I have been a radio buff for as long as I remember, but even more so since I joined the 'ipod generation'. I simply love being able to listen whenever, and wherever, I choose.

I am a Radio 4 addict in particular, which is why I regularly listen in to Matthew Paris's 'Great Lives'.

You just never know what you will discover about the rich and famous. Whoever would have guessed for example, that Winston Churchill's one regret was that his dad never saw just how much he achieved in life?

That's how, sometime last week, I found myself listening to an edition that focused on Gerry Robinson's choice of Irish playwright Samuel Becket. Robinson, a highly successful businessman, told Paris that he loathed his work initially, thinking it all 'pretentious nonsense'. But, some years later, when his daughter was in drama school, he took a fresh look at Becket's work and as a result of that he now saw him in a totally different light.

As I listened, I began to wish that lots of people would take a 'fresh look' at the message of Jesus because it has so much to offer.

It assures us for example that God's wants to help when the going gets tough. I see evidence of this all the time.

Only last week, a Chevron worker assured me that he was aware that 'someone is helping him' as he struggles to cope with the trauma of the recent tragedy.

It also offers us the chance of a complete new start when we've messed up. 'Jane' (not her real name) knows that. Jane told us her story when she turned up in church one Sunday morning last year. She had been abused to the point where she had ended up selling her body at night and filling it with Class A drugs throughout the day. But thankfully, she (reluctantly) accepted the offer of a place in a Christian drug rehabilitation centre. While she was there, she discovered that God not only loved her she came to believe that He could also help her kick her destructive habit. She is a completely transformed young lady now.

And there's a word of comfort for people like Milly Dowler's parents too. I couldn't help thinking this as I watched them sharing their grief and anger on TV the other day. Life can be very unfair, but the Bible assures us that no one will 'get away with it in the end'. The bills will have to be paid one day because God is a God of justice.

Faith then, does not insulate us from pain. It does not guarantee that we will have all the answers. But it is very relevant, and can prove life changing, which is why I reckon lots of people would benefit from 'doing a Gerry Robinson' and taking a fresh look at the Jesus story.

Rob James is Pastor of Westgate Evangelical Chapel, Pembroke, and can be contacted at [email protected]">[email protected]