Steve knows good coffee through and through, but drinking the agreeable brew is an adult life addition. The farm he grew up on in Kenya was planted with the delightful beans, and drinking the cash cow was not allowed. He describes harvest time as a community labour of love, each bean (or cherry) picked by hand as it ripened, bushes yielding sixty kilograms of cherries each. Farming families pooled together, moving from farm to farm to ensure each crop was maximised, community spirit strong and robust. Today I sip with renewed gratitude for this single cup of liquid pleasure as I chat with Steve, and I quickly become aware that he oozes vivacious joy and energy, his life woven through with rhythms that anchor him deeply.

It’s often in the rear-view mirror that we can see the hand of God, shaping and crafting the story of our lives, while we have no idea of the planned route through the front windscreen.

As I ponder the snippets shared of his early life, Steve is no exception. Shy as a youngster and finely built, he was the frequent target of bullying, and grew up with a strong sense of inadequacy. He avoided playground physical combats, his body not built as a fighting machine. It was in this context his love for cooking grew, the family kitchen providing a place of refuge. It was also a delicious centre for gossip, Steve being sandwiched in age between two elder and one younger sisters. I suspect it was also here that his ability to listen well, remember the details of people's lives, and reach out with the hand of connection and love through storytelling, was born.

As an Anglican minister, Steve’s dad was transferred annually at short notice, so investing in friendships as a youngster happened under the shadow of transience. His parents never complained, however, seeing the Lord’s hand and purpose in every move.

The family learned to hold lightly to earthly things, and that a home can be made anywhere for the pilgrim, God providing richly for those he calls.

Steve’s parents’ faith found expression in an open door to the hurting, catapulting the children from their beds to make room for visitors, who sometimes stayed for weeks or months. It was not until he was fourteen that the impact of this faith became real for Steve, and as he opened his heart to Jesus, in a moment he was transformed. Shame and timidity disappeared, and his love of God and excitement for the gospel made him unstoppable, preaching to all he met, his contagious faith admired by others.

Steve enthuses, “if God can use me, he can use anyone!”

The Lord’s plan for Steve was not as a single man, and the love story that unfolded is charming, tumbling from him as though it were yesterday. Steve met Watiri at a Christian Conference on a University campus in late December 1992, Watiri in her final year. Steve’s fervent love for the Lord found him walking around campus, playing guitar and worshipping full-hearted, oblivious to onlookers. Watiri and her college mates were singing nearby, practicing for a talent show at the conference conclusion, but were sorely in need of a guitarist. God provided, Steve worshipped past, Watiri asked, and without hesitation Steve agreed, eyes meeting the most beautiful woman in his world. A delicious romance ensued.

Love in Africa is not for the faint-hearted, however. In Kenya, one must socialise before you specialise. There would be no dates with just the two of them, so the crafty man became adept at orchestrating events needing additional help, leaping to accept Watiri’s offer to assist, and noting with pleasure she was not resisting his company. It would be three years before the friends’ first date, and this the proposal for marriage! Proposal accepted, the family must also be wooed, a long and arduous process that likely seals the deal and discourages relationships from ending. Steve comments gratefully, “We serve well together, we enjoy each other, and complete each other. In Watiri I gained both a partner in ministry and a soul mate. I am a blessed man.”

So how does this man, husband, father, friend, musician, gardener, runner, te Reo learner, homemaker and bishop, weave the rhythms of his life that sustain his body and spirit so vibrantly, allowing him to lean into the whispers of God in his own life, and lead others in their own learning to lean?

In a nutshell, Steve actively chooses to live every single day in a way that, if it were his last day on earth, he wouldn’t regret it.

Steve starts his day in prayer and meditation on the Word, and like all of us, experiences seasons of plenty, and seasons of drought. But it's through the day, in the ordinary and sometimes mundane moments, the Lord is invited in. Steve’s awareness of God’s living presence grows, and new facets of his character are known.   Before opening emails, the Holy Spirit is invited to be present and active, transforming responses with wisdom and discernment. Pounding the pavements, running shoes on and tossing around his thoughts, prayer ushers in new insights and solutions. And in meetings, helping each to find their purpose and proclaim “I was made for this!” brings joyful celebration and purpose to his calling.

Coffee with Steve has both expanded my world and encouraged my heart.

I’m reminded that even the most gifted have cleared hurdles on the journey, and many had unlikely beginnings.

I’m reminded that when God calls, he resources, and transforms our insecurities into powerful tools for connecting with others and bringing his kingdom. I’m reminded that our daily rhythms and habits form containers for God to fill, and that he delights in transforming our mundane moments into magical ones. And I’m reminded that we are a blessed people with lifelong opportunities to learn, have fun, drink good coffee, and stretch our minds and bodies in new directions.

Today, every day, let's live fully with no regrets, as if it will be our last. After all, one day we will be right.