Maybe You'll Be Blessed Too

(This shot was taken end of February. At the end of this post is a shot taken this week. Watch Little One grow!)

The following words are Ravi Zacharias’. Ravi and his ministry have blessed my life since college when I first heard of him through a friend and read his book Can Man Live Without God. This winter's RZIM communiqué Just Thinking, includes the introduction to his recent book Beyond Opinion from which I pulled ideas that blessed me. In my opinion, he soundly and compassionately crafts words that identify spiritual concerns in our nation and world, and I do believe RZIM works diligently and thoughtfully to answer the toughest spiritual questions of our day and to serve with compassion those who are in need:

The one who says apologetics is a matter of pride ends up proudly defending one’s own impoverishment. The one who says conversion is a matter of the heart and not the intellect ends up presenting intellectual arguments to convince others of this position. So goes the process of self-contradiction.

The ultimate calling upon the follower of Christ is to live a life reflecting who [He] is…I have little doubt that the single greatest obstacle to the impact of the gospel has not been its inability to provide answers, but the failure on our parts to live it out.

Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9)…But in quoting that verse, we forget something very important. The people to whom it is happening are new, and the answers, however old, must never sound stale.

…life is not just a how-to-manual; there is an instinct and intuitiveness to living. [We] have found this to be true as we have journeyed across the globe. Not everything is argued. Some realities are felt deeply in a “soulish” sense. Apologetics should therefore respect those elements without violating the absoluteness of God’s person and his revealed Word in the Holy Scriptures, and consummately in his Son, Jesus Christ.

I take Jesus’ walk on the Emmaus road as the classic example of his apologetic approach to the times. His disciples have absolutely no idea that they are walking with the Lord himself. The disciples state rather ironically to their traveling companion that he must be the only one who was not aware of all that had happened in the last few days, when, in fact, he was the only one who did.

…do not underestimate the role you may play in clearing the obstacles in someone’s spiritual journey. A seed sown here, a light shone there may be all that is needed to move someone one step further. The truth is that sometimes the more sophisticated we get in our study and understanding of apologetics, the more often we miss the moment and the impact.

Opinions are preferences amid options. Convictions are woven into one’s conscience.

I love words. You wouldn't think it, if you knew how rarely I pick up a book and read, especially these days. I love great authors who help you effortlessly paint a picture in your mind, and who clearly convey, through story, metaphors, well crafted wording, difficult subjects. Ravi and C.S. Lewis are two of my favorites.