Smokin’ Weed With Jesus by Clifford Beck

The story begins in a small town near Portland, Maine where Richard, a bankruptcy attorney, has just taken part in the liquidation of a pornography store. Returning home, he makes the mistake of reaching back for the one thing that soothes the guilt of separating others from their livelihood, and drives headlong into an oncoming vehicle. His body, badly broken, Richard is whisked off to Portland's Maine Medical Center where he hovers between life and death. As he is about to undergo surgery, he slips into a near death experience and mysteriously finds himself standing in a familiar looking place, confused about where he is and how he got there.

But, some distance away, sits a man appearing to be dressed as though he had just stepped out of the summer of love. Sitting next to him, Richard surprisingly discovers that this man is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. The ensuing conversation is largely based on Jesus' calm criticism of humankind, religion, and the need for change in order to foster progress.

After two thousand years, the Son of God, again attempts to show humanity the errors of its ways – including the need for humor, the issues of ego, and of course, tolerance. He is joined by the one, the only, Satan who, as it turns out, is not the ferocious beast he has always been assumed to be. In fact, it is his wife Lilith who wears the pants in the family, ruling him as well as the underworld with an iron fist. However, Satan has appeared in heaven only as comic relief, with his taunting attitude and irritating ego. Also making an appearance is the Archangel Gabriel, and the biblical prostitute Mary Magdalene.

The conversation comes to a close with Richard receiving both a mission and a gift, He returns to the human world profoundly changed with the memory of his experience intact, and carrying out the Messiah's request, he resumes his life with new purpose and an ability that only he possesses. Smokin' Weed With Jesus is an irreverent, humorous criticism given by the King of the Jews and takes aim at the root cause of the worlds problems – our problems. What this book is not is political. The issues that have plagued human history rely on a far more fundamental cause, and it the author's goal to present not only the cause, but the simplicity of coping with them.