We're nearly at the mid-point in our tour, with four dates done and five to go! Here's a brief summary of the story so far...

Wed 14th. Had a great opening night at Redhill Baptist Church, Surrey. John Capon and his colleagues looked after us so well, and once people had got over the shock of the original combination of jazz and folk music used side by side in worship, everyone really got into it! The whole band quickly settled into playing together, and all that intensive rehearsing at the beginning of the week paid off.

Thur 15th. The beautiful St James Church at Muswell Hill, London, was the venue for the gig, with good friend Joel Payne superbly organising the whole thing. Mark's jazz set at the beginning of the evening went down particularly well, with Mike Haughton on sax and Julian Ferraretto on violin being particularly on form. Joseph (my son, on his first tour, and his first public foray into the world of jazz playing) has been doing absolutely superbly, and has made me feel a very proud father!

Fri 16th. Christ Church, Braintree, Essex, was the third venue, with Alan Rolls doing a great job of organising the event. A slight panic as Mark Edwards fought his way through the Friday afternoon Dartford Tunnel traffic to get to the gig on time, but he managed it, the place was packed, and the atmosphere was fantastic - people really ready to worship and have a good time, appreciating the variety of colours and styles of music through the evening, all done as an act of worship to God.

Sat 17th. Up at St Richard's, Hanworth, London for the last of the four consecutive gigs. My wife Caroline was able to come up with us for the first time, which was a real bonus. Paul Hughes (who I know from the typsetting work he does for Kingsway) again looked after us so well, and once again the place was packed, and people really participated fully and enthusiastically, and there was even a little bit of folk dancing going on at the front at the end! Joseph also played his first jazz drum solo!

So it has been a thoroughly enjoyable and encouraging start to the tour. What has been most uplifting has been seeing and hearing the reaction of people to the exploration of different musical styles in worship; from the superb improvisations of Mark's jazz set, to the stomping reels of the folk arrangements, to the beautiful atmospheric soundscapes of Psalm 23 and Gethsemane.

I suppose I am used to people responding to the lyrical content of the songs, but to hear them describing how the superb expressive musicianship of the band has taken them even further into their worship of God is really exciting, and was very much part of Mark and my vision for the tour.

And Mark, as usual, has been an absolute rock - breathtaking playing, a real sensitivity to the dynamics of the worship, really holding the band together, and being such a help and encouragement to me - and all with a humility and serving heart that makes him a joy to work with.

It would be great to see you at one (or more) of the remaining gigs on the tour. Click the "View Diary" for details.