pastor || writer || speaker
One of my favorite authors is Eugene Peterson. Peterson is best known as the author behind the paraphrase of the Bible, The Message. As a pastor, his works on pastoral ministry for our contemporary era, such as Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity, Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work and Under the Unpredictable Plant, are unparalleled. …
Continue reading "It Needs to Get Inside of You: Eugene Peterson on the Spiritual Disciplines"
I still remember the time I read a line that changed my life: “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”[1] I was a pastor in urban Milwaukee, working with college students. I was reluctantly leading student leaders through a study of John Ortberg’s popular book, The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary …
I encountered these provocative words from Albert Edward Day in Discipline and Discovery. While perhaps in some ways using exaggeration to make his point, Day strikes home the importance of cooperating with God in the process of spiritual growth. True holiness is a witness that cannot be ignored. Real sainthood is a phenomenon to which …
Continue reading "All Real Faith Involves Discipline: Albert E. Day on cooperation with God"
As I continue to reflect on the nature of pastoral ministry, ministry in the North American evangelical church, and questions of ministry integrity, I find myself returning often to the topic of holiness. Even writing the word holiness makes me feel a little bit "old school." However, if I hold the tension of that uncomfortable …
I often refer to fasting as an important spiritual growth tool in our lives. Some time ago, I wrote a number of posts on the subject of fasting and I am gathering all of those together here as a resource for understanding fasting in general. These posts also address a number of specific aspects of …
Matthew Erickson 