Preaching

Paraphrasing Phillips Brooks, a 19th century preacher in Boston, preaching is "God speaking through personality." Effective preaching occurs when the Word that been stirring within the preacher becomes the words he uses in a sermon. That's why it's almost impossible to preach someone else's passion. Once when Mark Twain's wife grew weary of his constant foul language, she repeated back word-for-word a sentence filled with curse words.  Twain smiled and said she had the words right but she lacked the passion. It's why David refused to fight in Saul's armor; it wasn't the right size.  It wasn't David's armor. God wants to speak through jars of clay.  Out of our life experiences God wants to work and use them to bless others. As preachers we want to say the right words but let us never just recite them back without passion. Posted from WordPress for Android

I enjoy preaching; more specifically, I love preaching.  For me, I love the thrill of putting together a message that intertwines heaven and earth.   I love the challenge of speaking the Word of God using a common language -- bridging, as John Stott would say, two worlds.  I've never seen it as a burden but as a privilege. What about you?  Are you doing what you love?

One of the things I love about my new HTC EVO is the Kindle app for Android.  I just started reading "Lectures on Preaching" - delivered by Phillips Brooks at Yale in the 1800's.  Introducing the 19th century to the 21st! First snippet: Preaching is truth delivered through personality.

Here's how Phillips Brooks described ineffective preaching: the boiler had no connection to the engine.

Here's an interesting summary of a recent survey of people who sit in church pews.  This one relates to preaching.