Walking in Wonder

In ministry as in life, we get knocked down. Sometimes, due to our folly or despair or fatigue or external opposition, we stumble and fall. How do we get back up--again and again and again? Resiliency, the ability to bounce back, is a gift of God. Leaders are able to get up and follow the crucified and risen Lord when they are drawn, when they are enchanted by the awesome mystery of the triune God. Discipleship has never been easy. The way, staying on the narrow path that leads to abundant life, is hard. Today, no less than the first disciples, followers of Christ face an array of challenges, not the least of which is disenchantment: We had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel (Luke 24:21). Seen through an Enlightenment lens, disenchantment may be more acute and prevalent in our times, but it is not new. We walk our own Emmaus Road. And when we keep walking, when we follow the one who joins us on the Road, eyes are opened, hearts burn, the one standing before us is recognized, and we are sustained for the journey. This collection of theological essays on ministry is an invitation to run and not be weary . . . to walk and not faint (Isa 40:31) by walking in wonder with the wholly other God who is near.Ministry draws on every human resource--physical, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual. Drawing on decades of pastoral experience, George Sinclair offers a vision of pastoral life grounded in our deepest understandings of God and human life. He shows all pastors how to appreciate again the mystery of God's kindness and love--and to wonder at its majesty.--John M. Mulder, former President, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Louisville, KYPart memoir, part theological table-talk, this movingly written book explores all the crevices of pastoral ministry today--its fragility, its temptations, its strengths, its forbearance, and finally its capacity to be gathered up into 'wonder, love, and praise.' Every reader will find joy and wisdom in these pages; pastors will find their sense of call powerfully refreshed.--Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, GAIn this eminently wise book, George Sinclair explores how the wonder of God's steadfast love renews and sustains the practice of ministry. Through an engaging blend of personal and theological reflections, George shows us what it means to be 'stewards of God's mysteries.' Paul would be proud! This is a book every seminarian and pastor should read.--Bill Brown, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GAGeorge Sinclair is a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA). For the past thirty-five years, he has served churches in Illinois, North Carolina, and Georgia. He is currently pastor of Government Street Presbyterian Church in Mobile, Alabama.