19. Cut Back to Grow | Buckingham Vineyard

19. Cut Back to Grow | Buckingham Vineyard

I’ve just come in from the garden. We’ve had a heatwave, it’s only the start of July, and things have grown really well — better than I expected. So I’ve been out deadheading roses and trimming back bushes. Not because anything is wrong. Because everything has grown so well that it needs shaping.   And somewhere between the secateurs and the sunshine, a thought started forming that I haven’t been able to shake.   What if the things that need cutting back in our lives aren’t the things that are failing — but the things that are flourishing? What if abundance is exactly what makes pruning necessary?   This week I’m thinking about focus, fruitfulness, and what it means to do one thing brilliantly rather than ten things well. I’m also being honest about the fact that I’m in the middle of this myself — and that cutting back things you love is a lot harder than cutting back things that aren’t working.   There’s a line in John 15 that I think was written for exactly this moment: “He prunes the branches that do bear fruit, so they will produce even more.”   Buckingham Vineyard is a new church in Buckingham. We haven’t started meeting in person yet — but we’re here, thinking out loud, and you’re very welcome to listen in.   🔔 Subscribe for a new Thought For The Week every week 📍 Find us: https://buckinghamvineyard.church   #Pruning #Focus #Faith #ChristianPodcast #BuckinghamVineyard #John15 #PersonalGrowth #ChristianContent

18. Faith & Mental Health | Why Seeking Help Isn't a Lack of Trust in God | Buckingham Vineyard

A phrase has been stuck in my head this week: "I know I should trust God more, but…"It's something I've heard from people who are really struggling — and what concerns me is the guilt that sits underneath it. Like anxiety is somehow a failure of faith. Like if you just prayed harder, it would lift.I want to gently push back on that.In this week's Thought For The Week, I talk honestly about my own breakdown at thirty — what led to it, what prayer did and didn't do, and what actually turned the corner. And I look at one of the most surprisingly human moments in the entire Bible: the prophet Elijah, sitting under a tree, asking God to let him die — and how God responded.Spoiler: it wasn't a sermon.In this episode:The guilt of "I should trust God more, but..."A personal story about burnout, anxiety, and asking for helpElijah's crash after his greatest victory — and God's responseWhy going to the doctor might actually be faith in actionThe danger of carrying everything aloneBuckingham Vineyard is a new church in Buckingham. We haven't started meeting in person yet — but we're here, thinking out loud, and you're very welcome.🔔 Subscribe for a new Thought For The Week every week📍 Find us: https://buckinghamvineyard.church#MentalHealth #Faith #ChristianPodcast #BuckinghamVineyard #Anxiety #Elijah

17. When People Only See Who You Were

Someone overheard me telling a customer I was a pastor this week. They laughed. And what they said next stopped me in my tracks — because it was a reminder that the people who knew us then don't always see who we've become. This week's Thought For The Week is about the gap between internal transformation and external recognition. About the courage it takes to hold your new identity when someone else is still reaching for the old one. And about a couple of Bible characters — Paul, who nobody believed had really changed, and Simon, who Jesus called Rock before he'd done a single rock-like thing. You don't have to be a Christian for this one to land. Anyone who's ever worked hard to leave a version of themselves behind will know exactly the feeling I'm talking about. Buckingham Vineyard is a new church in Buckingham. We haven't started meeting in person yet — but we're here, thinking out loud, and you're very welcome to listen in.

16. Why Being a Lemon Matters

This week's Thought For The Week comes live from a very loud, very cold data centre in the middle of the night — where I went through full biometric security clearance to sit in a narrow corridor with cramp in my legs and do absolutely nothing useful. Kai, one of our incredible Radio Christmas volunteers, fixed everything. I sat there like a lemon. But somewhere between the ringing ears and the cramped legs, I found myself thinking about what it actually means to show up for someone — even when you can't fix anything. About a largely forgotten Bible character called Barnabas, whose name means Son of Encouragement. And about why choosing the background might be one of the most important things any of us ever do. Whether you're a Christian, curious, or just ended up here somehow — you're very welcome. Buckingham Vineyard is a new church in Buckingham. We haven't started meeting yet, but we're here — thinking, talking, and working out how we see the world. This podcast is part of that. Come and listen in.

15. Sharing What We Love

A day at Silverstone with our foster son turned into something much more meaningful than cars, racing, and tyre smoke. As I watched him experience something I love for the first time, I was reminded that some of life’s greatest joys aren’t found in the things we enjoy, but in sharing them with people we love. This week’s Thought for the Week explores relationship, foster care, adoption, and what a day at Silverstone taught me about the heart of God. Could it be that beneath all of Jesus’ invitations is a Father who simply wants to share life with His children? Whether you’re exploring faith or have been following Jesus for years, I hope this week’s reflection encourages you.