Be cautious lest, “The church we want becomes the enemy of the church we have.”
– Eugene Peterson, Practicing Resurrection
It doesn’t take long, after experiencing a major storm in leadership, for you to begin to wonder if you need to abandon ship. Whether its seventy-foot waves or just an extremely slow leak in nice weather, there are times when walking away from the community to which God has called you to minister seems to be safer than staying put.
– Clay Werner, On the Brink: Grace for the Burned-Out Pastor
See that the work of saving grace be thoroughly wrought in your own souls. Take heed t yourselves, lest you be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others, and be strangers to the effectual working of that gospel which you preach; and lest, while you proclaim to the world the necessity of a Saviour, your own hearts should neglect him, and you should miss of an interest in him and his saving benefits.
– Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor