The Living Room

Send us a textWhen we think about the alternative way that Jesus operated, one of the great examples is looking at the people that he chose to be on his team. It wasn't the people you'd expect.Today we take some time to consider the importance of not discounting or disqualifying and think about what it looks like to be an advocate for Jesus.Feel free to listen in x

Send us a textWhen we look at the person of Jesus we can see that He was never afraid to challenge the status quo.Today we take some time to look at how the alternative wisdom that Jesus gives us flies in the face of conventional wisdom and consider how we are being love in the lives that we are living.Feel free to listen in xxx

Send us a textToday we take some time to think about Jesus' movements leading up to the events of Easter, we look at how he navigated Palm Sunday and how he resisted the attention and praise of the crowds and remained true to how he was and what he needed to do.We also consider some of the things that prepared Jesus for this time and reflect on what we have each managed to navigate and how that might have enabled us to grow.Feel free to listen in x

Send us a textToday we take a look at how easy it is to allow our connection with God to go cold, how we can get stuck in nostalgia and think about some tactics to nurture that connection with God.We hope that something from this talk resonates with you in some way.Feel free to listen in xxx

Send us a textIn this podcast we continue our series looking at Combatting the crisis of connection, taking some time to talk about Community.Community is something that we can all benefit from, but how do we create communities that will truly welcome and be safe for everyone?We look at the importance of togetherness and consider how we can create a life-giving community.Feel free to listen in xxx

Send us a textAs part of our focus on thinking about how we can combat the crisis of connection in our society, today we take a left turn to listen to three stories - from 3 wonderful people who come along to the living room - to help us see the reality of loneliness in each of their lives - and ask ourselves how can we best help those people struggling with loneliness.This is a really special conversation, we really hope it makes you think.Feel free to listen in xxx

When we acknowledge that we are currently more ‘connected' in our society but not necessarily ‘connecting' - it begs the question: What are we going to do about that?Today we take some time to look at how we've arrived in this place, some of the pitfalls that we need to avoid and take inspiration from a passage in the bible that shows us how to effectively love others.We hope you find this thought-provoking and inspiring.Feel free to listen in x

In the times that we live in, we are more connected to other human beings than we've ever been. Sadly, despite this being the case, we are not necessarily connecting properly with other people.Today we take some time to talk about the crisis of connection that so many of us face in society, look at how Jesus wants us to respond and consider some of the ways we begin to combat this crisis.Feel free to listen in x

It can sometimes be hard to understand how God relates to us, it may feel like he's created a machine, and as the maker, just stands back and watches the machine work, every now and then he may tweak some things and intervene, but in essence, he's outside of our world and sometimes a bit distant.Today we take a look at how we relate to God and take some time to think about how Jesus saw his connection with God and consider how we could shift our perspective to be inline with his.Feel free to listen in x

Today we continue out thinking around Hope and dig a bit deeper in to the idea that ‘Hope is like a rope' - looking at the kind of stories and experiences that begin to form our strands and how we can collectively become hope as we bring our strands together.Feel free to listen in x

When we read things in the bible, particularly in the Old Testament, we can find ourselves immersed in lots of battle-type stories and a perspective on God that fits around that imagery.Today we take some time to think about how our view of God is shaped by some of those stories, consider how Jesus challenges that perspective and look at other ways we can begin to view God.Feel free to listen in xxx

Today we take some time to consider our relationship with hope, pushing us beyond it just being a feeling and investigating how hope can be the catalyst to how we move forward and begin to impact the lives of others.Feel free to listen in x

Today is our first time back after the summer and we take a bit of time to re-cap the details of how things will work in The Living Room moving forward.We also re-visit the heart behind The Living Room and consider the evolution of the words that shape our approach - Refuge, Hope and Purpose.Feel free to listen in x(And if you ever fancy coming along then feel free to just turn up or get in touch on info@thisisthelivingroom)

Today we talked about a few changes we are making for September. If you've connected with the Living Room at any point or have wondered about coming along, then please listen in.

When we experience something challenging in our lives it can be a really isolating experience. The pain and the trauma are so real at the time and when we watch the world carrying on around, it can feel like no one else understands what we are going through.But when we meet someone who gets it, then suddenly things feel different. We feel seen and safe in the knowledge that some else understands what we are going through.That's the art of solidarity.Today we take some time to look at the impact that finding that solidarity can make and look to inspire each other to reach out and seek out solidarity.Feel free to listen in xxx

Grief can be such a challenging thing to navigate. Today we take a look at the reality of what it looks like and feels like to go through something difficult and how we can be kind to ourselves in suffering and learn how we can help others who are grieving.Feel free to listen in xxx

If you've ever been through anything difficult, you can often find it hard to work out how to have a conversation with God about it - especially if you're disappointed, confused or angry with him.Today we take some time to look at Lament and see how this practice, of honesty and vulnerability with God, is more healthy and hopeful than we've been led to believe.Please feel free to listen in xxx

Many people would describe the moment that they chose to connect with God as if a light was switched on - not everyone has that exact experience, maybe their illumination was more like the gradual turning of a dimmer switch.Today we take some time to look at the weight that can exist around ‘repentance' and investigate the origins of that term and discover the impact that can have on each of us in our pursuit of God.Feel free to listen in x 

When we experience things in life that cause us to feel disappointed or ashamed we can easily fall into the trap of hiding those parts of us away, hoping that no one discovers that part of our lives.Today we look at the importance of bringing these things into the light and the difference it can make to our connection with God and the way we feel about ourselves.Feel free to listen in x

Today we take some time to think about what ‘putting faith in to action' might look like, consider the things that are important to God and look at how we can make a difference to the people in our lives, not just individually, but as a community.Feel free to listen in xxx

We live in society that is full of noise. It can be incredibly difficult to reduce the noise around us and experience the benefits of silence.Today we look at the types of noise that impact our ability to function in life, what difference pursuing silence can make and learn from Jesus in the way that He chose to pursue silence.Feel free to listen in xxx

Having the courage and bravery to stand up and say that something is wrong can be incredibly challenging, but it's always right to do it.Today we take a look at some of the reasons that people choose to stay quiet, highlight some of the damage that can be caused by silence and look at the importance of defying the silence.Feel free to listen in xIf anything in this chat resonated with you then feel free to get in touch with us on facebook (search for ‘This is The Living Room') or email us at info@thisisthelivingroom.com

In today's podcast, we spend some time talking about the first 6 years of The Living Room, acknowledging some of the challenges that we've faced as well as looking ahead to some changes we're making as we move forward. We'll also hear from some of the people who will be helping us in this next phase.Feel free to listen in xxxJust a side note - my iPad died before the end of the talk so it ends a little abruptly! The main info is still communicated, feel free to email us at info@thisisthelivingroom.com if you have any questions.

Jesus' stories were so effective at communicating a clear idea of what God was like.The story of the Lost Sheep is such a great example of how God feels about each and every one of us.This story challenges us to not only check our attitude towards others but also remember how God feels about us.Feel free to listen in xxx

Jesus was such a great story teller. He was able to communicate such clear messages by using examples and scenarios that really resonated with His audience. Today we look at the story of the Good Samaritan, the key points that Jesus wanted to make and what the crowd would've been thinking as He told the story.We hope today's talk makes you think.Feel free to listen in xxx

The teachings of Jesus are timeless. There are always things that we can learn and then apply to our lives. Today we look at the story of the prodigal son, discover some new information about the story and talk about the challenge that this story brings to us.Feel free to listen in x

Sometimes we feel like just need to survive in life. At other times we feel the need to create connection and impact others.We can find that our focus in life can shift according to the kind of things we experience in life.Today we take a look at this subject and consider what God says about us and the role he'd like us to play in this world.Feel free to listen in xxx

We've been running The Living Room for over six years now and today we take a look at how we came to start and what we feel we're all about.If you've ever wondered if church could be for you - maybe you are interested but have loads of questions, maybe you've been involved in churches in the past and aren't sure if you could feel comfortable somewhere, maybe you've been hurt by religion in the past - then feel free to have a listen to why the living room exists.If you feel intrigued by this then feel free to get in touch with us at info@thisisthelivingroom.com

Today we had the absolute privilege of interviewing one of the loveliest people from the Living Room.Jeff's story is so interesting and full of a ridiculous amount of surprises. It's completely worth a listen and contains so many gems of wisdom and lessons for us all to learn from.Feel free to listen in xxx

If you've ever been brave enough to ask some big questions about faith then you may have experienced some challenges around how you communicate your findings with others.It's sometimes hard to see how much we change, but change is inevitable if we remain curious. Today we take a look at this subject and look at some of things we need to consider when we try to maintain relationships with people who might think differently. Feel free to listen in xxx

Courage looks different for each person. Some may be able to take a leap into the unknown, others may need the courage just to keep going each day.It can be hard to muster up courage and there are so many things that can work against us being courageous.We take a look at this subject today and attempt to inject some hope into the whole idea of us finding courage to be able to keep moving forward.Feel free to listen in x

Today we finish our series on wellbeing by looking at the benefit of looking after your spiritual health.We can sometimes think that spiritual health is about grading how good you are at being a Christian?That mentality skews so much to do with spiritual health - and that's what we take a look at today, the importance of having a healthy perspective on what spiritual wellbeing is and looking at the positive things that we can do to benefit our spiritual wellbeing.Feel free to listen x

Social wellbeing isn't something that we talk about that much.The basic gist is seeing the benefit of having  social connections that positively impact your life.As we move through life we can find that friendships alter and shift, but we all need friends.Today we take a look at some of the social challenges we face, the importance and benefit of connection and the difference it makes when someone can remind you of who you are.Fell free to listen in x

The relationship that we have with money has a huge impact on how we feel and function as a human.When we are stretched financially it can add a burden that is so heavy to carry. Not only does this limit what we can practically achieve in life it also has a profound effect on our mental and emotional capacity to cope with life moving forward.Today we take a look at some of the challenges that so many people face as well as looking at some of the key things we should consider to develop a healthy relationship with and mentality towards money.We really hope this is helpful.Feel free to listen in x

Managing our emotions can be quite a task. The current time we live in is full of so much stress, demand and expectation, so managing how we feel and how we function can be a real test for us.Today we'll take some time to talk about understanding the weight we have to carry, some of the signs that can show we're stressed and take a look at how we might begin to lighten the emotional load on us.If this subject resonates with you then feel free to get in touch if you need a chat. You can email us on info@thisisthelivingroomFeel free to listen in x

Our latest series is looking at wellbeing and this episode looks at the challenges around looking after our physical health.This is a difficult subject to talk about as it's so personal but taking care of our physical health is so important. I hope this conversation helps you think about some positive actions you can take to look after physical health.Feel free to listen in x

When we think about how Christianity works, so many people feel like there are a set of rules that need to be followed in order to be accepted. The better you are at following the rules the better ‘Christian' you are.This mentality is riddled with so many problems and actually goes against so much of what Jesus said.We're taking a look at this subject today, challenging that thought process and then presenting a different way of looking at this whole idea.Feel free to listen in x

When we find a connection with God it can have a huge impact on how we function in our lives. Agenda can still have an impact on this relationship - in fact, it can easily be the foundation of the relationship. Getting rid of agenda in the way we relate to God becomes transformative.We're taking a look at this today, learning to recognise agenda and how we can develop a stronger and healthier connection to God.Feel free to listen in x

The relationships that we have with those closest to us are so important in our lives.We can sometimes find that agenda creeps in and begins to affect these relationships - today we take some time to look at how this can happen, the impact that it can have and how we can recognise it and make a change.Feel free to listen in x

It's so easy to feel overwhelmed with everything that we need to do in life and we can often neglect to effectively refill ourselves. Today, Becky talks to us about the importance of loving ourselves, shares some stories and advise on how we can begin to address this issue.Feel free to listen in x

Great friends are such a gift to our lives. We need the input of numerous people to help us feel fulfilled in our lives.We can sometimes find that agenda plays a role in our friendships and can spoil the impact that we can have on our friends and vice-versa.Today we look at the importance of friends, the role agenda can play and how we sometimes need to be prepared to move on.Feel free to listen in xxx

We don't choose our neighbours, so we have to work out how to relate to them.How do we love our neighbours? What does that look like? And how can agenda influence the way we behave in those relationships?Those are just some of the questions that we'll be considering in this talk.Feel free to listen in xxx

We spend around half of our waking ours in the workplace, so who we are in that environment is incredibly important.Today we'll look at the kind of worker we need to be, think about how agenda can affect our contribution and consider what love looks like in the workplace.Feel free to listen in xxx

If we're meant to become love to all people then does that mean we need to be best friends with everyone?The thought of that is pretty daunting and, luckily, the answer is no.Today we look at the different dynamics of our friendships and how we will function differently depending on the scenario.Feel free to listen in x

Bob Goff writes in ‘Everybody Always' that love with an agenda is no longer love.Today we introduce a series that aims to help us work out how we can become love to the people that we meet in our lives.Our hope is that we can begin to be the kind of people that Jesus would be if he was in our shoes.Feel free to listen in x

Reports of spiritual abuse are becoming increasingly common. With that in mind, we wanted to take some time to understand was spiritual abuse is, how to effectively support people who've been spiritually abused and how we can create healthy cultures that can stop spiritual abuse taking place.Feel free to listen in x

When we experience difficult things, the natural response is to run away from those emotions and attempt to eradicate them from our lives. Emotions like fear and anxiety can become debilitating, but in those times we can also harness some positives that can equip us to move forward.That's what we're looking at today - feel free to listen in x

We all need a certain amount of ego to have the confidence to do things. Getting the balance with ego can be a lot trickier than we realise, if left unchecked, it can begin to subtly impact so many things and affect how we feel and how we act.This is what we're thinking about today - feel free to listen in x

Today we have the pleasure of listening to Sadie talking about our mentality towards other people.It's easy to make love conditional, especially when people have made mistakes, but God continually models to us what real love look likes like, with no buts.Feel free to listen in xxx

We can easily reduce repentance down to a single moment of saying sorry and treat that as the point of change.The reality of repentance is that it is way more than that and is more of a process that we need take time with.Today we look deeper in to this area and begin to look at ways of reframing our thinking around repentance that aims to give us a healthy perspective as we move forward with God.

Today we had the privilege of interviewing Penny. She told us about her life, the challenges she's faced and how her perception of God and relationship with Him has changed over the years.We were all really inspired by hearing Penny's story and we hope you are too.Feel free to listen in x