*other than ‘The Holy Bible’
.
.
Ladies love outlaws
Like babies love stray dogs
Ladies touch babies like a banker touches gold
Outlaws touch ladies somewhere deep down in their soul
~ Waylon
Jennings
'Ladies
Love Outlaws'
On April
6, 1994,
I had a Spiritual experience in which Christ Yeshua (Jesus Christ) baptized me
with the Holy Spirit. It left me in tears, and was utterly unexpected, although
it had been preceded by other mystical experiences.
A deep conversion is usually “baptized” in tears.
~ Alice
von Hildebrand
‘The
Privilege Of Being A Woman’
I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming
after me is mightier than I ... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire.
~ John
the Baptist
Matthew
3:11
From that
time on, I began reading and taking very seriously "God's Word", or
The Holy Bible. I have since read the entire Book – Genesis 1 through Revelation
22 - nineteen or twenty times. Some portions of it I have read more times than
that (e.g., the four Gospels, Revelation, and Job). While I certainly don't
qualify as an expert on The Bible, it's one of the subjects I am most informed
about, and the fact that the Holy Spirit guided my Scripture studies gave me
insight that I'd not have acquired otherwise. As a result, and because of some
personal encounters with Jesus, I had formed an idea about Him and His
personality that I was not aware of anyone else holding. But I've learned that
I was not alone in the way I perceived my Holy King and Savior.
One night
in the middle of last December, I went into the book & DVD library where I
work and sat down and opened whatever book I was reading at that time. Then I
happened to glance to my left and sitting on the shelf labeled ‘Religion’ was a
book titled ‘BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW’. I thought that was an odd title for a book
supposedly about religion, so out of curiosity I pulled it from the shelf. It
was published in 2011 by someone named John Eldredge, and it was subtitled
‘Experiencing The Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality Of Jesus’.
I opened
the book at random to somewhere near the middle and read about two pages. I put
the book back on the shelf, having made up my mind that ‘BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW’ was
going to be the very next book I read.
Back
Cover Blurb (hardcover)...
“He was accused of nearly everything – breaking the law, keeping
bad company, heavy drinking, and being the devil himself. He was so compelling
and dangerous they had to kill him.
“But those who knew him best loved him passionately. He had a
sense of humor. His generosity was scandalous. His anger made enemies tremble.
He would say the most outrageous things. And this Jesus has not changed one
bit; he is still himself, available to all who would know him.”
Back
Cover Blurb (paperback)...
“Reading the Gospels without knowing the personality of Jesus is
like watching television with the sound turned off. The effect is a dry,
two-dimensional person saying strange, undecipherable things. But when we
discover his true character – this man who made the wind, music, and flying
squirrels – suddenly all of the remarkable qualities of Jesus burst forth with
color and brilliance like fireworks.”
I read
the library’s copy of ‘Beautiful Outlaw’. Afterwards, I immediately purchased a
copy for myself and read it a second time. Then I began buying copies and
sending them to particular friends I thought would especially enjoy it and/or
gain something new from it.
I think
it’s the very best book about Jesus I’ve ever read, aside from The Bible. It
may also be one of my Top Ten favorite books of all time.
As some
of my friends began reading the book, I started getting feedback from them and
we had interesting discussions via Email. Below are some of those exchanges,
which these friends granted me permission to share publicly with you.
First,
we’ll hear from FAE
of the blog ‘Far Away Series’. She’s in blue, I’m in classic black:
.
STMcC: At
first – like, the first 3 or 4 chapters – I was thinking: This guy is writing
about the Jesus I know – the REAL Jesus! I want to send this to FAE, because I
think this is the Jesus she knows too!
But I
wanted to wait to see if the book would continue to be as good as it started
out. Well, I’m almost finished with it now, and it has NOT remained as good as
it started out. In fact, it has only gotten better, and Better, and BETTER!
FAE: Just so you know, today was wash my hair day after swimming,
so even though the temperatures are in the fifties here, I had a big knitted
cap pulled on over my wet hair; I sat down without even taking the cap off and
thought I'll just peruse the chapter titles. Fifty-seven pages later, I
realized that I still had that hat on and my now almost dry hair was going to
be a mess. Reluctantly, I put the book down and decided I should do something
about my hair and make some lunch (it's now almost 2 PM). YES, it's that good!
STMcC: Well,
one “bad hair day” is a small enough price to pay for reading such a wonderful
book about our Savior, eh?
FAE: In only fifty-seven pages this author explains so much that
has, in a way, troubled me for a lot of years. What I felt troubled about in
the past was the fact that THIS IS the Jesus that I know, but not what religion
teaches, so I always thought it was just my rebellious soul that thought of Him
this way, and spoke to Him as though He were a real person (not to mention the
times I've argued with Him and His Father). I'm not going to yak on for long
here, because I still haven't made lunch, and I want to get back to the book.
STMcC: There
are some viewpoints in ‘BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW’ that I don’t concur with. Two of the
bigger ones being the fact that, as John Eldredge states on page 46, he “clings
to the Nicene Creed and the orthodox faith”. As you know, I am decidedly NOT a
Trinitarian ...However, I do believe that in some unfathomable way, the Father
brought all of His creation through Christ, so in a way it’s true that some of
what we see in nature contains attributes of Christ’s personality.
There
were a couple statements (one in particular to the max!) early on in the book
that made me sit up and take notice, thinking: Hokey-Smoke! Those are little
secrets between Jesus and me! How does John know about them?
Mostly,
for me, it was just being blown away to discover that John knows the same Jesus
I do, and to have my faith fired up again by this guy who, in my opinion, is
one tremendously talented writer. I love ‘BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW’, the book and the
Man!
I was
practically cheering when I read what John had to say about Christ’s appearance
to the disciples on the road to Emmaus (pages 26-29). I was thinking: Finally!
Someone else gets it and realizes that Jesus was playing a game with His
friends, He was having some fun on that glorious day. And then at the apex of
the fun – “See ya. Poof!”... gone. And they immediately go running back from
where they just came to spread the Good News.
Also,
page 25... I loved the fact that John highlighted that little miraculous event
with Nathanael, because I distinctly recall many, many years ago reading that
passage to my Ma and telling her how humorous I found it. In reading it, I
could even hear the tone of voice Jesus used, see the twinkle in his eyes and
the slight grin as He said... “Oh [pause]... you’ll see greater things than
that.” (Wow! I just now noticed for the first time, glancing at page 25, that
even John Eldredge put the pause in there! Hoo-Wee! Yep, we knows the same Jesus
we does!)
FAE: I finished. It was wonderful. ... I just wanted you to know I
LOVED IT!
I admit I did drive about 50 MPH through Prague (I read it in about 48
hours), but I got so much. I want to let it percolate down for a few days, and
then read it again, slowly, fully digesting each chapter, enjoying the banquet
that it is. A thousand thank yous for introducing this to me.
I loved it presumably as much as you did. I agree 100% that John
Eldredge is a wonderful writer. I found myself smiling through the entire
reading. At times I was actually laughing out loud, at times crying. I would
read some and think I know that guy, and at other places I would think I am
that guy.
But, throughout it was obvious that John Eldredge was talking about
the Jesus that I know and love. ... I couldn't agree more about the 'fog of
religion’.
I loved the chapter about Humility. I of course, did not think that
Jesus was born with the vocabulary of Dictionary.com but I never really thought
a whole lot about Him as an infant (outside of the manger) or as a toddler, or
small child learning to tie a bow and so on. If I had entertained these
thoughts, I'm not sure I would have thought of this time as an act of humility
on His part, but of course, I can now see that clearly.
Two of the chapters near the end ‘Letting Jesus Be Himself - With
You' and 'Letting His Life Fill Yours', really touched me and also made me
recommit to doing everything I can to draw closer to the Jesus I know and love.
Thank you so much for thinking of me when reading this book and
thank you again and again for sending me this copy. It is a most wonderful
gift.
And now
here are some Email exchanges between Bryan Pedus of the blog ‘A Beer For The Shower’ and myself. Bryan is in red, I am (still) in boring classic black:
.
BRYAN: It's not often
that I'm this eager to read a book, and it's also not this often that the back
cover description of a book 'snags' me like this...
I've only started ‘Beautiful Outlaw’ but I'm already enjoying
it. ... I've never once believed that being a follower and believer in Christ
means that you have to sacrifice your personality and become some bland,
milquetoast Ned Flanders who can't laugh or have fun.
In Catholic mass, local kids would stand up to the podium and
read excerpts from the New Testament in between songs. This would lead up to
the priest's sermon. Anyhow, I knew all of those kids, and I knew how much they
absolutely couldn't stand doing it. And I couldn't stand listening to it.
Because the kids were instructed, on purpose, to be very monotone and, as the
church leaders called it, "respectful." So when you're sitting there,
especially as an 8-10 year old kid who's already very confused about the world,
and another kid is reading this very monotone, literal translation of the
Savior's acts, he... well, he sounds like kind of a weirdo, right? And then of
course I felt blasphemous for even thinking that, but when taken with utmost
seriousness, a lot of it sounds very bizarre.
And I always felt stupid, like I just didn't "get it."
So now I wonder, the people who are so serious, do they really think they
"get it"? Or are they just going through the motions because they've
been taught to digest these words in a particular way?
STMcC: Well,
I think Eldredge nails it when he points out that some people in the mainstream
Christian churches – INCLUDING the pastors or ministers – DO NOT have a personal
relationship with Jesus. They use that expression a lot, “personal
relationship”, but I suspect most of them don’t have one.
I mean,
if even the minister knows nothing more about Jesus than what he’s read in his
Bible – if he’s never once seen Jesus, in a dream or otherwise, or even heard
Christ speak to him in his mind, or felt Christ’s inspiration in a very
undeniable way – what makes him think he’s qualified to teach others how to
“come to Christ”?
BRYAN: Next: The Savior
constantly fighting against the religious authority. I never really knew about
this, but I can really appreciate it. He's coming in to clean house, and
showing (which I've always believed) that it's not the religion that is bad,
but the people who can often bungle things up. Particularly in that wonderful
story where he's healing someone who's been incredibly sick for 18 years and
performing this miracle on the Sabbath, and the religious officials are waiting
with baited breath for him to break this silly rule so that they can persecute
him. And he asks, really, which do you think is more important? Abiding by this
one rule or helping someone who's been suffering almost their whole life?
STMcC: Yeah,
exactly. I totally get what Eldredge is saying about Jesus being in opposition
to the “religious authorities” of His day, and he’s entirely right about it!
Those guys didn’t even realize (though they should have) that the PERSON their
(“Old Testament”) Scriptures pointed to was the very Man standing in front of
them healing the sick, casting out demons, reviving the dead, etc.
BRYAN: I've always been a
bit of a rule breaker, in the name of the greater good, and my former pastor
couldn't stand this. He, of course, was of the mind "we must always follow
the rules, no matter who sets them, to show respect for authority. The Savior
would want that." And now that I'm reading this, I have to tell you, I
feel a lot more at ease that being myself is a lot more akin to the Savior than
is being some rule following robot.
STMcC: Oh,
you nonconformist rebel types! When will you ever learn that the mainstream
view of EVERYTHING is usually the correct one? C’mon, 6-B, do like I have and
join the “In Crowd”. [:-)}
Just
think of the tattoos and body-piercings you can have!
Have you
gotten to the story about Jesus wearing a pirate hat yet? If not, you will. It
sounds utterly ridiculous and I'm sure most of the priests you've known would
call it totally un-Jesus-like and thus probably a demonic deception. But that's
actually the Jesus I've seen as well.
Are you
aware that a huge number of Divine visions described in The Bible took place in
dreams? Most were not "open visions" where the person is consciously
awake. God tells us in The Bible that He uses dreams to communicate with us,
and you can usually tell which ones were "dream-visions" and not just
"late night pizza visions" (or what I call "night doodles")
by how vivid they are and how they stick with you for years afterward.
Many
years ago, I met Jesus in a dream. We were on the Palisades Park bluffs in Santa Monica and Jesus was tending to two
little Asian children - I thought most likely they were Cambodian. Jesus didn't
say anything to me but He knew I was there, following Him around, watching Him,
sticking close by, and He was perfectly fine with that. I'm sure He was there
for me as much as for the Cambodian children, after all it was MY dream-vision.
But
here's the thing: No pirate hat on Jesus. But I knew with absolute certainty that
He was Jesus... despite the fact that He had short hair, no beard (“Jesus
shaves!”), and was wearing a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt and khaki pants!
So when I
read something about a pirate hat, I don't become immediately skeptical.
Instead, I think: Why not? He's fun, He has a sense of humor, and He's probably
sick and tired of being portrayed as eternally ultra-serious and in the same
long, white robe (with or without a lamb slung over His shoulder).
BRYAN: I just want to say
that if anything, this book has made me feel better about not having a good
relationship with the Savior. I've had my personal experiences, as I've
mentioned to you before, more in the general sense of God, but I've never had a
personal experience with the Savior himself. And I believe now that that's
because I've been told to look for the wrong person. That pale, gaunt, dour
looking guy who's super serious and has no sense of humor. ... No wonder I never found him. He doesn't exist.
STMcC: Oh,
yeah, I know who you mean: the Southern California dude with long hair and a lamb
slung over his shoulder.
.
 |
| HONKY JESUS |
.
 |
| JIM MORRISON AS JESUS |
.
 |
| VAL KILMER AS JIM MORRISON AS JESUS |
.
 |
| RAINBOWS AND UNICORNS JESUS |
.
STMcC: Ha!
I just had a funny thought... I’d like to see someone do a painting of Jesus
wearing a Quiksilver bathing suit, riding a wave on a surfboard with a lamb
slung over his shoulder. (All those paintings of Jesus always make him look
so... Caucasian and surfer-ish. They bug me. How come no one ever painted Him
in a pirate hat or Hawaiian shirt?)
BRYAN: I'll make you a
deal. I will happily draw this picture for you if you use it in your review of
John Eldredge's book for your blog bit. I think it would add a nice bit of satire
to the post about how much of a blonde surfer dude Jesus looks like in all of
these modern, Americanized pictures of him. How's that sound?
STMcC: 6-B,
that deal is... SOOOO ON!!!
.
.
STMcC: My
immediate thought was: Where’s His surfboard? And of course that thought was
immediately followed, about one second later, with the obvious: Well, this Guy
could walk on water, so why would He possibly need a board to surf it?
.
Very
clever, my friend! I hadn’t even entertained that idea, but it’s great.
.
BRYAN: Ha! I was hoping
you would notice and appreciate that little gem. I actually started drawing Him
with a surfboard until I realized, "Wait, Jesus can walk on water.
Wouldn't it be funnier, then, if He was just plain surfing on the water?"
So I'm glad you caught that!
I always felt stupid, like I just didn't "get it." So
now I wonder, the people who are so serious, do they really think they
"get it"? Or are they just going through the motions because they've
been taught to digest these words in a particular way?
Having learnt more about the real Jesus over the past couple of
weeks, I'd like to think that as Jesus has always tried to relate to us that it
would almost seem silly of him to appear to us as a bearded, long haired, robe
wearing caricature with the lamb slung over his shoulder, rather than someone
we might know and associate with today. And really, it's funny to think that to
some that might be blasphemous, but really, how "bad" is having short
hair, shaving, and wearing comfortable modern clothes?
STMcC: I
can tell you that the Jesus I know has a DEFINITE personality which includes a
sense of humor, an appreciation for amusing practical jokes, and He has an
inventive, creative capacity that is simply off-the-charts.
BRYAN: I know the latter
part of the book is about how to develop a relationship with the real Savior,
and I'm looking forward to that. I think I need a lot more of that in my life.
STMcC: If
you want to find Him, you will. He’s always knocking. We just gotta open the
door and say, “Come on in.”
BRYAN: I'm not ashamed to be reading the book, I'm not ashamed
to realize that I didn't know squat about the real Christ until now, and I'm
not ashamed to say that I need to improve my re(a)lationship with Jesus. But
that's why we've got more than a few years to kick around this ol' planet of
ours, right?
It's just sad that fewer people will know the fun, funny, truly
lovable Jesus that I myself am only starting to know. But at least I can say
that about myself, that I'm starting to know Him. So in the end I really
enjoyed the book, and I'm a better person for having read it. I can't say many
books have affected me like that.
Mostly because of what I mentioned before, in particular, about
Christ - the extremely serious overtones that result in him acting 'bizarre'.
Now that I find myself starting to understand not just the stories but Him, I
think I may read through my Bible after I'm done with this book. A book so good
it made me want to pick up my dusty old Bible again - that surely should tell
you something.
And
finally, let’s hear from my buddy Br’er Marc of
the blog ‘The Bible Corner’. I will put Br’er in
purple because he’s like royalty in my pantheon of friends.
.
MARC: Stephen,
I'm on page 155. Thank you!!! One of the best biblical books
I've put my hands on. And couldn't have come at a better time. Love you.
Reading the book. Almost done. Thinking back at my time in ‘T__
W__’. I remember Rev. __________ talking
about Jesus saying to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!" That he was
yelling at him, giving it to him. That Peter was close to being possessed. He
twisted verses like that to justify his abuse of others.
But he also helped paint a very different picture of our Lord in
my mind. A cruel, angry, and vicious Jesus. Which made verses like “I never
knew you”, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” take on meanings they had never had
previously.
It’s helping me realize that the love I had, and haven't felt
for awhile, started to disappear during this time. When I replaced the real
Jesus with C____ M_________’s version of Jesus.
Our tithes were counted, you were “mark and avoid” if you had
debt; you had to go to 'fellowship' three times a week. You weren't spiritual
enough if you were three minutes early, you needed to be ten minutes early. I
was actually followed out to my car, and told I couldn't be in the ministry
band because I wasn't early enough one day to fellowship.
An old ministry friend came to work a few months ago, talking
about how this other ministry couple is full of devil spirits. That so-and-so
is now “mark and avoid”. “Avoid”, I like that last word. Been doing that
with ‘T__ W__’ since 2005. Still friends with some of them, no ill will. Just
couldn't buy into their theology and RELIGIOUSNESS.
Thanks again,
-- Br'er Marc
P.S. - Hope you’re not expecting (the book) back, ‘cause it
ain't gonna happen.
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
YE OLDE
COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem
attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read:
"posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com,
so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
.
