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\nWe Can Do Anything featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Precious recorded and produced by Ross Gill<\/p>\nSo Saturday 22nd February was the 23rd anniversary of me becoming a Christian. Next week I\u2019ll write more of St Peter but today I want to share my blog of April 10th 2014 in which I described the actual day.
\nAfter my uncertain first night on an \u201cAlpha Course\u201d at Holy Rood Church, Stubbington I came back the following week and then the next and the next. I began to think that I wanted to become a Christian \u2013 I felt reassured by the words in John\u2019s Gospel, Chapter 3 verse 16 \u201cFor God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life\u201d Eternal Life \u2013 that is what I needed to take away my fear of death. Not something to be earned but something to be accepted as a gift. Perfect \u2013 apart from two problems 1) did I have enough faith to accept Jesus\u201d gift\u201d with any degree of sincerity? 2) If I did ask Jesus into my life what would my mates say- how much ridicule would I have to endure? Let me have a look at problem no 2 first.
\nThree of my very special friends are Barry Stares, Dave Conchie and Ian Beacham. Barry I have known since Junior School and Dave and Ian since PE College. We regularly meet for a drink and something to eat (yes curry) At one curry Ian said \u201cYou will never guess what\u2019s happened to Mick\u201d He was referring to another ex-PE College friend, Mick Mellows who played football for Pompey and who is now a Director of the charity Faith and Football -www.faith&football.org.uk . I thought Ian meant that Mick had been struck down with some horrible illness but no that is not what he meant at all. He continued \u201cHe\u2019s only gone and become a Christian!\u201d To which Dave replied \u201cNo \u2013 and he was such a good bloke!\u201d
\nCould I face that sort of comment if I \u201cadmitted\u201d to becoming a Christian? I really doubted it.
\nAs for problem no 1 re did I have enough faith? \u2013 Well thankfully someone told me I only had to have faith as small as a mustard seed (the smallest of all seeds in Biblical times.) I simply had to focus on what I believed not on what I did not \u2013 I simply had to trust \u2013 I simply had to take a \u201cleap of faith\u201d
\nDuring the Alpha course I had been given a little red book entitled \u201cWhy Jesus?\u201d (as featured in pic) At the end of the book there is a prayer so I knew an opportunity was coming up for me to take that leap of faith and to say this prayer asking Jesus to come into my life. I felt it really difficult to sleep with my two \u201cproblems\u201d constantly churning around inside my head. The weekend came when I knew I had to make a decision \u2013 as part of the Alpha Course I was at the Holy Rood Vicarage with the Vicar, Michael Christian- Edwards and his lovely wife Merlyn. When the others in my group were having a coffee break I escaped into the village to go through in my head what I was going to do. On my return sure enough Michael gave everyone the opportunity to say a prayer asking Jesus to forgive us for all the things we had done wrong \u2013 to ask Him to come into our lives- and for us to be filled with His Holy Spirit. I remember asking Michael if I could say the prayer twice. He seemed surprised but said that was fine and so that lunchtime on Saturday, February 22nd 1997 I asked Jesus into my life and became a Christian.
\nWhy did I want to say the prayer twice? Well there was Mr Mill and his dad that I also wanted to be there on such a momentous occasion. So that evening in Mr Mil\u2019s apartment in Titchfield I sat between the two of them confessing out loud all the things I had done wrong and again asking Jesus into my life. Some of the things I had done wrong were pretty big \u2013 one had been a real burden for many years but after I had confessed it the burden lifted- I know that sounds amazing and too good to be true but amazing is what it was and too good not to be true!
\nSo I thought \u201cmicky taking\u201d here you come, but I decided to be pro-active and tell people before they found out through the grapevine. First off was Barry who I had known the longest -he was surprisingly supportive \u2013 so too was Ian \u2013 but I could not tell Dave, it was Dave who had made the comment about Mick Mellows \u2013 he was sure to let me have it with both barrels. A couple of months later Barry and Ian told me that Dave was really upset with me for not telling him. So I took Dave out for a curry (of course) and felt pretty emotional when Dave told me that he loved me (in a bloke way!!) and that he would always support me in anything I did and that he was upset because it seemed that I did not believe I could trust him. So big apology from me and really all the worries about people \u201ctaking the mick\u201d turned out to be groundless- mind you I think my two sons James and Chris took a bit of stick at school.
\nSo did my fears of dying die (sorry) If I am honest not entirely \u2013 but I did have God\u2019s promise to hold on to and you can\u2019t have much more than that. In fact later I wrote a song called \u201cIt\u2019s From the Lord\u201d which is on our CD \u201cHeart and Soul\u201d \u2013 the last verse of which is \u201cWhen your time on earth is ending and you look up to Him on high and your see His promises sparkling spelt out in stars across the sky and open arms reach to embrace you to welcome you home then you know, yes you know it is the Lord.\u201d
\nSo guess who rang me on Sunday to congratulate me on my \u201cbirthday?\u201d Yes the very lovely and loving Michael and Merilyn Christian- Edwards
\nQuote of the week
\nIt is not my ability, but my response to God\u2019s ability that counts.
\nCorrie Ten Boom<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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