Episodes

“How does wisdom equip and empower us to live life such that we rise above the meaninglessness and mediocrity around us and the different challenges we face?” That is the opening question of chapter 8 of the Dancing With Wisdom book. To answer that question we begin by raising the question of identity or being – who am I called to be? It is the most fundamental question of my personal existence. We are, after all, human beings and not human doings! Yet how often so much of our identity seems ...

Exploring the subject of wisdom is like looking at different facets of a diamond and even more so when we add an infinite reference point. As my co-host Elliott Frisby and I continue our conversation on what it means to define wisdom with respect to the Divine, we face the insight that our secular world conditions us to believe this life is all there is and that is all that matters. However, the fact is all religious traditions for thousands of years are agreed there is more to life than what w...

In our quest for wisdom it is vital to grasp that this is much more than simply making better decisions or getting what we think is best for us. Understanding wisdom in all its richness gets to the heart of what it means to be human. It is as intense as thinking about the wonder of a baby’s birth. While the physiological and genetic details of birth are well understood and documented, a scientific approach does not account for the wonder of bringing a new life into the world. I remember as a med...

Do you find some people really annoying? The things they say or the way they behave can be so bothersome and irritating. I know I do and I am sure I am not alone in that! We say things like ‘she makes me so mad’ or ‘he frustrates and irritates me so much’. And maybe there are legitimate things that the other person says or does which are understandably frustrating and annoying. However, the diagram below (from Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) challenges those as...

“What you don’t know can’t hurt you.” Such is a famous English saying. The problem is it assumes much which is frankly wrong. Think of a fish (hang in with me, this is going somewhere!) If you ask a fish to describe the water it is swimming in, and if it could answer, it would not know what to say because the water is all it knows about its existence. The water just is and naturally cannot be questioned as it is assumed to be always there. Now, surprise surprise, we are not fish (another profou...

What do you think of when you hear the word idols? Eastern religious statues or the famous world-wide TV show popularised by Simon Cowell? Whatever your answer I want to show you how essential understanding our own personal idols and removing them are to learning to dance with wisdom. There are many secular and religious examples of idols. Indeed more than 500 years ago Martin Luther described the human heart as ‘an idol factory’. What did he mean by that? Is such a statement still relevant to...

Do you have an ego problem? A few years ago I had an argument with my wife, Sally and I was challenged by how my ego was actually making things worse. But, before we get to that, what do we actually mean by ego? When we talk of someone having an ego, we’re more than just stating a fact and we’re certainly not offering them a compliment! The truth is we all have an ego. On our quest for wisdom why can ego cause such great problems in our own lives and the lives of others? Is there such a thing as...

How do you navigate through life so as to not just survive, but actually thrive and even dance through the confusion and mess? That is much easier said than done! More than we care to admit life is so often full of challenges and complex situations where we can feel at the end of our resources. How do we navigate our way through for the greater good of ourselves and others? In this podcast conversation we discuss the subject of wisdom for life. It’s only a small subject to cover in 25 minutes! ...

We live in the age of information. Perhaps it is more accurate to say we are drowning in the information constantly presented to us. In previous generations it took 1000 years for human knowledge to double. Currently human knowledge doubles every 12 hours! Is it any surprise that we struggle to keep up? But our minds and souls need so much more than just information. We need wisdom. Our restless minds struggle to make sense of life with all the information coming at us from all sorts of directi...

Understanding wisdom is not a one-off event, but the quest of a lifetime. A quest is long search for something difficult to find or an attempt to achieve something difficult. A quest is different from an adventure. In a adventure, you choose to go out on an exciting journey. It spices up your life and then you come back home to pick up where you left off. By contrast a quest is not something you choose. Rather, the quest chooses you. You are called to it because of what is going to be demanded ...

From Making Sense of Life to Dancing With Wisdom! I’m delighted to announce Season 2 Episode 1! On Series 2 Episode 1 of the Dancing With Wisdom Podcast we explore the question of Why Wisdom? Do come and join my new podcast host, Elliott Frisby and I as we explore this question in detail. Elliott gives us the dictionary definition of wisdom as “The ability to make sensible decisions and give good advice because of the experience and knowledge that you have.” In our conversation we explore why...

What makes this interview particularly fascinating is that it was recorded in January 2020 before the start of the global pandemic that has turned all of our lives upside down. In that time churches have had to go from being based in buildings to being forced to present their services online as there has been no other option. When we recorded this interview we had little idea how much our world was going to change in such a short span of time. While this has created significant challenges it has...

As we continue our conversation with Peter Kerridge, chief executive of Premier Christian Communications, we ask him a variety of questions around his life and leadership. Peter is well qualified to answer such questions as he has guided the development over the last 25 years of Premier Christian Radio from its humble beginnings to become the largest Christian Radio station in the world. In particular we explore: How God has guided Peter as a continual worrier about where he is supposed to be ...

How does God guide an insurance salesman, self-confessed worrier and part time radio commentator to start what would become one of the largest Christian radio stations in the world? Do join us on the first of three conversations with Peter Kerridge, CEO of what has become Premier Christian Communications, Europe’s largest Christian multimedia group. It works with a wide range of Christian churches and organisations across the UK through radio, Internet, video and magazine platforms. Its mission ...

On this podcast we continue our conversation with Amanda Clegg about her book co-written with Victoria Byrne, “Hope and Spice: Authentic recipes and stories of transformation from the slums of Delhi.” Its one thing to have a good idea, but its another to see that idea through to completion. That is even more so for a cook book that combines not only authentic recipes, but inspiring stories of the slum dwellers themselves. Do join us in this conversation with Amanda as we explore: Why she coul...

Cook books are hugely popular the world over. Amanda Clegg and Victoria Byrne have together written a cook book that is unique in so many ways to the vast number that are out there. On this podcast I have the privilege of interviewing Amanda about her book “Hope and Spice: Authentic recipes and stories of transformation from the slums of Delhi.” Here is a short video recorded with Amanda and Victoria at the launch of the book back in November 2018: Do come and join us on the podcast for this fa...

Welcome to a new year and a new decade! What will 2020 hold in store for you? While there are many unanswered questions, and the year before us is at this point a somewhat blank slate, what we are most definitely going to need is wisdom. Do join my co-host Andrew Horton and I on this third and final podcast as we continue to unpack this subject of wisdom. Also my book on wisdom is scheduled to release in 2020! Wisdom comes from a daily discipline but not in a day. It does not come through a qu...

Wisdom. What is it? Why do you and I really need it? What do we mean by the word wisdom? Do join my cohost Andrew Horton and I on this podcast as we unpack some of the ideas from the book on wisdom I am currently working on. In our conversation we unpack the following draft quote from the book: “Wisdom comes not to the most fortunate or intelligent, but to those who are most determined to find it. We should hunger and thirst for wisdom above everything else and what that can mean for your life...

“Don’t wish it was easier. Wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems. Wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.” If you have been a regular follower of the blog and podcast you will be aware that over the last year I have significantly reduced my online activity. The main reason is to find more time to write the book on wisdom that I have been developing. So how is it going? While it is certainly not yet finished I am pleased to say I’m making good p...

You rarely hear it mentioned in the mainstream media, but it is those who profess allegiance to Jesus Christ who are the world’s single most persecuted religious group . In face more Christians have died for their faith in the last 100 years than in the previous 2000 years combined! In our third and final conversation with Patrick Sookhdeo we discuss: The origins of the charity Barnabas Fund which Patrick helped to start. How even though Western nations like to regard themselves as secular th...

On this podcast we continue our conversation with Patrick Sookhdeo and his journey with Christ in a hostile British environment in the 1960s and 1970s. Patrick is currently Director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity as well as the International Director of Barnabas Fund. The latter is an interdenominational Christian charity that supports Christians who face discrimination because of their faith. It was established in 1993 and channels aid through national Christians to m...

The 1960s in Britain are popularly associated with black and white television, The Beatles, a sexual revolution and England winning the football World Cup in 1966. But what was it like for those who came as outsiders to England at that time? One such person who came in 1959 at the age of 12 with his family was Patrick Soohdeo. Patrick is Director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity as well as the International Director of Barnabas Fund. The latter is an interdenominational...

Now that sounds like a difficult subject! We all shy away from talking about it and yet what could actually be more important? On this podcast we return to our conversation with the author John Wyatt and explore the subject of what it means to die well. Do join us in this 35 minute conversation when we explore: How to prepare the space to talk The importance of asking open-ended questions such as ‘What is your understanding of what is going on medically?’… ‘What are you afraid of?’…..’What ar...

We live in a world that celebrates success, achievement and strength. Crowds flock to watch or hear about the fastest, strongest, most beautiful and accomplished men and women of the world. However, there is another deeper and more lasting perspective. https://youtu.be/eojeiQDvxGY I was recently at a conference for Christian doctors and had the unexpected privilege of meeting Rebekah Domer. She is the author of the book, “Broken but Blessed: Journeying from Pain to Peace with Unlikely Guides.”...