As a result of reading "Communicating For A Change" by Andy Stanley, I gutted over 20 years of sermon structuring and began a new way of outlining my messages. I haven't regretted it for a moment. It's a simple outline: Main Point, Me, We, God, You, Us. Here's what that means ... Main Point = what is your one central point? Stanley echoes Fred Craddock who suggests that the best sermons can be summed up in one sentence. I often state my main point right up front, saying something like "the one thing I want to talk about" or "the main thing I want you to take home is" ... and them I'm off and running. Me = how does the main point apply to my life? Or, how have I struggled with the main point? In the "Me" section, the speaker is trying to connect on a personal level…
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I decided to add a new category to my blog -- it's called "Preaching." It's really about how to communicate your message in the most effective way possible. Since my teenage years, I have been in pursuit of how to preach well. I joined the speech team in high school and specifically chose Extemporaneous Speaking because it would force me to think on my feet. You would draw three topics, have one minute to choose a single topic, and then fifteen minutes to research and prepare a five minute talk. While in high school, I began taking notes of every sermon. Every Sunday at church I would have my Bible and a notebook. That was a habit I continued through high school and college. Not only did it force me to stay awake, but it helped me to see how different preachers developed their messages. Later I went to college…
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"If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use the pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time, a tremendous whack." -- Sir Winston Churchill
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Some of you may be familiar with Joni Eareckson Tada's story (if not, read more here). She was paralyzed as the result of a diving accident in the late 1960's and has spent the years since building a Christian ministry to the disabled. She was once asked during a question and answer session about how she kept going despite her obvious physical challenges. Her reply? "This is the only time in history when I get to fight for God. This is the only part of my eternal story when I am actually in the battle. Once I die, I'll be in celebration mode in a glorified body in a whole different set of circumstances. But this is my limited window of opportunity, and I'm going to fight the good fight for all I'm worth." This is your time. This is my time. What are we waiting for?
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Many self-help books offer motivation -- you can lose weight, get organized, nail the interview, raise your EQ. Basically, you can do anything you want, if you're motivated. Motivation is important, but in my opinion, it tends to be short-lived. We motivate people towards goals. Coaches motivate players to execute plays. Directors motivate actors to perform. When action is needed, motivation helps. Inspiration, on the other hand, is about asking people to tap into their noblest aspirations and dreams. It's challenging them to take action without the promise of immediate (or even eventual) reward. It's simply the right thing to do. Inspiration offers satisfaction of an internal kind. Motivation may move people in a specific direction. Inspiration may change them for the rest of their life.
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