“God really is real! I never experienced him before now.”

“I felt like there had to be something more—I think I’ve found it!”

“God doesn’t just love everyone—he loves me!”

It’s exciting when someone has a living encounter with the God of the universe. A lightbulb goes on, and everything feels new. But with that sense of exhilaration comes the realization: in order to take one’s faith seriously, things must change.

“What do I do now?”

“How can I keep this alive?”

The authors of Encounter Jesus believe that what’s really being asked is: “Now that I’ve discovered Jesus, how do I become his disciple? What do I have to do to continue to encounter him?” An encounter with Jesus is a very significant experience, and Fr. Dave and Deacon Ralph show readers how to move from discovering their faith to following Jesus wherever he leads them along the path of discipleship.

Father Dave Pivonka, T.O.R., is well known to youth conference attendees from San Diego to Nova Scotia. He spends much of his time helping others come to know God’s love for them through his dynamic preaching, writings, CDs, and other spiritual outreaches. Father Dave has held several ministry positions at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, and is presently the director of Franciscan Pathways, an evangelistic preaching outreach of his Franciscan Community. He is the author of Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus. Fr. Pivonka lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Deacon Ralph Poyo is the founder of New Evangelization Ministries, which exists to assist pastors in training their parish leadership in evangelization. A popular speaker, he travels extensively around the United States. Deacon Ralph is married to his high school sweetheart, Susan, and they have five daughters, and two granddaughters. The Poyos live in Steubenville, Ohio.