| A Life Transformed: James Nice's story |
 As I was growing up I couldn’t see any point in life and so I started to commit crime, drinking and taking drugs. I had dropped out of school by the time I was 15 and was taking drugs most days and stealing instead of being in school. I was in and out of court and by the time I was 18 I was sent to Reading prison for assault, theft, criminal damage, breach of bail and other small charges. I served 3 months of a 6 month sentence. I was also given a 3 year ASBO.
As I was growing up I couldn’t see any point in life and so I started to commit crime, drinking and taking drugs. I had dropped out of school by the time I was 15 and was taking drugs most days and stealing instead of being in school. I was in and out of court and by the time I was 18 I was sent to Reading prison for assault, theft, criminal damage, breach of bail and other small charges. I served 3 months of a 6 month sentence. I was also given a 3 year ASBO. I was released and after 4 days I had beaten someone up, breached my ASBO and was back in prison. The probation service thought I should get at least 2 years this time. Whilst I was on remand I was segregated from the prison (in the block) for 3 and a half weeks. One evening I was sat in my cell, bored and feeling alone when I felt God speak to my heart. He said that he had created me and put me on the earth to have a relationship with him! After that I knew things were going to change. I learnt a prayer which I repeated when I was in the dock and about to be sentenced. The judge sentenced me to 5 months, not 2 years! Then, when I got back to prison and they gave me the release date, I was released on Christmas Eve after only a month and a half! That was my first touch from God. As a result my life completely changed. I couldn’t go out with my old friends and do the same things. So for 6 months I didn’t leave my parents house! Now I look back and I can see that this was God holding me back and emptying my life so that when I went to church for the first time he could fill my life. That is exactly what he did!! I had never experienced anything like Family Church (the church I went to). They had a band playing songs that were lively and sounded good, not an organ or old slow hymns, which really shocked me. Then the speaker or rev got up and spoke about things that really meant something to me. There was no turning back. I was sold out and got involved on so many levels in church. Through God’s love and grace I am now a changed man and God has raised me up to work in HMP & YOI Ashfield as a community chaplain. In this role I now work with young people who are making those same mistakes I made. I am also involved in overseas missions work and use my life to do good and not harm others like I did in the past. From May, James will be pioneering the work of Transformed Ministries for ex-offenders, mentors and friends in Portsmouth. See www.transformed.org.uk for details of monthly meetings in Brixton, London, Southampton and other venues around the country. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
