Meet Mark Gibson

Mark Gibson is the pastor of Reformed Presbyterian Church in Beaumont, TX. You can read Mark's blog here. I was introduced to Mark by Clif Cummings and am extremely thankful to consider him a friend. Mark and I have gone to several conferences together and I genuinely look forward to each time I get to hang out with him. Mark is the most generous man I know. I wish I had kept track of all the books he has given me over the past five years (dozens!). It is rare that I see Mark and don't walk away with additions to my library.

I will never forget the blessing of having Mark attend and participate in my ordination service. He was present during my "examination" and threw me a nice alley-oop with a Luther question about justification by faith. I'm not sure anyone else got it, but he was giving me the opportunity to clarify and stand on the gospel. He was the first one in line to lay hands on me and pray for me.

A few words of caution: Don't fly with Mark, you may not get to your desitnation. And, be sure to bring ear plugs if you are rooming with him at a conference :).

Mark, 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?
I currently use M’Cheyne’s calendar of readings to read the Bible in a year. It ends up being about 4 chapters a day from different parts of the Bible. My wake up time varies with appointments, helping my wife get kids to Mother’s Day out, etc. I usually have my devotional time after I get to the office in the morning, but since I am the only in the building it is quiet and ideal for reading, meditation and prayer. I usually pray before I begin reading, while I am reading and after I am done reading. I also pause and meditate while I read and then again afterwards. This morning’s readings were from Exodus, Luke, Job and 1 Corinthians.

What book(s) are you currently reading in these three categories: (a) for your soul, (b) for pastoral ministry, or (c) for personal enjoyment?
I must admit that my reading is not this structured, though I need to think along these lines. I am currently reading a couple of books by Cornelius Hunter (Darwin’s God and Science’s Blind Spot: the unseen religion of Scientific Naturalism), Outrageous Mercy by Farley, Transforming Grace by Bridges, Jesus Keep me Near the Cross (edited by Guthrie), and Finally Alive by John Piper. I find that all of the current books I am reading are good for all the categories above, I enjoy them, they feed my soul and have immense practical application to pastor ministry.

Apart from Scripture, what book do you most frequently re-read and why?
Pilgrim’s Progress. My spiritual Hero (Spurgeon) reread it all the time and often used it for sermon illustrations (which I do as well). I really like this book and come away from it encouraged and refreshed spiritually.
I also often return to Knowing God. In my opinion it is Packer’s best book and I find it helpful and edifying (especially the critical distinction between merely knowing ABOUT God and truly, experientially KNOWING God.)

When you finish a book, what system have you developed in order to remember and reference that book in the future?
I sadly must admit that I have no “System”, and probably need to think along these lines. Basically, what I do now is dog-ear pages and underline and make notes in the margin and then list page numbers with short notes in the front of the book. I rely too much on my memory which has worked well in the past, but with the growth of my library is getting more difficult.

If you could study under any theologian in church history (excluding those men in Scripture), who would it be and why?
What a difficult question to narrow it down to just one. I would enjoy studying under Puritan Matthew Henry, Theologian Jonathan Edwards, Missionary John G. Patton, Preacher Charles Spurgeon, Pastor J.C. Ryle, and to learn gracious perseverance Charles Simeon.

What single piece of counsel (or constructive criticism) has most improved your preaching?
Be yourself. Like Lloyd-Jones says, it is truth through your personality. Don’t be one person in the pulpit and another out of it. And if I can take the liberty of going outside the “single” limit above, I would say Owen’s admonition that “if the word do not dwell with power in us it will not pass with power from us”. I must preach the text to myself and feel the power of it in my own heart before I can deliver it to others.

What books on preaching, or examples of it, have you found most influential in your own preaching?
Lloyd-Jones Preaching and Preachers, Piper’s Supremacy of God in Preaching.

What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your effective use of time?
I must admit that I need to narrow the gap in this category between what I preach and what I practice.
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today! Redeem the time, for the days are evil.
No one at the second coming will wish they had spent more time watching TV, playing computer games or chess.

What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your leadership?
Being Presbyterian, being a team player, submitting to my fellow elders, has helped me a great deal. I lead, but I do it with a team, we get the elders all on the same page and the church follows.

Where in ministry are you most regularly tempted to discouragement?
Not seeing as much change in myself and others as I would like to see. My own ongoing struggles with sin and the temptation to want to measure God’s blessing by nickels, noses and noise in the life of the church (attendance, giving, and activities).

Do you exercise? If so, what do you do? If not, why not? (Please be specific.)
I do not currently, formally exercise (why not? I am a slothful slug and know that I need to do something but have not yet done what is necessary to address this). I have committed to walking and light weight lifting this year to change this situation. I must say I was strongly tempted to quote 1 Timothy 4:8 in the KJV for this question, but knew it wrong to use spiritual things as a cover for my laziness. :^)
1 Timothy 4:8 (King James Version)
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

Currently, what sport do you like to play and/or watch?
I like to play and watch golf.

What do you do for leisure?
Read, play with my kids, watch tv with my wife, play golf, go to the gun range, play chess.

If you were not in ministry, what occupational path would you have chosen?
Hard to say, but probably teaching.