Severn Church, Bristol presents a podcast about our spiritual and emotional health. What does it mean to healthy in spiritual and emotional ways, and what difference can this make to our quality of life? We’re going to hear and discuss ideas about this with people who have experiences and stories to share about life in good and not so good states of health.
Our first series, on “Emotionally Healthy Church”, looks at how we have sometimes found church to be a difficult experience and how we have been exploring ways to improve this.
If you have any questions or experiences to share, we would love to hear from you - email hello@severnchurchbristol.org
What is prayer, and how does it work when we pray or intercede for other people? Owen Lynch and Bern Leckie discuss experiences of this, including times when prayer has changed things - often the person praying.
What can happen when we form habits of praying for others and ask, in Jesus' words, for God's kingdom to come and his will to be done? And can it make a difference when we don't just pray alone, but pray together with other people?
8 Apr 2022
Discussion: Fasting part 2 - Severn Vineyard's All You Can Eat Buffet
As we prepare for Easter, some people at Severn Vineyard have been engaging with a traditional spiritual discipline of fasting, with very different experiences!
Rebecca Kishtainy and Owen Lynch share with Bern Leckie about how and why they have been fasting, what they have gained from the experience, and how they might encourage others to try it.
Please note that fasting may not be for everyone - if you have medical conditions affected by your diet, please check with your doctor.
25 Feb 2022
Discussion: What is Lent and why might fasting be good? - Severn Vineyard's All You Can Eat Buffet
In the first of a short series of chats as we prepare for Easter, Owen Lynch and Bern Leckie discuss what is special about this season, and how fasting might be able to help our spiritual and emotional health.
What can we expect from a prolonged period without food? How can the discomfort of this change the way we see and relate to ourselves, other people and God? We look at this and share practical advice to help approach the experience of fasting in the healthiest possible way.
Fasting is not suitable for everyone. We suggest that children and adolescents, anyone with stress related to body image or with a medical need to ensure a constant diet should not fast in the ways discussed here. Always check with your GP if you are in any doubt.
More info and resources at severnvineyard.org/lent
31 Dec 2021
Discussion: Which self are you today?
Do we feel like the same people in every situation, at work, home, church, with colleagues, friends and family? What makes us act differently in different situations, and how many versions of us are there?
In this episode, our panel discusses the different versions of themselves, when they show up and hide away, and how this connects with ethics at work and careful consideration of others, but also our insecurities, fears, imposter syndrome and difficulties in bringing our whole selves together in one place.
What can we do to live more healthily? We discuss building self awareness, acknowledging past problems, growing relationships and taking leaps of faith to serve and encourage others rather than getting lost in our own issues.
This is the last in our first series of podcasts, but we'll be back in a few months to cover another set of topics relating to our spiritual and emotional health.
If you're interested in more resources, including a course designed as a journey to explore the links between spiritual and emotional health in depth, look for "Emotionally Focused" on our website.
We'd love to hear what you think - email hello@severnvineyard.org
24 Dec 2021
Talk: Which self are you today?
How many selves do you have, and how are they different? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at how easy it can be for us to split ourselves into different parts, being one way with people in church and a different way at home or work, for example.
Could this be creating emotional tension which undermines our relationships and even threatens our health? What can we do to bring our different selves together and live more emotionally healthy, integrated lives?
Next week, we'll have our panel back to discuss experiences of this and what we've found helpful to do about it. If you have any questions or anything you’d like to share, email hello@severnvineyard.org
17 Dec 2021
Discussion: Embracing vulnerability and weakness
How do we deal with our imperfections? Are they only sources of shame we feel we need to hide, or things to put on a "to do" list to improve, or can they also be things that define us and help shape our contributions to life, relationships and the world?
In this episode, our panel discusses times we have felt weak and out of control, and how we have grown our abilities to be more aware of our vulnerabilities and emotional triggers. Part of this has been through structured time spent with trusted friends giving each other permission to ask some probing questions.
We also consider the role of failure in life - have we learned more from it than through success? Could it be something we need to learn to celebrate and share more?
We'd love to hear what you think - email hello@severnvineyard.org
10 Dec 2021
Talk: Embracing vulnerability and weakness
How can weakness be a strength? In this talk, Owen Lynch shares about vulnerability and looks at how God has used lots of people with different character flaws. When we are concerned about our areas of weakness, could we find that we are uniquely suited for roles and relationships we had never dreamed possible?
We'll discuss this with a panel of people next week. If there's anything you would like to share or ask us, email hello@severnvineyard.org
3 Dec 2021
Discussion: Embracing pain and loss
This week, our podcast about spiritual and emotional health is a chat about how we deal with pain and loss, from the little things we haven't been able to do because of lockdowns to the bigger losses which have shaped us or revealed who we are.
We look at a Psalm where David asks "Why?" a lot, and realise what an awkward, painful, incisive and revealing question this can be.
We also talk about the depths of what we can discover, and ultimately grow and delight in, when we can process our pain in relationships with friends and - as we do in our faith - with God.
We hope you'll find some encouragement here. If you would like to get in touch with any thoughts or anything you'd like to share, email hello@severnvineyard.org.
26 Nov 2021
Talk: Embracing pain and loss
When we need physical healing, we know how to get help, but what happens when we experience pain which leaves us emotionally hurting, mourning or broken? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at different sources of emotional pain and the typical choices we make when we experience them. Are we complicating our healing from pain by refusing to deal with it? Can we recognise how people look to God with pain in the writings of the Bible, and build a culture which helps us too?
Our panel will return to discuss this and our experiences next week. If you would like to share anything with us, email hello@severnvineyard.org.
19 Nov 2021
Discussion: Limits and responsibilties
What could be good about facing up to our limitations in life? We've found that we love to say "yes" more than we like saying "no" much of the time, but there have been some unhealthy reasons for this, and unhealthy consequences as a result.
In this episode, our panel shares experiences with this and how we have found good reasons and ways to accept our limits, say "no" to some things and say "yes" with more purpose where we can make a difference. We also discuss how this relates to life following Jesus, what people expected from him, and how he surprised everyone with his purpose to engage people like us in the work of changing the world.
If there is anything you would like to share or ask us, you can email hello@severnvineyard.org
12 Nov 2021
Talk: Limits and responsibilties
How liberating can it be to live within limits? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at what happens when we don't accept limits and become overburdened, disillusioned or tied into unhealthy relationships. For people who believe in Jesus, it can be hard to accept limits if faith says there should be none. But looking closer at Jesus, can the choices he made and the limits he accepted with his humanity help us make the most of our lives and limitations too?
We'll chat about this with our panel next week. If you have any questions or anything you'd like to share, you can email us - hello@severnvineyard.org
5 Nov 2021
Discussion: Family of origin
How much is who we are and what we do influenced by inheritance from our families? Today, our panel discusses our family backgrounds, how we've recognised (sometimes after a long time) that we have become more like our parents than we expected, and how we've been able to move on from feeling locked into inherited patterns of behaviour.
There is a very big realisation lurking in here about the way we end up conflicted and stressed about all of this. It's to do with our expectations of perfection, initially in our parents, and then in ourselves. What can happen when we spot that and call it out for the impossibility that it is?
We'll look at this more next week when Owen brings more about how we see ourselves and our limitations. If you would like to share any thoughts or questions, email us - hello@severnvineyard.org
29 Oct 2021
Talk: Family of origin
How much are we shaped by family and patterns inherited from our parents? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at the influence of family on famous leaders in the Bible and people in our own time. We choose our own paths, but it can help us to grow awareness of how our choices are influenced by vows we made to ourselves when growing up. Can Jesus' offer of "born again" new life then break us free of inherited destructive patterns?
Next week, we'll gather our panel to discuss what this all means and how it feels to us. If you have questions or anything you'd like to share, email us at hello@severnvineyard.org
22 Oct 2021
Discussion: Stop Before You Hit The Bottom
What do we think about these ideas about spiritual and emotional health, why they don't always match up, and why life would be better if they do?
Join our panel discussing how we've struggled with inner conflicts and sharing honestly, what it means to start stripping off our protective scales, and how long we think it might take to become emotionally healthy.
Next week, Owen will be talking about family and how we can be shaped by our earliest experiences. If you'd like to share any thoughts or questions, email us - hello@severnvineyard.org
15 Oct 2021
Talk: Stop Before You Hit The Bottom
We can look nice and spiritually sorted on the surface, but what's going on underneath? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at what affects our emotional health which is often hidden from view until it bubbles up into occasional outbursts of impatience, anger or pain. Growing our awareness of what causes that pain can help us, not just to manage it but to outgrow it with God's help.
Next episode, we'll have a panel to discuss what they've found good or difficult about this. If you have questions or anything you’d like to share, email us at hello@severnvineyard.org
8 Oct 2021
Introduction: Why grow our spiritual and emotional health together?
Why do we often end up feeling different inside from how we want to look on the outside? Can growing our awareness about this help us to become more healthy and better able to face challenges?
Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch discuss experiences of this, including how they have been building friendships in a church context with small groups of people who want to help each other grow.
This podcast is the start of a journey exploring more about spiritual and emotional health, why these need to link together (and what happens when they don't), and what we are learning from life and relationships.
If you would like to ask questions or share your experiences, email hello@severnvineyard.org
1 Oct 2021
Well With My Soul - what is this about?
Welcome! You're in the right place for a podcast from Severn Vineyard about spiritual and emotional health, what these mean to us and how they link with each other and our other kinds of healthiness to help us face every challenge we meet in life.
We will cover a topic every week, sometimes with a talk from Owen Lynch, Severn Vineyard's co-lead pastor, and other weeks with a panel discussing how it's working out in our lives, or maybe not! What are finding difficult, or what do we have questions about?
If you have questions or want to grow in this with us, we hope you'll subscribe and get our free episodes every Friday morning. You can also explore our resources at severnvineyard.org/health and join us every Sunday in person or online to meet us and share what's happening with you. Email hello@severnvineyard.org if you'd like to get in touch.
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