Recommending Our Infinity Stars God

I was inspired to lead my session at the Church at Lake Travis’ Conquer the Darkness prayer overnight from an area of my weakness, something I do not execute well, but care a lot about. I asked God to inspire me, inspire us all, to invite our neighbors to the Church at Lake Travis to know our great God.

For my job, I lead strategy at the world’s leading Ratings and Reviews software company. Our software powers recommendations and reviews on nearly 7,000 websites: Walmart and Target, Costco and Sams Club, Home Depot and Lowe’s.

Nearly a million times a day, people write a review with our software. Being asked for a review is now common. This is because reviews absolutely change individual decision making. Having authentic reviews, and lots of them, encourages people to try something new.

I have been compelled to consider how often I without fear recommend a television show — four stars for this — or a piece of bicycling equipment — five stars for that. And yet, how infrequently I give a review or recommendation for our great God — who we should all agree deserves an infinite number of stars.

Did not our great God promise Abraham and Isaac in Genesis that our global family of believers would become as infinite as the stars? Our God is mighty to deliver His promises. We have an infinity stars God who desires an infinity stars family on Earth.

Is not our great God more worthy of our recommendation to our neighbors than another TV show, another sandwich, a bicycle helmet?

And, would not my neighbors who are not in this room today be better served by me, better loved by me, recommending they spend time in the Bible or at our Church than recommending anything else? Of course.

My company does a great deal of research to learn why people leave reviews. That’s our business — so why matters a lot to us. Across decades and across cultures, people leave reviews for effectively two reasons:

First, people benefit from reviews, so pay it forward by leaving reviews from their authentic experience to help someone else. Yet, how much have I benefitted from a relationship with God? How much have I been helped by Him in ways seen and not seen? So is He not worthy of my review?

Second, people leave reviews from a desire to share knowlege they have developed. This is the best tool for woodworking, that is the best product to clean your shower glass. But how much have I benefitted from the eternal knowledge in the Bible, and how good is God’s word? So is His book not worthy of my recommendation?

We have learned that 94% of reviews are left when someone makes a direct, specific request, like an email or an app notification — we send nearly two billion asks per year.

So inversely, we know the number of people who will leave a review if we don’t make a direct ask — 6% of people will say the most important thing they can do today is drop everything, find the product page for shower glass cleaner on a website, and write a review.

I guess that’s similar to hoping people will wake up, realize it’s Easter, and wander into our church doors. 6%.

My company knows that 94% of actions are taken when we directly ask. So I should directly give that review and recommendation of our great God and His work in my life and our community.

I’ve looked at some data. From the Pew Research Center for Religion and Public Life, a non-religious, non-profit, think tank in Washington D.C.

So let’s say somewhere between 76% and 93% start with a belief in God. But, Texas-wide, only 42% regularly attend church. That is our gap to close, between 93% who have belief, and those who do not attend. And how much more important to reach the 7% who do not know God’s love for them.

I believe God is preparing the hearts and minds of our neighbors to hear our stories, our authentic reviews of lives lived better through His word and His ways. People change their decisions and change their behavior after hearing reviews. But in my business, 94% of the time you have to make the direct ask.

Easter is coming. I have prayed that God would prepare my heart and yours to make the direct ask. The eternal stakes for our neighbors and friends are infinitely high, and our God, He is infinity stars good. May I, may you, be bolder and recommend our God and His word before we recommend another television show or taco plate.

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