looked at the 'original' Lord's Prayer in Aramaic (sorry, but it's not 'original'). So why do we fall for this misinformation? Because it suits our biases? All this leads us back to where truths become corrupted into conspiracy theories where we are more interested in being right than we are in being happy.
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
Today we range from pilgrimage through projection to Lucific truths. Lucific truths are the source energy of conspiracy theories - they always contain a grain of truth which can be used and built upon for glamorous and harmful ends. We touch on the Gospels and St. Paul and, frankly, we are total f***-ups for failing to concentrate on one subject! We'll try to do better...