Often, preaching metaphors seem to place most of the responsibility for preaching on preachers' shoulders, as though everything depends on their understanding, techniques, and energy. In this model, a preacher's prime responsibility is to be immersed in the dynamics of trinitarian preaching. The preaching swim keeps preachers focused on God's energy and movement.

In discussing the preaching swim with a swimming coach, he emphasized the uniqueness of swimming's physical movements. On land we operate by Newton's law: For every action there is a reaction. Since many movements take place against immovable objects, such as the ground, they tend to be piston-like. However, water is a viscous medium and offers only minimal resistance before moving in the direction of a force. In water, therefore, piston movements are highly inefficient. Rather, swimmers need to make "sweeping" movements, finding "still water" against which they can exert resistance. Thrashing about gets one nowhere. This is evocative language for considering the role of a preacher's spirituality in the preaching process. Listening, waiting, and obeying achieve much more than thrashing about.

The preaching swim also emphasizes personal commitment. Though traveling by boat is much safer and faster, preachers must jump in for their own swim. Copied sermons and generic outlines encourage cloning of others' preaching experiences. God wants preachers who are compelled by authentic commitment to his Word and passionate commitment to interpret its good news for their hearers. To the question "To preach or not to preach?" the only answer should be, "You cannot stop us." As Peter and John said, "We cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

Personal styles will vary. All swimmers have a natural stroke style and often take to one stroke more than another. One may prefer the backstroke, another the crawl; some like gentle breaststrokes, while others take to extravagant butterfly action. God honors preachers who make their own strokes with honesty, hard work, love for their people, and passion for the lost. God works through preachers who offer their best.

Serious swimming requires high levels of fitness and preparedness; so does serious preaching. Preachers need to be fit in body, mind, and spirit. They need to immerse their entire life in God's work. Christians should be used to this tension of working hard within God's work. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13). Preachers who opt to stay on dry land or paddle in the shallows have misunderstood this principle.

Swimming can also be dangerous, and preaching too involves a sense of danger. Complacency can be deadly when swimming; underwater currents, riptides, and undertows can catch the unwary and cause drowning Complacency is also dangerous when preaching. Trivializing, manipulating, misleading, and downright hypocrisy have eternal consequences.