As a pastor, you get lots of stuff from people. Articles, letters, books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, etc. All of it well meaning, but running the gamut between very helpful and not very helpful. Last night in fact, there was a paperback addressed to "pastor" tied to the church door in a plastic bag that is called, "Ten Commandments Twice Removed." I haven't had a chance to crack it open yet- I don't know who gave it to me!
But what I got yesterday morning is something I'm treasuring and recommending from the very outset. It is called, The One-Year Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten. Each day of the year has a short 2 page devotional dealing with an important figure/event that corresponds to that calendar date.
My first reading was today. On May 7, 2000, James Montgomery Boice preached his last sermon at Tenth Presbyeterian Church in Philadelphia. Boice has been an incredible help and encouragement to me with his commentaries on Scripture- particularly, on Acts and Romans. He announced that day that he was rapidly dying of cancer, and framed all of that in regards to God's glory, not whether he would receive a miracle or not.
As I've skimmed around, I've found other notable pastors/leaders are mentioned: Spurgeon, Whitefield, Wesley, David Brainerd, Martin Luther, John Calvin, among many others. I also found an inspiring story of a woman leaving Mormonism during Brigham Young's day.
We as pastors have an obligation to teach our people about church history- I think I have found a tool to encourage that in bite-sized but deeply useful ways. Share this book with your people, and talk about it in your homes!
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