36. SHORTCUTS - Peter Owen Jones on adoption, authenticity, and unanswered questions

Peter Owen Jones is the former ad man who gave it all up to become a parish priest. By the late 1980s, the former farm boy had carved out a successful career working as a creative director for a top London agency. But shortly before his 30th birthday, Peter walked away from his lucrative career to embrace a simpler, more meaningful life.

Known to many as the ‘vicar in the hat’, and seen often on TV, Peter is an unconventional priest – whose views and approach are often at odds with classic Church of England doctrine.

Given up for adoption at six weeks old, he says this void left him feeling as though he had a space inside himself, full of unanswered questions. So, when he himself became a father, he set out to find his birth mother. Six months later they met for the first time on a train platform in Scotland.

During our conversation Peter discusses the power of embracing vulnerability and putting it to work. As we all reach the end of another difficult year, there are some useful lessons here which can be put to good use, regardless of your faith. A perfect Crisis Shortcut for Christmas.

Peter's Crisis Cures:

1 – Lie down. When you are feeling overwhelmed, when you’re feeling deeply distraught and the full force of crisis hits – lie down.

2 – Pray. To open yourself to feel the full force of the pain you are experiencing and invite healing into that place.

3 – Walk. St Francis of Assisi said “Solvitur ambulando – it can be solved by walking.”

Host – Andy Coulson

Producer – Louise Difford

Full transcript available here: https://www.crisiswhatcrisis.com/podcasts/36-shortcuts-peter-owen-jones-on-adoption-authenticity-and-unanswered-questions/

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