Matt asked me to write a piece about what drew me to the priesthood. Those who know me know I’m an oddity, but they know I’m a person who gets things done, and they can trust their life with me, so let’s start.
It’s not where you would think.
While on a weekend in Copenhagen, a staunch unbeliever friend of mine argued with me into the night, “Why on earth would I waste my life on being a Christian?” I was successful in everything I did and had a great family. I explained that all I had was because God was in my life, not despite God being in my life. To this date, I have never been able to persuade him, and I think of him as a work in progress, although I am chipping away at the edges.
However, he told me a story that surprised him and me. His father, who was even more of a verdant atheist while on his deathbed, insisted on having a priest to see him and give him his final rights. Take from that what you think.
Let’s go back further; I went to church as a child. I went to St Johns, Dowlais, which was a cathedral of a massive church built by Lady Charlotte Guest, wife of the steel master John Guest. I started in Sunday school, where my mother was the teacher, and I also went to the Welsh services with my father; I was a server and head choir boy.
We had a very active church, and every year, we did an extremely popular pantomime where I was always part of the comedy duo, and my father was the dame (mainly because he couldn’t remember lines but was great at ad-libbing). As mentioned, I always went to church but drifted in and out of regularity during my college years. After college and a stint as a secondary school teacher, I started working for oil companies worldwide. This is where the true faith journey starts.
I’m not very flowery in my conversation and tend to the point. This period made me grow up very quickly. I was sent to wonderful countries as well as numerous war zones- Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, and Nigeria were pretty bad, also. I became highly worldly, and more importantly, I also saw many miracles (and these will all appear in my autobiography when I get around to it.)
Unlike most people in the faith who say that their faith grew over some time, mine was dramatic. I am proud to say that I have witnessed many out-and-out miracles accompanied by God’s full, loud, and dramatic voice. Maybe this is what God knew I needed; others need to grow organically. I don’t want to cheapen these miracles by discussing them here in-depth, as they need their true validation with respect.
So why the priest route? After a profound realization, I prayed and prayed, asking God how I could help in his mission. Then, one evening at its peak, my priest, who had not been an enthusiastic evangelist, posted on Facebook about the need for priests.
The odd thing about this was the person who posted it did this type of post often, but the timing was on the button.
I believe we talk to God all the time, not only when we’re praying. I always try to be with God in everything I do physically, mentally, and spiritually. Needless to say, I’m always floundering, but I’m always with God.
Lyn
Thanks for reading this testimony of God working in Lyn’s life. Over the next couple of weeks, we will hear from a few people about their calling and sense of call. Rev Matt.