A Pastor Who Reads His Journals
I’m guest blogging for Trevin Wax today. Trevin is one of my favorite bloggers, so it’s a privilege to be able to post there.
When our doctor moved, we could have followed her. Instead, we stayed with the new doctor that took her place. A friend of mine said this about the new doctor: “He’s a doctor who reads his journals.” I like that. I want a doctor who goes home at night and continues to read and learn.
I can imagine that there are days that the doctor would rather watch a game than read another journal. Maybe he does some days. I can also imagine that there are competing journals for doctors with articles about “Ten Skills for Growing Your Practice” and “Team Dynamics.” But I’m glad that my doctor reads articles about chronic Achilles tendinopathy and Enteric fever. I want a doctor who reads his journals.
Pastors, like doctors, face the temptation not to study. There’s little short-term payoff for study. Nobody in my church is begging me to read Calvin’s Institutes or John Frame’s The Doctrine of the Word of God. In fact, they roll their eyes if I talk about these books too much. They have no idea how much they need me to read them.
