When my father died when I was 23 it caused me to search for the meaning of life.  
For some 7 years this involved reading about Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation and I even
had an interest in politics, at one stage being committed to communism and thereafter a card carrying member of an extreme right wing party and also being involved in a cult.

I was searching but nothing filled this emptiness that I had inside.

To the end of this period I started to read the bible, a book that I found exhilarating, until I found verse (Leviticus 19:28) that said that we should not mark our bodies or get tattooed.
This gave me a problem as having spent a period of time in the Royal Navy I had five tattoos.
About this time our first child was born and my wife wanted him christened in the local Anglican church.  I started going along to church thinking that if we were going to go through with this ceremony I should make some effort.  I also started to go to a tattoo studio to get the tattoos removed.

During church one Sunday during the first quarter of 1980, the curate, an ex profession footballer, was preaching and I can clearly remember him quoting a verse from the bible stating "isn't it wonderful that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin".

It was as though those words were only for me and they hit me with such force, I accepted there and then Jesus as my Lord and saviour.  The half removed tattoos are still on my body, but my life has been transformed and I know for certain that I have eternal life in Jesus who has saved me from my sins.  Although the trials of life are still with me I have a peace that passes all understanding to face anything that comes my way.

This initial experience was over 25 years ago but my relationship with Jesus is just as real as it was all those years ago.