5 minutes with Benjamin Hutton

Favourite Bible passage

Psalm 139:1-6 NIV [1] … You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. [2] You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. [3] You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. [4] Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. [5] You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. [6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. … Actually,Psalm 139 in total. It’s very beautiful and lyrical and speaks truth over what I’m most fearful of - that I won’t be truly known. How do I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus? With difficulty. I struggle and scrape and pray at 2am and I ask him to keep moving me towards Jesus. I hear him in the new bon iver album and when frank ocean sings moon river at the end of ‘Now they see us’. My journal is empty and I think often of the discipline of writing my prayers (with minimal effect). I go to church and I’m thankful for friends and family who view faith as live and breathing. And full of comedy. What do I want the next gen to know? How much better coffee is now then when I grew up. Church is messy but necessary Google maps > UBD Know God with your emotions and your intellect. If you miss one it makes your spiritual life tricky. Thing I love about the local church? My local (Northside Baptist) is full of folk who care deeply about social justice, spiritual growth and beard trimming. We love women leading and preaching. We don’t mind challenging big ideas. Turns out, lead pastors can wear skinny chinos and still preach ok. What did I learn about God in a hard time of life? Sometimes (frustratingly) God speaks to me in retrospect. It’s not til after the fact that I realise how much he has shaped my experience and whilst many others know God more immediately - I know Eugene Peterson’s words to be true - a long obedience in the same direction. So last year, when I had a period of numbness and dislocation - I practised repeating the Lord’s prayer like a mantra. This was my obedience. I’m a slow and stubborn learner. What are you passionate about? So. Many. Things. Excellence in the arts. Not settling for mediocrity in Christian expression. Marilynne Robinson, Sufjan Stevens, Charlie Mackesy - they are the pointy end. Having a sound and deep intellectual understanding of Christianity. Self improvement - I am hellbent on being a better husband, dad to 3 kiddos, son, brother, boss and physiotherapist. I am an enneagram 3 so I want to TICK THAT BOX. Manchester United, red wine, Aesthetics, proper conversation, literature, apologetics, worship music, Radiohead, cooking... It’s exhausting tbh What do I do when I rest? Surf, sing, sleep, soccer, read.