In preparation for a coming weekend retreat for our administrators I am reading a very fine book on leadership. The book is designed to instill in corporate leaders the importance of such vital concepts of gifts of love, power, significance and authorship. The author’s goal is to impress leaders to lead with soul and heart. It’s a very fine book. Now comes my negativity. Because the book was written for people of all faiths it is very generic. It has to be so. The authors had no choice if they wanted the book to have a broad appeal. But it is missing the richness of Christ. As fine as other faiths are there is nothing that compares with the love, mercy and grace of Jesus. Take the best of every other faith and you will find excellent ideas but they pale when compared to the extravagant richness of Christ described in Ephesians 1 and 2.
Reading this excellent book is like eating an Oreo cookie without the middle layer. The cookie all by itself is excellent but doesn’t come near being as spectacular as when we savor that middle layer. The authors have a fine idea but they are looking for the best of humanity inside humanity. We are only at our best when our humanity, our personhood is filled with the divinity offered to us by Christ. Peter says it so well in his second letter, “. . . given unto us are exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, . . .” We are at our best when we open ourselves to being God’s temple.
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 3, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org