The concept was introduced to me roughly 4 years ago now and has influenced most of my life decisions ever since… Let’s rewind to early 2020 (pre-pandemic). I was 6 months into my Midwifery degree and about to become the small group co-ordinator for my university’s Christian Union.

Our culture is experiencing an authenticity crisis. There is a deep hunger for genuine relationships, a thirst to be truly oneself. But ‘authentic’ has become marketing speak, wielded by influencers, brands and apps desperate to gain the trust of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Coming alongside people over the past 10 years or so, I have often felt frustrated, confused and overwhelmed as I encounter the brokenness of the world, of people and of myself. Sometimes things can feel too big for me, too complicated, too messy.

My first experience of one-to-one discipleship was organised for me. The person I was paired with was passionate about living by the word of God, but our personalities clashed.

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.