When I was seven years old I ‘met’ God. Not at church or the Sunday School where my parents took me most weekends, but in secret: on my own, under my duvet, in my bedroom. It was extraordinary but ordinary at the same time: I just suddenly knew God was in the room with me, though I couldn’t see, hear, or touch him. It was the start of what became a lifelong friendship with him that has lasted the highs and lows of life events experienced by many: times of joy followed by times of sorrow; times of feeling close to him and other times of wondering if I was imagining it all… as well as several miracles sprinkled along the way, as recounted in my first book, Friend of God
Then early one morning several years ago I started my usual morning prayer (by which I simply mean chatting with God – telling him what was on my heart and asking what was on his). I began to experience an overwhelming sensation of love – something I had experienced a few times before, but never at such an intense level. I slipped to my knees full of gratitude and reciprocal love, and asked what I could do for God. I immediately thought I had said the most stupid thing, but he replied like it was the question he had been waiting for me to ask. He said “I want to be known”.
I’d like to say I responded to his call immediately, but it took me another year or so to figure out what I could do – and even then I didn’t fully realise what I was doing. I wrote my memoir about the story of my friendship with God; I collated and edited an Advent anthology showing how the Old Testament reveals Jesus; I wrote a devotional (and companion prayer journal) helping people to find Jesus even in dry and difficult ‘wilderness’ seasons. And most recently I’ve written a novel – my first work of fiction but with the same heart message as my previous books – an invitation to friendship with God. And somewhere along the way I came to realise that this was in fact what God had asked me to do: to make him known. Not the ‘head-knowledge’ of a theoretical concept, belief-system, or religious figurehead. He wants to be known – personally and relationally – as a friend. It’s what he created us for and it’s what Jesus came to restore us to.
So while I do not feel a particularly skilled writer – I am no expert theologian or professional minister – I do have the simple but enormous privilege, available to everyone – including you – of being a friend of God. And because of his great love I have devoted my writing to helping people everywhere meet him personally so they can decide if they want to be friends with him too. Hence my books, my blogs, and my website.
And that’s why I’m here! Feel free to have a nosey around this site, and if you have any questions, I’d love to hear from you! xx