Mondays With My Old Pastor - A Review

Mondays With My Old Pastor

by

José Luis Navajo

A Review

Many pastors have experience burnout - or nearly so.  The writer (the author?) is at that point in his life.  He finds himself at an end, with nothing else to give - to give to his church, to his family, or to himself.  

The writer’s wife suggests a visit to his old pastor - a man who, after many years in ministry, has retired to that house with a blue door and roses along the path leading away from that door.  

More a fable than a novel, the lessons that the writer learns from that wise old man serve as stepping stones to rebuilding his life and rebuilding his excitement for ministry.  As I picked up the book, I thought I was going to read a true story, much like Tuesday With Morrie - and I am still not quite sure how much is fiction and how much is a retelling of events that happened in the author’s life.  

Each chapter has the wise pastor or his wife telling one or more stories that communicate truths that pastors will need to remember and/or practice throughout their ministry if they are to be successful.  As the writer says, “...the passage of time has caused me to understand that in every desert there is a cross that brings restoration.  It’s only a question of looking for it and taking shelter in its shade.”  Later, he will note that “Life does not begin when you’re twenty, or when you’re forty.  Life starts at Calvary.”

The truths of each chapter resonated with me - and brought encouragement to me as I approach the end of my own career in ministry.  Perhaps it will to yours as well.
______________
This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.