In an increasingly busy and diverse lives what might it mean to live immersed in God and the world? That challenge has kept nudging me to explore different aspects of living with God in the world inspired by the Christian tradition. It is rooted in the belief that there is an abundance of divine life being poured out in Jesus by the Holy Spirit which we are called to recognise, receive and walk in for the good of a broken and threatened world. To be immersed picks up themes of baptism and Pentecost, being filled and energised with the love of God known in Jesus for the sake of the world. It is to enter into the heart of God seen on the Cross, the central reality of God’s sacrifice and hope. It is to become ever more conscious of God’s Presence, as the mystical tradition attests. It is to be a contemplative in the contemporary sense shaped by that great and complex monk, Thomas Merton.

I was brought up going to church but drifted away from faith when I could not see its relevance for the issues facing the world today. The experience of Christians whose faith in Jesus was full of the life and energy of the Holy Spirit caused me to think again. So began my journey from computer programmer to Anglican priest. On the way I experienced life as a pastoral/youth worker in a challenging area of Coventry and worked for the Church Mission Society connecting local church mission with the life and mission of the church around the world. Experiencing the church has raised many questions! The desire to know God through the challenges has led me to academic study and writing which helps me prayerfully work through the questions.

Currently I am vicar of All Saints’ church in the fast growing town of Didcot, south of Oxford, as well as helping oversee 20 churches in the area. I have been involved teaching at London School of Theology and St John’s Nottingham. I have a PhD in pentecostal ecclesiology from the University of Birmingham. Last year we enjoyed visiting friends at Fuller Theological Seminary in Los Angeles. A full list of academic publications is available on Zotero.