Ambassadors of Hope - Robert A Seiple
InterVarsity Press




Here is yet another great book that I would say is a must read for anyone who wants to see change in our world.

As past president of World Vision, and the founder of the Institute for Global Engagement Mr. Seiple provides a unique, honest, and hopeful perspective on what it will take to survive as we move forward.

This book speaks especially to Christians . . . true Followers of Christ and affirms and establishes the truth that you and I . . . the People of Faith should be the leaders in both individual and corporate reconciliation.

The following Principles of Engagement sum it up very nicely . . .


KNOW HIM

Know your maker — seek to understand His heart and make His passions yours. Know your faith at its deepest and richest best, and enough about your neighbor's faith in order to respect it.

Sense God's timing. Practice patience. Be brave enough to engage without excuse, strong enough to refuse recklessness.


KNOW YOURSELF

Understand your strengths — and weaknesses — and how they impact your relationships.
Do no harm.

Cultivate the characteristics of the Biblical metaphors for Global Engagement: the street-wise common sense of the snake, the gentle humility of the dove, the wise statesmanship of the ambassador.

Pray for the full armor of God. Be transparent, predictable, accountable, and responsible. Make hope tangible in the present. Take no credit. Give away learnings. Act incarnationally and establish the worth of the Gospel so that the truth might be revealed.


KNOW HIS WORLD

This is God's world. He is deeply in love with it. We "plant and water," He brings the increase. We "prepare the horse for battle; but victory rests with the Lord." Let God keep score.

Know history — political and cultural, yours and theirs. Know all of the questions, not just some of the answers. Understand geo-political complexity and local nuance. But realize that God is already there ... recognize that the adjective "intractable" is an insult to a sovereign Lord.

Pray over the land. Pray for discernment to take place, for wisdom to reveal itself. Pray with intentionality. Pray specifically for key individuals involved.

Find partners who has been trustworthy, credible, persevering, and relevant? Build relationships that endure. "Whoever is not against us is for us." Remember, the Commandment to love was given before the Commission to go.

Act comprehensively. What is the art of the possible? Put yourself in everybody else's shoes … Develop a policy and a supporting strategy around objectives formed in faith. Continuously reassess both policy and concomitant strategy.

And remember: global engagement has a face. A difference is made, a plan is enacted, a transformation takes place one life at a time ... a life already made in the image of God.