I’m gutted to say my old friend John Riches passed away this morning. I first met John 24 years ago. I was living in the North of Rwanda doing language study, and he swung by to greet my Aunt and Granny for ten minutes on his way back to Burundi from Uganda. Off the cuff, I jokingly asked if I could hitch a ride with him to visit Burundi. He gave me three minutes to pack my bag, and we were off! So began a great friendship. The war in Burundi was ongoing, and there was an international embargo as […]
Building Now to the Glory of God!
I’m seriously excited, because this last week has been almost 12 years in the making. Check out this 1-minute clip with photos… But honestly, there were times when I doubted we would we ever get to this point. Let me explain: We helped Scripture Union launch the King’s Conference Centre in 2009 (See this video). It’s a sustainable success story and a hit with locals and international guests alike. Not only do several dozen staff receive a good salary to provide for their families, but profits are ploughed back into Kingdom projects like pastor-training, youth camps, and Bible distribution, etc. Beautiful! But then to our horror, the neighbouring […]
Declared Dead but now About to Give Birth!
Providence died in 2012, but will be giving birth this coming Monday… Say that again? On 13th September 2012, Provi plunged over a cliff at Butomangwa with her three RTNB colleagues (Burundi’s national Radio/TV) after a day’s news-reporting on a UNICEF project. All four were declared dead on the spot. Their bodies were taken to the morgue at Rutana hospital. The accident made national news headlines, and the Minister of Information announced on air each of the names of the dead, including hers. The first three bodies filled up the morgue, so Provi’s corpse was laid outside on the ground […]
Encourage One Another!
Lizzie and I are doing the Navigators’ Topical Memory System scripture memorisation thingy (check it out here) with a few friends, which involves learning two new verses each week. This week’s ones included Hebrews 10:25, which speaks of ‘encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.’ Mark Twain said: “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Well, a compliment or a word of encouragement certainly goes a long way, particularly during these challenging times. So here’s an idea which isn’t too difficult to implement but which will bring a lot of […]
Lockdown Encouragement!
I just recorded this talk and sent it out to a number of churches. If you fancy a listen, may it bring you some encouragement through these difficult times… God bless you loads, cheering you on in the Spirit! Simon PS Lots of folks have joined the Choose Life Big Church 365 Read, and it’s easy to sign up for, with a weekly vlog to further encourage folks. Here’s the link: glo.org.uk/chooselife
Wartime Walkie-Talkie or Domestic Intercom?
The world we are living in is nuts, and only getting more nuts. Most people, however intelligent, are seeking rational explanations. But the truth is, there aren’t any. I genuinely think most of us in the West are so blind to spiritual realities that we have an awful lot to learn from other worldviews.I was cleaning up my computer and came across this talk given in 2017. I’d never posted it. But I found that all the more after a short time of living back in the West I needed to hear it. I think it’ll do you some good […]
Amused to Death, or Staying Sharp in Lockdown?
George Orwell wrote about the time a wasp “was sucking jam on my plate and I cut him in half. He paid no attention, merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed oesophagus. Only when he tried to fly away did he grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him.” Back in 1985, Neil Postman wrote ‘Amusing Ourselves to Death’. The book is obviously dated, but whatever warnings he flagged up back then concerning the dangers of being conditioned and shaped by vapid television content – well, they need to be […]
A Spiritual Enema for 2021!
‘Spiritual enema’ is how my friend Kevin describes my daily devotional ‘Choose Life’ – in his words, it ‘clears the decks and provides a welcome shot in the arm’ – metaphors galore! Well, I would definitely prefer submitting to a spiritual rather than to a physical one! So do you need one as 2020 comes to an end? I think we all do! From the start of 2021, a whole bunch of churches and individuals are going to be journeying through the year with ‘Choose Life’ as part of the Big Church 365 Read. We’d love you/your family/life group/school CU/church/etc to join […]
To Your (and Their) Good Health This Christmas!
Widow Nadine’s 6-year-old daughter died because she didn’t have £2.50 ($3). £2.50 for a life. That is so wrong! I tell her tragic story in this short 2-minute film. Basically, for £2.50 ($3), Burundians can get a health card valid for three years for the whole family, which will allow them to get treatment at a government clinic without incurring crippling debts. Sadly, Nadine didn’t have this card to get her daughter treated, and her neighbours didn’t have the money to lend her either, so she hurriedly set about making a clay pot (her skillset) to sell… but there was not enough […]
(Not) Shouting at Ants This Christmas!
On the back of last week’s blog, here’s some feedback from our adventures on the streets of Bath: We were out three times this week. We set up our busker’s sound system wherever there was space and plenty of people walking past, and sang carols accompanied by guitar, followed by a quick Christmas message of hope after each song. Most people are on a mission with their shopping, but plenty smile as they walk past; and some linger, listen, or want to engage in conversation. Being a team is crucial because the spin-off conversations are where beautiful things happen. For […]
Get Out There This Christmas!
How are you doing? How are you feeling? I’m usually an 8.5/10 but would give myself 5.5/10 in lockdown. I feel like a caged, frustrated animal. Yet I’m aware that although we’re all in the same storm, we’re not all in the same boat – my boat’s one of the nicest, which makes me feel all the worse for being grumpy and lacking in positivity! However, I’m determined to combat that darkness, and I want to challenge all of us to consider joining in something like the following: It’s very simple. I’ve just bought this portable Bluetooth speaker. Now multiple times […]
The Big Church 365 Choose Life Read
Greetings! So lockdown started on a national level on Thursday. There’s no pretending these are easy times to go through… …but I’ve got a proposition for you, which I’d love as many of you as possible to get behind. All the more in our enforced confinement and isolation, this could be a spiritually bonding and strengthening discipline. We’re teaming up with St Andrew’s bookshop to get as many people as possible throughout the nation on the same page (literally) as we journey through the coming year. Many of you have already read Choose Life – in which case, could you […]
Tears of Joy in Burundi
I’ve watched this three times now, and cried the first two. It’s just so beautiful! Honestly, please watch it, you won’t regret it! It goes down as one of the top ten meetings of my life… So here is a huge thank you to those of you who responded to last week’s email. Actually, the point of the email was to highlight the grace of God as the foundation of our lives during times of crisis, as evidenced so beautifully by many of our precious Burundian brothers and sisters; not to ask for money – that was just a PS at the end, offering […]
Only By Grace in Burundi
Greetings! I’ve spent the last half-hour trying not to cry… …I’m in a meeting with folks I journeyed with for twenty years, who are sharing reminiscences of (mostly) highs and (some) lows that we experienced together. And currently they’re battling through some really tough times. My two biggest prayers for Burundi this year – once the pandemic struck – was that Burundi would be spared the worst of covid, and that the elections would go peacefully. For your encouragement, those prayers have both been massively answered. It genuinely seems like covid is not having an impact here – a few […]
Quick Gorgeous Smiley THANK YOU!
Through the incredible generosity of so many of you, we were able to supply 615 GLO-related families with a chunky gift to help them with buying school uniforms and stationery, and getting their kids back to school. Just wonderful! So on behalf of all the parents and children, THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH! GLO’s Grace went to visit our partner New Generation to film this ‘thank you’ video so that you can catch some of the joy of kids being able to go to school. It’s less than a minute, and might just bring a tear (of joy) to […]
Dropping out of School (or not)…
Leo walked 12 miles each way to and from school every day, so desperate was he to learn. That blows my mind. In the West, we’re not usually as grateful for the gift of education (although lockdown frustrations have maybe changed that a little). Recognising Leo’s commitment, we bought him a bicycle to save both time and energy. He is so deeply thankful. Many of my friends in Burundi during their childhood would walk 2-3 hours a day to and from the nearest school. Education is power, education is the future, education is the hope of a better life. So you […]
Come Down!
‘Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.’ (Habakkuk 3:2) Sunday’s sermon at Holy Trinity Cheltenham can be viewed below. The covid limitations and seating restrictions were a little strange, but it was good to be back in a church, and we had a powerful time. Below is some of what I shared: A few years ago I flew to the Hebrides to speak at a number of meetings. It was great to go to places I’d read about from the 1949-52 revival there, and even talk […]
Rocking Revival Prayer
Have you ever wept in prayer before? I can count on one hand the number of times I have. I guess I/we could fake it, but that’d be worse than not praying at all, I suspect. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH THIS… For those of us who heard it as he prayed, we were all left stunned. Since lockdown, we have been meeting on Zoom every week with between 100 and 150 people from a dozen nations across time zones to hear what God is doing in Burundi. Various Burundian brothers and sisters leading different ministries have shared inspiring […]
Quintuple-Whammy Good News in Burundi…
Enough of the endless stream of bad news in our Covid-19-affected world, let’s read some heart-warming encouragements! The below is a selection of transformational stories from J-Life in the community of Ciya, an area decimated over the years of war: Remember Arcade from my last newsletter, who looks like a 10-year-old but is in fact 19? He’s had his surgery in the capital, against all odds. He’s now fit and well, and itching to get on with his education. Fantastic! Last Easter, we shared Theogene’s story. His parents had been murdered and he and his brother were destitute. We helped […]
How Long Will This Epidemic Last?
“My belief is that when you’re telling the truth, you’re close to God. If you say to God, “I am exhausted and depressed beyond words, and I don’t like You at all right now, and I recoil from most people who believe in You,” that might be the most honest thing you’ve ever said. If you told me you had said to God, “It is all hopeless, and I don’t have a clue if You exist, but I could use a hand,” it would almost bring tears to my eyes, tears of pride in you, for the courage it takes […]