Upfront June 6, 2011 Issue

A common goal

Jeff Ward-Bailey, Staff Editor

The “Personal Transformation” section of Amazon.com’s online bookstore contains 262 books devoted to helping readers live up to their potential. Sporting titles like Unlocking Your Potential for Greatness and Liberating Your Undreamed-of Potential, they offer advice for reaching your leadership potential, your professional potential, your spiritual potential—even your psychic potential. To me, the fact that there are so many books on this subject indicates that we all share a similar hunger: to recognize that our lives have unique meaning and that we have the capability to do great things, to help others, and to put to use the full range of our abilities.

This issue of the Sentinel offers a fresh spiritual perspective on the idea of potential. Barbara Vining sums it up well in our cover story: “God is expressing Himself in all of us. That’s why there is no limit to our potential . . . Keeping thought firmly anchored in our God-derived worth, we . . . are able to put down suggestions of limitation and move forward in a never-ending path of progress” (p. 16). Pretty bold words—but how comforting to recognize that God has made each of us to express unlimited potential! Continue reading, and you’ll see how others have gained insights into their spiritual worth, and how this understanding enabled them to grow and to bless others in areas ranging from studies to employment to music. Heather Frederick writes, “I had the growing sense that my desire to bless others would guide my ability to be employed” (p. 17).

This issue explores lots of other topics, too. Priscilla Schmidt shares how she found a sense of home in church—even though she certainly didn’t feel that way at first (p. 13). And Evan Mehlenbacher shares powerful insight into what “eternal life” really means (p. 20).

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