“Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done great deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.” 2 Samuel 23:20

Benaiah is one of my favourite men in the Bible. He’s known as one of King David’s mighty men and he’s not afraid to do what needs to be done to get the job done – know what I mean?

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’” – ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭10‬

‘What a busy season we’ve just had….’ ‘Where has this year gone?…. ‘ ‘Time is just flying by…’

I’m sure you’ve found yourself using at least one of these phrases over the last few weeks – especially as we enter in to a new year – 2026

When talking in church circles, I can get met with a sense of surprise when explaining my role in church life and ministry alongside sharing that I fulfil this in a bi-vocational and voluntary capacity. I’m very fortunate that I find myself in employment I love, that is equally aware of, and even supportive of, my voluntary commitments; without this it wouldn’t be possible.

I have intentionally developed all my leaders in One Church. It gives me great pleasure to watch them grow. Well, most of the time! Sometimes the lessons are painful as we are all learning. When it comes to growing leaders, remember the 3 Ds…

Can I have permission to speak honestly with you all for a moment…? Leadership is tough! Whether you’re leading a church, a department, a Grow group, your family, or even just yourself, the weight of that is real. Expectations placed on you from other people or things that you expect from yourself. Have you been there? I know that I have, and sometimes, it can feel like the weight of the world is sitting right on your shoulders. Perhaps you’re feeling that pressure right now as you read…

I recently shared an encouragement in staff prayer around the goodness of God and how life often moves so quickly that we forget to pause and remember one of the greatest truths of all: God is good. His power is unmatched, His majesty fills the heavens, and His love reaches into every detail of our lives. No matter what we face, His goodness does not change.

During the month of June 2025, the Lord made me really think about myself as a follower and not a leader. Leadership can be a comfort zone at times and just makes us forget about ourselves as followers. We are followers of both Christ and people; and we alternate the hats of leadership and followership every now and then. We often enjoy the comfort of the leadership hat, we sometimes prefer it more than the followership hat. In this blog I would like us to reflect a little on our lives as followers and we are going to use the book of Ruth to point out a few thoughts that came to me as I read this book.

Here’s something beautiful about the way children make friends. A shared swing, a quick laugh, and suddenly they’re inseparable. For adults, though, it’s not so simple. Research shows it can take over 200 hours to form a close friendship as an adult—and that’s assuming we’re even trying.

Some of you have heard some of this story before, for which apologies. However, spurred on by Nathan’s excellent blog last month about Gen Z, I’m encouraged to write it now. 

Imagine it’s 1915. World War 1 is raging across Europe. Families are feeling the devastating loss and suffering of the war, and would be horrified if they knew that four more years of destruction was still to come.  Also in 1915 my Grandmother, Agatha, received a book (about Christian martyrs) from her Godmother Helen.  In it was the following letter (Helen and Agatha please excuse my intrusion on your privacy):

Across the UK – and much of the Western world – Generation Z is experiencing a surprising and steady spiritual awakening, often called a “quiet revival.” While it may not be loud or headline-grabbing, the signs are clear and compelling. 

Between 2019 and 2024, Bible sales in the UK rose by 87%, with much of that growth driven by Gen Z. Recent polls show that 62% of 18–24-year-olds identify as “very” or “fairly” spiritual – nearly double the rate of older generations. Only a small percentage (13%) identify as atheists, signalling a shift from secularism to a deeper search for truth and meaning. 

Its’s 8.30am and I am stood by my front door, keys ready, and as my family begin to gather around me, it becomes very clear that what I thought I’d communicated and what was actually heard were two different things…

Communication isn’t just for the so-called ‘gifted’ – it’s essential to being human. As leaders (and just as people,) how do we get better at it? Let’s be real, the message of our lives as followers of Jesus is the most important one we’ll ever share!

If you want to be a great leader, you need to learn the art of change. Winston Churchill famously said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” It’s true that leadership is about taking things from where they are to where they could be, otherwise you’re just managing. If you want to lead, you need to become a master of change.

Fasting Feb is when we call the whole church to fast! Our prayer is that this season will bring greater focus to what God wants to do in us. Paul talks about the work Christ is doing in us in these words; 

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”