Yesterday was a good day. In the morning we attended City Temple, Cardiff. The presence of God was awesome as we were lead in worship by Richard Lewis

This Weekend I lead a team from Ignite to be part of Spree Wales. This a Christian activity camp that took place at Festival Fields, Millennium Coastal Park, LLanelli. Our primary motivation was that the legend that is Mike Thomas was involved. There were about 250 kids there and morning and evening we had about 100 in the Ignite Venue. On the speaking team was John and Rachel Settetree, Dai Hankie and myself. We all talked on the life of Peter. On the Sunday morning I talked about the day of Pentecost. It was an honour to lead about 5 young people to Christ and see around 60 others commit to lead their lives as radical disciples. In the evening we went to the baptism service at City Temple and we saw around a dozen people baptised including Lesley's friend Allison. God is amazing.

See below the official press release and then my comments. I have known Delirious? for many years. I was responsible for booking them to play at The Alliance Festival back in the day, then an event on held on the site of The Virgin Festival in Chelmsford. There is no doubt that they took Christian music in the UK to a different level and many benefitted. The band I manage, Superhero, have supported them countless times and I was in a meeting with my mate, Dave Smallbone when we were trying to discern whether Rebecca St James should do a co-headlining tour with them. 

In recent times many of my days now start at McDonalds. Not for a Mcbreakfast but for a coffee. Often its a meeting before I go into the office or prior to heading off for somwhere else. Today is no different. I am sitting in McDonalds, Newport Road before heading off to Cardiff Church Leaders to talk with them about about Street Pastors You can say what you like about McDonalds but the customer service here today is excellent. The battery ran out on my MacBook and the cleaner opened up the childrens area so I could access a plug! This morning my mind ran to coffee and the impact that it has had in the UK in the last few years. It is not that long since we were all happy to settle for a bland cup of instant in our homes or offices. Now things have changed. Lead by the chains such as Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Costa Coffee and the rest our coffee experience is now very different. Not only do we demand more from our coffee, such that burger joints and local cafes have all been affected, we also see the drinking as a much more social experience. Now many business and social meetings happen in coffee shops. What a pleasant civilised development this is. What has powered this revolution? I suppose things like brand awareness, quality products,marketing, peer group pressure, tv programmes such as Friends, increased expectations and aspirational lifestyles all help. (I should add here that free Wi-Fi is a big one for me!). So the establishments are not just offering a drink, they are offering a lifestyle experience. Here is the not so subtle segway to the church! At best and if we work at it the church can offer all the above with added value! It can offer a truly caring community, a life changing message and an unbeatable experience. All we need to do is get some decent coffee and we could clean-up!

About a month ago I was banned from driving my car. It was a simple mistake. Rushing between meetings I was caught on speed camera travelling 40mph in a 30mph zone. The result a further three points. This made me a "totter" and I have lost my licence for 6 months! Of course this means finding different ways of getting around. So the first decision every day is do I get a lift in to work, ride my bike (an experience not encountered for 30 years!) or get the train These journeys are giving me different experiences and different perspectives. I see things I would not normally see from the comfort of my car. In the last few weeks, Lesley and I have been leading a group on churches Alpha Course. In addition I have been beginning pre-production on a short film on the subject of Love. The connection is in both situations, I have been challenged by a statement someone has made about their understanding of the Christian faith. Being a little further down the road than them I have been aware that what they have said has been unbiblical. The dilemma has been, when should I correct them and when should I leave them to discover truth for themselves? For anyone who loves to teach and to educate formally or, as is often the case for me, informally, this is a constant challenge. I have no issue with the fact that there are ultimate truths. My sentiments are much more with St Thomas quinas who had a general philosophy, like the X files, that the truth is out there. It is actual not relative as the post-modernist suggest. However sometimes the journey that people are on means their interpretation of what they think is true is based on their perspective at that moment. Sometimes it is the educators job to accompany them on their journey and help them see things from a different perspective. Other times it will be to change the course of their journey in order to help them see a different perspective. Of course the last option is the easiest because for the educator/teacher/philospher because s/he is on control of the journey. However, sometimes it will be better to be more beneficial to take the harder course. This for some is the road less travelled. The decision of which road to take I think often goes beyond common sense and requires God's guidance. The good news is, He is there for us as we seek to illuminate Him