Live life the way Jesus did. To the extreme. ^You're probably asking yourself a lot of tough questions these days. Like: ^- Why is my faith keeping me from the fun everybody else is having?^- Why do I think about sex so much?^- Why should I obey God when nobody else seems to--even grownups?^- Is doing this okay with God?^- What do I really believe about God?^- How far is too far?^- Why does God expect so much of me? ^If you want some solid answers to questions like these, "Every Young Man, God's Man" will take you straight to the heart of your frustrations and fears. And give you the truth you need to hold on to-truth that will drive you forward and give you hope. ^By learning to go to the dark and difficult places in your heart, and standing up in God's power in all the battles you face, you will find yourself full of spiritual confidence and courage. You'll see how faith makes sense in the light of who God is and how much He cares about you. And the bot

the man zone The summer before my freshman year at UCLA, I came home one time after midnight to a dark house and sleeping parents. While my home was very quiet, my soul churned in chaos. I needed the safety and comfort of my bedroom to relax me. I sat on my bed and ran my right hand through my shoulder-length hair. While I had dismissed many things I didn't like about my lifegoing to church topped my listI had one habit too ingrained to let go of: praying before I fell asleep. I guess this was my way to connect with God on my terms. After all, I was the "spiritual" party guy. Most of the time, however, I would recite the same old prayers I had known my whole life. My lips would be moving, and I could hear myself speaking the words, but my heart and my soul were definitely checked out. I found these midnight prayers easy, comfortable, and safe. I'm sure to God I sounded more like a robot than a human being, but in my twisted thinking, I figured God wouldn't call my lack of sincerity on the carpet. Man, was I ever wrong. That summer evening it was time for my nightly ritual. I got down on my knees at the foot of my bed and looked out at the star-filled Northern California sky. I started with the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..."). Suddenly, I heard a voice inside telling me to stop. I thought, What's up with this? I started over, but I couldn't get out the memorized words that I had repeated thousands of times before. I didn't know what was happening, but I did know that my skin felt like it was crawling, which humbled and scared me. Instead of "Our Father, who art in heaven" coming out of my mouth, I heard myself whispering, "I want to see You... I want to see You." Each time I said this, I felt a deeper and deeper presence filling the air around me. My body shook in response, and tears rolled down my cheeks like rivers. My emotion had been touched by the strong and fragrant presence of God. For the first time in my life, I expressed to God what I really wanted more than anythinga real encounter with Him...just the two of us. I voiced a simple prayer"I want to see You"not to please my parents, not to impress friends, not to maintain some image, and certainly not to win His approval. What I said that evening was the true confession of a guy on his knees to a God who had been patiently waiting for me to get honest. Once you settle for less than God's best, you start spinning your wheels. He didn't have to be patient since I had been acting like a hypocritean immature one at that. He knew I had been deliberately fooling myself, but He also saw someone who was experiencing turmoil regarding who Christ was. When I expressed a longing from deep within my heartas simple as it wasHe seized that measly effort to invade my room and bring me closer to Him as never before. That night was a turning point. God reached out and touched me, and I felt closer to Him as never before. I couldn't rationalize this experience away, I couldn't blame someone else for not living out what I believed, and I couldn't divorce myself from His will at my convenience any longer. Instead of judging me or punishing me, He threw His arms around me and said, "I forgive you. Now go and sin no more." God "unstuck" me spiritually as a young man, for which I'm grateful. What happened to me sounds a lot like what happened to &