John's Testimony

Soul Survivor is always one of the highlights of my calendar. After last year I was so excited about what God had in store for us this year and he didn't disappoint!

I was excited personally, about how God would speak to me, but as a leader I was just as excited about how he would speak to our youth. Particularly those who had never really connected with Him before.

Pretty much everything that God could have possibly done over the week he did. Four of the boys who go to the Lads group I help run gave their lives to Jesus, and two others left far more open to God than when they had arrived.

People were given the gift of tongues and of prophecy and God was just totally mind blowing.

Before I went to Soul Survivor I was uncertain about my immediate future. My gap year at the Church was coming to an end and I was thinking and praying about whether to go to London School of Theology in October of this year, or go the following year and stay in my job at the Church until then.

What happened at Soul Survivor was one of the key factors in my decision to stay.

I was being prayed for as one of the leaders and Simon had a picture for me.

It was of a sheet of paper with a smiley face drawn on it in glue. When sand was sprinkled on the paper, naturally it stuck to it wherever the glue was. Simon gave me this picture and then prayed for a few minutes about what it meant. He then said he felt God was saying, "God was the paper, the sand was people and I was the glue - that God was going to use me to help people stick with Him". How cool is that!?

It basically confirmed to me that God wanted me to stay where I was, to witness to people and help them in their walk with Jesus.

I cant stress enough though, how little this has to do with me. Don't come to me if you're struggling or unsure about God, and expect me to have all or even any of the answers. I don't know you as well as God does and I don't know God as well as I'd like, but that's the point. That's the beauty of God. It's not about me. It's about him. The glue can't work without the paper.

God uses us because of our strengths and in spite of our weaknesses and he's absolutely amazing!

He knows everything about us. He's our maker. So it makes sense that we should turn to him when we are unsure about ourselves or our lives.

God taught me so much throughout the week and it really is the best week of my life every time I go. If you went this year then you know what I'm talking about, if you missed out, don't miss out next year! It's just the most amazing experience.

If you are struggling with your faith at the moment or unsure about God, his existence, his relevance or anything about your personal journey through life with him, please dont hesistate to talk to me. I'm no expert, but I'm always willing to chat and pray with you.

John Reynolds