--- id: 20170201_jesus_with_skin_on title: BLOG - Jesus with Skin On! category: Biblical Life Counsel predicted_narrative_arc: grandfather-wisdom-to-embodied-christlikeness sentiment: Tender emotions: - Grateful - Reflective - Courageous keypoints: - Growing up across a field from grandparents shaped Dean with love, work, and church - After his father's death, Grandpa remained available for honest, confidential counsel - Now a grandfather himself, Dean wants to bridge age divides with open conversation - Before Vietnam, Grandpa gave him Deuteronomy 31:6 to memorize against fear - Dean names Grandpa as "Jesus with skin on" — wisdom, time, and love embodied summary: > Dean Rush remembers grandparents across the field who included him in farm work, church, and life talk. After his father's death, Grandpa stayed available for honest counsel. Before Dean's Vietnam assignment, Grandpa read Deuteronomy 31:6 and told him to memorize it — be strong and courageous; the Lord goes with you. Dean now aims to grandfather the same way and calls Grandpa "Jesus with skin on." tags: - blog - human-resources - grandparents - discipleship - deuteronomy-31 - vietnam - courage - mentorship - family - dean-rush sycophancy: 0 truth_score: 9 entropy: 3 sample: false consent: owner_approved agent: blog created: '2017-02-01' updated: '2026-09-09T00:00:00Z' vault_stage: 07_CODEX headwaters: BLOG prefix: BLOG enrich_status: ok enrich_blockers: [] enrich_method: manual pipeline_filename: BLOG_2017-02-01_jesus-with-skin-on.md source_kind: blog_article proposed_topic: Wisdom lane: Wisdom voice: desk active_voice: desk voices: - desk routing_source: carbon corpus_topic: Wisdom content_status: active date: '2017-02-01' share_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/jesus-with-skin-on source_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/jesus-with-skin-on site_category: Human Resources archive_month: 2017-02 description: > Dean honors a grandfather whose presence, truth-telling, and Deuteronomy 31:6 gift before Vietnam made him "Jesus with skin on" — and aims to grandfather likewise. --- # Jesus with Skin On! **Author:** Dean Rush **Original post:** [deanrush.net/blog/jesus-with-skin-on](https://deanrush.net/blog/jesus-with-skin-on) **Archive month:** February 2017 · **Site category:** Human Resources > Voice note: Everything under **Dean's article** is Dean's original prose (lightly cleaned of HTML/image artifacts only). Sections marked **Biblical foundations**, **Scholar sidebar**, **Takeaways**, and **First-time learner** are enrichment for Asker / first readers — not Dean speaking. --- ## Biblical foundations (preface) Dean tells how a grandfather embodied Christ's nearness — presence, truth, Scripture, courage — especially after a father's death and before Vietnam. The enrichment below frames that testimony with Scripture he already surfaces (Deuteronomy 31:6) and the wider biblical pattern of incarnate love. | Dean's claim | Scriptural undercarriage | | --- | --- | | Older saints pour life into the young | Teach the next generation (Deuteronomy 6:6–7; Psalm 78:5–7); gray hair is a crown of glory in a righteous life (Proverbs 16:31) | | Presence heals father-loss voids | Father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5); visit orphans and widows (James 1:27) | | Courage comes from God's going-with | Deuteronomy 31:6 — be strong; He will not leave or forsake you; Joshua 1:9 | | Christlikeness can be "with skin on" | The Word became flesh (John 1:14); imitate me as I imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) | | Honest counsel and confidentiality matter | Faithful are the wounds of a friend (Proverbs 27:6); a trustworthy person keeps a confidence (Proverbs 11:13) | --- ## Dean's article ### Grandparents Across a Field ![Grandparents / family image from Dean's original post](https://deanrush.net/Portals/0/IMG_5806.JPG) When I was growing up my grandparents lived just across a field that separated our home from theirs and our respective farms. I did not realize at the time that I was deeply affected by the relationship and gained a huge amount of wisdom from the proximity to those two people. Both certainly demonstrated love by including my brothers and myself in their lives. Involvement included all parts of their lives. We were expected to attend church as a family and even to clean the chicken house as part of our family obligation (a job I hated). ### Life Experience I would spend hours with my grandpa watching him live life and having him pour his life experience into mine. We discussed all phases of life. We talked about our faith and how it was important to our everyday we lived. We discussed farming and how important it was to the nurturing of our country. Grandpa even approached the subject of marriage and children. In my teens, I was deeply touched by every word about something that seemed so far in the future. My father died when I was a teenager and the void of his presence had a lasting impression on me, my brothers, and our mother. Grandpa never stopped being available for those chats and I soon realized I could ask him anything. He never seemed to be affected by my questions, although I now realize he was probably shocked when I asked some prying questions about his dating background and how he handled people he didn't agree with. It was apparent that he didn't mind telling me the truth, but he did warn a couple of times that it would be good if the information stayed between he and I. I honored that wish without fail. > **Scholar sidebar — Availability after loss** > Dean's father died in his teens; Grandpa "never stopped being available." That is Psalm 68:5 in family form — God as father to the fatherless — mediated through a willing grandfather. Proverbs prizes the counselor who tells truth (Proverbs 27:6) and keeps confidence (Proverbs 11:13). Dean's honor of confidentiality is itself discipleship learned at the porch swing. ### Jesus with Skin On This article is now being written because I am a grandpa myself. We have grandchildren ranging in age from 23 down to seven. It would be good to have the wisdom of my grandfather present when those kids ask me for advice (although in modern times due to geographical separation there are few requests). I want to give all the counsel I can and bridge that age divide that I felt at times with grandpa. It made for more open conversation, even when I embarrassed him or myself with questions. One of the most impressive conversations I had with grandpa was when Vickie (my wife) and I drove to Indiana in route to my assignment in Vietnam. Very few in my family had been to war and I was going as a pilot in a job that had a bad record for losses. He asked me if I was scared and I answered him honestly with a sheepish, "yes". He got up from the swing on his front porch, went into the house, and came back carrying his bible. He read a verse to me and told me to memorize the verse. It was Deuteronomy 31:6 and it says, **"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid because the Lord your God, goes with you. He will not leave you or abandon you, even in the face of your enemy."** Grandpa's advice and that verse have never stopped going with me into every phase of life. I wish he was here for me to thank him for his time, his wisdom, and his love. **To me he was Jesus with skin on**. > **Scholar sidebar — Deuteronomy 31:6 on the porch** > Moses charges Israel (and Joshua) not to fear because Yahweh's presence is the ground of courage — not self-steeling. The same promise echoes in Joshua 1:9 and Hebrews 13:5 ("I will never leave you nor forsake you"). Grandpa's pastoral move is classic: ask an honest question, bring a Bible, require memorization, send a fearful grandson toward war with God's going-with. "Jesus with skin on" is folk language for incarnational discipleship — John 1:14's Word-made-flesh pattern scaled to a grandfather who showed up. --- ## Takeaways 1. **Proximity disciples.** Living across a field meant shared church, shared chores, and poured-out life experience. 2. **Availability after loss matters.** Grandpa filled conversational space when a father's death left a void. 3. **Truth plus confidentiality builds trust.** Honest answers and kept secrets made hard questions safe. 4. **Scripture for fear is a gift.** Deuteronomy 31:6, memorized before Vietnam, traveled with Dean for life. 5. **"Jesus with skin on" is the goal.** Time, wisdom, and love embodied — now Dean wants to grandfather the same way. --- ## First-time learner ### What is Dean saying in one sentence? My grandpa's presence, honesty, and Deuteronomy 31:6 before Vietnam made him Jesus with skin on — and I want to be that for my grandchildren. ### Why Deuteronomy 31:6? Because courage in Scripture is not bravado; it is confidence that the Lord goes with you and will not abandon you — even facing an enemy. Grandpa put that promise in Dean's mouth before war. ### Key verses to read with this post - **Deuteronomy 31:6** — Be strong and courageous; He will not leave you. - **Joshua 1:9** — Same charge reinforced to Joshua. - **John 1:14** — The Word became flesh. - **Psalm 68:5** — Father to the fatherless. - **Deuteronomy 6:6–7** — Teach diligently to the next generation. - **1 Corinthians 11:1** — Imitate those who imitate Christ. ### A simple practice (Dean's challenge made concrete) This week, be "available" once for someone younger (or geographically distant by call): ask one honest question, share one Scripture you have memorized, and keep confidential whatever they entrust. ### How this feeds Ask Dean This post is seed material for questions such as: *What does "Jesus with skin on" mean? How did Dean face fear before Vietnam? How should grandparents disciple?* Answers should keep Dean's voice primary and use the scholar notes only as supporting biblical scaffolding.