Letter to a Friend

James, Please forgive the delay in responding.
I'm so thankful for you, and esp. your willingness to use your formidable intellect and broad-scoped thinking to propagate the Gospel. It has always, since the time of Christ's coming, been of ultimate importance to do so, but especially in our time when the collective mind is flooded with so much stimuli, and man is armed with powers as never before--military and communicative powers. The materialistic promises and impressive advances of science have had the effect of drawing our minds away from the deeper experiences of the soul; and even cast doubt upon their existence, since they can not yet be measured in the laboratory. Yet we see in societal ills the deleterious effects of such ignorance. [I do not say this in arrogance.]  There are spiritually blind men who possess a high degree of intelligence, and these must be countered by intelligent faith. This is true because humans are impressed by intelligence. Men whose philosophy makes no sense at all in its core can assemble great crowds of followers when the philosophy is clothed in intelligence and presented in bold confidence. But, of course, no philosophy can compare with the Love of Jesus Christ, without which all philosophies, all systems of government, in fact every pursuit of man becomes vain and meaningless, arrogant, and doomed to degenerate into the struggle for power.
Jesus has rescued us from this darkness. And we can now live in a growing, infinite peace, powered by a growing, secure knowledge that we are now connected with the fathomlessly glorious Creator of the universe, who is Love!
 I quote Julian of Norwich:
"Truth sees God; wisdom contemplates God; and of these two comes a third: a holy and wonderful delight in God, who is love."
This contemplation and its resultant delight is the wellspring from which evangelism [including apologetics] flows.
We are not thwarted by the pain that we continue to feel in our hearts; nor by our fears and lack of confidence. The pain is the "cross"  that Jesus has called us to bear; the same that He bore--life in this fallen world. It is the pain that drives us to love people with His Love--the only solution to the pain--both theirs and ours. We embrace it in the peace that He gives us—that transcends the circumstances.
We experience ever more deeply the reality of being “in, but not of the world.” We persevere—not in growing strain, but in growing peace and rest and strength, like the widening river as it approaches the ocean.
I've written enough. I mainly want to thank you and encourage you in this supremely important work of fulfilling His great command [Mt. 28], using our particular gifts and speaking into our particular sphere of influence.
You are a good brother, and I thank God for you.
Mark