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  • Brian’s Story

    Digital version of my first Olympus camera

    My dear friend and neighbor Brian Symonds helped me see through the lens of my first single lens reflex camera, the famous Olympus OM 10

    Below is what his wife wrote about him when I invited her to write about Brian’s passion for photography.

    “I first met Brian in 1967 and we eventually married in 1973.

    I can always remember him saying that we would love to take up photography seriously. He was asked to do several weddings in Birmingham, including his daughters from his first marriage.Also did children’s portraits and students in their caps and gowns.

    Brian’s love of photography stemmed from his love of the beauty of all Gods creations, from insects, humans, land and seascapes and mountains. he had a natural eye for capturing a picture that perhaps someone else, would pass by without noticing.

    In 1976 we came to live in Telford, but Brian had to give up work as a drayman in a brewery, because of a serious spinal disease. The sale of our house in Birmingham, gave us a little spare cash, to get equipment that Brian needed to take his love of the camera further.

    We bought an enlarger and developer and printer, and all the paper and chemicals that he would need.He also needed a new camera, a NIKON FE, and several lenses and filters. We both went to night school, a college course, to learn all about printing and developing, which was useful because if Brian was not well enough to do it, then I could.

    Where ever we went Brian always carried his camera with him. We joined the Telford Camera Club which was held in the Lord Silken school (Telford Park School, as it was). We enjoyed the experience and company of the other photographers, and Brian even won several of the competitions, eventually he became secretary of the club, which he enjoyed immensely.

    He arranged competitions with other clubs and did exhibitions of the work. Unfortunately, due to a serious flareup of his spinal condition, he had to give up this position and for the time, the photography, as well.

    Brian taught several people how to use their camera, and the best way to capture a good photo. One was a young lady, who has now got her own photographic studio in France, and is doing very well.

    Also, Brian would take Tony, who lived next door to us in Hollinswood, with him traveling around the local area.They captured the beautiful scenery, that Shropshire has, and enjoyed each others company.

    Tony’s love of the camera has continued, even though he moved to America. Brian continued to take photographs and on many occasions did work for a caravan park in Talybont, Barmouth, he did photos for their brochures, The Site owners, even asked Brian to do photographs of the site, for 400 calendars, this kept us busy for several years.

    Brian never lost his love of photography, even when he became seriously ill with cancer, he still tried to take pictures. Two weeks before he died, we had snow and he was there at the door, taking pictures of the garden and the woods beyond, even took a photo of a little lonely robin that befriended him.

    Sadly Brian died on 11th January 2011- his 74th birthday and and our family and the world lost a very Special Man.”

    Brian’s legacy continues to live on through me .

    When I first moved to the USA our next door neighbors daughter wanted to learn photography and we bought her a DSLR outfit to encourage her continued learning.

    This love of teaching others what Brian had taught me continues to be multiples through students at Homer’s Coffee House who wanted to Learn – Billy the fireman, Bethany, and whoever asks to learn to take better photos.

    If you’d like to learn, please reach out via social media or my new photo website at https://tonymadenphotography.com or https://madenluvdesign.community😎

  • On Conversational AI

    On Conversational AI

    Most conversations about AI focus on speed, output, or automation.

    Those things matter — but they’re not where my interest begins.

    What I’m increasingly drawn to is conversational AI:
    AI used not as a command-driven tool, but as a space for thinking, reflection, and dialogue.

    In my own work, I’ve found that the most meaningful use of AI doesn’t come from asking it to produce something quickly, but from engaging it as a thinking companion — one that helps surface assumptions, clarify language, and slow ideas down enough to be examined honestly.

    This kind of interaction isn’t transactional.
    It’s relational.

    Not in the sense that AI replaces human presence — it shouldn’t — but in the sense that a well-held conversation can help a person hear themselves more clearly.

    Used this way, conversational AI becomes less about answers and more about attention:

    • Attention to language

    • Attention to intention

    • Attention to what’s actually being asked beneath the question

    That matters deeply in work involving people — whether that’s storytelling, training, faith communities, or organizational communication.

    I’m cautious here on purpose.

    Technology should serve human clarity, not displace it.
    It should support reflection, not rush past it.
    And it should remain accountable to human judgment, ethics, and care.

    In future writing, I plan to explore this distinction more fully — particularly the difference between transactional AI useand conversational AI use, and why that difference shapes outcomes more than most people realize.

    For now, this is simply an opening thought:
    AI can be used to move faster —
    or it can be used to listen better.

    The choice matters.

  • We Don’t Have All the Time

    Nat King Cole once sang, “We Have All the Time in the World”.

    It’s a beautiful line. Comforting. Romantic.

    But the truth is, we don’t.

    Time is not endless, and love is not guaranteed to wait until we’re ready. Moments pass quietly. Invitations are missed without announcement. People drift not because they mean to leave, but because no one notices how often they are pushed away — gently, repeatedly, without intention.

    What hurts most is rarely the loss itself.

    It’s the sense that love was present, reachable, and still not received.

    I wish those I love could see how small gestures add up. How absence accumulates. How being deferred, overlooked, or postponed slowly teaches someone to stop reaching.

    This isn’t blame.

    It’s grief for what might have grown with a little more noticing.

    Time is precious.

    So is love.

    Neither should be assumed to be endless.

  • Why Coldplay Became a Place to Rest

    Since moving to Marion, music has become less about taste and more about survival.

    Coldplay and Andy Grammer have quietly become my default — not because life feels celebratory, but because their music creates space when life is unresolved. Songs like ‘All My Love’ and ‘We Pray’ don’t demand answers. They allow presence. They hold grief, hope, and endurance in the same breath.

    Andy Grammer does something similar for me. His music doesn’t deny hardship, but it insists that worth, kindness, and forward motion still exist even when circumstances don’t cooperate. On days when work is uncertain, relationships are ambiguous, and the future feels thin, that matters.

    I don’t listen to these songs to escape reality.

    I listen because they help me stay inside it — without hardening.

    There was a time before constant sharing, before everything needed to be explained or framed. Music still lives in that older space. It accompanies rather than announces. It steadies without asking to be understood.

    Tonight, that is enough.

    P.S. I love you 🐝

  • Can AI Serve the Church Without Replacing the Spirit?

    Lately, I’ve been sitting with a question that many people of faith are quietly asking, even if they’re not saying it out loud:

    How do we engage new tools without losing what matters most?

    Artificial intelligence is now part of everyday life. It writes, summarizes, organizes, and accelerates. For some, it feels exciting. For others, deeply unsettling. And for many in the Church, it raises a deeper concern:

    Does using AI risk replacing prayer, Scripture, or reliance on the Holy Spirit?

    I believe that concern deserves to be taken seriously.

    A Tool, Not a Substitute

    I don’t see AI as something to fear—or something to idolize.

    I see it as a tool, and like any tool, it reflects the heart and discernment of the person using it.

    AI cannot pray.
    AI cannot love.
    AI cannot discern the Spirit.

    But it can assist with preparation, clarity, and communication—if it is used humbly, ethically, and under spiritual authority.

    The danger is not the tool itself.
    The danger is using any tool without wisdom, relationship, and care for people.

    Where AI May Genuinely Serve the Church

    When used carefully, AI can support—not replace—faithful ministry in practical ways, such as:

    • Bible study preparation
      Helping organize themes, compare passages, or draft discussion questions—while Scripture, prayer, and discernment remain central.
    • Testimony and storytelling
      Assisting people in shaping their stories clearly and safely, without oversharing or retraumatizing themselves or others.
    • Communicating the gospel
      Helping translate timeless truth into language that different audiences can understand—children, seekers, or those new to faith.

    In each case, the source remains the same:
    Christ. Scripture. The Spirit. Community.

    AI simply helps with the craft, not the calling.

    How I Personally Use AI (Without Replacing the Spirit)

    In my own life and work, I use conversational AI tools—such as ChatGPT—not as a source of truth, but as a thinking companion.

    I pray first.
    I reflect.
    I bring questions, tensions, and unfinished thoughts.

    AI helps me:

    • clarify language
    • surface patterns
    • explore Scripture themes
    • test whether words are landing with care

    But discernment never belongs to the tool.
    Authority never belongs to the tool.
    Relationship never belongs to the tool.

    I remain responsible—for wisdom, for love, and for the impact of what is shared.

    In that sense, AI functions much like a study aid or conversation partner—useful, but always under the Spirit, not alongside Him as an equal.

    Faithfulness Before Speed

    One of my concerns is that we are often pressured to move quickly—to produce more content, post more frequently, and keep up.

    But the Church has never been called to be fast.
    We have been called to be faithful.

    Any use of technology must be governed by:

    • love for people, especially the vulnerable
    • respect for lived experience and trauma
    • honesty rather than performance
    • wisdom rather than efficiency alone

    If AI ever dulls compassion, replaces listening, or shortcuts relationship, it has already missed the mark.

    An Open Conversation

    I’m not writing this as a declaration or a launch—only as an exploration.

    I’m asking whether there is a way to use modern tools without losing spiritual depth,
    to prepare well without outsourcing prayer,
    and to communicate clearly without replacing presence.

    If this question resonates with you, I’m open to continuing the conversation—slowly, thoughtfully, and without pressure.

    The Spirit is not threatened by tools.
    But tools must always remain under the Spirit.

  • Stillness Tells The Truth

    There comes a moment when words are no longer needed.

    Not because nothing is felt, but because everything essential has already been said — quietly, clearly, and more than once. At that point, what matters is not explanation, but observation.

    I am learning to listen to the body as much as the mind. To notice when bids for closeness go unanswered. When timing never quite aligns. When warmth exists, but choosing does not. When connection soothes, yet does not gather itself into something shared.

    This is not a judgment. It is not a grievance.

    It is simply information.

    Stillness has a way of revealing what effort tries to negotiate away. When I stop reaching, the shape of the relationship becomes clearer — not worse, just more honest.

    I value tenderness, presence, and mutual pacing. I value being responded to, not merely accommodated. Emotional safety, for me, includes being able to reach without being minimized or deferred.

    For now, I am choosing steadiness. Less interpretation. Less striving. More self-respect.

    I don’t need answers tonight.

    I only need to remain aligned with what I already know.

    Here, as I am.

  • Noticing What Is

    Tonight I am noticing something simple and difficult at the same time.

    Affection can feel good and still not be a promise. Comfort can be real without pointing toward a shared future. I’m learning to tell the difference — not with judgment, but with honesty.

    What I’m drawn to is mutuality: where care moves in both directions, where closeness is paired with intention, and where what is offered is also protected. When that alignment isn’t present, my body tightens, even if my heart wants to stay open.

    So tonight I’m choosing steadiness over longing, and clarity over hopefulness. I’m not withdrawing in anger, and I’m not closing myself off. I’m simply standing where I am, without reaching beyond what is being met.

  • Where I Keep the Gate

    I’m not closing my heart.

    But I am choosing where I keep the gate.

    Access to me is not earned by familiarity alone.

    It’s earned by care, consistency, and protection.

    Some boundaries don’t exist to push people away —

    they exist to preserve what is tender and real.

    I’m learning that mutuality isn’t something you negotiate yourself into.

    It’s something that shows up — or it doesn’t.

    So today, I release what asks me to stay open while staying unchosen.

    I release what blurs lines and calls it closeness.

    I make room — not for absence, but for alignment.

    And I trust that what recognizes this will know how to meet me here.

  • What I No Longer Override

    There was a time when I talked myself out of discomfort.

    When I softened truths so I wouldn’t seem demanding.

    When I stayed present while something in me quietly withdrew.

    I don’t do that anymore.

    I listen when my body tightens.

    I listen when curiosity isn’t welcomed.

    I listen when warmth is inconsistent.

    This isn’t about blame or accusation.

    It’s about clarity.

    I no longer override my own signals to preserve connection.

    I no longer call endurance “love.”

    What I’m learning now is simpler — and truer:

    emotional safety matters to me.

    Honoring that is not hardness.

    It’s self-respect.

  • Still, I Am Here

    I’m not trying to arrive anywhere today.

    I’m simply noticing where I already am.

    There is a quiet steadiness beneath the noise — a place that hasn’t been chasing, proving, or waiting. It’s been here the whole time. When I pause long enough, I can feel it.

    I don’t need to narrate myself into worth.

    I don’t need to be chosen in order to exist.

    Stillness isn’t absence.

    It’s presence without performance.

    Today, I let myself stand right here — without urgency, without defense, without explanation.

    And that is enough.

  • Becoming Available to What’s Mutual

    There’s a difference between waiting and becoming available. Waiting keeps one eye on the past and one on possibility. Becoming available is quieter. It’s an internal re-alignment — a decision to live in a way that can receive what is real, reciprocal, and present.

    Right now, that means tending to the basics of my life with care: meaningful work, financial steadiness, daily practices that keep me grounded, and friendships that feel honest and easy. It means choosing environments where I can think clearly, act responsibly, and remain emotionally intact.

    Becoming available also means no longer filling space that isn’t being offered back. I’m learning that availability is not about being endlessly accommodating, but about being rightly placed — open, but not overextended; generous, but not self-erasing.

    I don’t know exactly what or who will meet me next. I don’t need to. What matters is that I’m no longer living in suspension. I’m standing in my own life, attentive and awake, prepared to recognize what’s mutual when it appears.

    This isn’t withdrawal. It’s readiness.

  • What Mutual Love Looks Like to Me

    Mutual love, as I understand it now, is not intensity or reassurance. It’s not words offered in moments of comfort, nor closeness that appears without follow-through. Mutual love is quieter and more consistent than that.

    It looks like presence that doesn’t disappear when things become uncomfortable. It looks like curiosity that draws closer rather than pulling away. It looks like care that adjusts when something hurts, not care that asks the other person to endure.

    Mutual love allows both people to relax. There is room to speak honestly without fear of defensiveness. There is safety in knowing that what is said will be held with respect and reflected in action, even when change takes time.

    For me, love is not something to be proven through endurance. It is something tended together — patiently, imperfectly, and with intention. I’m interested in partnership where affection and responsibility move in the same direction, where loyalty is lived rather than implied.

    This is not a demand, and it’s not a standard imposed on anyone else. It’s simply the shape of love I’m open to now — one that meets me where I stand, as I am, and walks forward with me.

  • Here, as I am

    I’m noticing a shift in how I’m showing up in my own life. For a long time, my writing and reflections were tethered to something external — a relationship, a role, a sense of purpose I was trying to hold onto. Lately, that’s been changing. I’m learning to stand where I am without anchoring myself to anyone else’s choices.

    This season feels quieter and more grounded. I’m paying attention to what steadiness feels like in my body, to what clarity sounds like when it isn’t rushed, and to the difference between being needed and being met. I’m beginning to trust my own discernment again — my mind, my intuition, my capacity to reflect and decide.

    I’m not closing myself off. If anything, I’m becoming more available — just not at the cost of disappearing. I’m interested in connection that grows naturally, in curiosity that feels safe, and in relationships that allow both people to remain fully themselves.

    So this is simply a marker. Not an announcement, not a conclusion. Just an honest starting point.

    Here I am — present, intact, and open to what’s mutual.

  • God’s Story in Ghostbusters

    God’s Story in Ghostbusters

    God’s Story in Ghostbusters

    Crossing the Streams: When the Body Becomes One

    🎬 What if a comedy about catching ghosts held a deeper truth about spiritual unity?

    In the 1984 cult classic Ghostbusters, four misfits are drawn into a supernatural battle far beyond their pay grade. At first glance, it’s a quirky adventure with green slime, spooky spectres, and comedic charm. But beneath the proton packs and wisecracks lies a powerful spiritual parallel:

    The Church is stronger when it crosses streams.

    👻 The Battle Between Worlds

    In Ghostbusters, an ancient evil reawakens. Most ignore it. The city laughs, scoffs, and doubts—until it’s too late. When the supernatural breaks loose and terror floods the streets, the Ghostbusters are the only ones ready to confront the darkness.

    This echoes what Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

    “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world…”
    – Ephesians 6:12

    There is more going on than meets the eye. And God’s people, like the Ghostbusters, are called to see through the veil and take up spiritual arms.

    🧠 Unlikely Heroes, One Mission

    None of the Ghostbusters are perfect. One’s deeply analytical (Egon), one’s brash and skeptical (Peter), another is zealous and wide-eyed (Ray), and one just wants to help and learn (Winston). Sound like any churches you know?

    Individually, their differences create tension. But together—when their distinct gifts and personalities align—they stand against evil and protect the city.

    “The body is not made up of one part but of many… But God has put the body together… so that there should be no division in the body.”
    – 1 Corinthians 12:14,24–25

    It’s in their diversity that their strength is revealed.

    ⚡ “Don’t Cross the Streams!”

    Throughout the film, the team is warned never to cross the proton streams—they’re told it could cause catastrophic destruction. But when all seems lost, Ray hears from the Spirit (well… a hunch), and they take the risk.

    They cross the streams.
    They combine their power.
    And the gateway to hell is closed.

    This climactic act is the movie’s most profound spiritual echo.

    ✝️ When the Body of Christ Crosses the Streams

    For centuries, the Church has often feared unity across denominations, races, cultures, or traditions. “Don’t cross the streams.”
    It might cause friction. It might be messy. It might challenge our control.

    But in John 17, Jesus prayed:

    “That they may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you… Then the world will know that you sent me.”

    Unity isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a spiritual weapon.
    When the Body of Christ lays down its fear of crossing streams, we release the full power of heaven.

    💥 The Power of United Fire

    • Baptist fire.
    • Charismatic passion.
    • Catholic tradition.
    • Messianic reverence.
    • Evangelical fervor.
    • Global heart.

    One Spirit. One Lord. One faith.
    When we cross the streams, strongholds fall.

    🙌 Final Reflection:

    If four ghost-chasers can save New York by laying aside their pride and fear…
    Can’t the Body of Christ do the same?

    It’s time.
    Not to bust ghosts…
    But to bust barriers.
    To light up the darkness.
    To become One.

    So Church—cross the streams.
    The world is waiting.

  • The Meaning of Life

    The Meaning of Life

    Meaning of Life

    19 years later I’m still listening to Norman P Grubb’s recordings, this one is ‘Meaning of Life“.

    I remember listening to this for the first time in 2006 when I was in Nicaragua with Fred Kornis at Heartland International Ministries.

    At that time I knew God would make all things clear through Norman because he like me was British, I just knew I would understand what Norman was saying.

    Over the years of grounding and settling what he said I now take for granted as my daily life, but in the last year I’ve found my self unsettled again so I’m listening to the series again in 2025.

    What an awesome life we live to be One with God!

    “The Meaning Of Life – 1. God Only”Meaning of Life 53:51

    2. “The Meaning Of Life – 2. Where We Begin” 53:51

    3. “The Meaning Of Life – 3. Free to be Ourselves” 49:46

    4. “The Meaning of Life – 4. From Negative to Positive Believing” 47:49

    5. “The Meaning of Life – 5. From Romans 7 to Romans 8”

    44:11

    6. “The Meaning of Life – 6. I Will Do it Through YOU”

    43:31

  • I am HIStory – Tony Maden

    I am HIStory – Tony Maden

    My HIStory for Dr Asefaw Indrias Life Church, Olathe 9/29/23

    We worship no man after the flesh, children, young men, fathers
    I am HIStory – Tony Maden

    This is the first episode of a new podcast series I will launching soon on a dedicated podcast channel

    ‘I am history’.

    As show host, Tony Maden, I thought it best kicking off the channel with my own story of how Jesus came into my life, and now lives his life through me, as me, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

    I hope you are encouraged to hear my journey of faith. If you’d like to share your story on I am HIStory please follow up through on our contact form or message us on any of our socials.

    You can hear other journeys of faith through ‘Summit Living’ Enjoy the episode 🙏

    Dr Indrias I thank you for your invitation to join the new life family this evening, to share my story and a word from the Lord!

    I am HIStory – Tony Maden

    ◦ My name is Tony Maden, I’m British, 26 years in USA,

    ◦ I wasn’t raised in the church at all, nor had any knowledge of God, Son or Spirit until 1999, when coworkers mentioned Jesus as the reason for their stable and joyful lives

    ◦ About that time I read book POWERFUL PRAYERS by Larry King and Rabbi Irwin Katsof. It seemed to me like everyone prayed to God and because I didn’t maybe I’d overlooked something in my life. Friends also said read the gospel of John.

    ◦ So after much investigation I asked Jesus into my life 11/19/2001 at Homers Coffee House downtown OP

    ◦ The rest in history, as they say….but HIS STORY as you know, we’ are all on a journey of faith that He manages and sends us on.

    ◦ The positive and negative, up and down, tossing and turning to stretch and shape us into what we’re meant be. He said in Ezekiel 36:27 I WILL CAUSE YOU TO WALK IN MY WAYS

    ◦ This is God’s chosen process to help us come to the end of ourselves and to walk in our real identity as Sons and Fathers who know Him from the beginning.

    ◦ In Ecclesiastes He said I PUT ETERNITY IN YOUR HEARTS

    ◦ So I always wanted to live the union life with God that Jesus spoke of in John 17

    ◦ So after a while trying different churches I couldn’t see the power of Holy Spirit at work as mentioned in book of Acts, nor find this union from John so I looked elsewhere, online

    ◦ Found old British preachers, Leonard Ravenhill, David Ravenhill, Ian Paisley, Ian Thomas, David Matthew’s, etc.

    ◦ Testimonies of Welsh, Azusa, Hebridean, Rwanda revivals “. Though these were exciting outpouring of the Holy Spirit these seemed external. Not internal so I was no closer to appropriating union with God that Jesus talked about in John 17

    ◦ Then I was led to a British missionary statesman named Norman Grubb who’d who visited host groups around the world

    ◦ I was invited to such a community in Louisville KY that gathered annually under a tent in the yard of two homes since 1975

    ◦ There in 2006 I found what I sort, brothers and sisters in his glorious body speaking from the knowledge that Christ lives His life as us.

    ◦ I found outward affection and hugs from Gods family who knew and lived in union with God. Hallelujah!

    ◦ Friends under the tent recommended a book to me: The Rest of the Gospel – when the partial gospel has worn you out.

    ◦ I read it and started to discover who I already was. The chapter the gift of misery was a real ah-ha and Gods light poured in by revelation.

    ◦ But what I was to discover is that I couldn’t live the life I read about much like Paul said in Romans 7.

    ◦ I read more of Norman’s books and learnt his final intercession was to help the body of Christ at large walk in the fullness and freedom of fatherhood, and that we as Fathers would know Him from the beginning

    ◦ Because we are not who we think we are

    ◦ We tend to think I’m here and God is out there

    ◦ We think we are independent beings,

    ◦ We think we have a angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other

    ◦ The reality is we are cups shaped by God the potter

    ◦ We are either filled with Satan like first Adam after the fall or the spirit of last Adam, Christ by the Holy Spirit.

    ◦ but Jesus said WE ARE THE BRANCH, HE IS THE VINE

    ◦ The Paul said in Col 1:27 the mystery of the ages now revealed 2000 years ago is CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY

    ◦ Paul prayed constantly that CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU

    ◦ Paul also said in Galatians 2:20 “I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST WHO LIVES IN ME. AND THE LIFE I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH, I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.”

    ◦ And John in his letters said AS HE IS SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD

    ◦ So GOD IS SAYING, BODY OF CHRIST, walk in the life I came to give you.

    ◦ Be not any longer longer little children who just know they are saved, nor young men who are strong and have overcome the evil one, but walk by faith as fearless fathers, my sons of God and claim your inheritance.

    ◦ I came to give you life, abundant life, so rivers of living water flowing out from you!

    ◦ Thank you for your words Lord please bring understanding to all those who heard you this evening.

    ◦ Amen