Ministry in the times of loss and death is one of the crucial roles of a pastor, so good examples of such ministry are indispensable. Recently in our church a dear brother took his own life. Such a situation raises a host of challenges and questions. Many people continue to think that a person who …
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In his novel, Jayber Crow, Wendell Berry gives a significant critique which pastors ought to hear. One need not agree with Berry at every point, but we ought to hear our critics to see if there is truth (even partial truth) in what they are saying. The main point here is not the youthfulness of …
Just last night I came across this poem and found it to be a wonderful statement on how we should approach the Bible, especially the last two stanzas. The fact that this poem was originally written for children will discredit it for some, but such an assessment would be unwise. I am currently reading Mark …
I read this poem tonight and was taken with its spirit. I don’t know authorial intent, but it strikes me as a compelling portrait of life lived without regard for the shifting winds of public opinion, standing for God’s truth regardless of the cost. “It Is Glory Enough” IT is glory enough to have shouted …
There is a striking analogy between the office of a pastor and that of a physician They both have respect to the welfare of men and while the one seeks to heal the diseases of the body the other aims at restoring to health the disordered souls of men. It belongs to each not only …
Several weeks ago now, John Crowder, pastor of First Baptist Church in West, TX, where the fertilizer plant exploded, wrote a moving and very useful column about ministry in the aftermath. He mentions a number of lessons he drew from the event, and several are useful for pastoral ministry. Here, in his words, is one that stuck …
My poem of the week this week is James Russell Lowell’s “Once to Every Man and Nation.” This version, which appears in some hymnals, is edited from Lowell’s original, and I have left out some verses which are problematic. These three verses powerfully communicate the need to stand for truth whether or not you will …
We had a blessed time at our conference, “Read, Pray, Sing: The Psalms as an Entryway to the Scriptures.” One of my favorite comments was from a man who said he and his wife had been attending conferences for 35 years, and this one was “the most reviving to our souls of any we have …
My poem of the week this week is another on the theme of perseverance. I am finishing out the school year with my boys memorizing these as an aid to stir them on to difficult tasks- and to stir me on as well! Be Strong! Be strong! We are not here to play, to dream, …
My boys & I recently read George MacDonald’s Phantastes. C. S. Lewis famously said this book baptized his imagination. I can’t say our experience was so lofty. It is a challenging book to follow, though there are beautiful and wise comments along the way. The last portion of the book is quite good as the …