Prayer can do anything God can do.

24/7 Prayer at The Belfrey  

Outside, York Minster keeps watch over the city whilst inside, in this one small room, an even smaller chap has come to spend time with God. It's 2.23am and yes I'm sat comfortably in The Richardson Room at The Belfrey which has been transformed into a 24/7 Prayer room. I'm doing the 1.00-5.00am slot. 

I'm surrounded by so many people's expressions of prayer. It's not all words and pictures, there's a tangible presence because  prayer has saturated this place. God has made a home here for the week and many have come as guests. 

These words struck me tonight "you have not, because you ask not". It is easy, particularly working for a large and busy city centre Anglican Church to get caught up in the demands of your job. It is too easy at times to forget what we are in fact called to do and that we should do everything in His name and in prayer. God is working a treat at the moment, exciting things are happening. The Fusion Team who are based here and part of our G2 Congregation provided a banquet for over 100 people last Friday with just 12 hours to plan and prepare. People of all kinds were fed and touched by God's generosity. Things of Biblical proportions are not impossible with prayer.

Here at The Belfrey we meet as a staff team to pray every morning, we also have small staff prayer groups and tomorrow evening is an Evening of Prayer for the whole church to get involved in. I believe we're a praying church. And why? Because without it we have nothing, but through it we have everything. And we believe it works and underpins everything so that's why we do it.  

As a church we want to play our part in helping to Serve God's Transformation of the North. Many of the great recorded revivals started with one or two meeting together to pray for God to move. We don't want to be arrogant about our vision, which is why we want to adopt a servant approach to help God in winning back this nation and particularly the North for Him.

Literally feet away from me is Europe's largest gothic cathedral. A beacon of faith, visible from miles away. I often think about the people who put their money in the pot to pay for such buildings to be built. They knew God personally and wanted to glorify him. Having earlier watched a television programme about how the Chinese can construct a 18 storey building to accommodate 1000 people in just 14 days, I am wondering what we with God's help can do to bring this nation back and build His kingdom here. Surely if we know God, we want to help him build his kingdom? Don't we? 

I'm still in my early days as Head of Youth & Children's Work but even so I'm excited about the plans he's revealing to us as a team. There's already major possibilities being discussed and prayed about that could change the face of our youth & children's ministry  in the city. Please pray that we would listen and honour God in seeking his will through prayer.

Sometimes we limit God by limiting ourselves. In the summer I was in Uganda. The night sky there was incredible. You could see stars there like no where else. "How can anyone not believe in God?" I thought. If we really believe in the power of prayer, then let us not hinder God's work by not doing it. I'm going to spend the next couple of hours praying for the youth & children's work whilst most of you sleep. I may be in the shadow of a man made gothic building of huge proportions but I still believe in Biblical proportions. Let us not have because we haven't asked. Prayer can do anything God can do. So do it. 

Some of our friends are lost.

As a Christian who happens to work full time for a church, I'm increasingly becoming aware that I need to spend more time than I currently do with non-Christians. "Eh?" you might be asking yourself. 

Just ask yourself "how much time do I spend with people of little or no faith?"  We can get so wrapped up into the mechanics of church that we forget who we are really called to be amongst. I love church, and for the vast majority of weeks in the year, I can't wait to be worshipping on a Sunday morning with my fellow brothers and sisters. Sunday (or whenever it is that you meet) is a celebration of time together and ultimately a collective time worshipping God.  But attending a service isn't where our responsibility ends, it's where it begins. 

I've heard it said before that the church exists for the messed up people. I like this idea, just because when we think we've got it all sussed out, and we're fine and dandy, it helps us put a perspective on what we're about. Its not about those who've got it all sorted. In fact, I'm just as much a messed up person as is anyone else, so who am I to think I'm sorted and "you're not".  

Are our churches full of broken and lost people? And if not, why not! 

Sometimes churches can implode on themselves. I've heard it actually does happen, sadly. It becomes too focused on itself, on "me" that it forgets who it exists for and what it's purpose is in the world. We live in a culture that is driven by "me", and not "you". In your heart ask, is church a place for "me" or for "you"?  The truth is, a church couldn't exist on just "the found", on "you" because no one is ever just found. It takes someone to find us. 

Church should be a home. A safe place. A sanctuary. A dwelling where people are invited, welcomed, nurtured, looked after and discipled. A place for messed up and lost people. 

Jesus tells us the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15. The Pharisees where verbally attacking Jesus for eating with sinners and taking them under his wing. He then told a story of how a shepherd lost a sheep and although it was only one sheep, he searched until he found it and brought it home. 

I suppose I'm asking us to think about our attitude towards the lost. Is all our attention on those within the church? Or is all our attention on ourselves even? We are called to be shepherds in the world. We live among lost sheep. Even we sometimes go astray and need shepherding back. Yes, even you. 

God is so desperate to find his lost sheep, that he goes out to find just one. Are we prepared to honour God and go out into the rain, the wind and the storms to search for his lost children? How messy are we prepared to get in bringing the messed up back to the father's house? 

 

Sometimes I wake up and my attitude is "I'm found so thats ok" (even without intentionally thinking it). Instead, I should wake up and my attitude be "I'm found and some of my brothers and sisters are still lost, so I'm going out to find them and bring them back to dad!" 

We occasionally have to ask ourselves difficult questions. Like, "what do I do in finding the lost?" God's passion is bringing the lost home. So should ours. Being in relationship with the father is the best thing ever! So let's share the joy. 

Some of your friends are still lost...

My Marriage Proposal Story!

Just before Christmas 2011, I said to Rachel "if I asked you to marry me what would you say?" and her reply was "you know what I'd say". From that moment I knew Rachel was the person I wanted to marry  (although I did have an idea a little before that).

In the months leading up to our return visit to Uganda in August 2012, I imagined proposing to Rachel on Lake Bunyonyi. This was to become a reality as I purchased the engagement ring on Saturday 21 July from Samuel Lawrence Jewellers in Beverley with Ben and Ellie there. A bacon sandwich and a cup of tea provided a welcome break in deciding the right choice of ring. A visit of a known Revd in the jewellers also confirmed the ring choice. 

On the morning of our departure, I asked everyone to leave my house so I could "check that all the electric sockets are off". In fact, it was to enable me time to go upstairs and grab the ring hidden above my wardrobe and put it firmly at the bottom of my bag. 

The journey of the ring to Ben and Ellie's house in Cambridge was eventful. I decided to wind Ben up by sending him a text saying "I've forgotten the most important thing". He tried ringing me but I prolonged the joke by not answering. 

As we arrived outside their home, Ben arrives alongside my car with a ring box in his pocket. What a joke! It turns out he manically rode from shop to shop in Cambridge looking for an alternative ring. Once inside,I gave Ben the real engagement ring and he was to look after it until we arrived at the lake. 

Once in Uganda, I made a nervous effort to visit the ring every night in Ben and Ellie's room. I knew it was right, but I was beginning to gather nerves. I never doubted Rachel would say "yes". The week prior to the deed, many Ugandan friends where quietly and openly asking me "when are you going to propose?" At Caleb's giveaway, his neighbour called Franco turned to me and said "I see the way she cares for you. You will make a good husband and she will be a good wife and you'll have a good family." I took these as prompts from God? 

On the Sunday night, the evening before we set off to the lake, we were at Hilary and Judith's home. Amos asked me "when is the day?". My reply was "you'll be one of the first to know Amos!" Ali Doolan overheard and laughed as she knew it was to be very soon, sooner than Amos probably expected. 

At the lake- we all decided to go out on the lake in canoes (part of my master plan). Ali Doolan decided she would prefer a walk, but a sly eye glance from me changed her mind pretty swiftly. It was cloudy but as each pair boarded their boat the sun gleamed! The boat man at the lake told me that Rachel and I had to face the same direction, which meant I had to devise a way of turning round once in the boat and in the middle of the lake (which could prove fatal). 

We all headed off in our canoes, I told the others that I was taking Rachel off for some 'alone time'. We headed off towards the left of the lake, Rachel wanted to head towards the narrowest part of the lake where the valley met. The sun was shining on the lake and Rachel kept saying that everything was "perfect". As we rounded the second corner a house appeared on the shore with a huge love heart outside on the grass mountain.I knew this was the moment. Rach commented on how perfect this would be as a honeymoon destination, I kept wondering if she knew what was coming. 

I kept reaching into my bag to pull out the ring, but I kept pulling out something different...water, my camera, water again. I was nervous! The last time I reached into my bag I pulled out the Bible. We sang a worship song together 'You're beautiful' before I read from Song of Songs chapter 7 - you must read it to get a mental image of the situation. I still didn't feel like I could 'pop the question' then so I read 1 Corinthians 13. I knew after that, that this was the moment. Just as I was about to pull out the ring a boat of white people 'muzungo' came past. After it had passed Rachel said to me "you can turn round now" so I did. I sang a line of Bruno Mars to her "Just the way you are". I knew this was the moment. I had been gradually moving the ring to the top of the bag throughout the journey. As I got down on one knee I pulled the ring out of the bag and said "so Rachel... we have been together for two years and I love you lots and lots and lots and lots. We have been through our ups and downs and I Iike the person you have made me to be. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so I have bought you a necklace". I got the ring out and opened the box, just so it was facing me. I went on to say "look, if it is the wrong size the woman in the shop said that you can change it for a better one, just like you change me for the better". Then I said "so, Rachel Melissa Banyard, will you marry me?". I turned the ring round and Rachel said "are you being serious?".  I gave her a look and then Rachel said "Lee Edward kirkby, yes I will". I put the ring on her finger. We then prayed and asked God to be at the centre of our relationship. We shared a kiss before taking some photos. Rachel was still crying - if you look at the photos you can see the tears. We were both in a moment of "what has just happened?". 

As we headed back to shore we took in the moment where it had happened. As we paddled back Rachel said to me "This is like our journey of life. It is hard work to paddle, probably steering off course. Sometimes we will be plain sailing, other times we will go round in circles...It is only when we work together that we make progress. At the end of the day it is that we are still in the boat together and that nothing will stop us". 

We got back to the shore and Ben had champagne at the ready. I shared the news with everyone, and the Champagne was popped!  We took lots of photos. I then told the story of what had happened and Martin Doolan began to cry, then Ben did, Ellie and even Annie shed a tear - Adam was speechless. 

It was the perfect moment and the happiest occasion ever! 

I cannot wait to be the husband of Rachel and to have Rachel as my wife! 

God is moving me on. From Beverley to York!

To all my friends,


I am delighted to announce that earlier this week, I was appointed as the new Head of Youth and Children's Work at St Michael Le Belfrey Church in York.


My journey with Beverley Minster has spanned a period of over 14 years in various capacities; firstly as a Chorister, then as a Virger and most recently working as the Youth Minister. I've had the absolute privilege of working with literally thousands of  incredible young people, and I've made strong friendships with many people over the years, which I am confident will last and can only grow stronger. I am sincerely thankful to many for their involvement in my life journey so far.


I am immensely proud of how the Youth Ministry has grown and developed over recent years, reaching thousands of young lives with the love of Jesus, and I'm honoured to have worked alongside a brilliantly talented team of paid and volunteer staff. I continually thank God for his faithfullness and prayerfully anticipate that greater things are yet to come in seeing God's kingdom built here in Beverley, being especially encouraged by the recent gift day generosity towards our Gap Year Scheme.


I know leaving the Minster, and my hometown of Beverley will be very emotional, but I am totally at peace knowing God has prepared and guided me to a new challenge in York at The Belfrey, Serving God's Transformation of the North!


I am sure we will have plenty of quality time together over the coming months, but in the meantime please pray for both churches and their leaders Jeremy Fletcher and Matthew Porter as they prepare for change, and particularly for our Youth Team here at the Minster who I know will be dedicated in leading the Youth Ministry into an equally new and exciting season next term.


Thank you all for your genuine encouragement, support and prayers. They really have sustained me in my faith and calling.


I am thrilled to be making this next step on my journey!


Thank you & God bless.

Not Just When We're Plain Sailing...

Life throws buckets of water at us doesn't it? In fact, at times, literally storms. It's in these times, we are truly put to the test. It's often in the most chaotic of circumstances, that we lose our ability to keep our faith in God. The past month for me, has been a storm. More of a tropical one though. Moments of intense rainy periods, but most often followed by gleaming sunshine and calm. I like to think, I've been expectant of the good, post storm periods. 

Imagine the disciples in the boat, there's a huge storm happening and Jesus is fast asleep. In other words, life is going absolutely berserk, and the one who everyone thinks can solve the issue is fast asleep. In these moments of life, sometimes our minds tell us to prepare the life boats, and get ready to abandon ship. It takes alot of faith, to look beyond what the world tells us is likely to be inevitable. 

Do we always seek what is possible for God to accomplish? 

Do we rely on Him enough? 

Faith encourages us not to accept what is the norm, not what the world says will happen or what usually happens in these circumstances. Faith enables us to ride the stormy seas. Not abandoning everything to what appears to be swallowing us up, but to let God captain the whole vessel. God, who is creator, the one who says "Quiet! Be still!" and the waters listen. 

Sometimes, we tell ourselves we've got faith, but still remain sceptical and afraid. Have you ever encountered someone, (or even yourself perhaps?), who you thought had incredible faith,  but when the storms rage, they turn out to share a "more realistic" view, just 'incase' the God bit doesn't quite work out? 

Jesus asks his disciples after ordering the storm to be still, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?". You see, sometimes we have to encounter Jesus before we can truly believe. When we meet Him, we get to know Him, and know what He is capable of doing. There's no room for scepticism in faith, but plenty of space for God to suprise us. .  

What storms are you wrestling with at the moment?

We don't have to try and handle anything alone. We simply have to just surrender all of our insecurities to God, and He will steer us through everything in life. 


I've witnessed the awesomeness of God's power in recent weeks. Because for once, I've had to put my all into trusting God, in what seemed a situation beyond any human redemption. Instead I put my arms out to the one who can move mountains and said "you're in charge God!" And as Psalm 138:3 says "When I called on your name you answered".


Jesus' disciples must have been petrified, panicking and anxious during the storm. But when they woke Jesus, we don't read of his reaction being the same. Jesus simply brought calm. Psalm 29: 11 says "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."  

This morning, me and Rach read Acts 27: 13-26, The Storm. A story of when a ship was caught in a storm with Paul and some of his friends on board. Paul writes "When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved." It must have been a terrifying experience. We can only imagine how desperate they would all have been. But Paul tells all on board "But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed." And this is true for us all today. The world can take away everything we have, but the thing it cannot take away, is eternity with God. 


Paul encourages those on board : "So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me."


It's comforting to know that through faith, God gives us the strength we need to face the uncertainties of life. Faith, is not just for when we're plain sailing, but when the waters are stormy. 


Why not reflect on these words: "Be still and know that I am God!" Psalm 46:10

Broken Glass v Broken Lives

I hear some people are furious, upset and talking about it.

Maybe a little too much for a piece of glass?  Sadly not.

Beverley is a fairly middle class place, with a large majority of its residents being of retirement age. It isn’t the most exciting town for young people. Quite often you’ll see in our local press, reports of anti-social behaviour caused by ‘unruly’ youth. I believe positive transformation comes alongside positive investment. And get this, one story reported of how the council was to pipe classical music through the bus station speakers on evenings, to deter young people from hanging around. No headline story of how our authorities were going to tackle the root cause of the problem, just another ‘let’s see if this works-shove it under the carpet response’.  Nationally, the church by far, is the largest provider of youth work, and this applies to Beverley too. The town has at least four full time church youth workers, not to mention part time, gap year, and schools workers. I think it’s a huge privilege to be in a position where the church has committed and said “yes” we want to play our part and provide provision for young people. With that, comes a huge responsibility and a risk. The possibility of broken windows for instance...

For six years, we’ve been running a large youth event in Beverley Minster, the ‘Youth Café’. We often attract between 200-300 young people to each event. The whole idea is above all to ‘welcome’ young people into the church, help break down any stereotypes they may have, but to also provide a foundation for creating purposeful relationships with them. My vision has always been to feed these young people into our weekly programme, so that we can work more closely, and enable these young people to realise their God given potential in life. I must admit, for a few years, I’ve questioned whether or not the ‘feed in’ idea has been working, but now I know it is! Last Friday we had 28 young people aged 11-14 come to our Friday night youth club. The majority of them live on Swinemoor Estate, which itself comes with many difficulties and challenges. Most of these young people have come from broken homes and broken families, and simple things like having a conversation with them, and complimenting their behaviour has really encouraged and given them confidence. You can see it in their faces when you say “well done – you were brilliant tonight!”

Last Friday was particularly challenging for our staff, as we were faced with a couple of new lads, who insisted on being abusive towards us. In the heat of the moment, my head was thinking logical, professional, common sense things, but my heart was clearly shouting “just love, love, love…” I find the heart speaks powerfully, and I try to listen to it moreso than my mind. Probably all day, every day, these young people will be shouted at, criticised, judged, punished, and starved of sincere love. They have come to ‘us’, the church on their Friday night. It's not our right, but our privilege and honour. It is these people God calls us to work with. It is these people God calls us to share the good news with. It is these people that we are called to love.

Yes, a window did get accidently broken on Friday night. There was a very apologetic young person, who went home in fear that his mother would tell him off. And for a short time, I was more concerned about the window, than being thankful to God for bringing many young people through our doors that night and touching their lives. I realised the reality of the whole scheme of things. The window is £40-£50 to replace. Easily done. We can forget it and move on. There were many more broken lives in that place on Friday night   that deserve deeper investment.

Over Easter we held a 24/3 prayer event, and seven of these young people gave their lives to Jesus. We had to ask them to spend at least some time at home each day, because they spent more or less every hour of every day with us. They couldn't get enough of just being there. They wanted to be in the very place where they experienced God, and felt welcomed, accepted and loved. Today, one of these young people came to church for the third week in a row. We are called to serve the broken and bring God’s restoration on lives. This particular young person is beginning a life where he wants to experience all the fullness God offers. Not a life where one will constantly condemn his brokenness.

Beverley Minster should not foolishly ponder too much on its broken glass, but rejoice that it is able to reflect Christ, and reveal His love to these 28 young lives, every single week.

If a saved life comes at the cost of a window, then bring... (I'll say no more)

Listen to your heart… What brokenness has God called you to be more concerned about?

Broken glass over broken lives anyday!

Chinos, Toms and a Cassock.

Overpowered by the lingering clouds of incense. Holy Water as you enter. Six candles instead of two. An array of icons. A bell to announce the start of worship. A tabernacle containing reserved sacrament on the altar. A constantly lit candle. Some of the things Father David gave the opportunity for me to experience in his church today. St Alban the Martyr Parish Church in Hull. None of these are unfamiliar to me, but they've never had a regular home in my weekly experience of church. Until now…

St Albans is the place I'll be spending quite some time at, over the next couple of months, particularly Holy Week and Easter Day. A combination of work experience, observing, learning and 'just being' there will form my placement at St Albans. Why? Over the last 12-14 months, I've been pondering where I'm meant to be in life, and what God wants me to do. I've been discerning a call to ordination and am now in the process of preparing for a BAP or a Bishop's Advisory Panel, in the autumn. I'm working through a whole heap of books, form filling, journaling and book reviews.

I never considered being ordained when younger, and always wanted to be a pilot as child (a decision not to be, will be what many of my friends will be pleased about, considering my severe lack of driving ability), but having the privilege of the experiences I've encountered, the roles I've been honoured to fill, and respecting God's call of duty (which includes all of us Christians), I've felt a call to serve God, and serve God's people, my brothers and sisters, in a priestly capacity. I've not quite got my head around the prospect of potentially wearing fancy dress on a regular basis, but I do know my heart and mind is at peace with having to sacrifice my selfish desires, ways, and life, and allow God to steer the life God has given me, in the direction He sees fit. Not to say that I’m still anxious and nervous to say the least.

I know there's a degree of uncertainty, unknowns, challenges, opportunities, highs and lows yet to come, and this journey requires considerable patience, trust and faith on my part. But what I've been most humbled by, is people's support and their responses when I’ve told them of my decision to explore a call to ordination. Only tonight, someone said to me "I knew you would go forward for ordination eventually" and I'm thinking, "Well you could have warned me before I knew!" In fact, part of discerning a call, is when it’s confirmed by others, and it has been over a number of years, but I've more or less ruled out the idea, ignored and possibly blanked out the shouts, and lived for the current and not had my eyes on the bigger picture. This whole process is now a journey of discovery, listening, learning, exploring and discerning.

Father David asked if I had a cassock, and thankfully I do from when I was a part time virger at Beverley Minster. And so over the next few months whilst wearing a black dress, I’ll be surrounded by hundreds of years’ worth of ancient, multi-sensory, ‘smells and bells’, of the Anglo-Catholic tradition. A different approach I’m accustomed to, but I’m really looking forward to all things new, and experiencing the mystery of faith celebrated in the Anglo-Catholic way. Of course, I’ll still be continuing doing what I love, working as Youth Minister at Beverley Minster for the foreseeable future, where thankfully chinos and Toms are my uniform for Youth Ministry.

I'm sharing this with you because I’d love your prayers, and because I want to share my journey with you over the coming months!

God bless.