Today’s social and mainstream media channels frequently describe a cultural backdrop of a “Toxic Masculinity” - it’s a phrase that can make some of us guys flinch and self-reflect and perhaps consider how we as Christian men, husbands, fathers, brothers in Christ can respond without being defensive about being men made in God’s image and demonstrate a more tender masculinity? Toxic masculinity could include emotionally distant men, denying or repressing their emotions, to avoid looking "weak"; and to “toughen up” when faced with adversity. It can also manifest as hyper-aggressive behaviour, th ..read more

On this episode we had a great opportunity to catch up with Richard Gamble, the pioneer of the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer, which is to be built between the M42, M6, HS2 and Birmingham airport and which will become visible to approximately half a million people a week once complete. The architecture is configured into a Moebius strip comprising of a million bricks, each one linked to a testimony of answered prayer – in written, audio or video form. Richard’s heart is for the stories of answered prayer to be told in much more accessible ways and to make them far more widely available to any ..read more

Do connect with us on our Business WhatsApp by clicking https://bit.ly/MPowerOnWhatsApp! In this episode we are chatting with Leon Mills, the manager of the foodbank on the staff team at Birmingham City Church. Leon talks us through his role in overseeing the foodbank – how it originally started out, who it serves and its heart to bring the compassion of Jesus to people in financial difficulties. He explains how the foodbank feeds people physically with food for up to 3 days, and also spiritually through offering prayer. A big driving factor for him in leading the foodbank is that people are k ..read more

In a special and extended edition of the podcast, we feature four of Elim’s MPower team: Mark Lyndon-Jones, Gordon Allan, Liam Husband and Nick Whittome. We have gathered some of the team to speak especially via the podcast into a big issue affecting men’s lives: loneliness. Do respond to us via our Whatsapp by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/MPower-PodcastLinkToWhatsapp Mark explains that men can find it hard to build and maintain friendships and avoid isolation – and the recent pandemic has undoubtedly made this worse. Isolation is a real threat to men: King David slipped morally with Bat ..read more

We are chatting with James Glass, who is the Elim Regional Superintendent for the North West of England and for Scotland. James is married to Beryl who is also an ordained Elim minister and they have three children aged 24, 21 and 16. In this episode of the podcast we discuss the idea of truth: how culture interprets, handles and presents truth, and how far that might differ from what the bible says about truth. James suggests that in our western culture there is a prevailing trend for relativism, which is the postmodern idea that we each have our own truth, and that there is no such thing as ..read more

We are chatting in this episode with James Aladiran who leads Prayer Storm, a charity that aims to “gather people together around divine encounters and equip them to be increasingly fervent and strategic in prayer.” James opens by telling us about his family and explaining the background to his journey towards Prayer Storm. He confesses that to begin with he never had an ambition for Christian ministry as such, and on top of that hated public speaking! He likens how he felt about his speaking ability to one of those really bad X-Factor candidates who can’t sing! He then shares about a turning ..read more

PODCAST OUTLINE In this episode we are chatting with Luca Russo, who looks after the livestream production and the student and twenties ministry at Birmingham City Church in Birmingham UK, as well helping to lead worship on Sundays and create video productions. Luca is Italian, the son of a pastor from Sicily, and he became a Christian as a teenager in a youth camp. He went on to study in bible college, and has always wanted to serve God with his life. Luca is married to Deb and they have a son. Luca shares his strong confidence in God’s capacity to provide for his needs, because of the number ..read more

PODCAST OUTLINE We celebrate 3,000 plays in episode 21, in conversation with Steve Legg, evangelist, escapologist, comedy magician and editor of Sorted Magazine. Steve is the only bloke in his household with 6 other females (7 if you count the dog), and as you might imagine he occasionally pines for male banter about football! He opens with an incredible story of leading three hundred people to Jesus from the main stage at the occult Festival of the Dead in Mexico. We also chat about how he came to launch Sorted Magazine after a conversation with his accountant, after lamenting the questionabl ..read more

PODCAST OUTLINE In this episode we are chatting with Piet Van Waarde, a pastor at Shoreline Church in Texas, America - a longstanding friend of 'Discipleship For Busy Blokes' podcast host, Nick Whittome. We are discussing a parable both of us have gained so much from over the years – the parable of the Prodigal Son. Piet shares how the younger son in the parable reflects his own experience as someone raised in a Christian home who decided to go off to live a life of wild living, self-indulgence and drug-taking. He shares a ‘coming to his senses’ moment after a huge party that totally trashed h ..read more

In this important episode, we are in conversation with Mark McClurg, Pastor of Ards Elim Church in Newtownards, County Down in Northern Ireland. Mark described how he contracted coronavirus amongst some of the first wave of those infected with the illness in March 2020.  He started feeling unwell, and when he started to experience chest pain, one of the nurses in his church told him to take himself to A&E, even though he did not have the other usual symptoms. He was triaged swiftly, because his oxygen levels were low and his temperature had started to peak by this time, and he was the ..read more