The deep end…

Hey guys.

I’m just coming to the end of a wonderfully chilled day off! Since my first night and my last blog post, a lot has happened.

I’m really enjoying my job so far and the opportunities that it has brought about. I’ve been really busy doing various things around the office, for church and other bits and pieces.  And the reason I’ve called this post “The deep end” is because that’s where I’ve been chucked!

Now, to be clear, I don’t mean this as a bad thing at all, in fact it has been a really exciting 2 weeks! So, as you may know, I have lead worship quite a lot over the last couple of years at my home church, The Beacon Church, at my youth group, Impact and a couple of other places and I hoped that my gap year would involve some worship leading or playing in the worship band and so on, but if I’m honest, I didn’t expect to be doing that straight away.

However, Luke Hellebronth who is my line-manager this year has been really amazing and generous in getting me as stuck in as possible and since moving down here I’ve played keys at 2 Alpha training nights, the HTB staff meeting, an early morning prayer meeting (for which I had to leave the house at 5.30AM) and a prayer & worship celebration evening with both Luke and Ben Cantelon. I must admit, and I think Luke and Ben know this, but I was super nervous before a few of these, but I have learned that sometimes, the deep end is the best place to be! It is still a challenge at the moment (especially because I don’t as yet have my keyboard with me in London) to play without much preparation and without chord sheets in front of me, but it’s also been a great exercise in just praying and trusting that God will help me and keep my nerves down!

Ok, so that’s the ‘what I’m up to’ update. Now for the ‘where I’m living’ update!

Currently, I’m still on the lounge floor at Steve and Anne’s flat, which has been really nice and they have been so generous to me. BUT, I am very excited to tell you that I have found a place to live! Rachel, who is the Worship Central global manager, has a room for rent and today we have closed a deal and so now I just need to sort out a few things and I should be there within the next couple of weeks! I’m really grateful for all your prayers and praise the Lord they’ve been answered!

I think that’s all from me right now! Keep in touch!

Oli

Flat hunting…..and a Psalm.

Hey everyone!

On Thursday I travelled down to London to view a potential house to live in next year.
I travelled to Earl’s Court, where the room is and (even though it was raining) it seemed like a really nice place. There is loads of shops and cafes around and it’s got a tube station less than a minute walk from this house.
As I looked around the house and decided whether or not I would like it, the whole prospect of living in London started to become real and it becomes more and more real each day at the moment and it is, I must admit, slightly daunting (as well as extremely exciting, of course) for a boy who has lived in the small town of Whitchurch for the last 18 years! The change of lifestyle is going to be a big shock and I actually began to get a bit worried as I thought about it.
After a chat with my parents, they soon made me feel more relaxed about it and my Mum reminded me of Psalm 91:1-2. It says this:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

I absolutely adore the Psalms and this is such a great example of what they are and what they can do. A book of songs written as worship songs to God, that are brutally honest and wonderfully truthful. There is a Psalm for every occasion, whether it be pain, laughter, comfort or, like I was feeling, uncertainty. Just read that again. The God who created all things, who said “Let there be light” and there was and who just breathed and formed man out of dust, is MY refuge and MY fortress. God wants to look after me. Wow. I LOVE IT!!! As soon as I read this, I could sense God just speaking that over me and in an instant, my worry and fear left me. Of course, I am still going to face challenges when I move and the culture will be very different but I know that if my God is for me, then nothing can stand against me. Amazing.

Anyway. At the moment, I’m sitting in Starbucks in Earl’s Court, waiting to meet my Dad, who is coming to look at the house with me and then travel home again. So, soon enough I’ll let you all know whether in 8 days, I’ll be moving in!!!!

Blessings.

Oli