Who Is This Jesus? (Part 1)
Monday, December 5, 2011 at 2:41PM | in Jesus 
Click here to read all entries in this series.
I will confess that I didn’t realize I would be writing a series on this Jesus I’ve come to know until the post that introduced that series had pretty much written itself last Friday. Sometimes that happens — I pray about what to write here, and then once I start writing it, something extra comes out I didn’t expect.
This new series on Jesus happened that way.
So I’ve been holding the newness of this series close the last few days, wondering what it will include and how to enter into it.
One of the big questions I’ve been holding is whether these reflections on Jesus will start in the Scriptures or in the experiences of my life (or both?). And I am still holding that question, and perhaps I will hold it every single day the series remains underway. Perhaps the answer Jesus gives to that question will be different from day to day.
But for today, the answer to that question is to share a personal reflection of this Jesus I’ve come to know.
Accordingly, below are two video segments that I recorded recently for a project at Northland Church called Hope Changes. It is a project that marries stories from real-life people and the hope of Scripture as an offering to people walking through painful emotional and spiritual struggles, and I was privileged to work on the development team for this project over the last six months and also share my story as a contribution.
The two video segments below go together, then — the first segment shares a very personal struggle I’ve grappled with for many years, and the second segment shares stories of how Jesus has met me in that struggle in some very personal and very special ways.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Jesus has become so dear to me. My hope is that, in some way, he also becomes dear to you, perhaps as we continue to reflect on him together.
Reader Comments (4)
beautiful videos
Christianne
This is so powerful and I can relate to this so much. Although Jesus is becoming more and more real to me, so is the fight with fear, worry, and anxiety still prevalent with me. I don't have victory over worrying. In many ways it cripples my life because I have walked out of several job because of this.
These videos tell pieces of your story that I didn't really know. We have talked about some of this, so I was aware that you struggled with anxiety. I just did not know how intense this struggle was for you. This is interesting because we never really know what other people have fought against. You are one of the most compassionate people I have ever met and now I see what formed some of that within you. Suffering through hard things gives us a deeper empathy for others.
That thought about empathy reminds me of some of my social work classes. I could not tell you the countless students in some of those classes that would make certain statements, like: "I can't stand to hear people whine. I would tell them to quit feeling sorry for themselves and grow up." I used to hear these comments from different students and I would cringe. I would think to myself, "Really? Do you honestly feel that way? You certainly need another profession!" I am so happy that you are the person you are and that you can be trusted with other people's emotions. That is rare.
these video's are so well-done and reflect who you are so intimately. i absolutely love them. beautiful job and very brave.
Good morning. dear Christianne! I just want to say that I love you :-) Now I will print out your writings about Jesus and hope to hear something important through it...