It’s crazy.  Even the disciples agreed.

What I believe, what you may believe, it’s certifiable, premium grade, all cards on the table Ridiculous with a capital R.

Let’s call it out, make it known, point to it and place the elephant in the room front and center.  It’s essential for the next step to work.

Then, you can watch me stand stalwart behind it with a giant smile, because I know, no matter how crazy, it’s true.  

Results.

What I believe both saved and directs my life, while it infuses me with purpose and direction.  

Did you make it past Step 1? Were you able to be honest with yourself and someone else, or just God?

Great. Now, can you get past the crazy?

Results are the only things that matter. They define whether a product, service, promise, program, or yes, even a spiritual claim, are true.

The disciples were waiting on results.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Even after three years of walking with Christ, I can picture Thomas’ face as he looks at Jesus, raises an eyebrow, and then scans the other disciples, eyes wide, mouth open, to see if they get it. A shrug of the shoulders all around.

⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” ⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  John 14

Philip looks at Thomas, Thomas looks at Philip, eyes wide shaking his head. Everyone else holding open mouths and furrowed brows. Someone scratches their head and starts to say something but quickly stops. All after being with Him for three years… The closest men in His group.

At times we claim we can explain the “Christian way and promise” in a five-minute “gospel” presentation. Wait? Disciples were with Jesus for three years and He somehow couldn’t get them to understand? Give them some quick talking points to make sense of it for everyone? Sum it up clearly? He’s the One that asked us to share it. You’d think he provide an easy structure. An outline. If that’s what He was looking for, of course. I’d argue, it wasn’t.

Maybe there’s more here than even we take the time to understand or explore.

Unfortunately, we’re 2,000 years removed, and though I’d love to start unpacking the repercussions of that, that’s a year’s worth of posts and discussion, and we’re heading another way. But you get the idea.

Seriously.

What I believe is nuts.  Unless, well, it’s true.  Then who’s crazy?  

You already know my issues and my past.

And by now you’re hopefully fully aware that I believe with all I am that the God of the universe spoke to me that day, after the fire, in the closet.  He took my life in a new direction that hour, and He’s made all the difference from that day forward.  

Yes, the God of the universe.   

Some Being somewhere, out there, in here, in Heaven, in the world, tied in, creating, weaving together, working, connecting, leading, orchestrating, allowing, changing, healing, doing so much for some reason that neither I,  nor anyone I’ve had a true heart to heart with can come close to explaining or making sense of.  Pastors, theologians, and your basic believer included.

Still, God desires a relationship with me.

And for whatever reason, it seems I come close to getting a glimpse into the answer of “WHY” as I watch and experience my own children growing up.  Maybe.

Crazy.

For the longest time I felt like I was indeed nuts as I sang songs, attended services, recited prayers and drank juice. All while I put on fake smiles, a happy demeanor, and made use of an hour on Sunday to appease this Being and go through motions for reasons I didn’t connect with but thought maybe I understood.

And still, I would look around and ask myself, what am I doing? What do I believe? What am I leading my family into? Is there really a point to any of this?

Dead men don’t come back.

Crazy.

Or is it?  

Dead bodies.  So many.  Every call I’ve been on, any call I’ve been on, dead bodies never come back to life. 

Dead is dead and whatever spirit was in there is gone to wherever it’s supposed to go, if even it went anywhere at all.  

People know this.  And one thing that didn’t happen two thousand years ago just like it doesn’t happen today is that dead people don’t come back to life.  Ever.   

They. Knew. This. Even back then.

And yet….

A dead man inspired a movement. 

And people that believed Him influenced many more.  People that, initially, thought He was nuts. They testified with their words and lives that one dead man came to life and actually filled people with His Spirit.  They claimed He led them from the inside. They believed they were part of the family of God.

A dead man.  He only asks you to drink His blood and eat His flesh.  And then, get this, He asks you to tell everyone else this tale.  He asks you to share the crazy, spread it all around.  Get everyone else on board.  

It sounds ridiculous.   I know.  And I won’t argue.  And it wasn’t any less ridiculous 2,000 years ago.

Twenty years as a cop, and I’ve seen people talking to the devil in the back seat of a cruiser with the most sinister of smiles while they tell you they love you and puke all over.  Then, they start to cry because their pet fish is going to be so upset with them and they better come home with a present after they finish throwing their feces all over a jail cell.  

I’ve seen crazy.

I know what it looks like.   

And yet, to you, to everyone, I claim to have the Spirit of a dead man in me. Working through me.  Changing my life.  I claim He changed everything, healed relationships, provided a new outlook on life, made me see EVERYTHING in a new light.  

I claim He leads me to peace, rest, and direction.  And I’m suggesting this process will do the same for you.  Because it forces you to do one thing, to connect with Him. To get results, directly from Him. Or, to walk away understanding that He, His will, His plan, it isn’t really your #1 priority.  

He. A dead man.  A ghost.  God. 

Crazy.    

And there are others.  

So many others.  I’m not alone. People who are crazy. 

Not those who’s Sunday life looks nothing like their Monday through Saturday life. But those that you can sit with on a patio, calmly, no stress, no pressure, no mindless spouting off of Bible verse after Bible verse while they never really seem to feel comfortable sitting in what they believe. No uncomfortable silence under a setting sun in the warmth of a summer night as I just ask them, how’d it happen for you?  When did you know?  

And they can stutter or weave a story full of both pain and beauty as they think back to the time or times they came to understand, dead men do come back. At least once.  Dead men do share their Spirit. 

They come back to lead, direct, love, and bring purpose and fulfillment.  

Why does it matter?

Why am I going over all this????? Because that night in the closet,

I came to truly believe a power greater than myself could restore my life.  It’s Step 2

It was my only option. Can you say it?  Do you believe it?  

Do you really believe there’s a power truly greater than yourself.  Do you trust It, He, The Spirit, can restore your life?  Are you at least open to it?

If the answer is yes……. say it, internalize it, come to grips with the realization.  Then, sit in it. Put down your phone. Turn off the television. Sit in the quiet. Listen. You’ve found hope. Hope for you, for your family, and hope for the future. He will speak. But, let’s be clear, you might not be thrilled with what He says. The things He points out.

Think about it.  Turn it over in your head.  Rest and breath in the crazy.  Admit it, to me, to someone, or just to God.  

Yes, I believe a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity.

God. A dead man. Spirit.

Can you get past it?  

For Step 2 the real question is, are you open to it?  

If you aren’t, I can’t help you.  He can’t help you.  You’re your own god.  You won’t let Him take that place.  And He won’t occupy another status. 

I was my own god for far too long.  And that, my friend, was crazy.  It almost killed everything.  I was in control.  My plans, my way, my highway.  In a world that I have no control over.  None.  And I almost drove myself and my family over a cliff. 

And if you can’t get past the crazy, if you’re not open, I’d just ask, one warm night this summer you get a hold of me.  We’ll sit under a star studded country sky, under a moon hung in bounds of space, stuck to the surface of a spinning planet that orbits through a galaxy so vast and deep we haven’t even touched the tip of where we are in the scheme of everything.

I’ll ask you what you believe about it all.  Why are you here?  What’s the point?  I’ll listen without interrupting. Though, I can’t promise I won’t interject a witty comment or two. We can part as friends.  

And then I’ll thank God for our time together, for your presence in my life, for all I have, and I’ll ask Him to lead me just as much tomorrow as He did today.  

Because He and I are friends.  He calls me His friend and His son.  The, It, He, a God I can’t physically see.  But One that’s done so much to change everything.  

And I can point to so many others as well.   Here, here, here, and here.  Lives changed.  Direction given.  Purpose and fulfillment restored.  Crazy people leading their families and sitting in the peace and rest of God.  

Can you get past the crazy?

Can you move to step 2?   

Say it.

Yes, I believe a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity.

Next week, we need to do something with that belief. Something we’re told, taught, and ingrained NEVER to do.

We need to get past that one thing that currently controls you, kills your life, and thwarts your ability to ever make progress with this, or any other process.  

If you’ve read the book, you already know where we’re headed.  And it might just be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.

But it WAS worth it. It indeed CHANGED and RENEWED my life.

And the lives of so many of us “crazy” people.

Cheers, 

C 

Oh, and if you’re willing to share this somewhere or somehow, I know a lot of people who’d appreciate it. People who sit in the shadows questioning what they’re doing, why, and if what they believe isn’t the craziest thing as they hide behind a smile, a practice, and a hope that one day they’ll find others who they can be honest with.

Maybe they just did. In you. Your friendship. Your concern. But first, they need to know where you stand. Share your crazy with them. It’ll be good for them, and for you. I promise. And if you shared it, would you let me know? I’d love to send you a thank-you.

Get a copy of my book HERE. Get on my email list HERE, or shoot me an email at Chad.campese@gmail.com. Shoot me a message and connect with me on Facebook HERE.

Written By: Chad Campese

Chad Campese is a father, husband, police officer, blogger, and author of the book Confession of a Christian Fraud.  He holds a BA in Christian Counseling and psychology, is heavily involved in peer support and recovery when it comes to first responders, and is an expert in living his life and faith as a fraud. These days he simply relies on the leading of the Spirit as he tries to slowly and purposefully take life one day at a time.