My First Post

I start my journey as a blogger here five years after I started my walk with Christ. My aim in writing this blog is to learn more fully the love God has for me. To develop a life that truly has Christ at its centre and, with the Spirit’s help, so to live that God’s name is forever glorified. I seek both to examine God’s word, developing my skills at exegesis and deepening my theology, and share any insights or wisdom I might gain in my life.

So, my story, where does it begin? Like many living in Britain today I can say that I was not brought up as a Christian. My family never went to church even though there were Bibles in the house. Still, I grew up hearing ‘Christian stories’, singing ‘Christian songs’ and reciting the Lord’s prayer thanks to the primary school I attended. So I had some knowledge of Christianity, but had not heard the Gospel.

At college my questioning of life began, ‘surely there must be more than this’ I thought. Thankfully I was surrounded by friends who didn’t shy away from such big questions. Many a lunch time went by while my friends argued good naturedly, some Christian, some Atheist, about the true issues of life. I left the discussing to them and sat and listened, as time went by I found myself starting to side more and more with the Christians finding their arguments more persuasive and, importantly, more compassionate. So I had some knowledge of the arguments for God’s existence, but I still had not heard the Gospel.

As providence would have it, one of my Christian friends ended up at the same university as me and invited me to attend a meeting of the Christian Union. I went not knowing what it would be like. I found a great welcome there and when we sat down to start I no longer felt like a stranger in the room. One thing I remember about that evening was the singing. Being fairly musical I joined in with the singing even though I couldn’t sing, and it suddenly struck me what I was singing, what the words coming from my mouth were proclaiming. That was the first hint I had of the Gospel and I was captivated. I wasn’t saved but I was hooked and kept going back week after week to hear more.

Eventually I started to attend a local church and continued to here the Gospel proclaimed: The good news of God’s grace to me through the death of his son on a cross, the redemptive sacrifice that washed away my sin. I realised that I was a sinner and that I needed this mercy: I confessed my sins, was saved and was baptised.

Five years later I sit here at this keyboard and wonder how I’ve changed over the years. I have a deeper knowledge of Christ and his word, I am a new creation, but it is not enough. I must strive to run the race set before me, to walk the narrow way that leads to life and not stray down the broad way. I hope this blog will help me in this and I also hope that it will be both encouraging and equipping to any who read it.