Have you ever thought about a title for your autobiography? When Bishop Rose Hudson Wilkin was appointed as Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the next morning in the paper she was referred to as “The girl from Montego Bay” But what they meant to disparage, she made a thing of honour. Paul Hammond is joined by Bishop Rose to talk about racism, sexism and how your yesterday doesn’t have to define your today on this week’s Life Issues “Bishop Rose “The girl from Montego Bay”

Do you struggle with the relentless demands of life?

Is it possible to live slower and freer but still keep up with all our responsibilities?

And what can ants teach us about living in freedom?

Katharine Hill, UK Director at Care for the Family and author of Born Free joins Helen Lea in this week’s Life Issues: How to flourish in a hectic world.

In 1995, the UK decided it was time to “provide a level playing field” for those living with the constrictions of disability. The Disability Discrimination Act was born - to end discrimination, to ensure fair treatment, to bring rights not charity, not to give special treatment but to give equal opportunity.

In this week’s Life Issues: Paul Hammond is joined by Rev Katie Tupling and Stef Benstead to ask, “30 years, but have our attitudes towards disability really improved?”

Do you have unfulfilled dreams? Maybe life hasn't turned out as you'd hoped? From becoming a parent, to owning a home, getting married or pursuing a certain career...

How do we deal with these unfulfilled desires?

Can we rewrite the narrative and find a new vision for our lives?

And is it ok to grieve something you've never had? Helen Lea is joined by midlife mindset coach Helen Louise Knight who's passionate about helping people who feel invisible - embrace and make the most of the life they have.

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.

Hinduism is the 3rd largest faith group in the UK, but how much do we know or understand about it. It is so much more than Diwali or Hindu nationalism, in a very real sense it’s a different worldview. Rahil Patel is Paul Hammonds guest on this week’s Life Issues podcast entitled ‘The Christian said “Jesus is the answer,” the Hindu said “what’s the question?”’

In the 75th year of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, we ask what is it about the fictional land of Narnia in the classic novel by C.S. Lewis that continues to entice and entertain children and adults alike? Adventure and faith discovery in Narnia is the latest Life Issues podcast with Vicky Gibbens and her guest Dr Jem Bloomfield.

How often do you chat to your neighbour? On Life Issues this week we’re asking what was that ‘glue’ that seemed to stick people together bringing a sense of belonging and relationship to a community that doesn’t seem to exist anymore? Or does it? Joining Vicky Gibbens for the conversation is author Nigel Adams in our latest podcast episode, Communities of Hope.

(This episode was originally broadcast on w/c 9th September 2024)

David Peek from UCB News is joined in Life Issues by a range of guests as they discuss the legacy of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, what the process is like for selecting the 106th Archbishop, and the challenges the new leader of the Church of England and global Anglican church will face.

[Originally broadcast the week of 5th February 2024]

Do you know the value of your attention? In an age where various forms of media compete to get it, Helen Lea asks Speak Life’s Nate Morgan Locke about the rise of the “attention economy” in this week’s Life Issues.

Let’s be honest talking about the bible can be a complicated, even in the church there are an awful lot of opinions about theology, practice and relevance. And if we take it outside of church, well the usual expectation is something out of touch with a modern age. So how do we talk about the Bible & what it teaches; respond to accusations that it is irrelevant, a fantasy, filled with sexism, racism and homophobia.

This week on Life Issues we look at some of the Bibles toughest topics and ask how do we respond to the out of context misunderstandings?

[Originally broadcast the week of 21st October 2024]

Have you ever had a go at keeping a journal? What if it could be more than a record of what we’ve been up to and instead was used by God as a missional tool? On this week’s Life Issues, Vicky Gibbens speaks to Bishop Matthew Porter and Dr Christopher Williams on the role reflection can plays in our everyday lives.

It was the summer of ‘69 & Woodstock set the image that most of us have for a music festival and nowadays they are a staple of the summer months.

 But why do we want to go? Is it just about the music? And how do we manage, getting back to “ordinary” life after the festival high?

Which might be a good question for church life as well – with all the Christian festivals and Bible weeks.

So as some of us have already booked our tickets for next year – what do we think about the hopes, the hard work and the hangover of festivals & Bible weeks? This week’s Life Issues – “The morning after the festival high”

Two sisters have a remarkable guest arrive at their home, but the way they react is strikingly different. One sister is all preparation and distraction, and the other all stillness and devotion. What is the ‘better part’ Jesus wants us to choose? Vicky Gibbens is joined by Joanna Weaver, whose spent more than four decades in full-time ministry as a pastor’s wife, is a speaker, and the author of ‘Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life’.

[Originally broadcast the week of 9th October 2023]

Can Christians influence culture, without needing to label content as "Christian”?

Can we separate faith from our creativity?

And how do you shape culture rather than let culture shape you?

Helen is joined by Norman Stone, a BAFTA and Emmy-award winning Director, who doesn't make 'Christian films' but is a Christian who makes films in this week’s Life Issues.

This week on Life Issues we are boldly going where no one has gone before, except those who have. And while we might not visit a galaxy far far away – the truth is out there with a message from the stars that may show us the hand of an architect that made the sun 400 times bigger than the moon, but put the moon 400 times closer to the earth. It’s an unlikely coincidence resulting in a perfect eclipse - so is there a message there? Available now on UCB player it’s our latest podcast: Space, who’s really speaking to us?

[Originally broadcast the week of 31st May 2021]

To be a grandparent is a special thing and not to be taken lightly. It’s a position of privilege, so how do you be the Granny and Grandad that your children, as well as your grandchildren, need you to be?

In Ecclesiastes we read there is a time to be born and a time to die, but what about the middle phase of life? In this week’s Life Issues, Jayne Manfredi, an Anglican Deacon and author of Waking the Women: Faith, Menopause, and the Meaning of Midlife, shared with Vicky Gibbens how it should not be framed as a time of loss for women, but of discovery.

[Originally broadcast the week of 12th February 2024]

What is life like with a severe mental illness? And what stigma generated by news headlines might you still face? Sharon Hastings qualified as a doctor, but lives with a psychotic illness. In this week’s Life Issues with Paul Hammond, she challenges the misconceptions around psychosis and shares what we can do to help.

[Originally broadcast the week of 5th June 2023]

What stops you believing in God? Maybe unanswered questions? But what if doubt and the mystery of God is part of what makes faith so powerful? Helping Helen explore how we can embrace the unknown is Zach Bolan, lead singer of Indie-Rock group Citizens, in this week’s Life Issues.