Book: Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work
Another Eugene H. Peterson work for the ministry formation course. Here, he takes the Magiloth (never heard the term before, myself) – five books of the old testament – Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther – and interprets them for pastors.
A few traps that he is warning against:
- being seduced by the wisdom of the world, and not bothering to pray
- creating stories that listeners can immerse themselves in
- sharing the pain of others
- where it’s useful, pointing out how temporary things are.
- understanding the church as a community made by God
Not as practical as the other book of his that I’ve read, but for his insights in pastoral care, it’s worth a flick through.