My Testimony
‘He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done,
but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit, ‘Titus 3v5
NIV
I love the second
verse of the hymn by Francis Rowley:
‘I will sing the Wondrous story.......
v2 ‘I was lost, but
Jesus found me
Found the sheep
taht went astray
Threw His loving
arms around me
Drew me back
into His way.’
That is my testimony, short and simple and I could leave it
there but I think it’s worth sharing my story of how I became a Christian.
I believe that sharing the testimony of God’s saving grace in
an individual’s life is a powerful tool that He can use to draw people to
Himself.
‘Let the redeemed of the Lord say so who He has redeemed from
trouble’ Psalm 107 v 2
In October 1969 I left
home to go to Southampton to study Maths.
Like the hymn quoted ‘ I was lost’ though at that time in my
life I wasn’t really aware of it !
I had never been a particularly ambitious or academic sort ,
though having achieved some reasonably good ‘O’ and ‘A’ level grades I thought
I ought to go to university as this is what my teachers expected of me and what
many of my close friends were doing. Did
really want to study Maths for 3 years?
I was brought up in
a working class family in Bristol but my parents never pushed me to achieve
anything and I certainly didn’t have any goals. Perhaps goals isn’t too bad a
word to use here since I think I’d dreamed of playing football one day for Bristol
Rovers or City but as no ‘scouts’ came knocking on my door I assumed that my
modest ability with the ball at my feet wasn’t good enough!
My main interest and
pursuits during my school years were in playing rugby, soccer, athletics and
drinking ( not just water or pop !)
Leaving home to go
to uni was somewhat daunting having been very much a ‘homebird’ , rarely having spent more than a few days away
from home before. Arriving, case in hand, for my first term I found myself
living in digs with 2 other students , a good 2 miles from the campus. Anyway, I soon got to know my 2 room mates, Andy and
Martin. Martin was about to start a Chemistry degree but Andy was embarking on
the same course as myself. Being much more outgoing than me , Andy was the sort
of person who soon got to know the persons next to him in any queues formed (
of which there were many!) and so I found that by sticking close to him his
friends soon became mine too. I was also
pleased to have a friend from my school called Jim who was on my course too. We
struck up a good companionship even though we were quite different in many
ways. I began to adopt his laid-back
lifestyle of partying, smoking and drinking. Remember these were the days of ‘flower
power’, drink, drugs and tie-dye shirts ( and I did actually make my own and
hard though it may be to believe I did have very long hair !) Instead of
frequenting the Student Union bars and facilities, we often made our way to our
‘local’ about ¼ mile down the road, where we got our regular pint with sausage & beans to eat. After one pint it often became two or three or
more ! I suppose the drink was already beginning to control me rather than the other
way around. I believe there’s a very fine line between the two, between
so-called social drinking and drunkenness. I’ll never forget the wise words
uttered by one of the old-timers we got to know in this pub.
‘ Never think you can
drink to drown your sorrows. In my experience they’re good swimmers !’
How true that statement subsequently proved to be ! By the
end of my first term my interest in coursework and lectures was already beginning to wane ! If I wasn’t in
the bar, playing snooker or squash, I would be found in the common room playing
cards.
Amazingly I did just about enough to pass the first year,
probably because I did a lot more work
in the holiday periods, when I had less distraction . However Jim, and another
friend Darrel, dropped out of uni which was unsurprising considering their
preferred lifestyle choices. They stayed around the town, though, during the
following year and I saw and met up with them occasionally. I was sorely
tempted to quit too and join in their drug-fuelled lifestyle. I decided to
continue with my studies but also made what proved to be the unwise decision to
move out of digs and into a rather grimy insalubrious quarter of Southampton,
near the city centre, with a fellow Maths student, Dave. Here it took a lot
more effort to get into lectures with
the increased distance to the campus. I
soon began to feel isolated and lonely. I thought having a girlfriend might
help but it didn’t. Lesley was my first girlfriend and someone I got on well
with on the course. But I felt awkward around girls generally and my drinking
habits certainly didn’t help.
Then there came that fateful day, which in retrospect was a
significant turning point. For some reason I had quite a nasty boil appear on
my leg. I recalled ‘an old wives tale’ my mother once told me that if you
applied a hot bread poultice to such a problem it would help to heal it. I
foolishly thought it was worth a try so boiled the kettle and poured a small amount on to a chunk of
bread. As I held it precariously over the said boil and having second thoughts
, Dave came along and pressed my hand with bread in, firmly into the leg. Ouch
!! The pain was indescribable. I should have immediately applied cold water but
didn’t. The next day I could barely walk and had to be admitted to the Campus
Health Centre where I stayed for days to
be treated for a 2nd degree burn! It was here that I shared a dormitory with a
student who went by the nickname Reck. To be honest he also looked a bit of a
wreck too. It turned out that he was the outdoor adventure type and had
contracted a serious lung infection whilst out mountaineering. As part of his
daily ‘treatment’ the nurse would get him to turn over so that she could beat
his back. Despite this he was always full of good humour, talkative and
friendly towards me. He must have been the first real Christian I’d met or at
least the first to be open about his faith. Then of course I was a captive
audience so when he spoke about Christianity with such conviction I listened.
My
only connection with the church and the Bible had been at Sunday School when
very young . I t had meant very little too me and I must have driven my teacher spare. She may
well have been quite glad to see the back of me when I finally deserted at
about age 11 or 12. Anyway by then I’d ‘outgrown ‘ it. God had never been a
personal being to me but rather some invisible, unknowable being that if he
existed at all probably lived somewhere near the altar or ‘holy of holies’ at
the front! Now as I lay in this recovery unit, unable to ‘escape’,
I felt challenged by this young friend’s real faith and devotion. He had a Bible
by his bedside which he read openly and regularly and which he must having been
praying over. On one occasion I watched somewhat amazed when a couple of his
Christian friends came in to talk to him and pray at his bedside.
So this was for real ?
When my leg had healed and I was able to return to lectures,
I tried hard to put these things to the back of my mind. I usually sat near the
back of the lecture hall where I could observe everyone as they entered. I
noticed that one student always carried what looked to be a Bible with him at
all times! I didn’t know him at all at that stage. I just thought he was another
religious guy , not my type at all and one to be avoided! However this was
about to change.
I came to end of the Spring term in my 2nd
year. I was feeling pretty low and fed up at how things were going both in my
personal life and with the Maths course. I’d just broken up with my girlfriend
and felt life was empty.
As I was strolling
alone across the campus on my way to the Student Union building who should be
coming towards me but that Bible chap I mentioned from my course. He smiled at
me and I stopped. I have no idea now what we talked about but feeling the need
to chat with someone I briefly filled him in on how things were going.
Detecting that I looked burdened he suggested we have coffee together , so he
turned and we both went to the coffee bar. I learned his name was Ricky and
before long he began to share what a difference being a Christian had made to
his own life. ‘Oh so you have to become a Christian?’ I probably thought. He
seemed to have a good grasp of the Bible, not just in his hand but his heart! He shared relevant passage from it which quite
impressed me! I can’t remember which verses were read but I was struck by his
honesty and openness and willingness to listen. As we parted I gave him my
address and he said he would try to put me in touch with someone he knew.
Within a few days of arriving back at my parents’ home in Hanham , Bristol, the
door bell rang and a young man I vaguely knew from my old school was at the
door. He invited me to attend a local Baptist church for a Sunday service. Although
I still had some reservations I duly went along. I shall never forget the warm
handshake I was given by the steward, Bob, on door duty . In fact it was so firm and
long I wondered when he would ever let go! Apparently this was Bob’s custom to
everyone! I listened to the preaching and met a number of the young people
there and came through relatively unscathed, curious but not converted.
I can’t remember who
gave me a copy of the book by David Wilkerson, ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’
but once I’d started reading it I could barly put it down. It was the true
story of a skinny preacher who commissioned by his church 'down South’, risked
life and limb to preach the gospel in the drug –ridden , ganglands of New York.
There were regular fights between the two main gangs ............ and stabbings
were frequent ( what’s changed?)
Unperturbed by ridicule and opposition he stood in front of them and preached his message of
hope and new life to be found in Christ. Through perseverance and compassion
David eventually won over one of the fiercest gang members, the leader of one,
called Nicky Cruz. Through the love that David showed to him Nicky , and many
of these other rugged and ruthless souls were saved.
I believe God used
this story to draw me to Himself. I had also begun reading through John’s
gospel for the first time and I remember kneeling by my bedside praying quietly
inside. It must have been along the lines’ God if you’re there please reveal
yourself and please let me get my sleep back too’ I had been suffering with
anxiety and insomnia for a while. I found a holiday job which made me feel so
tired that at the end of the day I slept ok ! No coincidence.
I wasn’t sure if or when I became a Christian. I’d had no
supernatural experience that I could feel, no vision, no lights flashing ! but
I do believe this was a major turning point, the first in many that were to
follow. On returning to university at the start of a new term I soon met
Ricky. He came straight up to me and some of his first words were ‘ Have you
become a Christian?’ Almost without thinking I simply said ‘YES!’ He was
obviously delighted and it wasn’t long before we started meeting regularly for
prayer and studying the scriptures. He gave me a Bible Study leaflet to help me
search for passages before we met. The first study was called ‘The Work of
Christ’ which I noticed had been printed by the Navigators. I was soon to
discover that this organisation had nothing to do with sailing but that rather
they were an interdenominational Christian Mission to students. Although Ricky
wasn’t committed to their particular fellowship as he was a Christian Union
member, he said he could introduce me to some Navigator students who met in a
local house for a light lunch and a Bible study. The first time I attended I
felt a bit overwhelmed, nervous and out
of my depth ! There were about 12 men and girls all sat around on floor or
coaches discussing a portion of the Bible. They were led by a young man named
Mike Treneer. He and his wife, Chris, made me feel very welcome and there began
a long association with him and the Navigators Christian community.
When I finally
graduated with a 3rd class honours ( by the skin of my teeth and the
mercy of God ) I decided to spend another year in Southampton being discipled by
Mike as well as being part of a team that met regularly for prayer and
outreach. After applying for a few different jobs and getting nowhere I finally
decided to take a job as a Hspital porter at Southampton General . This was
supposed to be a temporary measure but turned out to be a year. During this
time I moved into a house with 3 other Christian men from the fellowship.
Finally , realising
that I had no ambition to become a head porter or suchlike, I finally sat down
, prayed and thought about my next step.
I applied and got accepted for a
PGCE course in Cardiff starting October 1973. As it happened a new Navigator
ministry had just begun there headed up by Martin and Marion cooper. There were
only about 3 or 4 students involved and that included me. It was a challenging
year , both academically and spiritually, trying to balance studies, teaching
practices, new friendships and Bible study meetings.
On gaining my PGCE, I
was offered my first post as a probationary teacher at a primary school in
Fairwater Cardiff. Gradually I became less and less involved with the Navigators and more committed to my Church, Heath
Evangelical.
However it was during
this period that I suffered from a serious and inexplicable bout of depression
which resulted in a short period in hospital and times of recuperation with my
parents in Bristol. Slowly with the love, prayers and friendships of other
believers I fully recovered and granted , as it says in the book of
Timothy, the spirit of ‘ love, power and
sound mind’!
Years later during my teaching
career and even after I’d got married and raised children and worked as a
teacher these dark days of depression
occasionally returned.
I met Sue in a young
people’s group that attended Heath Church.
We married in 1980 and moved into our first house in
Grangetown. This was where our first child and only daughter was born,
Rosalina. At the time I was teaching at Severn Rd. School, Canton. Subsequently
we moved to the Heath district. By 1986 our family had enlarged .First Martin ,
then Joseph was given to us. I was transferred to Baden Powell Primary School .
Here I spent over 30 years , with its many challenging yet rewarding times. I eventually
took on the role of P.E. and R.E. co-ordinator.
In 1996 Timothy, our late addition was born and completed the family.
In 2016 we sold our rather cramped terrace house in Rhiwbina,
Cardiff and moved to Pontypridd, We both felt that this was the right thing to do , especially as God undertook for us in amazing ways ( but that’s another
story!). We live in a beautiful detached dormer bungalow with a great deal of
space both inside and out and I still wake up sometimes, pinch myself, and marvel at the
magnificent views across the valley towards the pine forests and miles beyond!
It is as though God has blessed us with a new lease of life and opened up new
opportunities to serve Him.
‘Great is your
faithfulness’ could never be truer.
I leave with more the words from one of my favourite hymns that I
mentioned at the start:-
‘
3
|
I was bruised, but Jesus healed me;
Faint was I from many a fall;
Sight was gone, and fears possessed me,
But He freed me from them all.
|
4
|
Days of darkness still come o’er me,
Sorrow’s paths I often tread,
But the Saviour still is with me;
By His hand I’m safely led.
|
5
|
He will keep me till the rapture,
Day by day He’ll wash my feet,
And will transform all my nature
That in glory we may meet.
|
