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jono7's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
4.0
Eugene takes you on a rollercoaster ride of challenging & controversial comments and then gradually unpacks the reason for them and then brings a balanced Biblical stance. This book had me going from frustration & disagrement to being surprised, and enlightened. It feels like you're spending time in the jungle with Bear Grylls.
ianmrowland's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Truly thought provoking and paradigm challenging writing. Using his own history and experience he leads us through a diagnosis of modern pastors definitions of ministry and shows us a different definition. He draws deeply on literary work as glimpses into a new and imagined reality whilst the background is grounded in the story of Jonah. Provocative and stimulating and best read with a pen and a friend to bounce it off.
dutchlee's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. Using Jonah as an example, Eugene Peterson challenges the modern pastor ideal and shows what the pastoral vocation is really like. He offers a lot of insight into the pastoral world and offers advice on how pastors can keep their focus on God.
He does, however, stretch the Jonah story too far to make it fit his ideas. He also uses only the Jonah story to explain the pastoral vocation. I wish he had extended into other biblical texts on pastors.
Nonetheless, his example is powerful. As a student in Bible College training to be a pastor, I was challenged by what he had to say. I am guilty of striving for the ideal congregation and looking for the best programs to impose on them. This is a wrong mindset to be in.
Some quotes that impacted me:
"The religious leader is the most untrustworthy of leaders: in no other station do we have so many opportunities for pride, for covetousness, for lust, or so many excellent disguises at hand to keep such ignobility from being found out and called to account" (15)
“I didn’t want to keep people from dying; I wanted to show them how to live” (47).
"It is not my task to impose a different way of life on these people in this place but to work with what is already there" (131)
He does, however, stretch the Jonah story too far to make it fit his ideas. He also uses only the Jonah story to explain the pastoral vocation. I wish he had extended into other biblical texts on pastors.
Nonetheless, his example is powerful. As a student in Bible College training to be a pastor, I was challenged by what he had to say. I am guilty of striving for the ideal congregation and looking for the best programs to impose on them. This is a wrong mindset to be in.
Some quotes that impacted me:
"The religious leader is the most untrustworthy of leaders: in no other station do we have so many opportunities for pride, for covetousness, for lust, or so many excellent disguises at hand to keep such ignobility from being found out and called to account" (15)
“I didn’t want to keep people from dying; I wanted to show them how to live” (47).
"It is not my task to impose a different way of life on these people in this place but to work with what is already there" (131)
jakethurston's review against another edition
5.0
Simply superb. Astounding. Breath taking. Eugene does it again in this beautifully rich articulation if recovering the pastoral vocation in the midst of American careerism. Instantly one of my all time favorites of Peterson’s.
myscatteredshelf's review
5.0
This is a must read of pastor's in thier first five years of ministry or pastors that are crafting a call to a long-term pastorate.
xtinamariet's review
4.0
Challenging and inspirational. Peterson can at points sound like a cranky old pastor grousing about "kids these days!" but on the whole I appreciated his encouragement to engage in thoughtful pastoral ministry that is constantly intentional about paying attention to and pointed towards Christ instead of oneself. A worthwhile read for every pastor.
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