I attended a home group for some weeks - it was sometimes a little strange to me but everyone was so genuinely friendly - before realising I was missing out. Whatever my background, however fortunate I had been in my family, my education, my job, it still left a dissatisfaction and an emptiness deep within.

Eventually my inner discontent - how could I outwardly be doing so well and yet inwardly feel so unfulfilled and uncertain - brought me to the point of praying the prayer that let God in. "God, if you are real, I want to know it with a certainty by tomorrow." When I woke the following day it was as if an immense load had been lifted from me. God had graciously come to me and I had such a sense of his presence and peace that everything I had heard about his love and mercy and the account of Jesus' life, death and resurrection was confirmed in my mind. He was the way, and the truth and the life.

It hasn't always been easy; there have been times when I may have wanted my circumstances to be different. As Christians we aren't immune from illness, financial pressures, and the issues that arise from simply being human! But through it there has been the constant companionship of a God who cares, who is interested and committed to the best for my life. I've known his help in providing for my needs, in opening doors to college and employment, in bringing me a beautiful wife and family.

It's not dull following Jesus - over the years I can recall trips to Romania just after the fall of communist rule, work with hundreds of children, many of whom are now adults with children of their own, friendship and work together with people literally from all over the world.

Sometimes people might get the impression that "religion" or "church" is like going to the club every Sunday morning - there's the occasional social event but generally it's just a place to meet friends every week. That's only a small part of the picture, because being a Christian, a follower of Jesus, is really a journey, a relationship that develops. Unlike the club, church exists to see the gospel made know to, it exists to support people like me to grow to their full potential as children of God and to declare the goodness of God.

It is great to have a friend, isn't it? How brilliant it is when your best friend is the Lord Jesus Christ: compassionate, loving, forgiving, faithful, wise, strong, victorious. A friend to talk to, who listens and who gives purpose, direction and some understanding of life when it gets confusing. He is, as they say, only a prayer away.

God wants us to be successful. That doesn't necessarily mean the same as rich, powerful, famous - but it does mean we succeed in whatever we seek to do that is in line with the values of God's kingdom. Success is being in the centre of God's will and that is where I hope to stay - an aspiration for myself and every member of my family.