
Bitesize chunks of faith
By Jono Pierce
Join Church leader Jono Pierce as each week he takes a personal look at how faith has impacted his daily life in small bite sized chunks.
hit the subscribe button as he tries to share the riches he has discovered to bring hope and encouragement and inspiration to you week by week and may it bring blessing to your life.


Episode 209 Bonding over Drains!
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on how the monthly church work party enables people to bond over sharing pretty mundane tasks. He thinks of the many hidden tasks that happen every week in every church and how doing these things together helps build community and grow together in faith and love.

Episode 208 Looking beyond our walls
In this weeks episode Jono shares about some of the external agencies and local agencies his church takes an interest in and get involved in through prayer, finance, and people going and serving and volunteering.

Episode 207 The discipline of silence and solitude
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about the spiritual discipline of silence and solitude after a quiet morning for his parish this week.

Episode 206 A new Pope
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on the drama of the election of the new Pope, a new leader for the global Roman Catholic Church and thinks about some qualities needed for this task and shares some prayers for Pope Leo Xiv and all in Christian leadership around the world.

Episode 205 some reflections on the mind matters programme for mental health
In this weeks episode Jono discusses a programme the church has run over the past year using a grant from the central church about mental health called mind matters.

Episode 204 Some reflections on the death of Pope Francis
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on the life and ministry of Pope francis and uses a powerful reflection The Pope wrote while in hospital to reflect on what is important in life.

Episode 203 The Jim fleming episode
In this weeks episode Jono shares the story of a man called Jim Fleming who spoke recently about god's guidance on his life as a church planter and in the transition to a new role as a pastoral care coordinator.

Episode 202 The Ross Munro Episode
In this weeks episode Jono hears from Ross Munro ,a church planter working in the titanic quarter of Belfast and leading a church plant called the Gathering.

Episode 201 The Matthew Gault episode
In this weeks episode Jono shares the experience of another church planter in the Diocese called Matthew Gault who is working in a loyalist estate called Tullycarnett in East Belfast.

Episode 200 The Tim Burns episode
In this weeks episode Jono shares the thoughts of a church planter called Tim Burns who is working with refugees and Asylum seekers in a project called the suitcase project.

Episode 199 The James Crockett episode
In this weeks episode Jono shares the story of a man called James Crockett who works as a church planter in a housing estate called The Braniel estate in Belfast. James tries to reconnect those who have got disconnected or never had a previous church connection. he shares the significance of Isaiah 61 verses 1-3 on God's call on his life to this ministry.

The church and preparing for lent
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about an old testament prophet called Haggai who got involved in rebuilding the church when people had lost heart and how his message holds hope for today.

Episode 197 The Bill Press episode
In this weeks episode Jono speaks to Canon Bill Press about his faith journey, his recent sabbatical and a book he has writeen about ST.Patrick.

Episode 196 Church finances an overview
In this weeks episode Jono gives an insight into how his churches finances are overseen and how priorities are dealt with.

Episode 195 Angels in disguise and voices of encouragement
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on how people can encourage us out of the blue and come alongside us almost as God's designated person for that moment.

Episode 194 Dealing with storms
In the teeth of Storm Eowyn Jono reflects on its impact and on the perspective faith in Jesus brings to the storms we face in life.

Episode 193 Prayers from a place of overwhelm
In this weeks episode Jono Calls the listeners to pray for situations which feel overwhelming, the Los Angeles wildfires, the Civil war in South Sudan where our church has missionary links, the proposed ceasefire in Gaza and Israel and The challenges in our local community.

Episode 191 Being a good neighbour
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about being a good neighbour, one of Jesus's commands and priorities and shares the inspiring example of his mum's neighbours and friends who look after her so well and support her so well.

Episode 190 Leaving your mark
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about leaving our mark on the world as he reflects on the lives of 3 very significant people who died recently.

Episode 189 Are you sorted for Christmas?
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about this commonly asked question at this time of year. What might it look like for a member of the clergy? What might it look like for You?

Episode 188 Christmas outreach episode
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about the creative ways churches are reaching out with the message of Christmas and about why they are doing this.

Advent and waiting
In this weeks episode As the season of Advent begins, Jono thinks about the idea of waiting for the coming of Jesus and what that might look like for us today.

Episode 186 The confirmation episode
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on a recent confirmation service and says a little about what confirmation is and how meaningful the Bishop made this service for all the candidates.

Episode 185 Epic challenges
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about an epic cycle challenge for Children in need, a charity that supports many projects working with vulnerable children and young people across the country. He offers some suggestions for a spiritual challenge. Are you up for it?

Episode 184 Someone else's shoes
In this weeks episode Jono encourages us to think about what its like to be in someone else's shoes as a means of being more compassionate and praying with insight for their situation.

Episode 183 The infrastructure of our lives
In this weeks episode Jono gives thanks for the infrastructure, the people who are important in his everyday life and encourages the listener to do the same

Episode 182 Reliance on God
In this weeks episode Jono thinks of the many occasions in life and ministry where he feels compelled to rely on God to get him through and shares the words of a powerful hymn to reflect on this.

Episode 181 The Mike Donal episode
In this weeks episode Jono speaks to a man whose life was powerfully changed by encountering Jesus. His daughter was instrumental in inviting him to church for the first time and He has an extremely powerful story to share. Please be aware that the episode contains references to drug taking and self harm and suicidal thoughts which some listeners may find upsetting.

Escalating conflict in the middle East some resources to pray
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on the escalating conflict in the middle East and how overwhelming that seems. He offers some prayers and thoughts on how to respond using materials from the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough which partners with the Diocese of Jerusalem over many years.

Episode 179 coaches and mentors
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on meeting a neighbour who has coached sport for over 25 years and thinks about the role of coaches and mentors in the life of faith.

Episode 178 Invitation services Gimmicks or invitation?
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about a forthcoming invitation service and its preparation and planning. Is it a gimmick or is it outreach?

The Niamh Mcanally episode
In this weeks episode Jono meets an author called Niamh mcanally who discusses her memoir Following sunshine. She speaks of the importance of volunteering and shares some of her experiences from travelling the world. A most inspiring lady.

Episode 176 Sunday school teachers a special celebration
In this weeks episode Jono marks the celebration of 240 years of Sunday School in Ireland and reflects on the influence of sunday school teachers in his life and in the life of the church.

Episode 175 The institution service
In this weeks episode Jono Speaks about the service when a new incumbent or priest in charge or minister is introduced to a new parish and in particular some of the symbols that are presented as part of that unique and special service.

Episode 174 The Bishop Michael Burrows episode
In this weeks episode Bishop Michael Burrows speaks about his life and ministry and journey of faith. Bishop Michael is Bishop of a geographical area that covers almost a third of the area of Ireland

The Stella Isaac Episode
In this weeks episode Jono speaks with a fascinating guest called Stella Isaac about her school days, her passion for rowing where she represented Cambridge University, her naval career and historical research and the place faith has played in her life. Enjoy!

Episode 172 praying for a cessation to the trouble on our streets
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on his own experience of living as a migrant and prays against the violence seen on our streets in recent weeks.

Episode 171 Some reflections on the Olympics
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on the fine margins separating success and failure in elite sports and congratulates parishioner Jack Mcmillan on olympic gold.

Episode 170 The Gillian Wharton episode
In this weeks episode Jono speaks to a mentor of his, someone who spoke at a vocations conference when he was a school boy, the wonderful Canon Gillian Wharton. Gillian speaks about what it was like as one of the first women ordained in the church of Ireland and shares some of her personal reflections on ministry. A great conversation!

Episode 169 Dealing with Disappointment
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on lessons learn in watching a friend deal with disappointment and how her perspective of faith helped transform what could have been a very sad and disappointing experience into something joyful and hopefilled.

Episode 168- some thoughts and explanations about a synod
What is a Diocesan Synod and what does it do? In this weeks episode Jono explains what a synod is and shares some reflections from this years Diocesan synod.

Episode 167 Happy Birthday Stephen Brook saluting our mentors in faith
In this weeks episode Jono pays tribute to a mentor of his in ministry who had a huge influence on him well over 30 years ago as he considered the ordained ministry and wishes Reverend Stephen Brook the happiest of birthdays!

Episode 166 Hospital ministry
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about ministry in hospital, What that looks like and some different experiences of it and shares some prayers for people in hospital.

Episode 165 The pressures of exam season
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about some of his disappointments in exams and encourages those sitting exams at present to keep things in perspective. He shares a prayer for those studying at the present time.

Episode 164 Online prayers
In this weeks episode Jono describes what an online prayer meeting looks like in his context and how it has drawn people together in a powerful way.

Episode 163 Some thoughts on pastoral care
In this weeks episode Jono thinks about the central part pastoral care plays in his denomination the Church of Ireland. He considers the importance of visiting in places like hospitals, schools, nursing homes and people's homes and workplaces and building up those important relationships with people.

Episode 162 Parenting Teenagers
In this weeks episode Jono shares some insights he gained through an event run by a charity called Care for the family about parenting teenagers. The Charity has a powerful website with great resources for all sorts of situations from parenting to navigating grief and learning to communicate better. Check it out on cff.org.uk

Episode 161 The importance of respectful discourse
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on a powerful conversation he heard in a podcast called the Carey Nieuhof leadership podcast (Episode 646) between a Christian leader Carey Nieuhof and an atheist professor of economics and author and podcaster Professor G (Scott Galloway).
The respectful way in which the conversation took place and the engaging content was a real antidote to much of the toxicity in public discourse today.

Episode 160 - The Stevie Mulrooney episode
In this weeks episode Jono welcomes Stevie Mulrooney to the podcast. Stevie won the heart of the nation as he sang Ireland's call before an irish rugby international earlier this year and he shares a little about that experience and how his year has been since his memorable appearance on the late late toy show at Christmas. A remarkable young man!
He also sings Livin on a prayer.

Episode 159 Young people and the church
In this weeks episode Jono reflects on the challenging topic of young people and the church and suggests some key elements that help young people's programmes to work well.