A Prayer for Ministerial Candidates (Newton)

What things should a man think about as he contemplates being officially called to the gospel ministry? This is obviously a huge question that has a long answer! One great and longer answer to that question is found in John Newton’s pamphlet called Ministry on My Mind. This is a booklet published by the John…

Angry Pastors and Elders!?!? (Ash)

One of the qualifications for a man to serve as an elder or pastor in Christ's church is that he must not be an angry man. If a man in the church has a hot temper or is known to explode in rage he is not elder material. If a hot-headed man wishes to become…

Three Ways God Deals with Our Idols (Morley)

 Here's a good book for pastors, elders, and other men involved in ministry: Pastoring Men by Patrick Morley.  I'm not quite finished with it yet, so I'll come back here later and mention it in more detail.  For now, here's a helpful section where Morley was talking about the idols men have - and three…

He Knew He Didn’t Know Everything (Peterson)

 So far I'm very much enjoying Eugene Peterson's memoir, The Pastor.   While I don't always agree with Peterson's views, I do appreciate and benefit from his writing.  His memoir, The Pastor, is full of stories, wisdom, insight, missteps, and humor found in Peterson's Christian life story as told by himself. Here's one great story about Peterson's Ph.D.…

The Leading Principle of a Faithful Minister (Newton)

One of John Newton's lesser known works is called "A Review of Ecclesiastical History." It's a book that basicaly summarizes church history from Christ's birth until the end of the apostolic era. I've really enjoyed it so far, and I do recommend it. In one section, Newton discusses the character of the apostle Paul (book…