Being a Christian

As I said previously, I am a Christian. So why and what does that mean?
I became a Christian back in 1998 when I was 26. I had just lost my mum and was going through a hard time in my life. Looking back at the person I was back then, I am not particlarly proud of that time in my life. I will not go into what I did not like as I do not think this is important. Rather I would rather discuss what God did in my life and how he has changed me. I was invited to a church camp by some friends. I was lonely at the time and thought why not? What have i got to lose? I do not know what I expected. I thought these Christians would be a bit weird, carry bibles around all day and sing Kum by yah (spelling may be dodgy there). I have great memories of that camp. First thing i noticed was that these Christian guys were ok, pretty normal and good value. And while I did not know what it was at the time I saw something in them that I realised I did not have. I have fond memories of a game of Risk, though playing risk as a way of meeting people may not always be a good idea if you are competitive like me. The people I met that night(if you read this you know who you all are) I have become good friends with now, they forgave me for beating them.
The first morning of camp we came together for a talk (there may have been music???), but the main thing was listening to that talk was like God talking straight to me and it all made sense. Afterwards I had an emotional chat with the Pastor and then went off had a think and realised that I had to make a decision for God right then. A year later I was baptised in that very cold lake and remember how great it felt. To be honest I can not even remember what was said in that talk but I guess what i want to do know is talk about why I am a Christian.
- I have a problem -
I have sinned. To get into Heaven one must be without sin. I took some time to be able to admit to some of my sins. Looking at the commandments though I can see some of my failings
Have i told lies - yes
Stolen things - yes
Blasphemed - yes
Adultery - yes - when Jesus came to earth he said whoever looks at a woman lustfully has commited adultery with her in his heart. So I am guily on this count.
So I realised that sin is a problem in my life. So what is the point. Well Jesus is. Why did he come? One way I once heard it described was like this. Imagine we all have a book with all of our sins written in it. The only way we can get into heaven is if our book is empty. When Jesus died on the cross he took the blame for all of our sins and will take our books away if we "confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."(Romans 10:9)
We can then stand in front of God with a clear concience.
I do not want anyone to read this and think that my only reason for being a Christian is so I can get to heaven. This is not the case. I am going to be completely honest here, at first my motivation was that I was A)scared of hell and B)I needed something to help fill the whole left by mums dying. Since then over the years it has grown into so much more. After making a decision for God, I realised there were things in my life I wanted to change. Not because I felt I had to, but because I wanted to live a life pleasing to God. I am so thankful for the work God has done in my life through me spending time with him and some of the wonderful Christian people he has put in my life. I love serving him. He has given me a passion for young people (I will blog about this later) which I love. I am a better person because of what God has done for me. I need to remember to thank him more often. It also never fails to amaze me how a book written thousands of years ago can apply to my life over and over again. God has taught me so much through his Word.
Well I hope all of this makes sense. If you are reading this and you have any questions, feel free to ask. I will try to answer them well.