Skip to main content

I always took God seriously

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

‘I always took God seriously. I was in the choir at school. I can remember that we never sang the last few verses of Psalm 95. I must have been aged about eight or nine and asked why and was told that they were unsuitable for Christian worship. Even as a child, I knew you had to take the whole package, not just the bits that you liked. 

‘When I was 11 I decided that I wanted to be ordained, but I didn’t tell my parents until I was 13. When I was 15 I read the Bible through for the first time. It just seemed to have a lot of common sense in it to me, and I knew that that was how I wanted to live my life. 

‘It is extremely sad to me that eight or nine-year-olds aren’t engaging with the Bible as I was able to do then. I would like children to be able to learn about the Bible at school as I did. 

‘I went on to be ordained when I was 25 and was curate in various places for about 10 years and then was a vicar. I always thought it was so important to help the children in the local communities to engage with the Bible. I think that God, in his wisdom, gave me that exposure to the Bible when I was a child. I was very, very fortunate.’

Do you have a story to share? Email [email protected]


More Stories

I had some dark times in my life when I lacked certainty

I had some dark times in my life when I lacked certainty and John 6.37 gave me the thought that I didn’t have to be perfect. I realised that, lo and behold, I wasn’t perfect.

I went through a period in the pandemic of quite poor mental health

I went through a period in the pandemic of quite poor mental health. I had previously been diagnosed with OCD and general anxiety. They were well-managed, but in the job I was in and with things at home, I became quite poorly...

Yesterday, I became aware that I wasn’t really trusting God and his promises

Yesterday, I became aware that I wasn’t really trusting God and his promises. It’s the everyday things that preoccupy me: financial worries, an elderly mother.

I was raised a non-believing family

I was raised a non-believing family. We scoffed at the idea of there being a God when it was brought up at the CofE primary school I attended.

The Bible has always been important for me

The Bible has always been important for me, and I realised that when I was young. Proverbs 3.5–6 is the ethos of my life

I’m a retired dentist, and about 30 years ago I was involved in a project in Romania

I’m a retired dentist, and about 30 years ago I was involved in a project in Romania, to provide dental care for Romanian orphans and support the local health services. It was a special time. There was so much potential...

Want to share how the Bible has impacted your life? Email [email protected]

Read the Bible icon Read the Bible
Open the full Bible