And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14:29

The other evening I watched the 2001 film, “A Beautiful Mind,” which tells the story of John Nash, a 1994 Nobel Prize winner and brilliant mathematician who struggled to overcome the delusions and reality-warping effects of schizophrenia. I have seen this film before, but I continue to be profoundly impressed by the man’s ability to use more than his sensual perceptions to ascertain reality. By trusting family and friends who loved him to tell him if something was “real” and by choosing not to feed his delusions, Nash managed to keep his feet in the real world and to contribute to it greatly. That’s pretty deep stuff, but what I really mean to ponder here is how much of what we see as reality really is real?

A commonly spoken mantra today is “perception is reality.” And while I understand the assumptions behind it, that our perception affects our understanding of reality, I cringe every time I hear it. The truth is that reality is reality. And sometimes spiritual reality and the physical world of our perception intersect in mind-jarring ways that can cause us to question what’s really real. And that’s where faith begins if we let it.

In Matthew 14, Peter and the other disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the sea. Yes, they were in a boat, and Jesus was walking on the water. Not only did Peter believe this unreal scene, he asked Jesus to help him to do it, too. “Climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus.” Impossible! Yes, but still real. When poor Peter finally realized the incredibility of his situation, he became afraid and started to sink. Then Jesus said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (14:31). What is the reality here? Is water a liquid or a solid? Can people walk on water? Our knee-jerk answers to these questions would make what Peter did an impossibility. Yet, it happened. He walked “on the water and came toward Jesus.” Peter’s faith, though small and fading with fear, made the impossible possible. Faith became the true reality.

Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26), and “everything is possible to the one who believes” (Mark 9:23). What impossible or unrealistic thing is God calling you to do today? Do you know it is God who is leading you to it? Does it line up with the precepts and guidelines of Scripture? Do godly friends and advisers confirm that it may be God’s leading? Then it’s time to get real in your faith and to go wherever God is leading—even if it seems to be impossible! “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Follow Peter’s example. Act in faith and climb out of the boat. The water’s fine!

Father, help me to know Your voice and to have the faith to walk toward Jesus even if it means stepping out in rough seas. With You, I know, all things are possible. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Concentration, laughter, sweat — extreme ping pong. Nearly everyday my brother and I play ping pong together. We crash down to the basement, pick up paddles and ping to decide who serves first. A great battle ensues, but I always win. Most of the time.

Lately, however, it’s been a close game. Caleb’s been gaining points faster than me in the beginning of the games, and I have to work extra hard in the end to overtake him. In fact, sometimes I stay behind. You should not have to work to beat your little brother! Even if he’s as tall as you, he should still be easily beatable. It’s just a fact of life.

In my childhood days, I remember playing games with my older sister, Cali, and always losing. That, also, was a fact of life. But now I beat her in a lot of things. I’m not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the line I began to win now and then.

I call these things “facts of life.” I’m talking about the things that never fail to happen. The sun comes up in the morning, and the moon rises at night. An American wins a gold medal at the Olympics, and another celebrity goes into rehab. Older siblings beat their younger siblings. Get what I’m saying? But frankly, the “fact” is, you can never count on anything to stay the same. Just last year I was fifteen, and whether I liked it or not, I turned sixteen.

It’s good to know in times like these that I can always rely on God. He says it Himself in Malachi 3:6 — “I, the Lord, do not change.” Some people, including those running for the presidency, say change is good, and it is a lot of the time. However, it has to be the right kind of change. No change is better than change for the worse.

Well, God never changes, so why should I change? Because Psalm 55:19 says, “God, who is enthroned forever, will afflict them … men who never change their ways and have no fear of God.” I’ve been in the middle of a Bible study before, read a verse I’ve read a million times and realized that I had to change. That verse I’ve read many times before is so much more meaningful now, because God is allowing me to see the change I need in my life. God doesn’t have to change because He is perfect. I must change to be more like Him.

Okay, I admit it — I’m a news freak. I live for “The O’Reilly Factor,” always try to wake up in time for “The Today Show” and have literally found myself shouting at the television screen during a heated episode of FOX News’ debate show “Hannity and Colmes.” You seriously would have thought I was watching the Super Bowl or something. But I’ve always really loved “Larry King Live.” In a recent episode of this show, however, my interest quickly changed to disturbance and frustration.

The guest was a controversial comedian, who weighed in on everything from the upcoming Presidential election to other world events making headlines, to religion in America. What makes this comedian so credentialed to come on the Larry King show and talk about this, and, furthermore, why does anyone care? I don’t know — but then again I was watching too, so I digress.

What I found concerning, though, was this individual’s strong atheistic, perhaps even anti-Christian, worldview. For instance, he said in a video clip shown during the interview, “It worries me that people are running my country who believe in a talking snake.” Or he called America’s atheist population “rationalists.” The comedian went on to mock preachers and the concept of an eternity spent in Heaven, saying, “The idea that any person on earth can tell you with such specifics what happens when you die just blows my mind. … Are you kidding? What are you talking about? You’re just a person like I am. You are clueless. You have no idea what happens.”

Watching this interview saddened me greatly because it brought to light an unfortunate truth that I often neglect to realize: That there exists a population of people who not only lack a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but who also would go so far as to deny His very existence. Such a notion has always been rather foreign to me, but it is tragically becoming increasingly real in our society today.

This individual whom I am speaking of isn’t alone in his perceptions about God, but I have to remember that neither am I! And I must hold tight to what I believe, regardless of what others may say. This can be a challenge indeed, but as I look back over my life thus far, I am quickly reminded that my God is just as real, just as alive as ever and is still in the business of changing hearts and changing lives.

In the gravely mistaken comedian’s defense, it sure is a far-fetched story to think that God, the maker of Heaven and Earth, would send His Son to live a perfect life and then die on the cross, bearing the cost of my sins — past, present and future — and then rise from His grave to prepare a place for me in Heaven. But perhaps that is what makes it all the more incredible, because we recognize what an extreme idea it is, but at the same time, know and believe that it is absolutely, unequivocally, so wonderfully true.

I believe there is one day that stands out as the scariest day of my life: the first day of high school. The first day separates the men from the boys; and on that day, we are all boys.

I entered my first day of high school as a quiet loner and kept telling myself that my new school was simply a larger, more over-crowded version of my previous experience (except for the giants that roamed the halls in search of terrified freshman to eat). I was determined to survive my first day, so I came prepared. I had a list of all my classes, with the teacher and the room number. My first class: 9th Grade Social Studies.

I checked the room number and then proceeded to fight through the sea of bodies. Pure determination brought me to the other end of the school, and I emerged from the crowd in front of my classroom with time to spare! I confidently marched in and sat down, breathing a sigh of relief. The teacher entered, greeted us, and began to read off the role call. He got to the B section, but I didn’t hear my name. He continued on to the C and D sections. Maybe I was a late edition to the class so I’ve been moved to the bottom of the list? Panic started to build as he finished the list having still not called my name. “Did I miss anyone?” He asked, but I was too shy to answer. “Ok, welcome to 11th GRADE MATH!” My heart skipped a beat. Slowly my hand raised into the air. “Um sir, I think I’m in the wrong class, unless you are secretly Mrs. Franzen and ‘Math’ is code-word for ‘Social Studies…’” As I was led to my real classroom, I discovered that I had not only gone to the wrong room but was on the wrong floor entirely!

The world is moving quickly in the wrong direction. There are all kinds of ideas, religions and philosophies out there, and it has resulted in a lost world that doesn’t even know it’s lost. But, there can only be one Truth. In Matthew 18:11 Jesus said, “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” On our own, we are wandering through life like lost sheep. We may think we know where we are going, but we are headed for disaster. I desperately needed someone to show me the way before I ended up in the wrong classroom. The good news is this: Jesus came as a shepherd to lead us in the right direction. He came to show us the way to abundant life, both here on earth and for all eternity. One of the greatest hymns of all time says this: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.” I pray that more people in this world can echo these words every day.

But Jesus turned and saw her. Matt. 9:22

We live in a world in which it is getting easier and easier to hide who we really are. We post profile pictures that have been “photoshopped” for perfection and meticulously write status updates to keep our friends informed and make our lives sound interesting and quirky if not downright worthy of national headlines. Our likes and dislikes, our relationships and breakups, our busy schedules and random thoughts—all carefully chosen and listed on our “page” to give the perfect impression of what we want others to see as the real us. And to some extent these virtual personalities nearly are real. At least they reveal who we really would like to be.

But keeping up appearances is not a new phenomenon. The woman who approached Jesus for healing had a medical condition that made her religiously unclean. She had suffered from bleeding for 12 years, but she was in a crowd, and Jesus wasn’t looking. If she could just blend in and surreptitiously touch his robe, maybe she could get away with it, and no one would be any wiser.

But … Jesus turned and saw her. I imagine she could barely breathe as His eyes locked on hers, and she knew that He knew the truth. She was unclean! The account in Mark tells us that she came with “fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth” (Mark 5:33).

Then something even more unexpected happened. He called her “daughter.” Again, I see her gasp at the word and the relationship it implied. Daughter? Who … me? She had heard about Jesus and had believed in His power to heal; but, now she experienced His grace, and her whole identity changed. Yes, she knew she was healed. She sensed it immediately as she touched His hem, but the change was greater than that. Now she was transformed! Faith had changed her life. Praise God, she would never be the same again. Until she met Jesus, this woman probably believed some pretty terrible things about herself. Her image was tainted, and her illness had kept her chained to this negative view of herself for 12 long years. But meeting Jesus changed everything. As He healed her body, He also transformed her mind, and she was blessed by His gifts of peace and freedom (Mark 5:34).

What is the profile picture on your mind’s page right now? Do you see yourself as Jesus does? Are you His son or daughter? Get close to His side. Touch the hem of His robe. Feel the power He holds to change your life, and accept His gift of peace. Jesus, the Truth, will set you free.

Lord Jesus, You are the Healer of all afflictions. Draw me to Your side. Let me see the Truth in Your eyes, and open my ears to hear that I am a child of the King. In Your name, I pray. Amen.

Early on in school I developed an important philosophy. It goes as follows: School is not about how hard you work, it’s about how hard your teacher THINKS you worked. Yeah, just call me Aristotle. I spent years (and several detentions) perfecting this talent of mine. By the time seventh grade rolled around I was masterful. The amount of hours worked in comparison to the grades was something to be admired. I soon learned however, that even a great theory such as mine is not fail-proof.

Sitting at my desk daydreaming, I didn’t even notice my teacher start lecturing. One word violently dragged me back into reality, “Ok, let’s start PRESENTATIONS…”

“Oh no…,” franticly flipping through my agenda I found the date. Written in very mocking capital letters: “CLASS PRESENTATION.” Yep, the same one I’d known about for like three weeks and done absolutely nothing about. We would present alphabetically, so I was up second.

I took a deep breath, “Stay focused, you can do this.” Jeff got up to present first… just my luck! The dude had been president of student council since before I could even tie my shoes. He pulled out a homemade shoebox diorama. My head fell to my desk, “Jesus…come quickly!”

He finished, the class roared in applause…I groaned. The moment of truth had arrived. I grabbed a blank piece of paper, flashed a fake smile, and winged it.

They laughed, they cried! My speech was perfect! Looking up from my false-notes I saw that every eye was on me, they were eating it up! They seemed extremely impressed by my elegant speech (or perhaps that I had apparently been able to cram a whole fifteen minute speech onto a single side of paper!). I ended with a powerful closing statement, and I could see the dramatic conviction in the eyes of my audience. Faking a humble bow, I returned to my desk accompanied by a symphony of cheers. I had made it! Almost…

“Hey, Dan.” It was my teacher’s voice, “You kind of mumbled in the middle there, I missed some info, can I have your notes to clarify it?” Turning around, I saw my teacher holding out her hand with a victorious smirk on her face. Busted!

Looking back I’m reminded of how my Christian walk can sometimes be. I speak the Christian lingo, attend church weekly, lead Bible studies and so on, but through it all my relationship with God is hurting. I’ve realized how easy it is to “play Christian.” Our outer actions sometimes contradict our inner attitudes. We give the impression that we are walking close with God, but all the while our Bible gathers dust and the only prayers we pray are before meals. But despite how well we fool others, God always sees through our masks. I encourage you as you go about this week to consider if maybe you’ve just been “playing Christian.” Always remember that God isn’t being fooled.

How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of impurity. Matt. 23:27

I go to a college full of pranksters. You have to be constantly on guard around my friends. In the words of a cowboy friend, we’ve all “been had” at some point or another. There have been some pretty good pranks since I’ve been at college, but this week a prank was pulled that beat the rest – I mean, this was the practical joke of the century!

A friend of mine, Zach, had been pranked by another friend, David. So Zach decided to exact revenge. He created a Facebook account for a fake girl. Her name was “Kelly.” He created all of her personal information, posted pictures of one of his friends (a girl David wouldn’t recognize) and made her appear perfect. Among other things, her email address was proverbs31girl04@____.com.

“Kelly” contacted David and began conversing with him for a couple of days. David totally took the bait – hook, line, and sinker – and fell hard and fast for this girl. He was so excited that a girl this amazing and this beautiful would pursue him! He told all of his friends (including me) about Kelly and how he thought she was “the one” for him… all of the things that usually accompany a high school or college crush. The problem was that this girl did not exist, a fact which he would soon realize. “Kelly” asked David to coffee at Starbucks and the poor victim went like a lamb to slaughter. David waited eagerly at Starbucks, but at the appointed time Zach appeared, handed him some flowers, and introduced himself as “Kelly!” David was so disappointed. This fantasy girl with whom he had nearly fallen in love turned about to be absolutely fake and he admitted that it was the best revenge prank he’d ever seen.

This made me think about my walk with the Lord. How many times do I fall for a fake when the genuine item, Jesus, desires a true relationship with me? Sometimes a sin, or a relationship, or a particular venture seems so right, but then it turns out to be completely wrong. It might appear pleasurable, but Hebrews 11 reminds Christians that sin is only for a season, and then reality hits – it is a fake, a fraud. Romans 1:24-25 says that God judged humanity because we exchanged the truth of God for lie. I am challenged greatly by these verses and hope that I will recognize a fake when one presents itself. What about you? Have you fallen in love with a lie, or do you love the one true God?