Eugene Peterson

Unlike the previous influences I have written about, this one has no direct connection to my life.

Eugene Peterson is a man that I have never met. I think I have only heard him speak one time and that was on a podcast. He is almost 40 years older than I am. He is brilliant. I am, well...not brilliant.

His books, though, have had a profound influence on the way I see people and the way I want to live my life. He was a pastor at the same church for 29 years. His views on pastoral work go back to the foundation of going through life with people. It is not glamorous. It is not easy. But it is the way a pastor should function.

Sometimes it is difficult to discern whether Peterson is a pastor first and then a writer or if it is the other way around. That is not to say that one area is more important to him or that he is better at one than the other. It means that he loves people and helping them see God in life. He does a great job of communicating that love through the written word.

The way that Eugene Peterson has affected me the most is in helping me see this life as a story, God's story. We have our own, personal stories that are a part of the collective story that God is telling throughout history. I see people now and wonder "What is their story?". I am constantly amazed by what people do, what they have been through and what dreams they have tucked away.

Peterson has caused me to see the story of life and to love it. He has shown me that we are called to love people, in spite of their junk, and show them Jesus. He has shown me the importance of prayer and down time as a pastor. His view of pastoral work is grounded in an organic reality of God's work, not in the business of church. He has inspired me to read classic literature and observe what those writers have seen of life.

Eugene Peterson is that guy, for me, that I will try to read everything that he has written. If I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be "Tell It Slant", which is his latest book and the one I am in the middle of right now. If you are looking to start reading Peterson, pick up "Leap Over A Wall", which is a study on the life of David.

Peace.