Tony
Tony
Tony is a surgeon who, along with his wife Ann (who is a nurse), takes regular trips to West Africa to arrange and carry out complicated facial surgery on those most in need, who don’t otherwise have access to adequate medical care.
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I was confronted with a loving God who had torn himself apart on the cross and… I was challenged to ask God’s forgiveness and to say, “You died for me, I will live for you.”
I was raised a Catholic but at Uni soon decided I was an atheist. In my second year, a Biblical Studies student showed me Psalm 22. She was not a Christian but was puzzled by this Psalm which seems to speak of Jesus’ experiences on the cross. However, it was written around 1000 years before Jesus was born. This intrigued me. I considered Christians biased but did start exploring the Bible by myself.
On my birthday, 4 months later, I agreed to go to a Christian Student meeting, mainly because a lift in a sports car was on offer! By coincidence, the postgraduate driver turned out to have an interest in how Jesus fulfilled Biblical prophecies and so the two of us got into a discussion after the meeting. He showed me many Bible passages that seemed to refer to Jesus. Amazingly, the Bible had answers to my many questions. I began to see a pattern unfolding and, eventually, I became convinced that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah and that He must have risen from the dead. Two things convinced me: the fulfilled prophecies and the changed lives of his followers. Scared men became brave enough to give their lives for what I had assumed was a lie, whilst preaching truth and love. Not only that, but I was confronted with a loving God who had torn Himself apart on the cross and with the fact that my own imperfections had torn me apart from Him. I was challenged to ask God’s forgiveness and to say, ”You died for me, I will live for you”. I realized that not to do so would be the most foolish thing I had ever done. It was almost midnight. I was more than a bit reluctant, as I hadn’t thought this would be the outcome of the evening. But, assured that God would hear me, I silently prayed, committing myself to follow Jesus.
As I look back over the years, 22 of them as a member of this church, I can honestly say that, despite my many failings, God has given me a life that has been better – and more exciting – than I could possibly have imagined! I have a wonderful wife and family, true friends and a job that I really enjoy. I continue to find my relationship with Him and others amazingly fulfilling and remain excited about the future.