You Lift Me Up: Overcoming Ministry Challenges - Softcover

... this reviewer must say of You Lift Me Up, among modern works on pastoral theology, what David said of Goliath's sword: "There is none like it, give it to me." Read it and buy a copy for a friend in the ministry whom you care for and love dearly. -- New Horizons This is an honest, incisive, and realistic treatment of the subject of ministerial burnout. There is a most helpful mixture here of spiritual insight and commonsense, and the result should be of benefit to all pastors in Christ's flock, and ultimately to the flock itself. Ministerial burnout has reached epidemic proportions in many parts of the world, and this work could be much used to alleviate that situation. The eight specific warnings are all well-handled from Scripture, history, and pastoral experience. May it do much good! -- Peter Barnes, Author, lecturer, Reyesby Presbyterian Church, Reyesby, New South Wales, Australia How thrilling was Albert Martin's arrival on the scene in England in the late 60s. He seemed to have taken all that was the very best of evangelical preaching from the Puritans, and the preachers of the Evangelical Awakening, from M'Cheyne in Scotland and from Princeton in New Jersey, from Ryle and Spurgeon, from auditing the classes of John Murray at Westminster Seminary, and he mined all this rich seam of experiential Calvinism and he brought out jewels. He preached to the mind, affections and consciences of his hearers and impacted them so that in the succeeding years as he returned to our conferences the numbers increased. God's blessing was on him and on us. What we experienced in England was also replicated in the USA. Now in retirement from the pastorate this substantial work has appeared. It is on a theme familiar enough to the Puritans, on ministerial credibility and backsliding. How discerning and searching our fathers were in analysing the marks of such declension and the means of ministerial revival. May this be the first of a number of books to come from Albert Martin to the good of the whole church, especially its servants the preachers. -- Geoff Thomas At a formative stage in my ministry I came across his messages on "Ministerial Backsliding and Burnout". So, I am delighted to know that these messages are being given a fresh lease of life through this book and being made available to a new generation of ministers. For sure, I owe an incalculable debt to the truths contained in these pages. -- Conrad Mbewe Give this relatively short book a cover-to-cover reading each year. -- Mark McDowell I'm so thankful that Pastor Martin's years of pastoral experience and wisdom are now being made available to the church in this wonderful book. I believe it will save many ministries and spare many families and churches the grief of burned-out, knocked-out, and washed-out pastors. -- David Murray Satan attacks a pastor in various ways. Sometimes he tempts him to gross and scandalous sins. However, sometimes the devil sneaks in quietly. He distracts us from what is most important. He twists one good activity into an excuse to neglect another duty. He subtly appeals to our pride to make us act as if we have no needs or limitations. Al Martin's book exposes these dangers, and is eminently helpful to preserve a pastor for long-term service to the glory of God. I heartily recommend it for men aspiring to ministry, for men in ministry, and for all those who love them. -- Joel R. Beeke The author brings to this volume a lifetime of Christian ministry, studious preparation and experience in teaching pastors... May this book transform and help to sustain many of us. -- Edward Donnelly We are thankful to have in these pages the wisdom and experience of a preacher to whom so many of us are indebted. -- Iain Murray

It happens little by little. . . Even in the context of a very faithful ministry, a pastor may be at risk of a gradual-but ultimately debilitating-downfall. Al Martin speaks from years of experience as he guides pastors to identify warning signs of dangerous paths: * Backsliding-a spiritual decline manifested first in the prayer closet. * Burnout-erosion of one's mental, emotional, psychological, and physical resiliency and buoyancy. * Washout-the loss of credibility among the people.