Lectures to My Students

I’ve been meaning to read Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students for years, and I’m finally reading it now. I’ve read lots of books on pastoring, but I have never read a better one yet. Not only that, but it’s by far the funniest book on pastoring I’ve read.

A sample that made me laugh out loud last night:

I heard one say the other day that a certain preacher had no more gifts for the ministry than an oyster, and in my own judgment this was a slander on the oyster, for that worthy bivalve shows great discretion in his openings, and knows when to close. If some men were sentenced to hear their own sermons it would be a righteous judgment upon them, and they would cry out with Cain, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” Let us not fall under the same condemnation.

Spurgeon has much more encouraging things to say, but he also knows how to cut someone down to size when necessary.

If you’ve been meaning to read this book but haven’t yet, don’t put it off. I don’t know why I waited so long. Definitely worth a read or a re-read.