Even though this post is about me, but not out of self vanity, but rather as a personal testimony of faith in God

I was born in 1948, to my parents Philip and Hilda Commander, who were married in a local Christian church, Christ church

There I was christened and later on attended Sunday school, although I have no memory of

Time moved on and I started normal school, but the first school I attended, mum was not impressed at the level of teaching and moved me to a new school

Where I stayed for the rest of my educational days, back in those days every school day started with assembly, which included singing Hymes and daily Bible readings

The strange thing is they began the reading from Genesis, “In the beginning” I say strange because thinking about it I wonder if they had always read from the first book throughout the history of the school,

Although unlikely as they continued book by book, in the process introducing me and other pupils to the important figures (heroes if you will)

Moses along with the Ten Commandments, David and Goliath, while these stories were always interesting and vivid, thinking about these stories now, God himself seemed to take a backseat within each story

Compared to the character of each person wrote about, God always seemed distant and unapproachable

But thinking again He was always there guiding His chosen people, who all too often disappointed, failed to follow instructions

So where do I fit into this story, as a young and eager listener, as I found reading hard and staying focused on the actual words and not inventing words that were not there, just because my mind told me there were

I think because I had a closer relationship with my mother than my father, I found it hard to relate to God as a farther

My mother was a happy loving lady, who never as far as I can remember got cross or argued

As for my father, he did not suffer fools or foolishness, nor was he overpatient

Back to my school day, the daily reading continued in progression through the Old Testament, onwards to the New Testament,

Where all the pupils including me, were introduced to Jesus, little knowing He was written about way before He was born in the Old Testament.

Jesus even from the early days of learning about Him, became more real to me than any other written about in the Bible

Time moves on too swiftly and I left school at 14, I left along with all those daily readings and hymn singing, but because of my mother’s love of music which she passed onto me.

The love of music stayed in my life too, throughout far too many dark and troubled days of my own choosing, while seeking out self pleasures

To be continued …………