PreachingNow

Reading a Chuck Swindoll devotional recently pointed me to Robert Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and a reminder of a little-heard word these days, gumption. Pirsig writes:

"I like the word gumption because it's so homely and so forlorn and so out of style it looks as if it needs a friend and isn't likely to reject anyone who comes along. It's an old Scottish word, once used a lot by pioneers, but . . . seems to have all but dropped out of use.

"A person filled with gumption doesn't sit around, dissipating and stewing about things. He's at the front of the train of his own awareness, watching to see what's up the track and meeting it when it comes."

As Pirsig applies gumption to life, he does so behind the word picture of repairing a motorcycle:

"If you're going to repair a motorcycle, an adequate supply of gumption is the first and most important tool. If you haven't got that you might as well gather up all the other tools and put them away, because they won't do you any good.

"Gumption is the psychic gasoline that keeps the whole thing going. If you haven't got it, there is no way the motorcycle can possibly be fixed. But if you have got it and know how to keep it, there's absolutely no way in the whole world that motorcycle can keep from getting fixed. It's bound to happen. Therefore the thing that must be monitored at all times and preserved before anything else is gumption."

Sanctified gumption. It's not only handy when you're repairing a motorcycle; it's downright essential to be an effective preacher and church leader.

Plans are underway for the 2006 National Conference on Preaching, which will be April 24-26, 2006, at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX (suburban Dallas). Our theme will be "Preaching Creatively," and when you attend you'll enjoy a team of great speakers, including Haddon Robinson, Calvin Miller, Jack Graham, Dieter Zander, Steve Wende, Doug Pagitt, Brian Carter and many more. Visit the NCP website (www.preaching.com/ncp) to learn more and to register today.

In his new book Preaching: How to Preach Biblically (Thomas Nelson), John MacArthur includes a chapter of frequently-asked questions posed to him about expository preaching. One of his questions deals with documenting ideas we draw from the works of others: "A balance is the ideal. We cannot document every thought in our sermons. On the other hand, we should give credit where due.

"Pastors sometimes ask me if they can use my material. I have given them blanket permission for anyone to use my sermons and preach them in whole or in part if they wish, and I do not want any credit as the source. If what I say has value to someone, I am honored for him to use it for God's glory. The truth is all His.

"Yet if someone re-preached one of my sermons without enriching it by going through the discovery process, that sermon will inevitably be flat and lifeless. The great Scottish preacher Alexander Maclaren once went to hear another man preach, a young man with a reputation for being a gifted preacher. Much to Maclaren's surprise, the young man said at the outset of his message, 'I've had such a busy week that I had no time to prepare a sermon of my own, so I'm going to preach one of Maclaren's.' He did not know Maclaren was in the audience until Maclaren greeted him afterward. He was very embarrassed and became even more so when Maclaren looked him in the eye and said, 'Young man, I don't mind if you are going to preach my sermons, but if you are going to preach them like that, please don't say they are mine.'

"To rely too heavily on the sermons of others robs one of the joy of discovering biblical truth for himself. Such sermons will lack conviction and enthusiasm. Sermons by other preachers should be another study tool, like commentaries or illustration books." (Click here to learn more about the book Preaching: How to Preach Biblically)

According to the Southern Review of Books (Oct. 15), Bowker's Global Books In Print database indicates that "publishers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand released 375,000 new titles and editions in 2004. Anglo-American publishers published 80 percent of all new English-language books in 2004, while the U.S. alone accounted for 52 percent of the total. Based on those figures, the U.S. accounted for 195,000 new titles in 2004. Great Britain accounted for 105,000, and Canada, Australia and New Zealand for the remaining 75,000.

"Adult fiction, poetry, drama and literary criticism accounted for 18 percent of all new English-language books available for sale in 2004, an increase of 21 percent over 2003. Children's and young adult titles had a 12 percent share of new titles and editions, a 33 percent increase. Science and technology, combined for a nine percent share of new books in 2004, which was a 9 percent decrease from 2003. Computer books continued their long, post-1990s decline, holding on to three percent of new books published last year, a 14 percent decrease from 2003, and a 32 percent drop-off since 2001. Religion and travel saw double-digit increases, while history, sociology, economics and education experienced significant declines." (Click here to read the entire article.)

In his most recent Tuesday Mornings newsletter, Tom Barnard talks about helping others through times of personal loss. He quotes Chuck Swindoll: "Unbelievable as it may seem, God has a reason for (our suffering). Our Father is preparing us to meet the deep inner needs of others by bringing us through the dark places first." Then Tom offers this:

Do something. Make a phone call, send a note, give a hug, attend the funeral.

Be available. Being visible and readily available long after a death sends a message that you care.

Be a good listener. Avoid being judgmental. Avoid giving advice. Don't say, "I know."

Be patient. Give your friend time to make necessary adjustments. There are no shortcuts here.

Acknowledge your own limitations. You don't know everything about the grieving process.

Encourage your friend to allow time to adjust. Hurried decisions can be devastating.

Suggest professional help, if appropriate. Certain kinds of advice are best given by pros.

Pray. Often the bereaved person cannot find comfort by praying alone. They need our prayers.

She thought she had gotten away with it. Francisca Rojas of Buenos Aires, Argentina, had murdered two of her own sons. In an attempt to deflect the blame, she had cut her own throat as well, then blamed the attack on a nearby ranch worker named Velasquez. Though the poor man proclaimed his innocence, he was arrested.

An Argentine police official named Juan Vucetich, however, had been experimenting with a new-fangled system of criminal identity -- fingerprints. It was 1891, and fingerprints had never been used in a criminal trial. Revisiting the scene of the attack, Vucetich studied the bloody handprint on the doorframe of Francisca's house. It matched the prints of Francisca's own fingers. As a result, Francisca became the first person in history to be convicted of a crime based on fingerprint identification.

Today the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) electronically stores millions of known fingerprints. In this world of six billion people, every person leaves his own unique mark.

There's another sense in which we leave our mark behind us. Every one of us leaves our fingerprints on the lives of other people, especially on our children. We don't stay on earth forever; but after we're gone, our imprint remains. (David Jeremiah, Baptist Press, 10-21-05)

John Huffman observes, "We can fail to adequately appropriate those gifts that are ours, not realizing our potential.

"In the year 1884, a young man from America died while on a visit to Europe. His middle-aged grieving parents returned with the body. They were heartbroken. After the funeral, they began to discuss some kind of a memorial to his memory, not a tombstone or an ornate grave, but a living memorial, something that would help other young men like their son. They decided that something in the field of education would be most appropriate. It would be a kind of memorial that would go on year after year helping to educate young people.

"They arranged for an appointment with Dr. Charles Eliot, then the president of Harvard University. He received the unpretentious couple into his office and asked what he could do for them. They told him about the death of their son and apologized for taking up his valuable time. They explained that they wanted to establish a memorial to his memory -- something that would help other young men like their son get an education. Dr. Eliot looked at the couple with some impatience and a certain suggestion of aristocratic disdain. "Perhaps you have in mind a scholarship?" "No," said the woman in her mild manner belying the quickness and sharpness of her mind. "We were thinking of something more substantial than that -- perhaps a new building or so. . ." "I must explain to you," said Eliot with what seemed a patronizing air, "That which you suggest costs a great deal of money. Buildings are very expensive." Obviously, Eliot did not think that from their appearance they were capable of that kind of donation.

"There was a pause, then the lady rose slowly and asked, 'Dr. Eliot, what has this entire university cost?' Eliot shrugged and, muttering, stated a figure that amounted to several millions of dollars in that 1884 deflationary economy. 'Oh, we can do better than that,' said the lady, who now seemed to have made up her mind about the entire thing. 'Come, dear,' she motioned to her husband, 'I have an idea.' Then they left.

"The following year, President Eliot of Harvard learned that the plain, unpretentious couple had contributed $30 million for a memorial to their son. The memorial is known as Stanford University, named after their son Leland Stanford, Jr.

"God forgive you and me if we let His potential, His gifts, His spiritual gifts slip through our fingers like that." (John A. Huffman, Jr., "Thanksgiving Comes Early This Year")

General Eisenhower would demonstrate the art of leadership with a piece of string. He'd put it on a table and say: "Pull it and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it and it will go nowhere at all. It's just that way when it comes to leading people. They need to follow a person who is leading by example." (Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching)

"Introduces students to a time-honored but sometimes neglected approach to getting at the message of biblical texts. His design for 'close reading' is both intellectually respectable and aesthetically rewarding; it is also relatively easy to learn, since he presents it in a manner that is clear and concise, abounding with memorable illustrations. Those who are committed to his goal of 'engaging scripture on its own terms' will find he is a reliable guide to renewing and enhancing their appreciation of biblical stories and the art of storytelling." -- Mark Allan Powell, Trinity Lutheran Seminary

In a recent column, William Raspberry shared a story that reflects on the importance of fathers in our culture: "Some years ago, South Africa's game managers had to figure out what to do about the elephant herd at Kruger National Park. The herd was growing well beyond the ability of the park to sustain it. The two-phase solution: transport some of the herd to the Pilanesberg game park and kill off some of those that were too big to transport.

"A dozen years later, several of the transported young males (now teenagers) started attacking Pilanesberg's herd of white rhinos, an endangered species. They used their trunks to throw sticks at the rhinos, chased them over long hours and great distances and stomped to death a tenth of the herd -- all for no discernible reason.

"Park managers decided they had no choice but to kill some of the worst juvenile offenders. They had killed five of them when someone came up with another bright idea: Bring in some of the mature males from Kruger and hope that the bigger, stronger males could bring the adolescents under control.

"To the delight of the park officials, it worked. The big bulls, quickly establishing the natural hierarchy, became the dominant sexual partners of the females, and the reduction in sexual activity among the juveniles lowered soaring testosterone levels and reduced their violent behavior.

"The new discipline, it turned out, was not just a matter of size intimidation. The young bulls actually started following the Big Daddies around, yielding to their authority and learning from them proper elephant conduct. The assaults on the white rhinos ended abruptly." (Submitted by Tim Schaaf; Click here to read the full column.)

The church in the world is a lot like the story that E. Stanley Jones tells of the missionary in the jungle. He got lost with nothing around him but bush and a few cleared places. He finally found a small village and asked one of the natives if he could lead him out of the jungle. The native said he could. "All right," the missionary said, "Show me the way."

They walked for hours through dense brush hacking their way through unmarked jungle. The missionary began to worry and said, "Are you quite sure this is the way? Where is the path?" The native said. "In this place there is no path. I am the path."

Our path out of the jungle of this world is God in Christ. We may have some
Rabbis, Masters, Fathers, Teachers, and Reverends but we are all like the
missionary. We rely not upon men but Christ who is our path. (Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com)

3 More Preaching Truth Conferences in 2005

Hundreds of pastors have already been part of one of our "Preaching Truth in a Whatever World" one-day conferences. This Thursday is our conference in Columbia, SC. You can still register for Columbia or one of the remaining conferences in Birmingham or Williamsburg. Location information is available on our website at www.preaching.com/truth.

Using the theme "Preaching Truth in a Whatever World," each event will feature presentations by Dr. Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching magazine and PreachingNow, and an array of outstanding guest speakers. Here are dates and areas for fall conferences (exact church location/address is at our website, www.preaching.com/truth):

Nov. 10 -- Columbia, South Carolina
Nov. 29 -- Birmingham, Alabama
Dec. 1 -- Williamsburg, Virginia

Here's a comment by a pastor who attended the Philadelphia conference in October: "I thoroughly enjoyed the conference. I found it to be very informative, conducted very well and a blessing to my ministry." (Minister Jeff Hickson, New Gethsemane Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA)

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.

"I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity." (John Wesley)

After forty years of shaving himself every morning, a man in a small Southern town decided he had enough. He told his wife that he intended to let the local barber shave him from now on.

He went to the shop, which was owned by the pastor of their Baptist church. The barber's wife, Grace, was working that day so she performed the task. Grace shaved him, sprayed him with lilac water and said, "That will be $20." The man thought it a bit high, but he paid the bill and went to work.

The next morning he looked in the mirror and his face was just as smooth as it had been when he left the barbershop the day before.

"Not bad," he thought. "At least I don't need to get a shave every day."

The next morning the man's face was still smooth.

Two weeks later, still smooth.

It was more than he could take, so he returned to the barbershop. "I thought $20 was high for a shave," he told the barber's wife, "but you must have done a great job. It's been two weeks and my whiskers still haven't started growing back."

"Of course they haven't," she replied. "You were shaved by Grace. Once shaved, always shaved."

Kids' Letters to God -- Part 1

Dear God,
Are you really invisible or is that just a trick? (Lucy)

Dear God,
Did you mean for giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? (Norma)

Dear God,
Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones why don't you just keep the ones you got now? (Jane)

Dear God,
I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that ok? (Neil)

Dear God,
In bible times did they really talk that fancy? (Jennifer)

Dear God,
I am American. What are you? (Robert)

Dear God,
Thank you for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy. (Joyce)

Dear God,
Please put another Holiday between Christmas and Easter. There is nothing good in there now. (Ginny)

Dear God,
If we come back as something, please don't let me be Jennifer Horton because I hate her. (Denise)

Dear God,
If you give me a genie lamp like Aladdin, I will give you anything you want except my money or my chess set. (Raphael)

Dear God,
Please send Dennis Clark to a different camp this year. (Peter)

Dear God,
Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother. (Larry)

Dear God,
I want to be just like my Daddy when I get big but not with so much hair all over. (Sam)

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