"My stand as an atheist was being questioned. Reading this famous Gospel provoked questions and I was looking for answers..." I'm 49 years old and currently working as a cleaner - though I'm a signwriter by trade. I'm also an ex-serviceman. Lorraine is my wife, we have no children. My passions are theology; history and archeology - I believe these subjects have messages for modern man because of their constant connections with the Bible. This story is about me - a man on a mission to share with whoever will listen, the tremendous importance of The Christ. My story could be your story too.
I first met Jim Beggs in 1976. I was a young soldier serving in Ulster.
I had a career and was doing just fine! And then Jim walked into my barrack room. He was an upfront Irishman with a mission to explain to us young men about Jesus Christ and our need of Him. Well, he must have got used to being snubbed, because he was unstoppable. Soon, however, the only person listening was me. 20 years old and a confirmed atheist. Young man, he said, you're a soldier. You could die here. Are you ready to meet God? And are your sins forgiven? Well, I had no wish to turn into a Bible thumping fundamentalist, nevertheless, I was blessed with a youthful open-mindedness. And then Jim quoted a verse from John's Gospel, in so doing he exposed me to some of the most significant and profound words ever written. The verse said something about 'Living Water' and I didn't understand, but I was intrigued. Jim gave me a New Testament and I began to read John's Gospel and ponder the very deepest questions of life. My stand as an atheist was being questioned. Reading this famous Gospel provoked questions and I was looking for answers. Over the next few months I asked Jim questions like 'Did Jesus have a sex life?' He was unfazed and answered as best he could. Of course there are questions for which there are no complete answers, but I was sure that Jim and his Christian friends had a special inner quality that I have found nowhere else. They had something and whatever that something was, I wanted it. Despite this I was unwilling to ask God for forgiveness and to commit to Christ in a meaningful way. I was trying to live life in the twilight zone between commitment and denial. This led to suicidal feelings. I could not go on like this and it was Jim who said 'Alan, you've got to choose'. And so one night, I knelt down, by my narrow army bed and prayed an honest prayer. I chose Christ and my journey began. | 
