What is prayer, and how does it work when we pray or intercede for other people? Owen Lynch and Bern Leckie discuss experiences of this, including times when prayer has changed things - often the person praying.

What can happen when we form habits of praying for others and ask, in Jesus' words, for God's kingdom to come and his will to be done? And can it make a difference when we don't just pray alone, but pray together with other people?

As we prepare for Easter, some people at Severn Vineyard have been engaging with a traditional spiritual discipline of fasting, with very different experiences!

Rebecca Kishtainy and Owen Lynch share with Bern Leckie about how and why they have been fasting, what they have gained from the experience, and how they might encourage others to try it.

Please note that fasting may not be for everyone - if you have medical conditions affected by your diet, please check with your doctor.

In the first of a short series of chats as we prepare for Easter, Owen Lynch and Bern Leckie discuss what is special about this season, and how fasting might be able to help our spiritual and emotional health.

What can we expect from a prolonged period without food? How can the discomfort of this change the way we see and relate to ourselves, other people and God? We look at this and share practical advice to help approach the experience of fasting in the healthiest possible way.

Fasting is not suitable for everyone. We suggest that children and adolescents, anyone with stress related to body image or with a medical need to ensure a constant diet should not fast in the ways discussed here. Always check with your GP if you are in any doubt.

More info and resources at severnvineyard.org/lent

Do we feel like the same people in every situation, at work, home, church, with colleagues, friends and family? What makes us act differently in different situations, and how many versions of us are there?

In this episode, our panel discusses the different versions of themselves, when they show up and hide away, and how this connects with ethics at work and careful consideration of others, but also our insecurities, fears, imposter syndrome and difficulties in bringing our whole selves together in one place.

What can we do to live more healthily? We discuss building self awareness, acknowledging past problems, growing relationships and taking leaps of faith to serve and encourage others rather than getting lost in our own issues.

This is the last in our first series of podcasts, but we'll be back in a few months to cover another set of topics relating to our spiritual and emotional health.

If you're interested in more resources, including a course designed as a journey to explore the links between spiritual and emotional health in depth, look for "Emotionally Focused" on our website.

We'd love to hear what you think - email hello@severnvineyard.org

How many selves do you have, and how are they different? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at how easy it can be for us to split ourselves into different parts, being one way with people in church and a different way at home or work, for example.

Could this be creating emotional tension which undermines our relationships and even threatens our health? What can we do to bring our different selves together and live more emotionally healthy, integrated lives?

Next week, we'll have our panel back to discuss experiences of this and what we've found helpful to do about it. If you have any questions or anything you’d like to share, email hello@severnvineyard.org

How do we deal with our imperfections? Are they only sources of shame we feel we need to hide, or things to put on a "to do" list to improve, or can they also be things that define us and help shape our contributions to life, relationships and the world?

In this episode, our panel discusses times we have felt weak and out of control, and how we have grown our abilities to be more aware of our vulnerabilities and emotional triggers. Part of this has been through structured time spent with trusted friends giving each other permission to ask some probing questions.

We also consider the role of failure in life - have we learned more from it than through success? Could it be something we need to learn to celebrate and share more?

We'd love to hear what you think - email hello@severnvineyard.org

How can weakness be a strength? In this talk, Owen Lynch shares about vulnerability and looks at how God has used lots of people with different character flaws. When we are concerned about our areas of weakness, could we find that we are uniquely suited for roles and relationships we had never dreamed possible?

We'll discuss this with a panel of people next week. If there's anything you would like to share or ask us, email hello@severnvineyard.org

This week, our podcast about spiritual and emotional health is a chat about how we deal with pain and loss, from the little things we haven't been able to do because of lockdowns to the bigger losses which have shaped us or revealed who we are.

We look at a Psalm where David asks "Why?" a lot, and realise what an awkward, painful, incisive and revealing question this can be.

We also talk about the depths of what we can discover, and ultimately grow and delight in, when we can process our pain in relationships with friends and - as we do in our faith - with God.

We hope you'll find some encouragement here. If you would like to get in touch with any thoughts or anything you'd like to share, email hello@severnvineyard.org.