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One of the biggest problems we preachers have is the ability to be quiet. We are so used to activity and to speech (usually our own) that it can be a real challenge to sit still and hush. Earlier this year I taught a D.Min. class (on creativity in preaching) at Northwest Baptist Seminary. One morning I came in and wrote on the board for them to sit without speaking and just listen, then I sat down. It took quite awhile for these preachers to understand that this wasn't an assignment to discuss! We struggle with silence. In a recent edition of his weekly newsletter, Kirk Byron Jones reflects: "One of my retreats for religious leaders this year took place in Vermont. The setting was magnificent: a lake-side resort surrounded by majestic mountains. A lasting image from my experience that weekend is the mountains reflecting perfectly in the mirror of the still morning lake. The reflection was so vivid that there appeared to be mountains in the lake itself. "The motionless lake allowed for a clear, undistorted reflection of the mountains. Similarly, stillness and silence can grant us greater clarity about who we are and what we really want out of life. Psalm 46:10 invites us to be still and know that God is God. That benefit of stillness is miraculous enough. But, not only do we learn more about God in stillness, we learn more about ourselves. "Here is a simple 3-step "soul-listening" exercise you can do in order to gain greater clarity about life-purpose and direction. Allow yourself 15-20 minutes for an unrushed, more deeply insightful and rewarding experience. You will need something to write with, and a card or sheet of paper. 1. Be Still. Take a moment to get comfortable and be silent. Empty yourself of all thoughts. Resist paying attention to any sounds you may hear. One way to hold the silence is to view your mind as a VCR machine and simply press the pause button. 2. Listen. After 2 or 3 minutes of silence, begin to listen for sounds. Note what you hear mentally or on a card or sheet of paper. 3. Listen to Your Soul. Turn your focus to your soul. Ask this question: What do you desire most of all? Don't force a response. Pay attention to what enters effortlessly into your mind, and write it down. "Many of the answers we seek are inside of us. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal said, 'All of [our] miseries stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room and do nothing.' Be still and know . . . " (To
subscribe to Jones' newsletter, visit www.brewseries.com) Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" (Michael's blog) for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. Recent topics: The Time Battle.
Preachers must be leaders In his new book 360-Degree Leadership (Baker Books), Michael Quicke argues for the close relationship between preaching and leadership, and explores how preaching is a critical element in the task of leading a congregation. He writes: "Scripture commands those who speak God's words to lead. It propels preacher/leaders to the forefront of Christian leadership. Flat generic exegesis and interpretation, dulled prophetic relevance, misplaced visionary purpose, missed paradoxes of power in weakness and spiritual wisdom in foolishness, and neglected community building are inexcusable for those who take Scripture seriously. "Rather, Scripture authorizes preachers to exhort, teach, and evangelize within deeper visions of living out God's will for his community. God-empowered, full-blooded preaching always brings people into corporate visions and dimensions of community. It is holistic, avoiding extremes of both cerebral and emotional preaching. It has theological spine, expressing the power of God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is specific, grounded in a particular congregation's transformation, not some generic fit-all program. "It is real -- facing conflict, healthily aware of the consequences of God's counterstory, and calling for commitment. It reinforces the process of transformation as people learn to do God's Word together; and it is courageous because the preacher is first exposed to God's challenge and then dares to tell out what it means. It is also missional, challenging people to be and live as missionary communities. "You
can lead without preaching, but you cannot preach biblically without
leading." (Click
here to learn more about the book 360-Degree Leadership.)
Apologetics less helpful in evangelism? Haddon Robinson makes the case that apologetics has less impact in evangelism today than in past generations. In a recent interview with PreachingTodaySermons newsletter, he says, "There was a time in which apologetics had great force. I don't think that's as true today. In a postmodern age, to use that cliché, people aren't as impressed with evidences that demand a verdict. That's not just my opinion. It's the opinion of a lot of people who are skilled at reaching non-Christians, who have, in the past, used apologetics. Usually apologetics are more forceful for those who have come into faith, and having come to faith, have all kinds of questions. "Often a church that has small groups, that has warm fellowship, that draws people to an atmosphere of love, has something going for it. People are drawn to that, and then they want to talk about the gospel. People want relationships; they want to know there are people who care about them. When they find that, then they will hear the gospel, but I don't think apologetics is as strong and as needed today as it was 25 years ago." Has something taken the place of apologetics? Robinson believes that it is, "people telling their story. I'm not talking about the modern theology that you have your story and I've got my story, but there's no great story, no meta-narrative. I'm talking about telling your testimony, what's happened to you along the way. You're telling how coming to trust Jesus Christ has made a difference in your life. When someone hears that story, and it overlaps their story, there's a way in which that can connect. That's truer today than in the past. We've always used testimonies, but today the witness box has an appeal to people because, in a way, that's the way life comes to them." (Click here to read the full interview.) http://pttranscripts.stores.yahoo.net/evprinloch.html
Hot websites for 2006 Where are Americans going on the Internet? The Sept. 11 issue of MediaWeek magazine reports the best performing websites of 2006, and the two top sites are YouTube -- where people post their own video clips -- and myspace.com, which has become an incredibly influential youth cultural phenomenon, with millions of teens (and others) creating their own myspace pages and connecting with others through the site. The rest of the top ten are: weather.com (MTV for us old folks), tmz.com (a glamour and gossip site), businessweek.com, heavy.com (more video-sharing, with a heavy young male audience), mlb.com (baseball), cartoonnetwork.com, espn.com, and facebook.com (myspace for college students). Listings reflect sites that create content rather than aggregate it (like Google or Yahoo), sites that are growing fast with "large numbers of unique visitors and page views," and sites with a lot of "buzz factor" within the industry. With lots of celebrities and others joining the rush to create myspace pages as a way to communicate with teens, is there a need for church leaders -- and particularly youth ministry leaders -- to claim their own myspace territory?
ILLUSTRATION: Repentance In the Peanuts comic strip, Lucy and Charlie Brown would practice football. Lucy would hold the ball for Charlie's placekicking and then Charlie would kick the ball. But every time Lucy ever held the ball for Charlie Brown, at the moment he would kick the ball, Lucy would pick up the ball and Charlie Brown's momentum -- unchecked by the ball -- would cause him to fall flat on his back. One particular strip opened with Lucy holding the ball, but Charlie Brown would not kick the ball. Lucy begged him to kick the ball, but Charlie Brown said, "Every time I try to kick the ball you remove it and I fall on my back." They went back and forth for the longest time and finally Lucy broke down in tears and admitted, "Charlie Brown I have been so terrible to you over the years, picking up the football like I have. I have played so many cruel tricks on you, but I've seen the error of my ways! I've seen the hurt look in your eyes when I've deceived you. I've been wrong, so wrong. Won't you give a poor penitent girl another chance?" Charlie Brown was moved by her display of grief and responded to her, "Of course, I'll give you another chance." He stepped back as she held the ball, and he ran. At the last moment, Lucy picked up the ball and Charlie Brown fell flat on his back. Lucy's last words were, "Recognizing your faults and actually changing your ways are two different things, Charlie Brown!" Likewise, being sorry for what you have done is not necessarily the same thing as repentance.
Top
ten reasons to be part of the The third International Congress on Preaching will be April 17-19, 2007, in Cambridge, England. Among the many reasons for you to plan now to attend, here are just ten:
David
Jeremiah and many more! What other reasons do you need? Registration is now available at an earlybird discount -- register today and save $55 off the normal rate. To learn more visit the website at www.preaching.com/icop or call (800) 288-9673 (outside the US, call 615-312-4245.)
ILLUSTRATION: Honesty, Lies The Aug. 28, 2006 issue of Time magazine points out that there's a continuing technological effort to be able to tell when someone is lying. The article notes, "In the post-9/11 world, where anyone with a boarding pass and a piece of carry-on is a potential menace, the need is greater than ever for law enforcement's most elusive dream: a simple technique that can expose a liar as dependably as a blood test can identify DNA or a Breathalyzer can nail a drunk. "Quietly over the past five years, Department of Defense agencies and the Department of Homeland Security have dramatically stepped up the hunt. Though the exact figures are concealed in the classified "black budget," tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars are believed to have been poured into lie-detection techniques as diverse as infrared imagers to study the eyes, scanners to peer into the brain, sensors to spot liars from a distance, and analysts trained to scrutinize the unconscious facial flutters that often accompany a falsehood. "At last they may be getting somewhere. Next month No Lie MRI of San Diego, a beneficiary of some of that federal largesse, will roll out a brain-scan lie-detection service it is marketing to government and industry."
ILLUSTRATION: Tradition Years ago Harry Emerson Fosdick told about a church in Denmark where the worshipers bowed regularly before a certain spot on the wall. They had been doing that for three centuries -- bowing at that one spot in the sanctuary. Nobody could remember why. One day in renovating the church, they removed some of the whitewash on the walls. At the exact spot where the people bowed they found the image of the Madonna under the whitewash. People had become so accustomed to bowing before that image that even after it was covered up for three centuries, people still bowed. Tradition is a powerful thing. The Pharisees had learned to substitute tradition, custom, habit for the presence of the living God. Traditionalism rears its head in many ways, in many times and in many places. (King Duncan, Collected Sermons)
ILLUSTRATION: Pain While leading a tour of kindergarten students through our hospital, a conversation began between one little girl and an x-ray technician. "Have you ever broken a bone?" he asked. "Yes," the girl replied. "Did it hurt?" "No." "Really? Which bone did you break?" "My sister's arm." (from Mikey's Funnies)
Register now for 'Preaching Truth' conferences Four more Preaching Truth in a Whatever World events are still available for Fall 2006. These one-day preaching conferences explore strategies for effective biblical preaching in a postmodern world. Led by Preaching editor Michael Duduit and a variety of guest speakers, these conferences offer a valuable time of insight and refreshment for those who proclaim the Word. Preaching Truth conferences will be held in the following cities: Memphis,
TN -- Oct 17 For more information or to register, call (800) 288-9673, or visit the website at www.preaching.com/truth
"The goal of life is not to gain freedom but to find your master." (P.T. Forsyth)
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ILLUSTRATION: Grief, Memorial A man had left $30,000 to be used for an elaborate funeral. After everything is done at the funeral home and cemetery, she tells her closest friend that "there is absolutely nothing left from the $30,000." The friend asks, "How can that be?" The widow says, "Well, the funeral cost was $6,500. And of course I made a donation to the church -- that was $500. I spent another $500 for the wake, food and drinks as you know. The rest went for the memorial stone." The friend says, "$22,500 for the memorial stone? Wow! How big is it?" The widow says, "Four and a half carats." (from Austin Tucker)
"I get my exercise being a pallbearer for those of my friends who believe in regular running and calisthenics." (Winston Churchill)
Ten Sure Signs You're a Redneck Preacher 10. If your Sunday School bus is on blocks 9. If you've ever canceled church because the cows got out 8. If your belt buckle's bigger than your Bible 7. If you're skeptical of preachers who wear robes and clerical collars. 6. If there's a sign over the church door that reads, "This building protected by Smith and Wesson 5. If you've ever taken deep-fried possum to a church dinner 4. If you've ever made change in the offering plate 3. If you've ever shown slides from your trip to Graceland 2. If you "work up a lather" when you preach 1. If your altar call is longer than your sermon (Stan Toler)
And finally . . . Beam up the bucks, Scottie. According to an Oct. 7 Associated Press report, "a model of the Starship Enterprise used in the pilot and title sequences of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' sold for $576,000 Saturday at an auction of costumes, sets and props from 40 years of the 'Star Trek' sci-fi franchise." Total proceeds came to more than $7 million. The 78-inch-long miniature of the "Enterprise-D" debuted in 1987 in the episode "Encounter at Farpoint," then was used in many other episodes along with the film "Star Trek Generations." The model was originally built by Industrial Light and Magic, the George Lucas company which crafted Star Wars special effects. The Christie's auction house included the Trek props among more than 1,000 sale items from past TV shows. During the auction, some Christie's employees taking bids by telephone wore Star Trek uniforms as a live feed of the auction was carried on the History Channel's Web site. The AP story notes that, "Other top sellers from Saturday's auction included a spacesuit belonging to the series' Dr. McCoy from the episode 'The Tholian Web,' which fetched $144,000; and a replica of Captain James T. Kirk's chair on the bridge in the first Star Trek series. The painted wood chair was only a re-creation for a 1996 episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" that mixed action from that newer series with old footage, but it still sold for $62,400."
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