Homegrown Faith

What happens when you take communion out of church and put it back around the dinner table?This month, Tim and Elliot experiment with bread, shared meals and the idea of God as a generous host. Along the way, there are balaclavas mistaken for baklava, questions about God's table manners, and some rather underwhelming spiritual experiences.And as Homegrown Faith celebrates its second birthday, Elliot delivers his verdict on two years of family faith experiments. Has it all been worth it? And, more importantly, has Dad made it too boring?If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.

For a month, Tim and Elliot have been experimenting with Creationtide, an unfamiliar corner of the church calendar that invites us to pay closer attention to the natural world. Their adventures take them birdwatching with an implausible number of guides, searching for fossils on the Yorkshire coast, glimpsing suspiciously brief whale backs, staring into space and listening in on the secret world of bats.Along the way, they wonder whether learning to pay attention might change us, whether nature is something to extract from or receive as a gift, and what any of this has to do with God. Plus, Elliot reveals the truth about naughty widgeons, Tim finds the Sun surprisingly disappointing, and a bat offers some unexpected flattery.If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.

This month we return to pilgrimage, following St David through hidden chapels, a strangely modest cathedral and the stories that have gathered around him. But the place that really comes alive for us isn’t a church at all — it’s Ramsey Island, surrounded by seals, peregrine falcons, caves and an ancient volcanic landscape. Which leaves us wondering: what actually makes a place holy, and why do we sometimes feel more spiritually alive outside traditional religious spaces than inside them?Along the way, Elliot encounters St Justinian’s rather alarming approach to monastic discipline, develops some strong opinions about sacred architecture, and discovers an impressive number of excellent chips. We also end up at Greenbelt, asking whether humour, creativity, music, mud and play might tell us something about the kind of faith we’re actually trying to grow.If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.

Some Homegrown Faith months overflow with practices. This wasn't one of them. Between the end of primary school, a heatwave and a mysteriously closed labyrinth, our plans for a month of movement never really got off the ground. But perhaps that was part of the lesson. The one practice that did survive – a simple daily body prayer inspired by ancient Christian traditions – quietly changed the way we thought about prayer, movement and what it means to worship with more than just words.Along the way, we meet Justin the pigeon, discover hidden labyrinths beneath the streets of London, wonder why Christianity became so still, and ask whether our bodies might have something to say that our minds have overlooked. Plus: movement quizzes, terrible jokes, Oaty Flips, and the return of Joke Wars. It may not have been the month we planned, but it might just have been the one we needed.If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.

What if an archaeologist dug up the Nash family home five hundred years from now? What would they conclude we worshipped? This month, we set out to explore ritual, hoping to find a few spiritual practices worth keeping. Instead, we discovered we already had plenty: Friday night burgers and chips in front of the TV, reading together, cycling at Sherwood Pines, Secret Sandra, high-fives and a bewildering collection of family nicknames. Along the way, we imagine what the Church of Beansey might look like and ask what makes a family feel like itself.We also unveil our new family ritual rota, choosing a handful of practices from the last eighteen months to carry forward into daily, weekly, monthly and yearly life. Plus, Elliot takes on a new quiz, Religion or Random?, attempting to distinguish genuine religious practices from things Dad has completely invented. Expect sacred ketchup, rock music, barefoot pilgrims and the surprising discovery that some monks really did spend years living on top of pillars. As ever, it's a mixture of laughter, reflection and ordinary family life.If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.

This month on Homegrown Faith, Tim, Hannah and Elliot explore the power of words — not as supernatural declarations, but as small everyday things that can shape the atmosphere of a home, a friendship, or even a passing interaction. Along the way they experiment with speaking encouragement to strangers, hiding affirming pebbles around the neighbourhood, writing to David Attenborough, and discovering just how awkward it can feel to say something genuinely kind out loud.There’s also a chaotic round of Bible or Bonkers?, featuring buttered feet, blessed kneading bowls, and strong opinions about beard-related blessings. And Tim and Elliot try to name the good they’ve experienced in God — leading to reflections on stillness, mystery, long-player music, and why Elliot thinks God might actually be paper.If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.

This month we set out to practise awe and wonder — not just talking about it, but going looking for it. That took us from the vast space of Liverpool Cathedral to the deep time of the Natural History Museum, and on a road trip through Glencoe and the Isle of Skye. Along the way we found it in unexpected places — a blinding moonrise, dinosaur footprints, waterfalls, strange moss-covered trees, and even a slightly underwhelming sunrise. Some moments were planned, many weren’t, but together they opened up a sense of scale, beauty, and strangeness that’s hard to put into words.But what, if anything, did it all mean? In this episode, Tim and Elliot reflect on a month where the mind often went quiet and experience took over. Did awe point them toward God — or distract from God altogether? Why did mountains feel more meaningful than cathedrals? And what do you do with moments that leave you full of wonder but short on answers? This is a conversation about being overwhelmed, feeling small, and learning — perhaps — to let mystery be enough.If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.

This month on Homegrown Faith, Tim and Elliot explore music not just as something to listen to, but as something to notice, feel, and play with. Together they try a series of simple music meditations, listening to everything from ambient soundscapes and classical piano to Radiohead, jazz and Gregorian chant. Along the way they discover that music can calm the body, stir the imagination, and sometimes simply leave you searching for the right words.The episode also includes Elliot composing the intro and outro tune for the podcast, memories attached to meaningful songs, a trip to see Wallace & Gromit accompanied by a live orchestra, and a slightly ridiculous game exploring the songs that were number one when they were born. It’s a playful exploration of how music can shape our attention, carry our memories, and invite us to listen a little more deeply — with our ears, our bodies, and our curiosity.If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.

This month, Tim and Elliot explore inheritance — not just beliefs handed down through church and family, but the atmospheres, freedoms and anxieties that quietly shape a life. They recreate Tim and Hannah’s 11-year-old worlds (egg and chips, Blue Peter, Red Dwarf, ZX Spectrum games), revisit the pre-internet universe of mixtapes and missed TV shows, and imagine what might one day sound unbelievable about Elliot’s childhood. There are Komodo dragons, Minecraft music, bread-and-butter pudding, and a brilliantly irreverent Red Dwarf take on the “first page” of the Bible.Beneath the nostalgia and quizzes lies something deeper. Through a timeline exercise and a playful round of Keep / Leave / Not Sure Yet, Elliot begins to notice what makes faith come alive for him — creativity, movement, outdoorsness — and what drains it — passivity and being told what to believe. There are honest moments about anxiety, boredom in pews, and the courage it takes to say, “This isn’t working for me.” Rather than chasing tidy conclusions, this episode leans into experiment, permission and the freedom not to decide too quickly.If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.

This month, Tim and Elliot set out to explore Jesus not through tidy answers or big beliefs, but through stories, games, and things you can actually hold in your hands. Along the way, they build stormy Lego worlds filled with monster waves and unlikely villains, notice small, “Jesus-y” moments in everyday life — from a duck breaking ice for others to quiet acts of kindness at home and school — and play their way through a quiz that asks what Jesus really said, and what we only wish he had.Rather than trying to decide what to think about Jesus, this episode leans into curiosity, resistance, and surprise. There are awkward questions, honest disagreements, moments of boredom, bursts of laughter, and the gentle realisation that noticing kindness and presence in the world might matter just as much as having the right words about them. It’s a conversation shaped by imagination, play, and the freedom to wonder out loud.If you’re enjoying Homegrown Faith and want to support what we’re doing, you can head over to our Patreon page for bonus episodes and a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.If signing up isn’t your thing but you’d still like to send some encouragement our way, a quick rating or review on your podcast app makes a big difference.Since the podcast is all audio, if you’d like to see what we’ve been up to, you can find photos and little glimpses of our journey over on Instagram and Facebook.And if you’d like to share your own experiences, ask us a question, or suggest a practice for a future episode, you can drop Tim an email here.Like the podcast, our theme music is also homegrown—written by Elliot and produced by our friend Wilderthorn.