Spurgeon was trained, but in a practical and more natural way than other ministers of his day. Thus, his theology remained accessible to common people. Both his father and grandfather were pastors who also worked jobs during the week, which helped Charles blend practical Christian living and vocational ministry. This connection between ministry and real life lived by average people with typical jobs may in part explain his mass appeal to the multitudes of ordinary people who connected with his preaching. Though he did not attend a theological college, he did eventually found his own Bible college, which trained hundreds of young pastors and culminated in the book, Lectures to My Students, a collection of his practical counsel for aspiring pastors.
Spurgeon was a committed lifelong student. He had a large library built in his home so that he could study continually and still be near his sick wife. He had a large, round desk with a hinge that permitted him to sit in the middle of it with his beloved books surrounding him.
In his day, it was widely agreed that Spurgeon had the finest collection of Puritan literature in the entire world. Also included in his personal library were volumes of literature, theology, religion, travel, biography, science, hymnody, history, and humor. Following Spurgeon’s death, his library was distributed among family members. Today, the 6,750 volumes that remained have been preserved in his memory.
There are two ways in which Spurgeon has particularly mentored me regarding studying.
First, after years of trying to work out of one space functioning as both a study and an office, I finally adopted his method. Now I have an office at the church where I hold meetings. The office is set up with couches, chairs, and a fridge, much like a living room, but does not have any of my books, a desk, or anything else that assists studying and writing. At my home I have a roughly seven-hundred-square-foot personal library and study. So, I work from home most of the time and am far more effective in my studies and writing because I am not interrupted, I can work long hours as needed, I can still be near my wife and children, I reduce my commute time, and my wife and children have access to my books. In her biography, which my wife Grace enjoyed reading, Spurgeon’s wife noted that she greatly appreciated the fact that his library was at home so that she got to see him and also have access to his books. This was a helpful insight for how my wife and I organize our life.
Second, I was amazed at the scope and size of Spurgeon’s personal library. I planted Mars Hill Church in the fall of 1996 at the age of twenty-five and have always been a voracious reader. For years, our fledgling church plant struggled financially and during that time I did not obtain a salary from the church and paid for most of my books out of my own pocket. However, as the church grew and became more established, I spoke with our elders about setting up a book budget so I could begin collecting good reference material to assist my preaching and teaching. When they asked what prompted my request, I told them the story of Spurgeon and they graciously established a policy that continues to this day. It simply states that I can purchase any books and software I need to do my job most effectively. Thus, by God’s grace and our elders’ generosity, I now have a library of perhaps four thousand books and a part-time librarian to keep my library database and shelves current. Also, my friend Scott at Logos Bible Software has generously loaded up my computer with seemingly everything I could ever want.
Samantha sent me her reason for why she thought it was Ed Stetzer. AWESOME!
Here's a real picture of Ed from his newly redesigned blog. To be fair, @edstetzer is in much better shape than that Mark is about to write about. Ed Stetzer is not the man in the picture, any more guesses?
I would like to take this opportunity to explain some of the elements in the pre-conference of the National Resurgence Conference: Text & Context / Acts 29 Church Planting Bootcamp. On Sunday February 24, 2008 we are having a slotted time to meet with Mars Hill Church pastors and staff from 2:00pm to 3:30pm PST. Space is limited so sign up ASAP to reserve a spot in the various pre-conference tracks listed below. As well, if you attend this Sunday pre-conference track you will be able to see the evening services at Mars Hill Church. Remember when you sign up to check the appropriate track you want to attend so we can accommodate accordingly.
One of the least talked about devastations in masculine formation is the boy who was not rescued from the bosom of women and initiated into the world of men. Many fathers fail to initiate their sons into the masculine journey which has very damaging, long-term effects. Preachers and teachers must figure out a way to initiate these men into kingdom mission.
Finding a starting point for a Christ-sharing conversation is not easy. Maybe you've heard before:
"So, do you consider yourself a good person? Yes, well I've got some bad news…"
"Nice to meet you, Stephen. Did you know that there was a guy in the Bible who was stoned to death for his beliefs about Jesus? What do you believe about Jesus?"
Wow! 5 months out of the shoot and we are having a blast (planted Epiphany Fellowship in September ’06). We feel like we are in a support group with Bobby Brown. We have High, highs and Low, lows. Planting in our particular context has made us bi-polar. Our emotions are sometimes like rubber bands. So one of the things we have been developing as a congregation are buzz/slang words that reflect a more comprehensive picture of redemption of our community from the inside.
In Proverbs 3:5-6 and Ezekiel 36:25-27, generally the word heart is used to describe euphemistically, where the redemptive process begins. Heart, in these passages, defined further represents the mind, the emotions, and the will (BDB, HALOT). In the Ezekiel 36:25-27 passage, we find that under the New Covenant redemption begins with the mind (which can be equivalent to our values), emotion (which could also be said “passions”) and the will (or another way for us to say it is volitional application).
