In Slough, early October,  I came across two young people separately in the High Street.

The first one was Charlie.  A smiley, positive girl. I told her what I was doing in Slough and she was interested in what I said– she too is a Christian.  I told her I felt there were a few things I had heard from God for her and she was happy to hear them

One was about resilience – and the lyrics from a song that says “I get knocked down but I get up again, no nothing's going to keep me down”….we both tried to sing it together and she was laughing!

The second was a picture of her watching sport and how it was important in some way – she was intrigued about this as she had just watched football last night with her colleagues and it had been a great time with them

The final one was that I saw her with primary school aged children, teaching them….. she said that she used to be a primary school teacher and was WONDERING ABOUT WHETHER TO GO BACK INTO THAT  AGAIN!!!!  It was really cool how timely the word was for her.  Go Jesus!  She was really encouraged.

Later I met her colleague “Matt”on a different part of the street. An expressive-faced, friendly chap with something soulful in his gaze. I explained I hadj just met Charlie and what I was doing in Slough.  At this, he told me that both his father and grandfather were church of England vicars!  He has no personal interest in church/religious stuff. He went on to say how upsetting it had been the way his grandfather was treated when he retired and was just kicked out of the house by the church, even though he was ill and old.  He couldn't understand how the church could do that to someone who had given so many years of his life and service. "Matt" had really had his heart crushed by the church.  We had a good talk about the coldness of religion v the goodness of God and I explained how I came to find God outside of a church context. He listened intently to my testimony and I could tell it was shifting something in his thinking.  I just encouraged him to call out to Jesus - even fumblingly as I had done - and ask Him to reveal who he really is, outside of religion and church stuff. 

 I had a parting word for him about a sibling being highlighted specially – he said it was his brother who he didn’t get on with and hadn’t spoken to for years.  I said that God wanted to do something really good there to being reconciliation and he was happy about that .  What a dear soul "Matt" is – Father please meet him where he is and heal the wounds of toxic religion and its callous ways while bringing forgiveness and reconciliation to the fore.

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