My Pastors...

I have had a blast being a pastor over the last month. One of the things that I am learning is that unless I have a pastor I will become short-sighted and stale. Currently, I have 4 pastors that I like to stay connected to. Here is the list of pastors and why I love them:

JOHN PIPER
God uses John Piper to challenge my faith, my earnestness, my authenticity, my love for God. From the first time I heard him preach at a Passion conference 10 years ago until now, he has always seemed to bring something challenging, inspiring, fresh, and centered upon God's Word. He is currently the Teaching Pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

JOHN ORTBERG
John Ortberg, Pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in California, consistently keeps me real and practical. He is a funny guy- really really dry humor- hilarious. I try to stay read-up on his books. Much of my sermon from this past Sunday came from his book, The Life You've Always Wanted. I had the book with me on Sunday because I wanted to really plug the book and try to get some of our members reading it- I just forgot to mention it. I have included it on my Shelfari to the right.

FRANCIS CHAN
Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Semi Valley California, is one of my favs to listen to. Francis has taught me to vocalize my love for the church- sometimes tough love and sometimes not. I love his book Crazy Love.

DAVID PLATT
David Platt, Senior Pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, is a young buck of 29 years who happens to have 2 Bachelor's Degrees, 2 Master's Degrees, and 1 Doctorate. He has a brilliant mind and he boldly proclaims God's Word. He keeps me close to the text and challenges me to stay away from entertaining the flock on Sunday mornings.

These are my pastors that keep me fresh. I am curious. Who do you listen to? Who do you read? And why?