had always felt life first as a story,” said G.K. Chesterton. “And if there is a story, there is a story teller.” From his childhood Chesterton knew in his heart that somehow he had stumbled into a great Tale. His life was a journey to understand that Tale, and his quest took him – quite naturally – to the Author of the Story. It is the search we all must take if we would ever understand our lives, find the reason for our existence.

It is our search for God.

For as Augustine wrote, “Our hearts are restless, O God, until they find their rest in thee.”

But a search for God can be a daunting thing, to be sure. As Simon Tugwell said, “So long as we imagine it is we who have to look for God, we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about – He is looking for us.” The Christian understanding of this Story in which we live tells us that at a certain point in time, the Creator of this universe and Author of this Story stepped into history as the Hero. God came looking for us. His name was Jesus of Nazareth, or Jesus Christ as he’s come to be known. (Jesus was his name. Nazareth was his home town. “Christ” means the “anointed one,” or “the one who was sent for us”). He claimed to be more than an insightful man, more than a great teacher. He claimed to be God. And he said he had come to rescue us.

The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many.
(Matthew 20:28)

As John wrote in Epic,

Remember, God warned us back in the Garden that the price of our mistrust and disobedience would be death. Not just a physical death, but a spiritual death – to be separated from God and Life and all the beauty, intimacy and adventure forever. Through an act of our own free will we became the hostages of the Kingdom of darkness and death. The only way out is ransom.

The coming of Jesus of Nazareth was far more like the opening scenes out of Saving Private Ryan. A dangerous mission, a great invasion, a daring raid into enemy territory, to save the free world, but also to save one man.

Jesus told a story like that to shed light on his own coming: “If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills, and go to look for the one?” (Matthew 18:12). In the midst of the great invasion, like the storming of the beaches at Normandy, God yet sets his eye on one lost soul. On you.

Historically speaking, Jesus of Nazareth was betrayed by one of his followers, handed over to the Romans by the Jewish religious leaders, and crucified. But there was a Larger Story unfolding in that death. He gave his life willingly to ransom us from the Evil One, to pay the price for our betrayal, and to prove for all time and beyond any shadow of a doubt that the heart of God is good. And that our heart matters to him, matters more than tongue can tell.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13)

At this point the Story comes to another hush.

It is the stunned silence of the crowd in the Coliseum at the end of Gladiator. Maximus, their hero, has just dealt a mortal blow to the Prince of Darkness. Commodus has been cast down. But is a blow that will cost Maximus his life. The callous and bloodthirsty mob is for the first time ever…silent. They are speechless.

It is the same hush that comes over the crowd that had been, only moments earlier, hollering for Wallace’s death in Braveheart.

It is the hush that comes over the crowd gathered to see the crucifixion of Jesus. If you have seen The Passion of the Christ, you’ll have some idea of what I mean.

Somehow we know that something of great importance has just taken place. We are speechless. Then a voice speaks. It is a Roman soldier who says,

Surely this man was the Son of God. (Mark 15:39)

He gets it. He suddenly understands the Story. (Epic)

The most important issue any person ever faces is, “What will you do with Jesus Christ?” Will you accept him as your Savior, that is to say, will you embrace him as your God who came to rescue you?

A personal relationship with the one true God is the primary purpose of our lives. But let it be noted that there is a great difference between knowing about God and knowing God. You can know about a beautiful place like Hawaii or the Alps, but that is nothing compared to actually going there and enjoying them. You can know about love, but that is a far cry from being in love. God seeks a genuine relationship with us. Not religion. Relationship. “I have called you my friends,” Jesus said to his followers (John 15:15).

How do we find a genuine relationship with God? It begins when we turn to Jesus, open our hearts to him, ask him to come and dwell within us, reveal himself to us. We have strayed from God, as the Story goes, and the time has come for us to return to him who is our truest Love.

Of course, before we can make that decision, we must at some level believe he is good and true and wants to reconcile with us. As the book of Hebrews says, “Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Or, as God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, “You shall find me when you seek me with all your heart” (29:13).

Some of you need a little more time to sort this out. So we’ve listed a few books below that we think will be a great help to you in your search for God. And may we add that your search might best be helped by a simple prayer,

Jesus, if you really are who you say you are, I ask you to reveal yourself to me. Come, and walk with me so that I might know myself what you are truly like, what your heart is towards me. Open my eyes to the Truth. Open the eyes of my heart to You.

Others of you are ready to enter into a personal relationship with God now. You sense he has been wooing you – through Epic and through many things – and you are at the point where you want to open your heart to Jesus Christ as your Rescuer and Restorer. You are ready to come home to God. If this prayer expresses the desires of your heart, well then…simply pray it. Take the plunge.

Jesus, I need you. I need your love. I need the life you offer. I ask you to come and rescue me. Forgive me for living so far from you. I give myself back to you, my Creator and my God. Thank you for giving your life for me, for dying on the cross to pay for all of my sins and to ransom me from the Evil One. I ask you to come into my life as my truest friend and my Savior. Restore me in your Love to be your friend, to live intimately with you. Restore me by your Life to be the person I was always meant to be. I surrender control of my life to you, and I receive your gift of Life.

Now, if that is the cry of your heart and to the best of your knowledge you’ve prayed that with sincerity, then know this: Jesus has accepted you. You are his now. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Jesus promised that, “whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37), and “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door [of your heart to me], I will come in” (Revelation 3:20). He has come in to your heart.

Your journey has just taken the dramatic turn. You have been rescued from the kingdom of Darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God. You have passed from death to life. Congratulations! The angels are cheering! Time to pop a cork! We rejoice with you!

Now, in all fairness, we must say: Be prepared. The Evil One does not lose his captives gladly. Sometimes, life can get harder before it gets better. You have taken sides in the great Battle. You are now a dangerous person, an ally of the true King operating behind enemy lines. Your first battle now is to grow close to God and to his friends.

As for growing close to God, any of the books we’ve recommended on this site for further reading will help you. Perhaps it would be best to start with The Sacred Romance, by John Eldredge and Brent Curtis. It carries on the themes of Epic, but in a deeper way. Also, we recommend that you read the Gospel of John. (“Gospel” means “really terrific news,” and John was one of the close friends of Jesus that reported on his life and teachings.) You’ll find it in the Bible, in the New Testament, right after Matthew, Mark and Luke. John was a good friend of Jesus and his account of Jesus’ life has been a tremendous help to millions of people down through the ages. It might be best to read John’s Gospel in a translation written in modern language (no “Thees” and “Thous”). The New Living Translation is a good one. So is The Message, by Eugene Peterson.

As for growing close to God’s friends, may we point out that every great quest involves a little fellowship, a band of companions who together make it through. This is a dangerous story we’re living in, and you won’t want to take this journey alone. Ask God to send you a few allies, true friends of his who can become true friends of yours. You might also want to visit a few Christian churches in your area. The test for a good fellowship is simple: Does this draw you closer to Jesus, and, Are these people you’d like to spend time with? If so, you’ve found a home. If not – keep searching!

Okay, one last thought. You might want to browse around the other “chapters” on this site, to find further encouragement for your heart, further guidance for the journey. We recommend Finding Your Role as a next step!

Further Reading for Seekers

Its hard to recommend books to someone who is seeking God without having a better idea of what is needed. So, we’ll offer two types of recommendations here – three books offering evidence for faith, two from pilgrims who have taken the journey to faith.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.
  • Lewis was perhaps one of the greatest writers and thinkers of the twentieth century. This is his famous classic on the basic ideas of Christianity, without all that goofy church stuff (thus the “mere” Christianity). A brilliant book.
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.
  • The subtitle pretty much tells it: “A journalist’s personal investigation of the evidence for Jesus.” Investigative reporter Strobel comes at the question of Jesus with a “spare me the religion, I want proof” approach that many people have found helpful. There is evidence, by the way – staggering evidence.
The God Who is There by Francis Schaeffer.
  • This book is for the much more philosophically-oriented reader who is wrestling with questions about God’s existence and how he communicates to man.
Blue Like Jazz, by Don Miller.
  • Sometimes, when we’re searching, its most helpful to hear other people describe their own search for God. Miller writes an honest, edgy, unconventional and funny account of his own journey to faith in Jesus.
Traveling Mercies, by Anne Lamott.
  • Speaking of unconventional. Lamott is a brutally honest and compassionate writer who describes her “reluctant” journey to faith in Jesus Christ. No religion here, just a true account of a soul being found by God. Sometimes very edgy, but that’s why we like it.

Further Reading for Believers

The Sacred Romance, by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge.
  • This is John’s first book written with his dear friend Brent. It helps us explore the story of our own lives, and especially why we lost heart along the way as we sought to find the Romance but experienced instead the Arrows. It’s a beautiful look into the Great Love Story – God’s passionate pursuit of our hearts.
The Sacred Romance Workbook and Journal, by John Eldredge.
  • This is a wonderful companion to the book, full of thoughts and questions to explore your own heart, and the heart of God. It includes recommended movies and music for drawing near to God. This is where we’d start after reading Epic – read Sacred Romance and do the workbook (maybe with a friend!).
The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer.
  • Remember, there is a great difference between knowing about God and truly knowing God. A lot of books and speakers out there talk about God. Tozer knew him well, and this is our favorite book by him. A short, but penetrating read. Okay, its life changing.
Diary of an Old Soul, by George MacDonald.
  • A Scottish poet and pastor from the 19th century, MacDonald was a man who knew God more intimately than just about anybody we’ve ever read. This is a beautiful and deeply inspiring book. We read it every year.