Hello, my name is Peter.

  When I was 20 years old I became the number 2 goalkeeper at a professional football team.

  The number 1 goalkeeper was an international, everybody said that one day I would take his place.

  The number 1 was very good. Being number 2 meant sitting on the bench every match.

But I was happy with training with such a great goalkeeper and playing for the reserves.

I was also being paid for doing something I really loved doing.

My mum and dad watched me nearly every match, except for when we had a tour to Italy

or if we played on a Sunday at the same time as church.

If I miss church because of football I like to go to another service on a different day.

I believe God has given me the skill to play football.

One day I was playing in a match, we were winning 3-0

and I was getting bored not having anything to do.

A long ball was played through, I ran out for it.

The centre forward for the other side chased it too.

 I was told afterwards we got to the ball at the same time and we had an accident.

I remember waking.

The pain in my head.

My mum’s voice, a woman’s voice, a man’s voice.

I felt my head with both hands, bandages, over my head and eyes.

Under my chin.

Something to my arm. Aagh.

I woke several more times. My neck and shoulders were hurting.

My mum said I was fine, I was in hospital. My dad’s voice,

 but what is he saying, but what is he saying? I want to know.

Hours?

Days? Later,

I was in bed at the hospital when a Doctor Lazlo talked to me.

My mum and dad were there and a nurse.

When she came near I could smell roses.

The doctor said I had always had a weakness in my head,

 the centre forward’s foot had hit me on the weakness.

This had stopped me seeing and being able to pick up small things.

One day I may be able to see again and to pick up small things.

A lot of people can’t smell when they get injured like me, but I can smell.                  

It didn’t sink in when I was told.

I was glad to be alive.

My dad and mum had prayed for me.

I had lots of visitors, footballers, people from church, my family.

My dad said lots of people were asking about me.

One day I heard my mum saying to the doctor I was a different person,

 - my moods, my lack of concentration, not being able to see.

To pass the time, I would listen hard and try and guess who my visitors were before they spoke.

I would listen to the noise a person’s footsteps made or to smell the perfume a nurse wore.

One day Sarah wore a different perfume and I got her name wrong.

I told her why I had got her name wrong. She asked me which perfume I would like her to wear.

 My father said I should be careful as I might infringe her human rights.

One day I had to go outside.

“It’s raining cats and dogs out there you will get soaked.

You can go when the weather is better.” My mum said. 

I knew she was right but I had to go outside.

My dad said he would push me to the conservatory, it had a glass roof.

When I got there, there was a cold wind.

I heard the rain dripping from a leaking gutter over in the corner,

drip, drip, drip like a clock tick, tick, tick.

 I could hear the rain catching the bushes and then falling to the ground.

There was rain hitting the gravel on the path and making a louder noise.

Above, the rain hit the roof like somebody throwing dried peas up there.

In my head I could see each raindrop coming down.

How different the sounds were, yet each came from the same rain.

I wondered about the different ways we “hear” God.

The way we hear God depends on how we listen to him.

The way we see and feel God depends on how we use our eyes and nose.

Do you see God as a loving father,

 picking us up when we hurt, helping us with our lives?

Or do you sense God as an itch who nags in our thoughts and tells us things we ought to do,

even if we don't want to do them.

Could you be one of the people who hear him as a steady drip asking us for a reply?

Some people don’t hear him at all,

they pretend he’s not there and let the noise of other things drowned his voice.

Where we stand when it is raining will govern how we hear the rain.

What mood we are in or what our needs are when we hear will govern if or what we hear.

This is why people hear God differently at various times and in an assortment of ways.

Has God spoken to you recently?

Have you listened for his voice?

   Six years later.................

                                           Oh, got to go, they are calling for me......

    .....What, I've won the cup for football pundit of the year.

    YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I've beaten Alan Hansen into second place!!!!

 I must have known when I brought my new wheelchair that I would be on t.v.