John Arnott, Bill Johnson, Randy Clark, Heidi Baker, and Mark Stibbe: Who I will be listening to this summer!

Okay, I am back from a summer adventure in Copenhagen, and learned lots, and thought lots, and saw lots, but spiritually, my cup is not overflowing!! And physically, I am still a bit tired—all that walking!! which I have valiantly tried to continue, counting steps on a pedometer.

I sense the autumn term is going to be full—of excitement and challenge and interest and new opportunity, and to cope with it, I need to rest spiritually and emotionally this summer, and let God refill my tanks.

So we are going to two Christian family camps/conferences this summer. The first is RiverCamp in Gloucestershire, where Heidi Baker will speak, and Mark Stibbe, whose book From Orphans to Heirs I enjoyed.

The books is about the Fatherhood of God, our adoption as sons and daughters. These are among the most life-changing theological concepts. I was discipled by Paul Miller, one of the writers of the immensely popular American Sonship Course, which helped the material get into my head.

It moved from head to heart during an amazing ILSOM week led by John Arnott in Oxford, during which I discovered soaking prayer.

I think learning to soak in God’s love, and just be, and not do, and just hang out with him, knowing he loved me was life-changing. So I am greatly looking forward to hearing John Arnott again at the Revival Alliance Conference.

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Bill Johnson will be speaking there. Bill Johnson is known as “the thinking man’s charismatic,” and I really like his speaking style, though from his Facebook postings, he seems to be getting a bit negative and jaded, perhaps burnt out. (Perhaps our heroes should not have Facebook and Twitter pages. Or perhaps they should, so that we have no heroes except the One who rides on a white horse and is called Faithful and True).

I have heard Bill Johnson speak at New Wine, and have read his books, like Dreaming with God and Strengthen Yourself in the Lord. Reading him is mind-expanding. I suddenly sense there are vast oceans of intimacy with God and of experiencing his power and his glory stretching and rolling all around me while I paddle in the shore of a life of half-faith. Oh Lord, deliver me!!

I am also looking forward to hearing Randy Clark at the latter event. He had known much failure and sadness, but the Toronto Blessing descended when he spoke at the Toronto Airport Church in 1994, a revival which still continues (or so I’ve been told).

We are taking our children to both events. Please could you pray that they will be powerfully touched by God.

And that the spirit of God will once again refill this weary, half-empty, distracted heart of mine to overflowing.

Thank you!