"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life."   1 Timothy 1:15-16

Part 1: The Flesh.

I grew up in the 1960's in London, England. The eldest of 2 boys to two loving parents and a large extended family. My dad was an accountant/book keeper by trade but an artist at heart and my mum was a nurse, as well as taking care of everyone & everything at home. I loved playing in the communal garden at the back of our house and had lots of friends to play football (soccer), cricket, rugby, cops & robbers, riding our bikes and all kinds of sports and games. I went to church, had a picture Bible and learned about Jesus walking on water, feeding the five thousand, raising Lazarus from the dead and his' crucifixion and resurrection. However it all seemed like a storybook and had no connection with my everyday life. What did Jesus have to do with going to school, learning history or math, dealing with bullies & getting into fight's, playing sports, the latest toys and action heroes and all the adventures I saw on tv and at the movies? Not to mention all the emotions that went on inside of a me and how to deal with them. Compared to "real" life, church was very stoic and boring with a bunch of rituals that I didn't understand but felt compelled to follow; I couldn't wait to get out of church.

By the time I was a teenager I had become pretty cynical about life, authority, school, politicians and especially church. I was already smoking and drinking and leading a pretty deceitful life; and I kept a lot of things inside, the last thing I wanted to do was show my friends or family that I was weak or hurting and so I bottled things up inside which eventually came out in anger and rage or escaping though alcohol, fantasy and eventually sex.

The older I got the darker my life became and by the time I was thirty I had been married and divorced and experienced a lot of consequences from my addictions. Waking up with hangovers, wondering where all my money had gone, a roller-coaster ride of emotional relationships and a feeling of emptiness and hopelessness searching for the next "high". On the outside I looked like a successful young man in my career, playing sports and socializing; but on the inside I was empty, hurting, alone and lonely. At some point I thought "there must be more to life than this!!!!"

A young woman who was on our volleyball team started having philosophical discussions with me after our games and eventually started talking to me about Jesus and the Bible. Memories of cold buildings, lifeless statues and stained glass came flooding back. My philosophy had become a pseudo Star Wars type of religion. As long as you stay on the good side and not go over to the dark you are good, and I thought I was a pretty good person. There were plenty of people I could compare myself to and say "at least I'm not as bad as them!" But inside my mind & heart there was a gnawing that wanted to know “What is right & wrong?”

Then one day she invited me to a Bible Discussion. "No, not me, I go out drinking and partying," I exclaimed; and I imagined a "Bible Discussion" being made up of a group of grumpy old men and women sitting around knitting and being boring, out of touch with life. Eventually she persuaded me and I went. To my surprise it was a diverse group of people from age to ethnic and economic backgrounds...and they were fun and happy. Scriptures were read and I found myself joining in the discussion, it was the first time I found the Bible current and relatable and it was somehow answering questions that I had. I found that there were things I thought I knew about Jesus...that was incorrect, and there were things I didn't know about Jesus.... that were amazing. That night I started studying the Bible to really get to know Jesus for myself and about 4 months later I came to make a life-changing decision.

I looked at Jesus and his life; who he was and how he affected the people he interacted with and how their lives changed for the better. I looked at my life and the wake of destruction I had left, not just how it affected me but those around me also. So on January 30th 1991 I made the decision to follow Jesus and was baptized. My sins were forgiven and I received God’s Holy Spirit! (Acts2:38-39)

Part 2: The Pharisee.

My new life in Christ had begun, the church was filled with encouraging people and events and I found myself with new friends & family and I was eager to learn and grow and fulfill the mission of Matthew 28:18-20 to go and make disciples. I loved God’s Word, enjoyed the fellowship and wanted to be an Evangelist and preach great messages that would turn people’s hearts to Jesus!

Without realizing it, I spent the next 25 years becoming a very good Pharisee!

Part 3: The Spirit. A work in Progress!

Thankfully God shattered my life, broke it all to pieces, humbled me & rescued me from “religious rules & regulations” trying to earn my salvation, living up to an impossible standard by pulling myself up by the bootstraps and He began to show me His heart of Compassion, Tenderness and His Powerful Loving-Grace through a relationship with Him. And the only place he could do that was in “The Wilderness!” My Wilderness just happened to be Katy, Texas!!!

The Wilderness is a lonely, barren, hopeless place. No friends, no family, no-one and nothing to rely on…except God! It’s where God transforms a caterpillar inside the cocoon to emerge as a Butterfly, soaring on eagles wings!!! It’s the place where Pride, arrogance & self-reliance is exposed, where God cannot live! In its place Faith is Forged & Refined and where a piece of dull lifeless coal emerges as a Priceless Diamond!

This is the “Work in Progress” of God’s Holy Spirit transforming me & you more and more into the likeness of Christ. He began a good work in me and He will continue it until Completion! This is one of the many promises of God who Passionately, Zealously, Romantically longs and yearns to bless us with immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine of our heart’s desires….through Him!!!                          

How amazing He is!!!