One spring break, I took a group of students on a retreat called, "Exploring the Christian Faith.'' The retreat was designed for people "who know something about Jesus, but are not yet ready to put their money down yet.

I told them, ''I am going to use any means at my disposal—films, arguments, worship, music, Bible study—to arm wrestle you into following Jesus. But don’t get anxious, I am a United Methodist and the chances of my succeeding are fairly slim.

On the first night, I showed the students a video of an actor reciting the' Gospel of Luke, the very Gospel which we have read for today. :At the end of two hours, after the video had ended, the group of a dozen students sat there in stunned silence. Then one said, "It is a great story, a really great story. Jesus is cool. But there's…