Explore every episode of the podcast Living Out Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| Special: Polyamory and Consensual Non-Monogamy | 03 Jul 2025 | 00:30:07 | |
7-13 July is the week of visibility for non-monogamy, so we’ve got a special episode for you diving into polyamory and consensual non-monogamy. What do these kinds of relationships look like? What are the trends that are leading to them being normalised? Why should we care and how should we respond as Christians? We quiz Andrew Bunt, who’s written a booklet on the topic called Three or More, and think this all through together. Resources mentioned and related
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| Your Questions on Friendship (Your Questions #3) | 19 Jun 2025 | 00:31:44 | |
How do we as same-sex attracted people navigate close friendships with the same sex? How about opposite-sex friendships? How can you best love a sibling who is in a same-sex relationship? And how do you keep a healthy relationship with those you used to have a sexual relationship with? Join Ashleigh, Ed and Dan as they share their experience of doing friendship as same-sex attracted Christians. Thank you for your excellent questions! Resources mentioned and related
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| Your Questions on Church (Your Questions #2) | 05 Jun 2025 | 00:33:22 | |
In this episode, we’re answering your questions on church, covering topics such as: unhelpful messages churches transmit and more positive alternatives; welcoming and including people while sticking to a biblical sexual ethic; supporting those who have had a negative experience of conversion therapy; and finding contentment in singleness in your 40s. Below are suggestions of just some of the resources which provide more answers to these questions. Resources mentioned and related
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| Your Questions on Experiencing Same-Sex Attraction (Your Questions #1) | 22 May 2025 | 00:32:45 | |
In the first of our series answering the questions our listeners have submitted, we’re thinking about experiencing same-sex attraction. How do we handle sexual temptation? How do keep trusting God if we have a deep but unfulfilled desire to be married? What are some of the gifts and blessings of being single and same-sex attracted? And much more! Resources mentioned and related
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| Series 12 Trailer: Your Questions | 08 May 2025 | 00:00:46 | |
We're back with a new series, and this time we're answering YOUR questions. You submitted so many good questions when we asked for them recently, that they've filled a whole series! We'll be chatting about everything from experiencing same-sex attraction, to evangelism and parenting. We're excited, and hope you are too! | |||
| Welcome to the Living Out Podcast! | 07 May 2025 | 00:00:48 | |
Welcome to the Living Out Podcast - helping people, churches and society talk about faith and sexuality. Join us to hear about life as a same-sex attracted or gay Christian, and God's good news on sexuality for every single one of us. | |||
| Talking with Friends (Some More) (Friendship #7) | 24 Apr 2025 | 00:31:45 | |
Let’s get practical: what does all this friendship stuff look like in real life? We’ve heard all sorts of wisdom from our guests in this series, on everything from how Jesus models friendship, to the need for vulnerability, and navigating change in friendships. In this final episode, we sit down with a couple more of our friends for a chat about what that’s looked like in our own lives. We pray you find it helpful! Resources mentioned and related
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| Challenges to Friendship (Friendship #6) | 10 Apr 2025 | 00:32:52 | |
Friendships bring with them all kinds of blessings, but how do we handle the challenges that also come with them? How should we respond to changes in circumstances, for example when friends move away? Being vulnerable is so important for building friendships, but isn’t it risky? And how can we speak and receive hard truths when we do things which hurt each other? We’re joined by Kevin Morris, host of the Professional Third Wheel podcast, to talk through some of the challenges of friendship and share our experience of how to navigate them. Resources mentioned and related
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| Strengthening Friendships (Friendship #5) | 27 Mar 2025 | 00:42:47 | |
For our very special 100th podcast episode, we’re joined by John Wyatt – author of Transforming Friendship – to talk about how we can foster healthy intergenerational friendships, what friendship looks like at different stages of life, and how we can go about strengthening existing friendships. There’s also the chance to enter our 100th podcast episode giveaway, and if you’re desperate to hear about Thomas the Tank Engine, The Musical, then we bring you good news of great joy: it made it into our first ever podcast episode, when we heard from our very own Andrew Bunt about his story of faith and sexuality. You can find the link for that and lots of other useful resources below. Resources mentioned and related
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| Talking with Friends (Friendship #4) | 13 Mar 2025 | 00:32:29 | |
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
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| Friendship and Intimacy (Friendship #3) | 27 Feb 2025 | 00:33:53 | |
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
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| Friendship and Jesus (Friendship #2) | 13 Feb 2025 | 00:31:55 | |
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 rector of St Ebbe’s church in Oxford and author of True Friendship. Resources mentioned and related
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| Designed for Friendship (Friendship #1) | 30 Jan 2025 | 00:34:16 | |
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?
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| Series 11 Trailer: Friendship | 23 Jan 2025 | 00:00:56 | |
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! | |||
| Christmas Special 2024! | 19 Dec 2024 | 00:27:19 | |
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
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| Youth Pilot & Church Leaders (Kaleidoscope Specials #3) | 05 Dec 2024 | 00:30:19 | |
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 people growing up today, and what stands out to him about Kaleidoscope.
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| Hearing from Parents (Kaleidoscope Specials #2) | 21 Nov 2024 | 00:29:31 | |
We speak to two parents, Jo and Claire, about the world their children are growing up in and their experience of talking to them about sexuality, gender and faith. They share how their churches have tackled these issues so far, and why they’re excited about Kaleidoscope. We also hear from Sean – a parent, church leader, and someone who experiences same-sex attraction – about the difference Kaleidoscope would have made for him as a teenager and how he hopes it will help start good conversations on these big topics. | |||
| What & Why? (Kaleidoscope Specials #1) | 07 Nov 2024 | 00:35:14 | |
What is Kaleidoscope? Why have we made it? Andrew and Ashleigh, our Emerging Generations team, share their hopes for the series, and catch up with two of the people who contributed to it. Katherine tells us what conversations about sexuality were like for her growing up, and why she’s excited for Kaleidoscope giving space for more open conversations in churches. And Ben shares his thoughts on how we can have those conversations well, with some particular tips for youth leaders. | |||
| Nat and Matt: Mixed-Orientation Marriage (Different Stories #9) | 24 Oct 2024 | 00:33:15 | |
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 related This episode contains a reference to self-harm. | |||
| Robert: Real Love (Different Stories #8) | 10 Oct 2024 | 00:34:06 | |
This episode contains discussion of childhood sexual abuse, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Sometimes God breaks into our lives in the most unlikely circumstances. Robert was sexually abused by a teacher at school, forced into becoming a Christian, and went on to marry a woman and lead a church – all while being same-sex attracted and not truly knowing Jesus. From there things fell apart, and Robert began living as an out gay man. Only later would he come to know the love of God for the first time, and give his life to Christ. Resources mentioned and related If you’re affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please reach out to someone you trust. In the UK, you can also contact Samaritans for support – call 116 123 free, 24 hours a day. Samaritans also provide a full list of organisations you can contact for advice on a range of issues, including abuse and mental health. You can find that here. | |||
| David: Radical Celibacy (Different Stories #7) | 26 Sep 2024 | 00:32:38 | |
As a gay teenager, David felt rejected by the Church and couldn’t see a plausible way for him to be a Christian. He became an activist set on destroying Christianity and opposing it at every turn. But his time at university found him looking for something deeper, eventually leading to an unlikely encounter with Jesus and the love of God.
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| Laura: Good Friendship (Different Stories #6) | 12 Sep 2024 | 00:32:04 | |
Looking for purpose and meaning at medical school, Laura spoke to a Christian friend who invited her to church. She decided to put her trust in Jesus, and it was only several years later she realised she was same-sex attracted. We chat with Laura about how she’s found trusting that God’s ways are good since then, and why good friendships are so important as she seeks to follow Jesus. She shares how her friendships have sometimes been complicated by attraction or emotional dependency, and some of the things God has taught her about friendship along the way. Resources mentioned and related
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| Paul: Responding to Our Desires (Different Stories #5) | 29 Aug 2024 | 00:28:55 | |
Paul tells us how he came to faith as a teenager, and how a combination of clear teaching and sharing with good friends has helped him navigate same-sex attraction and stay faithful to Jesus. Paul also shares how he unexpectedly fell in love with his now wife, and his advice for any same-sex attracted Christians considering an opposite-sex marriage. We also chat about how we respond to our desires. Is it harmful to deny ourselves things we desire? How do we know which desires are good to act on and which aren’t? What are the different lenses we might look at those questions through and how do they influence our approach?
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| Simon: Intimacy and Emotional Dependency (Different Stories #4) | 15 Aug 2024 | 00:34:56 | |
We chat to Simon about how understanding God’s bigger purposes for his people has helped fuel his excitement for living God’s way when it comes to sexuality. Simon tells us how getting involved in True Freedom Trust helped him find a supportive community where he could be more open about his sexuality, having not come out to anyone until his early 20s. Simon also shares his experience of emotional dependency and what God has taught him about healthy relationships and intimacy. We talk about loneliness, singleness and forming friendships with deeper commitment. Resources mentioned and related
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| Katherine: The Power and Beauty of Stories (Different Stories #3) | 01 Aug 2024 | 00:31:49 | |
Katherine shares her story of dating a girl as a teenager, and noticing how Jesus genuinely transformed the lives of Christians she knew. As she opened up the Bible for herself and got to know and love Jesus, Katherine tells us how she accepted the invitation to follow him in all areas of her life, including with her sexuality.
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| Ryan: From Joyless to Joyful Obedience (Different Stories #2) | 18 Jul 2024 | 00:26:24 | |
Ryan shares his story of coming out as a teenager, coming to faith at university, and the gradual, ongoing process of reconciling his faith and sexuality. He unpacks some of the key things God has taught him along the way, including why following Jesus means gaining so much more than you lose, and why living a single and celibate life isn't a waste of your sexuality. | |||
| Simon: Reconciling Sexuality, Faith and Ministry (Different Stories #1) | 04 Jul 2024 | 00:34:18 | |
Simon shares his story of coming to faith and coming to terms with his sexuality. We ask him about his experience of sharing with friends about his sexuality having kept it quiet for 10 years, and some of the benefits and challenges of being same-sex attracted in ministry. Simon also shares what he would tell his younger self now, and some reflections on how much our sexuality is part of our identity. Resources mentioned and related: | |||
| Series 10: Different Stories - Trailer | 27 Jun 2024 | 00:00:53 | |
For our next podcast series, we're going back to our roots - hearing stories from same-sex attracted Christians about the goodness and faithfulness of God in their lives. We hope you'll join us and be encouraged! First episode coming 4th July. | |||
| Legal Freedoms (Church Leaders #8) | 13 Jun 2024 | 00:35:05 | |
What are your legal freedoms to speak on sexuality and gender at church and in the workplace? Andy and Andrew are joined by Danny Webster from the Evangelical Alliance to think through our legal freedoms when it comes to what we say and what we do on issues of sexuality and gender, both at church and in the secular workplace. The team discuss what the law says about all this, the implications for who we employ or admit as members in our churches, the need to be clear and consistent in what we say and do, and what the future might hold. Resources mentioned and related
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| Engaging With Society (Church Leaders #7) | 30 May 2024 | 00:38:48 | |
How do we engage with a culture which holds such different views to us on sexuality and gender? It’s easy to feel hopeless or fearful as we engage in conversations with those around us on these sensitive issues, but in this episode Ed, Adam and Andrew help us to think about how we can do it well. In particular, what sort of mindset or attitude should you and your church family adopt as you approach these topics? How can you equip your church family to engage with and understand our culture? How can we communicate lovingly, and how do we respond to pushback or pressure to engage with things which seem to contradict our faith? Resources mentioned and related
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| The Next Generation (Church Leaders #6) | 16 May 2024 | 00:32:53 | |
How as churches can we best engage and help the next generation on the issue of sexuality? It can be an intimidating topic to tackle, but Andy, Ashleigh and Andrew encourage us that young people need the gospel as much as anyone else, and that it speaks good news into their big questions and concerns on sexuality and gender. The team also offer some practical wisdom on how we as church families can all play our part in proclaiming and living out the good news, as we navigate an issue which presents big challenges but also big opportunities to connect the next generation with the gospel.
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| Church Membership and Discipline (Church Leaders #5) | 02 May 2024 | 00:31:39 | |
How should we approach a conversation with a gay couple wanting to get baptised or get their child baptised? What should we bear in mind when considering who to invite to formal church membership or leadership positions? How can we be consistent and loving in disciplining people who are living unrepentantly in ways that are contrary to what the Bible teaches? Ashleigh, Ed and Andy discuss the issues of church membership and discipline particularly in relation to sexuality and relationships, but also more broadly for anyone who is part of a church. Resources mentioned and related
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| Handling Disagreement (Church Leaders #4) | 18 Apr 2024 | 00:33:35 | |
What if there’s disagreement in our church on sexuality? Ashleigh, Ed and Andy discuss why this isn’t something we can just agree to disagree on, and some key principles to bear in mind as we work things out in light of that. The team then offer some practical wisdom on how to have these conversations within your church leadership team and as a whole church, including whether it’s helpful to hold events engaging with opposing views. Resources mentioned and related
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| Pastoral Care (Church Leaders #3) | 04 Apr 2024 | 00:37:09 | |
In this episode we discuss how we can provide good pastoral care, both for those who are themselves same-sex attracted and wanting to follow Jesus, and for those who have gay family members and want to love them well. | |||
| Teaching on Sexuality (Church Leaders #2) | 21 Mar 2024 | 00:32:58 | |
What cultural and biblical context do we need to bear in mind as we teach on sexuality and gender? How do we handle the Bible passages which directly address homosexuality? Ashleigh, Andy and Andrew discuss the need to approach these topics with both clarity and compassion, whether it’s best to do a one-off sermon or a whole series, and the importance of being aware of the people we’re speaking to and their experiences.
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| Starting the Conversation (Church Leaders #1) | 07 Mar 2024 | 00:33:54 | |
In the first episode of this new series, we talk about why and how we should start the conversation on sexuality and gender in our churches. Andrew, Ashleigh and Ed share their experiences of what happens when you do (and don’t) discuss these topics in church, and why not being upfront on what we believe can be so unhelpful. The team also discuss how to engage well with our culture and our own church family as we prepare to have these conversations, making sure we’re clear on what we believe and the range of views and experiences we’ll encounter as we talk about sexuality and gender.
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| Series 9: Church Leaders - Trailer | 29 Feb 2024 | 00:01:12 | |
Ashleigh introduces our brand new podcast series - coming 7th March! | |||
| Featured Episode: How Important Is All This? (Explore Questions #6) | 22 Feb 2024 | 00:33:51 | |
Our new series is coming soon, and in the meantime we're highlighting a couple of episodes from the vault. In our second series, we took on some of the most common questions we get asked about faith and sexuality, including this one: how important is all this? Resources mentioned
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| Featured Episode: Isn’t the Christian Sexual Ethic Harmful and Repressive? (Explore Questions #2) | 08 Feb 2024 | 00:30:53 | |
While we work on our next series, we thought we'd take the opportunity to highlight a couple of episodes from the vault. In our second series, we took on some of the most common questions we get asked about faith and sexuality, including this one: isn't the Christian sexual ethic harmful and repressive? In the second half, we push back on the claim that the pattern for sexuality laid out in the Bible is harmful, and we share our own experiences of the Christian sexual ethic as life-giving. Oh, and you can step back in time and find out what we were all watching on TV! Resources mentioned
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| Farewell to Anne | 22 Jan 2024 | 00:42:12 | |
In this special episode we say a sad farewell to our Content Director, Anne Witton. Anne shares her reasons for stepping down from front-line ministry at this time and talks honestly about some of the joys and struggles of her work with Living Out. The team discuss highlights of the last few years, share favourite resources and remember plenty of funny moments. Resources mentioned and related
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| Hebrews 2 and 1 Corinthians 6 (Bible Encouragements #5) | 21 Dec 2023 | 00:30:39 | |
Andy explains how Hebrews 2 speaks into his experience of suffering and temptation in the area of sexuality, by reminding him that Jesus has been tempted and is sympathetic when we're struggling.
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| 10th Anniversary Special | 07 Dec 2023 | 00:36:57 | |
Ed is joined by Living Out co-founders Sam Allberry and Sean Doherty to talk about the early years of the ministry and some highlights from its history. They share the story of how and why Living Out started and what their expectations were when it was launched ten years ago. In the second half of the show they share their personal highlights, discuss the impact Living Out has had and express their hopes for the future. Resources mentioned and related
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| Romans 7 and Acts 8 (Bible Encouragements #4) | 23 Nov 2023 | 00:28:40 | |
Adam explains how Romans 7 shows that God understands our experiences and the clash of desires in our hearts. He takes comfort from the fact that the Bible is very real about the struggles we all face but also offers freedom from condemnation for those who come to Christ. Ed has chosen Acts 8 as a passage as an example of a beautiful encounter between Jesus and someone who experienced the shame of not having children. He takes encouragement from the fact that Jesus – the one who was despised and rejected – meets us in our pain and offers us hope. Resources mentioned and related
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| Psalms 63 and 73 (Bible Encouragements #3) | 09 Nov 2023 | 00:32:52 | |
Andrew and Anne each pick a Bible passage that has helped them persevere in living faithfully for Jesus. Anne explains why Psalm 63 has helped her identify and overcome idolatry in her friendships with women and encouraged her to hunger for God instead. Andrew's choice of Psalm 73 shows that God himself is the greatest gift to us and we don't need to envy those who have things – like same-sex relationships – that we think we want. Following Jesus never means missing out on good and ultimate satisfaction. Resources mentioned and related
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| 2 Corinthians 12 and Revelation 5 (Bible Encouragements #2) | 26 Oct 2023 | 00:29:52 | |
Ashleigh explains how Revelation 5 helps her keep an eternal perspective in times of change and makes sense of the longings in her heart. 2 Corinthians 12 is one of Andy's favourite passages and he shares how Paul's teaching about his thorn in the flesh is an encouragement to look to Jesus whose grace is sufficient for us. Resources mentioned and related
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| John 4 and Genesis 3 (Bible Encouragements #1) | 12 Oct 2023 | 00:33:32 | |
Join Anne and Ed as they discuss some passages of Scripture that have really encouraged them. Ed's pick is John 4 and he explains why Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well helps him understand Jesus' heart for those who have sinned sexually and the beautiful way that he stewards his sexuality. Anne shares why Genesis 3 helps her make sense of life and God's purposes for sexuality and points forward to the hope of the gospel for all of us, whatever our areas of brokenness. Resources mentioned and related
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| LGBT+ Teenagers and Mental Health feat. Dr. Preston Sprinkle (Youth Leaders' Crash Course #7) | 28 Sep 2023 | 00:38:38 | |
In the last episode of this series, Andrew and Ashleigh seek to understand the connection between LGBT+ and mental health and share some of their own experiences. They explore difficult issues like the social stress model, family rejection and insidences of suicide. There are plenty of practical tips on supporting young people who wrestle with mental ill health and they show how the Christian gospel both makes sense of suffering and offers hope in the midst of it. Discussion questions For the episode:
For the series:
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| Thinking About Transgender feat. Dr. Julie Maxwell (Youth Leaders' Crash Course #6) | 31 Aug 2023 | 00:39:49 | |
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. Discussion questions
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| Pastoral Support: Caring for Same-sex Attracted Teens (Youth Leaders' Crash Course #5) | 17 Aug 2023 | 00:37:22 | |
In this show we discuss how to support young people who are experiencing same-sex attraction or questioning their sexuality. We look at how to understand the young person's experience and how to respond when they come out to you. In the second half of the episode we look at how we disciple and offer ongoing support to young people who are struggling with their sexuality. Discussion questions
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| Pastoral Support: The Wider Community feat. Tim Alford (Youth Leaders' Crash Course #4) | 03 Aug 2023 | 00:33:24 | |
We talk about how we as youth leaders can prepare ourselves and our churches to care for all young people, especially in the area of sexuality. We discusss the importance of modelling godly discipleship ourselves and creating an honest and safe culture for young people to share their struggles. We also look at how we can engage well with parents and church leaders, communicate sensitively and ensure that youth work is an integral part of the whole life of the church. This episode features a bonus interview with Tim Alford, National Director of Limitless, the youth and children’s movement of the Elim Pentecostal Churches. He is also youth leader at The Source Church in Malvern and a Youth Ministry Specialist Lecturer. Discussion questions
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