Here is another powerful excerpt from Scougal’s sermon “The Importance and Difficulty of the Ministerial Function”. There is a need to recapture this gravity today. Then, under this weight we must cling steadily to the cross which alone bears us up, empowers us and gives us grace to stand. “But if the negligence and miscarriage [...]
Archive of entries posted on March 2008
Scougal, on the Gravity of Pastoral Ministry
One of the items I have required in my pastoral ministry class from the beginning is a sermon by Henry Scougal entitled “On the Importance and Difficulty of the Ministerial Function†(found in The Works of Rev. H. Scougal, ed. By Don Kistler). This time around I required the sermon again but failed to supply [...]
A Thousand Miles Away
I am going through some old books and in one book of poems by a Perry Tanksley I came across this poem entitled “A Thousand Miles Away.†It is a negative counterpart to my “Bedtime with My Boys†and a good reminder of the value of reading to and talking with our children. My boys [...]
Teach Children the Gospel
I have just read on Tom Ascol’s blog about a publisher of children’s Sunday School curriculum who decided that the cross is too violent for pre-schoolers and as a result they would skip the cross and resurrection in their Easter curriculum! You can see a letter of explanation and defense of their position here. This [...]
Horton on the Pastorate
The article by Michael Horton which I mentioned in the previous post is now available online. This is a helpful article critiquing many common assumptions about what pastors should be and do.
Maxwell on Pastoring
Barry Maxwell is a good friend and thoughtful pastor. I recommend his blog. His most recent post is excellent as he discusses his own struggle with the difference between what the Bible calls us to as pastors and what the current church culture expects of us. This is important, valuable stuff. He also interacts with [...]
Virile Literature
Old books are fun. You never know what gem you might find in what appears to be the most unlikely candidate. So it is always worthwhile taking a look. For example, I recently found a 1917 volume titled, Public School Methods, vol. 4. The title did not sound very promising, but I discovered that the [...]
Barth, Preachers Must Love their People
I have a number of disagreements with Barth theologically and ethically, but he did often speak truth. This quote from his book Homiletics he expresses well the how essential it is for us to love the people to whom we preach. Without this love it all falls apart. “Preachers must love their congregations. They must [...]
I am like James and John
Here is a perceptive, challenging poem for those of us who are in any sort of leadership. I am like James and JohnLord, I size up other people in terms of what they can do for me; how they can further my program, feed my ego, satisfy my needs, give me strategic advantage.I exploit people, [...]
Peter Adam on Expository Preaching
Peter Adam, Principal of Ridley College in Australia, has a good brief article titled, “Fourteen incontrovertible arguments in favour of Expository Preaching.†This is a good succinct argument for the value of systematic preaching through books. It would probably be useful for handing out to a congregation, or even passing on to a pastor friend.This [...]
