Wednesday, March 7, 2012

A Day with a Perfect Stranger, by David Gregory

In Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, we meet Nick, who has dinner with Jesus and becomes convinced of his need for God.  In A Day with a Perfect Stranger, we meet his wife Mattie.  Mattie is somewhat pleased with the changes she has seen in Nick in the weeks since he met Jesus, but she's pretty skeptical about his sudden change and is thinking about divorce.

She's relieved to have a break from him as she sets off for a business trip, and ends up on the plane seated next to a most intriguing man.  Of course the reader immediately knows what Mattie takes some time to realize: her fellow passenger, who says he's a counselor, who speaks many languages, who has keen insights, is actually Jesus.

After the first flight together, Mattie "happens" to run into Jay at the coffee shop, and then they end up seated together on the next flight.  What a coincidence!  While Nick's meeting with Jesus was very cerebral, Mattie's conversations tend to be more personal.  With Mattie, Jesus emphasizes God's unconditional love for his children, and the fact that we are designed to delight in God (big nod to John Piper here).

I didn't find Day as satisfying as Dinner, but in Day Gregory nicely captures God's heart and his desire to have a relationship with us, no matter what.  After a day of travel sitting next to Jesus, Mattie's heart is softened and begins to turn toward the wooing of God.  Taken together, Day and Dinner make a great introduction to the gospel and a relationship with God.





No comments:

Post a Comment