1. Why is Jesus important to you?
It's through Jesus that I have been given the gift of living forever with God. What a gift! Especially when you consider that I've done nothing to deserve it. Jesus gave everything that anyone could ever give. He gave his life so that I could be put right with God. When I think of this, I'm humbled and amazed all at the same time.

2. How did your faith begin?
I was about 12 when I first realised that Jesus was much more than just a character in a Bible story. None of my family went to church or were Christians, but I started to understand that his words and actions demanded a response.

I attended our church youth group and found that Jesus wasn't the kind of person you could ignore. The way he lived and the radical things he said and did all made me examine if he was who he said he was: the Son of God. My decision to follow Jesus was a conscious one. I knew I needed his forgiveness and that he was the only one who could get me back on track with God, through his death on the cross.

3. Have you ever found faith hard to keep?
Most definitely! One of the hardest things I find about following Jesus is trusting that God is good when everything around me seems to be falling apart. The difference between knowing in my head that God loves me and wants the best for me and actually trusting him with my heart when things aren't going so well is one of the most challenging things about being a Christian.

4. What does believing in Jesus mean to your everyday life?
That there is a purpose for everything. Knowing that the God who created the universe and sustains its existence is interested in me gives me a reason for living unlike anything else. It also motivates me to want to get to know him better, by praying and reading the Bible.

5. What encouragement would you give someone looking for faith?
Look to Jesus. He's the only one who can make sense of your life. Speak with God and ask him to show himself to you. God says that if you seek him with all your heart you will find him. Read the Bible, you'll be amazed at how God jumps out of every page. Talk with a friend who is a follower of Jesus. They probably won't have all the answers, but keep asking. Go for it! Sometimes jumping is the hardest part.