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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: REDUCE (11/05/15)
“Sir,” the Roman officer said to his commander, “we boiled John in oil a long time. He won’t die. What should we do with him?”

“Ban the old man to the Isle of Patmos. He can’t infect anyone with his outrageous and extremist Jesus stories from there.” Immediately the order was carried out. John, the last of Jesus’ original twelve disciples, was shipped to the remote island.

It was the first day of the week, the Lord’s day when John climbed to the top of a huge island rock that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. He stood facing the gentle sea breeze and pondered his treasure-trove of Jesus memories. The day of Jesus’ resurrection ended an emotional roller coaster ride. From the heights of expectation, the cross plunged John into fear, grief and depression. The perplexing sight of the empty tomb cruelly yanked him in another direction. The entire day was a rough ride that ended with the appearance of Jesus. The joy and ecstatic delight at seeing Jesus alive was beyond his ability to put into words. From then on the first day was special because it brought up that remarkable memory. Every first day became a day of rejoicing, a day of hope.

John could see a couple fishermen on the beach mending their nets. I used to do that; he thought to himself. I was a fisherman until Jesus came and changed me into a fisher of men. A panorama of memories flashed through his mind. He had accompanied Jesus in his travels, listened to innumerable parables, and watched Jesus perform countless thousands of fantastic miracles. He saw Jesus laughing with children and weeping with the bereaved. He should have washed Jesus’ feet, but Jesus washed his. That was a humbling experience. Yes, he was filled with the same Holy Spirit that filled Jesus, but John still longed to see his best friend Jesus face to face. Jesus was closer to him than a brother.

A loud trumpet-like voice reverberated behind John. “I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches in Asia.” John turned toward the voice and saw Jesus in dazzling glory wearing a full length kingly robe, a golden sash adorning his chest. His penetrating eyes were like fire. His face radiated a brilliant light. John had seen Jesus before many times, but this was spectacular, even more so than seeing Jesus in his glorified body on the mount of transfiguration. John was in absolute awe. It was more than he could handle. He fell like a dead man at Jesus’ feet. John was on holy ground. He was afraid to move or make a sound.

“Don’t be afraid.” Jesus reached out his right hand to lift John up and said, “I am the first and last. Yes, I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have the keys of death and hell. Write what you see happening now and later. ”

John wrote what we know as the last book in the Bible, Revelation. John also wrote three letters and a twenty-one chapter book so we can know his Jesus as our best friend too. We can experience the awe the majesty of Christ demands. We can fall at Jesus’ feet.


This story is the result of a mixture of the KJV, prayer ("God, how do I write this? How do I end it?), e-Sword, and my imagination.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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This article has been read 530 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Trudy Newell
11/13/15
An interesting read.

I noticed some "salsa" verbs! - infect, (cruelly) yanked, reverbrated. Good for you.

One red ink - put "I use to do that. I was a firsherman.... in quotes for his thoughts.

God bless as you keep writing.
Trudy Newell
11/13/15
Hi again - I meant to say his thoughts - I use to do that. I use to be a fisherman - should be in italic, not quotes.

It's early in the morning!
Donna Powers
11/13/15
This is an interesting retelling of a familiar story. I enjoyed your take on the topic
Catrina Bradley
11/13/15
I really like this first person account of John on Patmos! I never thought what it was like for him to see his best friend as GOD. A formatting suggestion - make some sort of break between John's story and your ending commentary - and extra line space will do, or you could use *** or ~~~ if you want to get fancy. But your writing is very smooth and and the story flows well. I could "see" through John's eyes. Nice job!
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
11/14/15
This is a great retelling of what happened to John. I found it interesting and easy to read and understand. I struggled with seeing the topic throughout the piece, but that could just be me. Also when using the phrase he thought to himself, you really don't need the to himself because thinking is generally to one's self. Also thoughts should be in italics so they stand out. You did such a nice job with your descriptions, I could easily picture them. It felt quite real and easy to understand the awe of John and the power of Jesus. You did a great job.
Phyllis Inniss 
11/17/15
I like the way this story of John enfolded. You started with your time with Jesus before His death and you moved on to after the Resurrection. There was that interesting bit of "What shall we do with him?" and he is sent to the isle of Patmos from where he sees The Revelation. Is it that John was reduced to wonder at what transpired?
Phyllis Inniss 
11/17/15
Sorry, I meant 'unfolded'
C D Swanson 
11/27/15
Beautifully written and expressed!

God Bless~