Great success stories often involve...
Illustration
Great success stories often involve a radical contrast between the "before and after" states. Personal testimonies which feature massive transformation deeply convince. The Los Angeles riots which followed the Rodney King beating incident illustrate how this happens. The damage done by rioters to certain neighborhoods at that time was enormous. Buildings were burned and brutalized, left unfit for occupancy of any sort. A local Los Angeles businessman named Bondie Gambrell stepped into the mess with a vision for transformation. His graceful intervention motivated the very rioters who destroyed neighborhoods toward rebuilding them completely. Out of sheer generosity, Gambrell called the rioters to become agents of restoration. This call transformed the angry people and resurrected the shattered surroundings. Gambrell went before them providing leadership support. The zeal for destruction had changed to hope and healing. People who once violently persecuted the neighborhoods were interviewed after this restoration work. They told how this challenge from Gambrell gave them a sense of purpose and community. Paul's call from God transformed destruction into dedication. The man fully committed to destroying Christianity became one of its most successful change agents. -- Webster
