So far in this series we’ve talked about why we need friendships and the difference Jesus makes to them, but what does that look like in reality? Adam and Ashleigh each sit down with a friend to talk about how their friendship has brought them closer to God and taught them more about him, and share their reflections on what has helped their friendships to thrive. Why not share this episode with a friend and let them know how much you appreciate them?  Resources mentioned and related  The Radiant Dawn Tom Parsons  From Glory Into Glory Tom Parsons  Three or More Andrew Bunt ..read more

Isn’t intimacy all about sex? How and why should we pursue intimacy in our friendships? We’re joined by Katherine (Kaleidoscope contributor and part of the Being Human team at the Evangelical Alliance) for a conversation about different kinds of intimacy, how we can practically cultivate deeper and more intimate friendships, and how to navigate some of the risks inherent to pursuing intimacy in friendships.    Resources mentioned and related  Kaleidoscope  Relationships Matter Evangelical Alliance  Have You Been Intimate With Anyone Recently? Andrew Bunt  Emotion ..read more

How does being friends with Jesus change the way we do friendship, with Christians and non-Christians? What are the most encouraging and challenging things about the friendship Jesus offers us? And how do we practically go about addressing the friendship deficit in our own lives, while having realistic expectations of ourselves and our friends?   We’re joined by Vaughan Roberts for a challenging, encouraging and liberating conversation about the joys and limits of human friendship, and how knowing Jesus as our friend transforms our view of and approach to friendships. Vaughan is the recto ..read more

How can we be friends with God? What does that actually look like in daily life? Does being friends with God mean we don't need human friends?  With Phil Knox - evangelist, missiologist and author of 'The Best of Friends' - we're kicking off our series on friendship thinking about what friendship is, why it matters, and some top tips for cultivating friendships with God and with other people.  Resources mentioned and related Evangelical Alliance  The Best of Friends Phil Nox  Billy No Mates Max Dickins  The Four Loves C. S. Lewis  Friends Robin Dunbar  Tru ..read more

Friendship. We all need it, and it's especially valuable in making the single life plausible. But how do we do it well? How can we foster healthy intimacy in friendship? What example does Jesus give us? All this and more to come in our new podcast series - stay tuned ..read more

Who’s the Tiny Tim of the Living Out staff team? And the Scrooge? How can we keep going as single people over Christmas and New Year, and look out for the single people around us?   All this and more in our (slightly chaotic) podcast Christmas Special!   Resources mentioned and related  The Loneliest Day of the Year Dani Treweek  God Gets You Andrew Bunt  Coming Home for Christmas Dan Reid  A Poetic Gift This Christmas Ed Shaw  ..read more

James, a youth leader and Kaleidoscope contributor, shares his experience of trying out the series with some of his youth group, including what they particularly enjoyed about the series.   We also hear from Eleanor, who tells her story in episode 3 of Kaleidoscope, about some of the blessings of singleness, her reflections on how the Church has handled the wider issue of sexuality, and why she as a church leader is excited about Kaleidoscope.   Finally, Adam tells us about his experience of faith and sexuality as a teenager, what’s changed in our culture and in the Church for young ..read more

As a teenager, Nat was fascinated by God and got confirmed. But when she came out as a lesbian at 16, she was met with rejection from her peers and a Christian school teacher. At university, she joined the LGBT society and remained angry at God and at Christians for the way she’d been treated.  But then she met Matt when she started working, and his reaction to her story was different. They tell the story of how they met, how Nat gave her life to Jesus, how they started dating, and share some of the benefits and challenges of their mixed-orientation marriage.  Resources mentioned and ..read more

In this show we're looking at how to support young people who are struggling with their gender identity. We define the terms and share our own stories of gender confusion before discussing some of the reasons why increasing numbers of young people might be identifying as transgender. In the second half we get practical with advice about how to support young people experiencing distress about their gender, including how to respond with compassion, how to talk about identity and how to offer hope in suffering. This episode also features an interview with community paediatrician Dr. Julie Maxwell ..read more

What is godliness and what does it look like for people who experience opposite-sex and same-sex attraction? That's the question we explore today. We also look at why the idea that godliness for a gay Christian means developing heterosexual desires is unhelpful and unbiblical. Resources mentioned and related The Plausibility Problem Ed Shaw The Plausibility Problem: A Review Steve Ward What Does God Really Say About Sexuality? (Explore Questions #1) Called to be Holy and Blameless Andrew Bunt  Putting My Armour On Anne Witton A Bible Chapter for Same-sex Attracted Christians Andrew Bunt ..read more