John MaycockI Am Blessed
I was born and raised in North London, five minutes from Harringay dog track. I often lay listening to the dogs barking when I was supposed to be asleep. My mother and father were both Christians and went three times on a Sunday to the chapel in Wood Green. Of course, I always went with them. In fact, I went to the meetings even before I was born. I had an older brother who was the bane of my life and I must admit to playing horrible and painful tricks on him. Well, life went on. School I hated and, therefore, did all I could to make life "interesting" for me, and my teachers. Now, one day, when I was 14 years old, two evangelists hired Harringay Town Hall, the place where some world class boxers used to fight, for a crusade. My brother, by this time, was doing his national service, but I was taken along to hear the evangelists preach. The first night, as I listened, the invitation was given for all who wanted to accept Jesus as Saviour to come and kneel at the front. I felt I should go, but didn't. However, the next night, Jesus touched my heart and I responded and accepted Him as my Saviour. But being a precocious young lad, I was sometimes in trouble with the elders of my church for speaking my mind. Then, when I was 16, I was baptised by immersion. Two years later, I went into the army to do my national service. With what high hopes I went in! I was going to stand up for Jesus, come what may, and for a start I did just that. I joined up with an Army Scripture Reader and tried to get the boys to chapel. But soon, when the Scripture Reader came into the barrack room, I would slip out. Drinking, smoking and partying took over, and I led a double life. Home at weekends, I was the model Christian young man. I went to the meetings with the girl who was to be my future wife, and then went back to my other life. Life went on like this until I was demobbed. Life then changed and I turned over a new leaf. When I was 22, and my fiancée was 21, we married. Life was good. First we had a girl, then a boy and then another girl. We were happy. Then life started to go wrong. My wife, Vera, started to get pins and needles in her legs. Things got worse; there were many hospital visits. And it was at one such visit to Southend General that we met a physio who was the Head of the department and did home visits. He gave us much advice and one piece of advice was that Vera should get drunk as this would relax the spasms in her legs. As she couldn't drink by herself, I of course drank with her. The next 2 or 3 years were a round of clubbing, drinking, dinner dances etc. Then a major operation, and, 10 years after the start of things going wrong, Vera was in a wheelchair for the last 30 years of her life. But God had His hand on us and He led us to a fellowship of His people who believed that God was as real today as He was in Bible days. To backtrack for a moment, after Vera's major operation, we both gave our lives back to God, and it was harder the second time than the first. Life went on and we travelled the country being used of God. Then, after 51 years of married life, God took Vera to be with Himself; and even in that God's hand was in it. But I praise God He has brought me through a dark valley, and now, after two years He has brought me to the mountain top, where the sun is shining, and you know if you face the sun, the shadows are all behind you. God has been so good to me; I can't begin to tell the half. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. I am blessed. John Maycock
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The Church at Gun Hill is an Elim Pentecostal Church