About
I’m Simon. I’m a husband, father, writer, gardener and follower of Jesus. I’ve spent much of my life exploring what it means to follow Jesus and build a life around God.
I was born in Torbay and have spent most of my life on the South West coast of England, surrounded by the sea, the wilds of Dartmoor and some beautiful countryside. I’ve always loved being outdoors, and I think that connection with the natural world has helped shape my appreciation for simplicity, space and noticing God in the ordinary things of life.
My Story
I started working as a youth worker in a local church when I was 18, spending time with young people in church, schools and community projects. After a year working on a schools project in Exeter, I went to Cliff College in the Peak District, where I met Ali. We married in 1994 and have since shared many different seasons of life together, raising our family and discovering what it means to follow Jesus along the way.
Over the years, life has taken us in some interesting directions. I’ve been involved in children’s ministry and schools work, and we’ve also opened our home to a number of small groups, creating space for people to explore faith, ask questions and discover more of what life with God might look like.
In 2000, we opened a skateboard and BMX shop, which we ran for 13 years. Alongside the shop, we created a coffee space and prayer room, which became a place for people to meet, connect and take part in 24-7 prayer.
After that came a very different chapter, when I spent seven years running and working a four-acre smallholding. These days, I’m embracing a slightly slower pace of life, working a local gardening round while leaving space to write and run Wild Church Torbay with a small group of friends.
Looking back, these different seasons might seem quite varied, but I can see a thread running through them all.
I’ve always had a desire to love and help people, and to open up the possibility that life could be different. Not simply by talking about it, but by living in a way that might help others see and experience something of that difference for themselves.
A Different Way of Living
For some people, that has meant exploring who Jesus is and what following Him might look like. For others, it’s been about rediscovering the life Jesus invites us into – a life that can so easily get lost beneath the pressures, distractions and expectations of everyday living.
I believe Jesus offers us a different way to live. Not simply something to believe or talk about, but a way of life that shapes how we see the world, how we treat others, what we value and how we spend our days.
It’s something I’ve been discovering myself. How easily we can become caught up in the demands of life, allowing the expectations of the world to shape our priorities and gradually lose sight of what matters most.
Alongside Ali, I’ve learnt that life isn’t meant to be rushed or simply filled with more things to do. It’s about learning to live with God at the centre, becoming more attentive to His presence and allowing that relationship to shape every part of life.
I’m still learning. I don’t write from a place of having it all worked out, but from a desire to keep discovering what it means to build my life around God and live in the way Jesus invites us to.
Why A Life of Rhythm?
A Life of Rhythm grew out of this desire to explore what a different way of living might look like.
It’s a space for those who want to slow down and rediscover life with God in the middle of everyday, ordinary moments.
It’s not about adding more to your life. It’s about learning to live differently within it.
Here, I explore simple, ancient and practical rhythms that help create space for God again – rhythms like slowing, silence, solitude, simplicity and abiding. Not as spiritual performance or another list of things to achieve, but as gentle invitations to draw near to God and learn to live more fully in Jesus.
My hope is that this space helps you:
- Breathe a little deeper.
- Slow your pace without guilt.
- Notice God in ordinary life.
- Rediscover a quieter, more grounded way of following Jesus.
Whether you’re exploring faith, wanting to discover more about Jesus, or simply longing to rediscover something of the life He invites us into, you’re welcome here.
Because maybe the goal isn’t to escape life, but to learn a different rhythm within it.
A life of rhythm is not a perfect life.
It’s a present one.
Make Space to Notice God
Life can easily become noisy, hurried and distracted.
A Life of Rhythm offers reflections and practical encouragement to help you slow down, create space and draw near to God in the ordinary rhythms of life.
Receive occasional reflections from A Life of Rhythm