‘It all began 10 weeks ago; actually it will now be 11. Time passes so quickly.’ It sounds like the opening phrase of a novel. Something you pick up to while away an hour or two, but through Christianity Explored I discovered a right good read - the Bible! I’ll be completely honest, when I signed up I wasn’t sure what I’d let myself in for. I didn’t know what Christianity meant for me so the thought of discussing it with relative strangers was a scary prospect.

Nor was I an expert on the Bible (I’m still not!) so who did I think I was going along to a group like this? Well, I was just someone who felt that I wanted to learn more so I cut the excuses, took a deep breath and went along and I’m so glad that I did! It sounds a bit twee I suppose, but I AM genuinely glad that I did. Christianity Explored is not stuffy, boring or judgemental. It is a discussion forum for anyone and everyone, no matter their views.

Yes, we did discuss the Bible but we also discussed lots of other things too. We had such a laugh some nights and others became quite heated but all the time we were building relationships based on respect and based on differences. Doesn’t that make the Bible message real?

But it’s not about sitting huddled in a circle talking about the Bible. If that is what you’re looking for then Christianity Explored is not for you. Our evenings started with a meal together. This gave a chance to unwind and leave the other concerns of the day behind. (The fact that the meals were always absolutely delicious had nothing to do with it of course!)

It gave us time to catch up with one another and build those relationships before beginning the ‘serious business’ of the evening, watching a DVD! See, I told you there was something for everyone! If reading’s not for you, sit back, relax and watch this evening’s presentation.

The DVDs are thought provoking. They’re meant to be, but Rico Tice is very entertaining and comes over as a genuinely nice guy. His use of humour and anecdotes help to make the point relevant to today, to our lives. I really enjoyed this part and looked forward to the next episode!

After the DVD we chatted about the issues contained within it, although we often went way off on a tangent (It takes a brave minister to reel in a group like us!) but that was fine. Sometimes it’s only after “going round the houses” that you find out where you really should be.

Often I preferred to listen, taking in what was going on and that was fine too. There is no pressure to perform. There IS a place for anyone. I’ve proved that. When I mentioned to someone at work that I was going along to Christianity Explored I was met with ‘I didn’t think you were that type of person’. When I asked my colleague what she meant she replied ‘Well, you wear makeup!’

Yes, I DO wear make up and I DID go to Christianity Explored. I learned that there’s more to the Bible than I thought. I learned that there’s more to me than I thought. I met a great group of people who I now consider friends, and I met a very special friend Jesus. If you are thinking about Christianity Explored then my advice is to stop thinking about it and DO it. You won’t regret it. Take it from one who wears make up!

Go on, you know you want to!