“There are no atheists in the death zone on Mount Everest, everyone believes in something bigger than themselves up there.”

“Sorry for my language, Paul, I didn’t realise you were a pastor.”

“Can you tell me more about what your church is like?”

Those are all real conversations I’ve had over the past month at my Tuesday night trail running group. It’s a group of men and women who love the outdoors, love running, and love talking honestly about life. And almost every week, someone asks me about my faith in Jesus.

This week I had the privilege of spending time with a brother in Christ who was feeling particularly overwhelmed by life and down about the state of the world.

He turned up at the office, shared honestly where he was at, and together we read the Bible and prayed.

Nothing spectacular took place. There was simply the sharing of a burden and the quiet encouragement of God’s word.

But as I reflected on that time together, God reminded me of two blessings he gives us as we follow Jesus together.