I was born in the Salvation Army's hostel for unmarried mothers in Benwell, Newcastle Upon Tyne, the illegitimate son of an art student in the summer of love, father unknown. I remained nameless for 6 months, abandoned.
I grew up with an angry Stepfather and a suicidal Mum. Once we took her to hospital to have her stomach pumped and it was all my fault. But I remember where I spent time with my Dad alone and those were happy times. I could escape to my Gran’s for the weekend and had my own box of cigarettes that I could smoke.
I got my first Bible when I was eight. I read about King James and then the genealogies of Matthew and it remained an ornament for 18 years. I had a Gideons and it became my hope and I wished so that the Bible was true. I was manically depressed for 2 years and saw no point in living if I was to end up like my parents and how could I ever amount to anything?
God spoke to me and I searched someone out. I came to know Jesus and He was the answer. They were times of greatest success and greatest failure and the ‘locust years’ gave birth to 7 years of divorce. One night eating curry and drinking beer He walked in the room and asked me a question, reminding me of when we had first met.
Here I am now with a new hope.