This week's Carnival of Beauty, hosted by Autumn Rain, celebrates the Beauty of Salvation. I have shared some of my own testimony before, but want to share a story of salvation from my own family that is particularly precious to us at Christmas.

As a family, we never went to church. My mother was so against Christianity that, when she found out that I went to a Scripture Union club at primary school, she forbade to go again! For me, it had been a fun way to spend a lunchtime but nothing else more spiritual.

At secondary school, I discovered a love and talent for singing. I sang in school choirs and school musicals, taking part in competitions against other schools, and singing solos at concerts and carol services. My singing teacher then suggested joining a church choir.

I wasn't going to that church for the teaching, so it didn't matter that the minister didn't believe in the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, the inerrancy of the Bible or the truth of the miracles. However I began to read the Bible. I'm not sure when exactly I became a Christian - it was more like a gradual dawning. I was in the middle of it before I had realised that I had started!

Throughout all of this, I was still singing in the choir. On Christmas Eve 1998, I was to sing a solo in the Watchnight Service. My parents had decided that this was all a 'religious' phase that I would soon grow out of but they would come to hear me whenever I was singing a solo.

That evening, we had a blazing argument. I haven't a clue what it was about now, but I'm sure there was crying, shouting and probably door slamming! (I am ashamed to admit this, but offer it to show what God worked from!) They said they would not come to see me sing so I stomped out of the house and went to church myself.

A strange thing happened at home that night. For some reason, my parents, my very anti-religion parents, my atheist parents, decided they would go to church anyway and, late that night, walked up the hill to the local church. They went to the service, then the following Sunday went back and kept on going back.

By God's wonderful providence, the minister there was a Christian and preached the Bible faithfully. That night, he shared the truth of the Christmas story that did not leave Jesus as a helpless babe in a manger but that explained why that baby came and how, through him, people could have their sins forgiven and have eternal life.

My parents heard and believed God's word and became Christians. It has been wonderful to see the transformation in their lives and in my family. It is such a blessing to go home and to be able to talk of God's goodness and to share Christian fellowship. They are both so involved in that church now, with my father even becoming an elder last year. I am so thankful to God for how he has brought them to a living faith and for the outworking of their salvation.

May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
Psalm 20:5