Tools of the Trade for December 23, 2019

A Weekly List of Links and Resources for Pastors

It will be a busy week for most of you. I hope that you are able to have some quality time with your family and that you have meaningful times of reflection on Jesus’ incarnation with your congregation.

Here are some links that may be of help that I’ve culled from my reading over the last few weeks:

Pastors are not immune to depression. 9 Marks had an interview on the subject of Pastoring Amid Depression.

Similarly, the people at Core Christianity posted “What I Learned In My Season of Depression.”

Social media can be a train wreck waiting to happen. Here’s an article that would be worth sharing with your people. If you have a Facebook or Instagram account, maybe link to it from there.

Matthew Hall writes on “The Non-Negotiable Virtue in Leadership.”

Building Church Leaders, a ministry of Christianity Today, has a book worth your reading called “Rest and Renewal for Busy Church Leaders.”

Zack Eswine asks, “What If Pastors Were More Like Doctors?”

Here’s a challenging article from Desiring God on prayer. And no, it’s not a guilt-producing “Why aren’t you praying more article.” Give it a read.

John Piper answers the question, “How Can I Revitalize My Church from the Pulpit?” Video and transcript provided.

Nathan Bingham, writing on the Ligonier website, asks and answers a question that your people may ask: Is God Justified in Punishing Us for Adam’s Sin?

The Gospel Coalition staff has put together a list of recommended books for 2019.

Here’s an article for preachers by Abraham Cho titled, “Stir the Imagination, One Sermon at a Time.”

Jared Wilson writes writes about the best length for our sermons.

This article by Faith Chang takes a helpful look at trials. Trials are trials, no matter if they pale in comparison to what someone else is going through. One to share with your people.

That’s it for today! Have a great week!