I Found Reality

By Brian Reddish

Is GOD REAL in your Life?

Do you desire a CLOSER WALK with GOD?

"If God is real, you should be able to talk with Him... and He with you!"

This was said by an arrogant unbelieving 19-year-old to his mother as she sat in front of a coal fire, reading her Bible!

This authentic autobiography traces the author's life from an early age up to retirement and reveals how a living encounter  with Jesus Christ, at the  age of nineteen, led Him into a personal 
walk with God, unfolding before him a destiny and purpose that he could never have dreamed of!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Caracal Books
• Release date: Feb 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781916486850

Book preview

PART 1

The Beginnings

Chapter 1

Leaving School: 1961-62

I was born in the year 1946 in a Market Town called Shirebrook, deep in the heart of the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Coal Field, England. Someone once said, in response to an enquiry as to its whereabouts:

Well, it’s not the end of the world, but you can see it in the distance!

I grew up in a terraced colliery-house. At only a few months old, I very nearly ceased to exist before my life had hardly begun. I had a severe bout of whooping cough and apparently the dismal words of a doctor, upon observing my condition, were:

You’ll never rear that one Mrs. Reddish!

Needless to say, I pulled through! 

I was born with that very rare phenomenon where what was called a caul of skin (or membrane) completely covered my face like a veil. It is uncommon, occurring in fewer than 1 in 80,000 births. The caul is harmless and is immediately removed by the physician or midwife upon delivery of the child.

Interestingly, many years later, during my current years in retirement, we had a new pastor in our church who, just like me, was born with a veil of skin over his face! Being an ex-mathematician, I calculated that the likelihood of us both meeting was 1 in 6 400 000 000! That’s one in six billion, four hundred million! Still... God does things like that!

As far as I was concerned, he was sent by God, because he published this and all of my books! Amazingly, it was his daughter also who professionally edited each book as well as designing the covers for me! At the age of eleven, having failed my eleven-plus examination, I went to Shirebrook Carter Lane secondary school for boys. The school was not particularly meant for academic excellence and seemed to prepare its pupils for the world of manual, non- skilled work and little else. We never had any homework set, and the idea of studying was non-existent. That's how it was! Of course, when I was very young, I learnt a lot about playing in the woods and the fields most evenings and at weekends. In that sense, it was great!

Now, in the year 1961, I had just left school at 15. My father would not allow me to work down the pit as he considered it a bad occupation for my health, and he wanted something better for his son than that which he had done. An uncle of mine would often have gems of advice for me and my brother.

Yer need to get yourself a trade lad—a plumber, an electrician. That’s what yer should do!

Most of my school friends, after leaving school at 15, would get a job either down the pit, on the buses or on the railways. The girls would work at the Mansfield Shoe Co. seven miles away or at the Pleasley Mills. After three or four years, they would be married with children, being no more than about 18 or 19 years of age themselves. Like I said, that’s just how it was.

Though I had officially left school at 15, I decided to stay on another year to study for some O-Levels. It was the first time the school had ever done this venture.

It was a disaster! I did not really know anything about studying and preparing for exams and only managed to pass one subject—Mathematics—and that at grade 6, which was the lowest pass grade. In those days, O-Level Mathematics consisted of three exam papers: Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. I did reasonably well with Arithmetic, and that was it! I didn’t have a clue about the other two papers!

I applied to join the Metropolitan Police in London. I had another brother who was a teacher, and he lived in that city. As it happened, I failed on three accounts: the academic tests, my eyesight—which apparently was not good enough—and lastly, I was not tall enough either!

Instead, I applied to a local Police Force where the criteria were not as strict as London, but... I failed the tests again! Both my Mathematics and English were poor. It was not too surprising, I suppose, as in the area where I was born, they hardly spoke any correct English anyway! When I eventually met my girlfriend from Mansfield, who was later to be my wife, she could not understand many of the words and dialect that I spoke—and she lived only seven miles away!

You might wonder what made me apply to the Police force in the first place! Well, I had been prompted

by my father in this respect. He told me that being a policeman was a good job. "They find you accommodation, and you can retire quite early in the police force," he said. So, I went for it, having no idea just what else to do.

The reality was this. There were very few types of work available in my Derbyshire coal-mining market town. The nearest large towns were Mansfield Town, seven miles away, and Chesterfield, twelve miles away in the opposite direction.

Having been unsuccessful in applying for the police and again, on the advice of my dad, I went back to my old headmaster at school to ask for his help and advice. 

I have to say at this stage how grateful I was to have had good parents who cared about me. They had lived through the world wars with much hardship and relative poverty, yet they always sought to guide me as best they could. They genuinely cared about what I and my brothers did as a job. It is true to say that I owe everything to them for their love and support in this respect. My foundation in life was that of a close-knit family of three brothers together with my parents. They were God–fearing people. I had been sent to Sunday School from the age of five years until I was about twelve, at which time I left. 

I met with my old headmaster, and he advised me to return to full-time education and repeat my O Levels, which I did. I remember my parents at this time consulting my three brothers to see if the arrangement of going back to college full-time met with their approval. You see, by my going to college, I was not bringing any money into the household and would therefore be kept by them! Fortunately, there was no problem. That’s how it was in those days!

My brother, who was two years older than I, had

started work at 15 as an apprentice plumber, and though the apprenticeship lasted seven years, he persevered and

became well qualified and successful. I used to observe him earning money and going out during the week days! As for me?  Well, that did not happen! I only worked in

vacation times to earn money and that was wherever I could find casual jobs. I worked as a labourer on a building site, a shrub clearer in the forestry commission for the Duke of Devonshire, and as a sheet metal worker in the Metal Box Company in Mansfield—amongst others!  

Between the years 1962 and ‘63, there was a great turning point in my whole life, and the agenda was amazingly set for me to eventually qualify for a lecturer’s job some seven years later!

Can you imagine what was going on though in my heart and mind during this interim time? That subdued 16-year-old young man, who was yet to find some success in life, had just embarked upon a full-time O Level course in an institution called Clowne Technical College. Its name seemed to fit the occasion! The place was very strange to me, and I did not know any of the students. Worse still, they played rugby on Friday afternoons! And it was compulsory! Further, it was miles and miles away, and I had to catch two buses to get there! Still, my headmaster had got me into the college, and I accepted it. Destiny was unknowingly directing my path.

In fact, there was indeed the invisible hand of God at work upon my life, if I did but know it. It is true that when you come to the end of yourself, it can be the

time when God often seeks to pick you up—if, that is, you are willing to let Him. I just happened to be 16 when that happened to me!

I now know this to be the case, but at that time I felt alone at the new college. I realized that I needed to start working hard from then onwards if I were to get anywhere in life. For the first time, I really tried my best at my studies!

There was something of significance in my past that I had completely forgotten about, something that has happened several years earlier when I was about eleven or twelve years, which was to have a future bearing upon my life. It was regarding a certain mischievous incident that I was party to!

One day, together with some mates, we had set fire to some straw in an old broken-down wooden trailer which was situated out of sight to man—but not God! The fire had soon got out of control, and the trailer as well as the straw were completely destroyed. Now, no one knew the culprits who were responsible for this prank, thankfully, but we, the guilty parties, were by now feeling very guilty indeed. To appease our guilt, we, for some reason, felt compelled to visit the man who owned the trailer. We went to his house and informed him that we had seen some youths who were responsible for the misdemeanour. He was none too pleased and shunned us all away angrily. Even so, we did feel a little better in our conscience for telling him!

A day or two after the incident had occurred, I overheard my parents in the living room talking about that very event. In horror, I heard them say, Some lads have set fire to a trailer that belongs to Mr Blackenberry!

Unknown to my parents, one of the perpetrators was just a few feet away from them listening to what they were saying! I straight went outside the house in fear and trepidation! Dreadful thoughts ran through my mind: fear, guilt, shame...! The contemplation of bringing dishonour and humiliation upon the family was something I could not bear!  In desperation, I remember walking into the yard wondering what to do. I just hoped they would never find out who did it. I found myself praying out aloud! I prayed earnestly to God, saying something like, God! If you will not let my parents find out that I was responsible for the fire, then... I will serve You forever!

Several years later, when I was that troubled 16-

year-old who couldn’t get a job or pass exams, when I had apparently been redeemed from certain sins of my youth—for no one ever did find out who had set fire to the trailer, not even my parents—I do believe God remembered me and what I had uttered to Him in prayer that day out on the yard!

Oh yes! I had forgotten, but God never did! He seemed to have fulfilled His part of the arrangement, but my part had yet to be fulfilled.

I believe God, in His Kingdom, takes the words we say seriously, and the truth was that I had not prayed in a flippant manner but was actually most contrite about the situation. I was serious and desperate for my parents not to find out, and somehow, I believe God was able to hold it back from them! My offer of serving Him was still outstanding!

What I believe I had done, through my prayer out in the yard that day, was to effectively invite God to have full sway over my life from that day forward. Outwardly, one might think my praying in this way was just an expression of desperation with no real intent or purpose—but God thought otherwise! Did He see, deep in my heart, that I really meant what I had said? For God can observe each and every motive, weigh it in His balance and discern the precise truth.

So, what exactly did I say in my prayer...? I had promised to give myself to Him to do as He pleased—

To serve Him forever.

Chapter 2

I Learn How to do Algebra!

As a Mathematics Lecturer in Further Education some seven years later, I taught many students who had left school who were very often deficient in certain areas of their education—like Mathematics!  

If I ever happened to tell someone in the street that I taught Mathematics, the response was nearly always, Oh dear! I could never understand Maths at school!

I often thought about why people felt very free to admit their weaknesses in this subject but would never admit to not being able to read or write very well! Basically, I got the impression that it was acceptable not to understand Mathematics; there was no stigma attached to it like with English. That’s the way it is!

I did not feel good at that time when I was 16, having done so poorly in my Mathematics and English exams—and all the rest! I once stood still on the street with hidden envy, observing others, including some of my friends, who had passed the 11 plus and gone on to Grammar School. What stood out were their smart, distinguished uniforms with a maroon jacket!

Now at that time, as previously mentioned, I do believe God was working in my life. What I began to feel was an up-surging motivation within me to tackle my education! I needed to work at it; I wanted to work at it! I had to prove myself somehow to be as good as the next person! I truly believed that I was no better than anyone else—but that I was no worse either! It was as if I had become alive with this tenacious spirit, and it drove me one day into a book shop.

Now, my greatest deficiencies were in Algebra. It was true to say that I did not understand a single thing about it, so I went and bought myself a book! It was called Teach Yourself Algebra by P. Abbott and was one of a whole series of teach yourself books in the black and yellow Pelican Series—and I still have it today!

As I gazed at the front cover, I must confess the word ALGEBRA unnerved me, but I thought to myself, I am in control; it is just me and the book! There is nothing to be afraid of! I was determined to understand what I was about to read, so much so in fact that I planned not to go past the first page until I totally, fully understood every line!

This may seem to have been wishful adolescent thinking and possibly a naive approach to study. It was unsophisticated, and above all else, I had no tutor! What was I expecting? Was I simply expecting far too much under the circumstances?

The fact was that no one at home could help me, and that was just as well because my mind went blank at school whenever a teacher had tried to explain anything to do with Algebra to me! No! The book said Teach Yourself so that meant it had to be doable. The title of the book gave me the impression that it held some secret method to explain things and that it was going to be easier for me. Well, if you are able to teach yourself, I thought, it has to be! There was therefore only one outcome; I was going to understand it!

I thought it may be of interest to give some idea as to what I was reading, so the following is something of what I read on the first page.

Area of a Rectangle

Suppose there is a rectangle whose sides are 7 and 4

Then its area is:   7 x 4 = 28   yes?

Let’s write down the answer like this:

Area,   A = 7 x 4 = 28

where the letter A represents the number that is equal to the area. In this case, A is the number 28.

Suppose we represent the length, 7 as L and

Suppose we represent the breadth, 4 as B

We may