I'm no John G. Paton

I read John Paton's autobiography recently. Both Vision Forum and John Piper speak very highly of the book. He was a Scottish Presbyterian raised in a covenant family to be a missionary to Cannibals. The shadow of a bloody death loomed over him for many years on the Islands of the South Pacific, but his trust in God's Providence made him fearless in the face of savagery. In his lifetime God used him to usher in whole islands to the kingdom of Christ.

I'm no John Paton. Tonight I stammered and was shifty as I spoke to my inquiring, unbelieving brother-in-law about Jesus. God has used stammerers before (Abraham, Moses, perhaps Paul), but it was courage that was lacking tonight.

There was something else besides Paton's boldness that would be very out of place in the churches I've seen in Georgia. He was an ardent Sabbatarian. He'd be shocked to find it commonplace for churches to hire people to work the nursery on the Sabbath. Given our history, it does seem rather a strange thing to find in Presbyterian circles.

Speaking of churches, mine now has their web site up and running. In less than two years, this church has progressed from Happy/Clappy worship to enjoying God through liturgical worship and weekly Communion. And, by the way, it's doubled in size.