Day: July 26, 2010

Scott Thomas: The Troubled Souls of Pastors

I found the following article on the Acts29 Blog helpful: The Troubled Souls of Pastors. In it, the author Scott Thomas gives some very practical advice to Pastors who are burned out. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the ministry. Even more so in pionneering contexts, and in small churches where so much is expected of the pastor. The article came from his meeting the widow of a pastor who had commited suicide, a sobering reminder of our own weaknesses.

Scott Thomas first lists a few symptoms of a troubled soul:

  1. Minimal longing for Jesus
  2. Minimal joy and gladness
  3. Minimal dependence on God
  4. Maximal thoughts of self
  5. Maximal burdens of ministry
  6. Maximal outbursts of anger (masked fear)

Then, he gives 7 Possible Solutions to a Troubled Soul:

1. Renew your mind with prolonged Scripture reading

2.  Pray with an unhurried heart

3. Confess the hidden sins of your heart

4. Live in true community with others and allow them to truly know you.

5. Review your calling by God.

6. Review the goals and strategies you have for your life

7.  Rest in God’s grace, love and acceptance of you

Read the whole article at: The Troubled Souls of Pastors

Jesus’ prayers for his people.

In Luke 22: 31-32, our Lord warned Peter: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Our preacher today the Rev Jeremy Walker brought us a challenging, yet encouraging Sermon. In this passage, Peter was about to fall, but our Lord encouraged him by telling him that he had prayed for him, and that although he would fall, his faith would not fail. The Lord never promised Peter that he would be immune to the attacks of the Evil one.

The message was challenging: just like Simon Peter, Chritians must face the assaults of Satan. He will not let the church alone one minute. There is a sifting going on, often brutal, always challenging for our faith. None of us can boast that we will not fail. Peter did and fell. We must be on our guards, and aware of this.

But the message was also comforting. The Lord is praying for us, interceding in our favour. However badly we may fall, if we are truly one of His people, our faith will be protected, and will not be extinguished.

John Lichfield: Holidaying en masse: What France can teach us about the Big Society

John Lichfield is correspondent in France for the Independent newspaper. Last Saturday, he published this column on France which has some good insight into French people’s mindsets: John Lichfield: Holidaying en masse: What France can teach us about the Big Society – John Lichfield, Commentators – The Independent. I won’t post extracts because of copyright issues, but read on, it will give you some idea about the people we are trying to reach out to.