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The Day God Flipped My Switch
Ron Benrey was perfectly content in middle age with being “sort-of” Jewish. He saw Christianity as a collection of nonsensical teachings that most believers don’t understand and can’t explain.
But on one ordinary August afternoon, God “flipped his switch”— without an invitation and without any warning. Almost instantaneously, everything Ron had heard about Christianity made perfect sense. Seconds later he knew that he’d become a Christian.
“I had no choice—or say—in the matter,” Ron reports. “It happened in less time than it takes to read this short paragraph. One moment, I was a skeptical nonbeliever. Seconds later I knew that I’d become a Christian.”
His swift conversion astonished Ron, because had earned degrees in electrical engineering, management, and law—three modes of thinking that made him highly skeptical about the “foolish” teachings of Christianity. He saw himself as “too savvy” to be taken in by Christianity.
“The Day God Flipped My Switch” tells the fascinating story of Ron’s remarkable change of mind and heart—and the novel teaching approach that God used to convey the truth of Christianity to him.
Ron’s quest to learn how to write mystery fiction played a surprising—central—role in his unexpected conversion to Christianity. While analyzing a manuscript for his fiction-writing critique group, Ron realized that he could “write himself into a novel.” He would then be “perfect character” and “perfect author” at the same time. This simple analogy helped Ron understand how the Incarnation was possible and how God could be a Trinity.
Whether you’re a fellow late bloomer or you became a Christian much younger in life, Ron shows you how to use the same ways of thinking to build your faith and grow your understanding of Christianity.
But on one ordinary August afternoon, God “flipped his switch”— without an invitation and without any warning. Almost instantaneously, everything Ron had heard about Christianity made perfect sense. Seconds later he knew that he’d become a Christian.
“I had no choice—or say—in the matter,” Ron reports. “It happened in less time than it takes to read this short paragraph. One moment, I was a skeptical nonbeliever. Seconds later I knew that I’d become a Christian.”
His swift conversion astonished Ron, because had earned degrees in electrical engineering, management, and law—three modes of thinking that made him highly skeptical about the “foolish” teachings of Christianity. He saw himself as “too savvy” to be taken in by Christianity.
“The Day God Flipped My Switch” tells the fascinating story of Ron’s remarkable change of mind and heart—and the novel teaching approach that God used to convey the truth of Christianity to him.
Ron’s quest to learn how to write mystery fiction played a surprising—central—role in his unexpected conversion to Christianity. While analyzing a manuscript for his fiction-writing critique group, Ron realized that he could “write himself into a novel.” He would then be “perfect character” and “perfect author” at the same time. This simple analogy helped Ron understand how the Incarnation was possible and how God could be a Trinity.
Whether you’re a fellow late bloomer or you became a Christian much younger in life, Ron shows you how to use the same ways of thinking to build your faith and grow your understanding of Christianity.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2013
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Ron Benrey
19 books13 followersRon Benrey, the author of "Know Your Rights, a Survival Guide for Non Lawyers" (for Sterling), and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Christian Fiction" (for Penguin), is also a prolific novelist who has coauthored nine romantic suspense novels with his wife Janet: The Pippa Hunnechurch Mysteries, The Royal Tunbridge Wells Mysteries for Barbour, and the Glory, North Carolina, Mysteries. All three series are available at Amazon and as Kindle eBooks.
Ron "wrote his way" through college as a freelancer. After graduating, he became Electronics Editor at Popular Science Magazine. He went on to become a corporate communicator and speechwriter for several of America's largest companies. Ron is also an experienced oral presentation coach who has trained hundreds of managers and engineers to give winning proposal presentations - including several multi-billion-dollar programs.
Ron taught advanced writing courses at the University of Pittsburgh (member of the adjunct faculty). He currently teaches courses and workshops at major writers' conferences on topics ranging from plotting and publishability, to copyright law and computer technology for writers.
Ron holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master's degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a juris doctor from the Duquesne University School of Law. He was a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Ron and Janet live in North Carolina.
Ron "wrote his way" through college as a freelancer. After graduating, he became Electronics Editor at Popular Science Magazine. He went on to become a corporate communicator and speechwriter for several of America's largest companies. Ron is also an experienced oral presentation coach who has trained hundreds of managers and engineers to give winning proposal presentations - including several multi-billion-dollar programs.
Ron taught advanced writing courses at the University of Pittsburgh (member of the adjunct faculty). He currently teaches courses and workshops at major writers' conferences on topics ranging from plotting and publishability, to copyright law and computer technology for writers.
Ron holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master's degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a juris doctor from the Duquesne University School of Law. He was a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Ron and Janet live in North Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 28, 2013
People just don't change a lifetime of religious or irreligious beliefs on a dime, bu tell that to Ron Benrey. At 4:06 PM, Benrey was an avowed secular jew who thought Christianity was illogical. At 4:07 PM, he understood the mystery of the incarnation and of the trinity in a way that only a writer could understand as he drew an analogy between God and an author writing a book and writing himself into the story.
Burney's story is a reminder that conversion is ultimately primarily the Holy Spirit's work. Burney had been exposed to a wide variety of evangelistic attempts in his more than five decades on the planet and remained unconvinced until this holy moment. Benrey became a strong Calvinist as a result of his experience, and while I don't put myself in that camp, I certainly see how his experience would lead him there.
Benrey's story doesn't stop with his conversion experience though. He's writes about joining a church and other aspects of his last decade and a half as a Christian. One thing that particularly impressed me was how he and his wife went about choosing a church. Too many of us younger Protestants tend to drift. He looked for a church he could join and stay with over the long haul.
He covers a great deal of doctrinal and experiential ground. Benrey is gracious and even on those points, I didn't agree with him on, he wasn't offensive about his views. To be honest, I did wonder sometimes if this was really all necessary. Covering every issue upon which he had thoughts or opinions since coming to faith seemed to add unnecessary length. On the bright side, it was rarely noticable due to Benrey's engaging writing style.
overall, it's a solid and encouraging book, particularly for Christian writers. It has several good thoughts, though none come close to his writer analogy from the first part of the book, and is written in an easy to read and conversational style.
Burney's story is a reminder that conversion is ultimately primarily the Holy Spirit's work. Burney had been exposed to a wide variety of evangelistic attempts in his more than five decades on the planet and remained unconvinced until this holy moment. Benrey became a strong Calvinist as a result of his experience, and while I don't put myself in that camp, I certainly see how his experience would lead him there.
Benrey's story doesn't stop with his conversion experience though. He's writes about joining a church and other aspects of his last decade and a half as a Christian. One thing that particularly impressed me was how he and his wife went about choosing a church. Too many of us younger Protestants tend to drift. He looked for a church he could join and stay with over the long haul.
He covers a great deal of doctrinal and experiential ground. Benrey is gracious and even on those points, I didn't agree with him on, he wasn't offensive about his views. To be honest, I did wonder sometimes if this was really all necessary. Covering every issue upon which he had thoughts or opinions since coming to faith seemed to add unnecessary length. On the bright side, it was rarely noticable due to Benrey's engaging writing style.
overall, it's a solid and encouraging book, particularly for Christian writers. It has several good thoughts, though none come close to his writer analogy from the first part of the book, and is written in an easy to read and conversational style.
March 23, 2013
Put Christians and memoirs together and you often get TMI (sex and drugs) or sugar coating. Ron Benrey's account of his conversion to Christianity, which happened well into middle age (a “late bloomer”), is an exception.
Benrey is a thoughtful man, has written many books, and resides on the culturally savy side of things. He's also street smart and his book is riddled with self-deprecating, dry humor.
His conversion experience itself is pretty remarkable - statistics indicate that unless you convert by age 25 your future chances are pretty slim! But the numerous factors that contributed to his turnaround are what fascinate and often it's the most unexpected occurrences that influenced the most. The simple yet revealing glimpses into contemporary Christian culture are an added bonus - which pew to sit in during a church service, how much money to give, and more! Very funny. Enlightening too.
Benrey is a thoughtful man, has written many books, and resides on the culturally savy side of things. He's also street smart and his book is riddled with self-deprecating, dry humor.
His conversion experience itself is pretty remarkable - statistics indicate that unless you convert by age 25 your future chances are pretty slim! But the numerous factors that contributed to his turnaround are what fascinate and often it's the most unexpected occurrences that influenced the most. The simple yet revealing glimpses into contemporary Christian culture are an added bonus - which pew to sit in during a church service, how much money to give, and more! Very funny. Enlightening too.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews