Michelle's Story: I grew up being told that God was a fairytale made up to give answers to superstitious people who felt a need for an emotional and psychological crutch. I didn't hear anybody oppose this "modern" view until I went to university when I was 18. There I met my first Christians, and these weren't just church goers! They were people who talked out loud and without embarrassment about Jesus and the Bible, but in every other way seemed quite normal and well adjusted. Imagine! Intelligent people in this day and age still believing in a God! My curiosity aroused, I decided to attend a meeting that was being advertised on campus entitled "Sceptics Anonymous". I thought it was going to be a debate in a crowded lecture theatre where I could hide in the back row, but it turned out to be me, four other students and the university chaplain in a cosy room. Five months and many questions later that chaplain led me in an awkward, mumbled prayer in which I said sorry to God for the things I've done wrong and asked Jesus into my life, unsure if it would make any difference but knowing this was the only way to find out. That was in February 1993. Inviting Jesus into my life has made a huge difference; it's given me a sense of hope, self-worth and purpose that I didn't have before, and access to a greater peace of mind and joy than I ever thought possible.

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