
Originally Posted by
thestreetsinger
My parents were to wrapped up in their own problems to care and us children were left to pretty much fend for ourselves, I was in trouble with the police by the age of 12 and would have been put away but for the fact that I was with the sons of the mayor. on leaving school my life led me through various jobs a time in the army, a time in the merchant navy and a time in a probation hostel, I was not what you might call good. After a failed marriage, I met my present wife and ended up playing music on the street. The moment I set foot on the street I knew in my spirit that this was what I had to do It was the first time I felt the spirit but didn't know it at the time. The years passed and I had no interest in faith. Being a street singer I was targeted by many evangelists, who would tell me about Jesus, but I'd have none of it and send them packing, I mean, they all wore suits. One evening a bunch of friends were hanging out in a room stoned and we were debating creation verses evolution. The conclusion was reached that it had to be creation because everything was perfect and couldn't have come from the chaos of a big bang. We came also to a second conclusion, that God had made a mistake in creating man who was destroying everything that he had made. The final analysis was that Being so cool he wouldn't make such a silly mistake and there had to something more. A friend threw a miniature new testament across to me and said that what it contained was the something more. It landed open on my lap and Jesus was telling Pilate that he was King of a Kingdom, that was not of this world. As I had felt all my life that I didn't belong, I started to read what he was saying and realised that if the world took on board what he was saying we would be in paradise, from that moment on I had an interest in Jesus and started to call myself a Christian. Around that time Helen and I lived in a room in a house of ill repute, containing prostitutes buskers, drug dealers, and young people from abroad. One day a couple of men came into the house and raped a young woman in the next room, I new of these men and people would steer clear of them. One of these men went to America and we didn't hear of him for ten years, until one day another friend said he was back and had gone all religious, you can imagine our scepticism. I met him in a friends music shop and it was like meeting a different man, he asked me if I was a Christian and I told him I was. He asked me if I was born again, I had never heard of this and told him that God knew I was a Christian and so did Jesus and I didn't need him to tell me I wasn't. Over the next couple of years we became quite close as he had an amazing ability to explain the scriptures. I was still however sinning and that sin brought my marriage to the brink of ruin, my wife had started to look in other directions leaving me feeling desperate and helpless. It was then that God spoke into my heart. He asked me if I had figured out the purpose of my life. I told him I wouldn't know where to start and I felt him say how about giving my way a go. When I asked him what his way was I felt him say it was in the book. I knew then that I had to do what Brian had eluded to and become born again. I said the sinners prayer and became born again, I can't say at that time anything amazing happened but I did feel as though I belonged. Helen, at that time was extremely confused friends were telling her to go for it and finnish with me but Helen knew how it would hurt our children, She saw that my new faith had started a change in me so she got on her knees and said the prayer as well. not long after that we started going to a methodist church and got to love the people there but on one occasion when Helen and I were having a hard time they sided with Helen,which we both thought was unfair so we left. Being in need of fellowship we opened our home to people of like mind and the house started to fill. We heard of A man called John Wimber and started to be influenced by his ministry, the Spirit started to attend our meetings and we've never looked back. I now have a relationship that people dream of, all my children have made committment and all but my son Jesse are moving in faith, he is on what I call his prodigal. I hope this isn't too long.