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We are continuing to get ready for the National Conference on Preaching, which will be held April 18-20 in suburban Nashville. (Click here if you're anxious to register!) But it occurs to me that there are some very good reasons why people might not plan to attend this year's conference:
If
one of those excuses doesn't fit you, then maybe you should plan
to be with us for the 15th annual NCP in Nashville! (Click
here to learn more.) Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" for insights and observations about faith and culture issues.
A Pastoral Parable Craig Cottongin, pulpit minister at Northeast Church of Christ in Kingsport, TN, shares this: "Once upon a time there was a school that needed a new coach. After several seasons of not doing well in the finals, their old coach (who the school thought was mediocre) moved on to greener pastures. Actually, it had been decades since the school enjoyed the playoffs. So, the principal along with the administration began to locate a coach with degrees in coachology; one that could move their team towards division championship. The school headhunter secured the right choice, and the training began! "Before the next season would begin, the coach worked around the clock to help the team live up to their potential. First, he thought, the team should run laps at each practice, and doing some calisthenics wouldn't hurt either. Then, the coach speculated that having the team start practice on time might help them too. As long as he was at it, he remembered some practices he'd been to that really strengthened him and other teams he worked with; so he just knew this team would be excited to try out those practice-sessions! After all, that's exactly what the principal told him the school wanted. "This upset the teammates. Their old coaches, for as long as they could remember, had never expected this! None of the other districts practiced like this — what would they think? So when they complained to their parents, their parents called the principal and the administration. To the surprise of the coach, the school's administration was opposed to the plan. So, the coach went back to the locker-room, looked over the training manual, and looked over the chalkboard plays that were so carefully diagramed. Sure enough, everything was by the book, and the plays on the board were tried and true; they worked well for other teams. So, the coach scratched his head. "The coach finally had a meeting with the administration and explained in detail the plans for training the team, so the team could recruit new members and ultimately do what their team was assembled for. The administration looked to the principal, he looked back to them, then they told the coach what coaching was really all about. "You see coach, we know what the manual says, and we agree that the team needs the practices and to run the drills." They started. "But the team might quit if we ask them to do too much, too soon." The coach scratched his head and wondered to himself, "Didn't anyone tell the team what was expected of them when they signed up to play?" Instead, he asked, "What expectations have been communicated to the team?" And they all looked puzzled as they wondered together about this . . . "So, the coach was frustrated, the parents were mad, and the administration met to decide how to encourage the coach to motivate the team, without disrupting their usual practices. Meanwhile, the teammates still wanted to play the game, they just didn't want the coach to make strange demands they had never heard of before. They ran the plays they knew, while they waited. "So,
the coach wrote a letter to the principal explaining he decided
it was best to have the administration just suit up, and let them
hit the practice field bright and early. Then he thought twice,
and crumpled up the letter and threw it in the recycle bin. He
realized not everyone counts the cost, or has a sense of urgency
for opening day of the season."
A barrel of evaluation forms! Last week we invited you to share your sermon evaluation forms with other PreachingNow readers, and you came through in a big way. Since these are individual forms, we have given each its own page; feel free to review and/or download any forms that interest you. Here are our evaluation form donors (click on the link after the name to see that evaluation form):
Several
of the forms were developed while the pastor was part of a D.Min.
program in preaching. Wayne McDill of Southeastern Seminary says
that their form was refined through several different versions,
and that they determined that it was better to have the evaluator
write responses rather than simply check boxes. And as one reader
put it, "I believe that the best way to see if your sermons
are being accepted, trusted and practiced is to watch your sheep."
Why am I so angry? In an article in the ChristiantyToday.com website, pastor Ed Rowell wonders why he seems to be getting angrier these days. He deals with a variety of reasons for pastoral anger, such as an increasing sense of responsibility coupled with diminished support, plus the inevitable midlife frustrations that occur when we realize we are not going to be or accomplish everything we might have dreamed of 20 or 30 years ago. One of the major factors Ed discusses is the accumulation of petty anger. "When I was young, a neighboring family came down with a devastating illness. Several of the children died and the rest suffered permanent brain damage. What investigators discovered was that the father had found a truckload of discarded seed corn and fed it to the family hogs. The corn (not intended for animal feed) had been treated with something so bugs wouldn't eat it before it germinated. The hogs ate it, seemingly with no ill effects. "But when the family hogs became the family breakfast, the family was poisoned. It seems that many substances — pesticides and heavy metals like lead and mercury — do not pass through the digestive system, but remain in the body, always. In tiny doses, the effects are minimal. But over time, the effects are horrible. "That's what happens to many of us in ministry. Every day we ingest minute amounts of conflict and disrespect. No big deal, we think. Just blow it off. But we don't. Instead it gets buried in our liver and 20 years later, we go ballistic over some kid skateboarding in the parking lot and wonder, Where did that come from?" (Click here to read the full article, which originally appeared in Leadership Journal.)
ILLUSTRATION: Comfort, Compassion In 1873, a Belgian priest named Joseph Damien De Veuster was sent to minister to lepers on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai, but the people there shunned him. No one responded to his ministry. After twelve years, Father Damien decided to leave. As he made his way to the docks to board a ship, he wrung his hands in despair. As he did so, he noticed some mysterious white spots and felt some numbness. He realized he had contracted leprosy. When he returned to the leper colony, word of his disease quickly spread. Hundreds gathered outside his hut, understanding his pain. But the biggest surprise was the following Sunday. As Father Damien arrived at the chapel, he found hundreds of worshipers there. By the time the service began, there were many more with standing room only; and many gathered outside the chapel. His ministry became enormously successful. The reason? He was one of them. He understood and empathized with them. (Parables, Etc., June, 1984, 5-6) Perhaps God is permitting you to pass through a storm or sorrow that you might later be a blessing to others. We comfort others best when we have ourselves been comforted by the God of all comfort. (Turning Point Daily Devotional, 3-9-05)
ILLUSTRATION: Easter In an outstanding article by William Lane Craig, he provides an overview of the overwhelming evidence that supports the historical event of the resurrection of Jesus. Although some argue that the resurrection was a legend rather than a factual event, Craig notes that, "The story is simple and lacks legendary development. The empty tomb story is uncolored by the theological and apologetical motifs that would be characteristic of a later legendary account. "Perhaps the most forceful way to appreciate this point is to compare it with the accounts of the empty tomb found in apocryphal gospels of the second century. For example, in the Gospel of Peter a voice rings out from heaven during the night, the stone rolls back of itself from the door of the tomb, and two men descend from Heaven and enter the tomb. Then three men are seen coming out of the tomb, the two supporting the third. The heads of the two men stretch up to the clouds, but the head of the third man overpasses the clouds. Then a cross comes out of the tomb, and a voice asks, 'Hast thou preached to them that sleep?' And the cross answers, 'Yea.' In the Ascension of Isaiah, Jesus comes out of the tomb sitting on the shoulders of the angels Michael and Gabriel. These are how real legends look: unlike the gospel accounts, they are colored by theological motifs." (Click here to read the full article.) http://www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth22.html
ILLUSTRATION: Sacrifice A mother living in a tenement house went shopping for groceries. While she was in the store, a fire engine raced by. She wondered, "Is the fire engine going to my home?" She had left her baby asleep at home. Forgetting about the groceries, she ran toward home. Her building had fire hoses aimed at it. It was burning like a matchbox. Rushing to the chief, she cried out, "My baby is up there." He shouted back to her, "It would be suicide for anyone to go up there now; it's too late." A young fireman standing by volunteered, "Chief, I have a little baby at home, and if my house were on fire, I'd want someone to go up to save my baby. I'll go." The young fireman climbed the stairs; he got the baby, threw her into the rescue net, and just as he did, the house collapsed and he was burned to death. The
scene is 20 years later at a graveside. A 20-year-old woman is
sobbing softly. Before her, at the head of this grave, is the
statue of a fireman. A man stopping by asks respectfully, "Was
that your father?" She replies, "No." "Was
that your brother?" "No," she says. "That's
the man who died for me." (Ronald J. Lavin, "I Am the
Resurrection and the Life," www.eSermons.com)
ILLUSTRATION: Sin, Evasion "The wicked man flees though no one pursues. . ." (Proverbs 28:1 NIV) So does a delinquent with a record of unpaid traffic offences. A Shreveport man was visiting a neighbor in the same apartment complex when he saw a number of policemen converge on his own apartment. He left his neighbor's place and went immediately to city hall to settle up a number of delinquent traffic citations. More than eight hours later, he ventured home to find the police still in what they thought was a standoff with a dangerous killer. It seems someone considered it a very good joke to tell authorities that the notorious fugitive was in that apartment. A raid of the apartment confirmed that the fugitive was nowhere near the action. The time was not completely wasted, however. Officers arrested the woman who gave authorities the false report. She is charged with one count of criminal mischief. And the traffic fines were all settled. (Austin B. Tucker, Shreveport, LA)
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ILLUSTRATION: Arrogance, Pride A Texan was taking a taxi tour of London and was in a hurry. As they went by the Tower of London the cabbie explained what it was and that construction of it started in 1346 and was completed in 1412. The Texan replied, "Shoot, a little ol' tower like that? In Houston we'd have that thing up in two weeks!" Next they passed the House of Parliament — started in 1544 and completed in 1618. "Well boy, we put up a bigger one than that in Dallas and it only took a year!" As they passed Westminister Abbey the cabbie was silent. "Whoah! What's that over there?" asked the Texan. Cabbie:
"I don't know, it wasn't there yesterday." (from
Pastor Tim's CleanLaugh list)
Talking Dog for Sale A guy sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog for Sale." He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a black mutt just sitting there. "You talk?" he asks. "Yep," the mutt replies. "So, what's your story?" The mutt looks up and says, "Well, I discovered my gift of talking pretty young and I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my gift, and in no time they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies eight years running. The jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger and I wanted to settle down. So I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings there and was awarded a batch of medals. Had a wife, a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired." The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. The owner says, "Ten dollars." The guy says, "This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?" The
owner replies, "He's a big liar. He didn't do any of
that stuff." (from Mikey's Funnies)
The Nature of Leadership In an article in the March edition of Leader Links, John Borek, Danny Lovett, and Elmer Towns write: "Overwhelming force is not always the key to great military victories. Ever since David defeated Goliath, great military leaders have used limited resources to win great victories. Sir Francis Drake was clearly outnumbered when he defeated the Spanish armada with his leadership skill and inspiration. Germany clearly had overwhelming air superiority in the Battle of Britain, but England was led by Sir Winston Churchill, the one man who put a steel backbone in England's resistance. George Washington's army wasn't much, but under his courage it was enough to defeat the largest empire in the world, i.e., the British, in the Revolutionary War. Great armies, navies, and air forces rise or fall on leadership. "Worthy causes depend on great leaders for success. Even when the cause is just, it is often neglected until embraced by a leader. Mother Teresa made people care about the poor of India. Elizabeth Fry embraced the cause of prison reform in her generation and transformed the character of Britain's penal institutions. Throughout the twentieth century, a host of national leaders rose in various European colonies worldwide to lead their nations to independence. When a popular leader takes up the cause of some dreaded disease, only then are the funds raised to finance the research needed to find a cure. Worthy causes rise or fall on leadership." (Click here to read the full story.) Leader Links is a web-based publication for Christian leaders. 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.
"Easter is the truth that turns a church from a museum into a ministry." (Warren Wiersbe)
The excuses we give These are actual excuse notes from parents (including original spelling) collected by Nisheeth Parekh, Univ. Texas Medical Branch @ Galveston: • My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him. • Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot. • Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32,and also 33. • Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip. • John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face. • Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part. • Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins. • Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side. • Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels. • Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea and his boots leak. • Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust. •
Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault. • I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because I don't know what size she wears. • Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday. • Sally won't be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral. • Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well. • Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a hangover. •
Maryann was absent December 11-16, because she had a fever,
sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also
sick, fever and sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever
and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat
and fever. There must be something going around, her father
even got hot last night.
And finally . . . A Japanese robber burst into a dormitory waving a knife and demanding cash. Unfortunately for him, he had mistakenly picked a police dormitory to rob, according to a March 9 story in the Avanova news service. The would-be thief may have thought he was robbing a Japan Railways office that is next to the police facility in Haramachi. "Our uniforms look pretty similar to those used by JR, so he probably got us mixed up," a police officer at the scene said. Police surrounded the ill-fated crook and arrested him immediately. The arrested man told police: "I didn't really care where I could go, but never dreamed I'd end up where I did." Words
to live by.
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| PreachingNow is a publication of American Ministry
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