Never The Same Again
 Living the Dream
It’s August 1997. After 12 years of dedicated practice and burning desire, I’m in Munich, Germany, competing on the European Golf Tour. There are 10,000 spectators. My wife and family are watching at home on Sky. I’m playing against some of the world’s top players and I’m about to hit a shot that could win me the event and more money then I had ever dreamed of. All I could think was, “Life simply can’t get any better than this. I’m living the dream!”
My name is Carl and far from living the dream, I felt empty, hard, and was addicted to internet lust.
I worked 70 to 80 hour weeks and had no time for friends, family or my wife. Two years later we were divorced. During the next 10 years I started coaching, as opposed to playing golf, remarried, had three boys and re-located to the south of England, all in a bid to find happiness.
In July 2008 new friends of ours went on a family holiday which turned out to be a disaster costing them both time and money. Throughout their adversity, which would have driven me to complete self-destruction, they kept this amazing positive attitude and calmness. I was intrigued! A few weeks later they invited my family to church, so out of pure curiosity we went.
My preconceived impression of church being stuffy, old and quiet immediately changed. The warmness, support, band playing upfront and family focus made us feel incredibly welcome. During the visit I found out about the Alpha Course; an opportunity to ask whatever questions I had about God, Jesus and the church, of which there were plenty. Near the end of the 10 week course I felt compelled to give my life to Jesus.
I am now assured of the answer for my life. I look back at my life in bewilderment at the selfish choices I have made, the people I hurt and the love I lost. Yet through Jesus I have been saved. Someone who simply doesn’t deserve a second chance at life has one. That sums up Jesus, He has compassion, patience, kindness, love and He forgives all, traits I knew nothing about. My marriage is blossoming and my boys are a priority, as are my friends. Life with Jesus will simply never be the same again.
 My Road to Peace
Hi, my name is Jackie, I’m married to Carl and we have three gorgeous boys. Being brought up as a Catholic from birth my experience of church was boring, cold and unfriendly. I stopped going when I was a teenager as I decided there were more important things to life. The ups and downs of life took me away from church for 25 years.
Along the way through my life I got caught up with lots of challenges; a broken marriage, poor choices of partners, excessive drinking, over- working, debt, cancer and more. Through certain times in my life I had thought that someone must be up there looking after me as the things I got involved in should have left me ill, or worse. I had lots of questions. How were we created? What happens when you die? Who has been looking after me? I never knew it could be something quite so amazing.
I married again, and my new husband Carl helped me on the way to happiness. But it came to a point after three children that we were struggling. We had a very boring, mundane life that was empty and
left me feeling unloved and alone a lot of the time.
A friend of mine got me thinking. She had invited me a few times to a course called Alpha to learn about Jesus. I kept turning her down until late 2008 when curiosity got the better of me. I decided to find out more about this God she was talking about.
Wow! All my questions were answered and I found out it was God who had been looking after me.
I came to realize that He loved me so much that He sent His only Son to die on a cross for all my wrong doings. I let Jesus into my life.
My New Fresh Start
Now I have a relationship with God who is always loving, looking after me and protecting me. My marriage is full of love and has a great focus and depth. I have a great relationship with my children, a church family and a great sense of love and peace. I feel loved like never before.
If you would like to become a Christian then you can pray this prayer:
"Jesus I am sorry for all the things I have done wrong. I thank you that you died on the cross for me and were raised to life. I turn away from anything that displeases you and invite you to come into my life."
Stories taken from Carl and Jackie's 'Personal Tracts' created by www.personaltract.com |