Stanley A. Fry, pastor and scholar, has thoroughly documented his own search for the historical Jesus. His search, however, takes a new twist, one that requires him to set forth a highly personal vision of how Jesus can become real, not in history, but in today's ever-changing world.Why have we so long ignored the first twenty years of the Jesus movement?Why has the church been built upon the stories of the death and resurrection of Jesus instead of upon his teachings?Why has the search for the historical Jesus produced so little solid information?Is there any historical justification for belief in the "real" Jesus?Is there a spiritual foundation for commitment to the "real" Jesus?Where can the "real" Jesus be found?What impact will this view of Jesus have on the Christian faith and the church?The bottom line is that Fry has produced an original and cogent case for a new vision of Jesus, the "real" Jesus who can shine a bright light on your future.

Family man Jason Corliss is a small-town banker who is making every attempt to stay sane despite his rat race through life. Seemingly self-assured, Jason is good at putting up a front. Deep inside, he knows he is unhappy, but he has no idea how to make it better. But when a traumatic personal experience forces him to question his rather unenthusiastic views about God and his church, Jason embarks on an unorthodox prayer journey in an attempt to uncover meaning in his life. With guidance from his pastor, Jason begins praying every night. While perched in a leather chair in his den, Jason closes his eyes, opens his heart, and pours out his questions, fears, and hopes to a spiritual being he is not even sure is there. As God gently places new thoughts, ideas, and understandings in his mind, Jason asks God to help give him a new start, to fill the emptiness in his soul, and to help him find the purpose of his life. In this compelling spiritual story, a man desperate to confront the issues in his life turns to faithful prayer for the answers, ultimately remaking not only his life, but the lives of those who love him.

Family man Jason Corliss is a small-town banker who is making every attempt to stay sane despite his rat race through life. Seemingly self-assured, Jason is good at putting up a front. Deep inside, he knows he is unhappy, but he has no idea how to make it better. But when a traumatic personal experience forces him to question his rather unenthusiastic views about God and his church, Jason embarks on an unorthodox prayer journey in an attempt to uncover meaning in his life. With guidance from his pastor, Jason begins praying every night. While perched in a leather chair in his den, Jason closes his eyes, opens his heart, and pours out his questions, fears, and hopes to a spiritual being he is not even sure is there. As God gently places new thoughts, ideas, and understandings in his mind, Jason asks God to help give him a new start, to fill the emptiness in his soul, and to help him find the purpose of his life. In this compelling spiritual story, a man desperate to confront the issues in his life turns to faithful prayer for the answers, ultimately remaking not only his life, but the lives of those who love him.

Stanley A. Fry, pastor and scholar, has thoroughly documented his own search for the historical Jesus. His search, however, takes a new twist, one that requires him to set forth a highly personal vision of how Jesus can become real, not in history, but in today's ever-changing world. Why have we so long ignored the first twenty years of the Jesus movement? Why has the church been built upon the stories of the death and resurrection of Jesus instead of upon his teachings? Why has the search for the historical Jesus produced so little solid information? Is there any historical justification for belief in the "real" Jesus? Is there a spiritual foundation for commitment to the "real" Jesus? Where can the "real" Jesus be found? What impact will this view of Jesus have on the Christian faith and the church? The bottom line is that Fry has produced an original and cogent case for a new vision of Jesus, the "real" Jesus who can shine a bright light on your future.

The author takes his new and comprehensive vision of God as Spirit from the only place in which spirit is experienced and known, that is, from our experience of our own selves. The need for this intimate and, therefore, bold view of God rests on the increasing inability of a self-contradictory orthodoxy to speak to the spiritual sensibilities of people in the twenty-first century.

A new understanding of God enables the author to deal in a fresh way with the troublesome questions people have raised about the behavior with which God is often charged. It also allows him to reinterpret John Wesley's doctrine of salvation in a way that addresses the deepest needs of the human spirit.

All those seekers who have been disillusioned or even alienated by the incoherence and divisiveness of much of the religion they see this book is for them. It is also for laypersons seeking clearer guidance for their spiritual life and for pastors seeking a different perspective for their teaching and preaching.