Meet Justin Nale

Justin Nale is the pastor of Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, NC. You can read Justin's blog here. I've known Justin for a few years and have been helped and challenged by his friendship. JN (as I refer to him) has a deep love for the local church, evangelism, and the person and work of Jesus Christ.

I don't personally know anyone more passionate about getting pastors together for fellowship and encouragement than JN. In many ways he reminds me of Mark Dever (only Dever has elder-led congregationalism right - insert smiley face here). JN is also an expert on all things relating to Satan and demons.
I once wrote a post called, "5 Reasons I'm Thankful for Justin Nale."

JN, thanks for your time! Please describe your morning devotions. What time do you wake up in the morning? How much time do you spend reading, meditating, praying, etc.? What are you presently reading?
My wife and I are seeking to maintain an “in bed by 11, up at 7” sleeping schedule. This isn’t easy for me since I’ve always loved reading till the wee hours of the morning and then sleeping till 8 or 9. My devotions are seldom done early in the morning. Instead, I try and get menial tasks done during the AM hours and do my more important things (Bible Study, prayer, sermon preparation, etc.) during the PM hours. This isn’t best for everybody, but it definitely works better for me. My devotional time is spent largely on straight Bible reading, as much as I can get in (often 5, 10, or more chapters), interspersed with short prayers about the things I’m reading. I’m currently back in Exodus – getting ready to get into all those repetitive latter chapters about the tabernacle. This time is supplemented by regular walks around the neighborhood in which I spend time in prayer, Scripture memorization, and listening to audio sermons (Andy Davis, recently) or good thoughtful music (Andrew Peterson, almost always). These walks have contained some of the most precious moments of my life.

What book(s) are you currently reading in these three categories: (a) for your soul, (b) for pastoral ministry, or (c) for personal enjoyment?

My deacons and I all get Ligonier’s Tabletalk Devotional. I usually try and devour the whole magazine in a day or two when it comes in the mail (not exactly the way you are supposed to use it.) I’ve done similar things lately with the new Jerry Bridges devotional book. My reading right now is mostly composed of Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics, books on ancient Israel (preparing for an Old Testament sermon series), and a book on Alexander the Great.

Apart from Scripture, what book do you most frequently re-read and why?

Henry Scudder’s The Christian’s Daily Walk. It never fails to humble or convict.

When you finish a book, what system have you developed in order to remember and reference that book in the future?
I used to write page numbers and the Scripture passages they deal with in the front covers of the books, keeping a database of these on my computer. I’ve slackened off in recent days – I found that I seldom made use of the system. I don’t use a lot of illustrations or quotes in my sermons, and when I do, they tend to be things that have freshly affected me in recent days.

If you could study under any theologian in church history (excluding those men in Scripture), who would it be and why?

Not an easy question. Maybe Edwards or Owen.

What single piece of counsel (or constructive criticism) has most improved your preaching?
John Owen’s counsel that a preacher only preaches a sermon well when that sermon has first been preached to his own soul. If I haven’t been freshly affected and challenged by the passage I’m preaching on, I probably shouldn’t preach on it.

What books on preaching, or examples of it, have you found most influential in your own preaching?
The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Piper), Preaching and Preachers (Lloyd-Jones), Feed My Sheep (edited by Kistler).

What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your effective use of time?
A professor in college gave to me the oft-repeated advice to focus on the depth of my ministry and let God deal with the breadth of the ministry. This has taught me to focus my time more on the essentials of preaching, pasturing, and praying and less on promoting, programming, etc.

What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your leadership?

This wasn’t counsel I received but a realization I came to about a year and a half ago. Basically, it suddenly occurred to me that God will sanctify and mature His Church. Therefore, I don’t need to push and shove and hurry my flock into biblical changes that they are not ready for. Rather, I should preach, pray, love, and enjoy the journey, trusting that God will bring about the appropriate changes in His own time. No matter how much is accomplished in my lifetime, my church will never be perfect until Christ comes and does in one second what I could never do had I lived a thousand years. That has become a very helpful perspective for me.

Where in ministry are you most regularly tempted to discouragement?
Taking things too personally.

Do you exercise? If so, what do you do? If not, why not? (Please be specific.)

Mainly walking. I have some weights, but my back has made those exercises somewhat troublesome. I try and have three or four substantial walks a week – more in the warmer months.

Currently, what sport do you like to play and/or watch?
Not baseball. I can’t stand watching baseball. I enjoy NFL football the most, college basketball 2nd. I don’t actively play any sports. Unless bass fishing counts.

What do you do for leisure?
reading, Wii golf, fishing, walking

If you were not in ministry, what occupational path would you have chosen?
I was an English minor. I think I would have enjoyed journalism or something similar.