NILS VON KALM listens to New Zealander Barry Pearman’s podcast, Turning The Page…
Turning the Page
Barry Pearman
What if you found a podcast, and its associated Facebook page and website, which encapsulated everything you thought about the links between Christian faith and emotional and mental health? That’s what I found when I first came across Turning the Page, an initiative started by New Zealander, Barry Pearman.
As the website says, Turning the Page is all about empowering your mental health with faith, hope and love.
“Turning the Page is all about empowering your mental health with faith, hope and love.”
The podcast is basically an audio version of the blog posts Barry puts on his website. Each podcast episode is about 15 to 20 minutes long and contains some ad-libbing of the corresponding blog post.
The topics Barry covers are varied, ranging from “Does God hate me?” to “Are you open to receive?” to “Caged by the opinions of others”. Barry has a certain way about him of conveying a warmth that at once reels you in. He comes across as very pastoral and strikes me as someone who is very sensitive to the feelings of others and is a good listener.
As a highly sensitive person myself, I could relate easily to the way Barry expresses himself in Turning the Page. There is a depth to what he says and the way he says it that touches something deep inside you. There are no pat Christian answers to life’s quandaries here. This is what could be called ‘soul-talk’ at its deepest.
When I looked into Barry’s background, his style made sense to me. He was schooled in spiritual direction by the late Christian psychologist, Larry Crabb. Many of the quotes Barry uses are from Crabb and others of his ilk, including Dan Allender and David Riddell.
The attractiveness of this podcast, and in fact the whole initiative that Barry has put together, is that it is pithy and straight to the point. It doesn’t go into long-winded explanations about mental health issues. It looks at them from specifically Christian point of view which focuses on the total and absolute love of God for all people in a way that goes straight to the heart. This is what Pearman’s mentor, Larry Crabb, was so good at.
Such intimate heart knowledge (as opposed to head knowledge or intellectual assent) is only gained through a deep relationship with God, and one that is gained through suffering. This is examined beautifully in the podcast episode, To Reap in Joy you Need to Sow in Tears. In this wonderfully heartfelt episode, Pearman looks at the importance of shedding tears at times. I found this especially relevant given what we have all experienced over the last two years. Pearman makes the point that we often feel embarrassed by our emotions. When we start to cry in front of someone, we invariably apologise. We talk about being ‘strong’ when we hold back our tears. This episode encapsulates the heart of what Turning the Page is all about.
We rely on our readers to fund Sight's work - become a financial supporter today!
For more information, head to our Subscriber's page.
In the last seven or eight years, I have become more drawn to the contemplative life as an expression of my faith. This is why I am so drawn to people like Barry Pearman and Turning the Page. There is a depth to this podcast that is missing in much of what passes for Christian spirituality. There is a soul-depth that goes past the head knowledge that so many of us have about God, and touches the very core of what makes us humans made in the image of our Creator.
Turning the Page could be called spiritual direction in a podcast. There is a certain integrity to what the podcast is all about. A demonstration of this is the fact that Pearman makes all of his materials (including a course, ebooks and articles, as well as the podcast) available on a ‘pay what you want’ basis. Pearman believes in what he is doing and he genuinely wants to help Christians dealing with mental health issues. As he makes clear, many people who struggle with their mental health cannot afford to pay for many services. So, for those who can, there is the opportunity to support his work financially, and by extension support those who cannot afford to pay for the services that Pearman offers.
Turning the Page has quickly become my new favourite podcast. I feel like I have found a kindred spirit in Pearman and what he is doing. If you want to go deeper in your contemplative walk with Jesus, whether you struggle with mental health or not, you too may just find a kinship in this podcast that touches your very soul and helps transform you more into the likeness of the loving Christ.
