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Walking in the Underserved
Keith A. Ogden
$14.95
"With
professional precision, but fueled by a preacher's passion, Dr.
Keith Ogden hands us the building blocks for restoring compassion
in the house of God. He dissects biblically the blessings of Mercy
and Compassion. This book challenges the reader to see other
people through the eyes of the Savior and thus dawn on the lens of
the Holy Spirit. For when we see trash, the Master sees treasure,
when we see garbage the Creator of the universe sees gold."
Dr. Willie McLaurin
Ministry Strategist
Tennessee Baptist Convention
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Asheville, North Carolina
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FOREWORD
The Road Less Traveled
Dr. Keith Ogden revisits the “road less traveled”– this is the
road that leads to compassion. In an age of combat compassion is a
balm in the context of ecclesiastical conflict that can make the
wounded whole. Centered around the principle of mercy and giving
and depicted in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the author
picturesquely demonstrates how mercy is lived out in the three
year ministry of the Master himself. He is careful in contending
that the mercy motive and mercy act are only initiated and
executed by the Lord, thus avoiding humanism -which is the attempt
of humans to live compassionately in their own human power and
strength. Although the more demonstrable and sensational gifts of
the Spirit– prophecy, teaching and proclamation are much more
desired by many believers, mercy is a service gift provided by the
Same Spirit which buttresses the believers personal witness to the
lost. It is the gospel microcosmically examined for as the author
reminds us Christ, the wounded, trades places with wounded
humanity and by his wounds we are healed. This is, as the author
puts it “mercy at its best.”
The author weaves the thread of his work within the
fabric of his pastoral personal experiences thus capturing the law
of reciprocity– the law of sowing and reaping. This work marries
the spiritual and the social and does not allow them to be
detached in the ministry of the believer. As one reads this work
it will become apparent that the author is participating in a
soliloquy, a running conversation with himself– that he allows the
reader to drop in on so that the reader will hopefully overhear
and extend the soliloquy so that it becomes a colloquium in the
proclamation, within both the sanctuary and the Christian
classroom. Ultimately the author paints a portrait of the work of
God in salvation history. God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit not
only saves the believer through mercy but also sustains the
believer through mercy in order that the believer may show mercy.
According to the author believers engage the mind to see troubled
humanity on the road, to sense, to search for and suffer with
broken humanity in the ditch and to serve needy humanity. This
emulates the Master who being full of mercy came to “bring good
news to the poor, proclaim release to the captive and recovery of
sight to the blind and to let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4:18).
I commend this book to everyone who would be an imitator of the
Master’s mercy.
Robert Smith, Jr.
Beeson Divinity School
Birmingham, Alabama
Professor of Christian Preaching
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