Yeah, I think I can believe...
All Things Possible
Setting Captives Free - Physically, Emotionally and Spiritually
Meeting Jesus in an ’82 Dodge Colt
By Julianne Tiegs , Daily Inspirational Brief Editor, Donor Relations Manager and wife of ATP President Jeff Tiegs
When I was 16, my dad caught me and a guy in the backseat of a steamed up ‘82 Dodge Colt. We were talking about Jesus.?
As a teen growing up in a secular American Jewish household, Jesus was a fairytale, much like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.?I believed that Christianity was a religion for other people.?
Like many Americans, our family celebrated Christian and Jewish holidays in superficial ways.
During Hanukkah, we lit the menorah, shared gifts, and ate latkes and chocolate gelt, but?we skipped the prayers. For Christmas, we bought a tree, dressed it with ornaments, and topped it with a homemade cardboard and aluminum foil Star of David.?
We made matzo ball soup and ate heavily buttered matzo throughout Passover week, but we rarely took part in a Seder.?And for Easter, we always did a candy hunt, but we had absolutely no idea why.?
We were assimilated, secular, Americanized Jews who wanted nothing more than to blend in and live our lives without facing the anti-semitism our ancestors endured.?
There is power in that statement.?Historically, for many Jews, blending in was a means of survival. In some parts of the world, it still is.?
When a 16-year-old boy, who would one day become my husband, wanted to talk to me about Jesus after work, I was willing to listen. He was cute, confident and a great dresser. Working together in a restaurant we became fast friends.
On a cool fall night, we punched out and headed over to my car to talk. As the windows steamed up from the warmth of our breath and the coolness of the night air, we chatted about the usual: music, mutual friends, school, and then the discussion pivoted to Jesus. He grew up in the church, went to a private Christian school and had a strong grasp on his faith. He was a believer, and he wanted me to become one too.?
“So are you telling me that Jesus was a REAL person — a historically documented person who actually lived?”?I asked with an air of scientific skepticism my grandfather would have admired.?
“Yes, of course!” he answered.?
Hmmm. This gave me pause. I thought this Jesus guy was made up. No one walks on water or comes back to life. How can we be sure?
“Wait, are you telling me Jesus actually returned from the dead? For real?” I asked incredulously. “Prove it!”
“It happened,” he answered. “It’s well-documented.”?
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He then dove into Christian apologetics, far beyond his years, to explain to me why belief made sense. His arguments were logical.?I realized that I actually wanted to believe; I just needed a good reason.?
“Huh, I had no idea he was a real person,” I admitted. “That makes it a little easier to believe the rest of the story.”
Slowly, the headlights of a 1984 blue Toyota minivan pulled into the empty parking lot and crept toward my car, windows now completely steamed up after two hours of intense discussion.
“Oh my gosh!” I shouted, “It’s my dad!”
I had no doubt how this looked to my father. I leapt from the car, thinking the fact that I was fully clothed might save me, and ran to the driver’s side window of the minivan.
“What the heck are you doing?” asked my dad calmly, but clearly annoyed. “It’s 1 o’clock on a school night! We were worried about you!”?
“Dad, no! Dad! We weren’t doing anything, I promise!” I snapped back defensively. “Dad, we…?Dad! We were talking about Jesus, that’s all!”?
“Get home now!” he grumbled angrily as he rolled up the window and drove off.?
To this day, I am not sure if my father actually believed me. He still likes to joke about how sneaky my now-husband of 34 years was as a teen in pursuit of his first-born daughter.?
I climbed back into the car and took a moment to say goodnight, but first I confessed,?“Yeah, I think I can believe what you are saying about this Jesus guy.”?
We hugged and said goodnight. He hopped into his 1980 blue Toyota Corolla and drove home.??
Inspirational Insight
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” —?Romans 10:12-17