Is It Possible To Be Too Vulnerable In The Pulpit? - Josh White

Expositors Collective

Josh White, pastor of Door of Hope church in Portland, Oregon, speaks with Mike about the necessity of being honest with ourselves and honest about ourselves as we preach the gospel. They speak about the importance of confession, vulnerability and honesty.

“Truth through Personality is our description of real preaching. The truth must come really through the person, not merely over his lips, not merely into his understanding and out through his pen. It must come through his character, his affections, his whole intellectual and moral being. It must come genuinely through him. I think that granting equal intelligence and study, here is the great difference which we feel between two preachers of the Word. The Gospel has come over one of them and reaches us tinged and flavored with his superficial characteristics, belittled with his littleness. The Gospel has come through the other, and we receive it impressed and winged with all the earnestness that there is in him. In the first case the man has been but a printing machine or a trumpet. In the other case he has been a true man and a real messenger of God.” Phillips Brooks (1835 – 1893)

In Stumbling Toward Eternity: Losing and Finding Ourselves in the Cross of Jesus (Multnomah) writer, pastor, and recording artist Josh White offers confessional stories and theological insights as he interprets the pain and trauma of his own past, the complicated “mixture” of the present, and the beautiful uncertainty of the future through the lens of grace.

Using crisp and honest prose, White reveals why the most familiar symbol of Christianity—the cross of Jesus—is also the most misunderstood. He shows us why the goal of our desperate existence is not arriving at perfection or success but knowing the crucified Christ. You can purchase it here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673914/stumbling-toward-eternity-by-josh-white/

Follow Josh on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KTkQA8GYHDdnF85o70VoO?si=t-H3iah3QJWv-HT8iWZijg

Josh White is a speaker, recording artist, writer, and founding pastor of Door of Hope, a thriving church community in the heart of Portland. He has recorded multiple worship albums, including as the frontman of Telecast. Josh has also produced numerous records, including Liz Vice’s first album, There’s a Light. Josh and his wife, Darcy, reside in Portland, Oregon, with their son and daughter.

Resources Mentioned:

¿Por Qué No? Taqueria https://porquenotacos.square.site/

HTB Church : https://htb.org/

"Lit" by Mary Karr : https://www.marykarr.com/lit.html

Portland Cyclist : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3nMnr8ZirI

Recommended Episodes:

Rafael Manzaneres - The Power and Danger of Personal Illustrations : https://www.expositorscollective.com/podcast/2020/2/24/zj3d28nijrb4moagh63yp2znkqhijs

Armando Garcia - Transparency, Vulnerability and the Pulpit https://www.expositorscollective.com/podcast/2020/4/17/episode-102-transparency-vulnerability-amp-the-pulpit

Attila Nyári - Cultivating Humility : https://www.expositorscollective.com/podcast/2020/4/28/episode-104-cultivating-humility

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