Meeting the man who wrote the Bible

Today I had the wonderful occasion and privilege to meet the man who wrote the Bible.  Well, he actually did not write the Bible.  He wrote The Message where he translated the Bible into contemporary language.  Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Eugene Peterson.  He has a wonderful lake house not far from where I am staying. Knowing I was going to be in the area, I contacted him to see if we could get together.  He graciously agreed.  Eugene is a humble man who has a warm and contagious smile. He and his wife Jan have the gift of hospitality that make you feel right at home. We talked about family, this Montana community in which Eugene grew up and the church.  Eugene was a founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland where he served for 29 years. After the parish he became Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia until 2006.  He is the author of over 30 books.  Eugene is rich in wisdom.  There is some much I can learn by being with a person like him.  Right before this sabbatical I read his newest book, The Pastor: A Memoir.  As the publisher states, "In an age of emphasis on church growth, Peterson was “the contemplative pastor.” As the calling of minister morphed into the job of CEO, whose main task is to “run the church,” he renounced that role and sought to maintain the pastor’s singular vocation as one who gives attention to what God is doing and witnesses to that through face to face relationships in a local faith community. While the church ran to and fro, chasing the shifting winds of “relevance,” Eugene Peterson kept walking the old paths of worship, prayer, and conversation". Below are a few quotes from his book.

• A congregation is composed of people, who, upon entering a church, leave behind what people on the street name or call them. A church can never be reduced to a place where goods and services are exchanged.  It must never be a place where a person is labeled.  It can never be a place where gossip is perpetuated.  Before anything else, it is a place where a person is named and greeted, whether implicitly or explicitly, in Jesus's name.

• The minute the church and pastors start saying what do people want and then giving it to them, we betray our calling.  We're called to have people follow Jesus.  We're called to have people learn how to forgive their enemies.

• There's nobody who doesn't have problems with the church, because there's sin in the church. But there's no other place to be a Christian except the church.

• I think pastors are the worst listeners.  We're so used to speaking, teaching, giving answers. We must learn to be quiet, quit being so verbal, learn to pay attention to what's going on, and listen.

• If you don't take a Sabbath, something is wrong.  You're doing too much, you're being to much in charge.  You've got to quit, one day a week, and just watch what God is doing when you're not doing anything.