Plain Talking – Episode 15
Join presenter Gethin Russell-Jones for another inspiring, informative and insightful podcast.
We hear about the courage and resilience of a ‘wild’ swimmer, Dr Mary Self. At age 17, Mary was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer, resulting in mid-thigh amputation and months of gruelling chemotherapy. Having always loved open water ‘wild’ swimming, in June 2022 she swam the North Channel from Ireland to Scotland in a relay team with four other amputees in order to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Listen to Mary’s remarkable story of bravery, strength and determination to overcome her sickness through the power of prayer.
We learn that persecution of Christians in India is increasing. Since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, India’s Christians (as well as Muslims and other religious minorities) have suffered persecution due to Hindutva – the ideology that ‘only Hindus are true Indians’. Violence against Christians has dramatically increased in recent weeks with many being killed, thousands displaced and entire villages razed to the ground. Caroline Duffield, a media advisor at Open Doors UK & Ireland, gives us a deeper insight into the persecution taking place of people who convert from the Hindu religion to another.
Finally, Brother David Jardine asks why ‘sorry’ seems to be the hardest word to say. In today’s world, we seem so reluctant to genuinely offer an unconditional apology to anyone, even if we know we are clearly to blame. Yet, as Brother David points out, it’s a fundamental Biblical principle to say sorry to God or someone we may have offended. He urges us to recapture the courage and humility to say sorry when we have upset or hurt another person, and how doing so can help restore relationships, bring about healing and restoring our peace.