It’s a joy and a privilege to be writing this post as the next Global Convenor of the Order of the Mustard Seed. I will actually be commissioned at the 24-7 Prayer gathering in Stuttgart, Germany at the end of October, but I’ve already started the process of stepping into the role and getting to know some of the amazing people I will be serving alongside.

My wife Lisa and I have been members of the OMS since it was (re)established in 2005. Most of you will know something of our journey because you will have read “The Lord of the Ring”, the book which I wrote to tell the story of the original Order whose legacy has inspired us. The vow we took that night has been a steady compass throughout the last two decades, even as the customary by which I live it out has changed many times through changing seasons of family, ministry, professional, personal, and political life.

I review my OMS customary each October, and this year Lisa and I took some time together at the beautiful Poiema retreat centre in the English Lake District (www.poiema.community), beautifully hosted by OMS members Pete and Andrea Ward. As someone whose natural tendency would be to dive straight into planning and strategizing, it was so precious to draw closer to my Saviour and be still enough to hear His heart above my own restless thoughts.

Whether you are taking the Vow for the first time, living it out in the context where God has called you, or contemplating a new season in life and faith, I pray that you will find time to hear His heart afresh over the next few weeks. Please pray for me as I take up my new role, that I would know His strength to live out the vows I have made and His grace in the moments when I fail.

Love&GodBless,

Phil Anderson