At the end of my book ‘All Things New: Stories of Transformed Lives’ I invite readers to contact me to share their personal testimony with me and perhaps anyone else who reads my website. A lovely lady called Maddie did just that. This is her story…
I have a long history of frustrating neurological problems where learning was delayed. I was born at a time, just after the war, when little was known about the brain. Educationally it was difficult to fit in and there was much bullying; slow learning got me into trouble at school as people were impatient. I grew up impatient and very violent myself – it was the only way I knew how to cope – I just had to survive the best way I could.
I could not fit into employment nor the system – I was also epileptic. Epilepsy was hell on earth. I was blessed not to have had many seizures.
I was at Art College in the late 70’s to early 80’s, The City Guilds in Kennington, London. I’d been thinking about Jesus. An illustration project on whatever topic we liked started me off reading the Bible. I illustrated the New Testament in modern times.
I had been going to St Anselm’s Church, North Lambeth Parish, with a family who owned a restaurant I used to visit. I began having dreams and visions of which I illustrated. I began then to paint Jesus the way we all know Him: long hair, beard and so on. I then became confirmed.
1984 – having finished I had finished college. Jesus began to find his way into the stories I like writing about Windsor House as a man named Joshua BarJoseph. But really it was Jesus, I had fallen for him, I could not resist it.
This annoyed Lloyd, of whom I met in 1988. He had been a believer but claims he’d ‘come out the other side’. I had to keep quiet about this through our marriage.
The Lord was watching over me. He called me later to work with people who had special needs in a place called March. By now I could drive which due to dyspraxia, was a great achievement. I later taught art as a supply teacher having got a teacher training degree.
I first came to The King’s Church, Wisbech when a friend from The Fenland Shadows Guitar Club got baptised and then married. I painted the Wedding at Cana, Jesus playing a Fender Strat guitar with a band! Lloyd hid outside in the front area. Jesus had never gone away.
After nursing Lloyd through terminal illness I came bouncing back to him and joined The King’s Church.