The answer is he is not a child, he is a 19-year-old young adult called Arcade. It’s difficult to believe… but when you hardly ever get any food to eat, physical development is stunted. More of his story is below… …before that, I want to praise the Lord for peaceful elections. Seriously. Last time in 2015, it got really messy. But in a month of dramatic twists, the outgoing President died suddenly, and so the new President was quickly inaugurated for the sake of stability. He’s got a tough job on his hands, but I’m praying (who wouldn’t want this […]
Why I’m no longer a Christian… Part 2
This blog will only make sense if you’ve read the last one, please do so… Done? OK, I’ll carry on. I felt the need to write a follow-up to the last blog because a number of highly intelligent and spiritual people, whom I respect deeply, responded unfavourably to it, expressing disappointment and loving concern for me. Was I going soft? On the edge of burn-out? Losing my faith? The answer is no. My contention was and still is simply that the use of language is nuanced, and I question the received meaning of words such as ‘Christian’, ‘Christianity’, ‘missionary’, etc in […]
My Failed First Relationship and then Finding True Love…
Gini was my first love (or should I say lust?). It didn’t work out well, much to my chagrin… I was given 5 minutes as part of 24-hour speaking event, and this is what I came up with. Feel free to pass on to folks who could do with hearing it. Next steps? Over lockdown I’ve been looking at the Alpha Course. Short videos that are so clear and helpful. Here’s the first one:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBMMD5C0k-s
Why I’m no longer a Christian…
It might surprise some of you when I say that I stopped being a Christian about ten years ago. Last week’s picture of the world’s most powerful man holding up a Bible for what was in my view a questionable photo-opportunity polarized many, and prompted much discussion and outrage. It certainly got me thinking, and such events reinforce my reticence to be identified with ‘Christianity’. In his book ‘Blue Like Jazz’, Donald Miller recounts how a secular talk show host urged him to defend Christianity on air. Miller refused to do so, which made the host curious: He asked […]
Nearly Committing Murder at my Wedding Proposal, George Floyd, and Life to the Full
This is an interview I just did with Wes Poirot. Some interviews are a bit of a waste of time, but his questions were brilliant and I do think this is worth a listen. Here goes: And If you’ve got teenage kids (we watch his daily short video as a family over breakfast), why don’t you subscribe and get a daily discipleship shot in the arm together, we’ve loved it. Subscribe here.
The Gospel Call – Urgent, Costly, Precious
William Booth’s last speech to the Salvation Army ended with this: “While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight. While little children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight. While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight. While there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight – I’ll fight to the very end!” Greetings! The above and below are a few of the stories I shared in this talk […]
The Adventure of Calling
My life motto is John 10:10 where Jesus says: “I have come that you might have life, and life to the full.” This talk on the Adventure of Calling was given a few months ago in North Carolina. It definitely applies to all of us, and is worth a listen. Below I’ll paste a few quotes that I included: If you want the adventure of calling, you have to COME: Claim God’s promisesObey God’s instructionsMaintain faith in God’s leadingEmbrace risks for God’s glory “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road […]
Doing a Moses for Burundi and Beyond…
How long do you think you could hold your arms out wide for? That’s what I tried to do yesterday for the first time. Why not give it a go?! I managed so much longer than I thought possible, imagining that every extra cramping second signified more lives saved, which actually was the case with Moses in Exodus 17 (I’ll tell you how long I managed at the end). Whilst the Israelites under Joshua’s leadership defended themselves against an Amalekite attack down in the valley, Moses was up the top of a hill with Aaron and Hur. Verse 11 says: […]
Faith in Word and Deed
A vicar was too busy to help a desperate homeless lady needing help. He fobbed her off with a promise to pray for her. She wrote the following poem and gave it to a local Shelter officer: I was hungry,And you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger.I was imprisoned,And you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.I was naked,And in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.I was sick,And you knelt and thanked God for your health.I was homeless,And you preached a sermon on the spiritual shelter of the love of God.I […]
Lockdown Talk for Schools…
A few years ago, Fenn Chapman, a 16-year-old from Rugby School, flogged some techy gear to raise some money, and then flew to the Bahamas during term-time. Reporters got wind of it and knew it would make a good story. One of them eventually tracked him down on the beach and asked Fenn why he did it. Fenn replied: “I started thinking about the rest of my life: university, a job, buying a car, getting married, a mortgage, and then dying. I thought there had to be something more to life than this. So I had to get away for […]
Top 10 Tips from 20 Years in Burundi…
One US lady was sharing her testimony in Francophone Africa. She wanted to say in French that her past was divided into two parts. Instead of ‘passé’ she said ‘derrière’ (behind, backside). She went on to say that one part of her butt was black, one part was white, and between the two there was a great chasm! Greetings to you all in lockdown (or not) wherever in the world. This is a talk I gave at a missions conference in North Carolina called New Wineskins (https://newwineskins.org) a few months ago. Grace and peace to you, Simon
Reminiscing About a Previous Lockdown…
I’ve been reflecting on the events of 2015 in Burundi as we’ve re-entered a very different type of lockdown with COVID-19. In 2015, it was election violence which led to our spending time hunkered down at home, rather than today’s threat of an invisible virus. We were not told to stay at home, but common sense dictated when it would be foolish to go outside. Youths put rocks fifty yards up our road to stop any vehicles passing. Another 200 yards away at the main intersection, trees were felled, and a barricade was set on fire. Those seeking regime change […]
Anti-COVID Good News Story from Burundi!
Amidst so much legitimate doom and gloom, GLO wants to share stories of hope, joy and life to encourage you. I hesitate to share this particular story because you could think I’m self-promoting, but where Ida mentions me, substitute ‘GLO’. It illustrates exactly what we’re about. Not just the big nationwide-influencing stuff, but also helping the last, the lost, the least. Committing to change over the long haul. One at a time. At one point orphaned, Ida had no idea how her life would turn out. Unable to support herself, she had no hope. GLO was able to come alongside […]
Heroic Faith in Burundi…
His brother rang to tell him their parents had been murdered and dumped down the sewer. He was about to run the most important race of his life… Watch this beautiful short (4-minute) film to hear more of Charles’ story. It’s good to have stories of triumphant hope during these difficult days… Deep peace to you, Simon Guillebaud
Shingles and Taking on the World Silver Medallist!
Sometimes I’m a seriously slow learner. I was speaking a couple of weeks ago in Bujumbura from Hebrews 12 and running the race with/for God. In the front row, I spotted one of Burundi’s heroes, Charles Nkazamyampi. He’s become a good friend over the last few years. I love what he does, using his fame as a vehicle for reconciliation and forgiveness around the country. So I took the opportunity to have a race against him around the church! Who won? Take a look… Incidentally, he tells some of his remarkable story HERE. Running and getting the silver medal in […]
2 Years Ago Nothing, Now THIS!
There’s nothing closer to God’s heart than coming alongside widows and orphans (James 1:27). Last week my mate Jon and I were out in Burundi, and we got to travel into the bush with Bosco to see J-Life’s transformational work with some wonderful folks who have suffered much. Take a quick look!
Appearing in a Lady’s Dream, and then in Real Life!
Yesterday we joined GLO’s newest partner UCE for an outreach event in the bush at a place called Bugendana. It was wild! These guys have been running for a decade on a shoestring budget without any external support, relying on their own sacrificial contributions. Recently we committed to backing them, as their track record was so impressive. On this visit, I really wanted to see them in action, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m out with a friend Jon, and he was likewise beautifully blown away. Not least because this lady came up to us after the main meeting, having testified […]
An Interview with Premier Radio
Click below to listen to Premier Radio’s Saturday Show, The Profile. Hopefully it’s an encouragement and a challenge! In this week’s show Megan Cornwell sits down with Simon Guillebaud to hear about the miraculous ways God has protected him and his family during two decades of missionary work in what was once the most dangerous nation on earth. Guillebaud describes how God brought 164,000 people to faith through one of the initiatives he’s involved in (amongst others), and why he believes Christians in the UK can be blind to the spiritual war going on around them. He shares extraordinary conversion stories […]
(Not) the Scum of the Earth
They were the poorest of the poorest on the planet. Life expectancy was 27-years-old. Under-5s died every month. Then this… BEAUTIFUL! We hear so many negative stories from Africa and Burundi in particular, so all the more let’s celebrate the stunning successes. Well done team!
(Re)Launching a TV Station in Burundi!
It’s like we’ve been gifted a TV station with all the huge potential influence that brings, without having to spend $1million setting it up – incredible! This post is basically just wanting to share the joy and say a MASSIVE THANK YOU for those of you who helped us clinch the deal. It’s a beautiful story: The dedicated staff at Heritage TV hadn’t been paid for four months, and in desperation they were fasting and praying: “God, if this TV station is yours, you have to intervene. If not, we’ll have to close.” And that is when GLO’s key man […]