The book that will change your life, your heart and your nation

I grew up in a Christian home whatever that means, our family Bible sat in the hallway bookshelf to be dusted off for crossword puzzles and when mum would read at church. I got my own copy for school aged 11 and it was like any other text book just sitting in my bag or my locker. Then there was the one I got when made my confirmation from my mother's God mother which I preceded to cover in stickers and took with me to Sunday night bible study but never would open otherwise. When Grandma died the family one arrived all 20lb of it to go in the lounge under one of the chairs. My brother had a cool youth bible, and later there was the message which one of the cool kids in our bible study had. I never valued this book that would be put out on every other chair every Sunday morning in church and would be good for 2 across 'who was the fifth king of Israel'.

Like many of my peers I fell away and ended up at university not really sure where this God I had loved once was but I knew that he didn't care about my life. Of course he did care he knew he drew me back and I found myself in the Christian union and at a church where I was alone. I had 20 essential books that I had brought with me one of which I had read almost every night since I was child by that point. Ballet shoes by Noel Streatfield. I valued books I looked after my books but well not the Bible. Then I met a girl at university- let's call her Rose* ( not her real name), and that changed everything. There are some Friends you have that change your life for better or worse and she was one of them.

Rose was a friend of mine at university she was serious about her faith and that intrigued me but what intrigued me more was that she was serious about the Bible. I couldn't understand it why would that book matter. It was only really read in church? right? but she lived by it, it mattered to her. We both had boyfriends at the time but she used the Bible with hers to set boundaries and I couldn't understand it. She cited the Bible as reason why all religions didn't lead to God. She never used the words biblical world view but she just seemed to have it. 

I bought a bible - a study bible. I was intrigued at how that one book not in my top twenty essential fiction books that needed to come with me to university.  I started going to 5 o clock personal bible study time. Then I began living with 4 other girls including my friend Rose I would argue with her that it was just a nice book of stories about Jesus and she would tell me it was more - so much more ' its the infallible word of God Allie.' she told me one day and that blew my mind what did God write it with his finger? She explained that it was inspired by God but written by people. Actually the fact that she based her opinions from this book not from what felt right was so challenging to me. Why did it matter what the book said when I know how I feel. 

Slowly I began to value it, it took years. I would go to the weekly bible study for students and still try and work out if it mattered to me, if this book with all its stuff really made a difference- if I could even do that. Then I ended up on my very first mission trip to Bosnia Herzegovnia and we studied Jonah and that book began to come alive to me and I saw God in a different way and I knew that I couldn't just sit through life and I had to make a decision to live God's way. One of the girls on the trip spoke about how reading the epistles was good so when I got home I began to read them starting in Romans all the way to Jude. 

I applied for Jobs but nothing so I made the choice sat in my bedroom that no matter what I would trust God with my life praying Proverbs 3:3-8 over my life. Which was then followed by a phone call  less than an hour later with an offer of an internship. Over the last 4 years I have been learning as much as I can about this book and my beautiful God. This Bible school came out of nowhere for me and I never thought I would be going to Africa to teach this book. I have learned how to read this book which is in its literary, historical and grammatical context and how it really matters, how God designed every sphere of life and how we are supposed to live. It paints a consistent picture of God and of us as his children, it has the power to change the world 

We took this biblical truth to the nations of Nigeria and Tanzania. Because the truth can bring change to hearts and heart change brings change to lives and life change brings change to communities and community change brings change to Nations. 

Only the dishonest fear the truth and the truth brings freedom for the captives and life abundant. Living Biblically is a challenge one we have to face every day. But what I learned from Rose is that it can also be challenging to people, and incite change. Last summer I felt the Lord prompt me to get baptised by immersion and who was there cheering me on - my friend and her husband.