Via Twitter bin ich auf die überaus kraftvollen und punktgenauen Aussagen von Burk Parsons gestolpert. Eine kleine Probe:
Pray more for your pastors’ kids than you pray for your pastors.
I have found that men who do not lead their families to weekly congregational worship are usually not leading their families at all.
Some of the worst counsel anyone can give to another is “trust your heart.”
In our day, it’s considered worse to judge evil than to do evil.
Parsons ist Pastor in der St. Andrew’s Chapel an der Seite von R. C. Sproul und Editor des Magazins Tabletalk. Tim Challies hat 2009 ein längeres Interview mit ihm geführt. Parsons war in seinen jungen Jahren in der Startaufstellung von Backstreet Boys und wurde auch für die Band N’Sync angefragt. Doch er entschied sich gegen ein Leben in der Unterhaltungsindustrie und für einen vollzeitlichen Dienst.
Die Entscheidung dem Entdecker und “Gönner” kurz vor dem Start der Formation mitzuteilen verlangte viel ab:
I walked into Lou’s office one week before contracts were to be signed and told him that this wasn’t what God had for my life. I explained to him as he sat behind his desk, breathing heavily, that I believed God had other plans for me and that I believed I would be in ministry some day. … In tears, I thanked him for all he had done and how said how sorry I was for letting him down and leaving. I walked out, said goodbye…
Parsons warnt aus eigener Erfahrung vor der “Offene-Türe-Theologie”:
… herein lies the danger of “open-door” theology: Just because a door is seemingly open doesn’t mean we should walk through it, and just because a door is seemingly closed doesn’t mean we shouldn’t knock it down and walk through it.
Auch nach der zweiten, noch lukrativeren Anfrage kämpfte Parsons mit der Verlockung Gott doch auf der Bühne dienen zu können:
Still, the same questions were running through my mind, over and over again: “How can I serve God and the world? God and fame? God and money? How can I sing those lyrics, dance, and shake for young impressionable girls?” My answer was simple, I can’t, but I know the Lord will sustain me in serving Him in the world if it’s His will. Of course I was seeking His will in all the wrong places.
Eine ermutigende Lebensgeschichte!
