From "The Jesus I Never Knew" - Philip Yancey


What amazes me about this book is not it's deep theological abstractions, even though its merits are rightfully in place, but it's the personal relationship I am able to observe between him and God as he writes through continuously discovering things about Jesus he didn't know before; characterized by doubts and frustrations expressed through event's of his own life or of others. Reading this book, (having one more chapter to go only), makes me think about my life and question myself if I courageously grip onto my existing relationship with God, facing Him upfront, dialogging with Him and re-discovering who He is, even in my greatest hardships in life, like Yancey himself, Job and Tolsoy, Luther, Lewis... or do I just spiritually shrink back in my own, narrow little mind --> self-pity? Here we see Jesus making his relationship with His Father Centre from life to the point of death, even as 'His time has come.'

Humility
It makes my heart ache and frustrates me when thinking about humility because of my recent realization of its true superiority that's so hard to live out, but senses that comes from my deep desire to know it intimately and to learn to live it out transparently. Much of this conviction and realization comes from understanding Jesus in this book. Much of what defines Jesus is true humility who lived it out perfectly --> His boldness and determined acts of install his kingdom in flipping upside down the jewish religious system of the Sanhedrins and his vulnerability on the cross (not saving Himself from being crucified) that created a place of forgiveness and that had given a clearer view on what His kingdom is truly like. Ironically, it was the one of the 2 murderers crucified with Him that saw clearly of what it was like and what the whole Jesus coming down to earth was all about, therefore, were one of the very few that responded the most properly to Jesus's purpose on earth.

ch 10
pg 203

" Thieves crucified on either side of Jesus showed two possibles responses. One mocked Jesus's powerlessness: A Messiah who can't even save himself? The other recognized a different kind of power. Taking the risk of faith,he asked Jesus to"remember me when you come into your kingdom.: No one else, except in mockery, had addressed Jesus as a king. The dying thief saw more clearly than anyone else the nature of Jesus's kingdom."

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Rivals with Hollywood

There's a new nationwide Christian movie that came out, called: The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry and during an interview with one of the actors Kirk Cameron (who's also starring in Hollywood Film Fireproof, who came to know Christ himself was asked if all the Hollywood's critiques against the Chrisitian Genre Films bother Him. "It used to bother me a lot more than it does now," he said. "I really don't care because I've come to a conviction in my own heart." [ABC News] What was astounding to me was hearing him also say in his interview that this conviction has led him to realize and believe that there's only a few people that he wants to please.

{more on the movie coming soon...}
That was powerful.
From all this, I see that true Humility is driven by a conviction from God and it drives us to place of willingness to work with what God is doing in people's lives. Not lagging behind, not jumping ahead, but humbly walking beside His Majesty and completely tuning in to what He is doing.
"I think that that's the most wonderful thing about doing the things that I like to do," he said. "Be a part of something God is doing to change the lives of other people." [Hollywood Actor - Kirk Cameron]