As hard as it might be to believe, the “influencers” of my formative years were ordinary people. I actually knew them, ate at their tables, rode in their cars, and, in some cases, even slept in their guest rooms. I was formed and influenced by high school teachers, a nursing assistant, and an assortment of single women who served most of their careers as missionaries in one way or another. I’ve never had a pastor whose name was known much beyond his local community, but I’ve been challenged by some decent sermons.
Because I knew them in real time and space, I was well aware that every one of these influential souls got out of bed every morning and walked around on feet of clay. I saw them when they were off their game, self-centered, undisciplined, or just silly. More importantly, they were able to call out weaknesses in my character, and I could bear witness to their long-haul faithfulness to the habits of holiness that held them in relationship with the God I was learning to trust and obey.
Authors have become book mentors, and online influencers have definitely enriched my following life, but they will never take the place of ordinary people who show up with mundane faithfulness in lives that trumpet the beauty of Christ as they teach Sunday school, serve their families and their communities, and do their small, hidden part to promote goodness, truth, and beauty in God’s world.
As hard as it might be to believe, the “influencers” of my formative years were ordinary people.
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An Ordinary Pastor
I love a good memoir, and it seems to me that the more mundane the life of the subject, the more impactful the book will be. As an author, theologian, and co-founder of the Gospel Coalition, D.A. Carson met and worked alongside some of the heaviest hitters in evangelical circles around the globe. He was one of them, but as he was growing up, and as his own career was unfolding, he was influenced by the quiet faithfulness of his dad.
For almost six decades, Tom Carson planted churches and gospel seeds in the hard soil of French Canada. For much of that time, he was bivocational, and yet he poured himself full-time into the work of sermon preparation and personal evangelism, embedding himself in the lives of the people he served.
Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor comes to us from the perspective of a son, opening his father’s journals and harvesting the details, reading between the lines, and remembering a life. Carson’s stated goal in sharing his father’s life and reflections was “to convey enough of his ministry and his own thought that ordinary ministers are encouraged.”
Whether you’re involved in full-time vocational ministry or are, like me, wearing more hats than you have heads to put them on, you’ll be challenged by Tom Carson’s life and encouraged by D.A. Carson’s appreciation and empathy for his father. Just as “most pastors will not preach to thousands,” most ordinary believers will not have a global impact, but our ordinary lives call for the loftier goal of faithful and soldierly attention to the work and the people God puts in front of us each day.
Holding You in the Light,
Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor comes to us from the perspective of a son, opening his father’s journals and harvesting the details, reading between the lines, and remembering a life. @crossway #DACarson
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A New YouVersion Plan for Lent and Easter!
As you know, I’m committed to the truth that women can become confident followers of God and students of his Word, and it’s my goal to help you along that path. At Living Our Days, I provide biblical content and resources to encourage biblical literacy and faithful living, and now I’m sharing devotional content on the YouVersion app. Visit my profile page to get free access to all the reading plans!
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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate, which means that whenever you purchase a book I’ve shared here through the link I provide, I’ll receive a very small commission. It doesn’t cost you more, and I only share books here that I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Many thanks to Crossway for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.
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I think everyone’s most important influencers of their formative years are those people they know in real life. Online influencers can’t beat the face to face day to day contact of parents, teachers, care givers, etc. which is why it’s so important to put in the time with family.
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“…our ordinary lives call for the loftier goal of faithful and soldierly attention to the work and the people God puts in front of us each day”. Couldn’t agree more, thank you for this reminder.
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Wonderful post and reminder! This >> “most ordinary believers will not have a global impact, but our ordinary lives call for the loftier goal of faithful and soldierly attention to the work and the people God puts in front of us each day.” Thank you for sharing this book. May we be faithful in our ordinary lives for they just might produce an extraordinary life somewhere along the way. Blessings!
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