Think About Heaven During Difficult Times: Remembering Lee Eclov

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

-Colossians 3:1-2 ESV

Last week I found out that one of my seminary professors, Lee Eclov, had passed away.

I was shocked. The same day he had commented on a friend's post on Facebook, and I happened to see it. It seemed so sudden.

When I heard the sad news, a flood of his pastorally wise comments came rushing into my mind. But there was one piece of wisdom that stood out.

In one of our classes, Lee encouraged us to think about heaven often. When we're going through difficult moments in life, we should think about heaven, read about heaven, pray about heaven, and sing about heaven.

When we're going through difficult moments in life, we should think about heaven, read about heaven, pray about heaven, and sing about heaven.

Lee was a long-time pastor and seminary teacher. He also wrote extensively for Leadership Journal, Preaching Today, and CT Pastors. He was a shepherd of shepherds.

According to Thomas Addington, COO at Christianity Today, "Words were his craft, encouragement his currency. He drew from a deep reservoir to build up others."[1] Indeed, he did. I noticed his gift when he seamlessly integrated biblical, theological, pastoral, and practical content in the class he taught at Denver Seminary. We all left the class feeling encouraged and helped spiritually.

Addington writes, "Lee also taught part-time at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Denver Seminary. His students remembered what they learned and how much he cared for them."[2] This statement jumped out to me. Not only did I sense his pastoral heart in class, but I have a personal story that demonstrates his care.

About two years after I met Lee in class, he reached out to me through Facebook Messenger. We had moved to another state, and he lost track of me. After asking the director of the seminary program about me, he reached out and asked: "[W]here are you and what are you up to?" We were going through a very difficult church situation, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do vocationally. I was wrestling with a few different options. He encouraged me: "I’m sure you’d be a fine teacher but I hope you get to be a pastor." This statement meant more to me than he probably realized.

Just last week Lee wrote his last article about a time of discouragement that he went through as he wondered why his care and attention to preaching didn't open up the opportunity to preach to larger congregations.[3] Addington remarks, "Maybe that's because he did not aspire to be an organizational man. He once asked me to spell out how leaders conjure an official written vision for their place. His conclusion after my explanation: I don't get it and I'm not much interested in it. Instead, he was a shepherd, and a shepherd to shepherds."[4]

Lee Eclov was a shepherd. But he was also a shepherd to shepherds.

In the past, church leadership functioned as pastor-theologians. In our era, for various reasons, this pastor-theologian model of pastoral ministry seems hard to find. (This is a theme I've wrestled with in my own writing. For example, I wrote a couple of articles on this issue: "What Should Pastors Do With Their Time?: 5 Models of Pastoral Ministry" and "Where Are All of the Shepherds?") It seems like the contemporary emphasis on organizational leadership has pushed shepherding aside in many churches (though I am not suggesting that the two have to be mutually exclusive!).

Lee was a breath of fresh air. One of the sad byproducts of organizational leadership without shepherding is this: people can feel used. They don't feel like they matter for who they are. Instead, they feel like they are being used, misused, and sometimes abused for a vision (or perhaps, at times, someone's selfish ambition). The moment they aren't deemed useful for the vision, then they feel as if they are forgotten and unneeded. Admittedly, these are probably cases where the organizational leadership is not functioning well. Still, the point remains: people need a shepherd.

I am thankful today for the example of shepherding that Lee set. And I am thankful for his pastoral reminder to set our minds on heaven.

The concept of setting our minds on heaven is biblical. Consider this statement from Paul in Colossians 3.

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” -Colossians 3:2 ESV

I know from personal experience that setting your mind on things above is not always easy (especially when the things here on earth are chaotic!). I don't know how life is going for you right now. Maybe you're anxious. Maybe you're concerned. Maybe you're angry. Maybe you're depressed. Maybe you're confused. Maybe you're ashamed. Maybe you're overwhelmed.

As Lee would say:

Think about heaven often.

Read about heaven often.

Pray about heaven often. Sing about heaven often.

I am deeply thankful to Christ for Lee and his rich, pastoral advice. And I am sure he is enjoying Christ in heaven; the same heaven that he admonished us to think about.

Soon we will be there as well. Consider heaven.

End Notes:

[1] Thomas Addington, "Our Dear Shepherd: Remembering Lee Eclov," CT Pastors, April 15, 2026, accessed April 17, 2026, https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/content/our-dear-shepherd/.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.