Helping someone get to know Jesus

It's not necessarily the easiest thing to help people discover Jesus. In his book "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus," author John Eldredge shares a poignant story on p. 192 about a friend who is a missionary in Thailand. This story is from the missionary's perspective:

It was a Saturday morning and I was enjoying a delicious conversation. I looked at my watch and realized I needed to go meet up with a friend of mine, to take her to a women's event at church. She doesn't know Jesus yet but is hungry. I anticipated lame conversation gorging myself on empty carbs. But I had told her I would go. She was taking a risk and I needed to receive her heart well. So I hung up, grabbed a cab, and headed downtown. Our plan was to meet at the station at 8:45. The minutes rolled on. 9:00. 9:15. 9:25. I imagined walking into the brunch late, plates empty, women looking at us trying to scrounge a seat and some leftovers. I stood there, hundreds of people passing me by with every arriving train. My blood started to boil, growing ever more frustrated at how I could be at home enjoying conversation with someone I'm coming to care for quite deeply. But instead, I was standing in a fume-filled, sweaty, rumbling train station waiting for a friend who I knew would be late.

In that moment, I heard the voice of Jesus as clear as anything. So you left intimacy in order to come be disappointed by someone who needed love, huh? He didn't have to say any more. There was no condemnation in his voice, only that of a kind friend who is letting me into a bit more of his own story. What his humanity was like, what his time on earth must have so often felt like. It made me love him all the more.

Jesus really did sacrifice a lot for us, and we can be patient as we help others get to know Him.

The playfulness of Jesus

If we look, we can see Jesus everywhere, in even the most simple things of life. Here's an example of that from John Eldredge's book "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus" (pp. 190-191):

Last night I had a horrible night. I don't quite know how to describe it, but if I even use the word Gethsemane, I lose all by trying to establish a connection. Hours of evil attack, the fruit of which was, I couldn't find Jesus this morning. I felt as though he had abandoned me. Kneeling facedown in my office, worshipping, my face to the floor, I suddenly felt a presence next to me; something dropped by my ear. It was an old chewed-up toy. I looked and there was Oban, waking his tail. Wanna play? The playfulness of Jesus, cheering my heart through my dog. Oban laid down in front of me, and began to lick my hand. It was so merciful, so comforting; the comfort of Jesus.

Look around to see Jesus in your life today.

The Message

Often we find other things besides Jesus to comfort us when life gets tough. On p. 166 of "The Sacred Romance," his book with John Eldredge, Brent Curtis shares about his comforters and Jesus as our home:

My 'comforter,' my abiding place, was cynicism and rebellion. From this abiding place, I would feel free to use some soul cocaine -- a violence video with maybe a little sexual titillation thrown in, perhaps having a little more alcohol with a meal than I might normally drink -- things that would allow me to feel better for just a little while. I had always thought of these things as just bad habits. I began to see that they were much more; they were spiritual abiding places that were my comforters and friends in a very spiritual way; literally, other lovers.

The final light went on one evening when I read John 15 in 'The Message.' Peterson translates Jesus' words on abiding this way: 'If you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.' Jesus was saying in answer to my question, 'I have made my home in you, Brent. But you still have other comforters you go to. You must learn to make your home in me.' I realized that my identity had something to do with simply 'staying at home.'

Jesus, please help us to find our home in you.

Presence of Jesus

Jesus is omnipresent -- he is everywhere that we go. On page 183 of "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus," author John Eldredge shares the story of a friend who feels a little embarrassed about listening to "New Age Jazz":

At times I've felt a little odd and maybe even guilty listening to this genre. But as I was walking out to my car from a particularly difficult sales call, I was asking Him to give me peace and rest. I asked if He minded that I listened to this station. As I got in the car, I sensed Him saying, Oh no, that's fine, I'm here, too. I started the car, punched in my station, and on came an instrumental of 'Fairest Lord Jesus.' I said, laughing, 'Ah, so You are here!'

I love how creative Jesus is. We can expect Him to show up in our lives anytime, anywhere.

Come away with me

I, like many Americans, often go through my day obsessed with the to-do list. The sermon at church

last Sunday by one of the pastors had an important message:  rest and be still.

You see, the pastor went into work one day, planning to complete the to-do list. But her computer was moving very slowly -- how frustrating! How was she going to make any progress on her list?

Then she heard God:  "Come away with me."

"But Lord," she replied, "I have all of this stuff to do."

"What do you think about resting with me," He said.

So she packed up her stuff, went home, and rested. . .and it was wonderful.

God does want to restore and transform us. By giving us the gift of Sabbath, we get an opportunity to rest in God's presence. Check out Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:9-10 and Matthew 11:28 in the Bible regarding the importance of rest.

Enjoy the gift of rest today. One book that the pastor highly recommended is "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" by Sarah Young.

The last thing Jesus said

I receive a monthly letter from John Eldredge of Ransomed Heart. The message of the most recent letter from Eldredge was "slow down":

As I was praying this morning about what we all needed in this month's letter, Jesus replied with a question: What is the last thing I said to you?

It wasn't meant to imply, Write about what I said to you this morning. Rather, Jesus was raising the issue of staying with him, staying with the words he gives to us. As in, Do you even remember the last thing I said to you? Let me explain why.

Every time I fire up my phone or computer, there's another notice: 'Software updates available' (there's a new one staring at me even now). And so I go through the rigamarole of updating this or that aspect of my system, or of some sweet little program I have that makes me feel cool and on top of things. Updates. Now, sure -- we all want to keep things running smoothly. But there is something about the number and frequency of these 'updates' that screams about the world in which we live.

The world is obsessed with the new, the latest, the next thing. Gimme the update. Obsessed.

Eldredge recommends slowing down our pace of life. When God speaks to you, record it somewhere so you can follow through on His word. . .and remember the last thing He said.

Jesus makes all things new

Happy new year, everyone! At my church on New Year's Day, the executive pastor gave a message about how Jesus makes all things new.

He started out his sermon with an amazing story (you can hear it here) about God bringing him a new perspective. In 1999, the pastor worked as an executive at a consulting firm in Bloomington, Minn. The job brought much prosperity to his family, but was draining the life out of him. So he quit.

He started working part-time at the church as well as teaching graduate classes at Bethel University. To accommodate graduate students in the southern metro, Bethel decided in 2009 to open a location in Bloomington. It turns out that the new classroom space was on the exact same floor that the pastor's former employer was located on!

When the pastor asked God what to make of this, God replied, "I make all things new." Since the pastor really enjoyed teaching, this same location now was filling him up instead of draining the life out of him.

Finally

Have you read "Beautiful Outlaw" by John Eldredge yet? It's an excellent book that reminds us of how bold, generous and humble Jesus was.

Eldredge recently shared in a letter how Jesus spoke to him about the launch of "Beautiful Outlaw" finally arriving:

In fact, 'Finally' is what Jesus said to me, in January, as I was praying about this beautiful book. I was asking Jesus for 'advance words,' words to guide me through the writing and through the launch of this fantastic message. I expected to hear things like, 'I am with you,' or, 'Lift up my holy name,' that sort of thing. Instead, Jesus says, 'Finally.' It cracks me up. I love his sense of humor. There was also a gentle rebuke in the word, because this should have happened a long time ago.

Eldredge mentioned in the Ransomed Heart podcast that his previous publisher did not want to publish a book about Jesus, saying that there wasn't enough appeal and interest. I'm glad that his new publisher understood that this new perspective on Jesus needed to be told.

Meet the beautiful outlaw

On Oct. 12, John Eldredge releases his new book, "Beautiful Outlaw:  Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus."

It sounds like in his new book, Eldredge is focusing on aspects of Jesus that perhaps we have not considered -- his "beautiful, scandalous, utterly compelling personality."

Eldredge recently shared in a letter how Jesus spoke to him while writing "Beautiful Outlaw":

Back in January, when I was writing the book, Jesus spoke to me Isaiah 63:4: 'For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come.' I sensed that at this time, in this context, the 'year of his redemption' means the redeeming of how people see Jesus and what they know him to be like. Wouldn't that be awesome!!??

In "Beautiful Outlaw," Eldredge looks at Jesus' humanity, playfulness, extravagant generosity, fierce intention, cunning and humility. I'm looking forward to reading it and getting closer to Jesus.

His blood was shed for us

I had a vision. There was blood spilled all over the floor, and my instinctual reaction was to rush to clean it up. Instead, a voice told me, "Stop."

What does it mean? I think that my wife had the best interpretation. She said that Jesus Christ's blood was shed for us, and that we can stop trying and trying. He is the only one who is perfect. . .

We will be shaken

In the story of Simon Peter, he was shaken and humbled so much that his natural confidence turned to dependence on God. When we are shaken, what isn't of Jesus falls away, and that's why Jesus lets trials happen. John Bevere explains this on p. 89 of "The Bait of Satan":

Trials in this life will expose what is in your heart -- whether the offense is toward God or others. Tests either make you bitter toward God and your peers or stronger. If you pass the test, your roots will shoot down deeper, stabilizing you and your future. If you fail, you become offended, which can lead to defilement with bitterness.

I'm curious about how to discern which trials are just spiritual attacks by Satan and his evil spirits versus trials that are put in our lives to strengthen our faith in Jesus. Or are they one in the same?

Surviving a pit bull attack

I recently completed a book by Gordon Dalbey called "Fight Like a Man". Dalbey was the inspiration for author John Eldredge. "Fight Like a Man" examines the wounds in men and how to heal ourselves by surrendering to Jesus.

In one passage of "Fight Like a Man", Dalbey recounts how he was jogging in his neighborhood late at night when he was attacked by a pit pull. Read on to hear how Dalbey survived even though no one was around and the pit pull already had taken a bite into his forearm:

All thoughts fled from my grasp as the dog quivered and crouched lower for its spring.

'Stop!' I heard myself pleading desperately -- and then, with determination, 'In the name of Jesus, stop!'

The instant the word Jesus sprang from my lips, a veil seemed to part, and by a new and holy instinct I knew at once what to do.

Utterly terrified, absolutely powerless, I surrendered.

'Jesus,' I whispered, looking away. As the dog let out a sharp yowl and lifted its forelegs to leap, I dropped my arms helplessly to my side.

In that unforgettable split second, more intense in both horror and peace that I have ever before known, all fear and tension swept out of me. Quietly, I stood there -- whether seconds or minutes I can't say.

I only know that when I looked down again, the dog had not leapt after all, but was still coiled and growling in front of me.

'Jesus,' I said again, this time calmly, and looked directly into the dog's burning eyes: 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.'

Hesitating yet, it growled once more, looked around, and then stood there just looking at me. Clearly, it was over. With a snort, the dog turned awkwardly and trotted off into the night.

Just think if Dalbey had tried to fight that pit bull on his own -- he would have been toast! So often we think that we can do it on our own. His experience should be a reminder to just surrender to Jesus.

Happy Easter!

Blessings to everyone as today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus! I know of a couple Easter celebrations today that are different from the traditional ham, potatoes and dinner rolls Easter dinner.

My family's celebration today is one example. My dad is coming over. We're going to church. Then we're going to a Mexican restaurant. It probably will not be crowded. And all of my family loves Mexican food.

Another example: a friend of mine and his family are going to church. After that, they are going to have some friends over for a rousing game of "Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot". (I wonder if there's an Easter Bunny card included in this game about homicidal rabbits!)

In an interesting example of the Internet imitating life, if you click on the Killer Bunnies image on the left-hand column of images and then use the back button on your browser, another image will appear! The images multiply rapidly just like rabbits if you do this over and over!

The wolf at the door

When I joined the Heart of a Warrior group, Dr. Greg Bourgond came to speak to us at Berean Baptist Church. He told us about the personal battles that he faced from Satan when he was starting Heart of a Warrior, and stated that by joining this group, we would be putting targets on our backs.

Well, spiritual warfare indeed has taken place. The guys in my Heart of a Warrior group are being attacked by Satan. My marriage is falling apart. The evil one is hitting the other guys where he knows they have weaknesses.

But we will not give up. We knew that Satan would be the wolf at the door, waiting and trying everything to knock us off course. We will stick together in this fight, and through the power of Jesus, defeat the enemy.

My repentance for Lent

I have decided on my repentance for Lent. I'm going to give up saying negative things about people. Jesus wants us to follow John 13:34 -- to love one another.

I often fail in loving my neighbor -- if someone lets me down, they go on my "negative" list until they do something to make up for it. This practice is not working for me. . .I'm unkind to many people and making myself miserable. It has to end.

It's time to give up this self-defeating style of thinking and live life the way that Jesus wants me to experience it. Happy Ash Wednesday!

Fallen angel

I just recently watched this year's Transformers movie for the first time. I loved it! It's an exciting sci-fi adventure story with some excellent humor.

It's also a fallen angel story -- Megatron was once on the good side, but he defected to the side of the evil Decepticons. Therefore, Optimus Prime and the Autobots have to defeat them.

"Fallen angel" stories are very exciting; the whole Star Wars series was based on Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader turning to the dark side.

While it's fun to watch these movies, we are living in a real "fallen angel" universe. The devil is out there. When we're just coasting along in life, we might not notice the devil's presence. But try getting closer to God -- the devil will make his presence known. We are in the middle of a spiritual battle, but we can fight Satan with Jesus Christ on our side.

I will not let Satan come between us

My marriage has hit a rough patch, as I'm sure all marriages do. I had a vision last weekend while trimming trees that essentially was a call to arms.

Last weekend, my wife and I were trimming trees in our yard -- I was up high on a ladder while she was on the ground below. As I was trimming, all of a sudden I had a vision of Satan coming between us right there. It wasn't the traditional devil-with-horns image; it was more of a vision of darkness.

Right away, I knew what I had to do: I prayed. "In the name of Jesus, I command Satan to leave my marriage alone."

My wife said that I probably hadn't noticed Satan before so clearly because I was so used to him being around. Well, no longer -- Satan is persona non grata in my home.

How we help each other grow

I love it when a church sermon meets me exactly where I'm at. That happened yesterday with the message that I heard at SouthMetro Vineyard Church. It was called "How We Help Each Other Grow".

God wants us to take care of each other -- 1 Th. 5:11 says, "Encourage each other and build each other up."

Here are the key ways from yesterday's message that we can help each other grow:

1. By affirming each other's worth

• With acceptance
• With attention
• With affection
• With appreciation

2. By praying for each other's growth

3. By admitting our own mistakes; the benefits of honesty are:

• Emotional healing
• A fresh start
• God's power to change
• Deeper fellowship

4. By encouraging each other's commitment

• Commit to love Jesus Christ
• Commit to love other believers
• Commit to grow in God's Word
• Commit to serving in ministry
• Commit to sharing the Good News

It's so easy to fall in the trap of putting each other down. I know that's not what God wants; He wants us to lift each other up and bring people closer to Him.

It's time to open our ears

Many people wonder where God is and why they only hear silence when they try to search for him. The Rev. Gary Bonebrake of Main Street Baptist Church in Oneonta, N.Y., offered an excellent suggestion in The Daily Star -- read the Bible.

God is not gone; he is not unconcerned; he is not silent. He has never been silent. God is speaking in the book he inspired and gave to us. As you read the Bible, you are not reading dead words on a page. Listen. If you listen with an open heart, you hear the voice of God -- the voice of God seeking you, calling you. God is not silent; he has never been silent. We have just not been listening.

Let's take time today to focus on the words of the Bible. The Bible points us to the best way to live -- the way of Jesus.

Inviting Christ into our hearts

I just finished reading My Heart--Christ's Home by Robert Boyd Munger. This is a touching book in which the author, who served as professor of evangelism and church strategy at Fuller Theological Seminary, recounts his story of inviting Christ into his heart. He writes about how Christ explored the various rooms of his home, mind and heart, including:

• The Study
• The Dining Room
• The Living Room
• The Workroom
• The Rec Room
• The Bedroom
• The Hall Closet

It's a touching story that makes the reader feel vulnerable and think about the areas of our lives that we should bring out into the open with Christ. In the end of My Heart--Christ's Home, Munger writes about "transferring the title" of our life to Christ and the joy that it ultimately brings. As humans, we often feel that we can be independent. What we really need is Christ to be in charge of our lives.