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!

Gas Leak and Explosion

They lived together; the man.  The woman.  Her daughter.
Living off her welfare, sleeping on old mattresses on the floor.

Sleeping in late, the woman thought she smelled gas.  She told the man, whose face was buried in a blanket.  He responded with a moan.

Have you ever felt like you could handle a situation by yourself.  Maybe it was changing a light bulb.  Or a fuse.  Or a flat tire.  At those times, you feel good about being self-sufficient.  Those are the times that you bring your children along.  "I want you to see how it's done."  You feel proud.

There are other times when you need to get out.

The man discovered, as many men do, that there will be no rest until the situation is addressed.  Sniffing around the house, he ruled out the main floor.  Yawning and scratching, he opened the basement door.

The gas smell was stronger downstairs.  The light switch had no effect - the bulb had been out for weeks - he'd have to change that soon or lose more sleep.

Thump, thump, thump.  He protested with his feet on each step.  He needed to assess the situation, but could not see.  His hand slipped into his pants pocket, his thumb finding its familar place on the knurled flint wheel of his cigarette lighter.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)


Sometimes the toughest decision is between what I can do by myself and what I need help for.  Sometimes, I can handle it on my own and sometimes, I need to get out of the house.

Kaboom.

The house was blown three inches off its foundation.  Windows were blown out.  No one slept anymore.

God provides an exit door for you and me.  He doesn't expect us to face temptation alone.  He loves us enough to give us another option.  He wants us to run.

Get out of the house.

Minor burns.  Hair singed.  Lesson learned.

When you smell gas, get out of the house.


When you are tempted, get out of the house.

A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback

This post is in response to the catch-phrase (titled above) coined by Robert Schuller in his Christmas 2009 message at the Crystal Cathedral.

Accidents happen every day.

Everything seems to happen in slow motion.  Except your heart rate.  You can see — feel everything happen in sequence, but there is nothing you can do about it.

And suddenly, your plans are changed.  If you are lucky, they are only changed for a day.   If your car needs work, you will be inconvenienced for a week.  If you are injured, it could be months.

But setbacks can happen outside of cars too.  They can happen in the board room.  In the court room.  In the doctor’s examination room.

Setbacks are one of the great equalizers in life – we all get them sooner or later.  The difference among us is how we respond to them.

Is your setback an opportunity to trust God’s hand?  A chance to rely on hope in order to stay the course and to do the right thing?

One of my favorite verses (and maybe yours too) is this: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) God can be trusted not only with our difficult times, but especially during the difficult times.

Do you feel knocked down?  Do you hear life’s sirens wailing in the background?  Your setback is not the end of the story.  God isn’t done with you yet.  While I believe He didn’t cause your setback, I do believe He is setting you up for a comeback.  Will you trust Him to bring you through?

Revitalize Your Sunday School – Prayer

Beth and I just finished teaching a seminar on how to revitalize your Sunday School.  This series will address the “Six Keys” that we presented, with a bonus seventh way.

This post talks about praying for your students.  After all, two central purposes of Sunday School are (1) developing a relationship with God and (2) developing a relationship with each other.
While it is important to pray during the class, I believe that a teacher develops a stronger burden for the students by praying for them through the week.  To do that, I suggest a few techniques:

1. Get a Sunday School class roster.  While you probably need to leave the original attendance sheet at the church in order to complete statistics, making a copy for your own records is easy to do.
2. Keep the roster in your Bible.  This means that you will have this list of your students with you when you have your daily devotions.
3. Write prayer requests on the roster.  You can start with this during the Sunday School class, and add to it through the week.
4. Pray 10 minutes a day.  I have always asked my Sunday School teachers to spend at least one hour each week praying for their students.  That means a minimum of 10 minutes a day.  While this requirement is reasonable, anyone who puts it into practice will soon start using more time praying for their students.
5. Follow up with students the following Sunday.  If you have been praying for someone’s grandmother, ask about her the following week.  That follow-up will not only communicate your ongoing concern, but the updates will also allow you to be informed as you pray the following week.  But perhaps the best benefit of revisiting the requests is to inspire your students with demonstrating that God really does answer prayer.

Praying with and for your students is a privilege and a responsibility.  But more than that, it can make your Sunday School class that much more exciting week in and week out.

Maybe you have some Sunday School prayer tips.  If so, please leave a comment below.

Living Life in the Zone by Kyle Rote, Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew

As a man, are you tired of the run-of-the-mill devotional book?

This “40-day Spiritual Game Plan for Men” takes you through 40 topics that are important to men: their wives, children, work, relationship with God and plans for the future.

Each day’s reading follows a reliable pattern, including an introduction, several scripture verses that address the day’s topic, and examples from sports, entertainment or politics of the day’s principle in action.  Then the reader is challenged with tough questions and a way to apply the truth to his life.

As a man, I found this steady pattern to be intriguing and helpful.  The introduction shows that the authors understand the issues facing men.  It doesn’t sugar-coat the issues – from struggles with mothers-in-law to holding friends accountable, “Living Life in The Zone” presents the real issues, demonstrating an understanding of the struggles and challenges involved in life.

It was refreshing to see the examples at the end of each chapter; some were good examples, some bad.  It was clear that you can learn from both positive and negative examples.

I recommend this well-written book to any man who wants to take the next spiritual step but doesn’t want the typical devotional.

Hope is Like a Kudu

If faith is like a shark, what is hope like?  Let me suggest that hope is like a kudu.  What is a kudu, you say?

A kudu is a variety of antelope, described much better by wikipedia.  I had the opportunity to see some of these in the wild while I visited Zimbabwe years ago.  While we drove down a one-lane dirt road, there were several kudu who leaped over the road.  Wikipedia says that they can jump over a five-foot fence with a running start, but it looked like they could have easily cleared the small pickup truck we were riding in. But no matter how high or far they can jump, the won’t jump anywhere they can’t see.  So people can contain them with a wall that is just higher than their eye level, as long as they can’t see through it.

Hope is the same.  Sometimes we can’t see an answer with our eyes, hope can allow us to “see” much farther.  Hope gives vision that spurs us to action.  Hope allows us to see beyond the fence.  While faith calls us to action, hope convinces us that the action is worth it.  Hope tells us that the action we know is right will have good consequences, even if we can’t quite see how.

David explains that “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.” (Psalm 25:3)  He was reminding us that we can trust God to handle the future, even it is out of sight.  Paul puts it like this:  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Are you holding back simply because you can’t see where your situation will lead?  Allow hope in God to give you confidence to let your faith move you.  God knows the end from the beginning.

So don’t hold back just because you can’t see very far.  Let God show you a glimpse of the other side of the fence.

Border Guard Part 4 – the Spirit

This post is in response to a comment from Randy:

“In my officership, I have had exactly two soldiers, one a retired officer, one a friend from another corps, who challenged my own spiritual development, asked what I was studying, where I was spiritually, even asked about my temptations. These individuals, one in my life still, helped shape my spiritual discipline, and I will be eternally grateful.”

Even though I have talked previously about areas of discouragement and temptations for an officer, I feel like this topic deserves its own post.

In the very busy life of a pastor, taking time to grow spiritually can be a difficult discipline.  There is an old addage that says, “People don’t do what you expect; they do what you inspect.”  While that applies primarily to supervising employees, I think that this same principle can help us understand how helpful we can each be to our Captains.

Here are a few ideas I have about protecting the spiritual border:

1. Find a regular time.  It is important to get alone (and quiet) with the officer.  You probably understand that there are times during the week which can be absolutely crazy for a pastor.   If you avoid those times, there is a higher chance of openness and transparency.  Maybe decide to meet for a soda at a local restaurant once every other week or so.
2. Ask open-ended questions.  Instead of saying, “Did you have your prayer time this morning,” ask “What are some insights God is giving you during your time alone with Him?”  Some of the best questions require some temple-scratching time to arrive at an answer.  Don’t make it too easy by allowing a “yes” or “no” response.
3. Listen.  Give time for a thoughtful response.  Taking time to listen can be difficult, because silence can be uncomfortable.  Therefore, resist the urge to fill the silence yourself.  Maybe your discussion has stumbled upon a sensitive area.
4. Grow together.  Suggest some books to read together.  This will add a much-needed fellowship aspect to the time together, in addition to the accountability of keeping up with a reading schedule.
5. Keep confidences.  When you are a Border Guard for your officer’s spirit, the conversation will turn to delicate subjects and weaknesses.   Whatever you hear across the restaurant table and coffee cups needs to remain there.  Your officer will quickly conclude that you are a person to trust with disappointment and struggle, as well as joys and triumphs.  This trust should also be mutual – you can share with each other with the certainty that it stays between you.  If you feel like an issue is getting bigger than you can handle between you, suggest bringing a carefully chosen third party into the discussion, as long as you can agree on who that is.
6. Maintain a prayer journal.  Interruptions come which can make the time between meetings longer than anticipated.  If you committed to pray for an issue, keeping a journal will remind you to pray about it between meetings and will prompt you to ask about it at your next meeting.

I also have had soldiers who served me by being interested in my spiritual life.  Those relationships can transcend any appointment, and will give you life-long friends throughout the Army.