Jesus Loves You

Nineteen years ago I read the Bible for the first time, and I read it in a virtual vacuum. I had never been to church, never talked to a Christian (that I knew of), never heard a sermon. I would read the Bible six, eight, ten hours a day. Everyday. I read through the New Testament a couple times. And I developed a very strong sense of who Jesus was, who He wanted Christians to minister to, and what it should look like.

Then I went to churches. And started talking to Christians. And I got confused. And I wondered if maybe I was wrong. But there have been some books that have been HUGE for me, because they reinforced what I had gotten out of the Bible, and made me feel like I wasn’t alone. The Gutter was one of those books. So was What’s So Amazing About Grace. And Uncensored Grace.

This week I read another one, Craig Gross’ new book Jesus Loves You. Gross (and Jason Harper) tell stories of ministering to people, and in ways, that will make a lot of Christians uncomfortable. Thank God for that. The people Jesus ministered to, and the way He ministered to them, made everyone uncomfortable – the religious leaders, His followers. We need more uncomfortable. And if you’ve been feeling pretty comfortable, read this book.