I don’t think I’d have believed you, if you had told a younger me that I would so enjoy walking … but I do! My wife, Debbie, and I have made it our own and it has formed the backdrop to many a holiday, in beauty spots such as the Lake District or Norway.

‘Parkrun’ is where we regularly and easily see friends for running, coffee and conversation. Hundreds of people come to our local Parkrun in Birmingham every week, so as well as meeting our close circle of friends we’re also likely to bump into colleagues, playground parents, fellow running-club members and visiting family.

I love a good question. I can live on a good question for days – if not weeks. A good question is a key that can unlock truths about God, about life, about our relationships, about who and how we are.

This is written by a Navigator who, because of their ministry context, prefers to remain anonymous for now.

As I reflect on my life so far, I ask myself, ‘If my life had been perfect, would I have found Jesus?’

Several black and white photos sit on my bookshelf. They take me back 50 years to a time when Dad and I were active in New Zealand politics. One is of election night 1972. Dad is sitting alongside the newly elected Prime Minister. Another is of Audrey and I (a very young-looking couple) chatting with the Prime Minister and his wife at our wedding.

Before anyone got alongside me and discipled me, I was a struggling Christian. I gave my life to Jesus when I was 11 but I didn’t really know what it looked like to live my life for him each day and I had no idea how to engage with the Bible. I attended church, youth group and summer camps that all pointed me to Jesus and got me hyped up, but I had no clue how to sustain that feeling or apply it to my daily life

The lone figure zigzags across the desert with a dance-like gait, the high suns burning down on him, as from the top of a nearby rock formation a crowd look on. A few of the onlookers are rooting for the plucky outsider, who has lived among them and taken on their ways, but most are content whether they watch him succeed or get turned into a snack for a giant, carnivorous desert worm.

Who doesn’t love going to the cinema, grabbing popcorn and being transported to a different place or time to experience a great story? The best films have the power to stir our imaginations and emotions, and resonate with us long after the credits have rolled.

When we were children, my older brother had a large swivel desk-chair. One of our favourite activities was spinning our younger siblings as hard as we could on said chair, then laughing as they eventually tried to stand up and walk, clearly feeling disorientated from the relentless circling.

Sitting on my bed during lockdown, things were not good and I was definitely not at peace with God. I lamented, ‘Can’t you just fix it, God, like a lightning bolt.’ Instead I distinctly remember being told, ‘Go to church’ – that was the last thing I wanted to do, as I hadn’t been involved in a church in years and I never was a great church goer even when I had.

We live in a world that seems to offer us almost unlimited choices, whether that’s what to eat for lunch, where to go on holiday or what series to watch this evening. Choosing takes time and, whilst it can be an enjoyable experience in itself, often it’s just another chore.

As I read the start of Isaiah 61, I can’t help but wonder if this is true of me? I can see it clearly for those around me – but has the Lord anointed me to live my day-to-day life?