Quest Ministries: The Man Who Loves Literature

Monday, May 18, 2009

The Man Who Loves Literature

I just added a new link to "Sites I Recommend." The site has the rather mundane title "Earl Palmer Ministries", but it features a man who has had a profound influence on me. Earl Palmer doesn't even know me but, through his sermons and lectures, he has encouraged me to read classic literature as a "means of grace" (is that too strong a term?).

A few of Earl Palmer's more recent "talks" are posted on his website. This morning I listened to his presentation titled "The Heart Has Its Reasons: Blaise Pascal's" (11/10/08). You can listen to this lecture by clicking on http://www.earlpalmer.org/resources.html and scrolling through the talks until you find the aforementioned title. In that lecture Palmer briefly discusses Pascal's "thought" that begins, "All men seek happiness. There are no exceptions." Palmer makes the comment that this is the great "God-shaped Vacuum" statement by Pascal. That "thought" is of interest to me because it (along with similar statements by St. Augustine and C. S. Lewis) provides the basis of my work in Quest Ministries--the great longing that characterizes humanity.

Here is Pascal's crucial description of the human condition. "What else does this craving, and this [human] helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself."

No comments:

Post a Comment

PROFILE

Contact Information:

Experience:

For over forty years Stan has developed people and organizations through preaching, teaching, organizing, writing, motivating, and listening. He especially enjoys interacting with people in one-to-one and group settings.

Stan has a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell. In 2012, he completed a certificate program in spiritual direction from Selah (http://leadershiptransformations.org/selah.htm).

Stan also loves to help people navigate life’s challenges by discussing popular stories. Fiction written by C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, and a host of others help us understand how God’s Story interacts with our own.

Specialty Skills:

Organizing people, events, and projects

Analyzing challenges, and proposing and implementing solutions

Creative writing

Conversant with computer software and the Internet

Video-conferencing via Skype and other software

Accomplishments:

Stan led an organization that was on the brink of disbanding. Through his leadership it became a more vibrant cohesive group, optimistic about its future. He led its members in group activities. He also worked with its leaders to evaluate and update the organization's purpose, financial health, and organizational structure. As a result, the group became healthier, larger, and more outward focused and welcoming.

He led a group in a ten-week discussion of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The majority of the participants read 100 pages per week to prepare for their sessions. He met with the group for two hours each week to discuss the contents, truths, and applications of this beautiful piece of literature.

For several years Stan led a multi-week training course for an organization. The purpose of the training was to help members understand and communicate the organization's core values with potential members. He recruited people to be part of the training, taught them how to clearly express the principles, and provided the means for them to be in touch with potential members. Leaders emerged from this training program, confident in their ability to communicate.