Widow Alice’s 6-year-old daughter died because she didn’t have the equivalent of the cost of a Starbucks coffee… how could that be? Her daughter was sick, and Alice had no money to get her treated. She asked her neighbours for a loan, but they were likewise destitute. So she set about making a clay pot as quickly as possible to sell, but during those lost hours, her daughter’s illness proved fatal. I’m shaking my head in disbelief as I write this… it is so wrong! We can stop something like that from happening again this Christmas for 5,000 of the […]
Category: Blog
Content in Christ!
This talk is the fourth in a series I gave on the book of Philippians this past summer. To listen to it, click Below: Content in Christ – 3 Promises – Peace, Power, Provision Have you ever been through something really grim and been ‘comforted’ by someone who clearly hasn’t got a clue what they’re talking about? They haven’t been through what you’re experiencing, so it rings hollow and you actually just want to tell them where to go! But when someone listens deeply and you know they ‘get’ it, you really listen to them. I listen to Paul because […]
Mind-blowing, Sobering Stories for a Day of Darkness…
Halloween is here again, and it feels like each year the celebration of all things dark gains more and more traction in our culture. How should we engage with this day on the calendar as followers of Jesus? Can there be an element of innocent fun? Should I let my kids take part? Is there a Gospel opportunity somewhere under all the fake cobwebs and skeletons? Whenever we grapple with these questions, I can’t help but think of some of the stories of people who have been involved in the real world of witchcraft and spiritualism. My latest guest on […]
Journeying with Jesus
This talk is the third in a series I gave on the book of Philippians this past summer. To listen to it, Click Below: This chapter starts with faith, continues with resurrection power, and ends with glory! I’ll share some of the illustrations I used, and finish with some useful questions for reflection. A new convert approached Watchman Nee in deep anguish of soul, saying, “No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I’m losing my salvation.” Watchman Nee replied, “Do you see this […]
Christ Likeness
This talk is the second in the series I gave on the book of Philippians this past summer. To listen to it, click the Audio Link below: I love to illustrate and quote people, and this is just one of the stunning stories I use of God’s Sovereign purposes coming to fruition in this message… and there’s some reflection questions to help focus our thinking. In Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo, just across the lake from us in Burundi, I’ve preached there and seen the missionary graves. In 1921, David and Svea Flood went with their two-year-old son from Sweden […]
No Sting in Death!
It’s been a rough month, with two of God’s best troops taken out by cancer – but both of these friends have died well and impacted so many in the process. I’m going to Richard Garnett’s* funeral/celebration of life next week. Many of you will have heard of Steve Legg. I interviewed him with Carl Beech early last summer, just after he’d been given a couple of months to live. Well, he battled on for a full extra year, and ran his race beautifully. He continued touring, making people laugh and cry as he shared his comedy acts with the […]
The Win/Win of Being All-in
Recently I preached this series of talks on the book of Philippians, so below is the first of four talks. Some thoughts / quotes / illustrations from the talk: The key takeaway for me is that Paul is totally out of control (in prison), and yet totally confident of God being in control! And so it is for me and you, whatever you’re going through, that’s the case. I need to hear that. Here are some of the juicy quotes I used, plus at the end some questions to reflect on: Eldredge talks along these lines: “Choosing to see life […]
Keep the milk flowing in Burundi!
This 2-min film shows the beautiful community impact brought about through Milk For Transformation. It was pioneered by my friend Evariste with the idea of bringing in cross-bred sturdy and milk-rich Friesian cows into Burundi. As a result, about 5,000 people’s lives have been lifted out of extreme poverty, as it has created a chain of employment and empowerment all the way from production to distribution around the city. Stunning! That’s the good news… …the bad news is that now Burundi is on its knees because there has been a crippling fuel crisis for the last two years. I’m hoping this email will […]
Kingdom Commission! Isaiah 61:1-4
There is a Thomas the Tank Engine cartoon that pictures Thomas on his side, having fallen off the train tracks. He is shouting, ‘I’m free! I’m free at last. I’ve fallen off the rails and I’m free!’ Of course, the reality is that Thomas is far more ‘free’ when his wheels are on the rails and he is operating in line with how he has been created to function.’ I preached this sermon at All Saints Weston Sunday evening on the back of a massive sucker punch on my return from Burundi Thursday, and the combination of physical weariness from […]
No more crashes this Easter!
I’m a man of faith. I believe in Jesus’ resurrection, which we will celebrate this coming Sunday. But some things are beyond resurrection! “One of the major challenges we encountered was the lack of adequate equipment such as computers.” Taken from an update by a GLO partner in 2023 So many of our amazing leaders, and their teams, struggle on, using tired laptops which are painfully slow, often crash and are barely able to handle the demands of opening a spreadsheet. We need to do something right now. I once lost three weeks of work when my computer crashed – for these key leaders […]
Tears and Bullets in Burundi
As I stood up to preach, I burst into tears in the pulpit. It was July 2003 and I had flown back from Burundi and on to the USA for my first preaching tour there. I was with a wonderful church called St Andrew’s in Mt Pleasant, South Carolina. Memories of this moment came flooding back a few days ago when I visited my old office on the outskirts of Bujumbura. It was a time of reminiscing and rejoicing. Back in 2003, I was distraught because at the very moment I was preaching at the midweek service, in Burundi rebels had attacked […]
Gospel Confidence
As I look around, I think it’s fair to say we lack gospel confidence in this country. For what it’s worth, I want you to know that yesterday, more people came to faith in Jesus than any other day in the history of humanity. The kingdom of God is advancing! So, last month I’m preaching in the bush in Burundi to about 3000 people, and we’re very clear in the appeal, only come forward if it’s your first time to choose to follow Jesus… and that night, 224 people responded. That’s one outreach in the middle of nowhere. I pray […]
All Good Things Come to An End…
Or Do they? Nothing has brought me more joy and pain in 25 years of ministry in Burundi. Maybe that’s a little overstated, but building what is considered the best dedicated conference centre in the country certainly caused many sleepless nights, stressful days, frustrating weeks and more. Phase 1 launched in 2009, Phase 2 in 2021. It’s been a looooong journey, through the upheaval of renewed violence in 2015 when the country imploded, through Covid shutdown… but King’s Conference Centre as a social enterprise has more than survived… it has thrived! And the key person coordinating and leading several dozen […]
“I used my sweater to cover the stain…”
“One day, while sitting in class, my makeshift pad leaked. When I stood up, I realized that I had stained my school uniform. I asked a classmate if she could spare a pad, but she too was in need. I wrapped my jumper around my waist and requested permission to leave.” For Exaveline, what should be a typical day turns into a recurring nightmare when her monthly period arrives. At just 16 years old, she cannot afford sanitary pads, and she has exhausted all possible methods to prevent staining her school uniform. Unfortunately, her attempts often fail, leaving her feeling […]
Battle Stations!
Last Sunday, I preached at Emmanuel Croydon to finish off their Ephesians series with chapter 6 and the Armour of God. I entitled it ‘Battle Stations!’ Do take a listen here: And below are a few juicy quotes: John Piper: “Probably the number one reason why prayer malfunctions in the hands of believers is that we try to turn a wartime walkie-talkie into a domestic intercom. Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for… But what have millions of Christians done? We have stopped believing that we are in a war. No urgency, no […]
Happy Halloween?
What do you make of Halloween? I’m conflicted. On one level, it’s just an excuse for a good time, and I love the chance to engage with the community and be out and about. But on another level, I’m uncomfortable with the sinister underbelly and know that as a follower of Jesus, I need to be awake to those darker realities. So I thought I’d share with you two of my friends’ stories, who were witches themselves. I think their opinions and experiences are more important and authoritative than mine, and what happened in their lives is frankly mind-blowing. Well […]
Pursuing His Power
WARNING: This blog contains two prayers which could radically alter your life. If you’d rather things stay as they are, then please stop here. This is the fourth talk in the ‘Hot Pursuit’ series, delivered at Lee Abbey in August. Pursuing His Presence Pursuing His Peace Pursuing His Purpose Pursuing His Power You can listen here: Some notes/quotes/illustrations from the talk: Some years ago a young man looking for work approached a foreman of a logging crew and asked him for a job. “It depends,” replied the foreman “lets see you take this one down”. The young man stepped forward, and skillfully felled a […]
Pursuing His Purpose
This is the third talk in the ‘Hot Pursuit’ series, delivered at Lee Abbey in August. Pursuing His Presence Pursuing His Peace Pursuing His Purpose Pursuing His Power This is the story of one of my heroes: Robert Jermaine Thomas (1839-1866) from Kingsley Armstrong’s book: After Robert Thomas found the Lord, he began preaching at age 15. He went to train at New College, London; met Caroline Godfrey, got engaged, married, ordained and sailed to China the same year. In 1863 Robert said goodbye to his homeland. He was twenty-four when he travelled with his new wife on a ship from Gravesend […]
Pursuing His Peace
This is the second talk in the ‘Hot Pursuit’ series, delivered at Lee Abbey in August. Pursuing His PresencePursuing His Peace Pursuing His PurposePursuing His Power You can listen here: Some notes/quotes/illustrations from the talk: Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” What is Shalom? Completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. At ease, favour, health, peaceful, prosperity, safety, secure, security, rest, trust in relationships, wellness, well-being. Acknowledge your fear Become aware of his presence Claim his promises “The beginning of fear is the end of faith; the beginning of true faith is the […]
Stunning Modern-Day Miracles!
You might struggle to believe some of the following stories from last month’s outreach. I hope not though. ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever’ (Hebrew 13:8). So here are some feedback highlights, having asked folks to pray last month as we sent out 1,439 young evangelists from 88 churches for two weeks all around Burundi. The top-line summary is that they saw over 23,000 people come to faith! It’s the modern-day Acts of the Apostles! Here goes: An Urge for Healing In the small village of Bwambarangwe in Kirundo province, 41-year-old Diomede had lain paralysed from the waist down and […]