David Wilkie - Coffee with Jesus

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400 Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at www.intervarsity.org. Design: Cindy Kiple
Images: Public domain ISBN 978-0-8308-8410-0 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-3662-8 (print)

My Springfield brothers: Jim Cox, Dave Cron, Bill Elliott, Brett Piper, Dan Spadoni and Josh Wellborn, who didnt bail, even though they were pretty sure I was insane. My editor at InterVarsity Press, Dave Zimmerman, who took a chance, rolled the dice, and knew all along that it wasnt a gamble at all, and then organized, compiled and made some sense of this collection. Laura Zderad, artist extraordinaire, for her patience in dealing with a guy with caveman-like Photoshop skills, and her colleagues in longsuffering, Cindy Kiple and Beth Hagenberg. To all the artists, writers, musicians, influences, family and friends, both real and virtual, whove in varying ways been an encouragement: Fred Leo, Kym Davis, Richard Dresselhaus, Bill Green, Jason Fox, Wyatt Roberts, John Sanchez, Mark Duffy, Natasha Vargas-Cooper, Sara Champion, Stephen Wesley, Lorenz Schilling, Earl Creps, Jay and Donna Hostetler, Joe and Irene Batluck, Bob Knorpp, Darryl Ohrt, Emma Asante, Tony Wright, Howie Goldfarb, Josh Oakhurst, the 4th of July Kids, Sherry Nelson and Tony Shelley, John Shelton, Paula Zargaj-Reynolds, Steve Taylor, Phil Keaggy, John Michael Talbot, the Ward family, Greg Austin, Jim Harriger, Sam Knox, Bill and Kyle Neidt, Alistair Begg, Jim Wunderle, the coffee house gang from Gieen, Aaron Sprinkle, Dana, Cheri, Pam and Joy and our great parents, Dave and Jan, Lenette Hall, Mark and Cindy Simerly, Chester and Pam Strobel, Lucy Williams, Craig Olinger, Betsy Atkins, and Mitchell, Laura and Justin Fehlberg. Very special thanks to the thousands of online friends I will never meet, for sharing, liking and commenting, and encouraging me with their loveas well as their hate. And of course I owe buckets of thanks to my wife, Katie, who daily comes to my computer after I send her an instant message that says, approval.

She arrives hoping to laugh and often leaves saying, Not funny, You can do better, or Uggghhh! Rare is the day when she laughs out loud at a first draft, and many are the days when she isnt even smiling after five drafts. Without her Id have published reams of my patented fourth-grade, stupid humoror worse, humorless, sappy moralizing, as I tried to play to the factions in the crowd. Finally, to Justin Charles and Luke Thomas, who reported from Texas that Coffee with Jesus was pretty cool and catching on in the local high school, just when I was about to throw in the towel, convinced that it had run its course.

Utilizing old advertising clip art for the main characters and Sunday school clip art for the person of Jesus, I simply enjoyed the notion of Jesus appearing at table with these people (dressed as they were and sharing coffee with them) to refute their claims of how he might vote on any particular issue, to convince them that they cannot confuse their flag with their Godto set them straight, as it were. The notion of Jesus sitting down for a cup of coffee with a bunch of very certain and opinionated people struck me as humorous, and it did some others as well. Soon, the Jesus of Coffee with Jesus was advising the recurring characters on their personal lives, their relationships, jobs, successes, failures, wants and needs. As a Christian, I wanted to show people a practical savior, one who used humor, sarcasm and gentle ribbing to address their concerns. Through various social media, the comic took off, and I soon felt the need and obligation to portray Jesus as I know him. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline (Revelation 3:19 NASB ) is a verse that came to mind whenever I had Jesus speaking a stinging rebuke, but it was time to show that he is, above all, merciful.

Does he care about your first-world problems while other believers are being martyred in the third world? Yes, but he might put your problems in perspective for you. Hes going to question your motives, examine your heart and reveal to The concept of Jesus the man is something weve depicted in art for years. Who doesnt love the innocence (and even silliness) of those old Sunday school illustrations of Jesus walking through a field of flowers with a group of red, yellow, black and white children, a dog and a cat? (And a happy little bird right over here, in this tree. Now, theres a happy bird! said Bob Ross.) Or the beautiful depiction by Antonio Ciseri called Ecce Homo , where Jesus stands on the balcony before the mob as Pilate asks for the verdict? And with every question Pilate puts to him, Jesus answers him with another question, or he affirms what Pilate has spoken, or he simply doesnt reply at all. These are the actions of a revolutionary. This is a guy people followed.