We had a great meeting yesterday with a paper entitled, “Helping the Backslider” presented by Roger Fellows.
I love Roger’s writing as he is always concise, logical and he illustrates wonderfully. Three things I don’t have the foggiest idea how to do! Anyway, Rog read through the paper, we loaded up on coffee and doughnuts and the question period began. There were many engaging portions of this discussion, but my favorite part was when many men gave practical ideas on how they had accomplished systematic pastoral visitations over the years. This is where FRiPS or SiGaPuF or whatever it is called really shines! You get nothing but cream... except for that
Two of my students were there (where were the rest of you laddy’s?) and a strong showing from churches all over southern
I won’t tell you the best thing that I learned – that would make for way too much public accountability! But, if you had been there you would know what it is – since I asked the question.
I am so thankful the Lord has blessed me with a fine group of godly men to fellowship with and learn from. If we are too far away for you to join us, why not start your own group... and start with a name that works well as an acronym!
Suggestions:
REAL – reformed, energetic and loving?
TEP – Thoughtful, evangelical pastors?
CAPS – Calvinistic and pastoral studies?
I guess there is a reason no one lets me name things...
wow - there we are discussing how to lovingly woo back the wandering to the fold when a poor, soft spoken, uncertain, questioning inquirer is cruelly, uncermoniously, pharisaically, casuistically, lectured about speaking in a manner not prescribed in the law. He is wounded and bleeding, but will a compasionate Samaritan, perhaps a covenant theologian, reach down to rescue him? We can only hope. I'm telling mom.
ReplyDeleteKen, you're making me wish I was there, so that I'd have some idea of what you're talking about! :)
ReplyDeleteWell, of course you should have been there, but I have to admit that things were not quite as dramatic as the last posting may indicate. I could stretch the drama out but I never know if my strange sense of humour will be filtered as humour. There was a minor altercation and I am never coming back to sovergrapafello again! The church where it is held just may start charging rent!! It may never make its baptistry available again for anyone ever!!! I'm lobbying for a special tax upon all people over six feet six inches tall; funds to be used for sensitivity training. But nothing happened.
ReplyDeleteHey Davis Fellow... at least your rude interruption was not as humiliating as the time I asked a very long, insightful question to the Burlington Pastor who, once he realized my query had come to an end, replied with: "I'm sorry. Could you repeat the question? I wasn't listening." SLAM
ReplyDeleteJust don't call it the Paul W. Martin Fan Club and we're alright.
ReplyDeleteIan: Better the Paul W. Martin Fan Club than the Paul Martin Fan Club, no?
ReplyDeleteKen: Your tax on everyone over 6'6"... I guess you could call that a "head tax?"
To "that Davis fellow":
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to add how very impressed I was that you knew the word, "casuistically."