#GoDeeper with Andy B: Beating The Wall

#GoDeeper with Andy B: Beating The Wall

Go Deeper with Andy B, as he talks about spiritual walls in our lives.
Having read our two Scriptures for this week, Andy begins by speaking about those walls that we can face when exercising.

He relates a personal experience of hitting a wall while cycling one time.

And he looks at the idea of overcoming that wall in terms of not giving up because of feelings – feelings that the wall is impassable or impenetrable.

He also talks about another type of wall, which is more of a warning, such as when we feel pain.

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Reflection and Progress – a written post!

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Reflection and Progress – a written post!

I’m working on two books at the moment.

And by working, I mean I have a title cover for both; I’ve got one book basically ready for publishing, and one book about half the way through as I rewrite some previous works into what is already a 3 part series.

I’ve been working on writing a book for nearly 20 years…the one I began back then is still where it was when I first wrote it…it’s a good book, but I’ve never really finished it.

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Rocking Chair Worries, S4, E13

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Rocking Chair Worries, S4, E13

Andy B took Jo for her return trip to the dentist, but while Andy and Jo share many traits and interests, one thing Jo does REALLY well, is not worrying about things she either has no control over, or things that haven’t yet come to pass.

With a hyper-sensitivity to needles, Andy would have been worrying for two weeks straight, letting the anxiety grow, thinking through the various things that could go wrong. Positive side of that trait, is the ability to read ahead, see the problems before they happen and prevent them – which makes event planning really easy.

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Baking Trays, Yorkies and Spiritual Growth, S4, E12

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Baking Trays, Yorkies and Spiritual Growth, S4, E12

Andy B loves his kitchen, and he loves kitchen shops, or departments with cooking equipment in them.

For ages now, he has been trying to make Yorkshire Puddings, using his super cheap cupcake baking tray.

In one way it is perfectly functional – it has a number of bowl like shapes, that help Yorkshire Puddings grow into the right shape as they cook. But, on the other hand, it is super cheap, ultra thin metal, and has the non-stick ability of super glue!

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Equal Tension and No Wrinkles, S4, E11

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Equal Tension and No Wrinkles, S4, E11

How is the framework of your life and world holding together?

Are you leaning to one side, under pressure, distorted by the tensions of life, that you feel pulling you in every, which, way?

We’ve had something of a refresh to our recording studio, here at BerryBunch HQ, and it meant adding some super cheap breakfast stools someone was throwing away – which makes everything more roomy, and easier to set up and adapt around the different recording projects we’re regularly involved with.

But it also gave me a good opportunity to sort something that has been bugging me since we set up.

#GoDeeper with Andy B: Spiritual Food

#GoDeeper with Andy B: Spiritual Food

Go Deeper with Andy B, as he talks about spiritual food.
He reads a few different Scriptures, including Hebrews 5:11-14, all of which speak of food and sustenance in one way or another.

He talks about the way water travels in a flood, how it will always follow the path of least resistance. Similarly, we often ‘take the path of least resistance’, in many areas of our lives, such when exercising; we might cycle ten miles, but might not be especially fast or focused, thus taking the path of least resistance.

One of God’s Greatest Gifts is Unanswered Prayers

One of God’s Greatest Gifts is Unanswered Prayers

Jeremiah 29:11 – New Living Translation: For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I was flicking through some music the other day, and came across one of older albums. It’s a live version of Garth Brooks on tour, and the one song that always jumps out at me is the I’ve linked below, and it’s the title for this blog.

Throughout our life, we’ve often faced trials of many kinds, and this frequently leads to prayer. But, sometimes, our prayers are more like we’ve rewritten that well known scripture above.

Little Blessings Online, Season 5, Episode 3, Daniel and a Dream

Little Blessings Online, Season 5, Episode 3, Daniel and a Dream

In Season 5, Episode 1, of Little Blessings Online, Jo Jo and Andy B focus on quick and slow things – prepare to get slow down or speed up! There are cool video clips of fast cars and guess what is slow!

There are quick and slow angels in the StoryTime and so we just have to make some angels in Art Time, but how will JoJo do this!

Quick, Quick, Slow…. sounds like a dance – well you can definitely dance during SongTime!

#GoDeeper with Andy B: Self Control, Endurance S3, E3

#GoDeeper with Andy B: Self Control, Endurance S3, E3

Go Deeper with Andy B, as he talks about self-control.
He touches on 2 Peter 1, Proverbs 25, and Matthew 7.
He explains the idea of supplementation, keeping in mind the words of 2 Peter 1:3-8, which talk about supplementing lots of godly traits with other godly traits, including self-control.
He also talks about road rage as a perfect example of a lack of self-control. When we get angry with others and start raging at other drivers, our witness is awful, and we fail to show others the righteousness of Christ through our actions.
And more…

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Fruit, Dentists, Words and Actions, S4, E10

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Fruit, Dentists, Words and Actions, S4, E10

Matthew 7 verse 16 says that by our fruits we will be known.

This means that our actions are more important than our words because words, while very important, don’t necessarily lead to change, or action. But by their very definition, actions, are the outworking of what we truly believe and think.

Andy took his wife to the dentist and it made him think about what we can, each of us, do every single day to show the love of Jesus Christ to the people we meet, to the people we love, to people who know Jesus again, to people who need to know Jesus for the first time.

Andy B 2 Minute Video, We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, S4, E9

Andy B 2 Minute Video, We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, S4, E9

The bible clearly teaches us that we should expect to find people in positions of authority in our churches, and church communities, who exist simply to destroy.

Jesus dealt with it and so did Paul, so we shouldn’t be surprised.

We shouldn’t accept it either! But how can we work out who is for Jesus, and who is not?

Andy B 2 Minute Video, A Busy Business, S4, E7

Andy B 2 Minute Video, A Busy Business, S4, E7

Church can mean lots of different things to different people.

For some it is a place you’d only visit on high days and holidays – Christmas and Easter, and maybe birth and death!

For others it is somewhere we see as the place we go to each Sunday morning to worship God with other believers.

But, far too often it is also better known for everything that is nothing to do with Jesus or the gospel!

#GoDeeper with Andy B: Resisting Temptation, Endurance, S3, E2

#GoDeeper with Andy B: Resisting Temptation, Endurance, S3, E2

Go Deeper with Andy B, as he talks about resisting temptation.
He reads both of our Scriptures for this week: James 4:7 and Matthew 4:1-11.

Jesus faced the same temptations we do when He came to earth as a man, so He understands our struggles against temptation. Andy B relates the story of a wealthy lady who was hiring a new chauffer, and how she asked each of the applicants a very specific question to test them.

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Journeying Alone, is Lonely!, S4, E6

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Journeying Alone, is Lonely!, S4, E6

Parenting can be tough. But, thankfully, there is a instruction manual we can download that will teach us all we ever needed to know.

Our lives on this planet, are not designed to be lived out in isolation. God made us to live in Community.

And in the bible, we find the perfect instructions to live the best lives we can, and see perfect examples of how to parent.

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Weeds, Flowers and Cultivation, S4, E5

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Weeds, Flowers and Cultivation, S4, E5

Each day we get to choose what we cultivate in our hearts and minds.

Some people can be great at gardening. Then, there are people like us: I’ve spent time lovingly nurturing and caring for a weed, which I’d thought was actually a flower.

And we can do that in our spiritual lives too – we can spend so much time developing something that doesn’t have good roots or foundation!

As disciples of Jesus Christ we need to be constantly checking in God, and Scripture, to ensure that those things in our lives that we are working on, are flowers not weeds; that they’re good for us, not bad; that we’re building God’s Kingdom, not our own.

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Don’t Wait To Live, S4, E4

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Don’t Wait To Live, S4, E4

Andy and Jo are fasting for a week, because of some big life decisions coming up in the future, and found themselves waiting for these big changes to occur, before they start really enjoying living life to the full.

Can you relate to this? Waiting for something external to improve before you start enjoying life, and experiencing the joy that a relationship with Jesus Christ gives us?

It’s easy waiting for a better moment to start dieting, or going to the gym. We can wait for the perfect moment until we make the move for a better career, or tackling that unloved garden.

But, tomorrow never comes!

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Focus, Time, Distractions And Calling, S4, E1

Andy B 2 Minute Video, Focus, Time, Distractions And Calling, S4, E1

In his first video of Series 4, this is more of a special Edition Andy B video!

With all that has been happening recently, Andy B has been finding sleep rather elusive!

Afghanistan; vaccination passports; President Biden; forced covid vaccinations for under 12s in Finland; global temperature fluctuations being used for political control and financial gain; China and Taiwan; a forced Home Education register in the UK – there is much to see around us that can easily cause us anxiety and worry.

But, as Christians what is God calling us to do?

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Fit for Purpose, S3, E29

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Fit for Purpose, S3, E29

I’ve spent most of my adult, working life, wearing a hard hat, glove and steel toe capped boots. Because I love my head and my toes and wish to keep them the way they should be. I banged my head, pretty badly, early on – because I thought hard hats were stupid and annoying and uncomfortable.

I had a very bad head for a while after that encounter! And I also discovered that standing up, underneath the main boom of a lorry mounted crane, is never sensible! I took quite a lot of insults after that, because I was never seen working on my truck without a hard hat. Lifting large, heavy, objects was – for me at least – an obvious clue that boots with steel toe caps was a must…that one I got immediately!

With a hard hat I was fit for purpose.
Without it, I was an accident waiting to happen!

Your Favourite Podcasts, and Study Plan Ideas?

Your Favourite Podcasts, and Study Plan Ideas?

This post is mostly about me asking for your recommendations and suggestions for your favourite podcasts and Bible reading plans or study books.

We’re taking a couple of weeks from creating our usual output, and it’s giving us an opportunity as a family to catch up on all sorts of things, rethink things and rest as a family in a different way.

We’ve washed the car, dumped a broken sofa at the tip, rearranged some furniture and taken a look at our lives to see where we have been wasting time, or where God might be calling us to do other things.

Busy can be great, but being too busy – for too long – is never something to cultivate, because it means we probably think we know more than God (never a good place to let ourselves arrive at)!

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Coiled Potential Can Hurt!, S3, E28

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Coiled Potential Can Hurt!, S3, E28

If you think of a spring, they’re fitted everywhere! From DVD players to cars, from bicycle derailleurs to pens and staplers, from watches to door handles!
We can find springs, in one form or another, almost everywhere. And they have a really simple job – to make something move in a predictable way.
On my bike, the part I fitted has a huge spring which forces the derailleur to be pushed away from the centre of the wheel. When you press the gear lever, it allows that spring to relax, jus a littler bit – a very set amount – and your chain is put on a lower gear.
The one I bought does exactly this. But in order to fit (the lazy way) I had to remove a couple of small bolts so I could save myself removing the chain just so I could fit the new part to my bike.

Faith and Prayer, Volume 1, Part 3 of 3, Faith and Prayer!

Faith and Prayer, Volume 1, Part 3 of 3, Faith and Prayer!

With discussion around Fish and Chips, Sweet and Sour Sauce and Gloves hands, Andy B does his usual and takes ordinary, every day objects and situations, and helps us dig deeper into the basics of how Faith and Prayer work together.

With a very strong reminder, and warning – from the book of James – about why we need both Faith and Prayer, Andy B encourages us to all to get on our knees more, to learn to know Jesus better.

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Wisdom Trumps Experience, S3, E27

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Wisdom Trumps Experience, S3, E27

We all have experiences in life which can be super helpful for ourselves, and the people we come into contact with.

One assembly I remember vividly contained this question – would you rather see an older doctor who was covered in blood and muck, but who was very experienced. Or a young doctor, fresh out of college, who was wall presented.

I can’t speak for my peers, but give me the doctor who has been doing it for a while!
Experience counts in so many places. But, as Christians, wisdom that comes from God trumps experience EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Identical but Different, S3, E25

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Identical but Different, S3, E25

We all know the game spot the difference. Sometimes those differences can be so subtle, they can appear almost identical.

But look long enough, and you’ll start to see the difference. The longer you look at the two images, the more they can look the same. But if we compare to just one of them, those differences start to stand out!

It’s like with spotting counterfeit money – we check what the genuine stuff looks like, and the fake stuff starts to stand out.

Faith and Prayer, Volume 1, Part 2 of 3, What is Prayer?

Faith and Prayer, Volume 1, Part 2 of 3, What is Prayer?

Starting out the real basics of Prayer, Andy B takes a good look at what Prayer is. He also looks at when we should pray, how we should pray.

He also answers the question of what we can pray!

Returning to the most simplest forms of prayer – conversation – Andy B seeks to show us how prayer is a gift from God, that God desires us to use, because God uses our words to change situations around the world.

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Habits, Trusting and Change, S3, E24

Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, Habits, Trusting and Change, S3, E24

Andy B starts a 6 part series of Andy B 2 Minute Videos, all because he replaced a bike part, and God revealed many ways in which this part can teach all of us about life!

Andy B’s mountain bike came second hand, and happens to have had the wrong part fitted.

For 6 years Andy B struggled with issues, before finally replacing this one little part.