Life 's Test : The And Growth Of Insecurities, Self, And Self Esteem

The book was very well put together with principal concepts, but it was not always easy to follow and some sections had to be read twice for clear comprehension. The message could have been portrayed using straightforward writing that would enable undergraduates and others that are not seeking higher levels of education to process the information. In simpler terms, this book can be essential to pastors, for personal relationships, and other professions if the language is simplified and made more user-friendly.

Most people face self esteem problems at different levels. At some point in life people face this problem without realizing it. In the essay The Trouble with Self-Esteem written by Lauren Slater starts of by demonstrating a test. Self esteem test that determines whether you have a high self-esteem or low self-esteem. The question to be answered however is; what is the value and meaning of self-esteem? The trouble with self-esteem is that not everyone approaches it properly, taking a test or doing research based of a certain group of people is not the way to do so.

I agree that it is necessary for pastors to get a greater education to help them to understand how to deal with life situations. Their Church members will need them to understand what they are dealing with. True knowledge works well for the Pastors in different types of communities

My faith tradition informs my theology of pastoral care as that a pastor has an authority in the pastoral care relationship. The pastor’s image in my faith tradition is an advisor, director, and guide. In my faith tradition, the lay people like to have the pastoral care, when they make important decisions. Since my culture is the hierarchal and patriarch system, the lay people believes that pastors are better to know about God’s will. Therefore, the lay people are too much depending on the pastor’s advices, and taking pastor’s perspective, rather than choosing what they want. There is no space to listen their inner voice in the pastoral care in my faith tradition. My theology of pastoral care in my faith tradition was that what Jesus did is what we should do. Because of my traditional ideal of pastoral care, I thought pastors have to know everything and be better than others until becoming like Jesus. However, I realized that the theology can be dangerous to look down the lay people and non-Christians, and is not helpful for the pastors and the lay people as well. I think it is important to remember in my tradition that the head of the church is the only one, Jesus, and we are all the body of Christ. There is the better part in the body of Christ. We are all the same and we need each other.

The calling of a pastor for the Lord is a very high calling as well as position. God has granted the ability of the pastor to lead sheep and teach truth to people. A pastor also has certain convictions that he or she must live up to. These certain convictions keep him or her accountable to God, upholding the stature of being light and salt of this world. Through the content of this paper, every conviction a pastor must have will be discussed, why these convictions are important, and who compromised their convictions.

In this book, John Piper juxtaposes having the mentality of a shepherd over the mentality of a professional. He covers a variety of topics that he seeks to articulate the most God-exalting view. He states, “We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry. The mentality of the professional is not the mentality of the prophet. It is not the mentality of the slave of Christ.

faith and grace. Both writers successfully achieve their objectives. Both writing can be applicable to the

In the article, Nine Secrets Your Pastor’s Wife Wishes You Knew (Stolaas, 2014), loneliness, and loss of identity, were identified as one of the major contributors to personal and marital strife for the wife of a pastor (Stolaas, 2014). If loneliness and identity crisis were not bad enough, there is also the fact that the pastor’s wife may possess an unhealthy fear of messing things up for her husband (Stolaas, 2014). Lastly, and probably the most detrimental effect to the personal identity of the pastor’s wife, is that she is held to a set of higher standards by church parishioners and is no longer able to be herself (Stolaas, 2014). Considering all these worries, it becomes easy to appreciate how the pastor’s wife could easily crack and lash out against herself, her husband, and his ministry. Even to the point of marriage dissolution.

A sentiment common to almost any organization is that the one fact that remains constant is change. As society changes, and human understanding grows, any organization that maintains a static posture, assures its demise. Churches and Christian organizations are no exception. The gospel may remain the same, but the method for communicating it must speak to the audience to assure understanding. The Christian leader must be prepared to meet this challenge by incorporating an effective model for change into his theology of leadership in order to keep the ministry relevant and effective. Searching for such a change agent can prove to be challenging as well. To aid in this search, four

The authors Richard Robins and Kali Trzesniewski wrote an article about how self-esteem changes across a persons’ life time. They speculated that in early childhood self-esteem is relatively high then begins to decline. In adolescents’ self-esteem continues to decline, until adulthood when self-esteem gradually begins to increase until around the age of sixty. When an individual hits old age self-esteem begins to decline again. The authors speculate that decline in old age is similar to the decline of self-esteem for adolescents-the rapid changes happening in their lives. For both adolescents and old people their lives begin to change in ways that weren’t apparent to them before. For adolescents and people in

It may seem as if a pastor is wasting their time helping others with their problems. It may also seem as if they are involved in too much busy work. However, everyone who attends the church has a function to help make it either run smoothly otherwise everyone will feel the effects of its decline. Pastors must be attuned to the nature and atmosphere of the church. They are the ones who keep the faithful seeking more and the new Christians thirsting for more knowledge. All of this is done through God. The times may change but one thing remains the same,

Whether we are in the pulpit or in the pew we should work towards saving souls and growing the church as a whole. The writer’s assessment of pastoral leadership being cultural was one that I had noticed within these past few years. Pastoral leaders are using methods that are secular to attract and expand their congregations. The utilization of social media is an example that I think of in regard to this. The impact of social media continues to grow in our fast paced and

Willimon explains that “all of the pastor’s sheepherding takes its purpose and content from the pastor’s leadership of worship.” Willimon indicates several points in which I agree with and a few that I struggle with. As a pastor, we assume a responsibility for the people who attend the church. With that responsibility, we also are responsible “to God for the flock.” That responsibility is not to be taken lightly. It is through the worship that pastors have an incredible opportunity to tough the life of many souls. Although it is viewed by many as the pastor touching the souls; it is truly God touching the souls and utilizing the pastor as the vehicle.

This in short summarizes what the role of a pastor is to be which was illustrated by the head of the Christian church. Today, the role of pastor “in a modern-day “pastor” system is as much a departure from the New Testament pattern of church as is an ecclesiastical hierarchy. No one man can assume the

Insecurity drills a hole into a person’s heart, minimizes their integrity, and accumulates as plaque build up, hindering any kind of future growth. Just as any human being’s growth is stifled by the insecurity within them, the United States as a whole suffers the same from its own tremendous amount of insecurity. This lack of acknowledgement of self-worth causes a ghastly chain reaction; people tend to pursue the wrong ideals, become corrupt, and inevitably lead themselves to their own demise. Insecurity is a route to destruction, and America is speeding down that road to dissolution.