Tim & Elliot Nash – A Year of Practice, Family & the Unexpected Sacred (N355)

Over the last year, Tim and his eleven-year-old son Elliot have been quietly experimenting with faith at home — exploring a different spiritual practice each month and discovering what happens when faith is lived, not just discussed. From gratitude and Sabbath to activism, creativity, and pilgrimage; from sawing coconuts and dismantling Hi-Fis to marching for their local library and hiding painted pebbles — they’ve stumbled into moments of laughter, frustration, and the occasional glimpse of transcendence. In this conversation, Tim and Elliot look back over their first year of Homegrown Faith — reflecting on what surprised them, what changed them, and how spirituality can take root in the ordinary rhythms of family life. (This conversation is also being shared on the Homegrown Faith podcast feed, where you can follow Tim and Elliot’s ongoing monthly experiments in everyday spirituality.) Conversation starts at 12m 56s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

Many of us have left behind the religion we inherited. But what, then, are we reaching for? In this conversation, Celtic teacher John Philip Newell reflects on what he calls the Great Search—a deep yearning for soul, earth, and home at a time of ecological breakdown and religious collapse. John Philip explores the tension between temple and wilderness, soul and ego, doctrine and direct experience, and reflects on the relinquishment of his ordination, the sacredness of the Earth, and the wisdom found in mystics across traditions. With poetic depth and prophetic insight, John Philip shares why returning to the light within ourselves, one another, and the Earth might be the beginning of something truly new. After the conversation, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflect on what it means to live with two wings of awareness — beauty and suffering — and how spiritual friendship, embodied practices, and a relationship with the Earth might help us navigate a time of profound unraveling. Interview starts at 17m 37s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

In this conversation, Joy sits down with eco-therapists Jenny Biglands and Vicky Broadbent to explore the growing field of ecotherapy, where nature itself becomes a partner in the healing process. Jenny and Vicky reflect on their faith journeys, what led them into therapeutic work, and how moving outdoors has transformed their practice. They explore themes of power and vulnerability, showing how simply walking side by side or sitting beneath a tree can open new pathways to presence and change. And they wonder whether reconnecting with the natural world might help us face climate grief with courage, creativity, and love. After the conversation, Nomad hosts Anna Robinson and Joy Brooks reflect on the blurred lines between therapy, spirituality and nature connection, the importance of finding safety and edges in outdoor spaces, and how Celtic rhythms and seasonal rituals can root us more deeply in our own places. Conversation starts at 16m 08s Books, quotes, links → Want to go deeper? Jenny and Vicky are running Exploring the Sacred in Nature — a one-day retreat in Shipley, West Yorkshire, UK. It’s a chance to slow down, explore your relationship with nature and the sacred, and discover new ways of living well. Book your place here and spend a day reconnecting with the wild within. This episode was recorded at the beautiful Cow Close Farm in Derbyshire, UK. If you’d like to stay in one of their holiday cottages and experience the same stunning surroundings, they’re offering Nomad listeners 15% off with the code nomad15. Find out more here. The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

In this conversation, womanist theologian Selina Stone reflects on the hidden ways power is shaped by theology — and how theology, in turn, can be shaped by power. Drawing on her book A Heavy Yoke: Theology, Power and Abuse in the Church, she explores how divine calling, servant leadership, and spiritual authority can all become tools of control, especially in charismatic and evangelical settings. But Selina also gestures toward another way — one rooted in embodied wisdom, communal discernment, and a God who shares power rather than hoards it. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Joy Brooks reflect on their own encounters with unhealthy uses of power in church, the theologies that enabled it, and the green flags that might help us discern healthier communities. Interview starts at 15m 54s  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

Halima Gosai Hussein is the former chair of the Inclusive Mosque Initiative. Giles Goddard is an Anglican priest and author of Generous Faith. On paper, their backgrounds could hardly be more different. But their paths converged through a shared commitment to inclusion — Giles in the work of building an open and affirming church, Halima through her leadership with the Inclusive Mosque Initiative. In this conversation, they reflect on the faith they inherited, the shifts and struggles that reshaped it, and what it means to remain rooted while reimagining what faith can be. They speak with honesty about belonging and exclusion, the tensions of staying within a tradition that can wound, and the unexpected common ground they’ve found across theological, cultural, and historical divides. This episode is an invitation to eavesdrop on a rare kind of dialogue: one that isn’t about winning an argument or defending a position, but about curiosity, respect, and shared hope for a more loving, just, and spacious spiritual landscape. Conversation starts at 15m 19s.  This conversation was recorded at Morley Radio studio.  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

In this episode, Tim chats with author and activist Brian McLaren about his new novel The Last Voyage, a provocative and emotionally rich exploration of what might happen when the powerful elite try to escape a dying Earth and build a new civilisation elsewhere. Drawing on decades of theological reflection and his recent work on collapse and ecological crisis, Brian reflects on what spirituality might look like at the end of the world. Can faith survive without institutions or certainty? What happens when spiritual practices are reduced to survival strategies? Is surrender a form of wisdom, or just disguised defeat? And what does it mean to live meaningfully when the future is fragile and unknown? After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Nick reflect on how Brian’s novel resonates with their own faith journeys—particularly their experiences of institutional loss, their relationship to hope in a time of climate breakdown, and the challenge of staying spiritually open when despair feels like the path of least resistance. Interview starts at 15m 34s  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

In this episode, Tim speaks with Episcopal priest and author Kira Austin-Young, about the moral, theological, and pastoral dimensions of abortion. Together, they reflect on the silence in progressive churches, the complexity of personhood, biblical texts often used in the debate, and how Christians might begin to hold space for compassion and moral complexity in conversations around reproductive freedom. It’s a thoughtful, grounded, and emotionally honest conversation that resists easy answers. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Joy reflect on how silence and inherited assumptions shaped their early views on abortion. They explore how personal experience, grief, and discernment invite a more compassionate and complex conversation—and ask what it means for faith to hold space for all of that. Interview starts at 16m 40s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

In this episode, Tim chats with psychologist and theologian Richard Beck about his book The Shape of Joy, which explores the idea that much of modern misery stems from a life turned inward—and that joy comes when we shift our attention beyond ourselves. Drawing on ancient theology, modern psychology, and lived experience, Richard challenges the dominance of a belief-centric, self-focused faith and invites us into a more outward-facing spirituality. He unpacks the difference between therapeutic introspection and the kind of excessive rumination that often leaves us stuck, and offers a vision of spiritual practices that open us to the world, to others, and to the divine. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Anna reflect on how Richard’s insights resonate with their own journeys—particularly their experiences of rumination, mental health, the role of spiritual practices, and the inward/outward tension in modern life. Interview starts at 16m 11s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

In this episode, we speak with therapist Joy Brooks about spiritual bypassing—how well-meaning spiritual beliefs and practices can sometimes mask or avoid the difficult emotions and wounds we all carry. Drawing on psychology, contemplative traditions, and Joy’s own journey out of charismatic Christianity, the conversation uncovers why confronting pain honestly is essential for genuine growth. Joy reflects on how communities and individuals alike can unintentionally use faith to silence, dismiss, or rush past suffering—and the emotional costs this often brings. She also explores how the Christian tradition holds resources for facing the “messiness” of being human, embracing vulnerability, and resisting the temptation to perform a polished, “all-good” spirituality. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflect on their own experiences with spiritual bypassing and the importance of creating safe spaces where questioning and emotional honesty are welcomed rather than shunned. Interview starts at 14m 19s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

In this episode, we speak with former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams about his vision of faith as attentiveness, not answers — a path not of mastery, but of mystery. Drawing on themes from his book Discovering Christianity, Rowan reflects on the difference between faith and toxic religion, and explores how trust, not certainty, might be the deeper thread that runs through the Christian story. We talk about the appeal of other traditions, Rowan’s appreciation of Buddhism, and why — despite it all — he remains rooted in the Christian faith. Along the way, he speaks candidly about the beauty and the cruelty of the Church, the liberating potential of theology, and how contemplation can shape not only our spiritual life but our way of seeing the world. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflect on the complexities of letting go of toxic religion, while staying open to what faith might still become. Interview starts at 15m 2s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.