#46 The day I was (almost) struck by Lightning

And a Podcast recording I will never forget

So there I was, off-roading with my brother from another mother, David Bowden, through the Colorado mountains in a muddy black Jeep. Little did I know, I was about to be almost struck by lightning.

Yes, you heard it right, I am lucky to be alive! I have joined the ranks of the world’s greatest adventurers such as Bear Grylls or Sir Edmund Hillary having escaped death on the side of a mountain. Thankfully, God has spared me, allowing me to write melodramatic Substack posts like this one!

Colorado Springs is a magical place, sitting at an elevation of over 6,000 feet, with Pikes Peak—a 14,000-foot mountain—towering over the city. The area is known for its dramatic mountain views, red rock formations, and expansive country parks. If any place could convince me to move to the States, this would top the list.

David and I were cruising in the Jeep with the roof off, basking in the sunshine and admiring the incredible views overlooking the rugged valleys. My American friends warned me about altitude sickness and told me to drink more water than a fish to compensate. The altitude makes non-locals feel like you're in a perpetual, dream-like state, similar to jet lag. This slight sluggishness definitely affected my response time to what happened next. Oh, and I had actual jet lag too. So, I wouldn't say I was in 'peak condition' to deal with the crisis about to unfold on the peak.

David Bowden and David Boden

Suddenly, the rain began to lash down, the clouds darkened, and the air grew thick as the wind picked up. I started to wish I had stayed in the safety of my English castle and never ventured into the dangers of the great American outdoors.

Insert dramatic music here. Dun dun duuun!

About 50 feet in front of the Jeep, a violent bolt of lightning struck the ground with the full force of nature. It was as if the sky decided to deliver a cosmic mic drop, complete with a dramatic zap. The sound was literally earth-shattering.

I immediately gulped a prayer of repentance just in case God missed me on the first try and was about to go for a second shot! 

David slammed on the brakes, looked at me in a panic, and shouted, 'ROOF!' at the top of his lungs. He then sprang out of the Jeep and quickly began reattaching the hard shell on his side, instructing me to do the same on mine.

I believe friendship is incredibly important and worth travelling the world for. But at that moment, David questioned the value of our relationship, because instead of putting my side of the Jeep roof back on, I was doubled over in laughter, howling on the floor. He had to work around me in the pouring rain while I giggled in delight.

I thought to myself, if we're going to die, at least I'll die with a smile on my face.

Thankfully, lightning rarely strikes twice, and we were able to complete our off-roading experience without further incident, admiring the joy of God’s creation.

An (almost) Accidental Podcast 

My near-miss moment was part of a trip to the States to visit friends which included a whirlwind tour of Colorado Springs. Believe it or not, it wasn't the only extraordinary event of that day.

The rough agenda for my Colorado adventure was to FINALLY meet my amazing agent, Don Pape, in person, enjoy the majestic Garden of the Gods (which is phenomenal, by the way), and arrange a few meetings while we were in town. As an aside Don is one of my favourite humans ever and everyone in the world should meet him.

My wonderful friend Don Pape

Just before the trip, our Colorado schedule got a bit mixed up in relation to plans involving Focus on the Family. For those who don’t know, Focus on the Family is a long-established organisation that offers family counselling, educational materials, and media content, including popular radio programmes. We were initially set to meet with their publishing division about a future book project, but then things shifted in a different direction (for the better) at the last minute.

Behind the scenes, a couple of weeks before the trip, a podcast producer was searching for a guest for The Refocus Podcast with Jim Daly. They were looking for someone to discuss evangelism and discipleship and had picked up a copy of Parallel Faith from their pre-approved book list. The producer contacted my editor at Hendrickson to see if I’d be willing to appear on the podcast via Zoom in the future. Unbeknownst to this producer, we were already in talks with Focus on the Family about the potential book project. When he found out we would soon be in town, it was a surprising blessing.

A last-minute cancellation by one of their guests created an opportunity to record the podcast in person at their state-of-the-art TV studio at the Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs.

This moment was coincidental (or otherwise) in so many ways:

• The fact that a producer was looking at my book at just the right moment a few days before my trip. 

• The fact that a last-minute cancellation led to an open recording slot usually taking months to set up.

• The fact that we were already planning to be in Colorado Springs at that exact date.

The only slot available for recording was about two hours after we landed in Denver, making the timing extremely tight. We had to pick up our soon-to-be-beloved and life-saving Jeep and drive over an hour to the venue, so everything had to go perfectly according to schedule. There couldn’t be any delays, even by a few minutes. Remarkably, the plane flew through the air at breakneck speed, disembarking was a breeze, collecting the Jeep was effortless, and the traffic cleared as if powered by the prayers of a book agent’s wife (thank you, Ruth Pape).

Before I knew it, I was whisked into the Focus on the Family studio and having a touch of makeup applied in preparation for their video podcast. The makeup artist told me I already looked VERY good but wanted to reduce some shine from my face. (Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to ask what kind of makeup she used for future reference!)

Having had only about five hours of sleep in 48 hours due to a gruelling travel schedule and struggling with altitude adjustment, I was already exhausted. However, Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family, proved to be an engaged and generous podcast host. His deep knowledge of the book and the subject matter made for a fascinating conversation. Thankfully, the recording went well and will hopefully broaden the discussion on evangelism and discipleship to a wider audience.

You can find the link to the podcast episode here to see if it made any sense at all despite my jet lag! The video version will follow at a later date.

In one last coincidence of the morning, straight after the recording, one of the studio staff approached me and introduced himself as it turned out we had mutual friends who are part of my church in England! Small world. Big God. 

A day that started with a miracle podcast recording followed by a close encounter with an angry cloud will definitely go down as one of the most memorable of the year.

Recording with Jim Daly

From mountain peaks to sneak peeks… 

It’s been a little quiet here on Substack, but that’s not because I’ve stopped writing. It’s more because I’ve been wrapped up in writing off the grid.

My new book for teenagers has gone down an absolute storm with young people and youth groups all over the UK and beyond. Like or Follow is a simple introduction to Jesus for the curious. As Nina, aged 14, said after reading the short book: 

"I not only feel deeply committed to my own journey, but I’m more excited than ever to talk to my friends and family about the ideas and questions presented throughout the book."

I recently learned that we’ve sold 6,000 copies of Like or Follow in the first few months, which is a fantastic start. This number is a snapshot before the big teen summer camps, where I hear the book has been selling like hot cakes (or perhaps the Christian equivalent is warm hot cross buns?) Grab an individual copy here or if you want a bulk discount for your youth group go over to the Publisher's website. 

Meanwhile, I have already finished writing a sequel to Like or Follow which will help young people discover how to find their purpose. The manuscript is currently in the editing stage with the brilliant 10ofThose and is set for a release in March 2025. The book cover design is now underway so expect a sneak peek and title reveal in the Autumn as it all comes together. 

There are two other writing projects in the works, one of which is my first novel that I can't wait to share more about in the future. I am keeping the subject matter and plot top secret (unless you ask me in person and can cope with a five-minute spoiler filled preview). The second is a more immediate project I will start talking more about very soon (book deal confirmation pending). This will be about a subject very close to my heart and will be helpful for those seeking to love and serve the next generation. 

On the subject of writing, it’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks it will be the first anniversary of my book Parallel Faith. I’ll share more about what it’s been like launching a book from scratch soon, but for now, if you haven’t read it yet, why not order a copy here? It really helps if people talk about the book on social media, so any promotion is greatly appreciated. Feel free to post a selfie with the book and tag me in it!

It’s crazy to think that the writing journey I began just a short time ago has already led to two books released, another one coming in March 2025, and two more in the pipeline. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to serve the church through this form of creative expression. If you’re ever considering writing yourself, I hope my story encourages you to simply start! Writing has its valleys, but it also has some wonderful peaks. Let’s just hope your future mountain tops contain a few less lightning strikes than mine.