FRESH Official Podcast

We don't like talking about our failures. We've all failed at something, and as you think back on it, it smarts, doesn't it? But how often have you failed because you didn't get up again after you stumbled? There's a thought.

In the mid-18th Century, Vitus Bering, a Danish explorer in Russian service, set out to chart the waters between Siberia and North America. Aft...

So, a question: who are the people you hang with; those whom you invite into your inner circle; those who influence how you live, how you think, what you believe? Who are they and what impact are they having on your life?

Back in the 5^th Century BC, Alcibiades was a brilliant Athenian statesman and general – handsome, gifted, well-connected. He was even me...

Have you ever been so afraid that it stopped you from boldly doing the right thing, the thing you know you should have done? I think we all have. And having been there, knowing the shame and disappointment in ourselves that ensued, I'm pretty sure we each hope that next time we'll show a bit more courage.

On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery,...

Life is full of setbacks. Doubtless, you've had plenty too, right? Big ones, small ones, as far back as you can remember. Though discouraging at the time, some turned out much better than you'd imagined.

Back in the Old Testament, Joseph (of technicoloured dream coat fame) was the youngest of Jacob's sons and also his favourite. His brothers were extremely jealous, t...

Have you ever seen someone familiar in an unexpected place or context? You kind of recognise them, but you can't quite place them. Sometimes you don't recognise them at all. That unexpected context plays strange tricks on the mind.

Such was the case for two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus after the tumultuous events of Jesus' crucifixion during the Passover f...

The invention of the car has completely revolutionised the world, wouldn't you agree? From a standing start of zero in 1886, there are now over 1.5 billion vehicles on the road. But it wasn't until 1913, when Ford perfected mass production, that things really took off.

In the early days, Henry Ford thought that success rested on his own genius. His first attempts fai...

It's utterly tragic to see people who are brimming with potential being held back by the shackles, the regrets, the stories of their past because they're at huge risk of wasting their lives – in fact, many do.

I wonder what life-limiting, soul-destroying stories your past is whispering in your ear over and over again. For some, the harsh realities of life have taught...

Reunions are so incredibly special: Family reunions. Class reunions. Catching up with people with whom, over the years, you've developed a deep bond.

For those of Chinese heritage, Chinese New Year is such a time. Families travel long distances to reunite and share the most important meal of the year together. 

I know that ...

As we toddle along through life, we inevitably find that we each have 'stuff' going on that, whilst not acutely painful, nevertheless contributes to a chronic sense of unease. And that's simply no way to live, wouldn't you agree?

Take your sleep, for instance. Sure, you can get by with inadequate sleep for a while – for years in fact, until you realise that it's cont...

Have you ever felt completely inadequate for a task? Yeah, me too!

Ignatius of Loyola was a vain, glory-hungry young soldier in 16th-century Spain—more interested in fame and romance than faith. Clueless about God's calling, he chased honour on the battlefield until a cannonball shattered his leg and his plans. During a long painful recovery, he had nothing to read b...

One of the most confounding things about God is that He allows us to suffer. I wish I could give you the "whys and wherefores" of that, some concise reconciliation of a loving God and our terrible suffering, but I can't. What I can say is that He didn't even spare Jesus, His Son, from dying on a cross for you and me. In this imperfect, fallen world in which we live, it's pretty obvious that suffering is an ess...

Sadly, many people unthinkingly acquiesce to the unhealed wounds of their past: childhood cruelty in the schoolyard, harsh words from a parent, a broken relationship, an unresolved regret. I say "unthinkingly" because in order to be set free from the hurts of the past, we need to think about them.

Allow me to be blunt. My first wife left me for one of my best friends...

Sociopaths aside, I don't think that there's a one of us who doesn't want to have great relationships. In part, that involves meeting other people's expectations, which is fine up to a point. But when we cross that line to become a people-pleaser, life becomes miserable indeed – because they're a fickle crowd out there. You simply can't please all people, all the time.

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