Matthew

I'm back from the Pinon Canyon field exercise.  It's hard to describe how something like an Army field exercise can make you feel as though you've been cast into the valley of the dead.  But it did.  It's not so much that I am disenfranchised with the military.  It's just part of life.  People and organizations disappoint you.  You start to wonder why in the world you would ever compare yourself to another person, why would you treat people differently, why would you worry so much about things you cannot control...

I always liked to think I had some understanding of Christianity.  But Christianity isn't something you understand, it's something you feel, something you live, and someone to whom you give your faith.  That someone is Jesus.  But I don't really know Jesus, at least not like I know my family or my friends. I've made attempts in the past but in my half-hearted nature, I'm not remotely there.  I'm not in a real relationship with Jesus, at least not a healthy one.

Insert the book of Matthew.
In what could pass for the desert, I realized that I'm all grown up now and I can read the Bible myself.  So I did.  And what I found when I read about Jesus in the book of Matthew was that He is hands down the most interesting and inspiring person I've ever read about.  Honestly.  My entire life I have longed for a friend like Jesus, someone who was unafraid to do and say what was true...all the time...in all situations...and ALWAYS out of love.  Amazing.  Just plain unreal.  Jesus always spoke to the heart.

A relationship with a man like Jesus revives your soul.  It takes you to a place where you can love others and live fearlessly.  It gives you the joy and the energy to move forward and seek the Kingdom of Heaven.  What a fool I am!

I could try to tell you all about it.
I could try to bring you to the place where Jesus is a real being,
as relevant today as He was thousands of years ago.
But it's best if you read it for yourself.
Tell me what you think!