What I'm Reading

There are three books on my office desk that I'm reading.  The first one is Eugene Peterson's The Contemplative Pastor.    I'm thinking ahead to Sunday's Ordination Celebration wondering what it really means to become a Minister of the Word.  Peterson remarks that the contemplative pastor is called to be subversive, undermining the kingdom of self and establishing the Kingdom of God.

Peterson's Pastor is a Prophet

I'm also a big fan of Henri Nouwen.  On my office desk at Calvary's Youth Building is Nouwen's Bread for the Journey.  Nouwen reminded me today of the joy of being present with another in compassion.  Nouwen reflects that there is "a solidarity in weakness, in brokenness, in woundedness, but it leads us to the center of joy, which is sharing our humanity with others.

Nouwen knows what it means to be a Christ-follower

Finally, I'm reading a little book by Lennie Spitale.  Lennie is a former inmate who is now a prison chaplain and author (imagine that!).  He wrote Help! My Loved One is in Jail.  What do I do now?  You won't be able to find this book on Amazon.com but you can find it on the webpage for Wheaton College's Institute for Prison Ministries.  I'm reading through Spitale's 63 page booklet with my prison church launch team so that we can imagine what it would be like to be a prisoner or a family member of someone in prison.  In this way, we can strive to be an empathic presence for the people we serve.

Here I am in my office, holding Spitale's little booklet