Linvoy Primus at the Crofton Summer Sports Week

“Heart on Fire” featuring Katy Summer with the Mustard Seed Soul Band from album “Heart and Soul” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Last week I mentioned Linvoy Primus and guess what during the week I bumped into him and his lovely wife Trish. We had a nice catch up chat and then later in the week I read an article on him in the SportsMail. I contacted Linvoy and he has kindly said that I can use some extracts from the article for today’s blog.

I first met Linvoy through my old friend Mick Mellows who, as I said last week, was at PE Training College with me in Winchester and is Godfather to my two sons James and Chris.  It was Mick who led Linvoy to faith. In the SportsMail article Linvoy recollects how he had a knee injury and how Mick, who was Pompey’s Chaplin at the time, and team mate Darren Moore prayed and the injury was healed.  Linvoy says “I knew these people (Mick and Darren ) were not magicians and I trusted them. So when my knee was healed I knew it was real and that was what allowed me to move forward. When that happens you know it’s beyond anything in your mind and your body can’t make that happen. That’s when I surrendered to God and by doing that it gave me freedom on the pitch. I had peace, real peace.

As many of you will now Linvoy arrived  at Pompey in 2000 and went on to make 218 appearances for the club and become part of  Fratton Park folklore.  The SportsMail article finishes with Linvoy referring to his new role working for ”Christians in Sport” “ The thing which get me through is my faith. It feels like the right thing for me to do. I share my story and hopefully that helps.”

I remember Linvoy sharing his story of faith at a Mustard Seed Concert held at the Oasis Church Arundel Street Portsmouth.  I remember him bopping about to “Jesus is my Lord”!  Linvoy also met the children from Crofton Hammond Infants School who sang “What Would Jesus Do?” in the  His Story production at The Kings Theatre, Southsea  which Mustard Seed Songs produced in association with Faith and Football , the charity of which Mick and Linvoy are Founders and Directors.

In the summer of 2013 Linvoy came and visited the annual Crofton Summer Sports Week that I run and today’s blog pic is of him with the children.

I think Linvoy’s favourite Mustard Seed song is “Jesus is my Lord” but as that featured in the blog of September 18^th  I have chosen today “Heart on Fire” as the words epitomise Linvoy’s mission.

“Give us a heart on fire, Lord one whose sole desire is to serve. Jesus my Lord and King to be witnessing is the very least thing I can do”

“Heart on Fire” also features on our forthcoming musical Risen! sung after Jesus gives the Great Commission in Matthew 28 “Go make disciples of all nations.”