Book Review: Stronger Than Steel by R.C. Sproul

Stronger Than Steel: The Wayne Alderson story by R.C. Sproul
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great book for in the workplace. I've had this book for a long time but have never gotten around to reading it until now. Sorry I waited so long. Not only is it good for management and labor relations but it helped in seeing how Wayne Alderson dealt with being fired for doing good. Also it is nice to have an autographed copy in my library. Thanks Fred and Gloria, whoever you are, for donating it to a charity.


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The Fire of Sacrifice by J.C. Penny

Just as it takes the fire to burn the dross from the ore, so does it take the spirit of sacrifice in our lives to bring out the best within us.  Trials, labor, grief, are but the fires in our lives which are necessary to purify and bring out our virtues.

In business, sacrifices are demanded of us as well as labor, trials and economics. All these straighten our judgment, make for administrative qualities and cultivate resourcefulness

Is there any sacrifice worth-while? Yes, because of the compensation, not compensation of dollars and cents, or in name and glory, for the compensation to self.

Sacrifice establishes character. It makes for purity of motives, honor, dependability, power for service and unselfishness. It takes the fire of sacrifice to clarify a man’s mind and heart so that he can establish the worthier ideals for himself. A man who desires anything must be willing to go the whole way for it, not halfway. No man gains anything in the way of power and privileges who does not pay with a change in habits, thought and action.

“Lines of a Layman” by J.C. Penny, c.1956, Channel Press, Great Neck, NY, page 118

Holy Hands

He stood in his pew gazing at his hands. He wanted to "Lift Holy Hands" in worship although what he was looking at did not resemble Holiness. His hands were badly marked by years of hard manual labor. How could he raise them to the Lord he loved? He left each Sunday in the same way. He was ashamed of his hands. Neither gloves nor lotion could erase the years of wear. On his job he did his best like a child of God should. And gloves would only get in the way.

Then one Sunday they sung a song of worship saying, "It's all about you, Jesus". He decided he could not hold them down any longer. He started off low, lifting only a little and as his faith grew stronger, they made it up high. He stretched out his work-worn hands as far as they could go. Trying to put away the feelings of shame over how "un-holy" his hands looked. He saw in his spirit two hands coming down to hold his. He felt utterly astonished as he looked up at the hands of a man who had spent many years in a carpenter’s shop working with primitive tools. His hands were badly scared beyond repair from punctures made by wood chisels as he lovingly carved quality wood products for his customers. His hands were badly calloused from swinging an ax to cut down trees to make yokes for oxen. His hands were badly marred from what looked like large nail holes. He thought for-sure these hands were worst looking than his own and still he knew that these were truly Holy Hands reaching down to him.

Then he heard a soft sweet, but stern, voice speaking to him the word "Avodah". Although he felt himself an un-learned common labor and all other tongues sounded like Greek. He somehow knew that the word was speaking of "worship by working".

Well this was more than he could stand and he knew that because of the hands stretching down to him that his hands had truly been made Holy. Now every time he prayed, worshiped, or worked, he knew that through the Blood of Christ, he has been made clean and that he now had "Holy Hands".

3/4/02