Last night I was at Oakwood Youth Challenge for the monthly youth event I’m involved in speaking at as well as standing alongside the team who are running the place. Essentially it is a hugely well equipped and vast outdoor pursuits centre with a strong vision for reaching and winning youth people to Christ. It’s a hugely impressive place. I’ve been involved there for the last year and half with a heart to put my hands on the plough with Tony Pudner and the team there and help push it forward. The vision is to see 10,000 young people, across the region won for Christ. With the kind of numbers through the place each week and the passion in the team, they may well achieve it! The plan is then to reproduce it across the UK.

I have say how disappointed and frustrated I feel to have failed again in our request for permission for the Mainstage to be positioned on the Normandy Beaches this June on the weekend that coincides with the anniversary of the D-Day Landings. I really felt we would be successful this year but the battle for Normandy Bridgehead seems as difficult as ever! We are still strongly pursuing it with the conviction that Europe will open up to us in a new way with this objective achieved. I’m over there again next week to meet and pray with the leaders and we have various thoughts to consider. One idea is to do a more covert prayer initiative that weekend followed by a large evangelistic festival a week later with the Mainstage. Permission is currently being sought for that over there in France, please pray!

Next week I’m speaking at a men’s breakfast and also a kids and family event. Coming up are a number of indoor and outdoor events which I’ll tell you about soon and my next trip to Madrid!