One2oneInterview

Periodically over the next year I intend to do a series of interviews on my blog. I will be interviewing a wide range of people, all with important stories to tell. So watch out for the One2one series over the coming weeks. In this first interview I chat to a new Christian about his experience so far. So sit back and enjoy the read.

It was our second night in Sacriston, North east England.

We had just moved from Liverpool and someone had invited us to a community event at the local high School.

On this night, I met Gaz for the first time. We shook hands and the first thing he said to me was that his wife went to the Church that we had been appointed to oversee, but stressed that he didn’t go.

Gaz is a hard working North East guy who works in the physically demanding role of a mechanic.

Little did I know that night that God was up to something?

Little did I know that he was making a spiritual connection in the form of a relationship that would be crucial for Gaz and also crucial for me?

Gaz was not a Christian when I first met him.

He is now!

He has a story to tell. I recently interviewed him for this blog-post. As we chatted in an empty Church building one ordinary Tuesday night. He said some extraordinary things.

In the simplicity of his answers to my questions, I think Gary speaks a message to us guys who say we are church. I think he says some profound things that have a lot to do with mission, and how we need to be compelled to the mission field from the comfort of the church community.

Here is the transcript of the interview.

Be challenged as a new Christian speaks with honesty and raw truthfulness.

Me: Gaz, what was life like before we first met each other?

Gaz: I didn’t go to Church or anything. I’d been occasionally but although no-one forced me I always went unwillingly. Life just trundled along.

Me: What was life at that time

Gaz: Very busy! It was monotonous and i didn’t get much time to socialise. I also have a small family so it is difficult to socialise etc, but I went out with mates for an occasional drink so it was a pretty normal life.

Me: At that time what did you think about God?

Gaz: I really didn’t understand anything about God. I was one of those people who deep down thought there maybe something in that God thing, but really didn’t know what if that makes any sense? I probably sat on the fence about God. I had been to Sunday school as a kid so I knew about Church but not about God really. I knew that people went to Church and sang a few songs but that is as far as it went.

Me: When do you think you started to understand more about God?

Gaz: I think everybody is different, but i got to a point in life, you know, you’re working hard, looking after your family, you are sort of on a treadmill that seems to be going nowhere. It kind of grinds you down you know? I hated to ask for help, and got to a point that I thought it was going to be hard to recover from. I got to such a low point; my life seemed to be going nowhere. And strangely when I hit that point faith and God and all that stuff seemed to come to my mind.

Me: can you kind of describe that low point a bit more Gaz?

Gaz: I just woke up one morning and really didn’t feel like facing the world. I literally felt like I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t face work for the first time in my life. I felt tired and it was bordering on depression. And I just couldn’t face the world. I went to the doctors; I was run down, tired, I had absolutely nothing left in me to give. I had a lack of energy and no motivation left. The doctor didn’t do much but signed me off for a few weeks. In this time I knew I needed help.

Me: So what did you do about that?

Gaz: I think I prayed. Probably without knowing it was prayer. I wouldn’t say I prayed out loud, but I remember lying in bed one day and I prayed in my head. It was a kind of last resort. It was an alien thing for me to do. I couldn’t pray out loud because it felt so stupid. But I prayed for a turnaround in my life. I think I was desperate, and my prayer was just “help me out of this state please!”

Me: around this time what was your impression of Church?

Gaz: To me it was a structured institution. It seemed to have lots of rules and regulations and that caused a kind of mental barrier that made it hard for me to walk through a church door.

Me: so it didn’t appeal to you then?

Gaz: Er? No!

Me: Did you get the impression Church goers were weird or something?

Gaz: Maybe not weird as such but you formulate a kind of picture of a church person. Usually involving a blue rinse and a stern attitude!

Me: was that one of the barriers then?

Gaz: Yes definitely. To the world I think there is a stigma attached to the Church because of its attitudes, rules etc. People seemed to laugh at Christians; they seemed to be a bit of a joke! And I didn’t want people laughing at me. So a barrier forms in your head. People I know relate it to songs of praise on the TV and to be honest that doesn’t inspire you to go to Church!

Me: So Gaz, you started coming to Church regularly three years ago now, would you say you came because you were looking for something deeper in life?

Gaz: Yeah, firstly the Church I go to I was shocked to find isn’t your stereotypical Church, I like the openness and the acceptance. When I started coming I needed something deeper, something more in life.

Me: A deeper understanding of God maybe?

Gaz: Yeah, I was on that treadmill I mentioned and something inside my mind was saying, “There has to be more than this?” I felt like chucking it all in, and I was desperate for something more.

Me: Now you are involved in a Christian community. What’s changed in your life?

Gaz: well for example five years ago I couldn’t even look at a bible. Now I find it so interesting. Now you can’t just start liking the bible!  Something, something spiritual I guess, sort of triggers it. All of a sudden I couldn’t put it down!

Me: would you say you became a Christian around this time?

Gaz: Well, I can’t say there was a particular point that i became a Christian, that I began to believe in Jesus, It crept up on me, it was kind of gradual thing. I began to believe that it had to be true especially as I read the scriptures and chatted things through every week with you.

Me: So you think scripture is changing you?

Gaz: yeah, I know it’s having an influence on me, you know, on the shape of my life. It’s a gradual thing with me. It can’t change my life overnight, but I think its impacting my life for the better. It’s given me a change of direction in my life, kind of got me off the treadmill.

Me: what about prayer? How do you find praying?

Gaz: I find it easier. Recently I have developed a better understanding of prayer. But mostly I realise how important it is to my relationship with God.

Me: Has prayer had any impact? Any examples Gaz?

Gaz: well, going back two years ago I prayed a practical thing. I prayed for a change of career I had come to the end of my patience working in the job I was in and needed a change. After I prayed that God would get me out of there, amazingly, an opportunity came to take voluntary redundancy. I took it. It could have been a stupid thing to do at the height of a recession, but I did it. I had an overwhelming feeling that it was the right thing to do. I also had a feeling that another job was waiting for me. So I left my job and took several months off. I prayed that I would get a job. It wasn’t going to well, the job hunting, but I prayed. I woke up one morning and had a strong feeling that I needed to get up and take my CV around some garages. So I got up went to about 10 garages and dropped off my CV. I just knew that day I was going to get a job. On the very last call of the day after having no real success in any of the other garages, I went in to see the boss at the last call. He said come back tomorrow and have a chat. The next day I went back and he gave mean job on a six month contract which was better than nothing. Two years later I am still on that six month contract! Still working there! 

Me: that's miraculous really Gaz! So do you believe prayer works?

Gaz: yeah definitely.

Me: What about sharing your faith with others? I remember you saying to me you could never do that! What about now?

Gaz: It is easier now. It doesn't seem strange at all. I just want to do it. You get an overwhelming feeling that you have to do it. Also turn your Christianity into action. Just a few weeks ago I just felt God wanted me to clean up the car park at the Church so I just did it. There are so many ways to reach out and help. I just know we have to do it. Who else will reach the people for God if the Church don't?

Me: What kind of struggles have you come up against since becoming a Christian?

Gaz: I'll give you an example. My parents are both in I'll health. My mam particularly is suffering from a torturous condition. It's horrible to watch her deteriorate. I find it hard to connect how great God is with how I'll my mam is. It's a mystery. I can't seem to fathom it out. But I pray for my mam and I have learned to learn the lessons from it. Particularly that life is precious.

Me: If there is one thing you would want to say to a person who is maybe struggling like you were what would it be?

Gaz: Yeah, whatever your lot in life, wether you are rich or poor, whatever your situation. Getting to know Jesus will truly lift you. I've found it has helped me so much.

Me: And if there was one thing you would say to the Church?

Gaz: we can make a difference in the world. And I would say make the bible the number one thing. The whole lot is meaningless without the bible. From the bible we can help shape society for the better!

Me: Thanks Gaz so much.

This guy is a living example and visible evidence that Jesus Christ is touching this broken world. This story gives hope. Hope to the Church and hope for the world. The fact is Gary gets it! He gets the link between prayer and mission and the amazing thing is that he has naturally allowed that to happen in his life. He understands about breathing in God and breathing out God in a missional sense. He is a living example of the missio Dei- God already working in our streets, our communities, our cities, our Nations. God is still saving people, still transforming lives and communities

Gaz was lost. But God and him have connected

There are millions of Gary's worldwide. And we are the hope  this world.

The Church.

The only hope as We join Jesus in his saving work.