"Sarah, the bus just pulled up and you've got about 3 seconds." "I'm almost ready." "What could possibly take and 8 year old so long to get ready for school" "It's not like she has..." "Sarah!" "Now!" "I'm right here." "Here you go peanut." "Wheatbread, no mustard and there is a big surprise for desert." "You mean an apple." "Surprised?" "Now, I packed your warm pijamas and your flashlight..." "And don't talk back to Stephanie's mother even if Stephanie does it." "I won't." "Have fun..." "You know how much mommy loves you." "And I love mommy back." "Now, go hug your dad." "Bye daddy, see you tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" "What happened to this afternoon?" "Matt, I told you three times." "She's going to campout at the Edmond's tonight." "Oh!" "Well, have a good time sweetie." "So I guess you also probably have forgotten, that since Sarah is going to be gone..." "I thought it would be nice if we met at Pepino's for dinner tonight." "Remember?" "Like a date night..." "Oh!" "I can't tonight honey." "Tim's got an extra ticket to the Cub's game at seven." "Cub's game?" "And when did this come up?" "Yesterday." "His father in law got seats right behind the dug out." "Matt!" "I haven't seen you all week!" "You've seen me!" "Sure!" "When you get home at 8:30, exhausted, smelling like Taco Bell." "Honey, I'm a Vice-President." "You knew that was going to mean more hours." "So I have all day to look forward to a Friday night by myself." "Why don't you get out and meet some of the neighbors." "They've been after you to do something since we've moved in." "Yeah!" "Chuch stuff, Matt." "They've invited me to do Church stuff." "Church stuff can be fun." "Oh really?" "Why don't you head on over to the Men's Churchride Cookout." "It sounds alot more fun than a ball game." "And I know you've never been." "That's why the inconspicously put one of these in our mail box, every Thursday since we moved here." "Now you're being a little over dramatic." "Why?" "Because I resent the fact that I'm stuck home on a Friday night.." "and the best you're offering me is... high tea with the Jesusfreak next door?" "I've got to go." "I'll be home late." "...at Michigan Avenue Construction ... more Chicago weather forecast." "At the burning bush, God calls Moses and says:" "Moses I want yo to go and I want you to free the people from..." "Good morning, Rachel." "Morning, Mrs. Cominsky." "It's Nikki" " Mrs. Cominsky is my mother-in-law." ""You are Invited to a Dinner with Jesus Christ," "Yes?" "Rachel, could you come in here please." "Be right there." "Yes?" "Do you know how this got on my keyboard?" "I didn't see anybody come in here - what is it?" "Apparently it's some kind ofjoke." "Pepino's... it's nice to know Jesus has good taste - are you sure he's buying?" "Look, if you're just covering for Les Hudson or Alex" "Les and Alex aren't in today." "I swear, I don't know how this got in here." "Okay!" "Thanks!" "...no, all it says is, 'You're invited to dinner with Jesus Christ" "Pepino's, seven o'clock..." "I'm scared to death that one of our religious fanatic neighbors snuck in here last night and left it " "Mom, you don't know these people." "They have been after us for every," "Oh!" "Wait a minute!" "Pepino's?" "Seven o'clock?" "This is Matt!" "Pepino's was where I told him I wanted to have a date night, and seven o'clock was when he was supposedly going to the ballgame!" "That little... what?" "No... things have been..." "just about the same maybe this is a sign he's getting playful again..." "I just don't get the Jesus part." "Maybe he's just making fun of the neighbors." "I don't care what the joke is, just so long as we can sit down... and have a nice evening together." "Yeah!" "Just wish I had time to go home and change first." "Oh well!" "Okay!" "Now that the mystery's solved I better get back to work." "Okay!" "Give Kelly a hug for me." "Alright." "Miss you too." "Bye." "Good evening." "May I help you?" "No..." "I mean, yes." "I'm supposed to meet someone." "And what is the name?" "Cominsky." "Right this way, Mrs. Cominsky." "Here we are." "Nikki..." "Hi!" "I'm Jesus!" "Where's Matt?" "I'd say by now he's sitting behind the dugout at Wrigley." "Enjoy your dinner." "Thanks for meeting me." "I'm really glad you were freed up." "Excuse me, am I supposed to know you?" "Good question." "I guess the answer is yes." "I'm sorry, but as far as I can remember, I've never met you." "That's true." "Okay!" "So, let's just start over... your name is" "Jesus." "My family called me Yeshua." "Your family." "From" "Nazareth." "Well, actually, I grew up there." "... I wasn't born there." "No, that would've been in " "Bethlehem." "Look, this has all been very cute, but I've got better things to do than waste my time on stupid joke." "Just who are you, anyway?" "Who put you up to this?" "I know I'm not quite what you were expecting " "Did my neighbors set this up?" "Is this what that church does - hire some actor to tell people he's Jesus?" "Is this some... creative recruiting tool they use?" "I gotta tell ya, - your costume's not exactly historically accurate." "I'm not an actor, and no, your neighbors didn't send me." "If you'll just stay for dinner, I know it'll mean something to you." "Who wouldn't find dinner with Jesus meaningful?" "Just last weekend I had breakfast with Napoleon, and it was a blast." "Look, I got to get home with my family." "Thanks for the invitation." " Please, stay." "Look, how many chances do you get to come to Pepino's, anyway." "If you stay for dinner, I promise to tell at the end who set it all up." "You know, itjust so happens that I got dumped for a baseball game tonight," "and I have been thinking about Pepino's manicotti all day but if you try anything, I swear," "Have you selected a wine, sir?" "I think I'll let my friend decide - would you care for some wine?" "You are buying, right?" "Yes I am." "Well, sure, then." "I'll take a bottle of the... '98 Brunello di Grotta?" "You obviously know your wines." "I'll be right back." "Thank you, Carlo." "So... your family called you Yeshua?" "Most of them." "My brother James called me a few other things." "Can you turn this wine back into water?" "No problem." "My friend would like another glass of water instead of this wine." "Certainly, sir." "Never mind." "Very funny." "Thanks, Eduardo." "Sorry to bother you." "Are you on a first name basis with the entire wait staff?" "Yeah!" "So what are you thinking?" "Thinking I'm a married woman who's crazy for not leaving when she had the chance." "I mean about your order." "Oh..." "I'm staying on the manicotti." "I think I'll try the salmon." "Because it's Friday?" "Good one." "Ready to order?" "Yes, I'd like the stuffed mushrooms, the Mediterranean salad, and the manicotti." "And I'd like the tomato and artichoke soup, the tortellini salad, and the salmon filet, please." "Very good." "Beats bread and wine, huh?" "So..." "Tell me about your family." "I thought you knew everything already." "Why don't you humor me?" "Where's you family from?" "Oh, no!" "I'm much more interested in hearing about your family, Jesus." "Why don't you tell me about Joseph and Mary." "Alright!" "Growing up in Nazareth wasn't like growing up in Cincinnati." "I can tell you that." "We didn't get many footlong hot dogs at Riverfront Stadium." "Joseph was a good father." "He had a shop next to the house, but he did things at a leisurely pace." "I think the only time he ever sped up was when he was trying to finish a project before I could get my hands on it." "I didn't realize then how many of his pieces I used to mess up." "At eight years old I wasn't exactly a master carpenter." "You're good." "Some bread?" "So, how about Mary?" "Wasn't it difficult having such a pious mom?" "She was hardly pious." "More like an outcast when I was young." "Back then, before pregnant before the wedding wasn't exaclt what you would call " "Kosher?" "It wasn't the thing to do." "Y'know from all the paintings I've seen either she is nursing the baby Jesus or taking Him down off the cross?" "Did she do anything in between?" "I had a great mother." "Her faith kept her going." "When I finally started preaching, thats when it got hard for her." " seeing her son worshipped one day and then demonized the next " "I think it was harder than she ever imagined it would be." "Look, you haven't told me anything that someone with a Bible and half an imagination couldn't make up." "You're going to have to come up with something a little better than these sappy Mom and Pop stories." "To do what?" "You know, one night on CNN, Larry King said, that of all the historical figures the one he'd most like to interview is Jesus Christ." "I got to tell you, this routine with the retread Bible stories has been a little less than intriguing." "There's not much I can say that would convince you that I'm Jesus." "Well, there's one true statement." "So how about we do this..." "How about you suspend your disbilief, just for tonight, and we'll proceed as if I really am Jesus." "Now, if you were sitting here with Jesus Christ," "I know you would have some questions for him." "The other day I passed a church and the sign said, "No one comes to the Father except through me. "" " signed, Jesus." "Now did He actually say that?" "Because if he did, I think he's full of it." "The stuffed mushrooms, and your soup, sir." "You're not going to ask me to say the blessing, are you?" "I ususally like to say a word of thanks before meals." "Do you mind?" "No, not at all." "Father, thank you for always providing for us, whom you love." "That's it?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "Is there something else you'd like to say?" "No, I think that covered it." "What about that 'no one comes to the Father except through me' business?" "Why do you think I'm mistaken?" "Because you've got all these people around the world that believe in different ways of worshipng God." "And you are saying that only Jesus way is the right way." "You're problem with that is?" "A lot!" "Who's to say that Jesus' way is any better than Muhammad's or Budda's or the Hindus?" "Do you think Hinduism is true?" "I don't know." "I've got some friends back home and it seemed to work for them." "I didn't ask you if you thought it worked." "I asked you if you thought it was true." "It was true for them." "Before Capernicus, most people thought that the world was flat." "It was false but it worked for them." "Do you know why that was?" "I guess it didn't matter much back then." "Before Columbus, nobody traveled far enough for it to be a problem." "What would have happened is someone tried to go to the moon?" "They'd be in for a big surprise." "The point is:" "What people believed worked for them even though it was false but at some critical juncture it was bound to not work anymore." "So?" "You're the one with the Master's degree - you tell me." "In business law, not philosophy." "Well, you still had to think a little." "All right." "What you're saying... is that even if a belief system works for someone, if it's false, it will eventually break down." "You don't want what you're placing your ultimate trust in to be wrong." "Do you remember that class you took at UC on World Religions?" "How did you know..." "What did that class teach you about Hinduism and how it squares off with what is known about the universe?" "If I remember correctly..." "Hinduism teaches that the universe is simply an extension of a universal force, called..." "Brahman." "Brahman." "Yes." "The ultimate essence." "And God is the universe and the universe is God." "Right - and that there is no separate creator." "And how long has the universe existed?" "According to the Hindus, always." "The universe is eternal." "How does that match up with what modern astronomers have discovered?" "Not very well, I guess." "I read an article once that said all evidence points to the universe having a definite starting point." "So, if Hinduism is true, how did the universe get here?" "I don't know." "I don't know either." "All right!" "How about something a little closer to Christianity..." "like Islam?" "The Muslims claim to worship the God of the Bible." "So who's to say that their version is wrong and Jesus is right?" "That would all depend whether or not God actually spoke to Muhammad." "It's a lot of weight to put on one man's teachings." "Well, you could say the same thing about Christianity." "It all depends on whether or not God spoke to one guy." "No..." "The Bible has over forty authors, that span fifteen hundred years all with the same consistent message." "But, who's to say that God didn't speak to Muhammad?" "Well, if he did, he got a few things wrong." "Like what?" "Well, for starters, Muhammad wrote that I was never crucified, that God's angels rescued me and took me straight to heaven." "You mean Jesus." "That's what I said." "Maybe Muhammed was right." "No... he wasn't." "Oh, that's right, I forgot." "You were there." "But you don't have to ask me." "My crucifixion was historically documented, by Christians and Non-Christians." "But that's not the only problem with Islam." "What else is there?" "What's your deepest desire?" "I'm not sure I want to get into that." "Then let's talk in generalities." "What do most people's hearts long for?" "I don't know." "Big screen TV." "I suppose people's greatest desire is to be loved." "I don't mean to be too personal, Nikki - but in your experience, has another person ever competely fulfilled that need for love?" "Matt's a good husband." "That's not what I'm asking." "No..." "I suppose no one has ever really fulfilled it completely." "That's because another person never can." "Only God can." "He created people that way." "But the Muslim's never had that hope." "They can't have a personal relatioship with Allah." "He's just someone to worship and serve from far away - even in Paradise." "Now, why would God create mankind with this deep need to be loved, and then never meet it?" "Maybe the Muslim's don't have all the answers." "But I don't think that anybody does." "No they don't." "They only think they do." "Well, if nobody has all the answers, then maybe maybe God doesn't even exist." "Maybe this world really is all there is." "Have you considered that?" "Then you're faced with explaining the design thing." "What, that there's no way that it could've happened by accident?" "Do you know about the black hole theory?" "Pretty much." "Do you know the odds calculated by the guy who came up with that theory, that a cosmic accident could create such an orderly universe?" "No." "Take a guess." "I don't know... one in a billion." "Try one in a hundred billion..." "to the 123rd power." "And that's just the universe itself... he wasn't even taking into account the design of biological life." "All right." "So you've managed to poke a couple of holes in these other religions." "But, it seems to me that every religion, Christianity included, they are just different roads to the same place." "I mean, everyone is looking for God..." "Really?" "Are you?" "As I was saying... everyone is looking for God in their own way." "That's what I liked about my friends' church back home - they embraced everybody's different beliefs and tried to help them on their path to God." "There's just one problem with that?" "What?" "There is no path to God." "Want some tortellini?" "So what do you mean, there's no path to God?" "Every religion claims to teach the way to God." "There's a way to God." "It's just isn't a path." "What I mean is this." "A path... is something you travel by your own effort to reach a destination." "But there's no way you can work your way to God." "That path... just doesn't exist." "Wait a minute - that's what religion is all about - trying to get to God." "How can you possibly say otherwise?" "Did you ever get into trouble when you were a kid?" "Are you changing the subject?" "I'll get back to the other thing." "I don't think this place stays open long enough for me to tell you about all the trouble I used to get into." "That bad, huh?" "Give me a highlight." "Well... one time when we were on vacation," "I dumped a milkshake on my little sister's head." "What did your dad do?" "Well, he... pulled over, bent me over his knee and gave me the worst spanking I ever had." "So your dad always handled the spankings." "Yeah, Mom just yelled at us." "But he didn't spank us very often." "Why not?" "Itjust wasn't his way of handling things, I guess." "He was bigger on making us understand why what we had done was wrong and apologizing to the other person - especially if it was Mom." "So your dad had a lot in common with God." "How so?" "Well, they both focused on restoring relationships." "Your dad made you admit you had hurt someone and then apologize." "He wanted you to restore that relationship." "I guess I never thought of it that way." "That's exactly how it is with God." "He isn't interested in people performing well enough for Him - they can't possibly do that anyway." "God created people to have a relationship with Him, so they can enjoy His love." "So why don't they?" "Because man has rejected God and severed the relationship." "God's whole program, if you wanna call it that, is all that putting it back together." "Tell me this." "When Sarah does something wrong, how many dishes does she have to wash before she can get up on your lap and get a hug again?" "None." "Then how many A's will she have to make in school?" "That's silly." "Why?" "Because she doesn't have to do anything - she's my daughter." "Well, there you go." "So you are saying that we can't do anything to earn God's love?" "A little more?" "Sure." "Back to the Muslims who try to earn their way into Paradise - do you know how many daily prayers they have to perform just to be good enough?" "No." "Neither do they." "They're never sure if they've done enough praying, or fasting, or making pilgrimmages, giving to the poor." "Just ask them, they'll tell you the same thing..." "Really?" "And the Hindus never know how many lifetimes it takes to successfully workout their karma." "But Christianity is no different." "I mean, no one can ever really know if they've been good enough to make it into heaven." "Oh, they you can know that for certain." "And the answer is no, they can't." "No one is good enough to make into heaven, no matter how hard they try." "So you're saying that doing all the right things, like keeping the Ten Commandments, and not cheating on your taxes, won't get you into heaven?" "Sorry." "That's right." "Keeping the Ten Commandments wont get you into heaven." "Then why do them?" "There's great profit in obeying God - itjust won't get you into heaven." "Man's rebellion against God is like a huge rip in the moral fabric of the universe   with God on one side and everybody else on the other." "And there's no way you can get to the other side." "Why not?" "Because only God is big enough to fix the tear." "Who would you say is the best person in the world?" "Excuse me?" "Morally speaking, who's the best person you can think of?" "Living or dead?" "Either one?" "Somebody like Mother Teresa, I guess." "Allright, we'll say this is Mother Teresa." "Now who's the worst?" "Gosh" " Osama bin Laden, Jeffrey Dahmer, Hitler " "Pick one." "Okay..." "Hitler." "All right, that's Hitler." "Now where would you say that you fall into place on this scale?" "Well, if I say, 'With Mother Teresa', I'll appear vain, but if I put myself with Hitler that's... well, forget it." "How about... here?" "Sugar." "Cute." "So what do I win?" "Nothing." "But I am going to show you how you measure up in the eyes of God." "Great." "Now, for this to be totally accurate, we'd have to place these three objects on a road that ran all the way from New York to Los Angeles." "with you, Mother Teresa, and Hitler in New York, and God's moral standard all the way in L.A." "Are you saying that to God," "Mother Teresa and Hitler are essentially the same?" "No, Hitler was horribly evil." "Mother Teresa did many good things." "What I'm saying is, Mother Teresa, for all her goodness, was no closer to bridging the gap to God than Hitler was." "Both of them, based on their own merits, were still a long way from being with God." "So that's why you said that keeping the" "Ten Commandments won't get us into heaven." "Right." "Because no one could ever keep them well enough." "Because God's standard is perfection." "Boy that's reassuring." "And you wouldn't want it any other way." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Would you really want the universe to be run by someone who wasn't all about a perfect system ofjustice a perfect brand of holiness?" "Why not?" "Perfect holiness is the last thing I need to deal with." "So you would you want a universe where crime goes unpunished?" "Where someone who harms Sarah gets off scot free?" "Where somebody like bin Laden isn't held accountable for 9/11?" "Yeah, but not everyone is as bad as bin Laden." "No, but everyone is a rebel against God in their own way." "Itjust doesn't seem fair that God sees everyone in the same way." "I mean, some people are just worse than others." "And God will handle them all accordingly." "but that's just the whole point, Nikki." "On what basis would you stand before a perfect God and say that you've been good enough." "But I thought God is forgiving." "With this perfectjustice thing, you're saying that God can't forgive anyone." "God is forgiving and more than anything else," "God wants to forgive people so that they can return to Him - but God's desire to forgive can't override His perfectjustice." "People have to pay a penalty for breaking God's laws." "And the penalty is death." "So what has to happen before He'll take us back?" "Well, God has two options." "Either He could let people try and pay for their own penalties." "Which you already said they can't do." "Right - there's no way." "They'd be separated from Him forever." "God's other option, is to take the penalty of death on Himself." "How can He do that?" "He's God!" "The creator is always greater than the creation." "And for the Creator to take on the penalty of death for himself, that satifies perfectjustice." "But if He's already perfect and holy, why would He want to do that?" "Let's say, when Sarah is twenty years old, she falls in with a bad crowd and gets hooked on heroin." "You're painting a real cheery picture, there, Jesus." "Just stay with me." "Now, while she's on drugs, she murders someone and is sentenced to be executed " "would you take her sentence if you could?" "I'm sure I would." "Why?" "Because I love her." "She'd have the rest of her life to get straightened out and be happy." "Don't you think God loves you at least as much as you love Sarah?" "Maybe..." "I really don't know." "Well, I know that God wants you with Him - that's why He made you in the first place." "It is?" "Mm-hmm." "But you're naturally separated from God because of the bad stuff you do" "And to make good on a fact that a penalty has to be paid before you can be with God," "God took your penalty on Himself... and He died to pay it for you." "So what's the catch?" "What does He want from me?" "Just that you trust Him." "...and believe in the fact that He did die to pay your penalty." "There's one thing I'm confused about." "The Bible says that Jesus died on the cross, not God." "Nikki..." "I am God." "Would you excuse me forjust a minute, please?" "Oh my gosh, this guy just told me he's God!" "They all do, honey." "Just make sure he pays for dinner." "Prove it." "Excuse me?" "Prove that you are God." "And just what would convince you?" "I don't know, a miracle or something." "You couldn't even turn the wine into water earlier." "You just assumed I couldn't." "So you're saying you could have, but chose not to?" "And what if I had done it?" "Well, it might've gotten my attention." "And then what?" "I'd like to try the strawberry amaretto cake." "Just... bring me a canoli." "So you're having trouble believing that God could become a man." "Wouldn't you?" "Maybe." "Depends on what I expected from God." "I don't expect him to look like he just got off work at Merrill Lynch." "No, I guess I wouldn't either." "And to be quite honest," "I really don't believe that God just asks people to take a leap of faith that He exists." "You're right." "God always gives proof before He expects faith." "Then what proof is there that Jesus was God?" "Well, for one thing, it's exactly what God said would happen." "When did He say that?" "You've read what some of the prophets said." "Yes, some of the Nostradamus stuff, but that never really..." "The real prophets, Nikki." "Sorry." "Y'know, a guy I dated when I was a Freshman actually got me to join a Bible study" "I remember one lesson they were talking about the prophets predicting that a Messiah would come... but I don't remember them saying anything about him being God." "That's because you were more interested in Tommy than the Bible study." "And how would you know that?" "Because I was there." "All right, the prophets predicted that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, in Bethlehem..." "Oh, and they also described the crucifixion." "So there." "Don't you think that was a pretty good tipoff?" "Predicting my birthplace seven hundred years before it happened?" "One man writing about crucifixion hundreds of years before the Romans even invented it?" "But still, all that doesn't mean that Jesus was God." "Did you see that special Peter Jennings did about the historical Jesus?" "I... know which one you're talking about" "It said that He never claimed to be the Messiah, much less God himself." "It said he struggled with his identity, and he was killed for political reasons." "Mr. Jennings wasn't only concerned with accuracy." "In truth..." "I forgave sins, I accepted worship," "I healed the sick, I raised the dead, and I demonstrated my power over nature." "I said I existed before Abraham, that I was one with the Father, and the giver of eternal life." "Now, who does that sound like to you?" "Just because you claim to be God doesn't mean that you are." "No, but it does mean that I wasn't just another religious leader." "You only have three options - either I was telling the truth," "I was lying, or I was insane... good religious leaders don't claim to be God." "People distort the truth mainly because they reject this proof they were given." "And what proof was that?" "That I rose from the dead." "You're sitting there, obviously alive - if you claim that you were once dead, it would be pretty hard for me to prove otherwise." "Good point." "So why don't we go by the facts." "According to that Peter Jennings special, what does history say about me?" "That Jesus was an actial person." " All right." "That He was a teacher with a large following." "Okay!" "And we know that the Romans executed Him." "Which brings us to the Ressurection." "What happened next?" "According to the disciples, Jesus rose from the dead." "But of course they would say that." "Why?" "Is that what they were expecting to happen?" "I'm not sure." " The answer is no, they weren't." "Even though I told them several times it was going to happen, they still didn't believe until they saw me in person." "Isn't it possible that they only thought Jesus had died?" "So the Roman executioners would let someone down off the cross that was just badly injured." "And three days later my recovery was so miraculous that the disciples thought I was God." "But the disciples did have something to gain by claiming that Jesus was resurrected." "Like what?" "Like having the status of starting a whole new religious movement." "So you are saying... that the men who spread the word about me... launched the greatest force for good the world has ever known, thay they did all this based on something they knew was a lie?" "Do you know that each disciple was eventually persecuted and murdered?" "Would someone willingly die for something they knew wasn't true?" "What about things like the Crusades, and the Salem witch trials and the wars between the Protestants and the Catholics?" "Doesn't it seem like your followers are always at each other's throats?" "Yes it does." "And I can't tell you how said it makes me." "These people were just outwardly religious   they never really trusted me." "They never lived like the new people they were supposed to be." "Isn't thatjust a little convenient?" "I mean..." "Can you honestly say that no real Christians were involved in any of these things." "The tragedy is... no," "I can't say that." "It may not be the norm... but it has been much too frequent." "What did you mean by living llike new people?" "When someone accepts my gift, they get more than just forgiveness   otherwise heaven would be full of a bunch of forgiven sinners, still running away from God." "That's not what he wants." "So what does he do about it?" "He changes them from the inside." "Their heart and their spirit don't want to run from Him anymore... they want to be with Him..." "And do the things He says are good." "But they don't always do that I see." "Sometimes no, they don't." "A new heartjust gets you in the game." "After that you have to let me be your coach." "What does that mean?" "It means that you believe in what I did for you, that you have accepted God's forgiveness, and you've allowed Him to live inside you." "Allow..." "Him to what?" "Live inside you." "It's as close to God as you can get." "The last thing I need is God looking over my shoulder every minute." "He's already looking over your shoulder   what you need is Him living in you every minute." "Why?" "Well, how are you ever going to love your family unconditionally?" "I know you want to love Matt better, but you just don't know how and even if you did you couldn't." "Only God can love in a special way, and He wants to do it through you." "I try do hard, but... things just aren't going well with Matt." "We just get so irritated at one another." "You know, these things you are telling me I never really heard them explained before." "I know..." "My message got all jumbled along the way." "Church leadership..." "power structures... people were so anxious to reduce God to a set of rules." "Isn't rules what He is all about?" "Hardly." "God is all aboutjoining people to Himself." "That's how people were originally designed." "To have God's very life within them." "And without it, you are like a new Mercedes with no engine it may look good on the outside, ...but it won't work because it's missing the most important part." "Then if that's what Christianity is all about, then why don't the Christians just say so." "Because alot of them really don't understand." "They haven't listened to what I said ...even though my words are right there in front of them." "So where do we go from here?" "Good question." "Where do you wan't to go?" "Would you care for some coffee?" "Yes, please." "Why doesn't God just show himself to people?" "Then what would you have Him do?" "I don't know..." "Appear to each person individually." "No, seriously - most people don't get a personal dinner invitation." "I already appeared to everyone " "I became one of them." "It's as personal as it gets." "But that was over two thousand years ago." "It's really not a matter of further visual evidence." "People have all the evidence they need it's more a matter of the heart " "Do people want to humble themselves enough to need God?" "How can you say people have all the evidence they need?" "Well, the creation shows them that God exists - scientists know more about its intricate design now more than ever." "I came to show them what God is like." "And on top of that they have the message of the Bible." "Speaking of the Bible, what about all the contradictions?" "Like which one?" "I don't know the specifics, but " "Then I'll give you one." "One gospel account says I healed two blind men outside of Jericho." "Another account says I healed one." "Well, there you go." "Tell me something, the other day at work, when you were telling Les that story about something that happened to you and Matt when you went to the movies, had the two of you gone alone that night?" "No, Matt's friend Tim was with us." "Why did you leave that fact out?" "Because it wasn't relevant to the story I was telling." "All right." "You knew I was going to ask this..." "Why have scientists had such a problem with the Creation theory as opposed to Evolution?" "I think the problem is with the 'in his own image' part." "That would make them accountable to a Creator and they don't want that." "Is there a hell?" "Yes." "For those who choose continue separation from God, there is an existance and it's not an existence you want." "Why does He send people there?" "The Father offers forgiveness to anyone willing to accept it." "Sometimes people choose separation from God and he respects what they choose." "Why doesn't he make everyone go to heaven?" "They'd be happier there." "Because love doesn't force relationships." "If you had somehow forced Matt to marry you, that wouldn't have been love." "God created people with the ability to choose freely." "And He respects those choices they make." "So I suppose you would say that... for God to allow suffering is the same kind of thing." "What do you think?" "That humanity suffers because it separated itself from God?" "Yes." "So why doesn't He just make everything right, and do it now, instead of waiting for some day in the future?" "It's a little hard to answer because you can't see things from God's perspective right now." "But there is a purpose to the present, and one day everything will be made right." "And don't forget" " God didn't leave you to suffer alone - he suffered more than anyone." "You're still angry about your dad." "God took him away when I was thirteen." "I'd say that's worth being angry about." "Or was thatjust part of God's plan?" "Your dad loved you very much." "We used to do everything together." "Reds games, Bengals." "He used to coach my softball team." "When mom divorced him, we moved across town and he never coached me again." "You still saw him, though." "Yeah, every other weekend." "But it wasn't the same." "He missed you too." "I know." "You don't know how brokenhearted he was about you." "It almost killed him to lose you." "Well he didn't live much longer anyway, did he?" "No." "He didn't." "This may not seem true to you but I was heartbroken for both of you." "Yeah, you are right." "That doesn't seem true." "You never answered my question - was my parents divorce and my dad dying part of God's plan?" "Do you know the story of the prodigal son?" "Great." "Another Sunday School lesson." "What did it take for the son to return to the father who loved him?" "For life to get really bad in the pig pen." "So what?" "Sometimes... it takes a deep hurt to feel a deep need for God." "That's God plan?" "That's what God is willing to use in a broken world." "Your dad's pain drove him to me." "And without that wound in your heart, Nikki, you wouldn't be sitting here talking with me either." "I wish I could say it all makes sense now." "I wish I could say that." "More coffee ma'am?" "No, this is fine." "I think we are ready for the bill." "Very good sir." "Even I don't like these things." "God doesn't like ties." "I'll note that for future reference." "Can I have your autograph, sir?" "Just in case?" "Thank you very much, sir." "Thank you, Eduardo." "I wonder how much that'll go for on Ebay?" "I like Eduardo." "He's a humble person." "You kept talking about the gift of eternal life ...what's heaven like?" "Heaven is a really cool place." "People's senses have been so dulled by living in this broken world, that you're not going to believe all the sights, and sounds, smells colors like you've never seen, music like you've never heard." "There's alot of activity, but an overwhelming sense of peace." "Remember how you felt when you stood next to the Grand Canyon - just too awestruck to possibly take it all in?" "Yeah." "Well, heaven is like that only infinitely more." "I feel stupid asking this, but are the streets really made of gold?" "Y'know, describing heaven to you isn't exactly easy." "It's like describing snow to the Aborigines - there aren't many points of reference for you to compare to." "Just know that what the Bible says is true, and it's far greater than you can ever imagine." "And you're saying I don't have to do anything to get there?" "You're confusing heaven with eternal life." "I thought they were the same thing." "They're not." "I'm not following you." "Eternal life isn't a place." "It's not even primarily a length of time." "I am eternal life." "The Father is eternal life." "I'm still not sure I'm getting it." "Just as God is the source of all physical life," "He's the source of all spiritual life too." "Look at it this way " "God made your body to need food, air, and water." "What happens when you take those things away?" "You die." "Right." "The same holds true for your spirit." "God created your spirit to be joined with him." "And without him, it's dies - your spirit has no eternal life." "So when you say the Father offers me eternal life..." "He's offering you himself." "So what's heaven?" "Heaven is the place where I am." "But people don't go to heaven until they die." "True... but you can have eternal life right now." "Eternal life doesn't begin when you die, eternal life begins the moment you start trusting me." "...that's when I come to live within you." "You." "In me." "Me... the Holy Spirit..." "Y'know, I never really understood the whole Trinity thing the Father, the Son, The Holy Ghost" "Join the crowd." "You weren't meant to understand it." "Are you saying I'm incapable of understanding it?" "Yes." "God wouldn't be much of a God if you could fully understand him." "People still haven't figured out most of creation thing." "I'm still not totally comfortable with God coming to live inside me." "I like the forgiveness part, but this other thing..." " it is the best part." "You need someone living inside you who will love you, and accept you, want to be around you, even when you dont feel good about yourself." "Sarah wants to be around me." "Just wait til she's fifteen." "You're bored Nikki." "You were made for so much more than this." "You're so afraid God's gonna steal your fun, but you've got it backwards" "You're like a kid who doesn't want to go to Disney World because she's having too much fun making mudpies by the curb." "There's no adventure quite like being hooked up with the Creator of the universe." "And your first step would be to let Him guide you out of the mess you are in at work." "A couple of months ago you found out some partners in your law firm were cooking the books on the firm's billing hours." "You are not involved, but you know your career would be jeopardized if they were caught." "Well..." " You want to leave, why don't you?" "I can't quit." "Without my income, we wouldn't be able to keep living in that house, and Matt would kill me if we had to move again." "There's other law firms - maybe not as prestigious, but - for sure with better hours." "I know Sarah would appreciate that." "Those hours you work late are hours you'll never get back with her." "She'll be fifteen before you know it." "I know..." "I just..." "I just can't do that right now." "You need someone to give you strength to make that decision, because it really will work out OK." "I know it doesn't seem like it right now." "That's true." "Matt would be furious... then I'd be mad at him for reacting that way ...and the he would start..." "What if someone lived in you that could love Matt, even when he's upset at you?" "That seems impossible." "Not with God it isn't." "Here, let me get this..." "I owe you one." "Nikki, it's a gift." "I thought they went through your hands." "No." "The spikes were driven through my wrist to support the weight of my body." "Are you ready to go?" "You and Carlo act like old friends." "We are." "How long have you been coming to Pepino's?" "First time." "And now for the million dollar question... what did you drive?" "I didn't drive." "Of course you didn't." "You never told me who sent the invitation?" "Suppose this was your idea from the beginning." "Actually it was yours." "Do you remember when your dad went away, and you asked God to come tell you why it happened?" "Not really." "Well I remembered." "And I've been planning this dinner for a long time." "Will we get together for dinner again?" "That's up to you." "I'm not sure what that means." "Hand me one of your business cards." "That'll tell you how to reach me." "You better be getting home," "Matt's already asleep on the couch." "Matt?" "No, the game won't be over for at least" "Tim got sick on the nachos and they came home after the fourth inning." "Sarah's there, too." "She got scared in the tent and Stephanie's mom brought her home." "I'm glad you showed up Nikki." "I've enjoyed our time together." "I have too." "Remember, Matt's on your side - he just hasn't learned how to show it very well yet." "Just give him time and love him." "Okay." "Give Sarah a big hug for me." "I will." "Thank you." "Until next time." "Hey." " Hey, I'm home." "I'm really sorry about this morning." "Its okay." "We can talk about it tomorrow." "I'm going to go look in on Sarah before I turn in." "All right." "I'll be right up." "Revelation 3:20" "And Jesus said, "Here I am." "I stand at the door and knock;" "if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into them and will dine with them, and they with me. ""