Let us beseech the blessing of almighty god upon this great and noble undertaking (General Dwight Eisenhower)

As June 6th dawned 80 years ago, over 150,000 British, Commonwealth, American and Canadian troops were in landing craft and transport planes heading for Nazi occupied France. The vast majority of them had never seen combat before. It would be the greatest amphibious assault in history. The sheer scale of the logistical operation was equivalent to transporting a medium sized city 100 miles across the sea in one night and in complete secrecy. Everyone knew that D-Day would be the turning point of World War Two one way or another.

General Erwin Rommel, the man charged with protecting the coast of northern Europe believed that if an Allied invasion were to take place on the coast of Normandy that could not be repelled back into the sea in 24 hours, Germany would lose the war. He was right and it came at tremendous cost to both sides, to say nothing of the thousands of civilian casualties.

I’ve been to the beaches and the fields of Normandy so many times over the years to retell the D-Day story to groups both big and small. It must never be airbrushed out of our national story. Every time I stand on that battlefield, and others across Europe, I am more convinced that a spiritual imprint exists in those places, caused by a catastrophic loss of life. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can change that.

We should attempt to carry the spiritual experience of the mountains with us everywhere (Sherpa Tenzing Norgay)

On this day in 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest, standing on the highest point on earth. Their achievement marked a defining moment in exploration, though questions have long surrounded whether George Mallory may have reached the top decades earlier. When his preserved body was discovered in 1999, just 200 metres below the summit, some believed he may have fallen on the descent rather than the climb.

In the early years, Everest was the domain of elite climbers, but today thousands have stood on its peak. Yet the dangers remain severe, with many losing their lives to altitude sickness, exhaustion, and sudden storms. Behind each successful ascent is the often unseen work of Sherpas, who fix ropes, carry supplies, and make the route possible, often at great personal risk.

The climb is a powerful picture of life itself, with its challenges and unseen dangers. And it echoes a deeper promise, where Jesus speaks of going ahead to prepare the way, offering hope that beyond the struggle, a path has already been secured.

We have witnessed a miracle of deliverance, but wars are not won by evacuations (Winston Churchill)

By May 27th 1940, Europe was being overrun by Hitler’s menacing armies. Half a million British and Commonwealth troops had been sent to France in an attempt to halt the devastating mechanised advance. Within weeks, they were driven back and encircled at the port town of Dunkirk. The complete annihilation of the British Army and the imminent invasion of England seemed the only outcome.  Into that moment of dread, King George VI called the British people to seek the face of Almighty God, the response was unprecedented. Churches, that had been empty for decades, were packed to the rafters with queues outside lining the streets. The rest, as they say, is history. Over a third of a million troops were evacuated off the beach at Dunkirk by an armada of 800 privately owned boats that sailed beneath the White Ensign of the Royal Navy. Even the most sceptical believed that God had sovereignly moved as a response to the prayers of so many. Today, we have airbrushed the God of the Bible out of our national life, and it has led us down a cul-de-sac of chaos. Now is the time for us to return to him, placing our trust in the epic the rescue carried out by Jesus on the cross. If we will humble ourselves and return to him, we will see miracles of deliverance once again.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it…

On this day in 1996, Mission Impossible burst onto the big screen relaunching the epic 1960’s franchise to a whole new audience. Eternally youthful megastar Tom Cruise overcomes exploding aquariums and dangles from ceilings by a thread in adrenaline fuelled actions scenes. His character, Ethan Hunt, is now the face of eight impossible missions (and counting) in his pursuit of truth and justice! Behind the spectacle lies this important question “What mission truly matters?” The Bible tells of one far greater than espionage, gadgets or global conspiracies. It was launched not from the shadows, but from Heaven itself. Jesus came not to destroy villains but to save the very people who had turned against him. In his own words “I have come to seek and save the lost” Unlike the IMF (Impossible Missions Force) Jesus never said, “This message will self-destruct” Instead, his words endure forever. Ethan Hunt’s mission demanded risk, but Christ’s mission required the sacrifice of his life for ours. While Hunt fights for justice alone, Jesus offers forgiveness, a new beginning and an eternal hope. While his mission was successfully completed on the cross, the ongoing mission to fill the earth with the message of new life is ongoing.

“The greatest war crime would be to allow this war to continue any longer than is absolutely necessary” (Barnes Wallis – Inventor of the Bouncing Bomb)

On May 16th 1943, an elite RAF squadron carried out a dangerous operation deep in the industrial heart of Germany. Their mission was to attack three huge dams holding back 100 billion gallons of water, critical to the production of hydro-electric power that turned the cogs of the Nazi war machine. Les Knight, a 22 year old bomber pilot was known among the ranks of 617 Squadron for his deep personal faith in God. Despite the complex moral dilemma, he volunteered to fly one of the Lancaster bombers on the Dams Raid. Although he survived the raid, he was killed weeks later returning from another mission. His wireless operator said this at his funeral. “He kept that damaged aircraft flying allowing us to parachute out and live. In doing so he gave his life for us” Pilot Officer Les Knight DSO would have been very familiar with these famous words from the Bible “Greater love has no one than the one who lays down his life for his friends” Words describing the mission of Jesus who, through his selfless death of the cross, bridged heaven and earth allowing us all to ‘bail out’ of a perilous existence separated from God and into the eternal security of relationship with him.

“God sent me to do something and nobody can stop me. If God wants to stop me, then I’ll stop, but man can never stop me” (Bob Marley)

Bob Marley died on this day in 1981 at the age of 36. Very few artists have provided the soundtrack for a people and a generation like him. All these years after his passing, Marley’s music and legacy is as strong as ever. 

He was born shortly before the end of WW2 on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica to a white father and a black mother. Although brought up with a strong Christian influence, Marley’s is most associated with the Rastafarian religion that asserts that Africa is Zion and the Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie and the second incarnation of Jesus Christ. What is lesser known is that the great man was baptised in a New York hotel room in 1980. 

His funeral was not a Rastafarian one, but a celebration deeply rooted in Christian songs, Bible readings and prayers. A former backing singer for the Wailers, said that when Marley was dying, he stretched out his hand and said, “Jesus take me”. She said that he did not die a Christian Rasta, but a Rasta-turned-Christian.

In the hour of danger, we humbly committed our cause into the hand of God. He has been our strength and shield (King George VI)

On this day in 1945, victory was declared in Europe, and the guns that had thundered across a continent finally fell silent. VE Day marked the end of Nazi Germany’s war against the Allied forces after years of devastation and sacrifice.

Across Britain, crowds flooded the streets, gathering outside Buckingham Palace and filling Trafalgar Square with singing and tears, as Winston Churchill called it a day of victory while reminding the nation of the long and costly road behind them. Yet behind the celebrations lay a quieter reality, one of empty chairs at family tables and names etched into memorials across Europe. Millions had given their lives to defeat tyranny and preserve freedom.

In churches across the country, people gathered not just to celebrate, but to pray, give thanks, and remember, knowing the cost was far greater than words could express. Even in the joy, grief and gratitude were deeply intertwined, as families reflected on loved ones who would never return. And into that moment of relief comes a deeper truth that still speaks today, because while the war in Europe had ended, the human struggle had not. The Bible points to a victory Jesus secured bringing peace not just between nations, but between humanity and God.

“In war, there are no winners, only survivors and stories that refuse to fade”

On this day in 1975, the city of Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces, bringing the Vietnam War to its dramatic close. In scenes broadcast around the world, desperate civilians and exhausted personnel crowded the rooftops of the U.S. embassy, hoping for evacuation as helicopters lifted the final departures into the humid sky.

For many, it marked not just the end of a military campaign, but the collapse of a way of life. The fall of Saigon symbolised the human cost of prolonged conflict, divided families, shattered nations, and deep scars that would take generations to heal. For the soldiers and civilians caught in those final hours, history was not abstract; it was personal, painful, and immediate. Moments like Saigon remind us how fragile human plans and powers can be. Nations rise and fall, and even the mightiest strategies can unravel overnight.

The Bible speaks into that uncertainty, pointing beyond political outcomes to a deeper hope. In a world marked by upheaval and loss, the enduring message of Jesus offers a kingdom that cannot be overthrown and a peace that remains when earthly powers fade.

“I no longer have a home, only a place where I sleep” (Voices from Chernobyl)

On this day in 1986, an explosion blew the roof off reactor building number 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. Radiation was released into the atmosphere, leaving a death-trail over Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. It would be many years before scientists would fully understand the extent of that catastrophe.

The authorities had to act quickly, and a team was recruited to enter the stricken site with bulldozers to fill the hole. Knowing they could die or even worse live, with the appalling effects of exposure to the radiation, they signed up for the mission. Although just two workers were killed from the initial blast, many more would die in the first three months after the explosion. 

2,000 years ago, God sent his son to fill the crater within the human soul caused by our rejection of him and his plan for our lives. Jesus was the only person who could do the job. He was spotless and free from the failures that blight our lives and separate us from a perfect Creator God. The Bible says Jesus willingly laid down his life as a ransom for many and through his completed work on the cross, we can be salvaged and reborn into God’s eternal plan.

“Not even God could sink the Titanic” (White Star Line employee)

RMS Titanic, the pride of the White Star Line, slipped beneath the North Atlantic on this day in 1912 after striking an iceberg. Almost 1,500 people lost their lives in the freezing waters.

Just four days earlier, the world’s most famous liner had sailed from Southampton bound for New York to great celebration and confidence. Yet beneath the luxury lay fatal overconfidence. Lifeboats were insufficient, and safety took second place to speed and prestige. Built in Belfast by Harland & Wolff, Titanic was the finest ship afloat, but her maiden voyage lasted only days before she plunged two miles to the ocean floor, far short of her destination.

The disaster became a lasting symbol of human pride and misplaced trust. Many believed the ship was unsinkable, but history proved otherwise. The Bible reminds us that pride often precedes destruction. Titanic’s story still whispers a timeless warning: it is wiser to place our trust in God than in the confident claims of human achievement.

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

On this day in 1945, German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazi regime at Flossenbürg concentration camp, just weeks before the end of World War Two. He was only 39 years old. Bonhoeffer had boldly opposed Hitler’s tyranny, refusing to allow the church in Germany to be controlled by the state. 

His involvement in the resistance led to his arrest and eventual death. Bonhoeffer is best remembered for his book ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ where he warns against what he called cheap grace, faith without true surrender. For him, following Jesus was never just an intellectual agreement, it was a costly commitment that could demand everything. Even in prison, witnesses spoke of his calm faith, deep compassion, and quiet confidence in God’s sovereignty. 

In a world marked by injustice and pressure to compromise, Bonhoeffer’s life speaks powerfully across the decades. He understood that faith in Christ is tested most clearly in moments of darkness. His earthly life was cut short, but his witness reminds us that following Christ may be costly, but the hope found is stronger than the grave.

“I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God.” (Sir Isaac Newton)

On this day in 1727, Sir Isaac Newton died in London, leaving behind a legacy that reshaped the scientific understanding of the universe. As the brilliant mind behind the laws of motion and universal gravitation, Newton helped lay the foundations of modern physics. His work in mathematics, optics, and astronomy transformed how we understand the natural world.

Yet Newton was not only a scientist, but he also spent enormous amounts of time studying the Bible and writing on theology. He was convinced that the universe he explored was the creation of God. For Newton, scientific discovery was not a threat to faith but a window into the mind of the creator. The laws he uncovered pointed to divine design and purpose woven into the fabric of reality. Centuries later, Newton’s discoveries still shape our world, from engineering to space travel. But his life also reminds us that knowledge alone does not answer life’s deepest questions.

The Bible directs us beyond the laws that govern the universe to the God who stands behind them, and ultimately to Jesus Christ, in whom truth is not only discovered but personally known.

“I know God is near to me, I have recognised him throughout my life” (Ludwig van Beethoven) 

Ludwig van Beethoven died on this day in 1827. His phenomenal contribution to classical music places him at the top of the tree in the eyes of many. Beethoven was a Catholic and, by all accounts, a deeply spiritual man who believed his work was a mission of divine art, not simply a creative process.

Throughout the centuries, people have reinterpreted his work as simply spiritual despite him saying that it was a response to a personal faith in God. On October 6th 1802, he wrote a now famous letter to his brother expressing the agony he was experiencing over the onset of deafness. It must have been heartbreaking for him. Nevertheless, his faith came through over and over again.

Beethoven’s tremendous personal struggle seemed to give him an empathy for others. Like Jesus, and many who have followed in his footsteps, he identified with the poor and the forgotten. His music fills the concert halls of the world, and his short life of 56 years was one that contained a profound knowledge of God, his love and his mercy.

“Serving my country in WW2, made me realise how precious life is” (British Paratrooper, 6thAirborne Division)

On March 24th 1945, as WW2 drew to a close, the skies above the River Rhine roared with the thunder of aircraft. Operation Varsity, a daring Allied airborne assault, the largest of its kind in a single day was underway. It was one of the final Allied operations in Europe.

Thousands of paratroopers jumped into a storm of bullets amidst the chaos of war with their brothers in arms dying all around them. Many more arrived in gliders that took off from various airfields in England. Vital bridges and towns were secured, paving the way for the Allied advance into Germany itself. Operation Varsity was carried out by thousands of brave young men.

The ones who came back all had a story to tell. Curtis ‘Goldie’ Goldman was a 22-year-old glider pilot, one of so many who played a vital role in putting men on the ground. After the war, he spoke of how his faith in Christ had sustained him that night at the controls of the aircraft. He survived the war and devoted the next 50 years of his life to serving God.

“You will be shunned unless your conduct is of the highest for your deeds will follow you down through history” (Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins)

On March 19th 2003, British troops were about to enter Iraq. More specifically it was the same regiment that was immortalised as the Desert Rats during WW2. Their commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins, and this is an extract from the speech he gave to his men from the bonnet of a British armoured vehicle as they prepared for battle. “We are entering Iraq not to conquer but to free a people. The only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Iraq is steeped in history, it is the location of the Garden of Eden, and the birthplace of Abraham so tread lightly there.”

The Iraq War remains a highly controversial operation. I write this not to make any kind of statement about the rights and wrongs of it. But Tim Collins clearly sensed the enormous significance of that Biblical land his men were about to enter. It is true for so many of the places on earth that have been, and continue to be, ravaged by war and conflict. My countless visits to Normandy and other WW1 and WW2 battle sites across Europe have led me to conclude that there is a spiritual imprint in those places that is caused by catastrophic loss of life. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his glorious church can turn the tide of evil and the wickedness that flows from the human heart.