We know from stories about King David’s life recorded for us in 1 and 2 Samuel that he had many painful experiences in his life – some arising from his own sin and some from other people’s sin.   He was definitely not writing from an ivory tower immune from the trials of this living in a fallen world.  Interestingly the verses in Psalm 23 where King David affirms his confidence that goodness and love would follow him all the days of his life come after the verses where he affirmed his confidence that God would be with him as he walked through the valley of the shadow of death.

Right from the off I want to be clear that I am not the finished article – and thank God for that! However, over the years God has shown His grace in the most wonderful and powerful ways in my life. I am now in my sixties and have had a lifetime of being same-sex attracted. For over 40 of those years, I have been a follower of Jesus. Inevitably this has led to challenges and battles with temptation. The devil doesn’t give up trying to trip me up, but most importantly neither does God give up on me. 

The LORD of Psalm 23 is a book which began as a three-part sermon series. David Gibson works through the psalm, dividing it into three natural sections, each with its own theme: 'The sheep and the Shepherd', 'The traveller and the Companion', and 'The guest and the Host'. Each of the three parts of the book contains bible teaching and pastoral application - both comfort and challenge. As he teaches his congregation, and readers of this book, he encourages us to engage our hearts as well as our minds; he longs to lead us in worship, rather than stretch us academically.

I’ve always thought True Freedom Trust is a provocative title for an organisation. After all freedom is one of those things that everybody regards as positive. My childhood was shaped by images of the Berlin Wall falling amidst joyful celebrations and the hope of all that freedom would bring. And, for many, the joy of the last decades has been a greater sexual freedom, not least the freedom for those who identify as gay to marry.

The pandemic hit people living on their own particularly hard. But gathering on Zoom provided a sense of community and continues to do so today. Recognising that at times I struggled to end the day well, I started to wonder if others had the same struggles - perhaps gathering via Zoom could be a positive way to draw our days to a close? And, so, Night Prayers was born just after the National Conference in 2021. 

“My expectation in life is to be invisible, and I’m good at it.” This phrase, spoken by a fictional character, Mia Thermopolis, in the movie Princess Diaries, always stood out to me and seeming to apply to my life. I couched it with Christian language, trying to convince myself that I was trying to be humble, but the underlying prevailing thought was rooted in self-hatred. While including my sexuality, these thoughts also came from a broader comprehensive picture of my experiences.