20 August 2008 by Brian.

Ravi Zacharias has edited a very helpful book entitled, “Beyond Opinion.”  I found one chapter in particular especially intriguing.  It was the chapter on, “The Role of Doubt and Persecution in Spiritual Transformation.”  You see, I’ve read a lot, studied a lot, and even done a little teaching on the topic of evil and how its existence can best be understood within the Christian worldview.  However, the author of this particular chapter (Stuart McAllister) does a great job of addressing the existential reality that we would often prefer to avoid.  In fact, I would argue that God attributes great value to the growth and the glory produced in the “desert experiences” of our lives, while those experiencing them (at certain stages, at least) are under the impression that nothing has any value whatsoever.  In order to understand the context, you need to know that earlier in the chapter, he shared his experience of having been imprisoned in a Czechoslovakian prison after being caught trying to smuggle Bibles behind the Iron Curtain.  Here are two brief paragraphs, which I hope will motivate you to read the entire chapter:

“The Trinitarian vision of God has served to sustain me in many different ways.  What do I mean?  As I journeyed into my life of faith I came to grasp (not very well) the historic teachings regarding the nature of God.  To see that God is a community of love, that he existed in self-giving relationships before the creation, and that he took on himself flesh in order to redeem us, was an awesome discovery.  The gift and life of the Holy Spirit was the final link in tying together what was for me, a vague notion.  This universe is a relational order, and I was now tuned in by virtues of God’s grace, mercy, and enabling love.  This understanding of God allowed me to dwell on God the Father, the Sovereign, the ruler, the God who humbled Egypt and led his people in the wilderness.  It also allowed me to consider Jesus as the incarnate one, the suffering servant, who although God in the flesh, restrained himself, sought out sinners, and gave his life in such an unselfish way.  The Father ruling, governing, guiding; the Son in his example, service, and sacrifice, followed by the Spirit in his comfort, keeping, power, and presence (John 14:26).  All these have been vital in my reflections.

How has this helped me practically?  It has meant that many times I could rest in the assurance of God’s ultimate and good control over life and circumstances.  Even though I had to face questions, I recognized my limitations and found comfort in the sense of God’s sovereign rule.  The example of Jesus continues to inspire and fuel a longing to be more like him: to follow his way, to respond as he responded, to treat people as he treated them, to love as he loved.  The assurance of the Spirit’s presence and help has met me in many ways, as I travel, preach, face questions, and seek to wrestle through issues.”

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11 August 2008 by Brian.

It’s been a while since I offered a decent post.  Let’s be honest, that last post was an exhausted, weak attempt to get something on the board…certainly not my best effort and you have my apologies.

Anyway, on to tonight’s business.   A big part of my job at Effectur, Inc. where I am currently employed is to manage our Net Promoter Score program.  If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s a simple measurement designed to place a numerical measurement on the quality of a company’s relationship with its customers and it is based upon the response to one simple question, “Would you recommend the company to a friend or colleague?”  The score takes into consideration those customers who are actively promoting the company to others (think of your average Apple Macintosh user), as well as those who hate the company and rarely miss an opportunity to tell others how badly it sucks (think just about any mobile phone service provider’s customers).  Our company is doing pretty well with our NPS right now, with many more of our customers loving us than hating us, with a lot of customers in the middle, satisfied, but not exactly overwhelmingly pleased.

So, I was thinking about my witness for Christ in my various contexts each day and I was wondering how I would score if people were asked if, based upon their observance of my life, they were attracted to Jesus or persuaded to reject him.   It’s a sobering thought.  What would my co-workers say?  Is my witness consistent to each of them, or are there some who see more of Jesus, while others see more of my weaknesses emerging?  What about my wife?  My children?  Are they drawn to Jesus’ life in me?  Do they see him at all?

My prayer is a simple one: “Lord Jesus, transform me into your image more and more each day.  Fill me with your love and your grace, as well as your truth and holiness and grant me the humility to admit my failures and ask forgiveness when I hurt those around me.”

Posted in Politics, Community, Humanism, Naturalism, Taxes, Trinity, Leadership, Missionaries, Missions, Trinitarianism, Social Injustice, Social Justice, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Religion, Morality, Morals, Spirituality, Secularism | 1 Comment »