Monday, July 20, 2026

WHEN CHARLIE MET JESUS — Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3
"WHAT JESUS ‘SAID’"

Chapter 3 invites you to listen closely to the words of Jesus. As Charlie reads through the opening chapters of John's Gospel, three simple but life-changing invitations begin to echo in his heart: "Follow Me." "You must be born again." "Whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst." They're more than memorable sayings—they're personal invitations that begin changing the way Charlie sees both Jesus and himself.

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↓ Read the Full Chapter Here ↓

— 3 —

"WHAT JESUS ‘SAID’"

The words that change a life are often the ones that refuse to leave you alone.

When I met Sheldon again, I’d read farther than he suggested. I couldn’t stop. John’s Gospel kept finding me—at lunch breaks, before bed, even in my car. Some parts confused me. But again and again Jesus would say something that made me pause and wonder.

When I walked into the coffee shop that afternoon, Sheldon was already there.

“You read it,” he said, smiling.

“I made it through chapter four,” I replied.

“More than I expected,” he said.

I opened the booklet and pointed to my notes. “Jesus keeps saying, ‘Follow Me.’ What does that actually mean?”

Sheldon leaned back. “At first I thought it was an invitation into a religion. Then I realized it was an invitation into a relationship.”

“What’s the difference?”

“A religion points to a path and tells you to follow it. Jesus says, ‘I am the path. Follow Me.’”

Jesus is saying, ‘Stay with me. I’ll take you there.’ He offers to be your Guide and Companion—He doesn’t just point.”

I thought about Philip. Jesus didn’t give him a checklist. He just said, “Follow Me.” It felt personal in a way rules never had.

“What surprised me,” I admitted, “is that none of them seem to have everything figured out.”

Sheldon chuckled. “That’s part of the comfort. Most were confused half the time—real people responding.”

I nodded, almost grateful. “Good. Because that’s exactly how I feel.”

Then I turned to Chapter 3, this Nicodemus guy. “This one broke my brain: ‘Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Born again? Really?”

Sheldon didn’t rush. “When I first read that, I assumed Jesus meant becoming a better person.”

“And isn’t that what He means?”

“No,” Sheldon said gently. “Nicodemus was already a good man—moral, religious, respected. If effort could earn acceptance, he’d be the kind of man who could do it. But Jesus said he needed something entirely different.”

“What?”

“A new life.”

His words landed like a quiet correction. “Not an upgrade. A beginning. Something only God can do.”

I stared at the page. “But how does that work?”

“Jesus pointed Nicodemus to the idea of wind—how you can’t see it directly, but you can see where it moves—the rustling branches, the dust flying around. You can’t grasp God’s Spirit like an object. But you can see the results: new desires, new priorities, new peace. An attitude that changes toward God.”

“So it’s not about trying harder,” I said, almost to convince myself I’d misunderstood.

“No,” he replied. “Jesus isn’t describing self-improvement. He’s describing new life. God changes a person from the inside out.”

I tried to argue in my head and couldn’t. The restlessness inside me didn’t feel like something I could fix with willpower. It felt like thirst—and only thirst understands the shape of water.

I flipped forward to chapter 4, the woman at the well. “Then there’s this: ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I shall give will never thirst.’”

“That matches what we talked about the other day,” Sheldon said.

Outside, rain streaked the windows. “When I first read it,” Sheldon continued, “I felt like Jesus was describing my entire life.”

“How so?”

“I spent years ‘drinking from wells’ that couldn’t satisfy. Success. Relationships. Money. Experiences. Approval. The next promotion, the next purchase, the next accomplishment. Always reaching. Never arriving.”

He turned the page with care. “The woman came for ordinary water. Jesus offered something deeper. He was saying, ‘The thirst underneath all your other thirsts can only be satisfied by Me.’”

Not a system. Not a philosophy. Not new rules. Not a new situation.

A Person.

And what affected me most, I realized as Sheldon spoke, wasn’t only what Jesus taught—it was who He spoke to. Not a polished hero. A broken woman carrying regret, shame, and disappointment. Jesus drew her near instead of waiting for her to clean herself up first.

That fact quieted something in me. Maybe our conversations had felt personal because Jesus wasn’t only speaking to the people on those pages. Somehow it felt like He was speaking to me too—like He’d been paying attention before I knew what I was searching for.

We sat in silence for a moment. The statements kept repeating in my mind:

Follow Me.

You must be born again.

Whoever drinks the water Jesus gives will never thirst.

Eventually I looked up. “I still don’t know what I believe.”

Sheldon nodded. “I know.”

“But I can’t stop thinking about Him.”

A slow smile appeared on his face. “That’s how it started for me too.”

The rain began to clear. Sunlight broke through the clouds and glowed on the wet pavement. Jesus didn’t feel like a distant figure from history anymore. He felt real—someone to know.

“Keep reading,” Sheldon said as we stood to leave. “Go a little farther in John.”

“What happens next?”

He smiled. “Next time we’ll talk about what Jesus did. Because what He did was just as extraordinary as what He taught.”

I slipped the booklet into my pocket and walked toward the door, surprised by something simple and new…

I wasn’t reading only to understand.

I was reading because I wanted to.

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

—John 6:68—

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

— 1 — SOMETHING IS MISSING ......Link

— 2 — WHY JESUS?......Link

— 3 — WHAT JESUS ‘SAID'

— 4 — WHAT JESUS ‘DID’......Coming Soon 07/27/2026

— 5 — THE GREAT QUESTION......Coming Soon 08/03/2026

— 6 — THE CROSS JESUS CHOSE......Coming Soon 08/10/2026

— 7 — WHEN JESUS BROKE DEATH......Coming Soon 08/17/2026

— 8 — WHEN CHARLIE MET JESUS......Coming Soon 08/24/2026

— 9 — CHARLIE’S PRAYER......Coming Soon 08/31/2026

Friday, July 17, 2026

New Digital Download — "YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT?"

This new booklet (PDF) tackles ten of the Bible's most astonishing miracles—the very passages that cause many thoughtful people to question whether Christianity can really be true.

Rather than avoiding difficult questions, these pages face them head-on, examining what the Bible actually says, why each miracle seems scientifically implausible, and why believing it is still entirely reasonable if God truly exists.

More importantly, each miracle reveals something profound about God's character and ultimately points us to Jesus Christ. Whether you're a skeptic, a seeker, or a Christian wrestling with honest questions, my hope is that these pages will strengthen your confidence that Biblical faith is not a leap into the dark, but a thoughtful response to the God who created the universe and has revealed Himself through His Son.

Get your free download HERE

Monday, July 13, 2026

WHEN CHARLIE MET JESUS | Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2
"WHY JESUS?"

In Chapter 2, Charlie discovers that the thirst he has been feeling isn't unique to him. Through Sheldon's personal story, he begins to wonder if the answer he's been searching for has been found by someone else.

🎧 Play the Audio 📺 View the Video 📄 Open the PDF

↓ Read the Full Chapter Here ↓

— 2 —
WHY JESUS?

The deepest thirsts are often discovered by those who have lived with them the longest.

Over the next few days, I couldn't stop thinking about Sheldon. It wasn't his answers that stayed with me, but how he talked about Jesus—not as an idea, but as a real person woven into his life.

When I finally saw him again, I took the seat across from him. After some small talk, I asked the question that had been nagging me. "When you said Jesus satisfied your thirst… what did you mean?"

Sheldon paused. "Can I answer that with a story? It's about me. When I was your age," he said, "I felt exactly the way you described. Restless. Thirsty. Like something was missing." "You too?" For the first time, I saw recognition in him. He understood because he had lived it.

"I thought the right job would fix it. Then more money, more success, more experiences. I kept assuming the next 'thing' would finally satisfy me."

"And did it?"

"For a little while. A promotion felt exciting for a few weeks. A new purchase for a few days. But the feeling always faded, and I ended up right back where I started. Still thirsty." His words hit closer than I expected.

"So what changed?" "I stopped asking what I needed," he said, "and started asking why nothing satisfied me. That's when someone challenged me to read one of the Gospels—the accounts of Jesus' life. What He did. What He said." He continued, "As I read, something unexpected happened."

"What?"

"I began to like Jesus."

I laughed. "That's it?"

"That's where it started."

His eyes brightened. "He was unlike anyone I'd ever encountered. Compassionate without being weak. Strong without being harsh. The more I read, the more I realized Jesus understood the human heart—our fears, loneliness, pride, guilt, our endless search for meaning."

"What struck me most," he said, "was that Jesus never talked as if people just needed better habits. Or more rules to follow. He spoke as if they needed Him—a personal relationship with Him. Like when He said, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.'"

"So what happened?" I asked. "The more I learned about Him, the more convinced I became that He was exactly who He claimed to be."

"Which was?"

"The One I'd been looking for my whole life without realizing it."

"Looking back," he said, "my deepest problem wasn't a lack of success. My deepest problem was separation from the One who created me. Everything else was a symptom. Jesus didn't just improve my life—He restored me to the relationship my heart had been longing for."His voice wasn't dramatic. Just certain.

I stared out the window, thinking about the restlessness that had followed me for years. Maybe I wasn't the only one who felt it. And maybe—just maybe—he had actually found what he was looking for.

As we stood to leave, Sheldon reached into his bag and pulled out a thin paperback, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. "What's this?" "One of the four accounts of Jesus' life."

"So what am I supposed to do with it?"

"Read it."

"That's it?"

"That's it." He slung his bag over his shoulder. "Charlie, you've spent a lot of time wondering whether something is missing. Before our next conversation, spend some time listening to Jesus Himself. Read the first few chapters."

"What if I don't understand it?"

"You won't understand all of it." He grinned. "I didn't either."

The rain picked up outside. I slipped the booklet into my jacket pocket. "I'll read it."

"I know."

There was something reassuring about the certainty in his voice. As I walked home, my hand kept drifting to the little book in my pocket. A week earlier, I would've tossed it on a shelf. Now I couldn't wait to open it. For the first time in my life, I was genuinely curious about Jesus. And somewhere beneath all my questions, a quiet hope had begun to grow.

Maybe the answer to the thirst I'd carried for so long wasn't a thing at all. Maybe it was a Person.