I believe in angels...

Deep breath... OK - so yesterday evening I was at church - and I saw an angel.

I fully accept that some of you will now think I've properly gone bonkers - but honestly, I haven't.

People around me were praying.  Asking God to speak, and to make a difference to somebody's life; to show her how much He loved her, and that she could have a better life than the one she had now.  There was a whole load of stuff going on - and I looked up - and there he was.

He looked golden.  Very tall, and very strong looking - nothing remotely 'cherub' about this guy.  He was wearing a robe, and he held a huge sword.  He just stood there, with a quiet authority (I don't think he was the sort of being you would argue with), and when I looked around later, I couldn't see him anymore.

It made me think about how amazing it is that there is a whole spiritual world around us that's every bit as real as the physical world we spend most of our time focusing on.  How awesome it is that God sends angels into action in response to our prayers.  I also thought how cool it is that - regardless of how we feel - we never have to be alone, because God can be with us all the time; and that He has legions of angels at His command, who can guard our every step if needs be.

I'm not claiming to be an expert - after all, there must be billions of angels, and I've only ever seen one - but I'm hoping this experience will encourage me (and maybe you) to look beyond the end of my own nose; to see the amazing things God is doing all the time in the world around me; to look at the world with different eyes.