Gene Edwards's "Living Close to God (When You're Not Good at It)"

In fascinating Edwards fashion, this book is written with the majority Christian in mind.  By "majority" I mean the uneducated Christian, the Christian who, likely, would be unable to read the book because he or she is illiterate.  At least, that's the majority Christian pre-1600 as that was the world majority pre-1600.  Edwards addresses the question:  How did brothers and sisters live close to God if they couldn't read the Bible, and if most towns didn't have more than a couple Bibles if they had any at all?  His point is that these brothers were close to God, and so this belief that elevates educated Christians above uneducated Christians is partiality-employed fiction.  It's spiritual elitism.  But, the Way, Edwards explains, is a little more palatable by the end, and so if you think he's contra biblia, there's no need to worry or put on your armor and unsheathe your sword.

Edwards is a storyteller at heart - a great one.  It only makes sense that this teaching would come by the story of his life, his testimony of quick success in ministry and a rise to prominence in the American evangelical scene.  His dilemma, however, was that he didn't have a true intimacy with Christ that was living.  He knew Christ, but as if from a distance, or through a window.  He was searching for that abiding presence.  He hungered and thirsted, and this book tells what he found, why it could be found the way he found it, and the practical steps Christians who aren't predisposed to spirituality can take to encounter God.

The primary point Edwards makes is that Jesus Christ is near, and you can encounter Him daily.  And, this entire experience is tethered to the Word of God.  It's not just written about in the Word/Bible.  It fundamentally relies on the Bible.  The Bible is the foundation for his teaching and the Bible is the foundation for its practice.  This teaching is that you meet God through His Word.  And prayer, which he semi-rails against (not true prayer, but a false kind of prayer that is only about lists and wants and requests divorced from relationship) in the first part of the book, is actually the method and means of touching Christ and knowing God.

If you're a theologian, this book will probably frustrate you to no end.  Edwards is too poetic and prophetic.  His style and content will likely drive you into criticism mode.  I think you'll end up agreeing with most of what he says, but the process will be painful because you'll be searching for ways to reconcile what he says with terminology he is unwilling to employ.  This book is truly for the believer who doesn't have a clue what it means to know God deeply or "spend time with the Lord in prayer."  Those are just "Christianese" words and phrases that make people think you're a fanatical weirdo who doesn't know right doctrine.  Edwards isn't a fool, he graduated college at 18 and had an M.Div by 22.  But, the accolades and fame were empty and couldn't fill him like Christ does.  Give his teaching a chance, and leave whatever chaff you find.  It's a short 110+ page read.

EXCERPT

CHAPTER 1

NOTE:  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Double-posting

I just double-posted four (4) new wisdom application articles.  Check out WisdomApp for more posts like these.

Knight no more

The former head of The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is being stripped of his knighthood because of his failed leadership – complicit in running the bank into the ground. I gave a hearty “bravo!” to that before finding out that he holds many titles.  I wonder whether this act of public dishonor will impact his future employment opportunities or leadership decision making.

Here’s a little background (from Wikipedia article) on his rise to prominence and the results of his aggressive leadership style:

• December 2002 - Forbes (global edition) "Businessman of the Year", which described him as an original thinker with a fast-forward frame of mind who had transformed RBS from a nonentity into a global name.
• 2003 - 2006 - No.1 in Scotland on Sunday's Power 100
• December 2003 - "European Banker of the Year" in 2003
• June 2004 - Knighted in the Queen's 2004 Birthday Honours list, for services to banking (annulled in 2012 for playing a major role in the banking crisis)
• June 2004 - awarded an honorary doctor of Laws by the University of St Andrews
• July 2008 - awarded an honorary fellowship by the London Business School

….

From the time that Goodwin took over as chief executive until 2007, RBS's assets quadrupled, its cost-to-income ratio improved markedly, and its profits soared. In 2006 pre-tax profits climbed 16% to £9.2 billion with significant growth coming from its investment banking business. By 2008 RBS was the fifth-largest bank in the world by market capitalization. One of the factors in its rise was its enthusiasm for supporting leveraged buyouts. In 2008 it lent $9.3bn, more than double its nearest rival.

….

In August 2011, Goodwin moved out of the family home in Colinton after being asked to leave by his wife. The move followed media reports of an extra-marital affair with a colleague at the Royal Bank of Scotland.”

It just so happens that:  “once a year he would go on shooting trips to Spain with Santander chairman Emilio Botín.” 

In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. (Proverbs 13:16)

Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored. (Proverbs 13:18)

One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. (Proverbs 14:16)

The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. (Proverbs 17:24)

Who can you trust?

The big battle will continue to rage between these industry giants.  This article explains how the settlement related to former CEO of HP’s leaving and joining Oracle as President included a clause (in one form of the draft) that required continued support by Oracle for HP’s server technology (of which HP was the only provider in the industry).  Well, Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems and wants to look to its own.  Thus, it tried to break that [shaky] contract.  Both sides are spinning the information to make them look positive in the public eye (Oracle – ripping the veil off HP’s scheme to make money with a dying technology that IBM wanted killed 20 years ago but didn’t because of a half-billion dollar payment by HP; HP – revealing the ulterior motives of Oracle to break agreement and steal its customer base and sabotage its customers running the HP technology by limiting support). 

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” (Proverbs 18:17)

Which organization do businesses support with their investment as the partners turn competitive:  the company that keeps critical information from you about the capital intensive investments that it wants you to buy from it or the company that doesn’t want to honor its word because its bottom-line can fare better without your involvement?  Both seem untrustworthy from where I’m standing.  And, their arguments are equally strong/weak.  Hopefully forthcoming evidence elevates at least one side’s integrity.

Hiring Hints

A couple weeks back I discovered a short and helpful article by George Anders, the author of The Rare Find: Spotting Exceptional Talent Before Everyone Else while looking into an HR offering that Monster.com provides.

The key takeaways for those who hire are to:

• Reduce their “must-have” lists to a few crucial criteria (i.e. “Compromise on experience; don’t compromise on character”).
• Be “willing to embrace unconventional views of what job skills are truly needed in each specific field”
• Not be neutral in assessment:  “The best insights into candidates’ potential come from leaders whose own life experiences speak to the traits they are seeking.”
• “The process of getting to know candidates is defined far more by questions involving ‘why’ and ‘how’ -- and less about ‘what’ or ‘when.’”

The search for significance

David Weidner who covers Wall Street for MarketWatch posted this article about the recent Davos gathering, and it reveals an important truth about men, purpose, and frailty.  Weidner laments the fact that 70 of the richest people in the world gathered for a lauded purpose, but what they accomplish remains fairly invisible.  He points out that business deals are made and the networking environment is phenomenal, but the marketed purpose for the gathering is pretty much abandoned.  Sure, lots of talking takes place, but that leads only to poverty (of thought) when untethered to action.  So why do these men keep returning and participating in similar gathering?  Or, what is the true value business leaders find in such gatherings?  Weidner writes,

“There are very few truly exclusive clubs that make you feel special. Davos remains one of those clubs.” 

The answer is in self-worth and personal significance.  When men will not glorify God they must glorify something else (including their selves).  We are creatures created to praise, and we will praise Him or something in His place.  Some men are surely finding temporary pleasure in this self-worship, enjoying the event like an enthronement festival celebrating their financial godhood. 

And, Weidner explains why the intense media bias results in any news about the gathering being relatively worthless.  He comments:

All of the financial media love Davos. We’re underpaid and insecure. A junket to Switzerland, even with the grueling work of regurgitating financial baloney, most of us would take the assignment. And why not? We may not be important, but we feel important for a few days. Davos looks beautiful. Sometimes Bono shows up. It beats working. 

So, though Weidner has never heard anyone report back in private that the gathering was worth its salt, he has always heard glowing public reviews.  With finality, he writes a sarcastic response to this rhetorical question of why these egos meet:  

But if attendees really cared about any of that, they’d have done something about it.

No, Davos is a place to be seen, to feel special, to cut a deal. It’s the global system’s way of telling the citizens of the globe that everything’s working.

Obviously, the servant leader has a much different approach to life, leadership, networking, deal-making, etc.  While he needs encouragement, it cannot ultimately come from those things that are insufficient in themselves.  Because God alone is self-sufficient and inexhaustible in the overflow of his attributes that amaze/humble, sustain, and grow us, He alone is the One who can offer us the purpose we need to motivate and charge us for selfless living and effective, servant-work.  Practically speaking, such gatherings often cause the unbelieving leader more anxiety and stress, because he’s comparing his godhood to that of another.  He’s thinking about his net worth, his influence, his looks, his future, his legacy, his experience, his accolades, his education, etc.  These things direct a man’s attention to things that he feels make his worthy of praise.  The believing leader is subject to the same temptations, but he can use these for his sanctification, self-identifying with the frailty of his barns, the brevity of his days, the extent of his kingdom and the judgment for how he stewards his influence, the imminent death of his aging and failing body, his inexperience and arrogance, etc.  The godly leader can turn to the Rock “higher than I.”   He is where mental, spiritual, and emotional stability come from.  Thus, the believing leader should find his purpose in God, not stuff or people or activities, and so he can do things without that pretense of serving (when in fact the temptation is to appear with the flowing robe and benevolent blessing but inwardly rejoice in others’ perception of your apparent greatness).  He can truly serve – God and the people made in His image.

Alternatively, there is also the caution the godly leader needs:  to not disdain the position of authority he’s been given, as if it didn’t have significant purpose in God’s plans.  It does, and to pretend that the position he holds is not important can be just as dangerous as self-worship because of the position.