About Jean F. Larroux, III
“As I pulled into the muddy driveway of his home near the center of town, I spotted his SUV and a bumper sticker that I took to be an indication I might be about to meet a kindred spirit. It said WWJBD?— as in 'What Would Jimmy Buffett Do?' That’s my kind of pastor.”
--Kathleen Falsani in Sin Boldly, a field guide to Grace
Jean F. Larroux, III was born in New Orleans, La, grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and was raised Roman Catholic. He was converted in the Episcopal Church married a Baptist girl from the Mississippi Delta and both graduated from Ole Miss when they were still called the Rebels. He graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Ms and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
Describing himself he says, “I have worked very hard at being a Pharisee (and was quite successful) and now work very hard at trying to rest in Grace. I exude self-confidence but quietly inside long for the approval of everyone. I want to be the chief repenter at Southwood, but I would rather do that in cleaned-up, sterilized situations where I can control my "measured" repentance and response rather than just flailing publicly and having to humble myself and repent. I preach Jesus so regularly because I need to hear the Gospel myself.”
His friend Jim Holland once told him that he only had one sermon (Grace) which he preaches from every passage of Scripture. Jean asked Jim, “What else is there?” Jim nodded in agreement.
He has been married just over 20 years to Kim. They have three children Jean IV, Ann Elizabeth and Hannah Grace. The Larroux’s have a golden retriever named "Stonewall" Jackson and are all obsessive New Orleans Saints fans. Jean says, “I don’t Facebook unless you went to High School with me. I do tweet. I sometimes blog. I preach, write and occasionally do pastoral counseling, but I’m not really good at it.”
His “life verse” is from Jimmy Buffett’s 1984 album One Particular Harbor, from the song “We are the people our parents warned us about”:
“I was supposed to have been a Jesuit priest or a Naval Academy grad;
That was the way that my parents perceived me,
Those were the plans that they had;
Though I couldn't fit the part too dumb or too smart,
Ain't it funny how we all turned out;
I guess we are the people our parents warned us about.”
His favorite passage of Scripture is 2 Corinithians 5:21
His favorite movie is ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’
His favorite food is just about anything cooked south of I-10
His favorite song is ‘The Confrontation’ from Les Miserables
His favorite book is ‘The Valley of Vision’
The most popular thing he ever wrote was his Mother’s obituary (not kidding)
Jean's Tweets
Recommended Reading
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“Jesus + Nothing = Everything will remind you of the ancient yet ever-fresh truth that everything we need is found in the perfections of Christ—not in ourselves, not in our reputation, our relationships or wealth or accomplishments—in Christ alone. If you’ve never rested in the finished work of Christ this book is for you. If you’ve rested in it for decades like I have, this book is for you, too. Why? Because we forget; And, although we love Jesus, we’re blind to the ways in which his work connects to our daily lives and we wonder why joy and zeal are foreign concepts to us.” -Elyse Fitzpatrick
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Get ready to be bothered by the Gospel. Steve Brown teaches grace in a way that gets under your skin—- Reading Brown is like having a gospel hair in your mouth of your conscience. The more it bothers you the more beautiful the pearl produced will be
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From the publisher: “It is a deep and rich biblical study of sanctification - how Christians grow in holiness and become more like Jesus. In a day when Christians are very prone to pursue self-help methods to grow in obedience to Christ, Walter Marshall lays out the biblical way of growth: obedience comes as Christians live by grace, in union with Christ, by faith.” This book influenced me PROFOUNDLY on the topic of sanctification. The Modern-English re-write makes this a TOP PICK for 2011!
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I ‘accidentally’ picked up this book simply for the title alone. I grew to hate it quickly. It hit a little ‘too close to home.’ Fischer’s book plunges the scalpel of self-awareness and need for deep repentance deep into the hard hearts of Pharisees like ME!
Recommended Listening
- Redeemer Presbyterian Church
Ricky JonesRicky Jones is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is a trophy of grace. If you want to listen to bold preaching by a man who knows his sin, knows his weaknesses and trusts only Jesus to take what he says and use it to God’s glory then you are heading in the right direction. The preaching is bold, the preacher is humble and you will be blessed.
- Key Life Ministries
Steve BrownSteve Brown is not the most subtle guy you will ever meet. If I were to write an S.A.T. question about Steve this is how it would go: Steve Brown is to legalism what a child hopped-up on cake and ice cream is to an pinata! I love this guy. Check out his website and fair warning: you are not heading to a ‘SAFE’ little Christian site!
- Coral Ridge Presbyterian
Tullian TchividjianAs one comment on iTunes said: “Tullian preaches the Gospel in an unadulterated and undomesitcated way…The way it should be preached!”
Recommended Links
- Mockingbird Blog
David ZahlMockingbird is a ministry that seeks to connect the Christian faith with the realities of everyday life in as fresh and down-to-earth a way possible.
- White Horse Inn
MIchael HortonWhite Horse Inn is a multimedia catalyst for reformation. We believe that each generation must rediscover and apply the gospel to their own time. We long to see a second reformation take hold of our churches and return them to the God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-wrought places of worship they should be.
- On Earth as it is in Heaven
Tullian TchividjianWilliam Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) is a Florida native, the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and a grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham.
- Heavenward
Scotty SmithSmith is the founding Pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN, avid writer, prolific blogger and tweeter. His nuggets of Gospel wisdom are seasoned by years of service to the Bride. He is gentle and very purposed in his every comment.