Angels of rebellion

Salim is a colleague who leads a reconciliation ministry in Palestine/Israel. Having just visited the Shepherd's Field in Bethlehem from which he was able to look across to the mountain-tower of Herodian, he wrote to a number of us, "The proximity of the two historic locations struck me, especially given the extent to which they were interwoven in the narrative of Christ's birth. They represent two polar opposites, the political, arrogant power of Herod's palace, and the simple,rustic fields were the shepherds slept."

Salim then goes on to sugest a radical reading of Luke's gospel that I wanted to share. He writes, "Seeing these two spots also brought into sharp focus the politically subversive nature of the angel's announcement on that starry night. The angel spoke to the shepherds, saving "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people." (Luke 2:10) Most people interpret this to mean that the shepherds were afraid of the angels. But I can imagine them casting a nervous glance over the angel's shoulder towards Herod's palace, knowing that he would not be happy about a 'Savior' being born in the 'city of David'. Essentially what the angel was suggesting could be perceived as an act of rebellion against the cruel reign of Herod."

So those angels were planting the seeds of rebellion were they? Sadly many Herods continue to exert their cruel influence in our world from palaces, board rooms, penthouse appartments and military bunkers. What will the song of the angels "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests" (Luke 2:14) say to us this year about justice, and rebellion against evil?

Thank you Salim for starting this train of thought.

Making Room

Carol service tonight, and the church was heaving. I'm not sure what happened to the fire regulations but we had stacking chairs everywhere and a fairly challenging mix of candles, carol sheets and excited kids! But how can you turn people away from a Carol Service when its minus three outside? I was the inn keeper - or rather I read a highly adapted version of Luke's gospel in the voice of the inn keeper. That too was about 'no room at the inn' and then 'making room'.

Walking home later, under a wonderfully clear star filled sky which was allowing even those minus degrees to escape, I reflected further on 'making room'. Not so much the rather prosaic 'making room for Jesus in your heart' - mine's full of valves and sinues - but rather God making room for me. It strikes me that there was no reason at all why Father, Son and Holy Spirit could not have gone on enjoying each others fellowship throughout eternity, without all these risks of creation. The risk of creating a world that we so easily mess up, and women and men who forget their place and try to be God. But that's just the beauty of it all - with no compulsion at all, God made room for us. That's what creation is all about - God made room for us. It's like eternity was full (complete) with Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and yet God created a space for us, for me. Wow!

If mission is 'in the pattern of God's dealings with us' then mission is also about making space. Even when life is full the love of God calls us to make space for the child who is hungry, the alcoholic who smells, and the angry young man with too much money and too little sense. Years ago Michel Quoist wrote a prayer called Before you Lord in which he talks very powerfully about this 'making room' for others in our lives - as God has made room for us. Use the link and pray the prayer - I dare you.

Virtually friends

I'm not good at keeping up with Facebook but having put up the Christmas tree, survived the supermarket and sorted out my home group for January I decided to skim through my home page. What an amazing bunch of friends I have!

Justin is 'as happy as a 4 year old' walking and rolling in the snow (good picture!), Stephen thinks cheese graters are pretty sharp on the fingers (which leaves me wondering what he does with grated cheese as 11.00pm.), Bindy just posted three great pictures of snow on the river Lot just outside their front door (in France), Geoff had his flight from Chicago to NYC cancelled and is waiting to be rescheduled, and Jill 'loves her job' - but I have forgotten what she does!

The strange thing is I've emailed several friends in different parts of the world today, read my Facebook and prayed for two very speciual people who I haven't seen in ages - but I haven't seen my neighbours all day and I'm not even sure I know whether Alice (in the house opposite mine) is at home right now or back in hospital. I have great friends here in Oxford, and good neighbours too, but my friends out there in cyberspace are important too. How do you define friendship? What is Jill's job?

13,589,257

That's how many people had signed the Avaaz petition to world leaders gathered in Copenhagen when I last checked their website earlier this evening. I'm not sure whether that gets them a world record for the largest petition ever but I do know its a lot of people - more than voted for the X-Factor winner! But that's just as it should be, after all the future of our planet is slightly more important that Joe McElderry's singing career.

The petition says, "We call on each of you to make the necessary concessions to meet your historic responsibilities in this crisis. Rich countries must offer fair funding, and all countries must set ambitious targets on emissions. Do not leave Copenhagen without a fair, ambitious and binding deal that keeps the world safe from catastrophic global warming of 2 degrees."

When I logged on to sign I was struck by the single word 'concessions'. In fact it almost stopped me signing. My struggle with the c-word is that it implies that I have a right to burn as much fossil fuel as I like and fill the sky with CO2 but, 'as a concession' to some suffering people in Bangladesh or somewhere I will make a generous gesture and reduce my emissions a little. But this is not about generosity, its about responsibility, and for Christians its about stewardship. However, I'm not naive enough not to realise that the world of politics, especially international politics, is all about concessions and compromises. So for the sake of a result I was prepared to ask our leaders for concessions ... but in my heart I really hope we might see a little more responsibility and even stewarship of God's wonderful creation.

The Bishop and the Taliban

What a gift for the Daily Telegraph - a bishop, indeed the Church of England bishop for the Armed Forces - who is caught praising the Taliban for their faith and sense of layalty to each other. In fact the paper made so much of the story on Monday that Bishop Stephen Venner was forced to appear on the BCC apologising, recanting and musing whether his indiscretion might cost him his job. Of course what bishops should say is that Taliban are bad guys and British soldiers are good guys, full stop.

Bishop Stephen's real sin was, of course, to completely underestimate the British press who are convinced that none of its readers have any capacity to deal with shades of grey, subtlety or nuance. For that he is guilty. His sin appears even worse when two days later we read of more bombings in Pakistan and another 22 innocent people dead in Dera Ghazi Khan.

But if the Telegraph will only let the man speak then he might have a point to make which could challenge our simplistic thinking and help us to engage with the real forces behind terrorism. He speaks of course about the power of faith (not just religious faith?) to motivate and empower people as well as the significance of 'community', 'commradeship' or (to use a churchy word) 'fellowship'. Without in any way approving the object of Taliban faith or its outworkings in violent action we can, nevertheless allow our reflection on their faith and brotherhood to challenge the depth of our own faith in God and the community we find (or don't find) within the Christian church.

Now that Bishop Stephen has apologised for his naivity perhaps the Telegraph might like to apologise for its treatment of its readers as simpletons - unable to even begin thinking about this highly complex human conflict of convictions.

The Professor and the Bishop

For almost fifteen years now I have been meeting with a small group of 'fellow pilgrims' with whom I once sent a month living in Windsor Castle. That was a very special month - a wonderful warm English summer, royalty as neighbours, the historic St George's chapel and its choir to aid worship and six great colleagues to work and reflect with. We met again a few weeks ago and as a reward for organising our meeting place (alas not Windsor Castle this time!) I received a book by one of our number.

Taproots for Transformation by Prof. Richard Whitfield is not the sort of book I would naturally read but as it was written and gifted by a friend a have been exploring its pages, or perhaps I should say 'joining in its conversation'. The book takes the form of a 200 page conversation between Richard (a professor of education passionate about child development and adult nurture) and Bruce Gilberd (the retired bishop of Auckland, New Zealand). As Christmas approaches I quote one short passage - from Richard:

"The baby born at Bethlehem, whose parents ensure that he avoids Herod's jealous infanticide, who, from a carpenter's apprenticeship, becomes the radical teacher and healer, and who dies unjustly, with his integrity intact, with two thieves on a Calvary cross changes how we might view each other. ... Everyone counts, and profoundly. ... Now we must avoid [all human] dereliction in the future by letting deep spiritual taproots source humanitity's transformation, in which 'religion' as such is clearly a very mixed blessing." If you want to read more you can find the book here.

Positively Gideon

I have spend quite a lot of the past day with Canon Gideon Byamugisha (right) from Uganda. If you haven't heard of him don't worry - but you should have! Gideon was the first religious leader in Africa to publically say that he is HIV positive. He is now the Goodwill Ambassador on HIV and AIDS for Christian Aid and engaged in a hundred different programmes to change our attituded towards people living with HIV and AIDS. Last night he was awarded the prestigous Niwano Peace Prize.

Is being positive a negative thing? Not if you get anywhere near Gideon - he's one of the most positive people I have come across for a long time, positive about life, the gospel, and AIDS. Could I catch something from Gideon sharing time with him today? Yes, he is highly infectious - don't get too close or you really will catch a nasty case of joy in the gospel and anger at the way so many people living with HIV/AIDS are treated in our world. We had great conversations about the difference between sin, failure, criminality and sickness. We touched on the new (homophobic?) bill being pushed through the Ugandan parliament at the moment. I listened as he spoke about living life to its maximum potential (John 10:10). Great stuff.

And ... don't forget World Aids Day is just ten days away.

Think positive!

A grown up ministry

It feels like I grew up this week. A little baby that I sort of adopted ten years ago has just become a responsible adult. It has been great fun for me, over those years, to nurture the Faith2Share vision and to see an ever-widening network of mission agencies coming together and enjoying each other - most of the time! Now we have become a charity and that means we have to act responsibly - maybe a little boring, but growing up can be fun.

We submitted our carefully prepared application to the UK Charity Commission in late October and were told not to expect to hear anything for a couple of months - then less than two weeks later Faith2Share Charity No. 1132727 was born. I couldn't believe it when I opened the letter. The good news is that we can now raise money and get some tax back from the government - and that means we can really do the business of mission. To be a charity you need trustees and over the summer we found four great people to do that - four people representing six countries. How? A Kenyan running a mission agency in New Zealand, a Canadian businessman, a Sinaporean teaching mission in Britain and an American mission leader in California - welcome Steve, Loun, Robb and Kevin.

If you want to know more about this brand new charity (but a ten-year old vision and ministry) find us at http://www.faith2share.net/

Too grounded to communicate?

I arrived late at our 'lunchtime theology' yesterday and had to eat my baked potato right under the nose of our speaker. Good job I know him well and he's such a decent bloke! Stephen Bevans, Catholic missiologist from the US with a great approach to thinking theologically about mission, was introducing his latest book An Introduction to Theology in Global Perspective. Get yourself a copy!

The thought which hooked me in his presentation and our discussion afterwards was about contextualised theology. We all agree that theology (at least Christian theology) has to be contextualised to make any sense. But then comes the problem. If my theology is so contextualised (expressed in my mother tongue, using my own cultural idioms, resonating with the life of my community, expressing my own inner deeply personal experience of divinity and life) then how on earth can anyone else be expected to make any sense of it! Now I undserstand why I struggle with Friedrich Schleiermacher - he was German! But more seriously this does open up a very interesting discussion about the inter-cultural dialogue of inculturated theologies.

On Pg. 187 Bevans writes, "To do theology from a global perspective, ironically, is to look to the local. ... We need ... the blossoming of theologies in every part of the world, in every historical situation , among every social group." The real challenge is then the "cross-pollination" of these theologies - in such a way as retains the integrety of each?

On the move - 190 million

Doing some research for a short presentation I am giving later this week I discovered an interesting, and challenging, fact. I bet you didn't know either. Apparently more than 3% of the world's population lives in a country different from the one in which they were born - that's 190 million people! Given that most people, even those living in situations made difficult through poverty or insecurity, prefer to stay put, it is quite staggering that three out of every hundred human beings is a migrant

Statistics are interesting but what I find really fascinating are the personal stories behind the statistics, and here we have a veritable gold mine of 190,000,000 stories! Some are real success stories, the African lad who loved football and now plays for Arsenal, the Russian entrepreneur living in a rather nice pad in Chelsea, and the nurse from Malawi who works in Sweden and sends home half her salary to support the family. Other stories need to be rated triple X, the Bangadeshi girl wobbling in high healed shoes and too much make-up on the streets of Mombay waiting for her next male customer, the illegal farm labourer hiding in a barn in Lincolnshire, and the political activist who had to seek asylum far from home

The statistic I have still not found, however, is how many of those 190 million women, men and children are Christians. How many million 'unintentional' missionaries do we have in the world? And, whatever number there are - and there are millions - who is supporting them, training them, praying for them? Will they ever feature in the historoes of mission? Some of those personal stories are great - the Ethiopian girl who reads Bible stories to her employer's children in Saudi Arabia, the Chinese student who became a Christian in Canada and now leads a church in China, and the Ghanian nurse who prays (as long as the law allows!) with her patients in Bristol

Living in a strange place is never easy - but those who do enrich our communities, deserve our friendship and must be protected when the world turns nasty.

Saving the earth

With a nephew who works in 'alternative energy' I have got used to following the various debates about on-shore and off-shore wind farms here in the UK. Personally I find those tall white windmills scattered across a grren hill side rather graceful and attractive but I also hear the arguments about noise, damage to the environment and danger to flocks of birds. But surely we need to do something to harness FREE energy.

Driving across Kerela, South India, recently I was amazed to see not one, five or twenty windmills but hundreds off them stretching out on both sides of the road for around 5 killometers. I'm not sure whether this is one of the largest wind farms built so far but it is definitely serious business. In a natural wind tunnel between mountains these white blades turn day and night generating electricity for the growing economy of India. In a strange way I thought these windmills mirrored the peoples of India - growing numbers, hard working, graceful and gaining strength from cooperative working. They also say something to Christians about the power which can be harnessed as we each open ourselves to the gentle breeze of God's spirit.

Children we love and abuse

I landed in Bangalore India this weekend in the midst of a festival weekend. As well as the local Hindu festival, Muslims were celebrating the end of Ramadan and Christians were using the long holiday weekend as an opportunity to celebrate 'Children's Day' in many of their churches. Within hours of landing I found myself in an impressive, growing, independent church preaching on the place of the child in mission.

India is full of people, and even more so full of children - literally hundreds of millions of them. The children who sat in front of me in church had adoring parents who, in good Indian fashion, are prepared to sacrifice much to see their children well educated and prepared for life, but as I spoke I was just as conscious of the children we had passed on the road side begging for food and those I had not seen whose bodies are abused for the gratification of adult lust. Children are vulnerable but they are also strong and have much to teach us about discipleship - open, trusting, humble and deep. I look forward to being inspired by the lives of other Indian children this coming week as I spend more time in this challenging but hopful country.

Spirits and Gods

It seems quite appropriate that a week before I fly out to South India I have just finished reading Michael Bergunder's excellent study of Pentecostalism in South India. At the end of the book he lists all 200+ people whom he interviewed as part of his study - after that much talking he must know something!

I was particularly interested in the ways that Pentecostalism has become contextualised within a Hindu context. Whereas in Africa Pentecostal churches sometimes appear as if they just landed last week from Pheonix Arizona, Indian Pentecostalism is very Indian - dare I say Hindu? Bergunder claims that, "the Pentecostals have taken over the demonology of popular Hinduism, with some slight differences", and "it is above all in their view of the causes of misfortune that south Indian Pentecostals come close to popular Hinduism". My years of pastoral ministry in Britain also suggest to me that it is when British Christians face misfortune that they too come fairly close to the gods of their pagan European religions.

Are we all really 'in the hands of the gods' or can we like suffering Job find a greater freedom in God?

Georgian Archbishops and Burundi

Do Baptists have bishops? Yes, most certainly, and in Georgia - an Archbishop! Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili (right) has been a good friend of mine for ten years or more now and leads a very interesting church in the former soviet republic. He was my dinner guest last Friday and presented me with a beautiful poster from the Baptist icon paining school in Tiblisi - surely that must be a first!

As we enjoyed coffee together after the meal, and having exchanged tales of mutual friends in Georgia, and news of last year's war with Russia, Malkhaz told me of his visit to Burundi. Yes, Burundi in central Arica. As a jaundiced Westerner I am used to people from Georgia, and Russia for that matter, frequenting the networks of donors in Germany, Britain and the US, but why Burundi? Malkhaz explained that despite the poverty of his own people, and the recent suffering brought by conflict with big brother Russia, they wanted to reach out to sisters and brothers in greater need in Africa. Now a formal link has been inaugurated between Baptist churches in Georgia and churches in Burundi and a regular flow of prayer, people and assistance has begun.

One more hopeful sign of joined up mission in God's amazing world.

Foggy landings

After a blog-free month its time to reflect on a few August encounters. I landed in Moscow twice last month - once late and once with cheering and applause. We flew from Samara (on the Volga river) in brilliant sunshine but arriving in Moscow the fog was definitely designed to test the landing skills of any Aeroflot pilot. Across the city transmission masts and blocks of flats stuck their heads above the fog but the airport was somewhat less visible. In faith the pilot headed down into the fog (where we could see absolutely nothing) and then lost his nerve and we shot back up into the sunshine. A short circuit, sight of the same transmission masts and a wave to the early morning risers in their sunny appartments, and then down we plunged again. Seconds later a roar of the engines and we were back in the sunshine again, fluffy clouds below! It took five more circuits (and a bottle of vodka?) before the pilot gained his nerve for a third attempt. I said my prayers - I don't think I was the only one! - and seconds later we made a perfect landing. Cause for cheering, applause and a standing ovation, except that seat belts make that difficult.

I had been visiting Russian friends who train church leaders in Samara, a rather God-forsaken city on the Volga river, and home to the Lada car factory. The city might do a little better if its officials were not so desperate to line their own pockets with roubles, but Russians are philosophical about what might be. It was sunny all week in Samara, but rather like Moscow at the end of the week, below the sunshine I could feel damp, cold mist - a spiritual malaise, an empty materialistic hunger. Churches don't grow fast these days - it costs to follow Jesus, and citizens are careful to avoid additional costs when life is tough.

I left Samara remembering the bright skies and the misty faces - and a couple who have given much to follow Jesus into Samar(i)a.

Defining youth

Interesting conversation tonight with Jec in the Philippines. We only met a couple of days ago through some work I'm doing for Edinburgh 2010. Jec is a 25 year old leader of Christian youth networks out there and we were talking (virtually you understand) about how the young people he knows can engage with a rather academic conversation about mission - to which I think they could add a lot.

However part of the conversation was about who are "youth". In Europe most people over 18 (16?) would be unhappy to be excluded from "adult" and spoken about as "the youth" whereas in India you can still be in the youth fellowship at 40! In fact in India, if I understand correctly, it has a lot to do with marital status - unmarried = youth; married = adult. Jec's interesting idea was that it all has to do with dependency. "As long as I am finacially dependent on my family I will be a youth" he said. As someone in his late 50s who is about to become more dependent on friends and family than I have been in the past that was encouraging news - I am about to become a youth once more! Roll on childhood!

Confused Spirits

My mobile rang just as I was leaving work. "Could you come and help me with an exorcism?" "When?" "Well as soon as possible, say 7pm.?" I don't get many of those calls (not being a specialist in exorcisms you'll understand) but when a brother priest asks you do go it's kind of hard to say 'no'.

Just before you get too excited, there were no stakes, large crucifixes, or hauting screams, just a troubled household - a world traveller come home to die, the live-in nurse and a dutiful son - seeking peace. My colleague and I broughts Biblical words of comfort, we said our prayers, we spinkled water, exchanges a few smiles and left. Walking home I began to wonder - what was there?, what have we done? and might my Nigerian colleague have done things quite differently? I believe in spirits - especially the one I call Father - and I know that they can be troublesome when we shut God out of the situation. But what really interested me was the cross-cultural dynamics of the pneumatology we talked through and prayed in that simple home tonight. The householder had spent much of his life in China, the nurse who first observed the 'phenomenon' was from the Philippines and the second disturbed nurse who prayed with us tonight was from Zimbabwe. Add to that a son from leafy Richmond and priests from Canada and Suffolk and you have some fairly interesting possibilities in terms of understanding the realities and challenges of the 'spirit world'.

But it worked - God understood, he cared, he spoke and his Spirit is truth.

Being known

I had one of those telephone calls today. You know, a pleasant sounding young man with a strong Indian accent introducing himself as Chris. "Mr. Oxbrow, I understand you are having some problems with your computer, unwanted messages and the like .... well let's see if I can help you with that. May I call you Mark?" Despite my lame protest, "No my computer is fine and I didn't call anyone for help", he presses on, "Now for security can you confirm you address is (and he quotes my full address) and tell me your date of birth." Wait a minute, who am I talking to? How does he know so much about me? It was of course a scam - put "Support on Click" into your browser if you want to know more. They didn't hook me, not this time!

How is it that sometimes it is very comforting when someone knows all about you (the doctor who remembers you from last year's visit, or the waiter who knows exactly where you like to sit) but sometimes its very scary. It worries me that Tesco know exactly what type of cheese I like and when I'm likely to buy more; and when the person I go to meet for the first time has 'researched' me on Google first I feel a little naked. I suppose it has to do with trust - who do I trust to know everything about me and still love me, still be good to me? That's why being known by God is such a pleasure, setting me free to be myself - as I really am.

They say "knowledge is power" and so it is for the potential scam merchant, but for God "knowledge is love".

Single - Crime or Sickness?

It happened again today. I was standing in the sunshine and someone who I have known through work for some time said, "How are the family?". "I'm single" I remind her, "Oh, I'm so very sorry" comes the automatic reply! I want to reply, "I'm not sorry at all, in fact I rather enjoy it" but I chicken out and change the subject.

It's much more fun of course in Asia where a 'confession' of singleness instantly invites well meaning offers of help to find a "beautiful lady", who often turns out to be a relative not-yet-married-off. I have of course been tempted to accept the offers of help and instantly arrange a beauty (in the spiritual sense of course!) parade with suitable negotiations around 'husband price' - but then chickened out because of the consequences for the poor young (or not-so-young) women involved. Seriously though, the automatic "I'm so sorry" response does seem to suggest a cultural unease with singleness. Is it that us 'singles' still remain a competitive threat? Or does it suggest a deeper inner fear of 'aloneness' with which many struggle. For myself, I thought I was just doing my small part of help prevent population explosion!

Is, perhaps, the real issue for me (otherwise why did I write this?) as well as you that we struggle with those who are different from us - and yet apparently fulfilled, happy in the life God has given them?

Child, Credo, Camp

It's August, its cold and raining, the kids are on holiday - so let's go camping - or better still let's send the kids off to camp while we have a quiet time back home. Each summer, especially in the US, but also across Europe and elsewhere thousands of children are given a great holiday, lots of adventure, fun and teaching about faith, often by Christian volunteers who give up weeks of their anual leave to look after other people's offspring.

This last week has been the week for banning camps. In Britain several Christian groups have raises the alarm about the country's first Atheist summer camp for children between 8 and 17 whilst in Uzbekistan the government have suceeded in closing a camp run by the Baptist Association of Uzbekistan, leaving the leaders of the Association facing massive fines. So if Athiest can teach their 'faith' to children as young as eight in Britain why cannot Baptists do the same in Uzbekistan? Or to ask the question more provactively, if Christians in Britain (a minority religious group) can object to an Atheist camp why cannot Muslims in Uzbekistan (a majority religious group) object to a Christian camp in their country? The real question of course is much deeper. To my mind the issue is to what degree children - at eight or eighteen - should be exposed to the competing truth claims and religious convictions of adults. We rightly protect children from pornography - should be also protect them from atheism - and theism? Perhaps to focus on 'protection' is to begin in the wrong place. Would these difficult questions be more easily addressed if we focused rather on 'nourishment' and 'healthy development' rather than 'protection'? As Christians work with children we need to constantly ask ourselves, is my 'faith sharing' enabling this child to be nourished and grow in healthy ways, to explore and discover their own place in God's world, in His love?

Hope in a dark place

It was raining, the streets were grey, and the hotel buffet was closed so he had to head across the road to the bistro pub to find something to eat. Belfast is not the most welcoming place in the rain but the steak pie was good. A colleague and I had been hanging around the bus station to meet a man we didn't know from Dublin, but the waiting was worth while. Thankfully the first bearded stranger I approached turned out to be our contact - I didn't want to get arrested for harassing strangers!

Mr. X had agreed to meet us to tell us about opportunities in North Korea. For decades now the northern part of this Asian peninsular, sandwiched between the economic miracle of South Korea and the emergent power of China, has been a very dark place. Closed to the outside world, stricken by hunger and disease, and with a population in fear of their rulers, North Korea stands as a challenge to freedom, democracy and justice. Last week, in rainy Belfast, however we heard of borders that are permeable (with care), Chinese, Russian and Korean ‘visitors’ who bring hope, and a vision for change. Small beginnings, a kindergarten for deprived children, a bakery for hungry workers, and a few farm implements to ease the life of rural peasants – all done in the name of Jesus, who longs to be a brother to each North Korean. Quietly, underground, Jesus promised the mustard seed will grow. Quietly rays of hope are creeping across the borders of one of the darkest places on earth.

Cow thief baptised

I remember singing in Sunday School about the man who bought a wife and married a cow (or was it the other way round?) and so had no time for God's kingdom - see Luke 14:19,20 - but this week I heard about a man who spent 12 years in prison for stealing a cow and then last month was baptised - in a prison bucket. The story comes from a Nepali colleague who conducted the baptism, of eleven prisoners in total, in Tansen prison two weeks ago.

The ironic thing is that if the man had been baptised twelve years ago (instead of stealing the cow!) he would not have been facing a prison sentence. No worse, he and my friend who baptised him would have been facing the death penalty! Praise God, a lot has changed in twelve years in Nepal. From a closed Hindu kingdom in which baptism was illegal it has become an open 'secular' state where prison governers welcome Christian ministry and the church growth rate is one of the fastest in the world. Wow, what a change. Through the Faith2Share network we are now seeing Nepalis popping up all over the place in world mission. And they are great people to work with!

When Youthwork means youth work

Great news from Church Army Africa - a Faith2Share movement - this week. More Kenyan youth now find themselves with employment and hope following the establishment of dozens of new micro-enterprises around the country.

Church youth work is always a challenge - who will do it? - what shall we do? - what do young people want anyway? - what relevance does faith have for the socially engaged teenager or the depressed 20 something? Young people in Kenya represent 75% of the population and many of them face a host of social and economic challenges including unemployment, crime, corruption, tribalism and HIV/AIDS, not to mention their youthful struggle with identity. Working with CMS Africa, Church Army Africa recently started a Youth for Work programme which recognises that when you are young in Kenya gospel = work, a opportunity to contribute to society, to be valued, to have dignity and to know yourself as a daughter or son of the creative God. Sounds like a great mission venture to me. Well done Church Army Africa.

Blood on the doorposts

This week has been a painful week for many with whom I work. Words like 'betrayal', 'blood' and 'death' have been muttered. At times it felt like Golgotha but of course it was only a faint hazzy shaddow of that history changing moment suspended in God's eternal time.

Traditional mission agencies (like those we seek to serve through Faith2Share) rely on regular giving and when recession hits, incomes shrink, jobs are 'retrenched' or 'restructured' and people suffer. In a close community that suffering is corporate and so it should be. We sit and listen, mop up spilt emotions, and try to understand ... and feel guilty that it was not us. When blood mixed with tears on Golgotha worlds were about to change (as indeed when blood was spashed on doorposts in pre-Exodus Egypt), and I sit here tonight wondering whether our world might also change. Of course it will, but in what ways?, how dramatically?, and what will survive or be lost? I have felt for some time that the hegenomy of professional mission agencies (which of course was only ever an imagined hegenomy! - don't we love to fool ourselves) cannot go on. Mission is changing, God is doing new things, and we must be ready. Whether you call them 'involuntary missionaries', 'non-professional missionaries', 'buisionaries', or just 'God's people living for him', mission is for all children, women and men and we may well find that 'the business of mission' will soon 'employ' very few of us. But none of the excitement of the new ( and it is exciting) takes away the reality of the pain right now - it only offers hope.

Life beyond Wimbledon

Do I recall there was once a war in Sri Lanka? Now that Wimbledon has started in Britain my TV, and sadly my consiousness, seem to have been taken over by tennis and the rest of life is fast disappearing into the mists of time. That was until the report arrived on my desk this morning from Bishop Kumara in Sri Lanka.

Christians are a small minority in this south Asian state, often trampled upon by their Buddhist and Hindu neighbours but when, in May, thousands fled their homes in the north of the island, poor Christian communities were determined to help - to do what Jesus would have done, to weep with the bereaved, bind up wounds, feed hungry children, and sit silently with the traumatised. Although help did eventually come from outside, Bishop Kumar, reports that at least 50% of the food and clothing distributed came from parishes and congregations within the diocese. Families gave up plates and shoes so that others could eat and walk. The suffering will go on for years in this beautiful country, just as there are still many (in the same communities) recovering from the Tsunami. Local Christians will continue to serve them long after the aid agencies leave - they will do so because that's what Jesus does.

I think Jesus would also enjoy Wimbledon, but we must not let the one eclipse the other.

Virtually Gathered - Part 2

My last post seems to have generated a little discussion. One friend wrote, "what do we mean by "gather"? Is simply sharing a physical place really "gathering"? Some of the relationships I have with people I know but have never met physically are deeper, stronger, more honest and open etc. than many with whom I have shared a church building on a weekly basis. ... Couldn't "gathering" be far less about place and far more about spirit, emotion, sharing and participation? Is even the language a sign that we are still too strongly defined by Greek/Modernist thinking about the cosmos? The "space" which is important surely is the space between people - that which enables relational waves to flow not the containing space we gather in?"

"Space between people" is what allows for the possibility of relationship. I have always thought that the space between Father, Son and Spirit is important because it gives birth to relationship and it is relationship which makes the Trinity work and at the same time creates a re-creative space for us mere mortals to enter into.

I like the idea of 'gathering' being about relationship rather than place but what about 'incarnation'. If having a body, physicality, was so important for Jesus (living in Palestine and risen from the dead) then where do we place this physicality in 'virtual church'?

Virtually Gathered - or not?

When is church not church? - When its un-gathered? That was the question I had buzzing in my mind this morning as I was driven home from Wokingham after speaking at the morning service at All Saints. (Don't worry, I haven't got myself a chauffeur, yet - a colleague was preaching in a nearby church so we were saving the planet by sharing a car!) All Saints was very gathered (ecclesial) - good Anglican worship, well led, with a responsive and obviously committed congregation. It was a conversation over coffee afterwards that raised the question.

Having preached on mission (what else?) I found myself in coversation with a church member who is part of i-Church, the Oxford diocese attempt at internet faith community. Never having attended (is that the right word?) a virtual church myself, I was interested to hear about the missional challenges of 'being out there' in virtual space for God. Obviously the internet is a great place to connect, and it is increasingly being used for evangelism, but the struggle seems to be to understand how physical (present to each other) the 'gathering' of God's people needs to be in order for it to function as the Body of Christ. Virtual gathering? Virtual Body? Is i-Mission a route to i-Church or must it lead to something more gathered, more tangible, more touchable? I left the discussion in no doubt about the importance of Christians inhabiting virtual space, and claiming that space as God's, but the question remains - church, ecclesia, gathered, virtually gathered?

Looking out of windows

Windows are great for focusing attention on what lies directly in view but they also block out a lot more. I once heard about an airforce base where half a wall was painted - the half the queen might see if she were to look out of the window during a visit she was making, the other half remained unpainted and unseen for years. For those of us engaged in Christian mission the "10-40 window" has, for some time now, focused our attention on that part of the world where most people have yet to gain any real exposure to the gospel of God's love in Jesus. Running from Morocco to China and Japan, and Turkey down to Sri Lanka, this window frames a particular approach to mission which is geographical, 'people group' focused, and strategic. Useful as this is, the danger however is that the longer we view the world out of this particular window the more likely we are to forget what we cannot see - the unpainted wall.

Recently I have been introduced to another window - totally non-geographic - the "4-14 nwindow" which frames our mission focus on the 40% of the world's population who are often unseen and unheard because they are children and young people. In a year which is focusing on the rights of the child , Christians do well to view our world through this child-view window. This window does not face the future ("children are our future") but rather gives us a unique view of the real world in which we live today, a world in which children take decisions, share faith, and shape our environment.

Windows can also look into each other. For an intersting "4-14" look into the "10-40" window see Windowkids.

Chosen vulnerability

Today I have been facilitating a small group of international missiologist. We are working on a contribution for the Edinburgh 2010 Study process and have participants from South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Indonesia, India, Korea, Norway, Belarus and the UK. A great group to work with! Our Indian colleague, Monica Melanchthon (right), was unable to join us so I ended up reading her paper to the group and was so struck by one short passage that I want to repeat it here. She writes:

When someone who has no need to be vulnerable becomes vulnerable in order to identify with those that are, and together with them struggles to be resilient against all death dealing forces, structures and systems, and thus together with them moves towards a society transformed—of justice, and communion , then he or she participates in the vulnerable mission of God. The kind of mission that is required here is not of contemplative theologizing but liberative action in solidarity with the oppressed. It is a solidarity that is built on a relationship of complete vulnerability and identification with the oppressed community; sustained by a process of mutual giving and receiving, and nurtured by seeing in the other the ethical demand of responsibility.

Thanks Monica

Crusading Koreans?

I spent this evening reflecting with mission colleagues on the significance of the Korean mission movement. A Pentecostal Korean missiologist, Julie Ma, had raised a few challenging questions in her opening lecture at the Asian Mission Consultation at Redcliffe College and that got us going. With Korea now sending more cross-cultural missionaries than any other country outside the US (so Julie claimed) their missiology and methodology must be significant. I was struck by how many times Julie spoke of the Korean mindset as 'crusading' - ouch!! - but she's right in many respects. Another colleague later talked of Korean missionaries as being 'modern' (rational, linear, success oriented, goal setting) and therefore finding it difficult to address pre- and post-modern mission contexts.

My question was what distinctive contributions Koreans bring to global mission. The 'birth ground' of their faith is in many ways unique - suffering, struggle, Shamanism overlaid by Buddhism, and rapid church growth. That must give them something unique. The answers we began to get were in terms of an acute awareness of spiritual realities, a deeply prayerful ministry, dogged determination, and generosity. But Korean missions need to relate to the rest of us and we need them - if only we can overcome substantial language and cultural barriers. The future looks good.

Looking to Brazil on Trinity Sunday

With two members of the British National Party being declared members of the European Parliament on Trinity Sunday my paniced mind ran to Leonado Boff (right). Who else would I go to, you might ask! Boff is (was?) a professor of theology in Petropolis, Brazil, whose commentaries on society and politics are steeped in good biblical theology. In 1986 he wrote Trinity and Society and there he has a wonderful section on how the inner life of the Trinity provides us with a powerful critique of both capitalism and socialism. Pages. 148f for those who want to read it but here are two short quotations:

The greatness of trinitarian communion, however, consists precisely in its being a communion of three different beings; in it, mutual acceptance of differences is the vehicle for the plural unity of the three divine Persons.

Being a person in the image and likeness of [God] means acting as a permanently active web of relationships: relating backwards and upwards to one's origin in the unfathonable mystery of the Father, relating outwards to one's fellow human beings by revealing oneself to them and welcoming the revelation of them in the mystery of the Son, relating inwards to the depth's of one's own personality in the mystery of the Spirit.

The challenge for me is including those who voted BNP amongst those others to whom I must reach out in order to complete the community of differences to which Boff calls us and in which we, as Christians, rejoice!

Hope for the hopeless

As I decided to call my blog 'hope transfigured' I ought to include a few stories of hope from time to time. Well, that's easy today because I've heard plenty. Let me share one. Early this morning I was speaking to a colleague, Helen, in Hong Kong who was very excited about a trip she had just completed. Helen is part of the leadership team of a mission group, which is part of Faith2Share, and they have been in Cambodia for the past week or so. In fact they were right up in the remote north of the country.

Genocide, on the scale it was practiced in Cambodia, does not make for hopeful people, even a generation later. However, Helen told me, in a few places attitudes are beginning to change, step by step. Christians are a tiny minority in this beautiful but disfigured nation, but they stand out as 'people of hope'. Now new opportunities are opening up for mission amongst familiies, healing wounds, caring for the rejected, loving the unlovely. These beginnings are only very small but Helen sounded very excited about what God is doing there and I shall be calling Hong Kong again soon to keep up with the next stage of this story. I just pray that I can 'live hope' in my own community as well as they do in Cambodia.

Old words, new meaning

I am grateful to Thomas Whelan (writing in the BIAMS journal) for correcting a misunderstanding I have had for at least 30 years! Like a lot of other people, I suspect, I have always thought that the catch phrase from the Student Volunteer Movement of 1886, "the ezangelisation of the world in this generation" meant that the world would be converted to Christian faith within the current generation - an aspiration which has been behind many mission movements, not least the pre-millennium movements like AD2000. (Of course it didn't happen, so what do you make of that?) Apparently it never meant that in the first place - it meant "the proclamation of the gospel by each generation throughout the entire world". I like that. Why? Because its far more Biblical for a start. It reflects the call on each Christian to 'live like Christ', 'to bear witness', 'to proclaim good news' .... to be faithful in these things and leave the converting to God (if that's what He wants!)

Thank you Thomas, its always great to have fresh light on a well known phrase - especially when it fits in so well with what I already thought must be right. There always was too much in scripture about leaven, mustard seeds, remnants and suffering for me to really grasp the 'everyone on board in the next sixty years' vision. Now I can get on with the witness and proclaiming and leave the converting to God - that's challenge enough for me!

Bunker or Bakehouse

We first met in Pattaya in Thailand last year. I hasten to say we were not there for the reason most older European men seem to go to Thailand, but rather to attend the Assembly of the World Evangelical Alliance - I to network with mission colleagues, Anton to link up with those working on advocacy issues. Anton is a Dutch merchant banker turned missionary with family ties back into Indonesia. Today Anton was in my office and we shared a whole lot from publishing challenges to the state of European Christianity - and good German coffee too.

The core to our conversation was the attitude and worldview of younger (than us!) Christians in Europe. With so much talk of the 'Islamicisation of Europe', the rise of secularism, and the decline of faith communities, Anton's big questions was this. Are the current generation of Christians in Europe busy pulling down the hatches so they can survive in their holy bunker or are they getting out there into the bakehouse of civil society, politics, education, media with a 'yeast' that has the transforming power of the gospel? I'm not sure I agreed with him all the way but I share some of his concern about a 'loss of nerve' in contemporary European church. At least I think we agreed that it is not Islam that threatens Europe, the real threat is the withdrawal of Europe's Christians into their holy bunker, pockets still stuffed full of the yeast which was designed to be spread around the European bakehouse - hot and unconfortable as that might be.

But what to do? Anton has a few ideas so wait and see!

Hidden Kingdoms

I feel so privileged tonight. There are only a few thousand Christians is Bhutan, and one of them is sitting in my house! Where is Bhutan? – east of Nepal, south of Tibet and north of the remotest part of India. A beautiful Himilayan country, an ancient kingdom and one of the most ‘closed’ countries in the world. Rohit (not his real name) became a Christian whilst serving in the army some years ago and, after some years heading a mission organization in Bhutan, now looks after a Christian network stretching across the Himalayas – my sort of person!

Christians are still heavily discriminated against, and sometimes persecuted, in Bhutan – hence the need for security about Rohit’s real name – but the kingdom of God is growing in that place. As small groups come to faith in Jesus Christ they choose their own pastor and begin a small ‘hidden church’. The network which Rohit has built up brings together over a hundred churches across the Himalayan region, in and beyond Bhutan, to train these new church leaders, to encourage the youth, and to strengthen the Christian presence in the country. In Bhutan, the 'hidden kingdom' of the Himalayas, Christians are seeding another Kingdom, hidden now in their homes and small meeting rooms, but one day destined to be revealed as the glorious Kingdom where God reigns in peace and justice. Will I be able to sleep tonight – knowing I have such a precious jewel hidden under my roof?

Understanding numbers

It takes about 1.5 seconds to say "Two point one million". To say "Ashok and Jemin, Caleb, Mohammed and Saraj, Hussein and Ghazala, Usama, Yalda, Malik and Imran, and ... and ... and ..." - all 2,100,000 of them, I just calculated would take about 16 and a half days, much longer than it took those 2.1million people to flee their homes in Pakistan this last week. No I'm not bored out of mind this evening looking for some crazy mental game to keep me occupied - no, I was trying to make sense of that number which trips too easily off the tongue - 2.1 million!

I was talking this morning to two colleagues in Islamabad who had just returned from northern Pakistan (thank God for Skype!) and they reminded me that this is the largest movement of displaced people in the region since the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. Reports I received yesterday say that many left in such hurry and confusion that they did not bring any food or change of clothes and some even lost their children in the crazed and panicing crowds. The UN has been totally surprised by the speed and size of this 'stampede to safety'. Asked why he left with only half his family one Swat valley resident is reported as saying, "We know the brutality of the Taliban, now they are under attack everyone is their enemy, every child, woman and man."

Please don't pray for 2.1 million people - trying praying for Ashok and Jemin, Caleb proudly carrying his small bundle and little Mohammed in Jemin's arms, and ... and ... and ....

Kimchi Mission

"A couple of years ago a leader of a British mission agency asked me, 'What can we do to help Korean mission movements?' and I told him, 'Nothing!' He looked rather shocked but it was a truthful answer - he came 50 years to late." KeungChul Jeong was in my office today and that was his frank comment on the attitude of western mission movements towards Koreans. KeungChul, who leads the work of Interserve in Korea, was, of course, right in most respects but I still wished we had a little longer to talk - he had to rush for a train or something. He was correct in that a lot of us from the West underestimate Korean missionary maturity. He also saw that we have a difficulty in receiving, we prefer to give. He was also rightly reflecting the self-understanding of Korea as a nation which now sends more cross-cultural missionaries than any other except India and the USA. But then he might just (if I may be allowed to suggest it) be making the same mistake as the British. Collaboration, partnership, sharing (call it what you like) is important for the strong as well as the weak - Koreans need Africans, Indians and Peruvians as partners in mission, just as much as do we Brits.

Well, I'm in Seoul in October so perhaps we can talk some more then. We discovered we have a mutual friend there - Henry, a Korean mission leader from whom I learnt much in Southern Russia ten years ago. Perhaps we can enjoy Kimchi together and discover some new recipies for partnership.

Mission's full circle

It was more an adoption than a birth but the little family I look after, the Faith2Share network, gained a new member this week. A mature 26-year old joining the family brings some challenges but a lot of new energy and insight. Our new family member is full of ideas and energy and its going to be great to have them around, if we can survive the late nights and angst.

Global Teams has its roots in the Anglican Church and is based in California with over 50 mission workers in 19 different countries scattered around the world. At first they look just like any other agency sending missionaries to needy places (just like all 26 year olds look alike when you're 55, or 12) but as you get to know them you spot a radical difference - they are into reproduction in a big way (like any other 26-year old?!). Working in some of the more challenging mission contexts, Global Teams are in the buisness of seeing missionaries give birth to missionaries (followers of Jesus who instantly become 'fishers of men' - and women of course). Nothing new in that you may say - exactly what Jesus did in Galilee - but that's the point! So often mission work gives birth to church members who are not missionary followers of Jesus, church members who so easily become church-dependant rather than kingdom-building. I'm looking forward to us all learning quite a lot from the new 26-year old in our family. Get the black coffee brewing!

Is Baptism necessary?

A couple of night ago I had to choose between a night at home with the TV (and a Kenyan house guest), listening to Kenneth Cragg (he of innumerable books on Islam and a real hero of mine), and a lecture by a professor of religions and Sanskrit from Nagaland, north India. I chose the third option but took my computer along so I could catch up on emails during the lecture! (Before you judge me - don't tell me you have never done that?). Well, the emails didn't get answered and instead I came away with two pages of grey-cell stretching notes. Thank you Dr. Atola Longkumar (pictured).

Speaking against the background of recent religious violence in India, Atola raised the whole question of whether conversion is a useful term, or even a useful concept, and if it is then what it involves. The force of her arguement was that Christian faith is about discipleship, a direction of living orientated towards God as seen in Jesus Christ, not church membership or even joining a specifically 'Christian' community. In India the real point of tention is over baptism as it is such a public event which appears to mark a leaving as well as a joining of communities. Atola suggested that baptism might not be essential for Christians. For some of the audience, brought up on Jesus' Great Commission to, "Go into all the world ... and baptise them in the name of ...", this was a step too far. But when baptism costs lives (as it does in India) is this an opportunity to rejoice in martydom or just an unnecessary antagonism of Hindu (Indian?) sensibilities? [Interesting programme, by the way, on Radio 4 today on how certain Hindu groups try to define Indian identity as, by definition, Hindu.] Part of me wants to say that breaking ties, changing direction, being faithful (to God) is always costly (a cost sometimes paid in blood), but before I voice that from the comfort of my Oxford home I want to know much more deeply what it really means to be an Indian follower of Jesus - not a church member, perhaps not a Christian (in the cultural sense) - but a Christ-one, a faithful follower of Jesus. More work for the grey-cells!

Ice cold waters and red hot killers

Watching the news last night my mind ran back a few years to wonderful days spent in the Swat Valley, Pakistan. I was there on business but you can hardly spend a week in Pakistan's "little Switzerland" without seeing something of the ice cold, torrential, rivers and wonderful mountains, and breathing the life-giving thin clear air. We also spent time wandering round ancient Buddhist temples, now neglected in a land ruled by Muslims. A paridise on earth! It is hard to believe that today 200,000 refugees have fled the valley whilst the Pakistan army engages in "full scale" conflict with Taliban forces infiltrating from Afghanistan.

Whether Pakistan will be able to "wipe out"' the Taliban through military action is an open question. Personally I very much doubt it. The Taliban may be a military force, but they are much more significantly a spiritual force, and if anyone is to engage with them creatively it will not only be militarily. Extremists they are, people with deep (and perhaps misguided) convictions, but they will not go away just because their fighters lie dead below the snow capped mountains of Swat. Military action may be necessary but much more urgent is the engagement of minds, philosophies, world-views, and spiritual sensibilities. Buddhists no longer pray beside the rushing rivers of Swat, Christians struggle to maintain a presence in the ragged towns, the Taliban have their mosques, but what of the future? What does or does not happen in Swat this month will have implications for us all as we struggle to live in a world of deeply held religious (and anti-religious) convictions.

Kenyan insight into Genesis

Gerald Mwangi, a colleague from Mission Together Africa, based in Nairobi, staying at my house this week, joined us for tonight's home group meeting. We had lined up a study of Genesis 1 and frankly I was not anticipating any revolutionary new thoughts. ('Oh man of little faith'?) We were a smaller group today (you know, that 'buying a wife and marrying a cow' stuff) but we had a great discussion. The highlight for me however was Gerald's thoughts on 'Why did God rest on the seventh day?'

Kenyan synthetic thinking drew a fascinating parallel between God's resting on the seventh day of creation, after He had seen that everything He had created was 'very good', and Jesus 'resting' on the cross after he uttered those powerful words, 'it is finished, complete'. Both creation and salvation are, for God, complete and also 'very good' - even if they do still take some working out by us mere mortals. But there's more! Just before God rests in Genesis he commissions human beings to care for creation, to manage it, to bring it to completion. In a very similar way, just before salvation is completed on the cross, Jesus commissions his disciples (us!) for mission - to share in God's salvific as well as His creative work. Good thinking, Gerald - thanks!

Pain v Truth?

No, this is not a comment on tonight's match. (Although I did see pain in the faces of Arsenal fans the truth is Manchester United deserved the win!) Thousands of miles away from the championship battle another, more bloody, battle rages - in Sri Lanka. There pain is more than real.

My challenge this morning was that a Tamil friend in London contacted me and asked me to publicise the "truth of what is happening in Jaffna ... attrocities which I didn't even hear of in the holocaust". Of course I want to help, I have editorial access to a website, I can publish - but what do I publish? No one can deny the dreadful suffering of tens of thousands of civilians holed up in a tiny strip of land with vitually no food and no medical assistance - but, "worse than the holocaust"? I went to the website she asked me to look at - Tamil Net - and read the latest headline: ‘State terror’ waging ‘racist war’. If I publish that what will happen to the good relationships we have with Singhalese Sri Lankans? How much is truth which is painful, and how much is pain expressed as truth? I felt the pain but I chickened out of publishing the pain (or do I mean the truth?). My item (see Faith2Share) was the usual Christian, 'pray for the victims' stuff. But still I'm left wondering what to do with the pain. And what is more true than pain?

Hopeful Strategies

The mission world has its travelling sales people as well as Kleeneze and sometimes (but not always!) they have some interesting gadgets in their show case. One such walked into my office today. In fact he is based less than a mile from the Faith2Share office but somehow we had not met before. A teacher, turned Oxfam's man in Indonesia and now in Oxford producing resources to help communities deal with HIV/AIDS, Glen Williams, is quite an etrepreneur. You can check out his Stategies for Hope Trust at http://www.stratshope.org/. They have a lot of workbooks, resources for church leaders and community facilitators, etc. in several different languages and quite a lot of it is free to those who will be using them in Africa, Asia or Latin America. A travelling salesman with freebees!

Dodging Charlie

It seems I have been almost meeting Charlie for fifteen years and more but never seen him until he sat in my living room this evening. You know what it's like ... "Oh, you know X?", "Yes I worked with him in Russia in '92," "That was about the time we started supporting BLTC", "BLTC in Krasnodar? - I was on its Board!", "and I don't suppose you ever knew Y", "Of course I did, he's right here in Oxford now you know." etc. etc. I turns out we might have met last year in Hungary except Charlie was sick and didn't make it to the conference. Anyway, after 15 years of 'near misses' we had a great evening tonight discovering that we have actually beeen in the same ministry, supporting the same people, learning the same lessons, and trying to be obedient to the same Father all these years. Charlie is American and Baptist (I can just about forgive him that!) but shares the same passion for Europe becoming a place where people of so many different backgrounds can discover that becoming a disciple of Jesus is one 'heaven' of an adventure.

When Charlie eventually went to bed I found myself sitting and wondsering how many other unseen Charlies there were out there - employed by the same Lord, in the same ministry, in many of the same places as me, but totally unknown. I wonder. ... I wonder which one will I bump into next?