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Growing up in a home in Cork where my father was a Church of Ireland minister meant that I was surrounded by a lot of church activity. Most of this I was happy to be part of, yet I rarely found it to have great application or meaning in my own life. The fact that both my father and mother were so sincere in their faith meant that I never felt I could reasonably rebel.
During my teenage years, the highlight of my summer holidays was to attend Scripture Union camps. Not only did these camps provide a fun holiday but they also opened up a fresh, new understanding of how personal faith in Jesus was special. These times were extremely significant and were high points in my faith, yet life usually returned to a much lower spiritual plateau for the rest of the year— I often questioned if Jesus was all He claimed to be.
Later as a college student in Dublin, I made up my mind to find out for myself if Christianity was real or not. I got involved in the college Christian Union with other friends and questioned everything….was Jesus who He claimed to be?…are all world religions basically the same?….is there life after death?…etc. etc.
One of the most significant discoveries for me during this time came through studying the facts behind the resurrection of Jesus. History, archaeology, and modern science add a huge weight of evidence to the facts that Jesus was much more than just a human being. The compelling proofs of these facts have, without doubt, had a far greater impact on my future than my college degree or any job that I have ever held since. We spend most of our lives in search of meaning – and looking for peace and purpose. I would have to say with full sincerity that I have discovered in Jesus Christ the greatest reason for hope in the future. I do take His promises much more seriously in my life since realising the weight of evidence there is to prove His super-natural existence.
Now over twenty years later I am more convinced than ever that Jesus’ claims in the Bible are true, and can apply to each one of us personally. He has promised that God’s love and peace is the greatest treasure that any person can discover. Death is not the end and if heaven is anything like the Bible claims it to be then I want to be part of it.
However God has not promised that the Christian life will be without its ups and downs. Like everyone else I guess I have experienced the same pressures of family life, business, and everyday living. Yet the “hope� that God has given me has greatly helped me to put these “pressures� in perspective and I have found Christian values and principles are applicable to everyday living - not just Sundays.
Basil is married to Glynis and has 4 children. He lives in Shankill, Co. Dublin. He is a hotelier in Dublin and Cork
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