Blown Away

Mick Fleming, known as Pastor Mick, tells his own life story in this autobiography. He did not follow the usual route into ministry. For years he moved through crime and dependency, using drink and drugs to numb himself. As a child he suffered a brutal rape. He was on the verge of telling his parents when word arrived that his sister had died suddenly of a heart attack. From that point he stopped crying for three decades, and during that time he became a notorious underworld fixer, until a moment of religious revelation overturned his life and left him utterly overwhelmed.

The book follows his path from a man who helped wreck lives through drug dealing to one who now saves lives by serving people living in poverty. It traces how he came to understand who he truly is in Christ and how that first calling set him on the road to ministry. He is candid about his lowest points, including a suicide attempt that failed, and explains how speaking openly about his pain has encouraged others who are struggling.

Since that first calling he describes witnessing what he regards as miracles. Among them is his ability to forgive, and even to help, the man who had ruined his life. The book looks closely at the violent world of crime, addiction and substance abuse in the UK, and at the part faith, forgiveness and redemption play in breaking free from it. It also describes the work of Church on the Street, which supports people in need.

Pastor Mick's account is intended to speak to readers on their own faith journeys and to offer hope to anyone coping with addiction, bereavement or hardship. Written with frank openness and a warm, human tone, it presents God's capacity to reach people even in the darkest circumstances.