Faith-full!

Saturday 23 Feb 2008

I had originally planned to cycle to Buckden Towers this morning to get to my Alpha Course, but decided that I wanted to be fresh for a planned 80 mile ride with Tim tomorrow so I opted for a day off cycling!

The Alpha Course, focused on the Holy Spirit. I was Christened when I was young, and went to Sunday School, but as a family going to church was reserved for Christenings, weddings and funerals. This is not something I would like to change, there is no way I would have been able to play football three times at a weekend if we had gone to church on a Sunday morning!

In fact not being a cradle Christian has allowed me to discover the spiritual side of my life slowly over a period of nearly 20 years! From supporting my wife, Clare, with her faith, watching our children's faith grow through their school and church life, to seeing and experiencing the love and support of our local Catholic community in Bishop's Stortford.

Our Heart of Faith group meet a couple of times a month, thanks to the wonderful hospitality of Kevin and Rachel Pugh. They open their house on a Saturday night, we all bring and share food - we just feast on whatever people bring! Rachel and Kevin have a wonderful family, full of talented musicians and dancers!

The musicians get out their drums, guitars, keyboards and we have a great time of praise! We look at the weeks Gospel and we pray together, we are thankful, but also offer prayers for those we know need them. Something 20 years ago I would have never seen myself doing, but something that if I now go too long without I begin to thirst for.

The all day Alpha Course helped me realise that being a Christian didn't mean I had to be somebody different! It helped me realise that opening my heart to God's love I can be more me!

Getting back from the Alpha Course, we had a quick turn-round and out to the Heart of Faith group. Clare had cooked the most wonderful root vegetable caserole - something that Abbey now wants her to cook for her wedding reception in two weeks time - at Buckden Towers! A place I a really looking forward to going back to!