A minister may drive 25 miles to the hospital in order to recite a thirty-second prayer over a comatose patient. Who sees this act and judges it to be good? The pastor may devote years of conversation and behind-the-scenes maneuvering to promote reconciliation among factions in the community.
The preacher may invest fifteen hours of biblical study and reflection on a fifteen-minute sermon for no other purpose than to make God a little more believable to the congregation.
Richard Lischer, Open Secrets: A Spiritual Journey Through a Country Church
I love this book. Thank you for highlighting this!
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