This is session 4 in 1 Peter from the Lee Abbey talks 2026 Every evening my phone tells me exactly how long I spent on it that day, and most days I don’t love the answer. An hour and forty-two minutes on Facebook. That’s the world we live in – brilliant minds in Silicon Valley working out how to keep us scrolling, while the things that actually matter wait for the leftovers of our attention. That’s roughly where I started when I gave this session on 1 Peter 4, a passage I find more prickly than most. Peter isn’t gentle: […]
What will you be remembered for?
Have a watch of this heartwarming short film and share the joy with us of providing widow Mama Olepa and her children with a new home for just £750 – a total game-changer for her family’s future. I love it! You have probably sung the song How Great Thou Art! It was written by a little-known British missionary, Stuart Hine, who served in Ukraine, Poland and Romania. Years later, it exploded in popularity, was sung at Billy Graham crusades and covered by Elvis Presley. As the royalties began streaming in, Stuart looked beyond the financial windfall and set up a charitable trust to direct […]
Submission and the Triumph of Christ – 1 Peter 3
This is the third talk of five in 1 Peter from Lee Abbey 2026 Listen here: A New Zealander called Ivan Segedin hated seat belts. The police ticketed him thirty-two times in five years, and still he refused to buckle up. So he got creative and made a fake belt that hung over his shoulder to fool them. It worked brilliantly, right up until his head-on collision. He was thrown onto the steering wheel and killed. Sorry, Ivan, but you were a fool. Submission can be very good for you! 1 Peter 3 gets a bad press, I know. And […]
Costly Forgiveness
Dieudonné was away at boarding school when his father was murdered. The assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye lit the flame, and the nation slipped into civil war once again. A church leader in the community invited Dieudonné’s father, along with others from his ethnic group, to a meeting which turned out to be a trap. His father was buried in a mass grave. Every family in Burundi has stories like this. And whilst the nation faces many challenges: food insecurity, crumbling infrastructure, and skyrocketing inflation, to name a few, these issues are symptoms of a deeper problem. This short film […]
Building Blocks for Christ – 1 Peter 2
This is the second talk of five in 1 Peter at Lee Abbey 2026 Listen here: Peter hands us three building blocks in this chapter: a precious Saviour, a privileged position, and a practical commission. Get the first one wrong and the rest collapses. A precious Saviour. Jesus is the cornerstone, the one everything else in the house lines up against. In the ancient world the cornerstone had to be cut with total precision, because if it was even slightly off, the whole building went off with it. Sometimes it cost as much as the rest of the house put […]
Ripe for Harvest!
We had another staggeringly fruitful outreach campaign this August with Harvest Initiatives. We sent out over 1,700 evangelists across the country. They had meaningful interactions with an estimated 65,000 people, of whom just shy of 16,000 accepted Christ for the first time, with over 26,000 lapsed Christians strengthened in their faith. Burundi is certainly ripe for the gospel. Nadine had been suffering from fits, vomiting and rashes for two months. Medical tests and treatments were inconclusive. When the evangelists started praying in the name of Jesus, Nadine started to scream, shout and fight. Recognising the spiritual battle before them, they […]
Keep Your L-Plates On – 1 Peter 1
This is the first talk of five in 1 Peter at Lee Abbey 2026 Listen here: I’ve recently stuck L plates on our car for (hopefully) the last time as I’m teaching our third child to drive. We’ve had a few close shaves, but no prangs yet, and long may that continue. This milestone got me thinking about five phrases Peter uses in his first letter to describe what exiles like us are actually holding onto — a living hope, a locked-in inheritance, lasting joy, long-term perspective, and a living word. Simple enough to write but tough to live out. […]
Back to School?
“Simon, I’ve got four kids. I’ve got to choose which two will go to school. How can I possibly choose which two won’t be going this September?” Hi folks, The above is such a common scenario in Burundi. State education is free, but you have to buy your child’s uniform, pen, paper, etc. When you’re struggling to provide even one meal a day, those basic items are unaffordable. And that leads to the most horrendous of dilemmas… I’ve got three kids. I simply can’t imagine having to choose who gets to go to school. Thankfully, you and I have never had […]
Miracle over the Airwaves!
Sophie had lived with pain, fear, and uncertainty for an exhausting 3 years. She had been diagnosed with uterine cancer, suffering from heavy bleeding and long days confined to bed. All the doctors could do was advise her to seek treatment but this was impossible – the huge costs were far beyond her reach. From her bed in Kamenge, she listened to Ivyizigiro Radio every day – that means “Hope Radio”! Fanny and her team at World Outreach Initiatives work tirelessly to keep the show on the road, broadcasting hope over the airwaves. Through the daily encouragement of worship songs […]
Transformed Youth Get Stuck In
I love it when the Gospel takes hold of people in a way that means life cannot stay the same. Charles Nkazamyampi walked 20km to and from school daily as a child, but was soon to write his name in the history books of Burundi. In 1992 he won gold in the 800m at the African Championships in Athletics, clocking 1:46.95. The next year he competed at the 1993 World Indoor Championships in Toronto, where, having just learned his parents had been killed in the conflict, he declared he would run in their honour and took the silver medal! He […]
Total Access
Last week I was preaching at Trinity Cheltenham in their sermon series on Mark’s gospel. My passage was Mark 15:33-41, and the focus was on the torn curtain (v38), and the centurion’s declaration (v39). Take a look here: or listen to the audio version here: The temple had so many barriers to entry: the Court of the Gentiles was as far as most of us could go; ritually purified Jewish woman could go a little further, but had to stop in the Court of Women; Jewish men could go into the Court of Israel; priests entered the Court of Priests; […]
Bonkers in Burundi!
It’s my favourite time of year again, when we embark on our spectacularly fruitful large-scale summer outreach with Harvest Initiatives! I’d love your prayer support, because it really makes a difference. Of all the years we’ve done this, there was only one I didn’t ask for intentional prayer, and that was the year with the most opposition and setbacks. Check out these stories from previous campaigns: Goretti had been paralysed for three years. The team visited and prayed for her. She was healed, and straightaway gave her life to Jesus. Six of her family members and five neighbours also came to Christ […]
From Slaves to Sons
Last week I was invited to preach at All Saints in Worcester on Galatians 3:23-4:7 as part of their series on Galatians, with the title ‘From Slaves to Sons’. You can watch it here: And listen to the audio version here: Here is a transcript if you prefer to read: From Slaves to Sons Slave, or son? That’s the choice sitting inside this passage. Galatians 4:4–7: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are […]
Ready to Ride!
It’s a busy time of year! Over the last few weeks, I have been bombing around the UK with various speaking engagements – I love being out and meeting people, it’s definitely one of my favourite parts of my job (if you’d like to book me or a member of the GLO team for your church or event then get in touch here!). But next week I’ll be back on the bike for the 11th Tour du Burundi! As I head back, I’m conscious that it’s as tough as it has ever been out there, and am constantly thinking about […]
The Cost Of Non-Discipleship
I was asked to preach last weekend at St George’s, Stamford, on ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ from Matthew 8:18-22. You can watch here: And listen to the audio version here: I often talk about the cost of discipleship, but it is interesting to consider the cost of non-discipleship. Dallas Willard once noted, “a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, nondiscipleship costs you exactly that […]
Guard your First Love!
I was recently preaching at All Saints Peckham, as part of their series on Revelation. My text was Rev 2:1-7 The Letter to the Church at Ephesus. Listen/watch here Verse 7 says: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” You can also listen to the Audio version here:
I AM… The True Vine
This weekend, I was in Life Church, Warrington, where they have been journeying through the “I AM’s” of Jesus, and I had the privilege of speaking on the last in their series – I AM… The True Vine. I invite you to listen and receive the challenge to abide fully in Jesus today. Click below:
Connecting to God’s Presence and Power
This is the sermon I gave last Sunday at St Andrew’s Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, looking at Exodus 40:34-38 and closing out their series on the book of Exodus. Their strapline is ‘connecting people to the presence and power of Jesus’, so the passage fitted well, and hence the title. Or you can listen to the Audio version here:
An Easy Way to Bring a Smile this Christmas…
Bernard¹ is a great buddy of mine. He used to be a child soldier. He had ten siblings, and he’s the only one still alive because of war and disease. He’s doing stunning work with us, a total legend! But he’s one of many wondering how to get through the festive season: Dear Simon, Thank you so much for your support to us throughout this hard year. I am so grateful to GLO, indeed your contributions have saved many lives. God bless you! As we approach Christmas, this is the hardest year I can remember since the genocidal years. Because […]
Freedom Behind Bars – Watch Tonight!
Jonathan Aitken and Shane Taylor came from the opposite ends of life’s spectrum – privilege and poverty. But both ended up in jail, where they had an encounter that brought them true freedom – even behind bars! We had an amazing evening together in front of a sell-out crowd at the Bath Forum for our second Inspired…Live event. At times we laughed, and at other points tears were shed. It was very powerful. I’m thrilled that a friend offered to get a quality recording of the event so I can share it here with you – it’s going live tonight […]