Here's to the new blog

The old Imagine! blog died a horrible, painful death. Poor thing...

Well, most things die eventually. RIP.

So here is my new attempt at blogging. I am no longer a church planter - for now, anyway. I am in between countries - getting ready to leave the US in order to return to the UK. But I am still enjoying this wonderful adventure in following Jesus Christ, my Lord. Oh, I know, it sounds terribly religious, but what can you expect from a preacher?
Although it's not religion that attracted me to Jesus. I grew up in a communist country - following a revolutionary, subversive figure like Jesus was just the thing for a rebellious teenager.

And then, as I began walking with him in this new adventure, I saw how real, palpable, it all was. None of that religious mumbo-jumbo - but an actual day-by-day walk with God.
Oh, yeah, preachers will tell you all about living by faith. Right. I used to work in a science lab, so I got somewhat hooked on facts and experience. So I'm living may faith that way too. Christ gave me so many obvious, undeniable, amazing experiences with him, that 'living by faith' is a bit of a misnomer for my spiritual walk.

Ok, God and me still have these fights and disagreements. I know he knows best, but I still would like him to do things my way most of the time. And when the fight is over and I can look back, I am always grateful that he didn't do things my way. Well, most of the time, anyway.

Anyway, the blog retains that 'imagine!' title because I'm still following the same path. Imagine faith that is not a blind leap in the dark, but deeply rooted in the daily experience of walking with God. Scary, right? Well, that's the idea. The group of friends that formed my first church got it - well, enough of them did to make a difference. Over the past few years I tried to get here, in the US, a group of people to walk with me on this same path. It didn't happen. I guess I'm not the kind of man Americans would follow. Different cultures look for different things in a preacher. Well, I'm going to keep the lines open - at least, through this blog. And if no one will follow, it's OK - people open themselves to God in different ways, it doesn't have to be my way. I just wish that this blog will be a help to someone, somewhere, some time.