Pastor as Person †A Review Essay Example for Free

Pastor as Person – A Review Essay As the title itself suggests, the whole thrust is on the personhood of the pastor. At the start (Chapter Two), stress is given to highlight the need for new approach in ministry. Although it was not directly stated, the idea was pointed out when Tom, a pastor, received a letter from his alma mater concerning the seminary’s plan to include into its curriculum a subject called The Person in Ministry. As the conversation of the characters progressed, and at the same time their personalities somewhat introduced briefly in chapter one, the theme of the entire book becomes more in focus. Indeed, as Gary L. Harbaugh was trying to highlight from the very outset, even the person behind the pulpit Sunday after Sunday is a real person with the characteristics of a normal human being with almost the same things to cope in life, if not exactly identical. The way the five pastors were presented – Tom Daniels, Joan Russel, Paul Denning, Chris Campbell, and John Jeffrich – in the first chapter seems to stress the fact of the human side of ministers in general. Although the tone of the author, all along, was to paint an honest appraisal of the pastor, and at the same time with the intention of helping his readers realize the impossibility for those among the ordained clergy to perform their lifetime duties effectively without comprehending their frame as human beings, more often than not, the overall expectation from the ministers is very unrealistic. And so, Harbaugh, in this book, incorporated all necessary studies/sciences which for him might yield a more comprehensive and more accurate portrayal of the minister as human specie. Through the lenses of philosophy, theology, psychology, and anthropology, the pastor was presented – not as someone who is above the rest, but someone who is very much like those considered rank and file (Harbaugh, 1985). At the last paragraph of the book, Dr. Harbaugh expressed his hope that upon reading, the reader (presumably, a minister) is â€Å"affirmed† and now having gained valuable insights into his/her personhood, with fresh outlook, the remaining years of ministry will not be anymore burdensome but promising instead. In Chapter Two, Harbaugh highlights the reality that the pastor is not only a spiritual person but physical as well. He experiences stress and at times may be subjected to bouts of â€Å"burnout. † King Hezekiah of the Old Testament was mentioned as an object lesson of a person dealing with stress. The author pointed out that there are correct responses to stressors and pressures, although unfortunately, pastors usually opted for what Dr. Harbaugh called as the pastor’s â€Å"common reactions† to stress. To really experience growth in life and in faith, one has to face his/her responsibilities and do everything within his/her ability to do, and at the same time, one has to accept his limitations that he/she cannot possibly do everything even while doing and employing the best possible means within his/her ability. As Dr. Harbaugh said, using the well familiar hymn, â€Å"Christ is the solid rock on which† ultimately, our â€Å"holistic response to stress can stand. † Moreover, the pastor also is an intellectual being. He thinks. This is the emphasis of the third chapter. While it is true that there are similarities, or things common among those in the clergy, Harbaugh maintains the individuality of the pastor (Harbaugh, 1985). This means that each pastor is different and hence must be dealt with individually. A right balance must be maintained between the pastor’s vocation and his personal/family life. Dr. Harbaugh, in Chapter Four, introduced Ptr. John Jeffrich. Through Jeffrich’s personality, Harbaugh presented a pastor just like anybody else reacting and full of emotions. Indeed, one cannot empathize with others without having gone through the same griefs which other people have gone through. â€Å"Weakness is strength† (Harbaugh, 1985). The remaining chapters – 5 and 6 – are expansions, further explorations of previous chapters. How the pastor should deal with different issues as he/she relates to other people. In summary, the pastor should learn to accept everything that he/she is – with strengths and weaknesses. As a pastor, he/she is chosen by God for the people of God.

Shakedown :: essays research papers

Worry over security played a big role in the presidential campaign -- and plays it still. For persisting in of D.C. is the naive if popular opinion that government is "on our side" -- that it is an impartial protector even seeing to it that we shall not want. Sure. In "Shakedownà ¾" Robert A. Levy, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute, says su opinion leaks. Our Framers were far above such leakiness. Thus did their constitutional checks and balan to stem abuse of power. They knew that Brutus still lurks about, that as Thomas Jefferson noted in 1788, natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." That gain is tracked by the author. He sees Washington, D.C.'s leading industry as not tourism but spe interests milking a giant, most cooperative cash cow, with consumers and taxpayers getting hit by many "baseless lawsuits." Apart from antitrust, the extortion lobby works three routes: one, through victimizing smokers and a b socked tobacco industry; two, through anti-gun advocates circumventing the Second Amendment and sta legislatures by suing in court and in the process victimizing gun manufacturers and potential gun owners three, through seductive tort liability and antitrust systems hobbling our economy via perverse "regulatio through litigation." Mr. Levy titles part one of his two-part book "Tort Law as Litigation Tyranny" and part two "Antitrust Corporate Welfare for Market Losers." This libertarian pulls no punches. But what about the rising tide of tort cases that push up, among other things, medical malpractice insu premiums to six-figure heights and force many doctors, such as gynecologists and obstreticians, out of bu Up go the costs of of office and hospital visits, hurting many family budgets. The author supplies a neat reply. As a federalist as well as a libertarian, he believes in states' rights, in Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to t States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." He adds, "There is no constitutional right to health care." He sees state medical malpractice reform as ubiquitous. He cites more than three dozen states with damage caps, with all 50 states passing or conside some kind of malpractice reform. Mr. Levy decries the fact that many congressional Republicans as well as liberal Democrats milk an ex lobby. The author would invoke the 14th Amendment to check state tort laws which deny both procedura Page 1 of 2 Washington's extortion lobby -- The Washington Times 2/22/2005 http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20050219-110442-5649r substantive protection against quasi-criminal punishment.

Los Angeles Independent Media Causes Essay

The Los Angeles Independent Media Center is a website that allows for left wing issues to be reported and shared on the web for all to see. They have over two dozen different categories that people have reported on ranging from animal rights and anti-war to immigration and indigenous rights and issues. Arizona has a proportionally large number of illegal immigrants working in the state just like California. Naturally this was one of the categories that caught my eye. When reading some of the article I came across a story from 2007. It was a march in Los Angeles (LA) in which mostly immigrants participated. They were marching because they wanted to be treated just as fairly as the legal citizens of the United States. They preached that they have been working just as hard to contribute to the economy of this country. There are two sides to any story and this is true in this case as well. On one hand they are doing the jobs that normal Americans do not want to do but others argue that they are here illegally and should not have the same rights as legal Americans. These two sides will be debated for years to come until someone can come up with a reasonable solution that will satisfy both side. The idea of illegal â€Å"under the table† help is too engrained within our society that it would be impossible to eliminate the issue over night. Not only are illegal immigrants fighting for their rights, but in some cases so are Americans. In California Wal-Mart would contract with temporary job agencies to fill jobs working in warehouses. These workers can be exposed to toxic chemicals and extreme heat conditions. They are also sometimes not given the wages that they were promised. Because Wal-Mart uses third party companies to supply the labor they have in the part denied any wrong doing in the situation. Of course in this case there are no unions to represent the workers and them facing the threat of losing their job if they express their dissatisfaction of their working conditions. Some groups are not even worried with the thought of having a job; they just want to protect areas that have existed for hundreds of years. Kuruvungna means: â€Å"A place where we are in the sun† in the Tongva language. For thousands of years the Tongva people lived here in relative peace and harmony with their environment until the European invasion of the Americas. (Sunday, 2012) In 1992 a group of environmentalists was able to secure a piece of land that was located on a public school’s property for the low cost of one dollar a year. This piece of property contained a natural spring that once belonged to the Tongva people before they were forcefully removed. The spring is said to have natural healing powers as well as native fish species, fresh water crayfish, a 200 year old Mexican Cypress tree, oak trees, hummingbird sage and other native grasses. The group is trying to secure another long term lease for the same price. One of the more controversial issues of our times is the use of genetically modified foods for consumption. These foods consist of simple fruits and vegetable to more complex animals like cows and pigs. One major reason behind this is that scientists can modify items to produce more nutrient rich foods for consumption. Scientists can also produce animals that can be modified to produce medicine, organs for transplant, meat or even engineered pets. It seems like a good idea to have enough organs and such to go around so that way no one would have to wait for a transplant and in the long run saving human lives. The biggest debate is to determine whether a human life is more important than that of an animal. This debate has been going on for some time now and will probably keep going on especially since the US Food and Drug Administration has taken steps to allow for the sale of genetically engineered animals. One of the biggest issues we have in America is politicians supporting special interest groups and not the constituents they were elected to represent. The City of Fullerton California was faced with a lawsuit from a construction company after denying the company’s proposal to develop a more suburban sprawl in one of the last bits of natural ecosystems in Orange County. Initially the city council had voted to deny the request from the company. In a strange turn of events, a year later the city voted to settle with the company and approve the proposal. Currently citizens have collected signatures to get a referendum on the next ballot to hopefully overturn the city’s decision. Every year across the country we hear about budget cuts in the education system. Along with the cuts we also hear of colleges increasing tuition to cover basic costs. So the question remains how can a school cut costs because it does not have money yet at the same time raise tuition? People finally had enough and all across the country students were walking out of class in protest and joined their community members in protests at superintendents’ offices, city councils and board meetings to express their concern with all of the cuts that have happened. In recent months teachers have joined the effort, which has become inspiring that they seem to not have a concern for their jobs while they protest. Alas, the protests have had little success as we still see cuts being made and tuition is still being raised semester after semester. America is in the middle of a war and with that comes anti-war protests. Different groups have tried to use different tactics to draw attention to their cause. One group protests on thanksgiving while others have protested on Christmas ask the question: what would Jesus choose? One of the more powerful messages came from a group back in 2009. They staged a mock funeral precession honoring those American and Iraqi people who have died during the war time period. These protests have been so powerful that the president vowed to end the war if he was elected. The baby boomer generation has grown up with the knowledge that if they want their voice heard then they organize a protest or a walk. After a bad statement from a Canadian police officer in 2001, large groups of women took to the streets to get the word out about sexual assaults. The groups organized what they called a â€Å"Slut Walk. It is one of those situations in which they should have thought about how the name of their walk could be portrayed within the community. These walks have occurred throughout the world to include the US, Canada, UK, Australia and several European countries. These walks have had support from several large human rights groups such as Planned Parenthood, CA National Organization for Women and Peace over Violence. There are many different subjects for people to post article on that would spark criminal acts and public disorder. These subjects include Anti-War, Class War, Immigration, Police State, and Racism. These are all catalysts for groups to recruit people who believe in their cause. The best part about the website is that people can post at any time they wish. It also helps that the website has multiple links to other cities, states and foreign countries similar websites. This is crucial because it does not bog down the website with data and provides a worldwide platform for left wing issues and causes.

Example of a Process Analysis Essay

In this short essay, the writer explains the process of crabbing—that is, the steps involved in catching river crabs. Read (and enjoy) this student composition, and then respond to the discussion questions at the end. How to Catch River Crabs by Mary Zeigler As a lifelong crabber (that is, one who catches crabs, not a chronic complainer), I can tell you that anyone who has patience and a great love for the river is qualified to join the ranks of crabbers. However, if you want your first crabbing experience to be a successful one, you must come prepared. First, you need a boat—but not just any boat. I recommend a 15-foot-long fiberglass boat complete with a 25-horsepower motor, extra gas in a steel can, two 13-foot-long wooden oars, two steel anchors, and enough cushions for the entire party. You will also need scoops, crab lines, a sturdy crate, and bait. Each crab line, made from heavy-duty string, is attached to a weight, and the bait—a slimy, smelly, and utterly grotesque chicken neck—is tied around each weight. Now, once the tide is low, you are ready to begin crabbing. Drop your lines overboard, but not before you have tied them securely to the boat rail. Because crabs are sensitive to sudden movements, the lines must be lifted slowly until the chicken necks are visible just below the surface of the water. If you spy a crab nibbling the bait, snatch him up with a quick sweep of your scoop. The crab will be furious, snapping its claws and bubbling at the mouth. Drop the crab into the wooden crate before it has a chance to get revenge. You should leave the crabs brooding in the crate as you make your way home. Back in your kitchen, youll boil the crabs in a large pot until they turn a healthy shade of orange. Just remember to keep the crab pot covered. Finally, spread newspapers over the kitchen table, deposit the boiled crabs on the newspaper and enjoy the most delicious meal of your life. Questions for Discussion Define each of the following words as they are used in this essay: chronic, grotesque, brooding.In the introductory paragraph, has the writer clearly identified the skill to be taught and provided enough background information for readers to know when, where, and why this skill may be practiced?Has the writer provided the necessary precautions to take in appropriate places?Is the list of needed materials (in paragraph two) clear and complete?Have the steps in paragraph three been arranged in the exact order in which they are to be carried out?Has the writer explained each step clearly and used appropriate transitional expressions to guide readers smoothly from one step to the next?Is the concluding paragraph effective? Explain why or why not. Does the conclusion make it clear how readers will know if theyve carried out the procedures correctly?Offer an overall evaluation of the essay, pointing out what you think are its strengths and weaknesses.