Ministry is hazardous to the soul
James Emery White reflects on the fall of another spiritual superstar.

Encouragement for “ordinary” pastors
“Ordinary pastor, be encouraged: Your faithful labor in the darkened forest of obscurity is heroic.”

How do I evaluate a church member I suspect is unconverted?
More wise words from Brian Croft.

Not depressed, just sad, lonely or unhappy
This thoughtful article from the BBC website reminds us of the need for great discernment and heavenly wisdom in tracing the many and varied causes of depression.

Learning from Francis Schaeffer
This looks like a book worth buying, and this looks like a series of posts worth following as Martin Downes reflects on Colin Duriez’s biography of Schaeffer. Here is one of the themes that Downes will be exploring.

Schaeffer was a man with an unseen ministry for most of his life, his public significance came very late on.  What can we learn from this faithfulness in obscurity, and in working with small groups of people, in an age where usefulness and importance is confused with the size of the church you lead and the conferences you speak at?  How did we ever get into the mess of thinking that the best men to follow are easy to spot because they occupy the biggest platforms?