You Forgot What?

OK, so I'm a forgetful person.  I will walk into a room, knowing I was going in search of something but can't remember what I was going in after.  Very frustrating to me and others.

My wife Beth was going through some journal entries I was making while I was a Cadet in training over 20 years ago.  One field training Sunday back then, I was scheduled to preach.  The way it worked back then was that I was assigned months in advance.  I was to submit, one at a time, a proposal for a Bible passage, a Bible Study, a short sermon outline, an extended (I used to day distended) outline, and a manuscript.  After several weeks expired and trees suffered from the paper usage, I was ready (or so I thought) to stand up in the pulpit with my manuscript.  To make matters worse, the field training officer (who was and is still a very nice person) was sitting in the back of the congregation with a grading sheet and the manuscript, giving a grade and constructive criticism on my sermon delivery.

I traveled with my brigade to the location, a two-hour drive away.  For whatever reason,I didn't have my manuscript with me.  No notes, no outline, no sermon.  The adrenaline was flowing as I tried to conceal my oversight from the training officer.  I had a few minutes alone before the meeting, and took a blank sheet of paper.  I folded it in half sideways so that it would fit in my Bible.  From what I remembered of my sermon, I wrote a bullet-point outline in two columns, one on each side of the fold.

When I got in the pulpit, I was nervous, but I felt strangely free.  I was able to step away from the pulpit, look people in the eye or take a small side trip that seemed appropriate at the moment. 

That Sunday morning began what for me has been a regular system for sermon delivery:

• I prepare my sermon in much the same way, except I don't create an extended outline or manuscript.
• I take a piece of graph paper (I like the horizontal and vertical lines for lining things up), fold it in half, and write on the open side of the paper.
• I write only a simple outline - bullet points and subpoints.  Any crucial points or quotes I will write out word for word.  I may also write the words to a prayer chorus on the page.  There are usually no mre than 200 words on the page.
• I write the notes by hand so that my memory can better recall my thoughts from a glance at the image of my own handwriting.  Printing it on the computer doesn't have the same effect.
• I fold the page and stick it in my Bible right where the preaching passage is.
• During the meeting, a thought might come up, or an illustration that ties into what someone else says.  I will open the sermon up and jot down that thought where I think it will best fit in.
• I open my Bible, put the notes next to the Scripture, and I am ready to go.

I am willing to admit that there have been several times since I was a cadet that I have lost my notes.  One time, I got up to the pulpit, ready to preach, thinking my notes were in my Bible, and they weren't.  Too late to do anything else.  I said, "Let's pray."  And God had His way among us.

So my encouraging advice to you is to wean yourself from the manuscript.  And I know you'll be a better preacher.

Like what you are reading? Consider the following: 1. Subscribe to my blog (there is a link for that on this page). 2. "Follow" me on twitter. It's a free account, and a great way to meet like-minded friends. My link is: http://twitter.com/tommccomb. 3. Leave a comment (I love your candid feedback and might use your ideas in future posts) 4. Tell someone else about this blog. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon.

How to Find and Listen to Sermons Online

As promised from yesterday, in this post I will give you a head start to listening to free sermons online.

1. Find a podcast reader.  For many, this is iTunes.  I have stayed away from the Apple product because it is too "heavy" of a client to have running on my PC while I am doing other things.  Besides which, I am a fan of open source solutions for computers.  After using a half dozen different podcast subscription software, I finally settled on Google Reader.  This free solution collects all the feeds into one place, and I don't have to download all the sermons just to try them out.  And I don't have to install it on my PC.  If you are looking for different options, I suggest searching for "aggregator," and look at the choices.  Don't look too far - sometimes an email client you already have installed has an aggregator included.
2. Search for sermons.  This means a little bit of work, but it's worth it for the wealth of audio that is out there.  Start with your favorite preacher, author or church, and put the word "podcast" with their name in the search.  And for heaven's sake, don't pay for anything.  Some feeds require registering with a website, which is OK in moderation.  Many Bible Colleges will podcast their chapel services, which is sometimes hit-or-miss in quality, but there are some terrific messages by students, faculty and guests that are worth a little work looking for.
3. Get the link for the feed.  It is usually an internet address that ends in ".xml."  Look for the "RSS" link. It looks like the image at the top of this post.  This image usually links to the feed.  Just put your mouse on the link, right-click, and then click on "Copy Link Location," or something similar.  You have just copied the feed's link to your clipboard.
4. Subscribe in your podcast reader.  Then, in your reader, click on "Add Feed" or "Add Subscription" and paste the link you just copied into the field provided, click [OK], and you're done.  The reader will either bring the links up immediately, or at the next scheduled time to do so.
5. Select the sermons and listen.  From here, you can pick-and-choose the messages you really want to hear.  Sometimes you are listening to a certain preacher, or there is a Bible passage or topic that really jumps out to you.  Download these sermons to your laptop.  I have a folder in "My Documents" called "My Received Podcasts" that helps me keep them organized.
6. Copy some to your MP3 player.  Again, I like the off-brand MP3 players that seem so much cheaper and simpler to operate than the "Big Brother" name brands.  I will queue up dozens of sermons to listen to while I exercise or while I go grocery shopping alone.  Check out the documentation of your MP3 player to find out how to get the audio to your player.  I will jam as many as I can fit on my player.
7. Delete as you go.  As I listen to sermons, I delete them.  This is so that when I return to my laptop, I can find out quickly how much free space I have for new sermons.  Sometimes, I know right away that I'll be bored with a message.  I will delete them before they are completed.  After all, why waste time when there is so much good stuff out there.  At other times, there are sermons that are just fantastic that I decide to keep and listen to again. 

I hope this is helpful to you.  I definitely think that listening to other people preach has helped me improve as I minister from the pulpit, and I hope it will for you too.

Leave a comment and let me know how this is going for you.

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Like what you are reading? Consider the following:

1. Subscribe to my blog (there is a link for that on this page).
2. "Follow" me on twitter.  It's a free account, and a great way to meet like-minded friends.  My link is: http://twitter.com/tommccomb.
3. Leave a comment (I love your candid feedback and might use your ideas in future posts)
4. Tell someone else about this blog.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon.

Other Voices

 

This is the 3rd in a series called "Making a Better Preacher."  

A long time ago, while I was in Salvation Army training, a friend of mine (Todd Thielke) introduced me to a tremendously helpful habit.  While he was on morning details, he wore a walkman (remember those?) and listened to sermons on cassette tape.  Technology has come a long way, and I mean in a very good way.  

More and more churches and preachers have chosen to "reach out" via the internet to find a congregation beyond the walls of their churches.  While it may be a long time before the typical shut-in has internet access and an mp3 player, it has meant a lot to missionaries who want a link with home, and members of the congregation who are traveling.

Now, it is a wonderful resource for preachers, and I'll tell you why.

1. A new perspective.  By listening to other preachers, I learn a different take on passages of scripture.  For instance, I have avoided preaching on Genesis 22 - not because it's a bad passage, but because I am still trying to get my arms around God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.  By listening to other sermons, I have heard how others have approached this difficult topic.
2. New illustrations.  I can't tell you how many terrific stories there are out there that illustrate Bible principles.  Listen, and your imagination will be fed.  So maybe you won't use the same illustration, but listening to others will open your eyes to more in your life that you can use to bring theology to life.
3. Preaching style.  Let's face it - there is more to preaching than just homiletics. Maybe there is a way that a challenge is delivered that impacts you.  Perhaps an invitation you hear is really fresh and convicting?  Listen to others, and your preaching style will grow.
4. Terrific Sermon Series Ideas.  As I mentioned, I "borrowed" an idea from Mars Hill for Lent one year, when Rob Bell preached a series called "Out of Egypt."  There are some fantastic ideas that will give you a platform from which to build your own series.
5. Feed Yourself.  If you are as busy as I am as a pastor, you don't have much time for outside Bible Studies or fellowship groups.  Listening to sermons can challenge you and make you grow.

Tomorrow, I will talk about how to get started, and how you can get a lot of resources for free using the internet.  See you then.  And keep listening!