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First padded pews, and now this. Eagle Brook Church in Lino Lakes, Minnesota, is building a new auditorium that will feature theatre-type seats -- complete with cupholders. Church staffer Scott Anderson explains, "Coffee is such a part of our church culture. If they're gonna bring it in, they need a place to put it. It was a logical decision." Based on that rationale, I've come up with a few additional features that churches might want to consider. For example, in addition to cup holders, pews could feature cell phone holders ("turned to silent or vibrate, please"). And for those who prefer a different style of music to that used in the service, I'd suggest an iPod attached to the back of the pew featuring a variety of alternate music selections, complete with headphones. In fact, as long as we're shooting for convenience, there are a number of additions that a neighborhood megachurch could include to serve the needs of today's consumers -- I mean, church attenders. Why not the "Anoint with Oil" service bay where you can leave the car for an oil change and detailing while you worship? Or the cut and blow dry section of the auditorium, where parishioners with fast-paced lifestyles can get a "do" while they hear about doing the Word? And the biggest hit of all will be for those churches that utilize video technology to project the preacher on those giant screens -- an individualized remote control that lets a listener fast forward to the end of the sermon. No reason to let a sermon get in the way of another cup of java! Michael
Duduit, Editor Now available: Preaching with Power (Baker), a new book featuring 20 interviews from the pages of Preaching magazine. Preaching with Power includes interviews with preachers like John MacArthur, Haddon Robinson, Lloyd John Ogilvie, Rick Warren, Adrian Rogers, David Jeremiah, Ed Young Jr., T.D. Jakes, Andy Stanley, and eleven more. Click here to order your copy today.
Developing a relational outline In their excellent new book Communicating for a Change (Multnomah), Andy Stanley and Lane Jones make the case for "one-point preaching" in a contemporary setting. They offer an outlining method "built around the communicator's relationship with the audience rather than content. . . . The outline revolves around five words, each of which represents a section of the message. They are: ME, WE, GOD, YOU, WE "With this approach the communicator introduces a dilemma he or she has faced or is currently facing (ME). From there you find common ground with your audience around the same or a similar dilemma (WE). Then you transition to the text to discover what God says about the tension or question you have introduced (GOD). Then you challenge your audience to act on what they have just heard (YOU). And finally, you close with several statements about what could happen in your community, your church, or the world if everybody embraced that particular truth (WE). "Each of the five components plays a specific and important role in facilitating the communication journey. ME orients the audience to the topic. It answers the question, 'What is he/she talking about?' WE assures the audience that this is a relevant topic for them. It allows the communicator to identify with the audience. The GOD section serves as illumination. Here is where we bring a new perspective to or shine fresh light on a specific tension. YOU is simply application. WE is the placeholder for inspiration." (Click here to learn more about the book Communicating for a Change)
Get a life In his new book The Fully Alive Preacher (Westminster John Knox), Mike Graves shares a story about Brevard Childs, long-time Old Testament professor and scholar. "In class one day a student asked him what it would take to get an A on an exegesis paper. Childs responded, 'If you want to do better exegesis, become a deeper person.' "What wisdom! The same goes for the homiletical task. If we want to be better preachers, we should first consider how we might become deeper persons. Or to put it in the vernacular, if we want to get up sermons for the next umpteen years, we had better get a life first!" (Click here to learn more about the book The Fully Alive Preacher)
Preaching with altitude In the July 2006 issue of Ministry magazine, Ricardo Norton talks about lessons preachers can learn from aviation. One of the issues he discusses is cruising altitude: "Pilots and preachers can take their passengers to unbelievable heights. The higher the altitude and the less oxygen available, the more difficult the journey. . . . Most commercial aircraft fly with pressurized cabins because, otherwise, passengers would not survive for lack of oxygen. The higher the contents of a sermon, the higher the concentration level and retention capacity the congregation needs. Preachers should preach at an altitude suitable for their congregation. "Hypoxia is a condition produced by lack of oxygen. Professional golfer Payne Stewart and five other people lost consciousness due to hypoxia and crashed while flying from Orlando to Dallas in 1999. Preachers can fly so high in their allocutions that they leave the audience breathless, but this type of homiletic hypoxia may fail to communicate the gospel properly. Sometimes people leave the church very impressed by the eloquence but without a clear understanding of the Word of God. Nothing vainer exists in preaching than saying nothing with elegance." (www.ministrymagazine.org)
ILLUSTRATION: Pride, Leadership In the big leagues, getting the manager's nod to take the mound as the starting pitcher on opening day is the dream of every major league hurler. At the beginning of a new season, the honor is like receiving the endorsement, "ace of the rotation." Such must have been going through Frank Tanana's mind when he landed the coveted spot on one opening day from then Detroit Tiger manager Sparky Anderson. That is, until Sparky was asked why he had picked Frank. His response was short but not-so-sweet, "Somebody has to do it." In an interview with Detroit's local ABC affiliate on the morning of the Tiger's home opener 2006, Frank remembered that he later 'thanked' Sparky for his "less than enthusiastic endorsement." Sparky was not one to withhold compliments when he felt they were due. In fact his praise was often effusive when a ball player deserved it. But he was also a wise leader who knew which players needed encouragement and which ones could profit from a dose of humility. (from Tom McCullough)
ILLUSTRATION: Change, Adaptation Sometimes the best thing we can do is to move on to another field. Paul Harvey tells the story of Joe, who was born into a family of Sicilian immigrants, a family who had a 300-year history as fishermen. Joe's dad was a fisherman. His brothers were fishermen. But Joe was made sick by the smell of raw fish and the motion of a rocking boat. In a family where the only acceptable way to earn a living was by fishing, Joe was a failure. His dad used to refer to his son as "good for nothing." Joe believed his dad. He believed that his attempts at other types of work were an admission of failure, but he just couldn't stand the smell of the fishing business. One thing that Joe could do was to play baseball. Giving up a field where he could not succeed, Joe DiMaggio moved to another field and became one of the great successes of baseball. (David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost)
ILLUSTRATION: Encouragement, Church One of the most touching moment in the Sydney Olympics was when Eric "The Swimmer" Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea swam in the 100-meter free style qualifying heat. The 22-year-old African had only learned to swim last January, had only practiced in a 20-meter pool without lane markers, and had never raced more than 50 meters. By special invitation of the International Olympic Committee, under a special program that permits poorer countries to participate even though their athletes don't meet customary standards, he had been entered in the 100-meter men's freestyle. When the other two swimmers in his heat were disqualified because of false starts, Moussambani was forced to swim alone. Eric Moussambani was, to use the words of an Associated Press story about his race, "charmingly inept." He never put his head under the water's surface and flailed wildly to stay afloat. With ten meters left to the wall, he virtually came to a stop. Some spectators thought he might drown! Even though his time was over a minute slower than what qualified for the next level of competition, the capacity crowd at the Olympic Aquatic Center stood to their feet and cheered the swimmer on. After what seemed like an eternity, the African reached the wall and hung on for dear life. When he had caught his breath and regained his composure, the French-speaking Moussambani said through an interpreter, "I want to send hugs and kisses to the crowd. It was their cheering that kept me going." As Christians, we have a cheering section encouraging us on when we are tired and calling out to us to do better when we are feeling at our best. The author of Hebrews says, "We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses." What in the world does he mean-great cloud of witnesses? The author of Hebrews is telling us that we are a part of something much richer and deeper than we know. As children of God and as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, we are a part of a family. (Bruce Emmert, SermonCentral newsletter, 7-31-06)
ILLUSTRATION: Second Coming, Warning In January 1996, nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. Her body was recovered four days later. Dallas-Fort Worth radio and TV broadcasters teamed to form the AMBER ALERT plan -- a way to alert the public about missing children over the airwaves and via electronic freeway signs. Since then, AMBER alerts have resulted in finding more than 200 abducted children nationwide. As David Jeremiah points, out, while emergency warnings are effective for many things, there will be no billboards or broadcasts to tell us of the return of Jesus Christ -- except after the fact, when it will be too late. Jesus himself said that He did not know the day or the hour of His return (Matthew 24:36). But He did give us "signs of the times" that will let us know when the time is near. Matthew 24, where many of the signs are described, is the most concentrated prophetic passage in the Bible concerning the Second Coming. The signs require discernment and understanding, but they speak loudly to those with ears to hear. Have you studied the signs Jesus left His followers? No sign can guide the lost if it goes unseen, unread, or unheeded. (Turning Point Daily Devotional, 7-27-06)
"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." (G.K. Chesterton)
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ILLUSTRATION: Jealousy, Revenge After a long illness, a woman died and arrived at the Gates of Heaven. The gate keeper came by and the woman said to him "This is such a wonderful place! How do I get in?" "You have to spell a word," the gate keeper told her. "Which word?" the woman asked. "Love." The woman correctly spelled "Love" and the gate keeper welcomed her into Heaven. About six months later, the gate keeper asked the woman to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day. While the woman was guarding the Gates of Heaven, her husband arrived. "I'm surprised to see you," the woman said. "How have you been?" "Oh, I've been doing pretty well since you died," her husband told her. "I married the beautiful young nurse who took care of you while you were ill. And then I won the lottery. I sold the little house you and I lived in and bought a big mansion. And my wife and I traveled all around the world. We were on vacation and I went water skiing today. I fell, the ski hit my head, and here I am. How do I get in?" "You have to spell a word," the woman told him. "Which word?" her husband asked. "Czechoslovakia."
How Adam had it easy 1. He is the only man who has never been compared to the man she could have married. 2. He had no in-laws to drop in. 3. There were no Jones for him to keep up with. 4. There were no credit cards OR shopping centers. 5. He never had his dinner interrupted by window salesmen. 6. He got away with wearing a simple wardrobe. 7. He never had to shovel snow! 8. If he had gone bald, who would have known that wasn't normal. 9. There was no "standard weight and height" tables -- and the word fat meant good.
And finally . . . Apparently some criminals are just ready to get caught. Police in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, WA, didn't have to go far to arrest a man for investigation of car prowling. He was found sleeping in a special weapons and tactics van. According to a July 26 AP story, a municipal worker reported someone breaking into cars shortly before midnight last Monday. Officers found the burglarized cars, but couldn't determine who might be responsible -- until about 4:50 a.m., when two SWAT team members came to the police vehicle maintenance yard to get their van and found a 25-year-old transient asleep in the back. The man was booked into the King County jail for investigation of burglary.
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