I’d just come back from holiday, driving in the Alps, in a hire car, with right hand drive and learning to avoid motorcycles like it was a GTA game (except I was crawling along the high mountain roads with my precious cargo of children, wife and carry-on bags crammed into our Ford Puma). I’ve always been ‘good’ at futurising, so it doesn’t take a leap of imagination for me to imagine plummeting to our death, and when my sons start joining in that chorus I’m reaching for the slow button/break pedal however annoying that might be to the Italian and French racing drivers behind me.

My daughter and friend were due in the Lake District for an outward bound trip, so the morning after the flight before we drive the relatively serene, if busy, UK Motorway system (obviously bypassing Birmingham on the £8.50 toll). We detour around Stoke to get off a stagnant M6 and pick the right lanes all the way up the country to arrive within 5 hours. 5 hours of insight into teenage girl life as they chat happily in the back after a 4 week absence from each other, and a great chance to reconnect with one of their camp leaders, Aimee, who had been a precious part of our church in London for 5 years.

And then the long slow journey South, broken up with 6 encounters on the way home. A chance to visit the “Being Witnesses” manager, Joy Rushton, who effervesces about local churches and ordinary people where the signs of the Kingdom are breaking in. Precious time with Bishop Jill Duff, as we compare notes on the recent SOMA mission in Ireland and some of the amazing ministry happening in Blackburn Diocese, and Blackpool in particular, as well as helping me understand what God has been saying to me much better. Then a beautiful drive through stunning scenery to Welshpool to see my brother and his wife in situ for the first time since they moved there from Kew, scenery that refreshes the soul and makes the heart sing (and a roast lamb lunch to go with it). From there time with my SOMA chair of trustees Kevin Roberts and his wonderfully wise and encouraging wife Anne and some really special time with close friends Clare and Zander in Shrewsbury, before stopping in Dorridge on the way home to warm my heart with Duncan and Rachel Hill-Brown.

Home 38 hours after I’d left with the girls it was a wonderful way back into the UK, which left me with a particular affinity for the Welsh borders, which seemed on a glorious sunny day at least as beautiful as the Alps on and far less scary!

But also a wonderful reintroduction to the UK church. We have some incredible treasures up and down the country. Teenagers, young leaders, former senior teachers turned Diocesan inspirers, a Bishop full of faith, courage and prayer, amazing retired clergy who are simply re-tyred and revving to go as they cheer on the next generation and still put their hand to the plough because it was never a job anyway, it was always a calling. We have people who have gone through health and heart-ache issues and still hold on to God in faith, we have those who keep going in ministry through the hard/bad years and make it out the other side into obvious fruitfulness. We have the afterglow of old Renewal, but also Beacons being relit, and signs that there is new fire to fall.

Two days later I was on a zoom call with people getting ready to go on the SOMA META Youth mission to Lebanon. 15 young people aged 16-19 have been trained over a 9 month intensive to be leaders in the world and disciples of Christ. Revd Stu Wright (of Giant Consultancy) has headed this up and it is a wonderful emerging programme. I’d been with them for their graduation a few weeks before travelling… what a joy to hear how they had grown as leaders, in relationship, been inspired by those on their cohort coming from abroad (some of whom would get up at 2am to be on the weekly zoom call!), and got to know themselves and Jesus better. What a joy to see a rising generation of young leaders equipped, envisioned and sent out. They fly this Saturday. Do pray for them as they go, and if you know anyone who should join cohort 2 starting in November please be in touch.

Meanwhile I’ll be starting a series of love letters to the Charismatic Church on the same day. It’s a sort of mini-book and most/all of it will be on the blog, with regular instalments out beginning 26 August. I started it this Summer, after a strong prompt from God, but realised it was more personal to me and so have written some of my own story back into it. Much of it comes out of my (still to be defended) thesis on the HTB network, and experiences with New Wine, SOMA and wider reading. It touches on success, power, worship, theology, our history and the need for the world wide church to give us perspective, and finishes with two prophetic chapters on the ‘swamp’ and on the ‘meat-market’. I’m grateful to those who are commenting on a draft and helping me with tone along the way. One of the big things I pick up on is ‘Hagars’ – people who get used by people of promise/faith like Abraham and Sarah and get sent into the desert when they are not needed anymore. There’s also something brewing in me since I visited Northern Ireland about an ‘Adamic’ spirit (of male domination), but we’ll see it that makes it in…

In the meantime if you can’t wait for instalment one of Letters to the Charismatic Church [better title pending], I thoroughly recommend you get Jill Duff’s book, Lighting the Beacons which will bring hope and joy to you today.