With my wife Sue, in 1983, and Mr J. Oswald Sanders,
whose books have had a profound impact on my life.

John Wesley knew the importance of reading good books when he exhorted the younger ministers of the Wesleyan Society to “either read or get out of the ministry.” Obviously Wesley had a passion for reading in the midst of a very busy life. Most of his reading was done on horseback. Often he rode 80 kilometres (50 miles) and sometimes 145 kilometres (90 miles) in a day. His habit was to ride with a volume of science or history or medicine propped on his saddle. In the process he …

The Bible is one of the best books that I know on leadership. Whenever God wanted to get something done, He usually raised up a leader or a group of leaders to achieve His purposes. These people were not necessarily the most obvious choices at times, but God didn’t always see people as we are conditioned to see people.

Accordingly, it is possible for a person to be in a position of leadership without having the influence of a leader and it is possible to be a leader without being in the position of a leader. Ultimately, spiritual leadership has to do with the acceptance of responsibility and being …

  Rod, Sue’s Mum Lenora (aged 90), and Sue on the occasion of their enrolment as soldiers  with the Salvation Army, January 15th 2012.

It was while I was preparing the funeral service of my wife Sue’s mother, that I was impacted by the importance of generations. For Sue’s mum had just been promoted to glory (a Salvation Army term) and with her passing at the age of 96, she would be the last of her generation.

I decided to reflect on this thought at the funeral service as Sue and I would now be members of the remaining senior generation in our family line. It was a defining moment and …