My name is Roger Stone, and I have been a Christian for about 20 years.  I am part of the leadership team at Astley, and have been an Independent Methodist Minister for the past few years.

I grew up in an all male household, including my dad, and four older brothers.  My Father and Mother broke up when I was still five years old.  My Father looked after the children, and at times, things were tough.

None of my immediate family were Christians, or even Church attenders.  My grandparents on dad's side were lifelong Churchgoers, but lived too far away to influence me.  As far as I recall, I didn't know anyone who was a Christian, or who claimed to be saved.  My recollections of childhood include the fact that I grew up quite bitter, with an enormous chip on my shoulder, and I hated women.

Although I attended a Church based primary school, it is perhaps remarkable, that I never heard the Gospel there!  I heard references about Jesus.  Some other Bible characters were mentioned too.  Yet the Gospel story was never explained, at least, not to me.  You could say, that Christian ethics were taught to unsaved kids.  Apart from that, the Word of God had no impact on us.

I suppose when I look back, the Bible was a mysterious book that required someone with super intelligence to make sense of it.  Of course, when I look back from where I am now, I realise that there were times when the Lord had touched my life.  I just couldn't see it then; I was blind.  I mean, spirtually blind.

It would take years of God's patience before I was able to come to Christ.  I played football at a Methodist Church youth club where, I know now, people were praying for me.  I met Susan, my future wife, when I was nineteen.  A wonderful woman, also a Christian, who has given me four beautiful children.  I sat listening to the Minister who married us (Harold Bevan), while he explained about his "relationship with God".  He was supposed to be talking to us about the forthcoming ceremony, but most of it went out through the other ear anyway.  Not only was I spirtually blind, I was spirtually deaf.  I could neither see nor hear the Gospel, even when someone tried to explain it to me!

It was some years later, and my wife had been attending the services at Astley on a regular basis.  Only because I promised to go with her, and our two eldest children, did I end up one Sunday evening service sat there at the back myself.  I enjoyed it, because the people were sincere, and friendly to me.  So I continued to go along a few times.

The Gospel was preached faithfully, and regularly during the services.  People were praying for me a lot; prayer was a vital part of that fellowship.  I found myself becoming more conscious of all the things I had ever done wrong.  I had supposed, up until then, that going to Church generally made people feel better, but somehow, I felt worse!

What I hadn't bargained for, was just how serious man's sin is.  I hadn't understood how serious my sin was, and how that sin had seperated me from God.  This was the reason why I hadn't been able to see, or hear, in the past.  Yet now, I was beginning to see.

Things made more sense as I began to do some simple Bible study, and mingle with the fellowship during the week, as well as at Sunday services.  I became more aware of the Lord as a real person.  I would talk to Him.  I began to pray about things, to see what would happen.

One day whilst I was sat looking at my new Bible, the Lord spoke right into me.  It wasn't the Word I had been reading.  It was a voice inside of me (that's the best way I can describe it).  That voice said, "Don't you know I have forgiven you for everything you have ever done?".  I stood up suddenly.  I didn't think about standing up, I just did.  As I stood up, the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ came into me, and I was saved.  I knew I was saved.

Now I understood.  Now I could see.  Now, I knew the difference between Churchgoers, and someone who was actually saved.  Now I understood without being told by anyone else, that I was saved with a purpose.  That as well as being given eternal life myself, I was called to something else.

The past twenty years has been a process of discovery.  Continually discovering, and finding out what God is leading me to next.  It has been a time in which I have seen other people saved too.  Other people prayed for, whose lives have been touched by Jesus Christ.  An exicting life, and yet, sometimes a struggle.  As long as I live, I don't believe I will ever stop discovering new things through my life in Christ.  This is the life I want to share with you.