Big Breakfast

Depending on your church background, your understanding of the Holy Spirit may look very different. For some, prophecy, tongues and being “slain in the Spirit” feel normal - for others, deeply uncomfortable. Ahead of Pentecost Sunday, Tim Muller from St Alban’s Fulham joined Max and Lydia to unpack some of the big questions around the Holy Spirit. They chat cessationism, prophetic dreams and Aussie stereotypes...

Author, preacher, and broadcaster Jeff Lucas joins Max to chat about doubt—and why questioning your faith doesn’t necessarily mean losing it. Jeff speaks candidly about the realities of following Jesus, why he is honest about his questions, and how Mother Teresa’s story can help us deal with God’s seeming silence.

Artist and creative director Junior Garr joins Max & Lydia in the studio to share his story, from growing up in Ghana to how God redirected the trajectory of his career. He talks about his heart behind SpiritCon — a new conference calling Christians back to “sacred living” and what that actually looks like in everyday life — as well as reflecting on his time at Bethel, recording for The Lion King, and the realities of building and running a conference.

Lights, camera, action! For 'Just Like Jesus' this week, Max and Lydia sat down with antiques expert and TV presenter David Harper to think about what Jesus would be like in front of the camera. They discuss faith, fame, pressure, and staying grounded when the spotlight’s on. David also opens up about becoming a Christian just over a year ago and shares more from his new book, The God Conundrum.

Sheridan Voysey from The Friendship Lab joins Max to discuss the rise of “AI friendships.” With research showing that some young people are willing to share with AI things they wouldn’t tell anyone else, how do we disciple people whose closest confidant may be a chatbot? Plus, they discuss: Should we have manners with a chatbot? Does AI’s directness affect the way we view God? And is there more than meets the eye to ChatGPT’s “personalities”?

What books would Jesus have on his bookshelf? Would He reach for an epic fantasy adventure, a powerful autobiography, or a collection of poetry that stirs the soul? And if Jesus ran a book club, what kinds of stories would spark conversation around the table? Shani Akilah is an award-winning author, content creator and book review editor for Premier Christianity Magazine. She joined Max and Lydia to imagine what Jesus’ reading list might look like and how we could host a gathering of book lovers!

Max & Lydia are joined by Freedom Feast founder Sasha Gerry, Evangelical Alliance’s Damilola Makinde, and UCCF staff worker Alban Smith-Adams for a one-year extravaganza packed with games, ridiculous chat, and plenty of biblical wisdom. They play Name That Tune, take on a chaotic round of Pick It Up And Preach, and open the Yay or Nay courtroom for a heated debate on barefoot worshippers.

For many of us, airports are where patience goes to die... Long queues. Delays. Cancellations. No seats together. The baby whining right next to you... So how do we reflect Jesus when stress levels are climbing before we’ve even boarded the plane? Rev’d Sue Lepp is Lead Chaplain at Gatwick Airport and she joined Lydia to share how we can be more like Jesus when we're getting ready to jet off.

Max sits down with Laura Weller, founder of Pentheō, and Hannah Miller, author and creator of the Purpose Pursuit course, for an honest conversation about grief. They discuss why the “stages of grief” aren’t always linear or accurate, what it really means to “not grieve like those who have no hope,” as the Apostle Paul says, and those moments when well-meaning friends get it wrong...

TV presenter and Big Church Festival host Gemma Hunt joins Max & Lydia to reflect on her career and navigating seasons of change as a Christian. She shares her favourite childhood TV shows, the ups and downs of working in telly, and how she’s handled things when the jobs slowed down. Plus, the story of why she pretend to enjoy coffee in front of Nick Gumbel.

If Jesus was your counsellor, what kind of therapeutic approach would He take? CBT? Psychodynamic? Person-centred? With around a third of UK adults accessing therapy in their lifetime, conversations around mental health are no longer taboo but for Christians, faith and counselling can still sometimes feel like an uneasy mix. Kathy Spooner, CEO of the Association of Christians in Counselling, joined Max and Lydia to unpack how we can bring Jesus into therapy with us.

The Robinsons from the Famalam podcast squeeze into the Big Breakfast studio for a lively chat about family baggage, whether you can run a household “by committee,” and what it’s like growing up as a pastor’s kid. They also share the moments that never make it into the final cut of the pod—and whether family tension actually makes for a better episode!

There are lots of unhelpful stereotypes and misunderstandings around eating disorders, particularly within Church culture - so how do we combat these? How can we love and genuinely support those struggling with an ED like Jesus would? Hope Virgo and Carolina Mountford have both recovered from eating disorders and are now both active in campaigning about ED awareness and better support. They sat with Max and Lydia to chat about the latest phase in the #dumpthescales campaign.

What would Jesus be like as a police officer? How would he deal with high-pressure, dangerous situations? Deborah Akinlawon from the Christian Police Association joined Max and Lydia to unpack these questions. They chat about dealing with the dark side of humanity, coping with the mental load, and the difference Jesus makes to protecting the public.

Max sits down with songwriter Ben Fielding, known for What a Beautiful Name and Mighty To Save, to talk about bringing the oldest known Christian hymn to life in his new documentary The First Hymn. They also reflect on the first song he ever wrote, whether he can ever tell if he’s written a “hit,” and why we're more connected to our early Christian ancestors than we realise.