Some books make you think, and then there are books that make you feel–and maybe even change. “The Real Conversation Jesus Wants Us to Have” by Regina V. Cates is that rare book that does all three.
In a time when public discourse is increasingly divisive and personal growth often feels superficial, this book stands apart. It’s deeply personal, courageously vulnerable and refreshingly honest. It doesn’t skirt hard questions—it walks right into them with an open heart and the wisdom of lived experience.
Regina writes with the clarity of someone who has walked through fire and emerged more tender, not hardened. She’s not theorizing about love or grace from a distance—she’s lived the heartbreak, rejection, fear and joy from choosing to lead with integrity.
In telling her story and the stories of others, she doesn’t preach. She reflects. She tells the truth. She invites.
This book is not superficial or exclusive. It does not limit Jesus’ love to a chosen few or reserve compassion for those who pass a theological purity test. It says plainly: Jesus calls us to love with our whole selves—courageously, honestly and without reservation. And if we’re not doing that, we’re missing the point.
What struck me most as I read Regina’s book was how often we say we love like Jesus while avoiding the difficult work love truly requires.
Real love asks us to confront injustice, own our shadows, sit with hurting people and not look away. Love isn’t about polite agreement or passive kindness—it’s about choosing, again and again, to act with courage, clarity and compassion, even when it costs us something.
This is where Regina’s writing shines brightest. She names the gap between what we say and what we do with honesty, not shame. She invites us to close that gap, not through self-loathing or blame, but through deeper alignment with our values.
Her stories remind us that it’s never too late to change, and that every hard truth we face is a chance to become more loving, whole and Christ-like.
Regina offers examples of people who chose integrity over comfort, truth over illusion, and love over fear—and she does so with tenderness and hope.
These aren’t celebrities or saints. They’re regular people who make extraordinary decisions in ordinary moments. That’s what makes her message so compelling: it’s accessible. It says, “You can do this too.”
Her book is not only a mirror for self-examination—it’s also a guidepost for change. It lights the way forward with grace.
“The Real Conversation Jesus Wants Us to Have” doesn’t preach. It doesn’t shame. And it’s not written from a lofty place of perfection. Regina is humble, honest and clear that she—like all of us—is still learning, growing and trying to love more deeply and live more intentionally. That’s what makes her words land so powerfully. She’s walking this journey with us.
As someone who grew up in the South, I found Regina’s reflections especially moving. Her experiences echo much of what I’ve seen and felt in church pews, small-town sidewalks and quiet personal reckonings.
Her writing honors the spiritual traditions many of us were raised in while gently, firmly challenging the ways those same traditions often fail to reflect Jesus’ radical love and justice.
What makes this book more than just a personal narrative is its contemporary relevance. Regina doesn’t shy away from calling out injustice—whether in the church, politics or society at large. She refuses to stay silent about systems that marginalize and harm others.
But her activism is always rooted in compassion, not condemnation. She calls us to be brave but also kind, bold but also tender.
One of the most moving elements is Regina’s willingness to tell the truth about herself—her fears, ego, missteps and growth. She shows us that spiritual transformation isn’t about becoming perfect.
It’s about becoming more real, loving and aligned with our core values. It’s about listening to the still, small voice that invites us toward courage and compassion, not control and conformity.
This is the kind of book that can change people—not because it demands change, but because it reminds us of who we really are. At our best, we are generous and empathetic. And even when we fall short (which we all do), we can choose again.
That’s grace. That’s Jesus. And that’s the conversation Regina invites us to have—not once, but daily.
I hope churches read this book together. I hope book clubs, families and faith communities dive into these pages and let the questions and reflections guide deep, healing conversations.
I hope pastors recommend it and skeptics pick it up. Because we all need to talk more honestly about the way we live our faith. This book is the perfect starting place.
Regina V. Cates has given us a gift with “The Real Conversation Jesus Wants Us to Have.” It’s part memoir, part manual for radical soul-centered living. And it couldn’t be more timely.
Read this book if you want to feel less alone in your spiritual questions.
Read it if you’re tired of a Christianity that feels shallow, judgmental or disconnected from love.
Read it if you’re ready to relinquish fear and step more fully into grace.
And when you finish it, don’t put it away. Keep it on your nightstand, coffee table or kitchen counter—wherever it can keep nudging you toward the person you want to be.
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Lisa Harrison is a writer, grant consultant, and lifelong Alabamian whose life’s work is centered around storytelling, social impact, and soulful living. She is the founder of SimplyFilm Productions and author of the upcoming memoir and screenplay, Down to Tuscaloosa. Lisa is passionate about helping others live the life of their dreams—and telling stories that make a difference.
