When Mindfulness Isn't Enough

When Mindfulness Isn't Enough You have tried the apps, the walks and the digital detox, and peace still feels like something other people have. About this episode Ade Birkby joins us to look at Psalm 16, a psalm David wrote while he was on the run for his life. Ade takes the everyday strategies seriously first, walking through what the research says mindfulness, green space, close friendships and switching off actually do for us, and then showing where they run out. What follows is not a technique for calming life down. It is a look at where David chose to stand while his circumstances stayed dangerous. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and what August looks like at Crowd 02:51 Why everyone feels so busy 04:40 What usually helps and how far it gets you 07:11 Psalm 16 and why this one is different 12:01 The three things David does 15:14 What this looks like on a Tuesday 18:55 Changes coming to Crowd in September Key references Psalm 16, read in full at 07:11 Psalm 16 verse 7, on taking counsel at night Psalm 16 verse 8, on keeping your eyes on the Lord James 1 verses 2 to 4, on trials producing perseverance Acts 2, Peter quoting Psalm 16 after Pentecost Acts 13, Paul making the same argument Hebrew terms drawn out in the talk, miktam (the psalm type), ketem (fine gold), chasah (to take refuge), manah (portion), chebel (measuring cord) Office for National Statistics, on 47% of adults feeling busier than ever DataReportal 2026 digital report, on 6 hours 51 minutes of daily phone use across around 96 pickups University of Bath 2024 global mindfulness study Ipsos and Gallup research on lifestyle boundaries Chinese multi-university study on gratitude disposition and orientation to experience Quotes from the talk "Happiness is dependent on good happenings, but joy in the biblical sense is an unshakable confidence from knowing a secure eternal future with God." - Ade Birkby "We're not talking about a little hiding spot, we're heading to Fort Knox, or if you're a Lord of the Rings fan, we're heading to Helm's Deep, the fortress built into the mountain." - Ade Birkby "Are we doing that to make God centre of our lives, or are we just saying we're making Him centre of our lives?" - Ade Birkby Links Everything at crowd.church The next Alpha course starts on 9 September, Wednesdays at 7:30pm, and you can register at crowd.church This is week two of a five week series through the Psalms, built to be taken as a whole Crowd Church - a community for those who might not see the point of church. https://www.crowd.church/talks/when-mindfulness-isnt-enough