Simon Ponsonby in Bristol

This morning I attended a special city-wide gathering of leaders to hear Simon Ponsonby speak. This Anglican priest is based at the thriving St. Aldate's in Oxford and is both an academic, theologian, writer, preacher and deeply devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Having read his book 'More', I was looking forward to hearing what he had to say. The venue was Woodlands Christian Centre in Clifton and it was an extremely attended event, as you would expect with a visitor of Simon's calibre and pedigree. I spent an enjoyable few minutes catching up with some old friends with whom I had lost touch and settled down for, what turned out to be, a solid 80 minute message.

Essentially, Simon drew deeply from the content of his book but it was not a convoluted advert to go and buy it, instead I picked up his heart and spirit and his deep desire to see all Christians find and receive the real 'more' of God's Kingdom in their lives. His pastor's heart shone through as did his giant intellect and high-class skills as both orator, teacher and prophet. It was an inspiring time and although I forgot to take a notebook (d'oh!), he touched on many themes that have been coming through BCC in recent years: the importance of rooting our lives in the Bible coupled with a dynamic, daily regenerative intimate relationship with Christ. He touched on the importance of merging word AND Spirit and the dangers which ensue when one aspect is emphasised at the expense of the other.

Of the many things that stood out for me was the simple fact that this man was teaching us the Word of God under the anointing of the Spirit of God. A '10 Easy Steps to Grow Your Church' it was not. Life coaching and worldly management speak dressed up in religious clothes it was not. He based everything on the Bible but drew us to the Person behind the words of the Bible, once again bringing it all back to a living, genuine relationship with the Lord and the cost that goes with this. This week I've been dipping into John BeVere's book Extraordinary and he writes (p.33), "Many pastors focus more on being life coaches rather than bona fide fivefold ministers. Their messages are formulated from secular leadership principles or psychology, with scriptures found to conform to these views."

Not so with Simon Ponsonby.