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Dedication

Introduction

Seeing Jesus

Seeing Jesus is what Christianity is all about. Mark it down. We are what we see…. Acquiring a vision of your Maker can be like starting a whole new life.
MAX LUCADO

I lifted my face to the dazzling September sun. My husband, Holmes, and I were as excited as a couple of kids before a birthday party. We had tickets for a “Balmy Day” ride; at least that’s what the brochure promised: “Maine’s favorite ocean day trip—enjoy a quiet boat ride to Monhegan Island—the experience will be your vacation highlight!”

As inlanders we didn’t even think to check the marine forecast. The sun was shining. It was windy, but it’s windy lots of days where we live, so we didn’t worry.

“Are you sure you want to go?” the ticket agent at the dock asked me. “Tomorrow’s going to be a better day.”

That should have given me a clue, but I forged ahead. “Today’s our only chance. We have to fly back to Oklahoma tomorrow,” I told her.

“It’s going to be bumpy out there. I could refund your money,” she added. I picked up our tickets anyway, got coffee and egg sandwiches across the street, and Holmes and I boarded the Balmy Days II at Pier 8 with a group of other brave but naive folks.

Before we were out of the harbor, the young woman behind me was popping Dramamine. She offered me some. “I don’t get motion sickness, but thanks!” I told her with a smile.

About halfway to the island, I began to taste that egg sandwich and wish I’d taken her up on the offer of Dramamine. “Don’t worry,” the first mate said over the intercom, “it’ll be smoother on the way back.”

After an hour we arrived at Monhegan Island. We walked for a few hours around the island, strolling through art galleries and eating our picnic lunch on the big hill with a spectacular view of the ocean. Then we boarded the boat again, hoping for a smooth ride back to Boothbay.

Only a few minutes out of the harbor, the gentle rocking intensified until I felt myself slam side to side as I gripped the rail with white knuckles. Just as I readied myself for the next wave, the boat lurched forward and I almost lost my seat. The boat pitched down and rolled side to side as it moved into the wind and waves.

Every muscle in my body tensed as the cold water blowing in the cabin door splattered my sunglasses and left my hair plastered to my head. Each looming wave, I thought, might wash us into the frigid depths.

Suddenly I heard a woman on the top deck screaming in terror. The big man groaning behind me got sick all over the deck. The woman in front of me turned a grayish green, and she lay down and held on for dear life—and she was a seasoned island resident.

The captain had to steer farther out to sea in a fruitless endeavor to find calmer waters. As waves continued to crash into the boat and come over the bow, I looked up at the life jackets, wondering if we’d have to use them. A man near me saw my glance and said, “They wouldn’t help us much. The water’s only forty degrees.” I looked over just as the first mate’s book Shipwreck slid into the aisle.

I realized I was gripping the bench as if I were the one steering the boat. Anxiety rising, I had what I could only describe as a “deep connection with God.” Fear, I’ve found, can be a great handle to lay hold of God, and it’s a powerful way to experience some intimate moments with Him.

You made this wind and the waves, and You could quiet them down just like You did for the disciples! I said silently.

I’ve experienced dozens of moments in my life when I wished things would calm down and problems would disappear. I kept on with this line of conversation with the Lord for a while until it was clear the waves were not getting smaller. In fact, the boat was heaving even more.

Then, since You’re not quieting the waves, would You speak to me? Quiet my heart and show me what You want me to learn. I waited and listened.

My husband, I noticed, was enjoying the ride—even soaking wet and cold from the waves that splashed over the top deck (but he also loves jumping out of airplanes).

As I pondered those words, I looked around the lower cabin to see who else seemed to be enjoying the ride. I finally spotted an old couple, tall and ruddy faced, who looked perfectly peaceful, as if they were on a happy Sunday excursion.

I inched my way to the back of the cabin, holding on as the boat rolled through its audition for The Perfect Storm.

“You look like you’re really enjoying this. You don’t seem scared or sick. What’s your secret?” I asked the elderly pair.

“Just keep your eyes on the horizon. Don’t look at the waves. Look out as far as you can. Keep your eyes peeled on the horizon way out there,” they said, pointing to a far-distant point.

Returning to my seat, I took their advice. I discovered something amazing. A sense of peace replaced the anxiety, and I began to experience Jesus as my Prince of Peace in a real way. It was almost as if I could see Him on the deck smiling, reveling in His creation, reigning over the whole excursion.

And as I got a fresh vision of Jesus and kept my eyes on the horizon, I felt His peace that afternoon. I didn’t care that the waves didn’t change. They were just as choppy, and the boat still pitched and rolled wildly.

But something in me changed. I experienced such a strange and wonderful calm that I went out on the deck and enjoyed the splash of the ocean water on my face. I noticed how the sun was sparkling like diamonds on the water and how gorgeous the day was. I chatted with fellow travelers. A former naval officer told me about the forty-five-foot waves that had rushed over the deck of the navy ship he was on during World War II in the Atlantic. To him, these ten-foot waves were child’s play. “It’s all about perspective,” he told me.

I delighted in the gulls flying over us in the bright blue Maine sky and the school of dolphins jumping in the choppy waters near the boat. We eventually made it back to Pier 8, and as I look back now, the ride really was the highlight of our trip.

The Christian life is rarely a calm harbor ride. It’s more like an adventurous ocean excursion where the waves can be huge, the ride bumpy and uncertain or wild and difficult. Things can seem overwhelming. Sometimes we want to get off the boat, and we long for calmer waters.

Still God says, “Look at Me, not the waves. Fix your eyes on Jesus—and don’t forget to enjoy the ride!” (see Hebrews 12:2). Our tumultuous boat ride reminds me of a card I saw once with a hippo in a boat surrounded by huge waves. Inside it said:

Lord, thank You for upheaval,

For rocking my little boat.

For sending winds that seem too strong

And waves that threaten to capsize me.

Because all of this drives me into Your arms.

And anything which results in that end, Lord,

Is worth getting wet over.

Being driven into Jesus’ arms, I’ve found, is truly worth getting wet over, and even worth going through a tumultuous storm now and then.

A Fresh Encounter with Jesus

Staying focused on God in stressful times is a vital part of our spiritual journey. World-class sports stars, such as tennis champion Venus Williams and gymnast Shannon Miller, who won the most gold medals ever and is from my hometown, have been the subject of research by scientists trying to determine why they win championships against athletes who have just as much talent and skill. What is their secret? It’s not just that they practice a lot or set aside distractions to hone their skills. So do other athletes. It is their ability to stay focused under stress. Their focus is a tennis championship, Olympic gold medal, yellow jersey, or grand slam in golf.

The Bible tells us the supreme prize is “the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:14 NLT). This verse tells us what our focus is to be—something more important than winning the Tour de France or gaining a world championship: knowing Jesus and following Him as He calls us from glory to glory.

Looking for God at every turn—and freshly encountering Him—keeps us focused on our purpose in life regardless of how rocky the journey is. Seeing and encountering Jesus isn’t just something we “want”—like sprinkles on a doughnut—it’s something we need, vital to a life of faith.

It’s so easy for our spiritual eyesight to become foggy, clouded by disappointments, or marred by difficult circumstances. Sometimes we’re so focused on ourselves that we can’t see anyone or anything else. We begin to think the Christian life is all about us instead of all about God. Often we’re like the disciples, with our eyes fixed on the trials and tumultuous waves that threaten to sink our ship. I love what Anne Graham Lotz said about this: “When we are faced with great problems, our tendency is to focus on the hands of God—what He has not done for us and what we want Him to do for us—instead of focusing on the face of God—simply who He is. Our depression can deepen through this kind of self-preoccupation. Often, in the midst of great problems, we stop short of the real blessing God has for us, which is a fresh vision of who He is.”¹

Sometimes our view of God is colored by old attitudes and impressions of Him perceived through the filter of our childhood experiences or the intensity of our present pain, as we’re going to see in the chapters ahead. And even if we’ve been a Christian for a long time, just as a marriage can get stale to the point that we walk past our mate day after day and hardly notice him or her, we do the same with the Lord. We lose the vision of His majesty, rich mercy, and amazing loving-kindness, and we have a hard time staying connected. We can attend church services regularly and miss seeing Jesus.

Oswald Chambers said, “Being saved and seeing Jesus are not the same thing. Many are partakers of God’s grace who have never seen Jesus. When once you have seen Jesus, you can never be the same, other things do not appeal as they used to do…. If you have a vision of Jesus as He is, experiences can come and go, you will endure ‘as seeing Him Who is invisible.’”²

This book is all about experiencing fresh encounters with Jesus, seeing Him more clearly and letting that vision transform your life. Most of us don’t need another program to attend at church, more committee meetings, conferences, or Bible software as much as we need a fresh revelation of Christ. Because when we see Jesus and encounter Him, we are changed! Our hearts are renewed, and we are energized to continue on God’s path.

Second Corinthians 3:18 says, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” When we see Jesus, even a glimpse, “we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18 MSG). Seeing and really encountering Jesus clearly changes us—it changes the way we live, including our behavior, our relationships, and our goals.

I invite you to join me as we look at five pathways through which we can have a fresh encounter with Jesus—through moments in the Word; through service; through our trials; through mountaintop experiences and events that light a fire in us; and through whispers from God’s Spirit that lead to times of repentance, hearing Him more clearly, and most of all, seeing our Savior.

These pathways make up the five sections of the book. In each section, you will read stories of biblical and contemporary people, including my own stories, that point you to Christ. Each chapter will not only include a true story but also personal application points to encourage you in freshly encountering Jesus in your own life.

Reflect. As you consider these questions, journal or discuss your responses with someone:

• When was the last time you had a real encounter with Jesus? How did this affect you or impact your life?

• What’s the biggest hindrance to your spiritual journey?

• What comes into your mind when you think about God?

• When difficulties or storms hit your life, what do you tend to focus on?

In the pages ahead, we’re going to look at ways to not only see and encounter Jesus in our everyday lives but fix our eyes on Him, too.

Ask. The Bible encourages us to ask, seek, and knock (see Matthew 7:7). Tell God you want to see Him as He really is right in the midst of your mundane circumstances or the chaos and changes going on in your life. This kind of seeking the face of God, not just facts about God—looking for God Himself, not just for what He can do for us—is no small thing. God loves a relentless seeker! He promises that those who seek Him will find Him: “‘If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,’ says the LORD” (Jeremiah 29:13–14 NLT). I’m so glad you joined us on this life-changing journey!

A Fresh Encounter with Jesus through the Word

Chapter 1

The Living Word

I sat midway down the third row in a classroom full of college freshmen rattling papers and chattering nervously as the professor strolled into Religion 101. Dr. Anderson was heralded as one of the very finest, most intellectual professors in the department, and I couldn’t wait to hear him teach.

Although I’d grown up in a mainline church and answered an altar call at age twelve, I had wrestled with questions about faith and Christianity for years, and the countless sermons I’d sat through hadn’t addressed the many issues I wondered about, like: Are heaven and hell really real? Is God a good God? If He is real and He’s good, how can I really know Him? Does He hear our prayers and answer them, or is it just a religious exercise we’re supposed to do? Is the Bible true or just a great book of stories? Is Jesus God or just a great man we are to emulate?

So many times with great intentions I’d started the daily Bible readings recommended by our youth pastor, especially after summer mountaintop experiences at youth camp, only to have them become dry and lifeless after a few weeks. The pursuits of high school—drill team, boyfriends, AP courses, and applying to college—reclaimed my focus.

Now I can really get into the Bible. Now I can get answers to my questions, I thought as I leaned forward in my chair. Dr. Anderson greeted us, opened his lecture notes, and outlined the semester. Then, with thrilling description and characterization, he told the stories of Adam and Eve and Noah and the flood from Genesis. We sat in rapt attention at his colorful rendition of the familiar narratives. At the end of the hour-and-a-half class, he closed his lecture notebook and looked out at me and the other impressionable college students with his piercing blue eyes.

“What’s most important to remember as you take this course is that these and all the stories in the Bible are merely myths that reveal to us the meaning of our life. Although they represent truth, these symbolic stories existed in ancient religions that predate the religion of the Israelites by thousands of years. Through metaphorical language, these myths make intelligible what is beyond words. They represent spiritual experience but cannot be taken literally. Forget your preconceived ideas of what you’ve been told about these stories from childish Sunday school applications of the Bible. I want to shake you out of your complacency.”

I don’t know about the other students, but I was definitely shaken out of my complacency. I had already been disappointed in God’s handling of things when my father dropped dead of a heart attack, my aunt drowned tragically, and a close friend died in an accident. Now, with every word the professor spoke that semester, another brick in my already-faltering faith came toppling down. As the weeks wore on, the more he analyzed and lectured, the more I questioned the reality and truth of the Bible and who God is—or was. Oh, I still attended church now and then when a friend wanted to go, but I silently disdained the “Bible thumpers” who attended Bible studies and Friday night missions.

Yet God, who meets us right where we are and pursues us because He loves us, even when we are still sinners, saw the yearning in my heart. He saw my pain and confusion and my longing to know Him, and began drawing me back to Him through the thing I spent the most time in—the study of literature. He also was drawing me to Himself through life’s difficulties and experiences, but that’s another story.

As an English major, I loved all the courses required for the degree: American literature, British poetry, Continental drama, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and others. By the second semester of graduate work in English literature, I signed up for Seventeenth-Century British Poetry, not knowing that the “metaphysical poets,” as the authors were called, including John Donne, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, and others, had a passion for Christ, and their poetry reflected their vibrant relationship with Him. Merely through reading and studying their writing, God drew me a little closer as I read verses such as the following:

My Soul, there is a country

Afar beyond the stars,

Where stands a winged sentry

All skillful in the wars:

There, above noise and danger,

Sweet Peace sits, crowned with smiles,

And One born in a manger

Commands the beauteous files.

HENRY VAUGHAN

I also began reading theologians and philosophers on my search for truth and found my way to Paul Tournier, a Swiss psychiatrist who was a committed Christian; Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor imprisoned and later martyred by the Nazis for his faith; and Edith Schaeffer, cofounder of the Christian organization L’Abri, as well as other books by L’Abri authors. Quietly I read and pondered what they had written. And I continued my graduate work as I had first one son and then another, and then moved from Texas to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Dedication

Contents

Introduction

Seeing Jesus

A Fresh Encounter with Jesus

A Fresh Encounter with Jesus through the Word

Chapter 1

The Living Word

Eyes Wide Open