I've taught a four-year-old who came into school smelling of marijuana because their parents were doing a drug deal in their bedroom.

I've had seven-year-olds who flipped tables at the children sit on the carpet during story time.

Eight-year-old refugees have come from war-torn countries and at break time they start opening up about some of the horrors of war that they've seen.

And we're trying to get these people to sit still for a math lesson.

And so you realize it's about the whole person you're trying to help.

Welcome, everybody. This is Simon Gilbo with Inspired.

Inspired is all about, if you're new to us, about encountering people from different walks of life,

who have been through highs and lows

and who are still walking strong in their faith who are willing to give it all and I'm no doubt

that you're going to be inspired this week we've got Ian John with us welcome Ian hi Simon thanks

for having me on yeah it's great to have you I last saw Ian a few months ago I was preaching at a

church weekend at the vineyard in Cardiff and Ian Ian was there. We actually went out on the streets with a bunch of people. We saw six people make professions of faith. But Ian told me how that week, that very week, someone in his class, a young lad had tried to stab him in the eyes. So he's a teacher and he chooses more challenging places to teach in

on purpose, having himself had quite a challenging school journey. So we're going to get into all

that Ian in due course, but let's go back. Well, I'll tell you what, you know, what I love about you

is that, and everyone brings a different sort of flavour, a slightly different DNA, but you have

sort of practiced listening to God's voice and responding to his nudges, the spirit's nudges or prompts.

And even how we first met sort of illustrates that, doesn't it? So tell us how we first, our paths

first crossed. Oh, brilliant. So yeah, it's July 2017, just on a Friday afternoon like any other.

I was living in Birmingham at the time.

And yeah, just God interrupted my thoughts and said,

go to Bristol this Sunday.

Simon Gillibow is going to be speaking at a church there

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