One Preaching Lesson I Learned Part II

Part II

This the 2nd part of a three part blog about the single preaching lesson that I know that I have learned.  Preaching is more an art than a science. This week, I want to give advice to pastors who want to become more of a preaching "artist."  To be completely honest,I am not naturally artistic nor creative. This list of ideas have been helpful to me over the years to develop my creative side.

Not to be laborous, but,I fully intended to have a two week blog on this topic, but this week's ran long.. so MORE NEXT WEEK

The next point has had much impact on me.

4- Read Fiction

Pastors have to read. We read books, blogs, newsletters, social media posts, commentaries and of course the Bible. Obviously, Biblical knowledge is paramount for a pastor, but most preachers become an expert in  Christian 'trade journals." almost as much as the Scriptures. We read more than almost any profession, but our base of knoweldge tends to be too small.  We read literature about some interesting church topics:

How to Improve the Church in 100 Days or Less

Why Your Church isn't Reaching Hipster, Postmodern, Urban, Relevant Millenials.

The One Secret to Planting a Perfect Church

What (   ) really want!! (fill in the blank)

To be sure, the above titles are clothed in hyperbole, but they are pointers to a stream of writing that evangelical pastors swim in. We love leadership books, "how to" church manuals, and research work that offers us a future look into the demographic make up of America in 50 years. These can be quite helpful but if that's all we take in, it leaves the pastor a little empty of thought about the real work of minstry which is speaking the Gospel into the human condition.

Great literature is as great as it's observations are. Literature's observations offers a creative bridge from the world you are into someone else's. Too often, pastors see fiction as unnecessary because it isn't the "real world", but good fiction and it's masterfully told stories help pastors experience circumstances they never would any other way.

Consider, in our research into demographics we may want to learn how to reach the poor with the Gospel. We find out where they live, how much money they have, how old they are- all helpful. Equally helpful, would be to have read Charles Dicken's Bleak House or Great Expectations, or Upton Sinclair's, The Jungle which opens the door for us to seethe heart of poverty therefore hopefully gaining some sympathy for the poor, the orphan and the destitute. 

Churches have rightly rekindled the discussion on racism and how the Gospel informs us on the topic. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee helps the reader experience a little about the evils of prejudice. To be clear, reading fictional stories does not make us an expert on a topic but it does enlighten us on certain realities.

FIction  also broadens our imagination (Lord of the Rings?), our vocabulary (Shakespeare?) and gives us interesting illustrations in our preaching  that will be far more timeless than newspaper headlines. Good fiction makes us think more broadly, more deeply and overall just makes us think more.

Pastors have to see situations from many points of view. Everything from the programming of a church to a counseling session involves making decisions while taking multiple points of view into consideration. Thoughtfullness and empathy are mandatory co-laborers with a pastor. Ultimately, only the Holy Spirit through God's Word can bring something as beautiful as empathy, however, well told stories with captivating characters and quality writing pricks our heart to see things a little differently.

Truth that is found in the pages of the Bible and taught in the pulpit is our primary source for life and ministry, but in our reading it can be helpful to broaden our horizons and dip into some classic stories to teach us about timeless truths that we will minister into everyday. 

Here is a list you may find helpful:

Top six (plus one) fiction works that have helped me pastor:

1- Elmer Gantry- written by Sinclair Lewis- A novel about a circuit preacher that achieves success for the wrong reasons. He grows prideful and brings others down with him. More known for being a movie, the novel stings . Lewis can be harsh and overly satirical at times, but a pastor can see the impact a hypocritical life can have.

2-Scarlet Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne. a novel about the dangers of hypocricy and legalism among a community. Set in Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne's situaton is too familiar for most non Christians. You will get angry and as a pastor it reminds you the importance of grace.

3-The Power and the Glory- Graham Greene-Set in Mexico in the early 1900's, a fallen priest minsters to people at a time when churches were illegal. A powerful story of grace, redemption and justice.

4- Animal Farm- George Orwell. One of my favorites. Easily the shortest book on the list. Orwell is making an anti-communism political statement (among other things), but the reminder that humans need spiritual redemption hangs over the pages- all told by talking animals.

5- "A Good Man is Hard to Find"- Flannery O Conner. A Southern "gothic" short story that is frightening. Probably not suitable for kids. it's not profane but intense. The story of how true religious faith tends to get exposed in dire circumstances. Considered by some to be one of the greatest southern short stories ever written

6-"Wash" and "Dry September"- William Faulkner- Two chilling short stories from the Mississppi legend. Both are intense but nothing profane. I put them together for convenience. "Wash" is the story of complex family relationships in post Civil War Mississippi. Faulkner can be time consuming to read, but the theme of redemption and the dangers of arrogance are worth the time. "Dry September" is a gut wrenching story of racism and injustice. I've never been so angry reading a story. Eye Opening!

Thank you for reading.  Part II next week.

In Christ,

Richard

A Time for Rest

"Make the most of your time"

Redemption Hill Church launches its first service at  5:00 pm (prayer gathering) and 5:45pm (worship gathering) this Sunday Night (October 4th)- at 1309 Pierce Street- across from everyone's favorite burrito haven, La Juanita's. Many have asked why we chose such an unusual time for having a worship service.

In a nutshell, it's all about time. Time is fleeting. In our modern world, we have so many "time savers". Text messaging,emails, and online ordering have created more convenience, but we are losing time.  People work more, families rarely eat meals together, our health as a nation is failing due to inactivity, and people are exhausted. To be sure, churches often expedite that exhaustion. They fill our schedules, with really good things- events, classes and programs that help us grow spiritually, but the most important relationships in our lives still are crunched due to a lack of time.

To help in this war for time, we want families to have Sabbath- spiritual rest. Sunday is the Lord's Day, and we want people to enjoy it! Life is basically about what you worship and who you love. We want you to spend Sunday loving people that matter and worshiping the One that matters most. It may seem silly, but here's a few ideas on what to do on Sunday morning:

1. Sleep a little later- We are not machines. Maybe getting an hour or two extra of sleep in the week may rejuvenate you more than you think
2. Breakfast with family or friends- How about making every Sunday morning a day where people eat breakfast together and enjoy the fellowship?
3. Devotional- Meet for coffee with a friend for a weekly devotional. Soon,I will put out some recommendations for devotional books , and some of my own personal helps that people can do in one-on-one or small group meetings.
4. Movie- Star Wars? In December, I'm going. Grab a friend or take your kids- great memories.
5. Search Sioux CIty- We live in a great city with a multitude of parks and a good riverfront with an underrated downtown. Go check it out.
6. There are a million other ideas, but I hope you embrace rest in Christ.

In Christ,

Richard

Dear Church Planter, Letter #2

I began a series of blogs that are modified journal entries in the form of letters meant to encourage church planters

Dear Church Planter, 

“I want to do Big Things for God!” That phrase has been exclaimed, echoed and endured in the austere halls of seminaries to the hangout spots of youth ministry centers across the country. We love big things. No one cares about the world’s shortest skyscraper, no fast food joint markets an “efficiently, simple” hamburger; Humans seek superlatives.  Bigger, stronger, faster, and prettier are all adjectives that are seen as synonyms for better. Superlatives aren’t wrong but they aren’t everything. What you will find that church planting from the ground up recalibrates a pastor to enjoy simple blessings that aren’t big.

The goal of a church plant is to establish a growing, healthy, doctrinally sound, mission sending body. That should be the goal of all churches, regardless of age. However, the church planter has the calling to initiate and to lay the foundation for such a church. You and your core group are the ones that have the honor (sometimes toil) of connecting with skeptical people in the community- with atheists that think Catholics are out to lunch and Baptists are from Saturn, friendly neighbors that honestly don’t care about spirituality but think churches that “do good stuff are ok as long as they don’t cram the Bible down my throat”, good folks that have been perpetually wounded by thoughtless Christians and keep you at an arms length, and a whole lot of people that fit in no category, just lost souls that are making it through one day at a time. The church planter gets to show the love of Jesus and slowly change critics minds, slowly is the operative word.

You will pray and plead God for a huge harvest- you should! You want that!! God will put Christians in your path that will lock arms with you. Hopefully, you will see multitudes come to faith, maybe 1,000 at one time- Crusade style,, but in tough, fresh soil- it usually doesn’t work that way. It’s the little blessings you hide in your heart. An agnostic tells you that he read that portion of Mark’s gospel you recommended- WIN. The humanist social worker that has rejected Christianity but is now considering how a Christian worldview gives dignity to the poor, that’s a WIN. A store employee calls you “pastor”, because you are friendly to her and you and your wife gave her cupcakes- WIN.  The above stories happened in our first few weeks in Sioux City; yours will be different, guaranteed! None of these above stories are our goal. We want salvations and church gathering, but we love our neighbor because they are our neighbor, and we will always rejoice in little victories.

In Christ,

Richard

Dear Church Planter, Letter #1

One of my favorite ministerial books is by Calvin Miller; Letters to a Young Pastor is a collection of pastoral essays written in a personal letter form. It’s one of those books I read selections from on a monthly basis. The work has the unique mix of practicality and thoughtfulness. For the next few blog entries, I’m going to use Miller’s format; most of these blogs will be sourced from my personal journal.

Dear Young Planter:

You have read all the books, blogs and even listened to the podcasts. They are good, always be reminded that fresh ideas keep you on “your game.” Please heed this! Understand that you don’t need them. You need the Scriptures, nothing else. I’d be a hypocrite to say extra-biblical writing is wrong to read. I read Dickens; I try to read Shakespeare. I count Luther, Spurgeon and Piper as close friends that I will meet one day. It is doubtful that I would be in the church planting “business” if Jonathan Edwards hadn’t published David Brainerd’s biography and if it hadn’t landed in my hand years ago.

The reason that all of the above writers have had impact in my life (even Dickens!-Christmas Carol?) is because the Scriptures shaped, encouraged and influenced their writing. The same is true of the church planting gurus of today, and tomorrow, and the day after. Gurus come and go, but only the Bible is eternal. Think about it. Planters in new areas have to answer some pretty complex questions.

How do I bridge a culture gap? How do I live as a minority? How do I communicate the Gospel of Jesus to people that think my accent is backwater and weird? Where’s the post office? (Ok, that’s not too complex). These questions are not easily answered; in fact, you may never answer them fully. That’s why you need an eternal source that bridges all cultures, all accents written by one that is King over every village and city to have ever existed.

Keep on plowing,

Richard