I was born in Mullingar and I’m the eldest of four children. Our parents were good Catholics who believed in the power of prayer and gave us a good upbringing.
By the time I received my First Holy Communion I was serious about God. In fact, I had a spiritual experience that day but there was nobody to explain it to me. Not too long afterwards I began to show symptoms of a sickness that caused me to stop walking and have great pain in various parts of my body.
A miraculous healing
Eventually, the doctors came to the conclusion that I had a Chronic Rheumatic heart and my life expectancy was reckoned at about ten or twelve years at most. Many times we prayed for healing but everything remained the same for about one year.
One summer’s evening when I was confined to bed, a miracle occurred. The feeling came over me that I was healed and I immediately left the bed and to this day I am completely healed.
I have since led a very full and active life. I have passed numerous stringent medical examinations without ever being questioned about this former depilating condition.
A need to be assured
Although I was expecting something wonderful to happen at my confirmation, I was disappointed when it passed off with incident. In the few years following, my faith grew weak. Many times I prayed and received answers but there was no certainty. I needed to be fully assured of the reality of God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.
I was really blessed when I met, and later married, Muriel, who was a very active woman of prayer. In 1979 she encouraged me to attend a Charismatic Renewal prayer meeting. During the first meeting I prayed that God would have total control of my life. Positive things began to happen as a result but a few years passed and my job as a press photographer became stressful and my health was in danger of failing.
Although I was expecting something wonderful to happen at my confirmation, I was disappointed when it passed off with incident. In the few years following, my faith grew weak. Many times I prayed and received answers but there was no certainty. I needed to be fully assured of the reality of God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.
I was really blessed when I met, and later married, Muriel, who was a very active woman of prayer. In 1979 she encouraged me to attend a Charismatic Renewal prayer meeting. During the first meeting I prayed that God would have total control of my life. Positive things began to happen as a result but a few years passed and my job as a press photographer became stressful and my health was in danger of failing.
Healing and restoration
I overworked myself and became severely stressed. I collapsed and was admitted to hospital where I remained in a critical condition for five weeks. Through the prayers of fellow Christians, I was healed and am now fully restored.
I overworked myself and became severely stressed. I collapsed and was admitted to hospital where I remained in a critical condition for five weeks. Through the prayers of fellow Christians, I was healed and am now fully restored.
I changed jobs and for the past ten years, I have been employed as an adult education teacher and have the opportunity to meet with prisoners in the local jail. Many of the men are interested in spiritual matters and some have received Jesus as their personal Saviour. Muriel and myself currently lead a prayer and bible study group. I tell them my simple message: that Jesus wants to do for them what He has done for me.
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.
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