Western civilization has painted a picture of Jesus as having long hair with a Caucasian type complexion and wearing flowing robes. The real Jesus most likely didn't look anything like we have come to see him.

A couple of years ago, I ran across a science-based article in which the authors had tried to recreate what Jesus probably looked like. They saw Jesus as slight in height but very strong (given his occupation as a carpenter), dark in complexion, with shorter hair and wearing clothes more in line with the working men of that time. Quite a different picture than we have in our westernized minds.

So, not long after I read that article, I was in Houston for one of my many scans. I found out early in my treatment that being stuck in a tube with limited mobility affected me in a certain negative way -- it bothered the heck out of me. In fact, it was so bad that the doctors prescribed "happy" pills in order to calm my anxiety so I could make it through the scans.

I was just starting my scan and the pills weren't really cutting it that time and I was getting pretty anxious. At that very moment, the picture of Jesus that I had seen in the article came into my thoughts and, quite clearly, I heard Jesus tell me that everything would be okay -- that he was with me.

So what does a guy do when confronted with Jesus talking to him? He listens, or at least this one does, and the anxiety disappeared (mostly). That is not the only time that I have felt Jesus talking to me, but it was definitely one of the most dramatic.

Now, according to "The View" liberal commentator Joy Behar, I must be mentally ill because I hear voices. In a segment on Vice President Mike Pence, it was reported that he "thinks Jesus tells him to say things." Her response was "That's called mental illness if I'm not correct. Hearing voices," said Behar.

I don't think that I am the one that is mentally ill. I would bet that most believing Christians will admit that they have heard Jesus talking to them. Some instances are less clear than my experience, but some may be even more definitive. If we listen for Jesus, then he will talk to us in a variety of ways.

It's not always direct words, but it could be instances or circumstances or maybe a feeling that comes upon us and we know at that very moment that Jesus is talking to us. And, for me at least, there is no doubting what is happening.

Why is it that so many liberals will defend just about everything under the sun and just about every group you can imagine but, once you mention Jesus, they have a meltdown? Are we Christians really that dangerous to society? Apparently, in their minds, we are extremely dangerous and are fair game for derision and derogative comments.

My response to hearing about Behar's comments was to be mad, but then I felt sorry for her and the others that chimed in. What disappointed me the most was that some of the other commentators said that they were Christians but thought that the vice president was extreme.

As we move forward, let me just ask one thing of anyone that was as mad as I was -- pray for Ms. Behar and those who don't understand what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus. We should hold them and the network (ABC) accountable for their discrimination but we should also pray that they come to understand what being a Christian truly means.

I don't have a lot of room left in the column, but I feel compelled to weigh in on the latest debate regarding gun control that has been inflamed by another school shooting. Nothing I say or write will change the opinion of anyone who is convinced that controlling guns will somehow control the actions of anyone determined to kill other people. But, the one thing I ask is that as this debate continues to rage, could we please focus on the root cause and not just the tragic end results. As a kid in high school, I know for a fact that there were a lot of boys that had deer rifles hanging in the back window of their trucks and we never had an instance of a shooting.

The gun control group talks endlessly about taking the guns out of the hands of the killers as if that is the answer to the problem. The gun is not the problem -- the real problem is the heart of the shooter. And what has changed in society in 40 years to create these tragic events? That is what we should be focused on, but that would take too much looking within instead of conveniently blaming the scapegoat.

KEVIN WILSON IS A FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE WHO WAS BORN IN GOODMAN AND NOW LIVES IN NEOSHO. OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.