In terms of resume, Tom Carson was an ordinary pastor. But in terms of character, it is obvious that he was extraordinary. His son, also not an ordinary man, writes in the forward, "Most pastors will not regularly preach to thousands, let alone tens of thousands. They will not write influential books, they will not supervise large staffs, and they will never see more than modest growth...most of us - let us be frank - are ordinary pastors."Years ago, I wouldn't say I was ambitious, but I had thoughts or delusions of grandeur. Now it is more than apparent to me that I am not an ordinary pastor. I am far less than an ordinary pastor. I can only dream that God would grant me to be an ordinary pastor.
As John Owen writes in Communion with God, "When a man who lives upon convictions has got some enlargement in duties, some conquest over sin or temptation, he hugs himself...But he who has communion with Christ, when he is highest in duties of sanctification and holiness, is clearest in the apprehension of his own unprofitableness, and rejects every thought that might arise in his heart of setting his peace in them or upon them. He says to his soul, 'Do these things seem something to you? Alas! You have to do with an infinitely righteous God who looks through and through all that vanity, which you are but little acquainted with; and should he deal with you according to your best works, you must perish.'"
Too often in my heart, I am hugging myself. "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered." Prov 28:26
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