Thief Prisoner Soldier Priest by Paul Cowley

£14.99
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781529303766
Published:
16 Apr 2020
Format:
Paperback
Number of pages:
272 pages
Dimensions:
232x150x26mm
Weight:
0.360kgs
Author:
Paul Cowley recounts his remarkable transformation after an encounter with God at the age of thirty-eight. Revealing the tempestuous years before his conversion - his spell in Risley Remand Centre at seventeen, his almost seventeen years in the British Army and his time as a Gym Manager for Mark Birley's Club in Mayfair with its prestigious clientele - Paul's story is a inspirational account of one man's complete transformation. In the second half of his account, Paul tells the powerful transformative effect of his conversion and his subsequent ordination at St Pauls Cathedral in 2002. He also shares how he pioneered both Alpha Prisons and Alpha Forces, two international ministries which under his directive have flourished globally.

Imagine growing up in a chaotic world where your parents are abusive and disfunctional. Family life is supposed to offer safety to children but for Paul Cowley he was exposed early on to heavy drinking, explosive arguments and aggression from his father, who threw him out the house when he stood up to him in defence of his mother. This one act proved to be decisive in Paul's life, leading him into homelessness and petty crime as he mixed with the wrong crowd. Aged seventeen he was already behind bars.

But having tasted life at rock bottom, Paul was determined to make something of his future. He joined the army which 'made a man of him', but ultimately he lacked any direction and purpose and continued to make damaging life decisions, leading to divorce and estrangement from his own son.

Things were not looking good, until a chance invitation to church from an old army PT meant that Paul's search for meaning resulted in an unexpected encounter with God that changed his life for ever.

This remarkable and touching true-life account of one man's journey from thief to prisoner, soldier and, eventually, priest, should inspire anyone who feels their life is out of control or that, but for the grace of God, could have been in the same situation. It is, by turns, a dramatic, traumatic and even comic story, yet one that stands as a testament to how God offers hope to all who have the courage to respond.

About the Author: Paul Cowley is on the leadership team at Holy Trinity Brompton and founded the charity Caring for Ex-Offenders. He has twenty-five years' experience of working with socially excluded and vulnerable adults, and is the Bishops' Advisor to Prisons in London. In 2015 he was awarded an MBE for services to ex-offenders.Amanda Cowley is a landscape painter and writer. After a career in television as an art director she continued to exhibit her paintings and is in the process of completing her first novel. Amanda is involved with her husband in ministering to the people of an estate church, linked to HTB's parish, in North Kensington.

More Information
Number of pages 272

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