Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor - review

Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson is a biography of the life of Tom Carson (Don Carson's father). Carson's aim in this book is to "convey enough of his (Tom Carson's) ministry and his own thought that ordinary ministers are encouraged, not the least by the thought that the God of Augustine, Calvin, Spurgeon, and Piper is no less the God of Tom Carson, and of you and me." (p 11)

This book was written in a style like that of historian/author David McCullough, using original material in a way that gives a good picture of what is happening but doesn't bog the reader down by being uninteresting. However, Carson also used parts of Tom's life to insert teaching points for his readers. One example of this was regarding Tom's discouragement and work ethic:

I (Don) must learn to accept myself not because of my putative successes but because of the merits of God's Son. The ministry is so open ended that one never feels that all possible work has been done, or done as well as one might like. There are always more people to visit, more studying to be done, more preparation to do. What Christians must do, what Christian leaders must do, is constantly remember that we serve our God and Maker and Redeemer under a gospel of grace. Dad's diaries show he understood this truth in theory, and sometimes he exulted in it (as when he was reading Machen's What Is Faith?), but quite frankly, his sense of failure sometimes blinded him to the glory of gospel freedom. (pp 92-93)

This is the sort of book that once I began reading I couldn't put it down. And, since it was rather short, was readily consumed. Part of the intrigue for me, I imagine, is that I have read quite a bit of Carson's books and was a student of his in seminary. Carson's goal of encouraging 'ordinary pastors' was successful, if at least one other ordinary pastor was encouraged. Eye-opening on the state of French Canada during the 40's to 80's for sure, but more than that, this was a call to faithfulness. Often times we read biographies of individuals whose 'big splash' is seen by all. The Tom Carsons of the world may not receive such accolades on our earthly bookshelves, but they will certainly be known in glory.

Being As Communion - review

Being As Communion by John D. Zizioulas is an Orthodox (in the denominational sense, used in this way throughout the review) treatment uniting the issues of ecclesiology and trinitarian theology. He prefaces the reader,

The Church is not simply an institution. She is a "mode of existence," a way of being. The mystery of the Church, even in its institutional dimension, is deeply bound to the being of man, to the being of the world and to the very being of God. (p 15)

Zizioulas takes his readers on a journey that addresses such issues as what personhood has to do with being, what relationship does truth have with the 'logos', with salvation, with the person, with the body of Christ, and with the Eucharist. He contemplates the difficulty in regarding the Church as the Body of Christ, while there are substantial divisions and differences between not only local congregations, but even on the denominational level. The depth to which Zizioulas goes in his investigation and analysis is impressive, but it often makes his discussion difficult to follow (not to mention his frequent use of Greek and Latin terms).

Being As Communion was not a real helpful or accessible book for me; I got it because sections discussing the Trinitarian nature of God were insightful during seminary. The primary problem (I assume) is that I am not Orthodox and this book seems to be an in-house Orthodox discussion. Zizioulas goes to great length to define some terms and concepts, but leaves others untouched. His implications necessitate an adoption of an Orthodox theology, which is quite different from how I see the nature of God, Church, Christ, ministry, etc. While challenging (and in that sense 'fun' at times), ultimately Zizioulas offers the uninitiated (or maybe the lazy) only pieces, not a nice whole.

Another home

A friend of mine, Tim, has a post about his wife's grandmother's (Mormor) funeral:

In the last months of her life, Mormor often prayed – “Jesus, just take me home”. You see, this world is not our home. To those who don’t know Jesus, this world is as close to heaven as you’ll ever get. But to those who know Jesus, this world is as close to hell as you’ll ever get.

I had the privilege of spending a week at Shepherd’s Home – a home for mentally and physically handicapped adults. The man who ran it asked me – what do you think we have to clean the most around here. I had no idea. He said – the windows. Because everyone here knows Jesus is going to return in the clouds, just as he left – and they will meet him in the air and get new bodies – and they press their hands and face up to the windows watching for Him.

We are not home yet. But Mormor is. She has fought the good fight – she’s finished the race – and now she is Home. I’m going to miss you Mormor, we all are. But we are so happy for you. Thank you for the life you lived, the way you loved, the prayers you prayed, and the example you set.

May we all have dirty windows as we spend our time here doing the work God has set out for us.