Today in Blogworld 10.21.15

Mike Leake

5 Steps for Finding Time to Write

I need this advice right now.

A Sample Statement on Regular Church Attendance

I like the work that has been done here.

10 Pointers for Planning a Preaching Series

These are helpful. Number six is one that I’m just now learning.

The Pleasure of Pleasing God

“We need the static element of union to keep us from doubting. But we also need the dynamic aspect of communion to keep us pursuing. Both are for our joy. We make it our pleasure to please him.”

There is a wonderful sermon illustration in here somewhere:

A Wonderfully Helpful Piece of Advice in the Midst of Conflict

Mike Leake 1 Comment

I once knew a guy who was so unpredictable in his response to my sermons. We agreed that Jesus saves people but beyond that we didn’t have a ton of things in which we were in agreement. I knew—or at least thought I knew—which were hot button topics for him. Anytime the text would lead me to preach on this I was expecting a conversation afterwards. Sometimes it happened. Sometimes it didn’t. Either way those times of conflict usually didn’t go to poorly, because I was expecting them.

What really caught me off guard, though, were the times when I expected to be in agreement. In these times I was caught unawares. I was in the middle of a conflict before I even knew it. Half the time I got lost as to what we were even in disagreement about. But for some reason this brother was fired up about something I had said. I never did as well in those times of conflict…at least at first.

There is one piece of advice that I picked up from Robert Jones which has stuck with me and helped me tremendously in these types of situations. It is a simple principle that every Christian knows—but for some reason we usually don’t apply it to conflict. Here it is: Our all-consuming aim is to please God. Whenever I make that my goal in relational conflict it changes things. It gives me something to hone my eyes and heart upon. In his book, Pursuing Peace, Jones goes on to give nine implications of making pleasing God our goal.

  1. Failure to please God—our failure or the other person’s, or both—is the ultimate cause of all relational conflict
  2. This goal of pleasing God keeps our focus on God, not on the conflict issues or on the other person
  3. In Christ, this goal is always doable, no matter how the other person behaves
  4. This goal will help us pace our efforts (our energy, timing, risk, etc.)
  5. God might bless our efforts by brining reconciliation
  6. If both parties seek to please God, full reconciliation is guaranteed
  7. Even if the other person does not please God, we can experience God’s blessing and comfort
  8. We must continue our commitments to please God even if the other person does not, and even if the relationship gets worse
  9. When the goal of pleasing God governs us, the other person’s sins and failures become opportunities, not obstacles, to please God more and more, and to grow as a Christian.

I’ve found that in the midst of any conflict—but especially those which really catch me off-guard—pausing and thinking through how to please God in this situation has been very helpful. It’s still difficult at times to know precisely how to answer the question of what is most pleasing to God. But at least I’ve got a solid and biblical aim now, and that’s a great start.

Today in Blogworld 10.20.15

Mike Leake

The Lost Art of Cheap Recreation

I agree.

A Grief Like No Other

Nobody wants to need this article, but just in case here are a few helpful tips for when a loved one loses a child.

50 Books J.I. Packer Thinks You Should Read

Here are a list of some of Packer’s endorsements. Oddly enough, I’ve only read a handful of these books.

5 Misconceptions About the Pastor’s Wife

As one who is married to a pastor’s wife, I can say that these are indeed misconceptions. I’m thankful that number 3 isn’t true.

This little puppy hates stairs…I guess that is one way to avoid them:

Observations on Preaching Without a Manuscript

Mike Leake 5 Comments

There is something I’ve wanted to do on a Sunday morning for a couple years now. My preaching classes encourage it. And I’ve read a few articles recently heralding this method of preaching. Yet, I’ve not been able to do it until yesterday morning.

What is that thing?

Preach without a full manuscript.

For the first time preaching on a Sunday morning I walked into the pulpit with only a bare outline and a few quotes typed up.

I wish I could say that I did this intentionally. That I had finally gotten over my fears and decided that the benefit outweighed the risk. But that would be a lie. I walked into the pulpit without a manuscript because something happened to my computer on Sunday morning. Before I could print my sermon—the one I wrote out in full manuscript form—the entire thing was erased. I knew I didn’t have time to write it all out again, and frankly I didn’t want to. I knew that it was time to do what I’d been wanting to do for awhile.

I survived.

And I’ll likely do it again. Though I don’t know if I’m fully prepared to shelve the process of writing out a manuscript. Here are a few observations from yesterday.

  1. I don’t think this would work well if I didn’t do a ton of prep work. I could tell that if I hadn’t been prepared this whole thing would have been a jumbled mess.
  2. It is harder to judge time. When I’m working from a manuscript I know about how much time I have left and whether or not I can chase a rabbit. If I don’t have that manuscript its harder to pace myself.
  3. Those brain dead moments that I was afraid of are a great opportunity for faith. Even when I preach with a manuscript I don’t just stand behind the pulpit and read it. The manuscript is really just there to help me whenever I lose my train of thought and become practically brain dead. Not having that manuscript means I don’t have that security blanket. This provides a great opportunity for faith. But that also scares me, because if I’m not in the right frame it is also a great opportunity for my flesh to take over and to fill those gaps with my own carnal stupidity.
  4. There were several things after of which I said to myself, “Man I wish I’d said this”. Of course, I feel that way even when using a manuscript. But I do feel like I’m able to tie things together a bit more coherently whenever I use a manuscript. But it was not as scattered as I thought it might be. I believe with time I can faithfully exposit a text and do so without taking a full manuscript into the pulpit.
  5. I did feel more connected with the congregation. It’s more than just being able to keep eye contact. If I see blank stares I feel a bit more free to change course and teach/preach freely instead of simultaneously worrying about what I’m going to have to shave off the manuscript.

Next week I believe I will still prepare and write out a manuscript—just to get my thoughts out. But I will also leave a few places open for more extemporaneous preaching and I’ll probably go into the pulpit with just a rough outline.

I think its ironic that the sermon the Lord chose to have me preach in this style was one on the sufficiency of Jesus. It was a sermon where I was making a point on the disciples lack of bread but applying it more broadly. I didn’t feel as if I walked into the pulpit with much bread. But I knew that didn’t matter much because Jesus is sufficient. It’s about His Words and not my own.