My Testimony 21st Dec 2012
My early life
Where do you start after 63 years of life, 43 of those as a Christian? I also have the problem of fitting this into a maximum of about 5 minutes, well here goes!
I was born in 1948 & Baptised as an infant at Trinity Church, Pontycwmr, Nr Bridgend in S. Wales on the 10th July 1949.
I spent my early life in Southwick, a village near Trowbridge in Wiltshire. I was the 2nd of 5 children. It was a very happy and loving childhood. We were poor but happy.
From a very early age I went to Sunday school, often twice each Sunday at the local Baptist Church. It was only in later life that my mother told me it was the only way they could get any peace at weekends! I enjoyed it anyway, especially the Bible stories.
When I was about 14 my parents became Christians and that was in 1963.
What was I Like
I had my 1st brush with the law on my 11th birthday and continued to be in trouble with the police many times over the next few years. In fact I remember my father remarking that Greenwood our village bobby seemed to spend more times looking for me at our house than he spent in his own home! I had many appearances at juvenile court and although I was often warned that I would be, I was never actually sent to Approved school or Borstal.
I was often in trouble at school for fighting because I hated bullying and would always side with and stick up for someone who was being bullied.
How I found God
At 18 I got married, my eldest child was born 10 months after and my wife fell pregnant again. My second child was born at 26 weeks which was 3 months premature; she weighed just 2lb 4oz. that is just a little more than a kilogramme bag of sugar. Obviously she was not expected to survive. This was back in the dark ages of 1968 when it was very rare for children born this prematurely to survive. When she started to lose weight and got down to 1lb 10oz we were told to expect the worst. What do you do in times of dire need, turn to God and pray for his help? That is what I did and I told him also that if Elizabeth survived I would give my life to Him.
It seemed from that moment Elizabeth started to gain weight.
Well Elizabeth did survive, she was 43 this year and I prayed a prayer giving my life to Jesus!
About 4 months later I was baptised at Southwick Old Baptist Church.
Difference since then
Well I have only been in trouble with the law once since then and there were extenuating circumstances for that which kept my children safe.
I have moved about the country with my job, as well as the church in Southwick I have belonged to churches in Rode in Somerset, London, Hilperton, Trowbridge and Trevethin in Wales.
Romans 8 v 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (NIV)
I have seen over the years how true this is, even when to start out with you cannot see it and think it is really crap! But as they say hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Lets look at the latest thing, how we come to be here?
I first had contact with The Community Church at Egloskerry when we came down to stay in one of Mervyn & Rachel’s barns on holiday about 4 years ago now. I found a very warm welcome and felt very much at home and every time we came on holiday we went there. I felt God was really moving within that fellowship and calling me to be here, but work was a must for me and my job was in Avonmouth. That would be a long commute!
Strange how things work out, about 3 ½ years ago my wife became so ill with arthritis she was forced to give up work.
2 ½ years ago I was found to have stress angina. As an HGV driver they took away my licence and hence my job and the job centre told me I was no good to them so they retired me.
To cut a long storey short we decided as we could move where ever in the country we wanted, so I prayed as to where God wanted us to be. Well He kept coming up with here and found us a lovely bungalow to rent in St Giles-on-the-Heath which has helped my wife no end with her arthritis, no stairs.
We moved to St Giles about 1 month after the church moved from Egloskerry to here at St Josephs.
We have had to be totally reliant on God for our income and He has more than adequately supplied everything we have needed.
When I look back I can see God’s hand in everything that has happened to me over the past 4 years as well as the preceding 39.
Remembering again Romans 8 v 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (NIV)
I still get a real feeling of joy, love, belonging and excitement when I walk through that door on a Sunday.
At Housegroup last week someone said something that I felt fitted my situation and the way I feel now to a Tee.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO POOR, YET I HAVE NEVER BEEN OR FELT SO RICH
1 comment:
What a wonderful way this has been written from the heart all my love Liz x x
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