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I was in my early 30s and had been approached by several people to become a minister

My Bible: reasons to believe in the power of the Bible

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‘I was in my early 30s and had been approached by several people to become a minister. I thought, “Not me. You are joking.” I was working at the GPO. It seemed like a good reliable job. I had a wonderful free life, a good salary, I travelled and met lots of people.

‘I didn’t see the idea of a minister being for me. I thought ministers were posh and came from proper schools and universities. I had bunked off school and left when I was 15. I saw myself as someone who was ordinary. I came from a council estate.  

‘But one Saturday night I had a vivid dream seeing myself preaching in the pulpit. I woke up feeling quite disturbed. When I got to church that morning, I had to do the reading, which was from Luke 4. I got to verse 18 and stopped. Verse 18 says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

‘I probably only stopped reading for a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. A voice in my head said, “Now will you put yourself forward?” I thought, “It’s no good, I have to.” I was licenced in 1987 and here we are 33 years later and I’m still doing what I know God called me to do. I’m still supported by that verse.  

‘When I preach, I want to bring to people the idea that everyone is worthy of God’s love and everyone is someone in God’s eyes. That’s how I hope they will feel and that’s helped me to feel that too.’

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