Sunday evening in Tain Parish Church. Matt was 11, and his grandfather was in the pulpit: “He held up the Bible at the end of his sermon and said, ‘I wouldn’t give this up for all the money in the world.’ That made me realise that to my papa, his Bible, his belief in Jesus, wasn’t just on the surface, it was really important.

“Afterwards, I told him I wanted that, too. He gave me a hug and said, ‘God knows exactly how much you love him. And regardless of how much that is, he’ll always love you more.’”

Anyone who doubts the reality of childhood religious experience should visit Blythswood’s store on Harbour Road in Inverness and talk to Matt Nicol, who took on the role of missional shop manager last year – and ask him how he got there via the police and Wetherspoons.

“When I left school, I did a law degree in Aberdeen,” he says. “Then two years as an officer with Police Scotland really opened my eyes to other people’s circumstances and to the hardships they go through. My own upbringing had been so sheltered.”,

Deciding a police career wasn’t for him, Matt returned to Inverness and to Wetherspoons, where he had worked as a student. “Their training is really good,” he says. “I was a bar shift manager, working with a team of over 40 people, managing shifts, rotas, stocktaking and things like that.

“It was a good company to work for, but after six years, I just had this sense of not really being satisfied by it anymore.”

Friends told him that Blythswood was looking for a shop manager. “My initial reaction was no, I can’t do that. But others told me I had the skill set. I was quite shy growing up, but the police and the pub taught me how to talk to absolutely anybody.

“In the shop, you see the same faces again and again, and you have this opportunity to build relationships. It’s not just about sharing my faith but about encouraging people through the hope that I have in Jesus and what he’s accomplished for all of us.

“One customer told me about going through a rough time and how she’d sought help in worldly beliefs and then came to faith in Jesus. We had a really wonderful conversation.

“Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the level of support with donations of really excellent furniture, bric-a-brac and clothes. Asking people to Gift Aid what they bring can start a conversation and allow us to show sympathy to those who are clearing a home and trusting us with things that belonged to their parents. Our challenge is to steward it well.”