My friend Jimmy Cooper has one of those experiences that you want, and don’t want to have. I’ll let him explain. 1

 On January 19th, 2012 -  I was with my wife Christiane in our apartment in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. We had been out on a date and we had just gotten home. Actually, I guess we had been home for an hour or so and it was pretty late at night, about 1:30am. I started having an overwhelming feeling that I needed to lie down. It was out of the blue and I couldn’t fight it, so I lay down in bed and closed my eyes. I wasn’t feeling well and it came on so quickly, I just had to close my eyes.

People I trust and admire read and discuss Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling devotional. Their faiths have been strengthened and their lives transformed.

I was excited to review the Jesus Calling Devotional Bible even though it was published using The Holy Bible, New King James Version a translation I seldom have used.

There is a topical index listing more than forty topics most readers of the Jesus Calling Devotional Bible would have chosen.

Following the Topical Index is the “When Your Heart Longs for Help” index.

Thomas, one of Jesus Christ friends, asked him about eternity “How can we know the way?” Jesus replied, “I am the way, the truth, and the life! Without me, no one can go to the Father. If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.”

Sweet invites his readers to consider the implications and benefits of living our Story as Christ’s Story.

Sweet captured the gospel and it’s implications accurately: “To be the humans God made us to be, we need grace.” We need that grace to effectively represent Christ for a dying world.

I sat in traffic this morning as people raced to work.  Drivers jockeying for position.  Leveraging a moment in time to jump ahead of another driver.  Some guy in a Mazda had a really had a great trip but “he got bumped off the pole” by the guy in the BMW who was a bit faster.

Another guy — apparently not in the hurry others were in must have been — blocking the flow of traffic.  I can envision him telling his buddies later at work that he “gave him a little rub” and passed him by. 1

Who is Jesus Christ?

Our answers, our real answers, explains a great deal of why we do what we do.

How do you relate to Jesus Christ?

Is “Jesus Christ” a mythological figure?
An irrelevant historical figure?
Someone from the past who did good things?
Someone to follow the example of?

Or, do you call him your Savior?

Someone to talk to, but it’s like talking to your ceiling?
Someone you can talk to about any and everything?
Someone that you expect — somehow — to hear from?

Who is Jesus?

I grew up in suburban Chicago with my Mom and Dad, and sister, Kristie.

Looking for Faith

Our family has Lutheran roots, but we were not regular church attendees.

When I was seven years old I was invited by my neighbors to Grace Community Church. 

John Schulmeister was the first person I remember hearing say, “Jesus Christ died for your sins.” That night I asked Jesus to forgive my sins.

I remember it seemed like an obvious decision. I knew that I had sinned. I trusted that Jesus was willing to forgive my sins, and asked him to do so.

Peace Is Vulnerable

If you asked me, “Are you a fear-filled person?”, I would respond no.  On the other hand there are subtle ways on a daily basis that fear sneaks into my mind, heart and soul.  This week in fact I realize that my fears arose and my personal peace was compromised when:

- When I expect Amy to be available to answer my phone calls, and she wasn’t for hours.
- When I’m driving & speeding and a police car with it’s lights on races up behind me.
- When I have to talk to someone and ask for a donation to TreeHouse.
- We had a three-hour outdoor activity planned for hundreds and the weather forecast was sixty-one degree and rainy.

I’ve been thinking about peace and war for days now. On Sunday Steve Wiens talked about peace entitled “What Christ Left Us”. You can watch it here [after a Father's Day address].

My thoughts and Steve’s thoughts about peace continue to melt in my mind.

Feeling like I wanted to give you a chance to learn with me I present to you this week’s Message Tool provided as a follow up to the week’s message.

I hope that you find this exercise as meaningful as I am.

Practice:

Write out the following passage, Philippians 4:6-7, on a piece of paper.

Okay, how cool is that.  I was just thinking about my friend Jonnie & I was about to write about my friend Erica.

They walked into the coffee shop I’m in, together!

Let me explain.

Jonnie and his brother Nate are in the Navy.  Jonnie will soon join Nate in Hawaii.  Nate will be stationed there until he is re-assigned to Guam.

I was thinking about Jonnie because next Spring I will see his smiling face IN Hawaii.

What?

Yeah, I know, right?!?!

We no longer use credit cards, so a “plastic vacation” is not an option.

I’m Afraid Of A Relapse!

THE QUESTION: Last week, my daughter was released to go home from the psych ward. After she got depressed, she cut herself. I was afraid that she’d try to commit suicide. How do I know he/she won’t slide back into this again?

OUR REPLY: “Don’t focus on what might happen (but probably won’t); focus instead on things that affirm your future and guide your eyes toward hopefulness. You can both set and achieve short-term goals and remember to focus your attention on the positive things that you have in your lives.”