date: Mon, 12 Jan 2004 10:10:13 -0000 from: "LICC" subject: LICC - Word for the Week - Like master, unlike servant to: m.hulme@uea.ac.uk LICC word for the week Like master, unlike servant Obadiah was in charge of (Ahabs) palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord.) 1 Kings 18:3 Few of us would envy Obadiah, working in a position of responsibility for a godless, corrupt and ruthless master. But the majority of Christians today are similarly working for ungodly employers some basically honest and just, others corrupt and tyrannical. Should they resign, and retreat into the comparative safety of Christian employment? Or believing that the salt should be applied to the food, the lamp placed on a stand should they stay where they are and try to make a difference? How did Obadiah handle the challenge? First of all, he maintained his faith. How easy it is, in a godless environment, to lose the freshness of our relationship with God, and gradually slip into habits of gossip, complaining and offensive talk, while God seems less and less relevant to our real-life situations. But Obadiah also took advantage of the opportunities offered to him by his job, hiding and feeding a hundred prophets during Jezebels persecutions. Our jobs may seem to offer little scope for heroism. But all of us have opportunities to live a distinctively Christian life in the way we behave towards our colleagues, in our conscientiousness and integrity. And many of us, as we attain to positions of responsibility, have real opportunities to change things to encourage and support younger colleagues, to review investment policies and sales methods, to initiate and support policies that promote justice. The time came when Obadiah recognised that he must stand up and be counted, and he agreed to act as messenger for Elijah, whom Ahab perceived as his greatest enemy. The time may come for us, too, when the Lord convinces us that we must make a stand on an issue of principle, to challenge or identify ourselves with those who are challenging corruption, mismanagement and discrimination, or the inequities of the worlds economic systems. How we do this is another matter. But we all have an opportunity of making a difference where we are today and in the year ahead. Helen Parry How easy it is, in a godless environment, to lose the freshness of our relationship with God making a difference where we are GOD BLESS AMERICA? LICC hosts an evening mini-series in January on the world's only superpower: ** TONIGHT ** Jan 12: American Dream, Global Nightmare? with Matthew Bishop (of the Economist) What are the stories, values and passions that motivate America and Americans? How should the rest of us engage with the American Dream? Do Christians have a unique perspective on America and its place in the world? January 19: A Chosen People? with Clifford Longley (writer, journalist and broadcaster) 9/11 has given a new urgency to some of the most crucial topics of the 21st century. What makes America so strong and yet so vulnerable? Why do the British and Americans so often stand shoulder to shoulder? What are the real roots of their common history..? For further details go to [1]http://www.licc.org.uk/events/event.php/id/73 To book please call LICC on 020 73 999 555 or send an email to [2]mail@licc.org.uk MANAGING THE FUTURE: THE CHALLENGES TO SOCIETY AND BUSINESS FROM SCIENCE, ETHICS AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF An all-day conference at the Royal Society of Arts, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2 organized by the John Ray Initiative with the support of the John Templeton Foundation, the Shell Foundation and with the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. Beginning at 10am on Tuesday, 24th February, £15 each, including lunch. Email [3]claire.ashton@jri.org.uk to book a place. Further details will become available in the New Year on [4]www.jri.org.uk or [5]www.licc.org.uk The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity St Peter's, Vere St, London, W1G 0DQ (t) 020 7399 9555 (e) mail@licc.org.uk Visit [6]www.licc.org.uk for articles and events listings. If you have received this email indirectly and would like to subscribe to our mailing list please send a request to [7]mail@licc.org.uk. To be removed please reply to [8]mail@licc.org.uk with the subject "unsubscribe". Embedded Content: wftw146.gif: 00000001,00000001,00000000,7544c561