Ash

How I all Started
I was born in London in1960 to Rowland and Mildred Ghinn, who named me 'Alan Haughton'. At school they used to call me 'Ali' , 'Ghinn-Ghinny', or 'The Grin'. In my teens my young nephew Colin's attempt to pronounce Alan came out as "Ash" and this was hijacked by my family.
Nowadays, although I remain officially Alan, my friends have unanimously reduced me to Ash!

My Life
Like most of us, my journey through life has been a roller-coaster ride of hardship and ease, sorrows and joys. Through all the difficulties it has gradually become clear to me that whatever we do, life is certainly NOT what we make it! My life seems to have been a series of not-so-haphazard events which have conspired to bring me to my current conclusion:
 I am both scarily powerless to control my world or my destiny, and comfortingly safe in the arms of the Cause of Everything.
I thus find myself vacillating between moments of darkness and moments of clarity - times when I'm desperately trying to take control of everything, and times when I'm confidently aware that everything is safe in God's loving care.
 While I find myself opposed to so much of what passes as "Christianity", I have been hugely influenced by Jesus Christ. His life and teachings have had a life-changing effect to me. In my search for answers to life's big questions - for a way to live that has purpose and reality - Jesus stands out as the ultimate source of wisdom and truth.
 I am still on a journey, have lots to learn and a load of unanswered questions. I guess I always will! If I get any big revelations, I'll try and post them on my blog If you have any of your own, I'd be delighted to hear from you. (Read a more detailed version of my spiritual journey in Religion to Faith.)