2013-2018
“You’re probably going to Hell.” That’s what a friend of mine half jokingly said to me one evening as we had a disagreement over something in the Bible. It was quite late so I didn’t hold it against him, but it got me thinking. Is that what faith is about? Is the reason that I am a Christian solely because I want to go to Heaven instead of Hell?
I recently travelled to San Francisco. One afternoon, we were shopping around Union Square. There are hundreds of shops there, from Apple to Levis, all the way to vintage book stores and eight floors of Macy’s. Just as the sun was setting and we had finished our burritos from Chipotle, I found myself in a shop unlike any I’d been to in my whole life. It was a little store called Good Vibrations and, from the outside, looked like most other shops, but the inside was a whole other story – it was a sex shop.
Meals are important. Putting aside the fact that our bodies need for to function, we place a lot of importance in eating together. From Christmas Dinner to that first date, or the traditional Sunday Roast with the family to the obligatory trip to McDonalds after a night out, meals mean something. When we gather together and food is involved we make great memories, and usually post those memories all over Instagram. But no meal in history is more momentous and significant to our lives than one which was eaten about 2000 years ago by Jesus Christ and his friends on the eve of his death…
In every culture or society, we have a concept of right and wrong. It is something that is fundamental to our understanding of the world. We know that helping an old lady to cross the road is morally right, and stealing an old lady’s handbag is morally wrong. Whatever your background, religion or ethnicity, we know that there is some kind of standard that we should be living by…
The past few months have been tough. I’ve felt apathetic, angry and far away from the faith I grew up with. I’ve been doing more and more for God than ever, helping to lead a connect group, worked for a church, seen amazing answers to prayer and had some great friends around me. Yet it feels like the fire has gone out, I’ve got more questions and doubts than ever and I feel like my life has been flipped upside down and crashed to the floor like the last time I attempted to flip a pancake…
A few months ago I went to one of the best gigs of my life in Wembley Stadium. No, it’s not Miley Cyrus, nor was it Steps, it was arguably one of the greatest rock operas of all time. Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”. The album talks about the isolation of the protagonist, Pink which comes from all the traumas he has in his life. These become metaphorical bricks in the wall, in the barrier isolating him from society.It was an incredible experience, musically, technically and emotionally. And it reminded me how so often I take things and build up barriers between myself and society; and more often than not, between myself and God…
After I left college I went to study audio engineering at the School of Sound Recording. I was able to use a world class studio, equipment that had been used by amazing musicians in the past, and learn from top engineers and producers. I’ll always remember the first time I got to sit in on a session in the Neve studio, which was the top level studio that only the very highest calibre students were allowed in. The equipment in there was the kind that was used on albums like Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, Metallica’s ‘Black album’, Muse, Led Zeppelin, all the greats. This was top class equipment. I was assisting the college manager on some sessions for project he was working on, getting to record amazing musicians and songs, watching everything he did like a hawk. I felt like the luckiest person on my course, being able to see this. But I never for a moment thought I’d be able to use this kind of equipment…
Jesus is pretty amazing. I mean, he does a lot of really cool things. Every year when I go to Soul Survivor, Focus, Momentum, or other such places, I come back with all these amazing and crazy stories of the things that he did. Miracles, healings, salvation, transformation, the list goes on. I’m always astounded by what he does and what he lets me experience and see…
It’s nearly the end of January now, and the joys and thrills of Christmas are but a distant memory. The tinsel is away in the cupboard, the Christmas chocolates are long since gone and the glees of December have been overshadowed by the glooms of January. We are back to real life, and real life can be hard…
… Continue readingWhen the worst place to be is the best place to be.
I’ve got a friend who’s mum is amazing at parties. Every time I go to their house for a party, there is always a never ending spread of mouthwatering delicious food on offer. And there is always enough, she will make sure of it. What’s even more amazing is that often we’ve all been told to bring a dish with us, so everyone will turn up with their sausage rolls, breaded chicken, cous cous and breadsticks and somehow she’s divinely arranged it that there’s still a balanced spread of food and just an entire table of chocolate gateaux, (although I personally wouldn’t complain). I’ve never been to a party there and gone hungry, or thought there was something missing from the meal, every time she manages to crack it and orchestrate the best spread possible! It’s amazing!
