The weekend is well and truly over but I am still ‘on a buzz’ over what happened over the weekend. The rest of my Sweeps photos are here if you are interested.

We engaged meaningfully with loads of people. People were surprised to see us serving in this way in the cathedral. They were visibly touched by the welcome and the love shown from the team. It’s a shame that we cannot keep this kind of different space alongside the other areas, such as the chapels, for people to dwell with God.

The team had loads of amazing conversations with people searching in a variety of ways for a variety of things. People have been healed both physically and emotionally. People have experienced the Spirit using them to bless a fellow human being.

For me, it was the first time that I had really engaged with the Jesus Deck with people. At one time on Monday I think I did something like 6 back to back readings. As I looked at the cards with some people more people became interested and so a little queue grew. I have always been nervous about looking at these cards with people but the links people were seeing with their lives were quite amazing. It was a privilege to stand with people as they started to clearly see the Spirit of God communicating with them in their present situation. The situation is hard to explain, but as every person thanked me for my time my natual response was ‘no … thank you because it has been an honour.’ And it was – people have been letting us into a small part of their lives, trusting us, sometimes, with parts of their lives that they vacuum packed and compartmentalised in their memory.

I felt a sense of sadness as we packed down on Monday as the festival drew to a close. Rebecca asked me what I had learned …. i had to think a while and I guess I have been reflecting on that question all day. I guess I have re-learned some stuff – particularly  that God is drawing people and I don’t really have to find people but just be available. I had a sense of sadness that we had to work inside on Sunday, but it soon became clear that working inside the cathedral was the better place to be. Maybe I had mis-heard God for the Saturday, or maybe not, but we engaged with far more people on Sunday and Monday inside the cathedral than we did on the Saturday outside the cathedral.

I have also re-learned that if we give God space, God will work. Too often we try to force the hand of God through our activities or events. Here we gave God space and people have been powerfully effected.

I guess I have learned most of all this weekend that it is this engaging with people through spirituality, engaging with people through serving them, and engaging with people who have a genuine quest for faith are the things that really energise me and make me think ‘this is what I am here for – to listen, to serve, to love.’ I’m missing Sweeps already – I hope we do this again next year.