In my travels with Langham, it is not that unusual never to leave the venue for the event for which I have come. On this occasion, in Lima, not only did I go nowhere, the venue itself was barely ten minutes from the airport! So, four nights in beautiful Peru and never moving further than ten minutes from the airport? That must be some kind of record… 😀
It was the wise approach. The country is in a season of political unrest—with gunshots in the street over the wall during the Sunday sermon providing convincing evidence! And, as our host quipped, provoking side-splitting laughter, Peru is the only country in the world with three former presidents in jail. In my travels I find this kind of sadness often sparks that kind of laughter…
I felt safe in my comfortable little room—living under the cross and sleeping between my Commando Force sheets.
My focus shifted to the beauty right there in front of me, without going anywhere, within the high walls of the Betania Retreat House. The name Betania/Bethany was a good start, as it is a place in the Gospels where so many beautiful things happened—and it is the name we gave to our beautiful second daughter!
The Flowers
Lima is in the midst of a dusty, arid season. God delights in splashing bright, vibrant colours across such landscapes…
The People
The leadership teams from 18 preaching movements across the continent of Latin America were meeting together for the very first time, with about 80 participants in total.
And if, like me, you enjoy the beauty of creation—well, in the words of folks from a country in the other American continent further north, “you ain’t seen nuttin’ yet”. Enjoying the beauty of the image of God expressed in the peoples of the world can’t be bettered…
 |
| Willian from Bolivia, enjoying the Puma (a publisher in Latin America) book table. |
 |
| Jocabed from Panama, the co-covenor of our new Orality Advisory Group, demonstrating Mola art with textiles—where a story can be told in the art. |
 |
| Nelly from Argentina, our newest author, with her book on Job hot-off-the-press. |
 |
| Isaac from Guatemala |
 |
| Everyone! |
The Hugging and Praying
I grew up with hugs (and prayers, for that matter!). My father’s hugs are one of the things I miss the most with him gone. However, for all sorts of reasons, hugs tend to be in a bit of a recession in New Zealand. So I enjoyed being in a culture where praying and hugging is such an instinct, a habit—and it is beautiful to see it and to be drawn into it. Every day started with giving and receiving hugs and every day was punctuated with times for prayer.
 |
| Dionisio with the Brazilians |
 |
| The LA Leadership Team—Wilfredo, Igor, Jorge, Dionisio—minus Alex (as our host, away looking after logistics at the time) and Esteban (away overseeing the technology). |
The Countries, The Continent
Each evening a group of countries introduced themselves to us. It was fun to enjoy the diversity of cultures—and the rivalry between countries. And, once again, a thing of beauty…
 |
| Guess who … 😀 |
 |
| After a session on fund-raising, countries were invited to adopt another country, helping them with the costs of the work. It was beautiful to watch. Elizabeth and the Mexican team were very enterprising—not surprisingly, Google Translate tells me that adoptennos means “adopt us”. A little bit of Bolivia… |
 |
| Peruvian contextualization |
The Singing
The Sessions
Whether it was Dionisio on pastoring teams and small groups (escuelitas); or, Alex on spirituality and praying ‘from below’; or, Nelly on mentoring; or, Wilfredo on strategic planning—you know what will characterise these sessions among these people: organized, skilled, interactive, creative, feedback-driven…
The learning that takes place is itself a thing of beauty.
About Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.
Recent Posts
John Stott was the first one to help me see the tension in Jesus’ teaching on salt and light. They are pictures for how his disciples are to live in society. Salt pulls them in, keeping them involved. Light holds them back, keeping them distinctive. Being light responds to ‘the danger of worldliness’, while being…
Just when I thought that it could not be possible to have another first-hand account of the impact of John Stott’s life (d. 2011), along comes this book by his close friend, John Wyatt. I am always ready to learn more about John Stott, but also about friendship. It fascinates me. It keeps coming up…
Reading stories to grandchildren over Christmas reminded me again of how powerful they can be. They are so compact and simple in presentation, and yet so clever in construction. There are just so many features at work in an effective story. It is some years since I taught narrative preaching, but when I did I’d…
