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Twelve reasons I quit attending football games -- or did I mean church? 1.
Every time I went, they asked me for money. Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. Some recent topics: Fixing FEMA; The slippery slope on euthanasia. If you missed this year’s National Conference on Preaching, you can still obtain audio tapes and CDs. Click here to learn more. And be sure to mark your calendar for April 24-26, 2006, for the next NCP in Dallas, with the theme “Preaching Creatively.” (Click here for information on NCP 2006.)
Illustrations essential for evangelistic sermons In his new book Preparing Evangelistic Sermons (Baker), Ramesh Richard talks about the importance of illustrations in the evangelistic sermon: "An evangelistic sermon desperately needs illustrations -- and in greater numbers and of higher quality than post-evangelistic sermons. Our Lord and his Word profusely employ profound illustrations -- story, narrative, humor, questions, even one-liners -- to communicate truth. Illustrations help the audience avoid misunderstanding content, distraction in thought, tedium in active listening, and a quick disposal of truth. . . . "Clear understanding of content forms the basis for acceptance or rejection of the gospel. It is better for the listeners to understand and reject your point than to accept it without understanding it. Your illustrations provide staying power for serious subjects such as the holiness of God, personal sin, the uniqueness of Jesus, and the exclusive condition of faith. They also provide relief for the audience (and you) during the intensity of proclamation. Illustrations, especially from personal life, authenticate your humanness. A vulnerable preacher is a believable preacher." (Click here to learn more about the book Preparing Evangelistic Sermons.)
Act by Oct 17 for best discount on NCP 2006 October 17 is the deadline for the lowest available registration rate for the 2006 National Conference on Preaching, set for April 24-26, 2006 at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas (Dallas area). Our theme will be "Preaching Creatively." The regular registration rate is $250 per person (for the first registrant from a church or organization), but if you register by October 17 you'll save $100 off the regular rate with our Super Early-Bird discount. (A spouse or additional attendees from the same church can register for just $100 each.) You can register by calling us (toll free) at 800-288-9673 (outside the US call 615-599-9889), or you can register on-line at www.preaching.com/ncp. That site also has a downloadable registration form if you'd like to use a check and register by mail. NCP 2006 already has a great line-up of speakers, including Haddon Robinson, Calvin Miller, Jack Graham, Dieter Zander, Doug Pagitt, Steve Wende, Bryan L. Carter and many more. Click here to go to the NCP webpage and learn more about the 16th annual National Conference on Preaching.
Enlist volunteers with care In the most recent issue of his Leadership Uncensored newsletter, Ed Young, Jr., offers several suggestions for effective enlistment of volunteer leaders. Among his ideas: Keep vision at the forefront. We do not use the word "need" in our recruiting. Even though people might fulfill a need for a short period of time, it makes the ministry look like it is struggling. Instead, recruit for "opportunities" to expand the vision of your church, and you'll paint a picture of something exciting that people want to help build and grow. Go old-school with your interaction. Whether it's recruiting, leading, supporting or appreciating your volunteers, growing a strong volunteer force is a relational endeavor. Don't hide behind technology when you're building those relationships! Email is a wonderful tool, but don't miss the power of communicating in person or on the phone and investing in the individual lives of your volunteers. Don't
just fill holes. Don't rush your decision when finding volunteers
for leadership positions. It's better to experience a little short-term
pain and do without, than to put the wrong person in place. Because
when that person doesn't work out (and usually you're going to have
to ask them to step out), not only have you lost a leader, but you
often lose many of the volunteers on that person's team because
of the negative infection that has set in. (You can subscribe to
Ed's newsletter at www.creativepastors.com)
ILLUSTRATION: Humility The August 29, 2005, edition of the Dallas Seminary Daily Devotional points out that, "Marian Anderson, the great contralto who won worldwide acclaim, didn't simply grow great; she grew great simply. In spite of her fame, she remained a beautiful model of humility. A reporter interviewing Miss Anderson once asked her to name the greatest moment in her life. She had had so many big moments to choose from. For example: "There was the night conductor Arturo Toscanini announced, 'A voice like hers comes once in a century.' In 1958 she became a U.S. delegate to the United Nations. Then there was that private concert she gave at the White House for the Roosevelts and the king and queen of England. And in 1963 she was awarded the coveted Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Which of those big moments, among many, did she choose? None of them. Miss Anderson quietly told the reporter that the greatest moment of her life was the day she went home and told her mother she wouldn't have to take in washing anymore. "Unlike Marian Anderson, some of us go to great lengths to hide our humble origins. The truth is, when we peel off our masks, others are usually not repelled; they are drawn closer to us. Frequently, the more painful or embarrassing the past, the greater the appreciation and respect. "The prophet Isaiah mentions this very thing as he reminds us to: 'Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug' (Isa. 51:1). That sounds much more noble and respectable than its literal meaning, for in the Hebrew text the word 'quarry' actually refers to 'a hole.' Or, as the old King James Version translates it: 'Look unto . . . the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.' "What excellent advice! Before we get all enamored with our high-and-mighty importance, it's a good idea to take a backward glance at the 'hole of the pit' from which Christ lifted us. In fact, let's not just think about it; let's admit it. Why, some of the greatest saints have crawled out of the deepest, dirtiest, most scandalous "holes" you could imagine. And it was that which kept them humble, honest men and women of God, unwilling to be glorified or idolized."
ILLUSTRATION: Influence It all started with one self-destructive leap. Shepherds eating breakfast outside the town of Gevas, Turkey, were surprised to see a lone sheep jump off of a nearby cliff and fall to its death. They were stunned, however, when the rest of the nearly 1,500 sheep in the herd followed, each leaping off of the same cliff. When it was all over, the local Aksam newspaper reported that "450 of the sheep perished in a billowy, white pile" (those that jumped from the middle and end of the herd were saved as the pile became higher and the fall more cushioned). The estimated loss to the families of Gevas tops $100,000 -- an extremely significant amount of money in a country where the average person earns about $2,700 annually. "There's nothing we can do. They're all wasted," said Nevzat Bayhan, a member of one of the 26 families whose sheep were grazing together in the herd. ("450 Sheep Jump to Their Deaths in Turkey", washingtonpost.com (7-8-05), by way of PreachingToday.com)
Register now for St. Louis Preaching Truth Conference There's still time to register for our "Preaching Truth in a Whatever World" one-day conferences. Next week we'll be in St. Louis at the Holiday Inn-Westport (click here to learn more about the hotel), and they have a limited number of sleeping rooms available if you are driving in for the event. Each event features presentations by Dr. Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching magazine and PreachingNow, and an array of outstanding guest speakers. (Our St. Louis guest speaker is Dr. Zack Eswine of Covenant Seminary.) Each conference begins at 9:00 am and concludes by 4:00 pm. CEU's are available upon request. Our Nov. 29 conference originally planned for New Orleans has now been rescheduled for Birmingham. Location information is available on our website at www.preaching.com/truth. Our Oct. 11 conference in Louisville, Mississippi has been cancelled. Here are dates and areas for fall conferences (exact church location/address is at our website, www.preaching.com/truth):
Here's a comment by a pastor who attended the Denver conference in August: "The 'Preaching Truth in a Whatever World' conference was outstanding. Practical information combined with a passion for REAL biblical preaching, all in a day! The materials provided were well worth the investment. I would recommend Michael Duduit and his special speakers to anyone looking to make themselves better in the pulpit!" (Scott Cheatham, Lead Pastor, Rangeview Community Free Will Baptist Church, Denver, CO) These conferences will offer insights into the unique preaching challenges of today, and will offer a toolbox of strategies and ideas for effective biblical preaching in today's "whatever" culture. Visit our information page (www.preaching.com/truth) for more information or to register. http://www.holidayinnwestport.com/
ILLUSTRATION: Stewardship Tony Campolo was invited to address a women's conference where the participants were being challenged to raise several thousand dollars for a mission project goal. While Campolo was sitting on the dais, the chairperson turned to him and asked him if he would pray for God's blessing as they considered their individual responses to the goal. Campolo stood and -- to the utter amazement of everyone present -- graciously said "no." He approached the microphone and said, "You already have all the resources necessary to complete this mission project right here within this room. It would be inappropriate to ask for God's blessing, when in fact God has already blessed you with the abundance and the means to achieve this goal. The necessary gifts are in your hands. As soon as we take the offering and underwrite this mission project, we will thank God for freeing us to be the generous, responsible and accountable stewards that we're called to be as Christian disciples." And they did. (King Duncan, "You Feed Them!")
ILLUSTRATION: Camping, City Two boys from the city were on a camping trip. The mosquitoes were so fierce the boys had to hide under their blankets to keep from being bitten. When one of them saw some lightning bugs, he said to his friend: "We might as well give up -- they're coming at us with flashlights!" (Cybersalt Digest)
"You can observe a lot just by watching." (Yogi Berra)
LeaderLinks is a web-based publication for Christian leaders. The September-October issue is now available at www.leaderlinks.com. 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.
Bubba was bragging to his boss one day, "You know, I know everyone that there is to know. Just name someone, anyone, and I know them." Tired of his boasting, his boss called his bluff, "OK, Bubba how about Tom Cruise?" "Sure, yes, Tom and I are old friends, and I can prove it." So Bubba and his boss fly out to Hollywood and knock on Tom Cruise's door, and sure enough, Tom Cruise, shouts, "Bubba! Great to see you! You and your friend come right in and join me for lunch!" Although impressed, Bubba's boss is still skeptical. After they leave Cruise's house, he tells Bubba that he thinks Bubba's knowing Cruise was just lucky. "No, no, just name anyone else," Bubba says. "President Bush," his boss quickly retorts. "Yes," Bubba says, "I know him, let's fly out to Washington." And off they go. At the White House, W. spots Bubba on the tour and motions him and his boss over, saying, "Bubba, what a surprise, I was just on my way to a meeting, but you and your friend come on in and let's have a cup of coffee first and catch up." Well, the boss is very shaken by now, but still not totally convinced. After they leave the White House grounds, he expresses his doubts to Bubba, who again implores him to name anyone else. "The new Pope," his boss replies. "Sure!" says Bubba. "My folks are from Germany, and I've known the Pope a long time." So off they fly to Rome. Bubba and his boss are assembled with the masses in Vatican Square when Bubba says, "This will never work. I can't catch the Pope's eye among all these people. Tell you what, I know all the guards so let me just go upstairs and I'll come out on the balcony with the Pope." And he disappears into the crowd headed toward the Vatican. Sure enough, half an hour later Bubba emerges with the Pope on the balcony. But by the time Bubba returns, he finds that his boss has had a heart attack and is surrounded by paramedics. Working his way to his boss' side, Bubba asks him, "What happened?" His boss looks up and says, "I was doing fine until you and the Pope came out on the balcony and the man next to me said, 'Who's that on the balcony with Bubba?'"
"Some people want to be slaves. After enslaving themselves . . . such people always go on to deny freedom to others. They will not rest until they have imposed the same oppressive burdens on others." (Brendan Manning, The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus)
Defining things ADULT: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and started growing in the middle. BEAUTY PARLOUR: A place where women curl up and dye. CANNIBAL: Someone who is fed up with people. COMMITTEE: A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours. DUST: Mud with the juice squeezed out. EGOTIST: Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation. GOSSIP: A person who will never tell a lie if the truth will do more damage. HANDKERCHIEF: Cold Storage. INFLATION: Cutting money in half without damaging the paper. MOSQUITO: An insect that makes you like flies better. RAISIN: Grape with a sunburn. SECRET: Something you tell to one person at a time. TOOTHACHE: The pain that drives you to extraction. TOMORROW: One of the greatest labor saving devices of today. YAWN: An honest opinion openly expressed. WRINKLES: Something other people have. I have character lines.
And finally . . . Santa sued and won. Olavi Niikanoff, a professional Santa from Copenhagen, recently sued the Danish air force after an F-16 fighter jet frightened one of his reindeers to death. Niikanoff complained that the reindeer died with fright when a jet roared over the field where his animals were grazing, according to a Sept. 30 Reuters story. Santa won $5,000 in the lawsuit. An air force spokesman noted that they regularly paid out sums of money to compensate for animals that die of fright when planes boom overhead. Meanwhile, the Easter Bunny is filing suit against the Crest toothpaste people.
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