Bringing Forward... (ePub)

Experience is revelatory. Authentic human experiences are illuminating and transforming. God is constantly revealing himself to us in everyday experiences. It is essential for us to take the time to reflect upon and get in touch with those experiences, for that is the essence of faith. In the beginning the followers of Jesus were not concerned with telling about him. They wanted to tell the story of their experiences of him.

My main purpose in writing this book is simple. I wanted to tell my own journey of faith, which began as a rather fundamental acceptance of God and Church. But as I left home to join the military and eventually attending college, that fundamental viewpoint became less and less defensible. I realized I was no longer content with the way we have been telling the Christian Story, especially relating to the "Kingdom" that Jesus speaks of so frequently in the gospels. His understanding of Kingdom is actually central to his whole preaching. (More than eighty percent of all recorded sayings of Jesus underscore this reality.)

Which brings me to my second purpose, and that is to underscore Jesus' understanding of Kingdom. I have attempted throughout my ministry to express that insight through my homilies and teaching, frequently by the use of story. I firmly believe that "Truth wrapped in story" is irresistible.