It happens every now and then but not often enough. It hasn’t rained in Portland for 2 weeks, and the majority of those days have been completely sunny. Good thing it doesn’t stay this way for long or the people from SoCal will come here.
Here’s my favorite three articles and posts this week:
1. CNN ran a great piece on the pastor/preacher Fred Craddock from Georgia. He’s one of the most well-known preachers in America yet he has long struggled with being from a home with a dad who struggled with alcoholism. It’s a long piece but it both encouraged me and broke my heart.
“Some preachers transform their eloquence into business ventures. They build megachurches, TV empires. Some even get entourages. Craddock wasn’t driven to build a personal brand. He has no e-mail address, doesn’t drive and refused to turn on a personal computer his son and daughter bought him several years ago.”
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2. One of my new favorite blogs to read is written by Preston Yancey. Preston is a phenomenal writer, in ways that go far beyond what most people seem to look for in their favorite blogs. It’s one of things I appreciate about his writing the most. Last week he wrote a piece after receiving a highly critical comment from someone on his blog. His response reminded me of Isaiah’s response after seeing a vision of God.
“I write because it is my deep conviction that our Lord, God Almighty, has placed upon me the call that in my fingers are words that must be given, and that they are given not of myself but for His glory and honor.
But this is tricky business.
A writer, a Christian writer especially, is a prophetic voice.
We speak of the things that others do not wish to notice. We hold up the orphan and the widow and demand they be cared for. We fear not the ugly, but go with Christ to it. For this is part of the calling and it cannot be ignored.
But we are hypocrites–for there is none righteous, no, not one.”
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3. A few weeks ago Tim Schraeder wrote a post for young leaders. It is a post that has stuck with me since. I have the tendency to believe I’ve arrived when the harsh reality is that I have so much to learn. Tim’s post was convicting but a word that many of us young leaders need to hear.
“We do a great disservice to ourselves and to God by thinking we know it all or that we have all of the answers. While we are poised to be used by God to great things we cannot neglect the need we have to be discipled and mentored by those who are wiser, older and more experienced.”
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Grace and peace.
