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Preaching Thoughts (Part 3)

It's all about the text!

I love creativity and I love thinking of new ways of sharing old truths, but you have to start with the text. I'm concerned whenever I talk to a leader who tells me he's doing a series of teachings on _________, but hasn't figured out what Bible verses he's going to teach. It's the classic case of the tail wagging the dog.

We start with the text because when you break it all down, that's all that matters.

The lights don't matter...

The staging doesn't matter...

The bumper video doesn't matter...

The graphics don't matter...

None of it matters unless it's there to give us insight into God's Word. I love all of those things and we incorporate those things into our weekly services, but it's the Scriptures that God has promised to bless. It's the Scriptures that God has said He would magnify above His Own Name.

May we be people of the book. And may we then use all the other mediums God has given to us to illustrate it and inspire others...

Preaching Thoughts (Part 2)

The first 5 minutes is the most important part of your message. If you can't grab people's attention and tell them why it was imperative they got out of bed to hear you, it's over.

A great close can't fix a bad opening. A good middle can't compensate for a boring beginning. Why? Because if you don't grab them at the beginning, you've lost them. That's why stories are so powerful.

I love telling stories to open my message because:
- they grab people ("That's interesting. Where's this going?")
- they relate to people ("I've done that before too")
- they put the speaker and the listener on equal footing ("This guy's just like me")
- they introduce your topic in human terms ("I guess the Bible is relatable to my life")

Introductions matter. They decide whether people are going to track with us or sleep...

Preaching Thoughts (Part 1)

The difference between a good message and a great one is the transitions. When you're driving in a car, what makes for a smooth car ride is how well the driver makes his turns. The same is true in teaching. Your transitions are the turns you take to get to your destination (assuming you have one of course :)

The masters of transitions are sportscasters. If you watch Sportscenter (as any self-respecting man does), notice how they transition seamlessly from sport to sport using great transitional phrases, stories, and parallels to move us without leaving us behind or confused.

They'll say things like:

"From pumping iron to the gridiron"

"The Patriots aren't the only Boston team experiencing success this season. The Celtics..."

"From first place in the east to the last place in the west"

I think you get the point. These guys work hard to take you on a journey, share with you the scores and stats you want to know, and leave you informed.

If they care so much about sharing highlights, I need to be doubly concerned about sharing the Gospel and teaching the Scriptures.

Sunday Thoughts... (Monday Edition)

- Today was great! The place was jam packed!
- I taught a very Un-Christmas message on Mark 13. Nothing like a message on the end of the world at Christmastime:) Funny enough, I talked to a bunch of first time guests who told me they loved it. Lots of people made first time decisions to follow Jesus (stats forthcoming)
- I was so exhausted after Sunday. It wasn't so much the services, it was my sister-in-law having a baby and us watching her 2 kids while she was in the hospital. 3 kids going nuts in my house was more than I could handle with no caffeine.
- I've been telling Carey I want 5 kids... now I'm not so sure :)
- I had several people come up to me before and after the services and tell me how much they love Calvary Fellowship. I couldn't help but agree :)
- I've gotten some great evaluation of my teaching over the last month and it's really helped. I feel like I'm taking it to another level. (I don't know if I actually am, I'm just saying I feel like I am :)
- We had an electrical problem in our first service and the lights went out. The culprit? Our stage Christmas tree! I knew those were of the devil!
- Usually this time of year has a lot of big film releases and we're pressed for time, but the theatre has been pretty quiet.
- The Golden Compass? It's headed south. It grossed 26 million at the box office this weekend. I'm so glad that churches didn't come out against this movie. It would have only increased revenue. I don't know if the guy who wrote it hated God or not. What I do know is that his movie came out and no one cared.
- I'm stilling freaking out over my 11th row seats to Van Halen! (With David Lee Roth). I can't wait!
- We got a picture this week of Mia with Santa Claus! It was awesome! She really like him. I'm starting to like Christmas more.
- I'm looking forward to our Christmas celebration services on Dec. 23rd! It's going to be awesome!

Great Quote

I read this quote today and it fired me up!

"Let us capture our cities for Christ. I mean literally overwhelm them. Let us do it through the principle of saturation, filling the city with our doctrine. And let us do it through the two secret weapons of a Bible-believing local church: (1) contacting people and (2) contacting people, continuously. If you do that long enough, well enough, and loud enough, you are going to get everyone’s attention. A pastor may not win' everyone this year or the next year, but if he is willing to go to a church and invest his life he will win them one day."

Who said this? Not a hot-shot church planter or a theorist who's got the latest technique in his new book. It was Dr. Jerry Falwell... in 1985!

It's Official!!!!!

Mia said her first word last week: Pa...pa. That's right, Papa!!!!

She only says it when she sees me. Being a dad is the best!!!

Guess who's 10 months old?

We gave Mia a mohawk after her bath the other night :)

Sunday Night Thoughts

- Today was great! I had the toughest time with the message (I actually wrote 3 when it was all said and done)
- Hector did a great job filling in for Mark who was under the weather
- The measure of leadership is what happens when you aren't there. Mark showed today that he's a fantastic leader!
- Teaching with everyone in the church standing on 1 leg while I told them this story was hilarious!
- I love our Loaded Questions series!
- I am so excited about our Christmas Offering! We raising money for missions and outreach. It's great to raise money and tell everyone that it's not for us - we're giving it away!
- Last week was totally nuts! It doesn't look any different this week
- The Dolphins lost again! No one believed it could happen (well, I did :)
- Mia turned 10 months on Friday! She's growing up so fast. She's standing up and I can see it in her eyes that she wants to walk... I don't know if I'm ready for that :)
- It's feels so good to be a Boston fan! Red Sox, Patriots, & Celtics - I'm happy!
- I'm looking forward to being with a group of Pastors this week in Tampa. Mark's coming with me to meet with a group of worship leaders. It should be fun.

Book Review: Rich Dad Poor Dad

I grew up in a home where I was taught nothing about money. I was told to earn it, but I was never taught what to do with it. This led to going into debt in college and then work hard to getting myself out of the hole later on. I guess that's why I love books like Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. He tells his personal story of how he learned what to do with money and how to use it to his advantage.

I've been reading a lot on this subject because I don't want to became a burden to my daughter later on in life. Most people go through life spending money like a drunken sailor and then are shocked when retirement rolls around and they're broke.

There's tons in this book that I enjoyed and many points that I plan to implement in my own life. But one thing that I have observed in reading books on finances is the emphasis placed on tithing. Every financial book I've read by a successful person has a section devoted to tithing. It's like the rich have come to the conclusion that if you're going to be blessed, you've got to be a blessing. I see too many people with a small view of God, thinking if they don't hoard everything they have they'll lose it. God blesses those who are generous and entrusts them with more. It seems as though the writers of these books understand this principle. I pray we do too. I recommend this book.