I used to study how the earth breaks apart; now, I spend my days helping people find the peace of the One who puts us back together

I am truly honoured and deeply grateful to be the recipient of the prestigious Bishop Lancelot Andrews Medal from our Bishop, the Rt Revd Bishop Martin. I am humbled by this recognition, knowing there are many deserving others. This award is a significant milestone in my journey and also serves as a reminder of the support and encouragement I have received from my vicars and the church community, that motivates and urges me to continue serving with faith and humility.

Introduction: A journey of High Expectations

My story begins on a specific Saturday in August 1973. I arrived in London with a suitcase and a singular focus: a PhD at Imperial College. My world was measured in magnitudes and fault lines as I studied the Seismology and Earthquake Activity of the Northern Part of my home country. I was a man of science and my path seemed perfectly mapped out.

The Turning Point: The Shaking of foundations

We often think we are in control of our lives, careers and our destinies. After years of intense study and completing my doctorate, I returned home. I expected to step back into the university position I thought was waiting for me, but the seat was gone. In seismology, we study “shaking” – by hearing that there was no position for me, the foundations of my own life felt incredibly unstable.

I returned to the UK, not as a celebrated academic, but as a someone searching for a foothold. My former tutor at the Imperial kindly helped me with a temporary teaching post, but the salary was meagre. To survive, I stepped out of the lecture hall, to managing a hotel.

The Persistent Stranger: The Gideon’s Visit

It was during my time in the hotel business that an unexpected battle began. One day, a man walked in and introduced himself as a representative of the Gideons International, which I had never heard of. He asked for my permission to place a free copy of Bible in every guest’s room.

I didn’t just say no; but I gave him a firm, serious “no.” I told him clearly. He listened, he was polite, and he left.

I thought that was that.

A few months later, he returned with the same request. Again, I gave him a flat “no.” and he left. I thought I had gotten rid of him for good. But how naïve I was, he returned for the third time. My answer not only remained negative, but threatened him if he returned again, I had no other option but to contact the authorities.

To my utter surprise, he appeared a fourth time. I thought he was trying my patience, but this time, there was something about his persistence – a quiet, unshakable dedication – that finally wore down my defences and thought what harm this Bible could do to my guests. I realized I couldn’t reject him again. I sighed and agreed with his request.

Then he asked me the particular question: “How many copies do you need?” To this day, I cannot explain why I said what I said next. I knew the number of rooms and then I added: “… plus one extra, please.” He delivered the Bibles from the back of his car, as if he knew I will agree with his request. Before saying goodbye, he reassured me that if any of the Bibles were missing, he would replace them.  I put the Bibles in each room and put the extra one on the shelf of my office, which was there for months, gathering dust.

The encounter with the Word

Up and until that point, I had never touched a Bible before. But on this particular night, that I was waiting for the night porter to arrive and release me from my duty, the phone rang, it was the night porter telling me that he couldn’t make it. I had no other option but stay there overnight.  It was a quiet night and all I could do, was stirring at the black and white monitor from the front door camera. Momentarily, I glanced at the extra copy of the Bible which was on the shelf in front of me. I was bored and had nothing engaging to do. I picked up some courage and approached the shelf, picked up the book, and not knowing where to start.  I opened it randomly, and my eyes fell upon John 14.

I read about Jesus telling his followers not to let their hearts be troubled. He spoke of going to prepare a place for them and promising to return so that they might be where he is. Then I read Thomas’s, human question, probably it would have been my question as well:

“Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

And it was the response that changed the trajectory of my life for ever:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14: 5-6).

Then it dawned on me that the “one extra copy” was for me, through which I could find and follow Jesus.  I still have this copy, complete with the stamp of the hotel on the inside cover.

Conclusion: From Seismology to the Soul

For a seismologist, “the way” is usually to calculate the speed of the waves coming from the epicentre to the crust, the time it takes to travel and to be recorded at different stations scattered around the world, which enables one to calculate, the depth, the magnitude, the energy, the intensity and so on. But in the hotel, I realised Jesus was offering a different kind of “the way” – a direct path to the Father that I had never known was possible.

Through that Gideons International, I came across a copy of the Word, that changed everything. I began to know Jesus, moving from my life as a PhD lecturer to becoming a follower of Christ. Now I join with the Psalmist in saying, “You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need, my future is in your hands.” Ps (16.5).

Today, my life looks nothing like the one I envisioned back in 1973. Although I didn’t become what I originally intended, I found my true calling as a Licenced Lay Minister. For the past 26 years, I have had the immense privilege of serving in this beautiful house of God. During this time, I also spent a decade as part of the Day Chaplains team – an experience I truly loved and never forget. The highlight of that role was the hourly prayer, which always began with the Lord’s Prayer. I always invited the visitors to the Cathedral join me to say the Lord’s Prayer in their own native languages; these moments felt like a modern-day Pentecost, echoing Acts 2. It never failed to move me. It also served as a beautiful and friendly conversation opener with visitors who felt inspired to share their story with me.

I used to study how the earth breaks apart; now, I spend my days helping people find the peace of the One who puts us back together. I have found that, while professional jobs and worldly positions may disappear, the “place prepared for us” by the Way, the Truth and the Life is a foundation that can never be shaken.

Let us pray: Loving God, thank you for your amazing work of grace and redemption in our lives. We dedicate ourselves to you and to your kingdom of grace and truth. Amen.