–Quaker Rufus Jones

What a good reminder as we find ourselves “steeped in servanthood!”  Thinking “vertically” while living “horizontally.”  Rufus Jones, 1863-1948, lived in an era when wars at home and abroad threatened society,  liberalism assaulted the inspiration of  Holy Scripture, and modern missions stormed the gates of hell.  A Quaker through and through, he authored more than fifty books and for forty years taught philosophy, ethics and Bible at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Though we would not agree with most of his theology, he had a great heart for God and he was more than right when he said:  “Keep a window open on the God-ward side!”
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I had never seen it before. It was a piece of wood about 36 inches long, 4 inches high and one half inch thick. It was sitting on a shelf in a Christian Book Store on the eastern side of our state where we had gone for a brief getaway after the Christmas holidays. Ann and I enjoy visiting unique shops and this one contained several quaint items, most of which we had seen before. But there sat this one piece of wood, really not so unique in itself, but the saying inscribed on it was what caught my attention – “There Can Be No Testimony Without The Test!” [Read more…]

“Morrison of Wellington,” George H. Morrison (1866-1928), during his era was no doubt the most popular preacher in Scotland. A Presbyterian pastor, for twenty-six years he faithfully shepherded the flock at Wellington Church, Glasgow. Surrendered totally to ministry, he chose not to serve on committees, preferring rather to spend his time on what he considered were his greatest responsibilities to the church – mornings in study and afternoons in visiting his congregation, making an average of one thousand calls a year! Primarily an expository preacher, his Sunday evening sermons targeted the specific needs of his sheep and standing room only crowds gathered to hear him. Many of these sermons are in print and worthy of your reading. I like what Warren Wiersbe said of Morrison in his volume, “Living with the Giants,” a statement we preachers should take to heart: “Morrison’s preaching strength lay in his knowledge of the Bible, his knowledge of his people and their needs, and his ability to put both together in an imaginative way that reached the heart.” [Read more…]

Do you ever find yourself losing your joy in ministry? I mean, all the commitments, obligations, responsibilities, problems and unnecessary distractions become so overwhelming that you just slam the study door, turn off the lights, fall flat on your face on the carpet (if you are blessed enough to have carpet!) and cry out to God, “I just can’t do this myself! I am tired, I am mentally fatigued, my strength has failed e’re the day is half done”…..you know what I mean. [Read more…]

“Congregations will gather around a pulpit from which living water is flowing!” –E. Stanley Jones

“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

Now, just because I quoted E. Stanley Jones, don’t go around saying that he is my favorite role model in ministry. I certainly do respect him for laboring 66 years as a missionary evangelist to the upper castes of India, but I do have a problem with much of his theology. But when he said that “congregations will gather around a pulpit from which living water is flowing,” I just had to say, “Amen!” [Read more…]