This week I spend a few days in a small village in the Austrian Alps – I know, someone has to do it!

Actually, this is a vitally important week in our EN Europe calendar. First we’ve had a rich time of prayer & 2 days of strategic planning with our Europe leadership team (From west-, central-, & east Europe).   From tomorrow we have all of our west & central Europe guy church leaders arriving for a couple of days of solid encouragement, ministry and fellowship – some of it on the slopes!

VALUE … At only £80 for a return flight from London direct to Innsbruck we got a fantastic flight deal, and the Haus Des Lebens mission base is probably the best board&lodging deal around. But times together like these are invaluable for those on the front line of church leadership, and over the years of ministry I have realised that its these moments of retreat, reflecting & refreshing that often make the difference in pastors lives, especially those who labour in the tough and often lonely outposts of Europe.  So as these guys hang out and get some refreshing, please pray for us and believe that all of them/us –  from London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Krakow, Madrid, Marseille, Gent, Berlin, Nuremberg, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Lviv & Ternopil – will come back refreshed and re-fired to shepherd in 2012.  They’ll be the better for it when they are back in the pulpit this Sunday!