I love the journey I have been on. It’s been an amazing adventure with God and I love the calling that God has placed upon my life and serving God amongst the Geordie nation is amazing! But don’t be deceived – I’ve had good times and some pretty awful times. Through the good, the bad and the ugly God has been my rock, my trusted Father & confidante, my inspiration, my strength and at the worst of times my hope, my joy and my peace.

So How Is Your Life Right Now?
What would you say as you look back? Has life lived up to the expectations that you had as a young person or has it disappointed and left you feeling let down? I meet lots of people who feel disappointed, discouraged and fed up with this existence called ‘life’ which failed to live up to its billing! Many feel that the ambitions and dreams they once had have failed to materialise. Frankly ‘life sucks!’

As a Christian I believe there’s more to this life than a 9-5 existence, which some have likened to feeling like a hamster on a wheel. So many of us exist from weekend to weekend & from holiday to holiday. You only have to read individual social media status’ to realise this! Unless, of course you are one of the ‘lucky’ ones who has the perfect job, family, home, hobbies etc. – if you are – then well done! But even for you, I would suggest, there is the need to strive to protect what you have worked so hard to achieve and, I would also suggest, the realisation that surely there must be more to life than this….

My favourite verse in the bible is this:
“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” (Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG)

I’ve believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the starting point.
It’s incredible to think that, before we’d even given Jesus Christ a thought, He had His eye on us and has designs on us for glorious living. That sounds incredible! This great promise suggests that it is through relationship with Jesus Christ that our life makes sense and we find out who we are and what we are living for! Wow!

It’s NOT through the church! Jesus isn’t the church! Don’t be put off by church! It can be a strange beast! Please don’t judge Jesus and God by what you’ve experienced at weddings, funerals or christening’s! Like you I’ve experienced some pretty dull, irrelevant and dire church services! The churches that I’m involved with and know (across the denominational streams) are life giving, uplifting, relevant, exciting places, full of great people who care about each other and care about their world. They are places where you can answer the God question, discover the Christian faith and learn and grow and become.

“Christians aren’t finished products. We’re God’s sons and daughters in process.” (AW Tozer)

But at its best church is full of people, like you and me, who are flawed, sinful and trying their best (but often failing!) to represent God. We don’t always get it right and like you we struggle with the rapidly changing culture we live in and applying what we believe within that context. Forgive us – most of us still have ‘L’ plates on. In fact you may have had a bad experience of church in the past – do not let this put you off discovering God for yourself. People mess up, vicars and pastors get it wrong. God doesn’t.

Don’t blame religion for all the wars and problems in our world. Mankind is the problem and he often hides within the guise of religion. I believe what we are all looking for is something more than religion but a real, life giving relationship with our Creator – the God who knows us inside out and who deeply loves each one of us, in spite of all our flaws, mistakes, selfishness and sinfulness. He’s not so bothered about our past as He is about being in relationship with us right now.

I believe that God has a plan and a purpose for each of us!
The secret to a fulfilled and satisfying life is connecting with God, through Jesus, and discovering your unique God given purpose. Jesus said ‘I have come that you might have life and life in abundance.’ (John 10:10). This is God’s plan for you and it’s never ever too late to discover it and get on board. Do not leave it a moment longer!

Have You Faced The God Question Yet?
It’s surely time to discover if there is a God and if there is – why you’re alive? I believe you weren’t a mistake or an accident. In fact the bible says…..
“Oh yes, you (God) shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” (Psalm 139:13-16 MSG)

Once you step on the journey of faith you will discover that everything that makes you who you are – the sum total of who you are; your personality, passions, experiences, abilities, intellect etc. has been uniquely put together by God for a purpose. You may already have discovered this in the vocation you are in right now but I suspect there will be other, perhaps even more exciting purposes and plans that God has for you in the future too. Who knows the new adventures He might take you on?!

The God Question?
It’s been really great to connect with so many old friends from my school days and working life on social media – I love the interaction after all these years and discovering how they’re doing. It’s been brilliant!

To them and anyone else reading this article, can I say this – life is fleeting, I cannot believe that I’m over 50 and a grandfather of four wonderful grandchildren! However – death is a reality. It comes to us all eventually. The bible talks about three score years and 10 however a 70 year life span is not even guaranteed. Please don’t postpone the question of faith. Please don’t leave it until it’s too late to ask the God question.

Isn’t it time you took a look and did some serious investigating and checked out for yourself if there is a God?! The atheist says ‘God doesn’t exist!’ If we’re not careful that can become an excuse for not investigating this matter of critical importance to our lives & our eternity! Imagine if you’d spent your whole life believing a lie and discovered right at the end that it wasn’t true? I believe many people who claim to be atheists are in this position. Ask the God question now. Explore the Christian faith now – for sadly not one of us knows what tomorrow will bring…..

Here are a couple of suggestions:

Want To Explore The Christian Faith?
This website is a great starting point.

Why Not Attend A Course?
Alpha is one of the most popular courses in the UK and around the world. Thousands of people have attended – it’s a place where you can discover more about the Christian faith and ask all your questions. There will be a course near you.
This link will help you discover more about the course and where there is a local one.

And if I can be of any help then please don’t hesitate to touch base – I’d love to be of assistance. God is real, He is amazing and He wants you to be a part of His family.

IMAGINE

If you’ve enjoyed this post you might like to check out my book entitled ‘Imagine’ that is all about discovering and then trusting God based on the amazing promise in Proverbs 3:5-6. Imagine is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and other major book sellers worldwide.

One recent Amazon reviewer said, “This is an incredibly powerful book written as if the author is chatting to you about his own life, struggles and experiences during his ongoing walk with God. It is a very real and honest book with bible verses to back up what the author is sharing about. Personally this book is having a big impact on me and my faith in God. I would recommend to anyone to buy this book if you want to deepen your relationship with God at whatever stage you are in your walk. Imagine the impact this book could have on your life….”

Another reviewer said ‘A wonderful story of faith and dedication overcoming all obstacles. Full of practical advise and wise instruction. The book invites the reader to ‘dream dreams’ and to live out vision with tenacity and determination. A good hearty read.’ (Pastor Paul Hallam)