[Today’s run: 3.5 miles]
We had a guest preacher today at church. I’m not exactly sure why, because our regular preacher was there too. But they do this kind of thing once in a while.
The guest guy was not at the top of his game, I thought. His outline was fuzzy and his thoughts were disjointed. He read the scripture reading (his selection) and then spent the rest of the time trying to convince us how cool it was. Which, it was. But there wasn’t much explaining.
A sermon comes across differently to different people, I realize that. So maybe other folks in attendance really liked it. I’m willing to believe that.
I enjoy good preaching. I grew up listening to good preachers, mostly the “teaching” kind that would go through a series of sermons on a particular scripture passage or book.
I’ve heard some good preaching that wasn’t in the teaching format too. I remember in particular a missionary presentation while we were living in Illinois that was basically just a long reminiscence about the guy’s time in Brazil and it was very touching and effective.
But I still like the teaching kind.
Our current preacher is a teaching kind and I enjoy what he has been doing. He just started a series on Ecclesiastes and it looks like it is going to be hard going. But he’s doing a good job on it and I have enjoyed both of the sermons so far. He is organized and he has particular points he wants to communicate and he builds the sermon to accomplish that.
I think good preaching takes a lot of work and preparation. I’m probably too lazy for it. The ones who put in the effort, you can tell. Or at least I think so. I don’t have any statistics to rely on, that’s my hunch.
5 replies on “Good preaching”
I like the teaching kind also…probably from years of listening to Paul Tassell while growing up at Grandview. Just the facts, Ma’am.
You’ll be interested to know Pastor Holub and his wife Becky are retiring from Fellowship and moving to Grand Rapids to be closer to their daughter Jenni’s family. Their youngest child has seizures and requires plenty of attention – a sweet little girl named Ruby. They’re hoping to help with her and get into something that is not full-time pastoring. They’ve been here 19 years, which is amazing. Someone told Mike the average pastoral stay in Iowa is 4 years.
Although around 40 years ago, I remember bits of Tassell – platform shoes and used Lincoln sedans and I think he walked a lot (probably not in platform shoes). I recall when he came to preach as a full time employee the Sunday service no longer started with singing the doxology. Also – and this coud be wrong – he was outfitted with a portable microphone so would walk about the stage rather than just stand in front of the pulpit at a stationary mic. I can’t be sure how long he stuck around (not 19 years!) After him was a guy who talked about the Philippines and North Tonawanda New York all the time.
Jill was in my class in school. She spent our senior year living with the Mills family because the rest of her family moved away. He had taken the job of national representative at the GARBC. That would have been 1979-1980.
I left Des Moines at about the time the Tonawanda guy was coming in.
We were then in Ames and enjoyed the preaching of Charles Alber (who eventually performed our wedding).
I prefer to remain “hidden” from social media, personally. That being said… Jill lately, FYI
http://www.faithbaptistwh.org/2015/03/20/pastor-jill-osborne-20-years-of-faithfulness/
Joe lately – just cuz I was into the google
http://www.mercychurchfl.org/#!about-us/lncft
Wow – it’s good to see Jill & Joe. Jan was in my class. She got married right after graduation, I believe; had a son and got divorced. The husband was abusive if I remember correctly. Not sure where she is now…came to a couple of reunions.
I remember Dr Tassell was the first professional person I knew who ran every day.
I was gone by the time the next guy showed up.