Alive, real and so true

Some things stay engraved in your mind forever because they had a profound effect on you when first heard them.

And so it proved for me.

It was 25 years ago, shortly after I decided that there was a God, that I heard him described as the most proactive person on earth and in eternity.

It was a bold statement and I needed it explained.

Journalists ask questions. We are professional ‘nosey parkers’ – it's what we do, often whilst presenting a cynical and hard-bitten edge.

By and large we are boozers too, and I'd certainly done more than my share of that before walking into a church one evening and after prayer found I never wanted to do touch a drop again.

Finding God should have been enough – but I needed to know that the Creator was who he said he was. And I didn’t have to wait long.

The moment arrived when the leader of my new church sat me down for my first chat about it all and made what I still consider an extraordinary revelation. His words have stuck in my mind ever since.

Currently there are 7.6 billion people alive today. Multiply that over 21 centuries (and a few) and goodness knows what the figure will be? Extend it into the future and it becomes way beyond mind-blowing.

But here's the thing: every single one of those individuals that has lived, is living or are yet to come, will and have had their own individual fingerprints; nobody's has ever been duplicated, which really explains why God says we are all his ‘kids’.

If ever there was a better case for believing in intelligent design – or a Creator God – I've yet to hear it!

While on the subject of mind-sticking statements, that same pastor also said that when we pray (and I've yet to meet anyone who refuses it in times of trouble), we'd better make sure whoever we are saying our prayers to can hear!

So, in choosing Christianity, I reckon I made the right choice because as my pastor explained: ‘It's the only one who has a founder who is still alive and thus can indeed listen and answer.’

And I have found this to be true on so many, many occasions.

Hugh Southon is the founder of the Claret & Hugh website and a respected freelance journalist.