Deus Misereatur

Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bible by Timothy S. Laniak My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a focused look into the practice of "shepherding" drawn from ancient information and Scripture. Laniak spends most of his time interacting with Moses (the Pentateuch) and David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, the four Gospel accounts, 1 Peter and Revelation. The author's approach was helpful in gaining a healthy perspective on how YHWH shepherds his people (and what it means), how our Lord Jesus addressed it, and then it's applications to the ministerial shepherds of God's people today (in contrast with bad shepherds who fleece and fracture God's people). This book is both a corrective and a directive. It's corrective nature is seen in how the author faces the misuse of ministerial-shepherds: "Abusing others was an expression of the arrogant assumption that power is primarily privilege rather than responsibility...

A Pastoral Rule for Today: Reviving an Ancient Practice by John P. Burgess My rating: 5 of 5 stars With two decades of military life under my belt, and now two decades of ministry, I can honestly say that having a devotional plan, a religious rhythm, to shape each day, week, month and year is essential for my own well-being. Therefore I was quite pleased to see the new 208 page paperback, "A Pastoral Rule for Today: Reviving an Ancient Practice" hit the streets! John P. Burgess, the James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; Jerry Andrews, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California; and Joseph D. Small, retired director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Theology and Worship, spent years pulling together the contents and backdrop for this manual. It is written primarily for pastors and ministers of any Christian tradition; and it is written to help them hash out a "rule" - a guide ...