Mid-Course Correction, Gordon McDonald

Book Review by Alok Sarna

 

"Oh for a new man to arise in me,
That the man I am may cease to be".

- Tennyson

 

Gordon McDonald has authored "Mid-Course Correction" from a lifetime of experiences that encourage vital optimism of living a life that reaches for higher purpose. He brings alive age-old Scripture to define with simple clarity the nature of the biblical life filtered into three definitive actions: leave, follow, and reach. This reading awakens the desire to constantly refine oneself, and live a deliberate and purposeful life in the realization that we are in fact living out our unique, God-intended destiny. In doing so, we come to love God more fully.

Personally, I have been richly rewarded by this book. It has injected fresh perspective to what I believe, why I believe, and where I am going. More importantly, it has propelled me to look deep inside my heart, and measure the extent of my conversion. From what part of my pre-Christian life have I not converted? What do I need to change in order to be a more sincere follower? For what do I need to reach to live a life of "a Christian-in-the-making"? Of what is my character made up at "soul-level"?

In re-examining the conversion of Abram to Abraham, the storyboard of leaving, following, and reaching is drawn. The life-change that occurs in the father of faith is nothing short of incredible. Reading the Biblical account of Abraham's life in concert with McDonald's writing underscores the transformation process into which we are each called. As McDonald puts it:

o       To leave is to be called to a life of faith that was summed up in obedience, trust, and stewardship.

o       To follow, is a call to Christ-like character, to be built up to be fit carriers of the good news to the ends of the earth.

o       And to reach, to become a "reacher", challenges us to an ascending standard of life, embracing change, and something more enduring in the way of quality of soul and service.

McDonald writes from the heart in the way he reveals his own peaks and valleys, re-starts and "do overs". Similarly, there is parallel scripture highlighted that also speaks to the constant conversion and refining of self that Paul and others faced in their desire to serve God. The lesson learned is that we must overcome and persevere. We can overcome anything - whether it is circumstance, adversity, or self-doubt. God never leaves us and He uses everything to His good.

A thought has lingered with me since I completed reading this book. It is this:

Christianity is to me a journey of fulfilling my destiny in close relationship with Jesus. I used to regard Christianity as a religion. Though it may be by classical definition, it so much more, yet it is so profoundly simple. There is renewal within that you will surely experience through McDonald's heartfelt teachings and thoughts. McDonald poses a challenge to each of us and it is this: "Why not designate a forty-five-day period during which you will dabble in studying the architecture of your whole life in order to set it on an entirely new course?" How would you get started? Leave, follow, reach.