What is it like to unexpectedly face the real possibility of death?
We can't practice it in advance, but can we prepare our lives for it? Two friends David and Nick reflected together on their personal experiences of sudden medical emergencies in their late 40s. How did God and faith fit into those moments, and what was different afterwards?
Facing death is not a topic which charismatic Christians often dwell upon, but its a crucial aspect of faith and hope in life, and into eternity.
CONTENT WARNING: topic of death, dying, medical trauma, Covid
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
Friend of the pod Phil Knox joins Marjorie to muse about what God is stirring in the UK at this time. Recorded at Easter 2025, there seems to be a resurgence of interest in church, the Bible and the Christian faith, particularly amongst the young. The talk about having hope and perseverance in sharing our faith with others.
Phil is Evangelism and Missiology senior specialist at The Evangelical Alliance. Marjorie is the joint senior-leader at The Well Sheffield.
Mentioned in this episode:
The Evangelical Alliance : https://www.eauk.org/Recent research on people coming to faith and church: https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival
Wise Lives social:
Homepage: wellsheffield.com/wiselives
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
What difference does the coming return of Jesus make to our everyday lives here and now? How can we grow in love, forgiveness, and hearing God's voice - and how can parents raise children into these things? Towan and Becky of The Well Sheffield sat down with Canadian pastor and author Patricia Bootsma (Catch the Fire Toronto & Kansas City) to find out.
Mentioned in this episode: Patricia's latest book 'When Jesus Splits the Skies': at Amazon
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
Asher Byrd is a part of Circuit Riders and The Send UK & Ireland, as well as Youth With a Mission (YWAM). While visiting Sheffield he spoke with Marjorie Allan (senior leader of The Well Sheffield) about the signs and stirrings of passion and revival which many are witnessing amongst his Generation Z (aged about 13-28) in the UK.
Be ready to be stirred for sharing the gospel and praying for this move of God, whatever generation you're a part of!
Mentioned in this episode:The Send UK & Ireland: https://www.thesend.uk/ Circuit Riders: https://circuitriders.com/
Wise Lives social:
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
You may be surprised to learn that recent research has revealed how core values that are familiar to Christians - like hope, reconciliation, humility, community, collaboration, meaning - play a key role in recovery for some those people seeking to break free from addiction and crime.
David is an academic in Criminology and specialises in studying addiction recovery. He spoke with podcast host Nick Allan about how we can learn and be challenged by people who society often seeks to marginalise.
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
What does a Nigerian, born into a royal family and raised in Scotland, think God is doing amongst the nations today? Yinka Oyekan has helped to plant dozens of churches and is overseeing an international evangelism move through 'The Calling'. He is a Baptist Minister in Reading, UK and in this episode he shares his remarkable story of faith and perspectives on where the church is going.
Mentioned in this episode:
The Turning :
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
Jonathan is a regular guy in his middle-years with a talent. He swims competitively at the highest level. Jonathan tells us his story from the perspective of being a Christian: what has training hard, facing set-backs, and ultimately achieving a world record taught his about the journey of discipleship to Jesus in everyday life?
Mentioned in this episode:
City of Sheffield Swim Squad :
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
How would a busy, fulfilled Christian respond when it seems that God asks you to lay down everything you are working for, to simply pray and wait upon Him? This was Ann's experience, when as a church minister, national speaker and mum she heard God's prompting and had some tough decisions to make.
Mentioned in this episode:
Ann & Gavin Calver's book: 'Unleased The Acts Church Today' https://amzn.eu/d/bkalg4R
Evangelical Alliance :
Wise Lives social:
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
We begin Season Three and 2025 by taking a step back and asking 'what is God doing in the UK today, and how can I join in?' What's changing in our nation and in church as a response? There's a move of ordinary people starting micro-churches, and teens/twenties turning to God. Am I willing to change if necessary, and champion it?
Our guest John McGinley heads up Myriad, a national training program for lay micro-church planters. And The Send UK/Ireland, a movement to mobilize the new generations into mission at home and abroad.
Mentioned in this episode:
John's book The Church of Tomorrow
Nick's book The XYZ of Discipleship
Wise Lives social:
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
Welcome back!
Revd Nick Allan introduces a taste of what's coming up in Season 3 of the Wise Lives podcast, produced by The Well Sheffield.
Look out for Episode 1 from 22 January 2025. Subscribe for updates!
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The Well Sheffield (producers of this podcast):
Isabella is a young adult with a passion. She tells Nick all about saying yes to the call of God aged 15 to 'go' which ended with her becoming a 'reverse missionary' from Brazil to the UK, reaching Generation Z for Christ. Today she has a national role to empowering her peers in Baptist churches to become disciples and impact the nation. Isabella shared an encouraging picture of the spiritual climate and passion amongst the new generations in the UK.
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Want more on reaching and discipling the new generations? Podcast hosts Nick & Marjorie Allan authored an award-winning book in 2020 all about understanding and reaching generations Y & Z. It's called The XYZ of Discipleship, available in paperback or ebook.
*SPECIAL OFFER* Save £4 off RRP (cheaper than Amazon!) use code: WISELIVES at checkout Order here: https://www.wellsheffield.com/xyz
Mentioned in this episode:
Baptists Together GB :
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Lifting the lid on a sense of 'vocation' and calling. How do you know? Is it for everyone, or just special people? Charlotte and Ben are young Baptist Ministers and they reflect on what they've learned about the call and the cost of Christian ministry, and how to integrate God's call into our everyday lives.
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What's it like going to university as a Christian? How do you stay one, and cope with all the pleasures and pains of uni life? Josie and her friend Yasmin (daughter of podcast host Nick!) share with remarkable wisdom and maturity their stories of walking with God through first-year life at Uni.
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Want more on reaching and discipling the new generations? Podcast hosts Nick & Marjorie Allan authored an award-winning book in 2020 all about understanding and reaching generations Y & Z. It's called The XYZ of Discipleship, available in paperback or ebook.
*SPECIAL OFFER* Save £4 off RRP (cheaper than Amazon!) use code: WISELIVES at checkout Order here: https://www.wellsheffield.com/xyz
Mentioned in this episode:
Fusion student movement : https://www.fusionmovement.org/students
Resources for sharing your faith & discipling new believers:
Everyone Disciple One : https://www.everyonediscipleone.com/
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We found gold in the archives! Duncan sat down with Cathie in 2019 to hear her journey to seeing herself and her whole life as a missionary. She answered a seemingly crazy call to establish a new university in Mozambique, which is now well underway. It's a story of simple, costly faith that transformed Cathie's life, and will now transform the lives of many others.
Cathie is a qualified teacher, a communication coach, and visiting faculty staff at Iris University, having volunteered for the past decade with Iris Global. She lives in Oxfordshire, UK.
Mentioned in this episode:
Iris Global: https://www.irisglobal.org/
Iris Universtiy: https://irisuniversity.org/
Wise Lives social:
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Nick asks his good friend David to tell the story of how his family grew a new church from scratch in an unusual way, on an inner-city estate in Sheffield. Its an account of staying close to God, listening to the context and the people's needs, trying new things, and persevering through tough times like Covid.
Mentioned in this episode:
Big Life (Disciple Making Movements): https://big.life/
Wise Lives social:
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Nick interviews his brother Mark, asking what are some of the top justice issues for Christians as we begin 2024? Often these issue align with the bible and the gospel, how can we make them align with our own lifestyles?
Mentioned in this episode:
https://greenchristian.org.uk/environmental-issues-network-ein/
Wise Lives social:
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As 2023 comes to a close, The Well leaders reflect on what God is doing. From the hospital ward, to baptisms in the river, how to pray for the Israel conflict, to young men coming to faith...
Hosts Marjorie (senior leader The Well Sheffield) and Duncan (leader The Well at Woodseats) share what they've experienced personally, and through our church community this year.
Wise Lives social:
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How can we see work as worship? Work means what we do with the majority of our time - paid or otherwise. Does the bible speak into this? Ben Woollard CEO of Together for Sheffield and business consultant is Nick's guest as they talk about their personal journeys, and talk the theology of work as worship.
Things mentioned in the podcast:
LICC (London Institute for Contemporary Christianity) Resources to live as a disciple in everyday life, including lots on the world of work: https://licc.org.uk/
Wise Lives social:
Homepage: wellsheffield.com/wiselives Instagram: @wiselivespod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wiselives YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwfLRwFQOJKmOIfI0jIq6AGW7kMmm2M56
The Well's Ben and Miriam got together online. They take a dive into the world of Christian online dating: is it OK? Is it an ungodly distraction? What's the best way, what to avoid? With humour and candour, Ben & Miriam tackle the subject head on.
Wise Lives social:
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What are the simple steps that each of us can take, to raise disciples of Jesus, who go on to raise disciples themselves? Podcast host Nick Allan is joined by Miles Toulmin, who tells his story of coming to faith from scratch. Later he worked with HTB in London and the Alpha course, and now leads a fast-growing church in Kuala Lumpur, experiencing big numbers coming to faith.
Things mentioned in the podcast:
The Alpha Course : https://alpha.org/
HTBB that church that Miles leads in KL: https://www.instagram.com/htbbcampus/
Wise Lives social:
Homepage: wellsheffield.com/wiselives Instagram: @wiselivespod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wiselives YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwfLRwFQOJKmOIfI0jIq6AGW7kMmm2M56