About the Book
“You don’t have to be a prisoner to other people’s beliefs about God, Jesus, heaven or hell – you can be free. You don’t have to be conflicted about your faith and how you live your life – you can go deeper with integrity. You don’t have to feel separated from the Universal Love of God – you can open your heart to it so that you and everyone around you are blessed.”
- Rev. Carlton E. Smith, from the Introduction to Try My Jesus
What does it mean to love and to know God?
And who among us is worthy of that love?
These are the questions posed and addressed in this groundbreaking collection of daily reflections.
In these pages, Rev. Smith takes us on a journey to rediscover self-acceptance, wholeness, inclusivity, and divine love through the words of Jesus, and invites us to meet the Jesus he knows – the one who embodies unconditional love and shows us how to save ourselves and minister to each other.
Be prepared to have your assumptions challenged, your heart opened, and your relationship with God and Jesus renewed.
“Rev. Smith’s powerful reflections draw us into his encounter with Jesus and gently encourage us to try a Jesus who is deeply personal and profoundly compassionate, pointing the way to internal and external expressions of divine love.”
- Rev. Dr. Terrlyn L. Curry Avery, Author of Dismantling Racism: Healing Separation from the Inside Out
TMJ Playlists
Reading Try My Jesus is an experience designed to be a daily journey taking place over one year. That is why each "chapter" is titled by the day number. However, someone navigating this journey may want to locate day numbers that address specific themes. For this purpose, I have created the playlists below.
Hope you enjoy!
In Try My Jesus, there is a shorter version of the following Playlist, to support readers in locating specific themes in the book. This more comprehensive list was too much to include in the book, so we offer it to you here. Click any theme below to find out which day numbers correspond.
Hope you enjoy!
Acceptance
1, 20, 52, 98, 99, 113, 126, 141, 185, 212, 243
Beatitudes
7-14
Being Yourself
15, 16, 20, 261
Blessing Others
17, 28, 56, 121, 135, 170, 214, 244, 265, 267, 268, 270, 301
Discipleship/Readiness
48, 56, 70, 71, 73, 74, 91, 92, 144, 152, 153, 157, 160, 161, 163, 164, 166, 168, 177, 182, 184, 186, 188, 189, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 202, 203, 204, 207, 208, 209, 257, 258, 262, 269, 286, 297, 307, 318, 320, 321, 322, 326, 328, 329, 343
Endurance/Persecution
14, 100, 107, 116, 117, 119, 128, 181, 187
Faithfulness
39, 54, 72, 180, 192, 214, 215, 232, 256, 266, 275, 311, 312, 316, 333
Fear/Getting Help
25, 75, 85, 111
Forgiveness
34, 36, 77, 78, 112, 194, 195, 241, 260, 272, 276, 298
Grace/Providence
36, 48, 205, 363
Gratitude
7, 38, 83, 98, 167, 315
Healing
123, 124, 125, 139
Honoring Others
24, 31, 46, 79, 80, 104, 105, 106, 108, 109, 147, 156, 158, 172, 190, 211, 219, 228, 229, 237, 264, 285, 322, 323, 324, 365
Honoring Self
49, 53, 89, 95, 103, 130, 132, 138, 142, 143, 149, 151, 172, 178, 183, 190, 203, 206, 235, 237, 245, 274, 323, 324, 346
Humility
9, 34, 84, 93, 199, 209, 210, 227, 239, 360
Integrity
26, 27, 55, 65, 67, 101, 118, 133, 148, 150, 174, 200, 218, 221, 230, 231, 271, 303, 332, 353, 355, 361
Kingdom(Kin-dom) of God/The Promised Land
7, 19, 20, 42, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 73, 80, 81, 122, 134, 135, 162, 164, 173, 204, 213, 226, 233, 234, 242, 249, 251, 300, 357
Leading Others
279, 280, 281, 282, 284, 288, 290, 292, 293, 294, 295, 331, 340, 352, 354, 356, 358, 359
Lord’s Prayer
31-35, 213
Money
23, 88, 171, 175, 192, 220, 225, 248
Oneness with God
12, 20, 68, 82, 179, 193, 253, 254, 255, 277, 283, 289, 296, 299, 308, 335, 337, 339, 345, 347, 348, 349
Overcoming Temptation
2, 3, 4, 35, 47, 131, 159, 291
Peace
13, 29, 30, 33, 136, 208, 313, 336, 362
Possessions
38, 39, 40, 81, 154, 155, 167, 174, 207, 212, 222, 223, 224, 236, 287
Prayer
29, 30, 31-35, 45, 205, 213, 206, 338, 342, 343, 350, 351
“Seven Last Words”
119, 181, 241, 242, 243, 359, 360, 361
Trust in God
40, 41, 42, 45, 48, 50, 51, 53, 57, 63, 64, 120, 137, 140, 145, 165, 169, 189, 196, 201, 240, 246, 250, 252, 259, 263, 273, 302, 305, 309, 310, 314, 317, 319, 330, 335, 364
Values
10, 44, 90, 97, 115, 127, 129