walking into PC world and this guy caught my eye so as soon as I'm starting to speak to him I'm thinking my god I feel there's something on this and anyway all of a sudden this thought just came and I said to him I said can I just ask did you play football to a really high standard and your hopes were dashed because of an injury and his face just like yeah and then I'm like wow god this is amazing but this guy's nearly And then I'm like, wow, God, this is amazing. But this

guy's nearly crying. I'm like, God, what do I do next? Welcome, everybody. This is Simon

Gilbeau with Inspired. Inspired if you're new to us is all about meeting different mates of

mine from all sorts of different ranges and walks of life and uh we're constantly

bombarded by bad news and grim stuff and so this is about coming in a complete opposite spirit really

and bringing encouragement and stirring stories of faith and god breaking into people's lives and

you know we'll do it involves the nitty gritty of highs and lows but that is what life is and i have no doubt this week you're going to be inspired because we've got with us josh abraham's how you doing josh good thanks for having me on simon brilliant yeah it's good to be with you we were together just a few months ago at the cedarwood festival it was uh it was lovely we're bapt I forget, probably about five people and praying with the guy afterwards. And hearing your story there, I was like, let's get him on. Josh is a teacher, he's a musician. He's been involved in Junction 42. We had Joanna Connor on doing a podcast about two years ago. She's on the earlier ones, a superb work. and I know that you're going to be talking about all sorts of stuff right now, Josh. So let's kick it off.

I know you you're going to be talking about all sorts of stuff right now, Josh.

So let's kick it off.

I know you had a seriously powerful conversion experience when you're 21 and we'll come to that in due course.

But give us a bit more on your background.

What were your early years like?

Yeah, so I had a Christian upbringing.

My grandparents on my dad's side were actually among the first

UK missionaries in Japan with OMF. My dad was born in Japan and my mum was from a strong Christian

family too. So I got a brother and a sister. We were all raised in a faith background. But from the

age of about 10, it was, we were given the choice whether we come to

church or not. My sister stayed on at church and me and my brother stopped. So I didn't not

believe, but I didn't have a personal relationship with God. And a couple of years later, even,

I'd been to a sleepover when I was, I was only about 11 or 12 and would watch films like Hannibal and Silence of the Lambs. And it seemed to mess with my head a little bit. I think for some of the lads, they didn't really follow the storyline, maybe saw some of the gore and that was appealing to them. But for me, you know, it's a psychological thriller of those films. And I think I was following it it and it just seemed to mess with my head a little bit. Um, so it's kind of causing a little bit

of anxiety for, for a month or two. My parents noticed that. Um, but it was actually around the time

of September 11, um, there was a church held a prayer vigil. And so I went along to this, this,

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