The Top 5 Most Important Questions Every Person Needs To Answer.

I started this altered book as a story of my faith journey, from very unhappy, lonely, suicidal teenager to fulfilled, joyful, well-loved adult.  I had an idea of using collage papers, lots of gesso, fabric, and different elements to make it a truly "mixed-media" work of art.  

You see, I had recently engaged in a lively philosophy conversation with my nephew that I'm not sure I was prepared to effectively debate.  We ended up disagreeing, but no worries, we both walked away thoughtfully and still good friends.  He'd taken a required college course in philosophy, but had been able to use some simple questions to unravel all the religion and Bible he had ever experienced.  My nephew is a great guy. He knew that faith and relationship with Jesus is an extremely important thing to me.  Although he and his sister have always lived out of state, they spent many a summer holiday at my house as children. I used every opportunity I'd had to represent Jesus to them all their lives, but it was always, always their free-will choice. He was man enough to tell me that he didn't believe in the Christian faith any more and I respect him for that.  

He'd been to Afghanistan in the army and had lost a friend. He'd also met many, many Christians who didn't act like Christ-like.  His world experience combined with some college experience couldn't stand up to his Christian experience.  He found different answers to these 5 questions that also satisfied a desire to make his own life choices without any guilt and still feel like a good person.

The conversation, the questions, it all stayed with me.  Agitating me.  I wanted to be able to answer him again.  Carefully.  With certainty.  Because in choosing Jesus at age 16, I actually had answered these questions without ever articulating them.  I knew the answers.  But how could I share them?  Not just with my nephew, but with others?

The reader is still offered a conclusion.  But in the end, gentle and vague was not to be.

The gospel is neither gentle or vague.  It is life giving.  It is power.  It is unrelenting, unstoppable love.

And it is the best answer to the 5 questions.