 |
|
|
On the radio this morning, I heard about a medical condition that is new to me: RLS, which stands for "Restless Leg Syndrome." I've been known to bounce my leg a bit while reading and watching TV, but apparently this is a condition that keeps people from sleeping well and creates other serious problems. They are doing experimental drug treatments to try and control it. I've never run across RLS before, but I've seen all too much RTS — Restless Tongue Syndrome. I can't begin to tell you the number of RTS sufferers I've run across over the years — people who can't bring themselves to silence their voices even for a moment, but talk endlessly about subjects large and small. (Usually small.) In fact, RTS is in the Bible. In James 3:8, we read: "no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." Unfortunately, no drug is available to cure RTS. Only a cross will do. Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. NOTE: Thanks to the more than 400 pastors who submitted entries seeking one of the free subscriptions we were able to offer recently through a special contribution. All winners have been notified via email.
Preaching and the Supremacy of God In a sermon to pastors, John Piper said, "We live in an unbelievably naive and superficial age, though that is the last way most people would describe it. A.W. Tozer, however, thought to describe it this way. Something is superficial when the treatment of it involves everything except the main things. As a scholar you can say much intelligently about a great many things. Yet if you leave out the main connections, you're treating them superficially. . . . "God is the main reality in the universe; the sustaining power of everything that is. Therefore, any time you treat anything without relation to God, you are being superficial. The fact that this sounds odd to us shows how infected American evangelicals are in this God-neglecting, God-belittling and increasingly God-despising age. "Therefore pastors, I plead with you to make Him supreme in your preaching. . . . If we preachers don't lift up the supremacy of God week in and week out, showing a passion for it in all things, such as spelling, voting, sex, eating, and the stock market, who's going to do it? There are no regular influences in the lives of your people calling them away from our God-belittling, God-neglecting, God-despising culture besides you. But one or two hours a week they'll listen to you. If you don't lift up the glory of God and try to wean them off the breast of God-neglecting America, who's going to do it?" (from PreachingTodaySermons.com newsletter; click here to read the full sermon) http://store.yahoo.com/pttranscripts/supofgodinpr.html
Are sermon-building teams a trend? A recent article in the Washington Post points to an increasing number of churches using teams to build the sermon. Author Lila Arzua writes: "At a growing number of churches, the pastor's message is the painstaking work of a committee — a panel of church staff and congregants who meet weekly to suggest sermon topics, critique the minister's prose and examine how his or her preaching will mesh with other elements of the service. "One goal of these worship-planning teams is to ensure that the minister's words will resonate with all segments of a demographically diverse congregation. Often, the team's job is to turn the sermon into a multimedia experience, with specialists in music, drama and video technology making contributions that become just as important as the pastor's writing." (Click here to read the full article.) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35110-2004Dec4.html
Do you have a passion for preaching? Thirty years ago, Donald Demaray wrote, "This seems to be the one underlying characteristic of all great preachers: they burn with a holy passion to communicate." That's why this year's National Conference on Preaching will focus on the theme "Preaching With Passion." A series of addresses will explore the theme of passion in preaching, and will consider the implications of passion for our preaching in various settings and with different audiences. In addition, you'll hear a number of passionate messages presented by some of the nation's best preachers. And you'll have a choice of more than twenty practical workshops on a variety of topics. The regular registration is $250, but if you register before March 1 the cost is only $225 — a $25 savings! Additional registrants from the same church (and spouses) can register for just $100 per person. For more information or to register, call 1-800-288-9673 (outside the US call 615-599-9889), or visit us on the web at www.preaching.com/ncp. Plan to attend this year's NCP and rediscover a passion in your own preaching!
People First! In his leadership newsletter, Stan Toler recently wrote: "There she stood in the line at the post office, a line that wound its way almost out the front door. A fellow customer spoke to the elderly lady waiting to buy some stamps. "Ma'am, you must be very tired. Did you know there's a stamp machine over there in the corner?" He pointed to the machine built into the wall. "Why yes, thank you," the lady replied, "but I'll just wait here a little while longer. I'm getting close to the window." The customer became insistent. "But it would be so much easier for you to avoid this long line and buy your stamps from the machine." The woman patted him on the arm and answered, "Oh, I know. But that old machine would never ask me how my grandchildren are doing." Stan says, "Leaders would be well advised to spend less time on the organizational machinery and more time on the people within the organization. Remember, people will not sweat, invest or risk for an organization. But they will stretch beyond themselves for human connections. "People first!" (from Stan Toler's Leadership Letter, February 2005. Click here to subscribe.) http://www.stantoler.com/redir/subscribe.html
Swedish court overturns preacher's conviction The conviction of a Swedish Pentecostal preacher — based on a sermon he preached on homosexuality — has been overturned by an appeals court, according to a Feb. 11 story in The Local, an English-language site containing Swedish news. According to the news site: "The Swedish pastor sentenced to prison for a sermon that was said to spread hatred against gay people has had his conviction quashed on appeal, in a verdict that a Swedish gay rights group has called 'disturbing.' "Åke Green, a pentacostalist pastor from Borgholm on the Baltic island of Öland, was convicted last year by a court in Kalmar under Swedish laws banning 'agitation against minority groups.' In the original verdict, the court ruled that certain phrases in his sermon amounted to an attempt to stir up hatred of homosexuals. During the sermon, copies of which were later distributed by Green to local media, the pastor called homosexuality a 'cancer on the face of society,' and said that homosexuality could lead to bestiality and paedophilia. The court sentenced him to one month in prison. "Overturning the earlier ruling, the appeal court in Jönköping said that there was "no evidence that the pastor was using his preaching as a cover to attack homosexuals," arguing instead that Green was clarifying his beliefs and his interpretation of biblical passages. . . . The appeal court rejected the arguments of prosecutor Kjell Yngvesson, who had demanded that the pastor's prison sentence be extended." (Click here to read the full story.) http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=960&date=
ILLUSTRATION: Life Chuck
Swindoll points out that "Duffy Daugherty, a colorful Michigan
State football coach in years past, used to say that you needed
only three bones to journey successfully through life: a wishbone,
to dream on . . . a backbone, for strength and courage to get
through the tough times . . . and a funny bone, to laugh at life
along the way."
ILLUSTRATION: Good News, Bad News A large, two-engined train was making its way across America. While crossing the Western mountains, one of the engines broke down. "No problem, we can make it to Denver and get a replacement engine there," the engineer thought, and carried on at half power. Farther on down the line, the other engine broke down, and the train came to a standstill in the middle of nowhere. The
engineer needed to inform the passengers about why the train had
stopped, and made the following announcement: "Ladies and
Gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news
is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for
some time until the additional engines arrive. The good news is
that you didn't take this trip in a plane!" (Mikey's Funnies)
ILLUSTRATION: Glory of God Scientist Charles Meisner wrote, "I do see the design of the universe as essentially a religious question. That is, one should have some kind of respect and awe for the whole business. It's very magnificent and shouldn't be taken for granted. In fact, I believe that is why Einstein had so little use for organized religion, although he strikes me as a basically very religious man. He must have looked at what the preachers said about God and felt that they were blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than they had ever imagined, and they were just not talking about the real thing. My guess is that he simply felt that religions he had run across did not have a proper respect for the Author of the universe."
ILLUSTRATION: Prayer Richard Foster has written, "To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ."
ILLUSTRATION: Influence There was a Peanuts comic strip in which Peppermint Patty calls Charlie Brown and says, "Guess what, Chuck. The first day of school, and I got sent to the principal's office. It was your fault, Chuck." "My fault?" Charlie Brown replies with surprise. "How could it be my fault? Why do you always say everything is my fault!" "You're
my friend, aren't you, Chuck? You should have been a better influence
on me!"
|
||
| ||
|
ILLUSTRATION: Future, Wishes A lonely frog telephoned the Psychic Hotline and asked what his future holds. His Personal Psychic Advisor tells him: "You are going to meet a beautiful young girl who will want to know everything about you." The frog is thrilled, "This is great! Where will I meet her?" he croaks. "In biology class."
ILLUSTRATION: Deception A young man was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when he noticed an old lady following him around. Thinking nothing of it, he ignored her and continued on. Finally he went to the checkout line, but she got in front of him. "Pardon me," she said, "I'm sorry if my staring at you has made you feel uncomfortable. It's just that you look just like my son, who I haven't seen in a long time." "That's a shame," replied the young man, "is there anything I can do for you?" "Yes," she said, "as I'm leaving, can you say 'Good bye, Mother!' It would make me feel so much better." "Sure," answered the young man. As the old woman was leaving, he called out, "Good bye, Mother!" As he stepped up to the checkout counter, he saw that his total was $127.50. "How can that be?" he asked, "I only purchased a few things!" "Your
mother said that you would pay for her," said the clerk.
"It is hard to do the right thing. That is why grown-ups often get headaches and children mostly don't." (Peggy Noonan)
For great insights on Christian leadership issues, visit Leader Links at
Interested readers can also go to the site (or just click
here) and subscribe to LeadingNow, a monthly e-mail
newsletter featuring ideas and resources for Christian leaders.
LeaderLinks is a publication of American Ministry Resources,
which is the publisher of PreachingNow,
Preaching magazine
and preaching.com.
ILLUSTRATION: Priorities, Compassion While walking through a parking lot, a man tripped and fell flat on his face. As he was lying there, a woman stopped her car and called out, "Are you hurt?" "No, I'm fine," he said. "Oh,
good," she continued. "Will you be vacating your
parking space now?" (Pastor Tim's PearlyGates List Clean,
Theologically Incorrect Jokes)
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." (T. S. Eliot)
The ultimate job search My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned . . . couldn't concentrate. Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the ax. After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it . . . mainly because it was a so-so job. Next I tried working in a muffler factory but that was too exhausting. Then I tried to be a chef — figured it would add a little spice too my life but I just didn't have the thyme. I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard. My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy. Next was a job in a shoe factory; I tried but I just didn't fit in. I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income. I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining. So then I got a job in a workout center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job. After many years of trying to find steady work I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it. My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind. So
I'm retired and I've found I'm perfect for the job! (The Daily
Dilly)
And finally . . . A Georgia student learned a valuable driving lesson: don't run over people. Especially the teacher. According to a Feb. 11 Associated Press story, "a driver's education instructor was run over by one of her students and pinned beneath the car for 15 minutes. . . . Two cars driven by students collided on the DeKalb County Schools driver's education lot, then one of the students backed into Patricia Erwin, running her over." The teacher was hospitalized and underwent surgery for multiple broken bones, according to AP. As of Friday she was in stable condition "Erwin, 64, who has taught driving for 20 years, was working with the students on a drill that included pulling forward and backing up at slow speeds, said Kal Kelliher, the district's driver's education coordinator." It
seems likely that the student involved won't be getting an
A in the class.
Not a current subscriber to Preaching magazine? Why not share PreachingNow with a friend? Missing
an issue of PreachingNow? Problems
with links? Received
this by mistake? |
| PreachingNow is a publication of American Ministry
Resources. Editor: Dr. Michael Duduit. |