Diary of a Pastor's Soul

March 2, 2020
Barnes (Searching for Home), president of Princeton Theological Seminary, shares his experiences of ministry work in this reflective and partially fictionalized diary. Barnes writes that his decision to mix fact and fiction was due to pastoral confidentiality and because he wanted “to rewrite some of my own stories that I might have lived differently if I had known then what I know now.” The entries address a wide array of topics, among them what to think about the desire to have a relaxing morning at home instead of attending, the experience of guiding kids and parents through the college application process, and how to approach the firing of a long-term employee. Throughout, he questions his effectiveness—as when he failed to fully empathize and relate to a sick child while keeping his own cancer a secret. This thoughtful though opaque work will propel readers to reflect on their own vocation. Agent: Kathryn Helmers, Creative Trust.