Thoughts on Owning a Nissan Leaf

This isn't one of my typical theology/Bible/Jesus posts, but I thought it might be helpful. Last year I posted, in an article titled "Christianity, Conservativism, and Climate Change: Confessions of an Evangelical Environmentalist," some of my first attempts at articulating a gospel-centered theology of environmentalism, and some of the practical steps those ideas have caused me to take. To read that article, go here: http://theophilus318.blogspot.com/2013/01/christianity-conservatism-and-climate.html.

One of those practical steps is that I drive a 2012 Nissan Leaf- a fully electric car that not only saves me money on gas, but is a ton of fun to drive and as well as easy on the environment. Recently, I've had several people who are considering purchasing a Leaf ask me for advice/opinions/etc. The following was how I replied to one friend who is considering purchasing a Leaf and wanted my honest thoughts on the benefits and drawbacks of driving electric. I wrote this email to her, but since then several other people have asked me similar questions, so I thought I would take these thoughts and make them public. This is my best attempt, as an unapologetic EV-cheerleader, to be balanced and fair in my assessment and recommendation of the Leaf. I hope it helps you.

BENEFITS

I think the biggest benefit of the Nissan Leaf is the low monthly cost to operate. When considered side by side against any new gas car, you simply cannot own a new car for cheaper. The cheapest deal on any other new car you could find might be a $100-$150 monthly payment... but then you'll be spending another $100-$150+ on gas, plus maintenance, oil changes, etc. The Nissan Leaf is available for as low as $199/month lease... and that's basically the only cost. My Leaf adds about $20-30 onto my electric bill every month. And that's it. There's no gas, no oil changes, no transmission, no maintenance costs at all except tires. Even the brakes last way longer than a "normal" car, because it uses regenerative braking, which makes the brake pads last a lot longer. In the 2 years I've had my car, the only maintenance cost I've had was to replace the tires because I ran over a bolt. I figure I've saved $500 in maintenance costs alone over the last two years-- not to mention that I used to spend $300+ on gas each month, and now spend $30 on electricity.

Here's a little math to help you see how much cheaper an electric car is per mile. Let's say, just to have some nice easy round numbers, that a normal car would get 30 mpg and gas costs $3.00/gallon (I know it's a little cheaper than that now, but it's usually more expensive). 30 mpg and $3.00 per gallon means that fuel for a gas car costs $0.10 per mile-- not including all the oil changes and other maintenance. 

Compare that to the Leaf: it goes about 4 miles per kWh, and a kWh costs about $0.12 from BGE. That means the cost per mile of a Leaf is $0.03-- less than a third of a gas car-- and there's no other maintenance to factor in. If you use free public charging or can get your electricity cheaper (mine only costs $0.06 per kWh!), it's even cheaper.  When I add in maintenance costs and those other potential savings, I've found that the operating cost of my Leaf is about 1/10 the cost of a gas car- $0.01 per mile.

With my car, I've found that the gas savings literally pays for itself. My car payment is $249/month-- which is considerably less than I used to pay in gas every month. For me, trading in my old car for a brand new electric one meant instant monthly savings. Your savings could be more or less-- depending on how much you drive (see below for some practical considerations in that department).

The last two benefits to driving an electric car are not as important, but they're still big. First, electric cars are just way more fun to drive. They're silent, smooth, quick accelaration, instant response, 100% torque, low center of gravity, etc. Every time I get in my wife's Camry I remember how much I hate internal combustion engines. I didn't realize how frustrating the response and lag time and shifting gears and constant rumble of gas engines was until I got away from it. Now, I would never ever go back.

The third benefit may or may not be important to you: electric cars are way more environmentally friendly. No tailpipe = no harmful emissions, no CO2, etc. You can turn it on in your agarage and not worry about dying of carbon monoxide poisoning. Driving an electric car, you're helping the environment and reducing our dependency on foreign oil. The Nissan Leaf is made entirely in Nashville, Tennnessee-- you're driving an American-made car running on entirely American-made fuel that, even when you take power plant emissions into account, is 50-60% cleaner than gas cars.

DRAWBACKS

In my opinion, the advantages of electric driving far outweigh the negatives--  but there are negatives, and you'll have to weigh how important they are to you. The main drawback to electric driving is range; a gas car can go 300 miles without refuelling; the Leaf can only go about 80. While there are a lot of public charging stations around, and even some quick charging stations that can completely refill the battery in 20 minutes, the reality of electric driving is that the Nissan Leaf is not a road trip car. If you want to go to the beach, you'll need annother car (however, Nissan includes up to 10 days of free loaner cars with every Leaf-- I used that last year when we went on vacation). You can do shorter regional road trips, but it requires planning ahead, looking up charging stations, and longer wait times. With some planning, I've taken the Leaf to Hersheypark, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, but trips beyond that aren't really practical.

An 80-mile range means that the car will be perfect for day-to-day driving, commuting, running errands, etc, but it's helpful to have access to another car if something comes up that requires a lot of driving. For example, one day I knew I was going to have to drive all over kingdom come running errands, and I didn't want to have to schedule in charging times, so I took Sarah's car that day instead. If the Leaf is your only car, 95% of the time it will be everything you need... but the other 5% of the time might be a pain if you have no other options.

The only other drawback I can think of is also related to range: temperature affects the range more than I'd like. As you've probably discovered if you've ever left your phone out in the car all night, cold temperatures lower the capacity of lithium-ion batteries. In the summer, I get about 90 miles of range out of the Leaf. In the winter, when it's really cold, I only get about 60. In addition, the heater in an electric car draws a lot of power. In a gas car, the heat comes from all the excess wasted heat generated by how inefficient the engine is. But an electric car has to have a separate electric heater, and in the depths of winter I've found that can take another 5-10 miles off the range. Cold weather, plus power for the heater, means that I more often have range issues in the winter, and trips can sometimes take a little more planning. This may or may not be an issue for you; it depends on how much you'll be driving each day. For someone like me, who drives at least 60 miles a day, that reduced range in winter can be a pain. But if you'll only be driving 20 miles a day, it will never be an issue.

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The main thing you need to think through when considering an electric car is, How far do you drive in a typical day? If you're driving 40 miles or less each day, you'll never have to think about range; you'll just plug it in when you get home and never worry about it, and you'll wonder where electric cars have been all your life and how you ever got along without them. If you drive 40-80 miles a day, the Leaf will work for you, but it will be a bigger commitment and will force you to think about driving in a different way, and sometimes you'll have to plan ahead. I fall into that category, and after two years of driving, I know where every public charger in central Maryland is, I intuitively plan my days based on how far I have to drive, and I usually take back roads instead of freeways because range is a lot better at slower speeds. I've gotten used to it and usually don't find it to be much of a hassle, and still think that the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, but that sort of range-aware lifestyle isn't for everyone. And if you're going to be consistently or regularly driving more than 80 miles a day, the Leaf probably isn't for you. If you're commuting to DC, for example, you could make it work if you tried-- there are enough quick chargers that it wouldn't add that much time to your commute-- but the hassle would be frustrating.

The question of how far you'll drive each day will also influence how much money you'll save with an electric car. Since I was spending $300 a month on gas, switching to the Leaf was a budgetary no-brainer. But if you only spend $50 a month on gas, an inexpensive, efficient gas car might possibly be cheaper. Personally, I would still choose electric, but if your main concerns are monetary, it's worth it to sit down and do the math: $0.10-$0.15 per mile for a gas car, $0.01-$0.03 per mile for the Leaf, and figure out how much you'll save and if it's worth it for you. 

The other thing you'll have to think about with electric cars is the question of new vs. used cars and buying vs. leasing. You mentioned you were thinking about a 2012 Leaf-- I'm assuming that's a used car. I'm curious to know how much that costs-- I'm not very familiar with the market for used electric cars. 

I would recommend leasing a new Leaf because of the tax credits associated with electric cars. The Leaf starts at $29,000 MSRP, and there's a $7,500 federal tax credit and $3,000 maryland tax credit if you buy it. The problem with those tax credits is that they're not the same as "$10,000 off sticker price!" You have to buy the car for $29,000, and then when you file your taxes, you claim the tax credit. But you and I don't actually make enough money to actually get all $10,000 back as a tax credit; I would probably only get about half of that back. That's why, unless you make enough money to qualify for the full tax credit, those tax credits aren't as good a deal as they sound.

But leasing is a different story. When you lease a car, technically the car company owns the vehicle, so they get the whole tax credit. What that means, in essence, is that the $10,000 tax credit subsidizes your lease payments and makes them a lot lower than they would be for a normal $29,000 car. For example, if I leased a $29,000 Toyota, it would probably cost $400 a month. But because those tax credits are rolled into the cost of my lease, the lease on my $29,000 Leaf only costs me $249 a month-- and depending on your credit score, the price can be as low as $199/month. The extra-low monthly lease is what makes electric cars so affordable. Leasing is a little more complicated than buying outright, with some fine print you need to be aware of, so if you go that direction, make sure you talk to someone you trust who understands leasing and can help you understand everything.

IN SUMMARY

To summarize, I love my Nissan Leaf, and it is the single best purchase I've ever made. It saves me money, is a ton of fun to drive, and good for the environment and the country to boot. The limited range usually isn't too restrictive for me, but has forced me to change how I think about driving. The subsidized lease price makes it surprisingly affordable and even money-saving for most people.

One final thought, to address a criticism of electric cars that I've heard a lot. Many people complain about the range and say, "Electric cars don't make sense unless they can go 300 miles and refuel in 5 minutes like gas cars. Plugging it in all the time would be a pain!" I think that's false. The only time I ever drive anywhere close to 300 miles is once a year when I go on vacation. Every other day of the year, I don't need a car that can go 300 miles; 80 miles is perfectly sufficient. And plugging it in isn't a pain at all; honestly, I think it's way more convenient than having to go to a gas station once or twice a week. When I get home, I pull into my driveway and plug it in, and in the morning I have a full battery. I never have to stop at the gas station; every morning my "tank" is full without me ever having to think about it. How could it possibly be any more convenient?! The difference between a gas car and an electric car is like the difference between my smartphone and a phone that runs on AA batteries. Yes, I have to charge my smartphone every night, and a phone that runs on AA batteries probably last longer than my iPhone's battery. But I don't want to have to go out to the store and buy more batteries every time my phone dies; I want to be able to just plug it in at night and not think about it. That's exactly what the difference between electric cars and gas cars is like. Yes, your gas car might go farther than my Leaf, but at least I don't have to go to the store every time my tank is empty. Every morning I have a full tank without any extra effort or time on my part. If we're comparing on the basis of convenience, I win.

John Newton: Plead Our Cause

"He will plead our cause, and fight our battles; He will pardon our mistakes, and teach us to do better."

John Newton: Little in our own eyes

"Oh! to be little in our own eyes! This is the ground-work of every grace; this leads to a continual dependence upon the Lord Jesus."

John Newton: Who Are We?

"Who are we, that the Most High should thus notice us; should visit us every morning, and water us every moment? It is an astonishing thought, that God should dwell thus with men; that He, before whom the mightiest earthly potentates are less than nothing and vanity, should thus stoop and accommodate himself to the situation, wants, and capacities of the weakest, meanest, and poorest of his children."

John Newton: His Glory, Our Safety

"His own glory is most displayed, and our safety best secured, by keeping us quite poor and empty in ourselves, and supplying us from one minute to another, according to our need."

John Newton: Bounty

"The believer lives, like Israel in the wilderness, upon mere bounty; but then it is a bounty unchangeable, unwearied, inexhuastible, and all-sufficient."

John Newton: The Privilege of a Believer

"How great and honourable is the privilege of a true believer! That he has neither wisdom nor strength in himself is no disadvantage; for he is connected with infinite wisdom and almighty power."

John Newton: The Thought of Him

"The thought of him who is always near, and upon whom we do and must incessantly depend, should suggest a powerful motive for the closest attention to his revealed will, and the most punctual compliance with it."

John Newton: New Service, New Supply

"For every new service I stand in need of a new supply, and can bring forth nothing of my supposed store into actual exercise, but by his immediate assistance."

John Newton: Better Than I Deserve

C.J. Mahaney is well-known for responding to questions of how he was doing with "Better than I deserve." What he meant by that was, "As a sinner I deserve absolutely nothing from God, so every good thing in my life is sheer grace; and as a child of God in the recipient of extravagant merciful promises like Romans 8:28, so every hard thing in my life is planned and purposed by my Father for good." Truly, I'm doing better than I deserve. 

"Under all trials and afflictions, the believer should look to the hand of the Lord, and lay his mouth in the dust, acknowledging that he suffers much less than his iniquities have deserved."

John Newton: Humility

"Whoever is truly humbled will not be easily angry, and will be compassionate and tender to the infirmities of his fellow-sinners, knowing that if there be a difference in him it is grace that has made it, and that he has the seeds of every evil in his own heart."

John Newton: Would Have Perished

"Believers dare not, they will not ascribe anything to themselves, but are glad to acknowledge, that they would have perished (if possible) a thousand times over, if Jesus had not been their Saviour, their Shepherd, and their Shield."

John Newton: Nothing Can Separate

"But when, after a long experience of their own deceitful hearts, after repeated proofs of their weakness, willfulness, ingratitude, and insensibility, believers find that none of these things can separate them from the love of God in Christ, Jesus becomes more and more precious to their souls. They love much, because they have been forgiven much."

John Newton: Unchangeableness of Love

"The unchangeableness of the Lord’s love, and the riches of his mercy, are more illustrated by the multiplied pardons He bestows upon his people, than if they needed no forgiveness at all."

John Newton: In the Beloved

"Believers are not considered as in themselves, but as one with Jesus, to whom they have fled for refuge, and by whom they live a life of faith. They are accepted in the Beloved."

John Newton: Overruled

"If the evils we feel were not capable of being overruled for good, He would not permit them to remain in us."

John Newton: A Gospel Irony

It's a sad irony in our response to the gospel that, though we claim God's mercy is free, we keep trying to pay for it. We say the cross opens access to the throne of grace, yet whenever we stumble we are afraid to approach. We say that nothing we can do can earn God's favor which is already ours in Jesus, and yet we are still insecure in his love. Do we really believe this gospel?

"I am invited to take the water of life freely, yet often discouraged, because I have nothing wherewith to pay for it."

John Newton: The Pleasure and Business of My Life

"I embrace it as a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; and it is the main pleasure and business of my life, to set forth the necessity and all-sufficiency of the Mediator between God and Man, and to make mention of his righteousness, even of his only."

John Newton: Vile in Our Own Eyes

One of John Newton's recurring themes, well-proved in his own life, is that the more we know of our sin, the more we will love our Savior. This is not to say that a morbid depression over our failings is what is in order; no, every look at our sin should be accompanied by a look to the cross. If we even scratch the surface of self-awareness of our sin, that should mean many, many looks at the cross every day. "The one who is forgiven much, loves much."

"The more vile we are in our own eyes, the more precious He will be to us; and a deep repeated sense of the evil of our hearts is necessary to preclude all boasting, and to make us willing to give the whole glory of our salvation where it is due."

John Newton: Indwelling Sin

"Even the distressing effects of the remnants of indwelling sin are overruled for good. By these experiences the believer is weaned more from self, and taught more highly to prize and more absolutely to rely on him, who is appointed to us of God, Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption."

John Newton: Mark Driscoll

The evangelical blog, Twitter, Favebook circles that I run in, as well as (sadly) the secular news, has been alight the last few weeks over the reported failings of Mark Driscoll, pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. His fall from prominent Refirmed pastor, speaker, and author to current pariah has been grievous and, apparently, a long time in the making. While we may be saddened when our faith heroes fall, we shouldn't be surprised. John Newton, 250 years ago, had similar experiences, as has the Church throughout her tumultuous, sinful history. Newton's advice on this subject is particularly timely:

"When we hear that others fall it should make us thankful and watchful for ourselves. Thankful, for it is grace alone that makes us to differ. Watchful, for our hearts are equally deceitful and Satan is continually plotting and practicing against us likewise."

John Newton: What Trifles

It is sadly true that we simultaneously confess that Jesus is our Savior, Lord, and Treasure; and then ignore Him so frequently, and are drawn away from Him by such insignificant trifles, that it seems we hardly believe that at all. Oh, that my cold, sinful heart would treat Him as He deserves!

"Ah! what trifles are capable of shutting Him out of our thoughts, of whom we say, He is the Beloved of our souls, who loved us, and gave himself for us, and whom we have deliberately chosen as our chief good and portion!"

John Newton: Beyond Death

"This God is our God forever and ever!  He will be our guide even unto death; and beyond death, to the land of life and joy, where we shall hear the voice of war no more."

An Initiative To Get Serious About Pro-Life

What if Christians opposed to abortion not primarily with protests but by opening our homes and lives to vulnerable mothers and children?

What if pro-life people were known not by our picket lines but by our radical, sacrificial efforts to provide homes for unwanted babies?

What if every woman who was considering an abortion could walk into a crisis pregnancy center and find that her pregnancy and delivery costs would be covered and her baby able to be adopted by a loving family? What if pro-life organizations and churches banded together to fund and streamline adoptions for families willing to radically love like this? What if there was an initiative, a program, a ministry, that could fund and coordinate these efforts by uniting donors, churches, families, and government adoption agencies? What if this is the way that Jesus is calling us to take a stand for life-- not just voting a certain way, but living and sacrificing for this cause?

Seriously: what can we do to make this happen?

For too long, abortion has been treated in the church as a political issue. It's not; it's a gospel issue. It's a discipleship issue. It's a "love as I have loved you" issue. Politics is easier than gospel-driven, lay-down-your-life discipleship. It's easier to hold a sign and shout slogans than to open your home and your heart and upend your life to heal to the hurting and rescue those being sent to slaughter. But Jesus has called us to more than slogans; he has called us to sacrifice. Only that kind gospel-driven discipleship changes hearts and changes nations. 

So here's what I'm proposing: let's take back the pro-life agenda from the pundits, politicians, and lobbyists by uniting churches and organizations around an explicitly gospel-driven mission to love vulnerable women and rescue vulnerable babies.

Here's what I see needs to happen:

1) we need individuals and families willing to be radical in their obedience to Jesus and their love for the least of these by adopting every baby who would otherwise be aborted. We also need families who will not just adopt babies, but who will "adopt," take care of, provide for, and love young women who would otherwise choose abortion.

2) We need donors and churches to sacrificially fund both these adoptions and the care for these young women. We need to cover pregnancy and delivery costs, as well as adoption costs.

3) We need to network with crisis pregnancy centers and government adoption agencies to streamline this process so that crisis pregnancy centers can smoothly and efficiently connect willing families with vulnerable women, and handle the paperwork, costs, and legal issues associated with adoption in the United States.

4) We need some sort of ministry, initiative, or program to coordinate all these moving pieces and raise funds and awareness for this vital work.

I don't know how to make this happen. I don't know who to talk to or what steps to take. Somebody who reads this: please, take this idea and run with it. Make this happen. What I do know is that it's time to stop talking the talk and time to start walking the walk, and laying down our lives for the least of these, as Jesus is calling us to:

"Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." ~John 13:34-35

"Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,' does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it?" ~Proverbs 24:11-12

"Is not this the kind of fasting that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily... If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday." ~Isaiah 58:6-10

John Newton: How Pleasant

"Oh, how pleasant to lean upon an almighty arm, and to commit ourselves without anxiety to the guidance of infinite wisdom and love!"

John Newton: Pearls and Pebbles

"When the Lord has put us in possession of the pearl of great price, the gain or loss of a pebble was hardly worth a serious thought."

John Newton: A Believer's Privileges

"What a mercy it is to know that all is in safe hands; that sickness and health, comfort and affliction, life or death, are equally in the inventory of a believer’s privileges- all equally blessings, though some in one view are apparent more so."

John Newton: Mourning, Rejoicing II

"We may well mourn that our love to the Lord is so faint and wavering; but oh! what a cause of joy to know that his love to us is infinite and unchangeable."

John Newton: Mourning, Rejoicing

Newton says we should be "sorrowful yet always rejoicing" when contemplating God's work in our lives, for we have so much evil remaining in us, and and endless supply of grace in him. 

"We have reason to mourn that there is such an opposition within us to all that is good; and we have reason to rejoice, for Jesus is all-sufficient, and we are complete in him."

John Newton: The Morning of Joy

"The Lord can easily give more than ever He will take… a time of weeping must come, but the morning of joy will make amends for all."

John Newton: Comforts and Crosses

I love how Newton connects God's sovereignty to the cross. Most of the time our doubts, fears, and sins fall into one of two categories: either we doubt God's sovereignty, or we doubt his goodness. At the cross, and in this quote, we see both of them together. What a comfort it is to know that the sovereign hand that guides every moment of our lives is the same hand that was nailed to the cross for us!

"As to daily occurrences, it is best to believe that a daily portion of comforts and crosses, each one the most suitable to our case, is adjusted and appointed by the hand which was once nailed to the cross for us."

John Newton: Assurance

This is longer quote, but worth reading in its entirety. John Newton wrote to a young believer who was questioning whether or not he was saved because of the dark season of struggling he was going through. Newton, with pastoral care and wisdom, told him that a comforting sense of God's presence is not the best measure of assurance; rather, passing through the fire of trials is what teaches us to rely on God and proves the reality of our faith. 

"When young Christians are greatly comforted with the Lord’s love and presence, their doubts and fears are for that season at an end. But this is not assurance; as soon as the Lord hides his face, they are troubled, and ready to question the very foundation of hope. Assurance grows by repeated conflict, by our repeated experiential proof of the Lord’s power and goodness to save; when we have been brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again, have given up all hope and suddenly been snatched from danger and placed in safety; and when these things have been repeated to us and in us a thousand times over, we begin to learn to trust simply the word and power of God."

John Newton: Nothing in Himself

"Though the believer is nothing in himself, yet having all in Jesus, he may rejoice in his name all the day."

John Newton: A Crown

"Oh what a crown is prepared for every conquerer, which Jesus, the righteous Judge, the gracious Savior, shall place upon every faithful head with his own hand!"

John Newton: He is Rich

"Though we are poor, He is rich; though we are weak, He is strong; though we have nothing, He possesses everything."

John Newton: Sickness of the Soul

"Sin is the sickness of the soul, in itself mortal and incurable, as to any power in heaven or earth but that of the Lord Jesus only. But He is the great, the infallible Physician."

John Newton: Number Our Days

I'm only 27, and yet these last few years I have felt as though time was speeding up- weeks blink by, months melt away, one season fades quickly into the next. And I'm told that, the older you get, the faster it moves! I feel eternity's accelerating approach. 

The Psalmist prayed, "Teach me to number my days, that I may get a heart of wisdom." Wisdom views this world as it really is- temporal, fleeting, quickly fading away; and wisdom views eternity as it really is- everlasting in its duration, weighty in its significance, accelerating in its approach. And wisdom then lives accordingly. More and more, I want to live my life with eternity in view. "Set your minds on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

"How quick the time flies! Oh that we may have grace to number our days, and to begin to view the things of this world in the light which they will, doubtless, appear in when we are upon the point of leaving them. How many things, which are too apt to appear important now, and to engross too much of our time, and thoughts, and strength, will then be acknowledged as vain and trivial as the imperfect recollection of a morning dream!"

John Newton: He Does All Things Well

"Why should we not trust him at all times? Which part of our past experience can charge him with unfaithfulness? Has He not done all things well? And is He not the same yesterday, today, and forever? O my soul, wait thou only upon him."

John Newton: Let Us Praise Him

"Let us praise him that He has appointed means of grace and seasons of refreshment here below, for a throne of grace, a precious Bible, and returning ordinances."

John Newton: I Should Be Thankful

"I should be thankful; few have more evident causes: I should be humble; none can have greater reason."

John Newton: The Shadow of His Wings

"If He died and rose again, if He ever lives to make intercession, there must be safety under the shadow of his wings: there would I lie."

John Newton: Responsibility of Ministry

John Newton on the responsibility and burden of pastoral ministry:

"It is, indeed, no small thing to stand between God and the people, to divide the word of truth rightly, to give every one their portion, to withstand the counter tides of opposition and popularity, and to press those truths upon others, the power of which, I, at times, feel so little of in my own soul."

John Newton: Never Weary of Jesus

Jesus Chist is an inexhaustible topic. Writing to a friend, Newton explained that his letter-writing was a joy to him primarily because Jesus Christ was a joy to him. His deep love, tender care, and pastoral concern for others was sustained by the unending well of living water that he had found in Jesus. 

"Indeed, we should never be weary of writing and reading about Jesus."

John Newton: One Sight of Jesus

Oh to see Him! One day I will, and the night of weepjng will end as the light of His face dawns on the morning of unending, ever-increasing joy. 

"One sight of Jesus as He is, will fill up our hearts, and dry up all our tears."

John Newton: He Gives More Than He Takes

"He knows how to give more than He takes away, and to cause our consolations to exceed our greatest afflictions. And when we get safe home, we shall not complain that we have suffered too much on the way."

John Newton: Solid Joys, Lasting Treasure

From John Newton's hymn, "Glorious Things Of Thee Are Spoken," based on Psalm 87, which revels in the privileges of the believer and the precious promises held out to all who trust in Christ. This is the last verse. 

Savior, if of Zion's city

I, through grace, a member am

Let the world deride or pity;

I will glory in Thy name. 

Fading is the worldling's pleasure,

All his boasted pomp and show;

Solid joys and lasting treasure

None but Zion's children know

John Newton: Longing for Heaven II

How often, and with what intensity, do you long for heaven? John Newton has a lot to say on this inexhuastible topic. My prayer is that this quote will make you more choke sick for heaven, more eager for your arrival there, and in the meantime less drawn to the trinkets of the world. 

"What shall it be, when all the children of God, who in different ages and countries have been scattered abroad, shall all be gathered together, and enter into the glorious and eternal rest provided for them; when there shall not be one trace of sin or sorrow remaining, not one discordant note to be heard, nothing to disturb or defile, or alleviate the never-ceasing joy? Such is the hope to which God has called us: that day will surely come, as the present day is already arrived; every moment brings on its approach."

John Newton: Sovereignty and Salvation

John Newton's life before coming to know Jesus was one of wanton sin, pleasure-seeking, and despair. When Hod was pleased to call him into His service, Newton, like the Apostle Paul, never forgot who he was or what he deserved. That God would save a wretch like him, when he had neither desired nor looked for grace, was the unceasing wonder of his life. Knowing the depths of his previous sinful state turned the truth that God sovereignly elects and saves, from an intellectual proposition into a precious foundation of hope. 

"Salvation is wholly of grace, not only undeserved but undesired by us until God is pleased to awaken us to a sense of our need of it."

John Newton: Longing for Heaven

John Newton has taught me, more than any other person, about longing for heaven. His letters are full of what I call "homesick happiness," a deep-seated and unsatisfied joy that looks forward to its true home in heaven. More and more, I want to learn from Newton to "look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen," because "this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." For now, the anticipatory joy in that weight of glory is mingled with the homesick longing of this world's light momentary affliction. But oh for that day when joy, and only joy, shall remain!

"What an assembly there will be! What a constellation of glory, when each individual shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father! No sins, sorrows, temptations; no veils, clouds, or prejudices, shall interrupt us then."

John Newton: A Work in Progress

"I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am."

John Newton: A Minister's Honesty

John Newton's grace-soaked humility shines when he talks freely about his own weaknesses. He was always the first to point out his own flaws, and what grieved him most was the sin in his heart that dishonored and drew him away from his highest love, the Lord Jesus. The line from his hymn, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me," is a fitting summary of his life. Today's quote is one of many examples of that kind of gospel humility. Does your pastor speak openly about his struggles like this? Do you?

"If I may speak my own experience, I find that to keep my eye simply on Christ, as my peace and my life, is by far the hardest part of my calling."

John Newton: A Great Sinner with a Great Savior

Towards the end of his life, a friend visited John Newton. Newton was sick and very feeble, but this is what he had to say:

"Although my memory is fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior."

A Year With John Newton

Over the past year or two, I've been reading a lot of the writings of John Newton, specifically his letters. Most people know Newton, if they know him at all, as the author of the hymn Amazing Grace. But while he is well-known for his hymns, his greatest legacy is his letters. Insightful, wise, pastoral, approachable, humble, and worshipful- these describe the letters and the man.  

As I've devoured all of John Newton's writings that I could find, he has become for me what I like to call a "dead mentor," that is, a saint from history from whom I seek to learn and grow and cultivate wisdom. Every time I read one of Newton's letters, I come away thinking, "I want to be like this man!" I have never encountered anyone more amazed by grace, humbled by mercy, passionate for Jesus, loving and gentle towards people, and longing for heaven as John Newton. I want to be like this man!

July 24th was John Newton's 289th birthday. To honor his Savior and share his treasure trove of gospel insight that has so richly blessed me, I will be sharing one John Newton quote every day for the next year, until his 290th birthday. Most of these quotes are from his letters. Below are a couple to whet your appetite. I pray that you will be blessed, encouraged, humbled, and stirred to worship as much as I have. 

"O that name of Jesus! May it be precious to all our hearts and sound sweeter than music in our ears."

"The proofs I have had of the evils of my sinful nature, my incapacity and aversion to good, have neither been small nor few; but by these unpromising means I hope he has made his grace and salvation precious to my soul, and in some measure weaned me from leaning on my own understanding."

"I desire to grow in knowledge, but I want nothing which bears that name which has not a direct tendency to make sin more hateful, Jesus more precious to my soul; and at the same time to animate me to a diligent use of every appointed means, and an unreserved regard to every branch of duty."

John Newton's last words: "I am still in the land of the dying, but I shall soon be in the land of the living."