One of the last things Colin said before he died was: "I am surprisingly un-scared." It could have been the motto of his whole life. Colin was always surprisingly un-scared. Unlike the rest of us, he never did let fear or self-consciousness or embarrassment stop him reaching out to the most unlikely and needy people, or doing and saying what he thought was right and true. All the frightened, careful people said Colin was risky, indiscreet, unreliable – "the most dangerous man in the Church of England" said one, to Colin's deep delight. But he was not dangerous or indiscreet or unreliable – certainly not in anything that mattered. He was just surprisingly un-scared.
If you ask why he was so un-scared, I think the answer is as straightforward as he was. He really did believe. He really trusted in a good and loving God as Jesus came to make him known to us; and that confidence set him free to be the astonishingly life-giving, brave, generous and joyous person that he was.
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