The certainty of the past

I'm feeling particularly emotional this morning. This last weekend was our London church's thirtieth anniversary, the church that has been shaping my life for the last twenty one years! Well, Jesus really, but through this church and the amazing people that call Every Nation London home. My friend, Pierre, and I first walked through those doors at the end of 2002 as students on a summer break, doing dodgy cash-in-hand jobs in the great city! 

And feeling emotional means only one thing to a man in his early forties... Blog! I mean, does anyone still write blog posts? Or read them?! Either way, I do enjoy writing my annual post. 

Back to my story, I've been reliving so many memories. A I type this, I'm sitting opposite the building in which I did my first ever interview in London. I saw Dan and Darren, part of the first team (the Ops team!) I ever worked with at EN London. We drove past our EN London office, Rofel House, based at 1D (1 d for dog, as we used to say over the phone) Colet Gardens - the very same office where Suzanne and I met. I've been reminded of the amazing people and the many miracles in Stratford and Slough and Kampala and Huntingdon. All places I've had the privilege of being close to. Too many memories...

And to top it all off, for some random reason, this weekend also turned out to be an old band reunion. It was the first time in seven years that we were all in one place. And these guys, Ant and Drew, turned out to be so much more than bandmates. Brothers, really. And even though we've lived in different countries for seventeen years and we haven't seen each other for seven of those, it felt like no time had passed. We had a great time together last night, haggling for the best deal in Brick Lane! (If you want to get a taste of the noise we used to make, it's online here: https://soundcloud.com/antonfire/sets/rest-in-peace-ep-by-golden.)

Considering all these memories and how they collided on this first weekend of September 2023, my conclusion is this: the past is so certain that it gives me confidence for the future. There was always a bit (or a whole lot) of uncertainty and unpredictability while I was living in the moments that I remembered this weekend. But, looking back at them now, it seems as if they were all perfectly aligned. Most probably according to God's purposes. 

As I'm currently living in a moment of some uncertainty... Quick catch-up: we're in the midst of planting a new church in Cardiff, having moved our whole family here and having handed over the leadership of the incredible church in Slough to our friends Jon and Sam (and elders Jo and Lawrence). In this moment of uncertainty and unpredictability, I look back at the last twenty one years and clearly see the hand of God in my life. Why would the next twenty one years be any different? The certainty of the past gives me great confidence and faith for the future.

Maybe you're also feeling a little uncertain today? Maybe looking back helps you to feel more confident about the future. Maybe it doesn't. My encouragement is that God is for you. I believe that you and I can be confident about our future if we put our confidence in Him. It is the greatest testimony of my life.