I was brought up in a Christian home and made to go to church and Sunday school, although I accepted this as normal and did not question it, apart from when Sunday school was in the middle of Sunday afternoon.

When I was about six years old, my father explained to my sister and I, while sat in the back of his car, that we needed to ask Jesus into our hearts. Without knowing what it meant, I trusted my dad’s advice and agreed to let him pray the prayer, as did my sister.

I always believed that I would go to heaven when I died, and that I needed to believe in God and his purpose for my life. I read the bible, prayed and went to the local youth meetings in addition to church on Sunday.

At one of these youth meetings, when I was 15yrs old, I listened to a concert by a Christian rock band and was moved by what the singer said at the end of the set. I knew that the decision to believe in God, to put my hope in Him for eternal life and forgiveness for my sins, had to be my own, not one made for me by my dad. I was now old enough to make my own decision and I knew what I wanted. Together with a crowd of my friends and peers, I stood up to acknowledge my response. Some time has passed since then and a lot has happened. I have had to face a lot of issues and problems in my life. Through it all, I have found God to be faithful in providing me with all I need. He has blessed me with good things, especially a lovely wife and two special sons, and has helped me to face the issues of life with hope, comfort, strength and conviction.

I am still seeking God to teach me more about him, to increase my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, to know his purpose and destiny for my life and to know Him more. I want Him to use me, to be an expression of His love and power towards others.

Howard W