The sentences, ideas, and insights worth pausing on.
July 2026
Cinque Terra, Italy 2026
The first half of 2026 has been marked by new beginnings and one big ending.
Over the past six months, four very different projects have moved from ideas and conversations to becoming a reality. Watching them develop has reminded me that increasingly we are recognised not simply for our qualifications or years of experience, but for the skills we bring and the value we create.
Each of these projects has been an opportunity to contribute in a different way. I’ve begun hosting men’s guided silent retreats, helped establish the Ark School of Prayer, a nine-month formation program for young adults, launched PLACED, a Christian network connecting professionals in and around Copenhagen, and finally migrated my reading life from Goodreads (owned by Amazon) to StoryGraph.
Each has stretched me, taught me something new, and reminded me that meaningful work often begins with a simple invitation to serve.
Recommendations
Watch
Our Oceans – a five part series on Netflix about our planets oceans narrated by Barak Obama. Interesting, informative and entertaining. Perfect to watch with the whole family.
Read
Pentecostalism; A very short introduction by William K. Kay (2011). This primer is a must read for any leader of a Pentecostal church and anyone simply wanted to understand the key moments of its development.
Listen
Dish – This podcast sits at the intersection of cooking and prominent people’s journey with food. A funny and unfiltered podcast hosted by Nick Grimshaw and Angel Hartnell. (Available on Spotify, Apple, and Youtube).
Men’s Retreats
For almost twenty years, retreats (both individual and with others) have been part of my spiritual journey.
Late last year, my life group worked through John Mark Comer’s study on Silence and Solitude (Right Now Media). As part of the experience, we were encouraged to step away and spend intentional time with God on retreat.
That simple invitation sparked something in me. It led to months of reading, reflecting, planning, and eventually creating my own guided silent retreat for men.
Of all the books I read, Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence by Ruth Haley Barton (2021, SPCK) shaped my thinking the most. It reminded me that retreat isn’t about escaping life but it is about creating space to notice God’s presence and allowing Him to gently reshape our hearts.
Looking back, I realised retreats have quietly formed part of my Christian life for many years. They have become a rhythm that helps me slow down, listen well, and return to everyday life with greater clarity and peace. That’s why I’ve created a page sharing more about the retreats I now host.
So let me leave you with a question:
When was the last time you intentionally stepped away to be with God? And if you haven’t yet planned one, could the second half of 2026 be the right time to begin?
Book of the Month
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (2019, Penguin Books)
Some books entertain us. Others quietly reshape how we see the world.
Girl, Woman, Other, winner of the 2019 Booker Prize, was one of those books for me. It deepened my sense of compassion and empathy by inviting me into lives and experiences I may never otherwise have encountered. This is one of the great gifts of fiction; it expands our understanding of people beyond our own experiences.
Each character is written with remarkable depth and authenticity. Their stories feel less like fictional narratives and more like glimpses into real lives. As the novel unfolds and the connections between the characters emerge, Bernardine Evaristo’s storytelling is both subtle and masterful.
As a side note, I’m currently reading my way through the winners of the International Booker Prize. A journey that continues to introduce me to voices, cultures, and perspectives from around the world.
A gentle note: this novel explores several sensitive themes, so it’s worth checking the content before reading if that’s important to you.
Question: What’s been your book of the month for July?
Previous editions
June 2026
Tuborg badebord, Denmark 2026
Made and being made has been a theme running through my days since my last letter to you. It has shown up in birthdays, anniversaries, and adventures with new connections.
Perhaps this is because life is never static. Each day asks us to choose how we engage with ourselves and the world around us. Birthdays remind us of our arrival in the world and of the life still unfolding before us. Anniversaries mark how far we’ve come while pointing us toward what remains ahead. And adventures remind us that there is always more to experience, discover, and explore.
To sustain this tension between being made and still being made requires faith: faith that there is goodness ahead of us, and faith that we have not yet arrived. The journey continues not through grand leaps, but by taking the next step.
Recommendations
Watch
Fisk – An ABC tv series where you follow a long with a small cast who are being (hilariously) made. (Available on Netflix and ABC iView)
Read
The Death of Trotsky by Josh Ireland. Exceptional detail, filled to the brim with interesting characters, extensive insight into Soviet Unions approach to espionage, and the death of Trotsky.
Listen
Joshua Luke Smith – A songwriter, community builder, podcaster and author.
Cooking adventures
In 2009, the movie Julie and Julia was follows the twin stories of Julie Powell, a claims office worker, cooking her way through Julie Childs cook book, and Julia becoming one of USA most renown chefs. Both stories of ‘being made’.
Over the past few months I have embarked on a similar journey to Julie, I have been cooking my way through The Happy Pear Vegan Cooking for everyone (2020) by twins David and Stephen Flynn. They are so joyful and passion for great food and healthy living.
So often cookbooks sit on our shelves and we drop in an out of them, and maybe your bit like me they are getting neglected as we search the internet and get assistance with the random things in our fridges with an AI tool.
What is your favourite cookbook?
Book of the Month
Terrific book cover many many stories of encountering the power, mercy and grace of God, the empowered by the Holy Spirit and power of serving your local church and community.
Jim Cymbala through Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (1997) shows what the Holy Spirit can do when believers get serious about prayer and the gospel. He shares from many years of ministry and personal experience, and additionally includes some touching and miraculous stories that will stir your faith from within his Church community.
This book is an antidote for all of us who have become complacent, distracted, and dull in our faith.
March 2026
Torekov, Sweden 2026
‘Character’ has been the red thread through the month of March for me. Showing up in what I have been watching, reading, and people I have been spending time with.
From Carla Rockmore humorously helping through her videos, to the decisions Tara Selter makes in the Volume of Calculation, to the friends and family who gathered around meals this Easter, and of course the character of Christ. All of this has reminded me how in our increasingly digital world ‘who we are’ really matters and the potential impact our lives can have.
Another place ‘character’ has been pronounced for me is from my visits to the local library. The staff and patrons provide an amazing cross section of society all gathered in once place with a variety of motivation and purpose.
Where is the theme of ‘character’ turning up in your life right now?
Recommendations
Watch
Carla Rockmore – Sharing fashion inspiration and joy into your browser.
Read
The Booker Prize newsletter – Great insights into this year nominees, stories behind the stories, monthly spotlights, and much more.
Listen
Deep Focus playlist by Spotify – perfect playlist for focusing on desk-based activities.
Reading Goals
Do you have a reading goal for 2026? Whether that be a number of books, completing a series, or reading from a specific author? Perhaps you’re finish that book you started 10 years ago (Hello, ‘Start With Why’ sorry Simon).
One that I have set for my self this year is to read a book from by an Author from every Nordic country. I have received great advice from my local bookshop and library.
To this end I have started the series ‘Calculation of Volume’ by Solvej Balle (superbly translated by Barbara J. Haveland). The first two books have been a masterclass in character and not just Balle’s development of the character but who we are when no one is looking.
Book of the Month
Backward forwards, backwards forwards, forwards goes this story. You’re both catching up and being caught up as your journey with the Conroy family.
This story is centred around a house, ‘The Dutch House’ and the three generations of the Conroy family, and those intimately connected to them, and the house. We see the family expand and contract and yet the house remains the same. Always calling to them.
Through Patchett’s excellent writing your welcomed into and behind the scenes of three generations successes and failures, love and loss, and hurt and healing.
I think on balance you’re left content for the Conroy family in the end.