Age: 24, but getting older each day!
Married: to Rosie (Children’s Nurse)
Best takeaway: Curry every time!
Football team: Reading FC
Favourite track: Hanging by a moment by 'Lifehouse'
Places I have lived: Reading, Croydon, Sheffield, Hayes (London)
Claim to fame: I ate some of Prince Charles and Camilla's wedding cake! wow!
A Bible passage: I think Colossians 3:11-17 is awesome
Pets: We have a dark tabby cat called Maisy, who as I write this has just dumped a small mouse by my feet, yuk!
Driving: Silver Vauxhall Corsa and a Silver Vespa Scooter
Things I love: movies, good food, going to new places, gadgets and electronic things!
Stuff I hate: Tubes in rush hour, aubergines, people walking slowly in front of me!
Best ever holiday: Honeymoon to a tiny island in the Maldives....amazing.
Greatest movie ever: Shawshank Redemption
A Christian is: a passionate follower of Christ.
God is: Awesome, Creator, There for me, Huge, Father
Fav. quote: I am not but I know I AM

 

My Story : My Journey With God

I guess my story begins the same as yours, with birth, not that I remember it! I was born in the eighties in to a really great family. My parents are Christians and took me along to church from the very beginning. As a child I attended church, which simply became a regular part of my week, I heard all the bible stories and prayed at home before bed! I had the head knowledge and slowly my faith began to become my own, not just at extension of my parents faith. I gave my life to Christ at an Ishmael concert in 1994, promising at that point that I would live my life for God.

Through going to and getting involved in church I got to know God better and my faith grew as I was challenged to explore it more. When I moved to secondary school I struggled with a double life; passionately following God and getting really involved in church life, whilst shying away from the fact I was a Christian at school. Unfortunately I never really got it right, something I regret.

At church I found a great friendship in John and together we would discuss our faith, ask each other the hard questions, travel around to various youth worship events and got involved in leading services and worship at church. At 15 I was baptised, making a commitment to God that I would live for Him throughout my life. James, the youth worker of the church also had a profound impact on my life and helped me to grow in my relationship with God. I got involved in the youth work at the church, helping to lead sessions, services, worship events, after school drop ins and evening youth clubs. These all helped to shape my faith and the person I was.

During my A levels (maths, physics, media studies) I felt God calling me to take a year out with the Oasis trust to serve him in the local church in the UK. I felt totally unprepared for this but knew that God wanted to use me and was asking me to take a leap of faith.

I moved to Croydon and began a year serving the church there. i got involved in schools work, youth work, church work, led services, inter-church youth events, missions and generally had a lot of fun serving God whilst learning more about Him.

During this year I met Rowie and we began to date! (ahhh), which meant a lot of travelling between Croydon and Sheffield (200miles). My plans after this gap year had been to study electronic engineering at uni, but God had alternative (better) plans for me. I felt his call on my life, calling me to work with young people through his church. I spent a second year serving the church in Croydon before moving the Sheffield to spend a year planning our wedding while Rowie finished uni. In Sheffield I worked for a drug rehabilitation centre and we attended St Thomas' church where we leant a lot, met some fantastic people and led a cell group.

In September 2005 we were married, we moved to Hayes and I started studying for my degree. In Hayes, I was responsible for the youth ministry ofColdharbour Lane Baptist Church. We ran youth groups, sessions exploring God, Life and Christianity, projects and positive activities and I had lots of essays to write. I passed my degree in June 2008 and was ordained as a Baptist Youth Minister in September 2008. I am now working for Upper Stratton Baptist Church as their Youth and Childrens Minister where I am involved in working with children and young people through the church, in local schools and the local community.

That's my journey so far, but its not the end of the story, every day I learn more about God's greatness, I understand more of what I believe and continue to try to apply Gods word to my life. Life is not always easy and it's often confusing but I know that I am following a God who lives, a God who is for me and not against me and a God who loves me unconditionally.

John 3:16-17, this is the God I serve