TMR 299 : Following Christ in the New Old Normal (#05)
- Details
We are joined once again by Rev Phill Sacre—an ordained minister (Church of England) and host of the YouTube channel "Sacred Musings"—for another thought-provoking and wide-ranging "post-covid" conversation in the series: "Following Christ in the New Old Normal".
Strange as it might seem—given that Phill's ordained, and I'm a Methodist lay preacher—this time we centre our conversation in the character of "Satan", or "The Satan" (to be more precise). Reflecting upon the clear manifestation of Evil in the world (particularly over the last three years)—and trying to make sense of the strange, seemingly ubiquitous eruption of (what one might call) "woke" sensibilities in recent times—we discuss questions such as: Who, or what, is "The Satan"? What does "he" do? What sort of influence does "he" have in the world? Where did "he" come from? Has "he" always been this way? What is that "serpent" in the Garden of Eden narrative anyway? Just a snake? Or have we been missing something deeper—that perhaps the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah hint at—that might tell us something about "his" origins?
(Phill is a Christian minister. Ordained in the Church of England, he formerly served in a parish on the Essex coast, but now leads an independent housechurch. He also runs the online ministries, "Understand the Bible" and "Sacred Musings : Building on Christian Foundations" (on YouTube).)
(Download Podcast HQ 128 kbps)
Read more: TMR 299 : Following Christ in the New Old Normal (#05)
TMR 294 : Following Christ in the New Old Normal (#04)
- Details
"I think Jesus wants us to have a paradigm where we notice His truth and His beauty everywhere."—Andy Jennings
We welcome back to the programme Andy Jennings—the brilliant singer-songwriter of the Christian indie band Dissident Prophet—for a wide-ranging conversation as part of the ongoing series here at TMR called: "Following Christ in the New Old Normal."
In the first conversation, with Rev Phill Sacre, we discussed "awakeness" in the church and beyond. In the second, Pastor Stephen Buckley shared his perspective on the covid era, interpreting the response of so many churches in terms of God's constructive judgement upon the churches themselves. In the third, Jeremiah Allen explained his conviction that only with the Fruit of the Spirit will Christians successfully navigate the troubled waters of the days ahead. And in this fourth, wide-ranging conversation, Andy Jennings shares with us how a change of theological focus, plus a brush with death, helped prepare him for specific challenges during the covid era, and how choosing to see God in all things can transform our lives and position us positively in Christ to face the days to come.
(Download Podcast - HQ 128 kbps)
Read more: TMR 294 : Following Christ in the New Old Normal (#04)
TMR 288 : Following Christ in the New Old Normal (#03)
- Details
"History began when humans invented gods, and will end when humans become gods."—Yuval Noah Harari
We welcome back to the programme Jeremiah Allen, a Christian entrepreneur now living in Belize, for a wide-ranging interview as part of the ongoing conversation here at TMR called: "Following Christ in the New Old Normal."
In the first conversation, with Rev Phill Sacre, we discussed "awakeness" in the church and beyond in the post-covid era. In the second conversation Pastor Stephen Buckley shared his perspective on the covid era, interpreting the response of so many churches in terms of God's constructive judgement upon the churches themselves. In this third conversation, Jeremiah Allen shares with us his conviction that only with the Fruit of the Spirit, developing in our lives through closeness to God, will the Christian successfully navigate the troubled waters of the days ahead.
Jeremiah joined us last year to discuss "Disruptions and Preparations", which in some ways could be seen as an introduction to the present series of conversations
"Jeremiah is a 42-year-old former US Army soldier and Iraq War veteran ('04-'05). After leaving military service, he worked as a Computer Network Security Expert for the US Missile Defense Agency. In 2013, he left his lucrative career and relocated his wife & two children to pursue ministry in Belize as an entrepreneur. Jeremiah is passionate about Jesus and sharing the Good News with others by living out the Great Commission in everyday life."
(Download Podcast HQ 128 kbps)
Read more: TMR 288 : Following Christ in the New Old Normal (#03)
TMR 284 : Following Christ in the New Old Normal (#02)
- Details
"He closed your church, and you've fallen asleep the moment you've returned."—Steve Buckley
We welcome to the programme Pastor Stephen Buckley, leader of My King Church in Greater Manchester UK, for an interview as part of the ongoing conversation here at TMR called: "Following Christ in the New Old Normal."
In the first conversation, with Rev Phill Sacre, we discussed the importance of "awakeness" rather than "sleep" in the church and beyond in the post-covid era. In this second conversation (an interview), Pastor Stephen Buckley shares with us his perspective on the last two and a half years, interpreting the response of so many churches in terms of God's constructive judgement upon the churches themselves. As Pastor Buckley explains, this biblical-theological perspective—which sees God as ultimately sovereign over all events—allows us to ask tough questions of ourselves that we might otherwise never ask: What was God saying to us? Where have we gone wrong? And how should we move forward in Christ in the days ahead?
Born on the mission field in Asia, Stephen grew up in a family of teachers and preachers. He has previously been part of church-planting leadership and is presently pastor of My King Church in Greater Manchester where he resides with his wife and three children. Learn more at MyKing.com.
(Download Podcast HQ 128 kbps)
Read more: TMR 284 : Following Christ in the New Old Normal (#02)
TMR 282 : Following Christ in the New Old Normal (#01)
- Details
We are joined once again by Rev Phill Sacre—an ordained minister in the Church of England and host of the YouTube channel "Sacred Musings"—for an unstructured and thought-provoking conversation on the subject: "Following Christ in the New Old Normal".
Many are saying "it's all over." We can "just move on." Put it all behind us and get back to the "Old Normal." But is any of that wise, or true? Can we really be confident—after two years of mass manipulation, grotesque profiteering and technocractic power grab—that the darkness we witnessed, just months ago, is really "all over"? And would it be right simply to "move on" and forget the lessons of the Covid Era? Indeed, why would we want to relive the exact Old Normal anyway?
Join us as we discuss what it might mean to follow Christ in the "New Old Normal" and how we might live out and encourage "awakeness" rather than "sleep" in the church and beyond.
(Phill is a Christian minister. He is ordained in the Church of England and serves in a parish on the Essex coast. He also runs the online ministries, "Understand the Bible" and "Sacred Musings : Building on Christian Foundations" (on YouTube). His interviews with us can be found here and here.)
(Download Podcast HQ 128 kbps)
