Off to Perth, Scotland (not Australia just come back from there) for 3 days exploring faith in change and conflict. Love to be able to help you with thinking about, training, and transforming conflict in your context

First day of work back in the UK. Catch up with @loconomybrum CEO Ifor Jones, webinar on one of our ABCD Guides for United Communities, coaching session, interview for some facilitation work, planning with @pwrightbham and finishing with Board meeting for @theunityhubb.wardend

I loved my time in Australia but so good to be back with my amazing wife, children and Coco the dog. Lovely Sunday walk with lots of catching up with each other. So blessed to have such a wonderful wife and to still be in love after all these years together

Landed at Birmingham after 8 hour flight from Dubai. Felt awake so decided to pop to the cinema for the afternoon. Now back home with Ria and the girls out to see Miss Saigon

One of my final sessions was hosting a conversation on investing in local community leaders and some of the lessons we have learnt through the Change Maker program

Thanks Australia you’ve been wonderful. Really appreciate all who’ve put me up, taken me out for food, spent time co-conspiring, come to my workshops, shown me round your neighbourhood’s. Now for the long flight home. First stop Dubai 14 hours away!

Spent the morning sharing some thoughts about justice and mercy in the margins at the launch Surrender conference. If you’re in Australia book now!

Got to spend time with some high quality community development practitioners and thinkers. I’ve been trying to meet Dee and reconnect with Lee from @jederinstitute so really delighted to think about future collaborations together. Bring on the asset based revolution!

I loved spending time with Andre this afternoon. He’s got such a sharp incisive mind and I really enjoyed exploring what we need to think about to create the conditions for asset based community development and Change Makers investment in local leaders to really take root.

What a privilege to spend time with Simon and Kaylene this week sharing the joys and struggles of long term asset based community development. They continue to offer so much to their neighbourhood but also to the wider world of community development and our work at Seedbeds

Breakfast with a view and some wonderful antiques. Even better spending time this week with my Collingwood supporting, EFC facilitating, legend of a friend that’s Mark Matthews

Absolutely fantastic spending time with the legends that are Mark Watt and Toby Baxter - good food and views of Melbourne as well

Spent some quality time with Mark and Sam in his neighbourhood. Really deep diving into the Change Maker program, and how they can really invest in local people as community leaders and activists. Loved doing it in a community house!

Done planes and buses, started my day yesterday on a ferry! After great couple of days in Norlane, it’s off to the other side of the bay

What an absolute privilege to attend this Empowered Faith Community. Participated in Discovery Bible study on the rich young ruler, community meal and then interviewed at couch church. Particular thanks for gift from their wonderful local artist.

Privilege to work with the Good Neighbourhood Project to deliver People, Places, Potential workshop looking at community building through the lens of ABCD. A really engaged group from a variety of contexts created really good energy, learning and connections in the room

Loved being able to share a few thoughts and stories on how we might live if Jesus meant what he said in the Beatitudes - living for Jesus and Justice. All helped by wonderful food and conversation.

After a brilliant week and a half in Queensland and a quick dash through the airport, on a flight to Melbourne to spend time with some fantastic people down there

I had the ‘pleasure’ of having a free day today to watch whilst here in Australia. At lunch we were 99 in front with only one wicket down. Then we threw some key wickets away and Travis Head played an unbelievable innings

I’ve been doing some work around some of the economic potential of the Sports Quarter - here’s the revealing of the stadium, music venue etc. bbc.in/4pc9FDf

We got on so well when he came over to the UK to lead the work of The Feast so absolutely brilliant to catch up with @timfawssett on our @seedbedsorg well-being day

Loved this well-being day for people leading work in communities. Selina was so wise in guiding us through thinking about compassion fatigue and then I did a bit in the afternoon about sustaining our work with people and in communities

I arrived at this bar feeling I was going to be the butt of a whole bunch of banter from the Aussies and ended feeling we’d had the better of a crazy first day! Thanks @troy_rigby for inviting me out and great to meet Lindsey and Richard

Beautiful place to go for dinner

Great day with people looking to run Change Makers program doing a ‘train the trainers’ program thinking about good facilitation whilst doing some of exercises we do on the program

Loving spending time with the Brown family this week including breakfast this morning and then wizzing round on the buggy and seeing plans for exciting potential development on the land

Didn’t get good photos but loved speaking at Carinity breakfast meeting on developing an ABCD/community building approach to supporting communities and vulnerable people living a good life, supplemented by good services

Absolute privilege to facilitate People, Places, Potential session exploring Asset Based Community Development with wonderful community builders and churches

up the coast to spend couple of days hearing the stories of pioneering in this neighbourhood. BBQing assuages in the local park, fixing bikes or growing the church community. Privilege to get alongside, listen and gently facilitate some thinking about both the challenges and where this could go

If you’re in Oz there’s a few spaces left on these events this week. Do come and join us

Not sure I’ve ever flown on a twin prop before so should be interesting. After great couple of days up the coast in a tough but wonderful neighbourhood with amazing pioneering couple, it’s back to Brisbane

Began to flag a bit at the end of the day so lovely to come to where I’m staying with the amazing Trish and Duncan Brown

Landed at 6:30am straight into time with Luke from Neighbourhood at cafe, doing some reflecting together in his work with young people and visiting really exciting vision, the Riverdale project - housing, sport, life skills, leadership for young people coming out of juvenile detention.

Row to myself! Brisbane here we come!

First part of the day spent exploring Faith in Change and Conflict Transformation which is really going to help me offer delivery of training, facilitation and mediation. Then the amazing Community Treasure core team exploring Cormac’s notion that ‘movements are built on stories’

Long flight ahead but looking forward to spending the rest of the month down under with all kinds of wonderful people

Lucy’s reflection from Saturdays Fresh Expressions day. It’s people grounded in their communities living this alternative story day by day who are the inspiration for me of whom Lucy and Craig are two.

Absolutely stunning set of pitches to panel by our accredited Change Maker/Certificate in Sustainable Community Leadership cohort. We had a wonderful panel that were able to distribute 7K between these community led initiatives. I just love seeing people believe they can make change in community

Good residents steering group this evening

Absolute joy to be part of facilitating Midlands Fresh Expressions Day led by my friend Craig and with my friend Neil Roberts telling the story of 30 years in his community, leading a church, social enterprise and community centre. My stuff was on pioneering/fresh expressions and ABCD.

Despite her trying to duck out of the selfie, great to be out walking/breakfasting with Isla, Ria and Coco

Games night at youth club!

An absolute joy to share life and some reflections on community building with amazing friends and colleagues Paul and Al, as we walked round the reservoir followed by all day breakfast!

This is why it’s so brilliant journeying with United Communities. They believe what I believe and want to work to seeing a world where this is true for as many people and places as possible. ABCD is a framework, set of principles, guiding star that helps us journey towards this world together

Simply incredible group of people to facilitate for the day. United Communities team central and local hubs passionate about youth work and community building. Strategy, Theories of Change, Participative and Developmental Evaluation sessions. We even planned a team beach campfire

Bit of fun today trying out some ‘if we were a band’ album covers! Loving my United Communities hoodie.

Absolute joy to spend time with @mattyhawthorne on my way back from Accrington. Jesus and justice run through this guys veins so felt like an exciting @redletters_uk conversation. Shared some of our life and faith journeys - hoping for collaborations in the future!

Really looking forward to facilitating away day tomorrow for United Communities. Nice to arrive the day before and have dinner with some of the team.

For those who like to keep up with my train travel. I’m off to Accrington overnight to spend time with the wonderful youth workers and community builders of United Communities. Interesting the number of armed police at the station

Privilege to facilitate our Change Makers in exploring influencing people and pitching their project.