Recently Thom Rainer posted a column titled, “FIFTEEN REASONS WHY YOUR PASTOR SHOULD NOT VISIT MUCH.” I first heard about it from a former student who recognized that this column argued the direct antithesis of what I teach in my pastoral ministry class and what I advocate for at this site. Thom has been helpful …
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I’m reading one of Samuel Rutherford’s letters each morning and am richly benefiting from it. What beautiful, powerful examples of pastoral care and counseling! This morning I read his letter to Marion M’Naught from Anwoth, on July 21, 1630. Rutherford refers to the fact that she is suffering in some way due to her allegiance …
Over the years many scholars have suggested that the Reformers had little interest in the task of world missions or evangelism. I have countered this idea concerning Calvin at this site and in several different publications (one, two, three). Here I’d like to address Luther. I have not encountered among lay people as much the …
A question from a friend this week sent me digging back into Charles Hodge’s Systematic Theology, and I was encouraged again by his comments on Scripture. I was reading in volume three on the OT teaching on the afterlife, but it was his handling of Scripture in general that most interested me. Hodge refer to …
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of travelling around Scotland with four students as the culmination of our class on aspects of Scottish church history. It was a great time, and I hope to comment more on it. One thing we did was visit several great book shops, chief among them James Dickson …
While in Scotland recently I picked up a nice older copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s little book, The Body Snatcher. This is really a short story (originally published in 1881) but was published in a little volume as part of Merriam’s Violet Series in 1895. This is a fascinating story which seemed in many ways …
I was at a sports banquet tonight with one of my sons and the cross country coach gave a good challenge to his team. He told them the only way to improve in running was to run and to run often. He said, “There’s no magic trick to improving your running. You just have to …
For the last 20 years, April has been designated National Poetry Month. Any reader of this blog will know that I have an interest in poetry and seek to indicate its value for pastoral ministry. In fact, I hope to one day edit a volume on the value of poetry in pastoral ministry. In honor …
Today is the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, so I am reposting an item from 4 years ago in honor of the heroic efforts of Scottish Baptist pastor John Harper. Today is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. This terrible tragedy was also the occasion of some very heroic …