Which do you prioritise in your life: Bible or box set ? Prayer or playlist? Service or socials? In truth, for many of us streaming probably has a higher slice of our pie chart that the Spirit. So in a world where priorities battle for our attention and demand our effort, what are the priorities that the Gospel might set for our lives and how can we use His Truth to get the right balance when it comes to our work, leisure, health, the world around us or even church?Life Issues this week Gospel priorities in a uncertain world where Paul Hammond is joined by Peter Lynas and Jenine Main.
Ever feel like your own thoughts and emotions are holding you back? Drawing from the message of Disentangled, Author Jo Johnson joins Ashley Andrew to explore how to practically manage some of what’s going on inside us, so we can live with greater freedom, clarity, and as the bible says develop a sound mind. Not pretending everything’s fine, but learning how to respond well when it’s not. This week's Life Issues: Disentangling the mind
Do you think we should ban mobile phones in school? Do you think we should ban social media for under 16's? Should we all be pairing back on our social media use? Reports suggest that algorithams are addictive, so how do we guide young people through the hidden dangers of screens shaping their identity? It's been descirbed as a health emergency confronting children, with the claim that theres a stong link between this and substantial increase in rates of suicide, depression, anxiety, and self harm among teenagers. So who should have the final say on how young people access online content? That's the doomscroll dilemma. In this weeks Life Issues episode Ashley is joined by Content Writer for CARE, Dan Wells.
Lets be honest most of us want to be liked, valued, appreciated but how far are we prepared to go to make that happen? We’re told that, as far as we are able we should live at peace with all, but that’s different to living a life to “please people” in fact that’s something the bible warns against, so in a world that seems obsessed with impressing others, what does it mean to be a people pleaser? What does it do to us if we are & how does having a “servant heart” fit in? Paul is joined by UK and Ireland Directors for Ellel Ministries, Andy and Cath Taylor, in this weeks Life Issues episode 'People pleasers, is that really what we want to be'
Did you know horses, chickens, guinea pigs- even fish can be used in animal-assisted therapy? In this week’s Life Issues with Vicky Gibbens, she finds out about the journey of one Christian Mum, Ali Colley, who was unexpectedly called by God to train in this area of mental and emotional wellbeing. Her daughter, Hope, at seven years old, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer.
We may have many dreams & expectations for our children, yet most of all we want them to be healthy. But for Karen & Gordon Palmer they discovered before their first daughter, Jennifer Grace, was even born, that she had multiple, life-threatening abnormalities. In this Life Issues episode with Vicky Gibbens, they share how God stepped in and carried them, as they carried Jennifer.
How much of our time do we focus on the here and now, and dealing with the everyday challenges, rather than looking to the future? Is eternity about our happiness, or God coming home to be truly with us? Is it even possible to live a heaven-soaked life now? The Right Reverend Professor N.T.Wright, a world-renowned Bible scholar and the former Bishop of Durham joins Vicky Gibbens for this Life Issues.
Around the world 1 in 7 Christians face persecution, so what is the hope we can offer to them – and given what the bible says about the expectation of persecution could their example, experience and theology be more in tune with biblical Christianity than our “comfortable” freedom based, western experience? In this week’s Life Issues, Hope for and from the Persecuted Church Paul is joined by Henrietta Blyth CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland.
Do you ever struggle with inconsistency of the Christian Walk? What if our “relaxed”, “I can pray anytime” attitude, towards spending time with God, that much of modern faith has come to inhabit, contributes to that? In years gone by, the monastic rule of life provided a framework and focus through the day, that pointed towards our Father in heaven. So given that the bible tells us to Be still & know…. What if we could embrace a “rule” for life, that balanced the best of that history with the freedom of spontaneous spirituality?This week’s Life Issues - A spiritual rule to make good faith habits.
When it comes to faith is it ok to say I don't always get it? I mean, can we ever fully understand God; the all-powerful all-knowing creator of the universe? Maybe the mystery of God is why you struggle to believe? But what if we are not meant to figure it all out? In this week’s Life Issues Helen is joined by Zach Bolen who is lead singer and guitarist from Citizens, a band whose music delves into the relationship between doubt and faith…
With the fragility of international relationships, crisis fatigue, and financial instability, are we doing enough to care for the marginalised and oppressed? How can we counter attitudes of indifference when trying to overcome problems like poverty, and gender-violence, that persist across generations? In this week’s Life Issues, Vicky Gibbens speaks to Canon Bev Jullien, the Chief Executive of Mothers’ Union, and the charity’s Worldwide President, Kathleen Snow, as the organisation celebrates its 150th anniversary.
2026, is the national year of reading, have you got a favourite book? Well one book that seems to be enjoying a surge in popularity is the Bible – with 2025 UK sales at a “record high” & worth £6.3 million. So, if people are interested in the Bible, seeking value in its words – what does our attitude towards it say? What should our relationship be with God’s word? In this week’s Life Issues, The Bible - dusty book or living Word? Paul Hammond speaks to Dr John Andrews.
Is it time we rescued the idea of intimacy from being confined to the bedroom? How close do we really want to be to God? After all, God is omnipresent, but sometimes we question God’s proximity. In this week’s Life Issues, Vicky Gibbens speaks to Ed Shaw, pastor and the author of a book about the intimacy deficit in our world today.
Singleness is not a waiting room. You’re not on pause, singleness isn’t a placeholder, it’s a powerful chapter, it’s a season with meaning. It’s not the hallway before real life starts, it’s not God hitting pause until marriage shows up. You might be single, not by choice, but singleness isn’t a holding room, it’s holy ground. Reverend Eleanor Jeans, author of the Securely Single course, joins Ashley Andrew in this week’s Life Issues episode ‘Singleness is not a waiting room’.
God created it, society seems obsessed with it, so why do we struggle to talk about it. Maybe it’s time we found God’s perspective. It’s a frank, grown up and perhaps a little bit shocking conversation. Emma Waring from “the marriage course” joins Paul in this week’s Life Issues episode ‘Seasons of Sex and Intimacy’.
Every January, the volume gets turned all the way up on the how-to’s. How to be better. How to fix yourself. How to finally become the version of you that didn’t quite make it last year. In our Life Issues episode this week Ashley Andrew is joined by Tieler Giles, Author of How to Ditch the How To. We’re talking about ditching the how-to’s. Not because growth doesn’t matter—but because somewhere along the way, self-improvement turned into self-pressure. And resolutions stopped being hopeful invitations and started sounding like accusations. What if real transformation doesn’t start with a checklist? So, let’s talk about stepping off the hamster wheel. 'How to have grace over the grind, and leave the pressure of holding onto the New Years resolutions behind' it’s the Life Issues podcast available now on UCB player.
How do we live out what it means to be known, seen and loved by God, and what kind of life does it lead to? Helen invited Richard Porter, author of The Adventure-Driven Life in this week’s episode to share his perspective as a Vietnam war veteran turned hippie who became a follower of Jesus.
What must it be like to find and experience Jesus’ love, when you live under an oppressive regime in your country and your nearest and dearest don’t believe? Marziyeh Amirizadeh wanted others in Iran to have such a relationship, but her passion led her to be sentenced to death by hanging for the crime of converting to Christianity. Vicky Gibbens was joined by Marzi to find out how Jesus helped her to survive in this week’s Life Issues.
What does it mean to be known, seen and loved by God? Should I be worried that God knows the secrets of my heart and hears the things my inside voice says? Or encouraged that He sees the true me when others don’t? It’s this week’s Life Issues podcast with Paul Hammond who is joined by Co-Team Leader at NXT Move Europe, Dan Randall.
We all want to be understood, cared for and valued. But why? Vicky Gibbens asks Biblical Counselling UK’s Helen Thorne-Allenson in the first episode of a four-part Life Issues series exploring what it means to be ‘known, seen, loved’, inspired by the lyrics of Christian artist MŌRIAH.
Nic Hadley
Thank you for covering this topic. As a Christian single parent I will be sharing the book with my church leaders.