Interactive Sermon

Attention Groupies .6

A note specifically for those involved in my reading/discussion group of the best-seller The Shack: This coming Sunday be prepared for a conversation over Chapters Eleven and Twelve.

Chapters nine and ten gave us several different soundbites to discuss.  We spent time talking through the matter of discerning good and evil, and particularly the parameters through which we would make such judgments--agreeing for the most part that how something personally effects us holds heavy sway.  We also discussed the beauty of the "messy garden" image representing Mack's soul.  The picture of the mess actually being a fractal, and with great design and intent and God's spirit at work there were very comforting to our group.

We spent time discussing where we spend most of our time--past, present or future.  I think this segment of the book spoke to us all.  There was also a lot to talk about concerning submission, love and relationships. 

Any other impressions you may have had over the opening sections?  Feel free to drop a comment here or pick it up in conversation with someone in the group.  See you Sunday! 

1 Corinthians 7

The words, Now for the matters you wrote about at the top of this chapter demonstrate to us that Paul is moving from dealing with reports he's heard from those in Chloe's household to matters the young church has inquired of him.  Here's a brief outline of chapter seven:

v. 1-7 It is good for a man not to marry. But... With this contrast, Paul returns again to the importance of sexual purity (see chapter 6) in the life of a believer.  For lack of self control, it is better to be married so that temptation will not overwhelm you.

v. 8-9 Addressing the unmarried and widows now, Paul continues: it is better to marry than burn with passion.

v. 10-11 And now to the married I give this command stresses this point to yet another group of people.  Notice also Paul's parenthetical thought, not I but the Lord found in verse 10.  He refers to places where Jesus spoke of marriage (like Matthew 19, for instance).

v. 12-16 In this passage Paul gives a breakdown on the matter of marriage and divorce, and stresses that God is working in ways we might not see or understand with the words, how do you know wife and how do you know husband, at sections end.

v. 17-24 In this section Paul talks about the things in life that would encumber a follower of Christ, and remaining as unemcumbered as possible for the calling the Lord has placed upon us.  Admonitions like do not worry and you've been bought at a price set things in their proper perspective.

v. 25-28 Now about virgins at the start of this section demonstrates that Paul is addressing another segment of the people--this is how that should be viewed in proper context.

v. 29-40  Paul brings the entire chapter together--the importance of sexual purity and righteous handling of intimate relationships, the way those things effect our walk with the Lord and our overall effectiveness as a follower of Christ has been in view.

On a personal note, if you want to have fun with your friends, quote v. 28b and 29b out of context:

(28b) Those who marry will face many troubles in this life.  (29b) From now on those who have wives should live as if they have none. 

Irregardless Isn't But Imbecile Is

One from the "perhaps I've consumed too much caffeine today" file.

Just back from the bank.  The lady at the counter did it.  Not once, mind you, but twice--she said irregardless.  Egad!  You'll be happy to know that I didn't correct her on the spot.  Though it took restraint.  I think my left eye did start to twitch, especially when she said it the second time.  But my transaction was over so I spun and quickly stepped away.  I may have grunted.

Folks, irregardless is not a word!  This really bothers me.  Especially when I'm jacked up on java.

Let me explain.  Just because people say something doesn't mean the words they've used are legitimate.  Take the teacher from the Charlie Brown animated specials.  Every time she spoke it was "Mwahh, mwahh, mwahh, mwahh."  See?  Clearly not words.  How about the latest chart hit from the Black Eyed Peas called Imma-Be?  Not words!  (An aside: A good friend of mine after witnessing the Black Eyed Peas perform Imma-Be said "I feel stupid for having watched that."  Case and point!)

You see, when people say irregardless they actually mean regardless.  Let's parse this out.  Regardless means "without regard," right?  Regard--less.  Get it?  The prefix ir means... you guessed it, "without."  So therefore, irregardless would mean "without, without regard."  Huh?  You see what I mean?  Oh Lord!  Where is the tylenol?

Let's try this in a sentence: "An overnight hold is placed on checks regardless of what bank the check is drawn on."  This is a correct sentence (even if a ridiculously 20th century banking practice).  But try it the way the teller actually spoke it to me: "An overnight hold is placed on checks irregardless of what bank the check is drawn on."  AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRGGGGGG!   

I can see how it happened.  Perhaps she was thinking of either saying regardless (negative suffix) or irrespective (negative prefix) and it accidentally came out irregardless.   She just fumbled over the words.  Or perhaps she really did sleep through Language Arts when double negatives were discussed.  Maybe she likes the sound of big words like irresponsible, irreconcilable or irregular and thought, ir... why not?

Now I know that as soon as I catch my breath and start to feel better, one of you is going to comment or email me with news, "Irregardless is found in the dictionary."  Puh-lease!  

Before you go and cause me to have a stroke, let me explain THIS to you.  In the world of dictionaries there are prescriptive and descriptive dictionaries.  In other words, real dictionaries that provide real and proper English words and their usage prescribing what is proper for people to say, and faux dictionaries that simply reflect back the gutteral groanings of a society in decline, street slang and so called non-standard words.  Those of you who are my age will remember having this argument over ain't.  Still ain't a word.  Given time, Imma-Be may show up in one of these descriptive dictionaries.  Still won't mean that Imma-Be is a real word.  I mean, come on!  You can look up Lorem Ipsum in some dictionaries, too, for crying out loud!

Please, please, please!  Be very careful with your use of negatives.  Avoid the double negative.  Apply prefixes and suffixes with care.  The health of people who care deeply about words may be at stake.

I need to go lay down.

Oops!

Take a look at this ad aimed at wannabe writers.  Here's a book that will help you catch the eye of publishers!  Doesn't the cover alone give you confidence that this is a great resource?  Will you be using cash or credit?  Paypal?

My conclusion: There's a reason this editor goes by 'Anonymous.'

Attention Groupies .5

A note specifically for those involved in my reading/discussion group of the best-seller The Shack: This coming Sunday be prepared for a conversation over Chapters Nine and Ten.

In chapters seven and eight, Mack is settling into the experience of this gathering with God.  He's asking some questions--but we get the sense that the real questions he longs to ask are still to come. 

As a group, we shared our observations of the scenes that unfolded in these chapters.  The scene where a bowl of food is dropped and the interactions of God over it; the devotion at the table and how that struck each of us; and the general strangeness of God appearing as a woman, being referred to as both a he and she at different times in the chapters.

We also waded into a few doctrinal issues in these chapters.  The characterization of sin, punishment and justice, and matters of authority and authority structures had us all thinking.  We also spent a fair amount of time discussing relationships relative to the dialogue in these chapters.

Any other impressions you may have had over the opening sections?  Feel free to drop a comment here or pick it up in conversation with someone in the group.  See you Sunday! 

A Preacher On Preaching

I'm often asked about preaching.  Some ask about the mechanics of preparing and delivering a sermon.  Others ask about the experiences of preaching regularly before a congregation.  Still others ask personal questions--my opinion on preaching styles, sermon content, or my personal preferences in hearing other preachers.  I've decided to offer up some answers in a series of posts.

Look Ma! No Notes!

Probably the most frequent questions have to do with my personal preference for not using sermon notes. From the outset, let me underscore the words personal preference.  I do not think, as some do (and have written), that preaching with the aid of written notes is wrong.  Let me tell you a little of my story to give you some background.

I have had the privilege of preaching on Sunday mornings for some 18 years now - pretty amazing to me when I think about it.  When I started I had read that C.H. Spurgeon (the 'Prince of Preachers' as he is called) would read a text no fewer than 300 times before he would preach on it.  I'm not sure if that's true, but I decided I would follow suit.  I'll confess that my attempts to read a text 300 times languished to 200 times... then 100 times... then a few dozen times in a few different versions.  I mean, Spurgeon must not have had a life!

In those early days I would write my sermon out long-hand, word for word.  I would even write in little jokes and leave a {{  }} for space, in case someone chuckled.  My file cabinet still houses the evidence of those early sermons.

The trouble was that I would look up from my notes, make eye contact with members of the congregation or accentuate a point with a gesture--and then look back to my notes having lost my place.

So my practice morphed into more of an outline.  I still wrote the whole message out to practice it, but on Sunday mornings I would create an outline, typing the first line of a section in bold face, and trailing the paragraph off with an ellipsis, like...  This was so my eye could look back and catch the bold face and prompt me to recall what was next, and I would have practiced it enough to know it pretty much by memory between the outlined points.

In 2000 I made the move from Florida to New Hampshire.  By this point my outlines were literally as brief as four or five lines of outline and a closing point marked by a big CL to catch my eye.  I noticed that I hardly, if ever, even looked to my notes.  I was concentrating much more on the bible verses.  As I would see them I would remember most all of what I wanted to say--and in truth, they (the bible verses) were the real important part, not my thoughts.

At this point the notes were a hinderance.  In the summer of 2000 I decided to leave notes behind--sort of. 

Here's what you don't see on Sunday mornings: I still use notes.  I compile notes all week long on legal pads as I study and prepare for Sunday.  Somewhere late on Saturday or early on Sunday I read through the bible text one last time and make some pencil notes in the pages of my bible--usually circle, underline, or star a key word or phrase, and even pencil in some prompts in the margins. Between pouring over the text (still dozens of times before I stand before people) and reading over my notes numerous times, most of what I want to communicate comes back to me on ready recall without having to use notes.  But that's me.  I don't in any way want to be understood as saying that anyone else's method is to be judged.  My brother (last I knew) would stick a post it note on the facing page of a text he's using with key points.  A couple of my buddies here in town still follow pages of notes or put notes on cards.  Again, whatever works for a preacher, I say go with it. 

What I can tell you is that I have noticed, for me, a greater experience of what I believe to be God's grace in preaching this last decade.  I have had many experiences I can only attribute to God speaking through me (not in a creepy 'Thus saith the Lord' sense, but a "wow, where did that moment of clarity come from?" sense).  But I've also had moments where I've gotten a little carried away in self--reaching for a laugh or something--where I sense I've gotten a step further away from the text than I should have.  So the whole endeavor needs to be bathed (read immersed) in prayer.

So in conclusion, I personally prefer to go sans notes on Sunday because it suits me today.  It's not some deep rooted conviction--just what's working for me. 

Next, to use or not use visual media with sermons.  And then later, how I go about composing a sermon.  Oh boy!

1 Corinthians 6

It looks like Paul shifts gears a little bit as chapter six begins, but a closer look will reveal that he's really continuing the point he ended chapter five with--the world and the church ought to be judged differently.  Consider this outline of chapter six:

v. 1-6 Paul contends that matters between believers should be worked out among believers.  He speaks this to the church of Corinth's shame: Is it possible there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 

v. 7-8    This ought not be the case.  Wouldn't you rather be wronged or cheated than to scandalize the name of Christ?  Are you holding on to your 'rights' so dearly?  

v. 9-11 Here, Paul returns to the differences between the world and followers of Christ--what should be easily understood and discernable.  These practices of the world--(1) the church needs to realize that is what some of you were, and (2) but you were washed, sanctified and justified.  This realization should change the way we live with regard to one another.

v. 12-20 This section starts with what appears to be Paul quoting common sayings of his day--notice the quotation marks.  "Everything is permissible for me..."  Certainly it is.  But Paul warns, not everything is beneficial.  As he rolls out the argument he turns to matters of sexual immorality--there are consequences unique to the follower of Christ: the temple is defiled through sexual sin.

Chapters five and six actually dovetail together nicely in his teachings: there are different behaviors, standards and values between those in the world and those in the church; there are also different standards for judging; there are also different consequences of sin--we, believers, are a set-apart (sanctified) people.

Kind of a Messed Up Holiday

Happy Presidents Day!

Let me tell you how my Presidents Day festivities began. With a mild panic. You see I awoke to the realization that today is the 15th of the month. This is the day that I deposit a paycheck and my mortgage is automatically drawn from our account.  Only one problem--banks are CLOSED!

Ah, but as I soon learned, not all banks.  Regular branches are.  But those little sattelite offices stuck in grocery stores--they don't celebrate presidents. 

I also needed to mail a scholarship application for my daughter.  Trouble is, it needed to be postmarked by... you guessed it, the 15th.  Only problem--post offices are CLOSED!

Ah, but the Postal Center isn't.  They were happy to take my package and date it for me.  Seems they don''t celebrate presidents either.

Amherst schools are off today.  Merrimack's aren't.  Seems you folks in Merrimack don't celebrate presidents.  We seem generally confused about who is celebrating this holiday.

And while we're on the subject, just WHO are we celebrating today?  If you look at this history of this day, it's undergone quite an identity crisis over the years.  It was Washington's Birthday for a while.  Then it was Washington and Lincoln's birthday.  Then it was just Lincolns.  Then it was Washington and Lincoln's again, but this time called President's Day (notice the placement of the apostrophe).  Then some Grammarians got involved--God help us all.  The Grammarians noted the placement of the apostrophe denoted a day for a single president's honor, but this was a day for two presidents' honor.  The apostrophe moved.  Then some folks noted that we've had many more presidents, so perhaps we should drop the apostrophe all together, as if it refers to the office not individuals.  Done.  We'll celebrate all presidents.  Yes?  No. Maybe? 

I'm celebrating Chester Arthur.  He was a banker and a tax collector.  I'll bet his office would have been closed today.  I'm also celebrating Abe Lincoln.  He was a post master.  He'd have been home with his feet up.  And I'm celebrating Ronald Reagan.  He wasn't a banker, but I think he played one in a movie. 

Did I ever tell you that I ran for Vice President once?  It's true.  I think I'll celebrate me, too. 

So Happy Washington's... um, Lincoln's... or, President's... er, Presidents'... uh, Presidents Day to you. 

Attention Groupies .4

A note specifically for those involved in my reading/discussion group of the best-seller The Shack: This coming Sunday be prepared for a conversation over Chapters Seven and Eight.

Chapters five and six featured an in-depth introduction of God--as a large and jovial African American woman; a 'regular looking guy', middle-eastern carpenter; and an Asian woman who appeared out of focus.

We talked about the unfolding of Mack's experience and how the author's picture of God both challenged our traditional understandings and served to provoke our thoughts.  We could understand the theological concerns others have voiced about this book, while at the same time enjoy it as a work of fiction.

The group explored some of the thoughts that Mack expressed--like his supposing that Missy's murder may have been God's punishing him for his past, and his contemplation of feeling abandoned by God even to the point of considering taking his own life.

Finally, we considered the sentence "You were created to be loved" and the lessons associated with the bird and its ability to fly.  As we closed we agreed that the matter of man's freedom would be a source of more dialogue over the coming weeks.

Any other impressions you may have had over the opening sections?  Feel free to drop a comment here or pick it up in conversation with someone in the group.  See you Sunday! 

My Technology

Updates on my never ending efforts to maximize and minimize:

YouVersion ~ I've synched my Droid's Bible Application to YouVersion, and I'm digging it.  You should check out YouVersion.  It's an online Bible reading community.  I have to tell you that my initial take is that I won't be engaging too much in the community aspect (as I have my own community involvements in bible reading and study), but the tools of tracking my reading, journaling and even creating contributions look very useful. www.youversion.com Check it out and let me know what you think.

Seesmic for Android ~ I'm also using Seesmic more and more on my Droid as a personal browsing tool, managing my Twitter and Facebook accounts.  It's ironic that on Facebook this week everyone has been whining about a new Facebook page--I hadn't noticed!  Seesmic still looks like... Seesmic.  I like it.  I also like that they are continuing to develop new tools and toys for guys like me, wanting to maximize and minimize.

Typepad ~ You all know of my love and affection for Typepad in the world of blogging.  Yes, I have worked with every major blog platform out there numerous times.  Typepad is home for my main blogs Interactive Sermon and Big Buts of the Bible.  I spent a bit of time the other day checking out a Typepad / Droid portal.  It interested me but I couldn't imagine that in its present state (a sign in via web browser) I would utilize it.  When they turn it into an app like they have for iPhone, maybe.  Jury still out on this one.  I've yet to do any blogging from my Droid--too easy to do it on the laptop.  Perhaps if I were stranded away from my pc...

Pandora ~ I know, Pandora is nothing new.  But WOW!  Where has this been all my life?  I had no idea how much I would use (and enjoy) this when I dropped the app on my Droid.  Pandora is supplying my daily soundtrack.  As I type this the David Crowder channel is playing.  When I hit the road with the kids I can switch to the Drop It Low channel (and give the subwoofer in the car an astounding workout).  I'm not sure my Baptist friends would approve.  When they are in the car I can switch to my Hymns channel.

These toys are (1) helping me maximize and minimize and (2) adding ease and (3) smiles to my day.