BLeach

Preaching and Clarity

Preaching is a two-way exchange. Someone speaks. Someone else gets it. Hopefully:)

Then there are those tragic Sundays when the message gets lost in translation...

Preaching and the Knockout Punch

Today Ron Woods quoted Mohammed Ali.  Not sure if I got the quote exactly right, but here's the idea:

No boxer can win every round.  My goal is to win the first round, the last round, and the last ten seconds of every round.

Sounds like a good goal for a pastor:)  There's no way we're going to preach a slam dunk every week.  But fortunately, if we can make our lay-ups, we score the same amount of points and still get the job done.  Some weeks our sermons will be better than others.  But if we can plan a strong introduction and conclusion, plus a few aha moments along the way, there's a good chance you can make your big idea memorable.

Some thoughts for crafting the introduction:

• Capture attention
• Memorize it
• Create some tension
• Prepare it last (you can't introduce someone you don't know)

Some thoughts for crafting the conclusion:

• Inspire people (give them some "get up and go")
• Define next steps
• Repeat the big idea
• Leave people with a taste of grace

What else do you consider when preparing to start well and finish well?

Preaching and Evaluation

Spent some time today thinking about preaching and evaluation.  The best professional athletes watch their own game tape.  Even at the top of their game they watch themselves in order to improve.

One of the podcasts I subscribe to is my own.  I don't particularly enjoy it.  Actually, I get really uncomfortable listening to my own messages.  But it would be foolish to not take time to evaluate something that I do every week.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you evaluate your own communication:

• Did the introduction make a good first impression?
• Did I build a bridge to people?
• Did each illustration communicate what I intended?
• Did I use words that unchurched people might not understand? If so, did I explain them?
• Was I transparent?
• Was God exalted and glorified?
• Was the message bathed in grace?
• Did I use any distracting maneurisms?
• Did my content and delivery place more emphasis on me or Jesus?
• Was the message biblical?
• Was the message logical?
• Was the message simple?
• Was the big idea clear and memorable?
• Did the conclusion inspire people to take a next step?

What other questions do you think are important in evaluating a sermon?

Preaching and Passion

I'm in grad classes this week studying the art and craft of preaching. 

This morning we talked about the role of passion in preaching.  Here are some thoughts from both Ron Wood's lecture as well as class discussion.

• I can teach you some things about how to preach.  But I can't teach you how to love it.
• Passionate preaching doesn't refer to vocal volume or demonstrative hand gestures.  It is more about conviction.  Conviction that you have a Word from God and that it contains the power to change someone's life.
• When I preach, I need to become the exploding man.

Some challenges to preaching with passion:

• Momentum cycles: seasons of high leadership demands have the potential to diminish passion for preaching.
• Discouragement and adversity: sometimes we have to preach hurt (like Kobe is playing hurt):

Some strategies to develop and maintain passion:

• Talk about your message throughout the week with your staff, spouse, colleagues, and friends in the community.  Let it simmer and expand to a crescendo so that by the time you step up to preach it you've become the exploding man.
• Pray through your notes in the marketplace (Starbucks, Borders, Sidewalks, etc).  Marinate your message in the presence of real people with real needs.
• Spend time with passionate people.  Catch what they've got.
• Preach for the next level of ministry in your church.
• Pray and fast regularly.  The spiritual disciplines prepare the soul so that your message comes from a deep place of conviction.

What else do you do to develop and maintain passion for preaching?

Lunch With Ed

I had the privilege of eating lunch with Ed Stetzer today.  Very likeable guy.  And definitely very sarcastic!

The conversation confirmed my suspicions from watching him speak and reading his books.  The guy's a genius.  He rattled off stats, church history, and global trends like he was reading from an Encyclopedia.  Incredible retention.

My favorite quote from the day: Bad places make good soil.  As many aspiring church planters look to relocate to the fastest growing cities in America, our city sometimes feels like it's the fastest shrinking.  So cool though to see Jesus call missionaries to serve unique places.

I did ask Ed to link to me from his blog, but he quickly pointed out that I'm not doing anything cool enough yet.  Maybe someday:)

Championship City

For as long as I can remember, I've loved Detroit sports.  That's why this spring is starting to feel special.

The Pistons own the closest spot to my heart.  And during the last week they finally hit their stride against the Sixers.  Next up, the Orlando Magic in Round Two of the NBA Playoffs.  And if Sheed can take care of Dwight Howard we may see the Celitcs for the Eastern Conference Championship.  Just like the eighties:)  Can't wait for some revived visions of The Bad Boys vs. Larry Bird.

The Red Wings are cruising.  After cleaning up their sweep of the Colorado Halves Avs, a matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals becomes more of a possibility.  And since Leah's a die hard Pittsburgh fan, that will add some flavor to our dinner discussions:)

The Tigers just swept the Yankees.  They're finally playing like the Playoff team that most of us thought they'd be.  They're scoring a ton of runs.  And if we can pick up a pitcher or two before the trade deadline I feel real good about our chances.

There's just one more Detroit team that I love, but since this post is about winning, victory, and potential championships, we'll keep them out of this post:)

It's raining jump-shots in Hockeytown where the Tigers are starting to roar!

Mythbusters: Going to Church

Each week we send an email newsletter to our church.  (You can subscribe on the home page of our website).  I usually write a personal note to the church to include with the e-letter.  Just thought I'd include this week's message on the blog:

Do you ever catch yourself using certain words or phrases that don't exactly mean what you're trying to say?  I do!  In fact, here's one of the popular phrases that I'm doing my best to unlearn.

I'm going to church.

Just take a minute to think about that phrase.  It assumes something about the nature of the church.  Doesn't it?

It assumes that church is a place I occasionally visit.  It assumes that church is a place where events take place.  It assumes that church is one isolated, compartment of my life: sometimes I'm at church, and sometimes I'm not.

But don't you see the problem?  The church isn't like that at all.  It's not a place that I can drive to or leave.  That's the building that our church owns.  That's the address where we gather each week.  But that's not the church.

We are the church.  You and me, and every other disciple of Jesus Christ; we are His Church.  We are His Church on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and on Sunday.  We represent Jesus to the world twenty-four hours a day.  We live to serve the mission of God seven days a week.  And then those of us who have made a commitment to this local church, Church of the King, gather together.  But here's the beauty of it.

We don't gather at the church.

We gather as the church.

I will probably still continue to use the wrong phrase from time to time.  For me it's even more challenging because I work "at the church." Ha!  But I'm going to work harder at dropping this phrase from my vocabulary.  And here's why.

If Church of the King is only about what happens on Sunday, we will be known mostly for our advertising.  But if our church is mainly about what happens Monday through Saturday in Metro Detroit, we'll be known for our action.

Our mission is to Connect our City to Christ.  That only begins when we gather.

It climaxes when we're sent.

Forever Young

 

Can't believe my mom turns sixty today!  And if you could see her I know you'd be surprised as well.

I'm thankful that as I creep up on thirty, I have a front row seat to watch my mom age so gracefully.  She's full of life, working full time, learning to be a grandmother, and leading the hospitality ministries at our church.  She made her fifties count!

No one has made more personal sacrifices to see me succeed than my mom.  No one.

Mom, I honor you today!  Thanks for twenty-nine years of non-stop love, prayers, encouragement, and support.  I love you!

The Challenge of Crafting a Good Challenge

I strive as a preacher to include certain elements in every message.

• Exposition/Explanation (what the Bible says)
• Illustration (appealing to the senses)
• Application (connecting to real life)
• Inspiration (get up and go)

I personally have to work the hardest at application.  And I have to guard against two mistakes.

Broad Application: The prophet Nathan could tell parables all day and get David to agree as long as they were general enough.  Generalized applications, made with broad, sweeping statements, get everyone to agree without anyone feeling personally challenged.  But truth hits home when the parable ends with "You're the man!"

Narrow Application: The opposite extreme is to get too specific.  If I only apply a message to twenty-nine year old Pistons fans who have been married less than four months, then 99% of the church will checkout and assume, "That one wasn't for me."

The great challenge in preaching is crafting a challenge that applies to everyone in a personal way.  That takes hard work, a few re-writes, unending interaction with real people, some newspaper/magazine subscriptions, and a whole lot of dependence on the Holy Spirit.

I Still Do

Sunday was my 100th day of marriage.  Incredible how fast three months can pass!

Last night I had a dream that I was back at my wedding again.  Like most dreams, a good chunk of it was incoherent.  I didn't recognize the place.  I didn't even recognize a few people in the bridal party.  But I recognized Leah, because when I woke up I felt just like I felt when I first watched her walk down the aisle 102 days ago. 

Absolutely grateful.

Then I turned to my left to make sure that she was still lying next to me and that I hadn't dreamed the entire past three months:)  And sure enough, Sleeping Beauty was there!

The dream got me thinking about the nature of commitment.  I didn't realize on January 19 that in 100 days I would feel even more confident about making a life-time commitment to Leah.  But I do.  The confidence I felt in my covenant decision three months ago was real.  But today it's even more real.

Commitment is difficult for many people today.  Do I commit to my girlfriend?  My boyfriend?  My church?  There are obviosly several factors that go into such big decisions.  But when it's the right person, or the right church, I wonder why we hesitate.

One of the most common questions I get from spiritual seekers whenever an opportunity for water baptism comes up in our church has to do with the weight of commitment.  How do I know if I can commit the rest of my life to Christ?  I still have so many imperfections?  What if I fail Him?

But here's the strange thing: The feeling of confidence that we think we're missing, that we're waiting for, it often grows after we make the commitment. 

I remember hearing Rick Warren say that we don't grow to commitments, we grow through commitments.  What if growth doesn't always precede commitment?  What if the courage to commit actually produces conviction that we wouldn't stumble upon simply by waiting?

I made a commitment to Leah 100 days ago when I looked into her eyes and said, "I do."  Now, after three months of laughter, conversation, and tears, I still do. 

And much to my surprise, I think I mean it even more.