Forward planning is something I do quite instinctively, but my experience of managing others has shown me this does not come naturally to most of us.

If you are aware of the Myers Briggs personality test, you may know that this can be a particular challenge for those with a ‘P’ (Perceiving) preference in their decision-making processes. People with this preference (such as my wife!) like to have as much information as possible before making a decision, leaving them free to be flexible and responsive. Or as I like to put it, not wanting to commit in case a better option comes along! Joking apart, these are good qualities, but make planning and committing your diary in advance a problem. You won’t be surprised to learn that I have a ‘J’ (Judging) preference in my Myers Briggs – I like to make decisions quickly and have things settled in advance. Deb is always encouraging me to enjoy the moment and not spend so much time thinking about the future!

When we have busy lives with multiple responsibilities, I believe detailed planning is essential. It is important to pause from time to time, step back and take a moment to look ahead. This morning I was asked if I could speak at a seminar next January. I immediately got my diary out and was delighted to be able to accept, knowing that I have already pencilled in my other commitments.

These are some of the key principles I take into consideration when planning ahead:

1. Days off and holidays are first to go in.
2. Date nights with Deb are next.
3. Local church responsibilities go in after this.
4. Any ministry outside King’s fits in around what is already in the diary.

I give priority to family and home church responsibilities over any outside or trans-local ministry. Once these have been met, I then have the freedom to serve churches beyond King’s, following boundaries agreed with both Deb and the elders and trustees.

Whatever our personality preferences, whether we like to be very ordered or more flexible, I believe some good planning helps us meet our responsibilities and avoid overcommitting.

After opening our August preaching series on Psalms at King’s on Sunday, my primary focus this week has been to prepare for our imminent visit to Kenya.

Deb and I will be travelling with David and Scilla Devenish to visit Edward and Fridah Buria in the city of Meru, north east of Nairobi and just a couple of miles from the equator. We are looking forward to seeing the remarkable ministry of Edward and Fridah for ourselves. I have had the privilege of visiting many different contexts within the wider Newfrontiers family, but this will be our first trip to Kenya, and it will be great to see all that God is doing in the nation. The majority of our time there will be spent at a leaders’ conference, which will gather over 600 leaders from Edward’s family of churches. I will be speaking at three of the main sessions, and I would appreciate your prayers as I complete my preparation for these. Although I will be one of the speakers at the conference, I suspect I will learn more than I impart!

We fly to Nairobi this weekend and return the following week. Please pray for us and David and Scilla as we travel, for Edward and Fridah, and for all those attending the leaders’ conference.

I will be taking a short holiday when we return, but I shall look forward to being back in September for the beginning of the new term.

A highlight of this last week was a visit to Newday on Tuesday. Newday is a fantastic event which each year sees thousands of young people from across the wider Newfrontiers family come together for a week of worship, teaching, fun and fellowship. Deb and I have been unable to go along the last couple of years, so it was great to be back and have the chance to drop in and see everyone on the King’s site. There was a wonderful atmosphere among our young people (over 100 of them from across the four sites!) and the brilliant team of servers looking after them. In the evening the King’s band and choir led the worship—a very proud moment.

While at Newday, I bumped into Ben Lindsay, who has just published his first book, We Need to Talk About Race. Ben leads a church in London but was saved at King’s many years ago, and we have kept in touch since then. I highly recommend his book, which will increase your awareness of the issues around race (particularly in the context of church), challenge you, and make you think more deeply about this important subject.

The school holidays in July and August mark a slightly different pace in church life, with fewer evening meetings. It means Deb and I have more opportunities than usual to catch up with friends, and over the next few weeks we are looking forward to some meals out with good friends from King’s and the wider Newfrontiers family. I will also be spending an evening  at Lord’s watching 20/20 cricket with David Stroud, which should be very enjoyable.

On Sunday I am looking forward to preaching out of Psalm 1 as we start our summer series at King’s.

King's got a taste of worship Newday-style last week! The King’s band will play a part in leading worship at Newday (which starts on Monday) and on Sunday they led all three Catford meetings as part of their preparation. They did brilliantly, and it was fun to see the church reveal its youthful heart in worship!

This year Deb and I are excited to be coming to Newday for a day. This will be the first time we have been able to get there in several years, and we are looking forward to being on the Catford site for the afternoon before staying on for the evening to see the King’s band and the Newday choir lead worship in the big top. We will be wearing both our pastors’ and our parents’ hats for the evening, as Josh will be on drums and Sam is in the choir. We also hope to have time to catch up with friends on the Newday team.

As Newday approaches fast, let’s pray for our young people and the outstanding team of leaders accompanying them, many of whom are taking annual leave to be there. Altogether, there will be around 150 people on the King’s campsite, as well as others staying on the servers’ site. Let’s pray for all those serving, and for all the young people attending. As parents, Deb and I can testify to the key part Newday has played in encouraging our own children in their faith. Let’s pray that this year’s event will again see hundreds of young people turn to Jesus.

For a reminder of everything the King's young people got up to at Newday last year, have a look at the video below.