Conversations with Jesus (Paperback)

Do you or someone you know suffer from: Addiction An Eating Disorder Anxiety Depression Michael Phillips suffered throughout his life tremendously from all of these afflictions. Through his suffering, “Mike” developed a personal relationship with Jesus and came to know His great love. In “Conversations with Jesus: How an Alcoholic and Anorexic Found Deep Joy in Christ” readers will see Mike’s deep, intimate, dialogue with the Lord and Savior he came to know, love, and serve so faithfully. You will also learn about Mike’s ministry as a drug abuse counselor, his devotion to family and friends, and his desire to help the poor in this world --- whom he helped by donating every dollar he possibly could through Catholic Relief Services. The amount he donated over his lifetime on a social worker’s salary is simply astounding. “Conversation with Jesus” is a great read for anyone suffering and for those who want to know Christ and find meaning in life in general. Proceeds from this book will go to Catholic Relief Services --- whom Mike gave so much to --- in order to in his words care for “the hungry in the world.”

Mike Phillips often said, "The church is full of suffering people." He knew this well. He was one of those people. Mike suffered from alcoholism from his teenage years in the late 1970s until he quit drinking in 1994. His tremendous struggle helped him develop into an outstanding drug and alcohol abuse counselor who understood his clients and sympathized deeply with them. When Mike's health failed and he had to quit work, he attended as many AA meetings as he could just to be there for others who had suffered and struggled as he did. Mike also suffered immensely as an anorexic. This illness led his weight to drop from about 150 pounds in high school to 100 in his thirties, and even lower by the time of his death, at age 48, in 2010. But even as anorexia tormented him, Mike lived a life of inspiring charity. The Catholic Sun published an article titled "His Life is a Lesson," and described how on a social worker's salary, Mike donated some $250,000 to Catholic Relief Services. His illness also led him to a deep personal relationship with Jesus, as in so many ways he entered into an understanding of the mystical suffering of Christ. This relationship and Mike's understanding of suffering appear profoundly in his journal in the pages that follow. When Mike's conversations with Jesus began, around the time he quit drinking, his anorexia was already very severe. Some psychologists would classify it as a personality disorder: being an anorexic, and suffering all the torments that came with it, was simply who Mike was. Short of a miracle, there was no cure, and that miracle never came, but Mike faced his illness with great courage and found great consolation and joy in Christ. We publish his conversations with Jesus for everyone who is suffering. Not every illness can be overcome, and death is inevitable for us all. But we hope that during their sufferings, some people can find greater joy in Christ through Mike's writings. All the proceeds from this book will be used to benefit Catholic Relief Services and assist hungry people around the world.