I was 12 years old and sat in what I assumed to be just another RE lesson when the teacher challenged us to put our hands up if we were Christians. ‘Well of course I am’, came my immediate internal response ‘I’m English so what else could I be?’ The teacher went on to tell us about Jesus, a name I was familiar with but knew little about. He also talked about sin and the need for forgiveness. I wasn’t too sure about that word but was well aware that my own life was full of shortcomings.

So, as a young unhappy 12 year old boy I was willing to accept that Jesus might be who he said he was. He did after all turn water into wine and heal the sick and raise the dead and so on. He also spoke in parables that seemed to carry an authority I had never heard before so I read the New Testament with an open mind. My reasoning was simple, if Jesus did indeed die for me then I had no choice but to live for Him. The argument was a logical one so I took Him at his word and committed my life to see where it took me? After saying that prayer I left the room feeling new, different, clean, dare I say born again.

I freely share my faith whenever possible though and the reason for that is quite simple.

A few years ago I got up really early to walk my dog on the local heath. It was raining that misty kind of warm rain you sometimes get in England. A few minutes into the common I noticed a deer standing in a clearing not fifty feet from me. (My eagle eyed gun dog had failed to spot it). I thought it strange that the animal made no move to evade me as I was clearly closer than it would have liked.  Just at that moment I spotted something that explained in an instant why this brave doe was so reluctant to move. Right there beneath her feet sat a newborn fawn fresh from its mother’s womb and looking simply adorable. I immediately gathered up my useless gun dog and rushed home to tell my wife. ‘Get up and get dressed straight away!’ I spouted out excitedly. ‘Something remarkable has happened and I want you to see it!’

We returned to the heath to witness this miraculous little fawn now standing and looking straight at us like we were its parents. We didn’t get too close for fear of scaring it, but then something even more wonderful happened. The fawn took its first few tentative steps and walked right up to us. My wife’s eyes were virtually popping out of her head in wonder and I took a few pictures before leaving the innocent baby to its mother’s care. This was a once in a lifetime experience that neither of us will ever forget. I was so excited to see this birth happen right in front of me that I wanted to share the joy of the experience with someone I cared about and  I feel pretty much the same about my first meeting with Jesus, excited enough to tell you.

Alpha Course Website - St Pauls Church Addlestone