The Long Way Up

I have no idea how other preachers do it,  but I most of the time find composing my 'sermons' very challenging. Perhaps my assumption that a more didactic method might not be as captivating as an impassioned discourse is the main hurdle when I draft my pulpit 'lessons': people do seem to gravitate towards spontaneous, charismatic and fiery preachers. Another reason for this difficulty in getting a message prepared is the desire to hear what God wants His people to hear for a particular service. I have always tried my best to speak on topics that I sense God is telling me to speak on, so using my spiritual ears becomes a necessary exercise. What slows me down, though, is second-guessing: is this really the topic God wants? Or is this just me wanting to teach on this issue? Still another challenge is the organization of the ideas and themes of the intended lesson. As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat; and with preaching (or in my case, t...

My life has it own set of ironies and conundrums that have left me scratching my head for a long time. Ironies like why a guy like me gets thrust into positions of leadership. I'm not naturally commanding as a person, and I don't ask much from people, which is the very reason I'm still wondering why I have been put in charge of certain leadership responsibilities in the last eight years of my life. In my estimation, there are other, more qualified people out there who'd fit the leadership mold far better than I ever could: individuals who are goal-oriented, results-oriented, program-oriented, or career-oriented; people who are dripping with so much charisma and authority that they'd have multitudes hanging on their every word and eating out of their hand; men and women who know every twist and turn of the whole "follow-my-lead" routine. And then there's people like me: people who always feel ill at ease when it comes to urging people to fall in ...

My job / vocation is not your typical 9-to-5. Sometimes it feels more like a 7-11 in the sense that in certain seasons, one work day can last way beyond the setting of the sun. Like right now. We've had two fathers of our congregation members pass away in the last week and everyone on staff has had to pull double duty where needed. Along with that, we're hosting a pastoral conference in five days, which has also stretched our work force thin. Then there's the two weddings happening a day part of each other this week. So, the expression "when it rains, it pours" is suitably applicable here! However, we also get to experience varying states and degrees of downtime. Dog days , if you will. These I look forward to... except when I've had too much of it. In which case, I start looking for things to do. But on its 'natural' ebb and flow, the downtime can be very helpful in recuperating from a season of hard work and emotional toil. Sometimes, being ab...