@DanielJamesKatz

I just started reading this gem, God's Forever Family. As Christianity Today's Book of the Year in 2014, it is written by Wheaton professor, Larry Eskridge, who was a product of the Jesus People Movement in the late 60's to early 70's. Eskridge holds his PhD in history and wrote his dissertation on the Jesus People Movement in America. He has taught American history and history of American religion for over 30 years. (I think he’s the right guy to write this book!)

The Jesus People Movement started in 1967 in San Francisco around the same time as the infamous “Summer of Love.” It was a revival of a young generation turning to Jesus and a great number of them were hippies! This revival birthed the spread of two global church movements that emerged out of Southern California and are still active today--Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard. Also, the Jesus People Movement produced the beginnings of what is now known as “Christian Contemporary Music”(Translation: pretty much any Christian song you’ve ever heard over the radio) and also modern “Praise and Worship” music. In other words, if you sing anything other than a traditional hymn in church on a Sunday, then you are indebted to this movement that started 50 years ago this year.

The Jesus People Movement shaped and influenced American Christianity in a profound way. I am praying and believing God for another Jesus People Movement in America and out of Southern California. Oh, that God would send an outpouring of His Spirit to our generation as He did in the days of old. Come to my generation God!

The Scripture that I find myself often praying is from the Old Testament:

Parent Tip // “Tell me about it.”

If your child is as creative as mine then you will be shown some amazing artwork, creations, homework, pictures, etc. Never say, “What is that?” This response communicates to your child that their artwork/creation/picture is not good enough and/or is not clear. In general, this repsonse has a negative connotation.

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

This book is great for children ages 2-12! We have been reading this book with our kids for a few years now and they love it! This book tells the Big Story of the Bible beneath all the other stories and links them together. From Abraham to Moses to King David, every story points to a Child — Jesus. This should definitely be in your library if you have kids under 12.

The publisher writes, “There are lots of stories in the Bible. But all the stories are telling one big story. The story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. 

The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to discover for themselves the one who is at the center of God’s great rescue story — and at the center of their story, too.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

This is a must read for anyone who wants to grow in their understanding of how people express and receive love. Twenty-four years after it’s first publication, The Five Love Languages remains at the top of the New York Times bestsellers list and has over 10 million copies sold. 

In John chapter 9 Jesus heals a man that was born blind. This was a powerful miracle that the Son of God was displaying in public. Unbelievable! What would it have been like for that man receive his sight after never being able to see before? All of his life he was only using his imagination to support what he was hearing with his ears and touching with his hands. Suddenly, he is able see! And the first thing his eyes fall upon is the face of God Himself. Love, acceptance, mercy, and grace permeate this man’s soul as he looks into the eyes of Jesus. As his eyes are opened for the first time he realizes that Jesus’ eyes have been set on him for quite some time. Somehow he is made aware that it is no accident that the first thing he sees are the eyes of Jesus looking back at him. Instantly, he has a thought, but it seems to come almost externally like a voice speaking tenderly to him. “I see you and I have come for you.”

It is worthy to note that as powerful as this this miraculous healing is, it is not the point of John 9. The Apostle John uses this story of a man being born blind as an analogy of the human condition. We are all born spiritually blind. This is why Jesus tells Nicodemus earlier in the book of John, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Usually, Christians emphasize the “born again” phrase of that sentence, but being “born again” allows us to see!

The story goes on and the man who has just experienced this miracle within his own flesh is now the subject of a conversation that the Pharisees are having with Jesus. The chapter ends with a parabolic statement from Jesus: “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, ‘Are we also blind?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains’” (John 9:39-41).

Jesus uses the physical condition of this blind man to reveal the spiritual condition of the Pharisees, and mankind in general--spiritual blindness. Quite simply Jesus tells us why he came, “that those who do not see may see.” We must understand one thing about Jesus: He came for those who are in need and are aware of their need for Him. And conversely He did not come for those who have no need of Him. 

Are you in need of Jesus today? Are you aware of your blindness? For He has come and is here for you. He stands before you ready to make you see. Just ask Him to open your eyes. This is why He came!

Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible