- I get a little sick to my stomach. I've been preaching for 20+ years, but there is already a nauseous wave hitting me for Sunday, and it's Friday! Crowds don't normally bother me, and speaking to crowds normally energizes me...but there is something different about preaching. It's a humbling thing to think that God would choose to say anything through you and it's a responsibility I try not to take lightly.
- I tend to over-plan. In the "old days," when I was paid to be a pastor, I would spend a great deal of time wrestling through commentaries, translations, and Greek word studies (somewhere, members from small groups in my past are laughing as they read this because they know my love for Greek word studies). I would plan, plan, plan. As a volunteer preacher, the game is a little bit different, mostly because of the time constraints and challenges, but I also try to prepare a simpler message from the outset. Right now, my message for Sunday feels like an attempt to bring order to chaos. Different streams of thought and reflection keep popping up and I just try to harness those thoughts, pray through them, and in the stillness of Saturday afternoon and early Sunday morning, I will attempt to order those thoughts and finish putting structure to the message that God would have me share.
- I preach like it's my last opportunity to ever preach. This rings home to me more now as a volunteer than when I was in vocational ministry, but there is no guarantee that I will ever have the opportunity to preach again, so I want to leave my best effort out there.
- I pray for God to be glorified and for His power to fall on us. If I don't expect for the Lord to move in and through us, I might as well stay in bed on Sunday. I plan to show up on Sunday with a spirit of holy expectation and a desire to be obedient to speak His Words.
- I long for believers to be challenged and for the lost accept Christ. These two things are the reasons we preach, in my opinion!
I appreciate your prayers for Sunday, and I would love for you to come if you live in the Memphis area. You can find service details here.
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