Donnie G. MacDonald
1 How did you become a Christian?
Looking back, I think it may have been when I was six and my mother passed away, it was then that I became aware of something/ someone with me. It is the only way I can explain my spiritual interest throughout my childhood. However, it was when I went to university that I came to an assurance of faith when I dared to confront God with his promise: ‘Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you’.
2 What lessons have you learnt since that you would want to pass on to a younger Christian version of yourself?
Obedience is key to honouring Christ, trust him to equip you for service, and don’t forget to enjoy your God.
3 How would you describe your prayer life?
My prayer life? I constantly chat to God about everything. However, the more focused, purposeful and disciplined prayer life is a constant struggle. I find it easier to be a Nehemiah than a Daniel!
4 Which two or three Christian books apart from the Bible have most influenced your faith?
In my late teens and early twenties, my faith was shaped by reading the writings of people like Thomas Watson and Jonathan Edwards and also Professor John Murray. I loved the Letters of Samuel Rutherford and the Diary of Andrew Bonar. In addition, I have been helped a lot by reading Knowing God by James Packer, The Screwtape Letters and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis and Under the Unpredictable Plant by Eugene Peterson. More recently I have benefitted from the writings of Kevin De Young and Paul Tripp.
5 Who or what have been your biggest Christian influences?
Three women, three men and one family. The women: my Sunday school teacher Annie Macpherson; my stepmother Marina; and my wife Debbie, all of whom encouraged me to serve God and to keep things simple. The men: Donald Campbell who taught me about Christian joy; my minister when I was student, The Revd D. N. Macleod, whose preaching I still feed on over 30 years later; and Jackie Hannan, an elder in my first congregation who mentored me without him realising he was doing it. The family is that of The Revd Douglas Macmillan; he, his wife Mary and their son Neil have taught me more about ministry than they will ever know.
6 What are the main challenges you believe Christians face today?
How do we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? How do we live a consistent, faithful, and attractive Christian life in a society that is increasingly demanding compromise, and that is intolerant of Christian beliefs and values?
7 What encourages and what discourages you?
People. I try not to let situations encourage or discourage me, otherwise ministry would be too much of a rollercoaster. There are some voices that discourage, but God has blessed me with many people who give me regular encouragement. However, my greatest encouragement is found in the promises of Scripture and the knowledge of the sovereignty and the love of God.
8 What makes you laugh?
According to my children, my own jokes make me laugh!
9 What would you want to say to the wider evangelical world?
Never underestimate the ordinary, do the hard graft of the gospel, engage with your communities, be relevant and let God be God.
10 Which Biblical person do you most look forward to meeting in glory and why?
That would have to be Ananias from Acts 9. I have always been fascinated by him. He is such a small-part, off-stage player, yet what he does is so significant. He is told to go and visit Saul, the killer of Christians, and he simply obeys. His is the first Christian voice Saul hears after his conversion, and Ananias greets him with the words ‘brother Saul’, imagine what that meant to Saul. There is so much I would love to ask Ananias.
