meeting Jesus

As I wrote those travel stories last week, I kept thinking none of them would have been possible before I knew Jesus.   And knowing Jesus has not been all beach visits and train rides.  

Some of the dark times have made it to my laundry list.  (You'll read them later.)  I've been in ministry all these years, and like any other calling, it can mess you up.  Take you down.  Break you.  

But I still love it because I get to see what Jesus is up to around the world.  (Don't listen to cable news.  There is GOOD NEWS.)  He's the reason I started down this path, and is the only way I can stay on it.  It's too tough for me alone.  I need Him.  

So how did we...meet?  I always knew reading through the Bible was one of the things you should do before you die, and when I did, it changed my life.  

Before, I thought people in Bible stories must be super-spiritual but when I actually read those stories, I saw people lying, murdering, raping, getting revenge -- and that's just the first few chapters!  My aha moment was oh -- God is holy.  We're not.  It was that simple.  I learned that we're all sinners.  Except Jesus.  So to be holy, we need Him.

Huh.  

And from that moment came this lifetime of seeking and suffering and celebrating, with people who love Him, and people who don't.  With people here and there and all over this stunning planet.  It has been glorious and gut-wrenching.  

Who is guiding you on your life journey?