I’ve got two books here that I’m reading. The first is Empowering Leadership by Michael Fletcher. The other is Not Too Old by David Faust. I confess, I was supposed to have read the first one last month for the preacher’s group I belong to. I ordered it late and was only able to skim through it. There was enough there to grab my attention so I am committed to reading it this month, even though my group has another book we’re supposed to be reading. I won’t lie, I haven’t ordered it yet and will not read it before our next meeting. It will be on my summer reading list.
I haven’t started the second book yet but I heard the author share quite a bit of the material at my alma mater last month. I also bought the book directly from him so it was a bit cheaper and he signed it for me. Faust has been in full time ministry for over fifty years. He served as a college professor and president for twenty. I came to know him though the articles he has written for The Christian Standard and The Lookout. Both are publications affiliated with the independent Churches of Christ.
Even though I feel old most of the time, the majority of the congregation I serve remind me that I’m young. My wife and I are the youngest married couple who are active there and I turn fifty-five in three weeks. I guess in that context we aren’t old, but most of the things Faust addresses are relevant to us. He addresses a multitude of issues that I find myself pondering on a daily basis. From worrying about my health, to worrying about my adult children, to worrying about whether or not I will be able to afford retirement; he touches upon them all.
I got a lot out of his two talks and I know that I will glean more as I jump into the source material. I honestly wish this book had been around when ten years ago to help me think about these things before I found myself knee deep in many of them. Lord willing, I intend to share some of the insights I get as I make my way through both of these.
Grace and peace.
That 80s Pastor Dude 