I
still do weddings; I don't do them all because we have so many. I still do funerals;
I don't do many but I do some. I still go to the hospital; not every week but
some. If I don't live with the people where they are, then when I get up there
to communicate with them I'm not going to be talking to them about where their
needs are and what does God's Word have to say to them.
__________________________
Jim
Henry is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Orlando, FL.
Know
your people, love your people, let them know you, and share yourself. I would
encourage them to trust their people, to let them know your own pain and doubts
and frustrations, yet with the positive understanding that God is at work in
your life and we are growing together.
Do
not be afraid to speak about what you really believe. Trust the Holy Spirit
more and just go for broke C
be less worried about what people think, a little less concerned about criticism.
__________________________
John
A. Huffman is Senior Pastor of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach,
CA.
I
think what helps in the application part of my preaching ministry is that I
am in close relational contact with persons in my accountability group C couples that Lynne and I
fellowship with. I am very tuned in to what most men and women in our community
are wrestling with.
When
I'm giving a message in my "Parenthood" series, for instance, one
of my closest friends has three preschool children and he is at the end of his
rope most of the time because of the frustration of knowing how to bring the
proper balance between love and discipline. In preaching on that subject I kept
him and his family in mind during the whole preparation process so that others
who would fall into that same category would benefit from the instruction and
application I was making to him and his family.
Most
of the time in my preaching I'm really thinking of a few individuals that I
know need instruction and application in the specific realm of information that
I'm talking about that day. In the "Age of Rage" series, there are
some people in my immediate world that are being consumed with anger, and I
knew that when I gave the practical steps out C how do you move from anger
to resolve and do it authentically and biblically? C
I knew they'd be all ears. I had to do my homework carefully, I had to make
sure my application was biblical and in general agreement with sound Christian
psychological laws and so forth.