Unpicking the truth behind the world’s greatest life stories…

The real life stories website is about real people. Each one has an inspiring and exciting life story to share. In every case it was as if a light were switched on in the darkness. Light enables us to see through the darkness, and in every story you will see that the light led to a complete change in direction and a more fulfilled life for every person concerned. 

There are some very recognisable names and faces – celebrities, sportsmen, musicians etc, and there are also many ordinary people living ordinary lives out of the media spotlight. All of these people have discovered that there is a God who loves them. In many cases this discovery has come at a time of crisis, but sometimes it has just happened when life seemed to be pretty normal. In every case, these people have realised that God loves us as individuals and cares about our unique circumstances. The Bible says, 

When Jesus spoke to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

reallifestories.org is non-denominational and our foundation of faith and belief is the Nicene Creed.

Our Vision

The vision of reallifestories.org is simply to share the great news of Jesus Christ with the world. 

Editorial

Ralph Burden, Managing Editor                                                 email: ralph@reallifestories.org
Charles Gardner, Writer                                                             email: charles@reallifestories.org

Technical

Chris Sims, Web Developer                                                        

Legacy

Launched in 2013, the Real Life Stories website follows the legacy of Real Life magazine, a full-colour magazine started by Ralph Burden and Ian Buck* and published between 2006 and 2008 by Ian’s company Christian Life Resources (CLR). CLR distributed the magazine in the UK and parts of Europe. CLR was an unfortunate victim of the economic crisis of 2008 to 2010 so publication of the magazine was halted after just two years. But the economic crisis became a blessing in disguise. As they discussed a future re-launch, Ian said, “What about putting Real Life Stories online and making it a website instead of a magazine?” Of course! It made perfect sense in our increasingly digital world. 

Our original vision was to get a magazine into every UK home twice a year. With 21 million households in the UK alone at the time, it was a big and costly plan. But the web format has made this goal realisable. There are now 29 million households and 70 million people in the UK. 98% of them have internet access, so reallifestories.org is now available to nearly all of the UK population. 

World Vision

Since switching to a web format in 2013, Real Life Stories has been accessed by millions of people across the world. 6 billion people (74% of the world’s population) now have internet access and are able to view reallifestories.org. The UK was a good start, but God’s plan was that these life-changing stories should be for the world to read.*

In 2015 we became a global operation with web hosting based in the UK and editorial management based in New Zealand. The progress of reallifestories.org has far outgrown our early expectations. The online format meant that reallifestories.org soon had more readers every week than the printed magazine was able to reach during a whole year. Almost overnight the European vision became a world vision. 

Please share the news of this website so that more people can be made aware of the good news that God loves them. You don’t need to be a bold, confident evangelist, sharing a weblink is a simple way to help people to know God’s love. 

Ian Buck

*Sadly, our dear friend Ian died of cancer in 2023. Physically he is no longer with us, but his legacy endures. Life on earth is short, eternity is forever. If Ian could speak to us now, he would say something along the lines of, “Life goes by in a flash, so choose carefully. Choose the path you will follow. Turn to Jesus while you can and live your life for him.“

Photos:

1. CLR team (magazine and radio) 2008; L to R: Ralph, Simon, Ian, Lance, Angie.  

2 & 3: Copies of Real Life Magazine and articles

* “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18) NIV