This week we discuss the life of St George who was a Roman solider from Anatolia (modern Turkey), who was killed for his faith in the 3^rd century, by the Emperor Diocletian. We also discuss the legend of him slaying the dragon and its relevance today. Hywel gets annoyed that the English don’t seem to celebrate themselves enough.

We talk about the ordination of women and how we can live together while having different opinions on the issue.

Finally we discuss the brilliant Amazon show Fallout about a world destroyed by nuclear war.

For more on St George https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George_and_the_Dragon

If you would like to buy the merch we have hoodies, mugs and T-Shirts with our logo on: email hywel@yateparish.org.uk for more details.

The Hoodies are £25 and you can see the pics on our substack post. Let me know your size and Hywel will order you one.

This week we discuss the life of Isabella Gilmore who founded the order of Deaconess. She worked in South London during the Victorian era, a dangerous and amazing job. This paved the way for the ordination of women in 1992.

We talk about the evidence for the resurrection and debunk some of the theories used to dismiss the resurrection.

Finally we discuss the brilliant Pilgrim programme on the BBC, and how we need to be more proud of our faith.

For more on Isabella Gilmore https://www.rochestercathedral.org/research/gilmore

If you would like to buy the merch we have hoodies, mugs and T-Shirts with our logo on: email hywel@yateparish.org.uk for more details.

The Hoodies are £25 and you can see the pics on our substack post. Let me know your size and Hywel will order you one.

This week we discuss the life and death of the martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazi’s for his part in the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. His big idea was how friendship can transcend all differences. How can we emulate this heroic life in our lives today?

We talk about a question from Twitter or X where someone claimed that God gave him cancer.

Finally we discuss the Anime on Netflix Devilman Crybaby, which is definitely 18 plus.

For more on Bonhoeffer https://bonhoeffersociety.org/about/bonhoeffer/biography/

If you would like to buy the merch we have hoodies, mugs and T-Shirts with our logo on: email hywel@yateparish.org.uk for more details.

The Hoodies are £25 and you can see the pics on our substack post. Let me know your size and Hywel will order you one.

This week we discuss the life and death of the martyr Oscar Romero, who was killed by the Government of El Salvador in 1980. How can we emulate this heroic life in our lives today?

We talk about Easter and how belief in the resurrection changes our life today and how we live it.

Finally we discuss Jesus Christ Superstar and how it is not a depiction of the life of Christ and out of date.

For more on Oscar Romero: you can watch the whole movie about Romero here, the part I reference is about 1 hour in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xujb02cw8aA

For more on our Lent course see Yateparish.org

If you would like to buy the merch we have hoodies, mugs and T-Shirts with our logo on: email hywel@yateparish.org.uk for more details.

The Hoodies are £25 and you can see the pics on our substack post. Let me know your size and Hywel will order you one.

This week we discuss the life of Thomas Cranmer who wrote the Book of Common Prayer and was Archbishop during the reformation. He was a complex bloke, a genius but flawed.

We talk about the Lent course focusing on the Easter Vigil Service and why it is so moving and challenging.

Finally we discuss the movie The Last Temptation of Christ, where we talk about the temptation to be nice and quiet.

For more on Thomas Cranmer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cranmer

For more on our Lent course see Yateparish.org

If you would like to buy the merch we have hoodies, mugs and T-Shirts with our logo on: email hywel@yateparish.org.uk for more details.

The Hoodies are £25 and you can see the pics on our substack post. Let me know your size and Hywel will order you one.

This week we discuss the life of St Patrick, who brought the faith to the people of Ireland. We talk about how he used everyday objects and the environment around him, to preach the faith to those who had never heard it before. Could this inspire us to do the same today in our world?

We talk about the Lent course and how we imagine ourselves into the story of Good Friday and the trial of Jesus. We ask if the people involved were evil, or simply human’s caught up in a situation that they couldn’t control. We discussed how Jesus’ death saves us from sin last year, to listen to that click the link: https://redcircle.com/shows/fa3ca20d-35fd-42b0-92cf-69f726437db4/ep/bcc16653-4ce4-402b-9c13-6d63c2fdf02b

Finally we discuss the Netflix show One Day, it’s a romance story, Dave loved it so much he watched it all in one day, Hywel just about made it through the first episode. Perhaps Dave is more romantic.

For more on St Patrick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day

For more on our Lent course see Yateparish.org

If you would like to buy the merch we have hoodies, mugs and T-Shirts with our logo on: email hywel@yateparish.org.uk for more details.

The Hoodies are £25 and you can see the pics on our substack post. Let me know your size and Hywel will order you one.

This week we discuss the life of St Hilda of Whitby, who chaired the synod of Whitby. She brought together the kings of all the kingdoms of England. We talk about her life and how we are not always told about these women in the church, as it doesn’t fit with the current narrative about Christianity being awful.

We talk about the Lent course and how we imagine ourselves into the story of Maundy Thursday. Dave reflects on foot washing and the first ever communion. Dave also says its ok to fall asleep after a kabab when you pray.

Finally we discuss the US show Curb your Enthusiasm which Dave didn’t like but Hywel thinks its brilliant, in the episode Larry who is Jewish accidentally stops a baptism.

For more on St Hilda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilda_of_Whitby

For more on our Lent course see Yateparish.org

If you would like to buy the merch we have hoodies, mugs and T-Shirts with our logo on: email hywel@yateparish.org.uk for more details.

The Hoodies are £25 and you can see the pics on our substack post. Let me know your size and Hywel will order you one.

This week we discuss the life of St David, and how he started communities to bring the faith to the people of Wales. We also fall out about if people believed in literal stories of St David.

We talk about the Lent course and how we imagine ourselves into the story of Palm Sunday.

Finally we discuss the Netflix show Manifest; where a group of people disappear for five years then come back, and how God or something calls them to make the world better.

For more on St David https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/St-David-Patron-Saint-of-Wales/

For more on our Lent course see Yateparish.org

If you would like to buy the merch we have hoodies, mugs and T-Shirts with our logo on: email hywel@yateparish.org.uk for more details.

This week we discuss the way in which History has been changed in relation to Bishop Wilberforce, as he is portrayed as an anti-science fundamentalist who hated evolution. While he was in fact a scientist who favoured the scientific theory of the time, based on a different type of evolution. Why are we taught things in school which are false?

We talk about the first part of our Lent course and how we enter into stories to build our identity and how performing a story together helps us remember.

Finally we discuss the Channel 4 documentary on the miners strike of 1984 and the impact this had on communities and our nation.

For more on Bishop Wilberforce see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Wilberforce

For more on our Lent course see Yateparish.org

For an explainer on the state opening of parliament see: https://youtu.be/8jLOrk23YPw?si=CRQRezqpqua_VpmT

If you would like to buy the merch we have hoodies, mugs and T-Shirts with our logo on: email hywe@yateparish.org.uk for more details.

This week we discuss Janani Luwum the Archbishop of Uganda in 1977. He was killed by the dictator Idi Amin for speaking out against his brutal dictatorship. Is safety a Christian value? perhaps Jesus and Janani Luwum would say no as they both spoke the truth and suffered for it.

We talk about the nature of temptation and Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness, how each of them shows a different way we are drawn away from God.

Finally its another cop drama Payback and we think about how it would be difficult living a double life.

For more on our Lent course see Yateparish.org

For more on Janani Luwum see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janani_Luwum

This week we talk about Nicolas Steno, nobody has heard of him. He was a Catholic Bishop and Saint from the 17^th century, he is interesting because he is the father of geology. He discovered that the bones people thought were from dragons were actually ancient sharks and dinosaurs. We are always told that all Christians believed the world was 6000 years old until geology found it wasn’t and Christians tried to supress the science. The truth is that geology was founded by a Christian saint and he discovered dinosaurs and it was atheists in the 18^th and 19^th century who opposed geology. We discuss why what we are told is the opposite of the true history.

We talk about Lent and why it is important to repent and why guilt can be a good thing to reform our lives. How it is that a world that doesn’t believe in repentance and sin is so unforgiving.

Finally we talk about the Netflix show The Chosen and why Dave and Hywel were both disappointed in it.

For more on our Lent course see Yateparish.org

For more on Nicolas Steno see: https://www.famousscientists.org/nicolas-steno/

This week we discuss the life of Lord Shaftsbury, a 19^th Century Tory MP and evangelical Christian, who reformed the Law around insanity. Making it harder for people (mostly men) sending their wives to an asylum to get them out of the way. He also led a campaign to outlaw child labour in mines and factories, limiting working to 10 hours for children in mines. He led the campaign for all children to be educated in the UK, which then was exported around the world. Amazing that most people have never heard of him, I wonder why?

It is the feast of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, where Mary is purified after Jesus’ birth. We get side tracked talking about why women were secluded out of society for 40 days after birth and why this was done. We then talk about the meaning of the presentation of Jesus as the light of the world.

Finally we discuss the Book / Film Lord of the Flies, where children are marooned on a Island with no adult and kill each other and form a brutal society. Is this what humans actually are or are we good and evil?

For more about Lord Shaftsbury see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Ashley-Cooper,_7th_Earl_of_Shaftesbury

For more on the Presentation of Jesus see Luke 2

For more on Lord of the Flies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies

To watch the 1990 version of the film see ITV X

This week we discuss the Martyrs of Japan 26 Christians who were crucified in Nagasaki in 1627 a further 205 were killed over the following years until the whole of Japan was closed to the outside world until the 19^th century. When missionaries returned they found Christian communities worshipping in secret for 300 years.

It is the feast of the conversion of Paul on 25^th Jan so we talk about the different types of conversion and how we often favour the dramatic over the gradual.

Finally we discuss the ITV drama Mr Bates v The Post Office and discuss the dangers of institutional evil and how evil tries to isolate us to hold onto power.

For more about the Martyrs of Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs_of_Japan

For more on the Conversion of Paul https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_Paul_the_Apostle

Mr Bates v The Post Office is on ITV Player

This week we discuss the life of Charles Gore the founder of the community of the resurrection, this is the community that Hywel is a member of and trained him for the priesthood.

We talk about the meaning of Jesus’ first miracle turning the water into wine.

Finally we discuss the Amazon show The Wheel of Time which is a bit like Lord of the Rings.

For more about the Community at Mirfield see Mirfield.org.uk

This week we discuss the life of William Laud an Archbishop at a time of division in the English Civil War, what can we learn about his life and faith today.

We talk about the meaning of Vocation and how all of us are of equal value before God, no matter what we are called to do.

Finally we discuss the latest series of Traitors on BBC. Does it encourage betrayal and normalise back stabbing or is it just a bit of fun?

This week we discuss the dangers of Tarot Cards and Mediums.

We talk about the meaning of Epiphany and the visit of the wise men.

Finally we discuss the absurd nature of Eastenders and how its always the same.

This week we discuss Christmas from a Secular and Christian perspective and the Christmas Movie Jingle all the Way.

For our Christmas Service see: https://www.fromesidechurches.org.uk/ https://www.yateparish.org/christmas

This week we discuss the rise of conspiracy theories in the news and online.

We continue our Advent course and ask What is Discipleship.

Finally we discuss the rise of loads of Romance Christmas Film with the movie A Very Nutty Christmas.

This week we discuss the rise of Deep Fakes which are difficult or impossible to distinguish from real news.

We continue our Advent course and ask What is Prayer.

Finally we discuss the Netflix Christmas special for Bo Jack Horseman.

This week we react to the News of Christian Climate Action disrupting worship in Chichester Cathedral.

We continue our Advent course and ask What is Worship.

Finally we discuss the BBC prison drama Time.