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The Weekly Routine I Use to Write a Sermon

It may come as a surprise to you that creativity doesn’t come easily to me. And yet I’m supposed to make creative output each and every week in the form of a sermon. Sundays never stop coming. They occur once a week. And every time they return I have to be prepared with words that inspire and engage. So I have come up with a little system that helps engage my creativity.

bible-highlighter

Just like there are a myriad of ways to skin a cat, there are many ways to produce a sermon. Here are the steps I take most every week:

  1. I ruminate on the text. Monday is my “day off,” so on Tuesdays I look at the text. I read it slowly. I look at it in the original language. I peruse a few commentaries. I may even chase down some Bible dictionaries or word studies.
  2. I pay attention to ways the text is speaking into my life, and the life of my congregation that particular week. For instance, this past week the text was the story of the ten lepers Jesus healed, with only one returning to give thanks. I happened to run across a video of teachers thanking their students for inspiring them to get out of bed every day and go to work. It made a very real emotional connection. And it applied perfectly to the text.
  3. I write down on a piece of paper with a pen the theme of the text. It always starts with the words: “Every member of Ascension will…” Sometimes its an enabling proposition. Other times it’s a persuasive theme. It’s focused on a faith goal or a life goal. Something about pen to paper makes my creative juices flow.
  4. I write down at least two (usually more) ways the goal will be achieved. There is always a key word, like “blessings,” or “promises,” or “values.” The key word is the way the sermon will move toward the central theme.
  5. The sermon is always centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. If that’s not the point of the sermon, there’s no point at all in preaching it. I keep it in mind throughout the process.
  6. I type out a manuscript. Ideally, the manuscript includes the following: It has an introduction that draws people in. It centers on the theme. There are key words that move the action along. Illustrations make connections with the hearers. The Gospel is at the center of it all. It concludes with a way for people to remember what was said.
  7. I practice with the manuscript, but allow myself the freedom to deviate. I don’t want to be tied down if and when I am moved in the moment to expound on something or go in a slightly different direction. But I’m always thankful to have the structure of the manuscript on which to fall back.

What structure is there to your creativity?

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Lessons I Learned Riding Out My First Hurricane

Hurricane Matthew has come and gone from central Florida. He wasn’t quite as bad as some predicted. But he did leave behind some lessons for this first-time hurricane rider.

hurricane

  1. The hype can be compared to snow storms in the upper midwest. You know how those northern weathermen and women get all excited when a snow storm is coming? The same thing happens in the south when a hurricane is on the horizon. Suit coats are taken off. Sleeves get rolled up. Beads of sweat appear on foreheads.
  2. Floridians are more scared of losing air conditioning than anything else. There are horror stories from past hurricanes of people losing their power for more than a week. The weather once again gets hot and humid. When it happens they have to go to malls and movie theaters just to stay cool.
  3. Hurricane force wind sounds pretty scary in the middle of the night. Actually, I don’t think what we got ever made it to that force. But there were very strong gusts that actually shook our house. I can only imagine what sustained winds of that force can do.
  4. Neighbors come together. Just like the aftermath of snow storms, the aftermath of hurricanes finds neighbors pitching in to help one another.
  5. Hearing the power go out in the middle of the night is not a good “sound.” You have no idea when power will be restored once again.
  6. Hurricane prep is kind of fun and exciting. I went to Target Thursday morning to pick up just a couple of things we wanted before the storm hit. People were in generally good moods and there was a hustle and bustle in the store that almost seemed like holiday shopping. And, yes, there was not one loaf of bread to be found in the store.
  7. It’s amazing just how accurately forecasters predict the timing of the storm. Sure enough. It hit us just when they said it would and was gone just as predicted.
  8. Hurricane parties are a thing. They can take place before, during, or after the storm, or all of the above. Alcohol sales skyrocket when a storm is predicted to hit.
  9. Coverage of the storm supersedes all political news. Whew. Woohoo.
  10. It’s always better when a hurricane “wobbles” away from the coast. That’s what happened with Matthew. And just in time. It spared our area a great deal of destruction. Sure there was loss of power, scattered debris, and trees down, but it could have been much, much worse.

And for that we are thankful.

Have you ever ridden out a hurricane?

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Using Thanks to Turn Things Around

This week I saw a video that made me cry. That’s right, a few actual tears ran down my face. It’s a video of teachers saying “thanks” to certain students for making them want to get up and go to work in the morning. I’d love for you to watch that video, but make sure you have a couple of tissues ready. You can watch it here. Go ahead. Go watch it. I’ll be waiting right here when you come back.

thanksgiving

Did you cry? As I finished watching that video I was wondering why a video of teachers saying thanks to students brought such emotion to the surface. Here’s what I came up with:

  1. I was once a student and would have loved to have a teacher say thanks to me. Just a small, positive comment on my report card meant more than my teacher would ever know.
  2. These students are at risk students. That reminded me of many of the students we used to serve at our church’s school in Milwaukee. They were great kids. Many of them were friends of our children. They came from difficult home settings. Yet their potential was nearly unlimited. It was so much fun to see them accomplish things they never thought they could. It was fun and fulfilling to encourage them.
  3. I was a college professor for 13 years. Every time I taught a class there were students that I should have, could have, and sometimes actually did thank for being such an inspiration to me. I am still in contact with a couple of them and am always so excited to see where their lives are leading them.
  4. The tides were turned. Usually it’s students thanking and honoring students. This time it was the other way around. The teachers were just as emotional as the kids. They really care for them.

My father, wife, and some very good friends are teachers. I know what it takes to be a teacher. Students that inspire you to get up and go to work in the morning are a blessing beyond words.

An unexpected word of thanks is a gift given to the recipient. 

With whom can you share such a word today?

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When You Have Only One Chance

You get one chance. You have to lay it all on the line. There’s no turning back. You’re given only one opportunity to shine. Have you ever been there?

A photo by Dustin Scarpitti. unsplash.com/photos/eWBseWsTEpA

We are once again in the midst of post-season baseball. The first two games are wild card games for each league, winner-take-all. If you win you move on. If you lose you go home. You play 162 games only to have your fate decided by one single game.

Have you ever been in a situation like that? You’ve worked hard on a presentation, but you only have one chance to share it. You’re training hard for a race and you have only one chance to beat your personal record. You’ve been studying all semester for one test that will open the door to your dreams.

What do you do when you have only one chance?

  1. Rely on what you know. If you’ve put in the time and work there’s nothing more you can do. Rest on your preparation and use it as it comes in the moment.
  2. Put it all on the line. What’s the use in leaving anything behind. When you have only one chance give it all you’ve got.
  3. Don’t worry about tomorrow. As Jesus said, “tomorrow will have worries of its own.” Do what you can right now, while you can.
  4. Stay calm and “within yourself.” It’s OK to be a little nervous. It adds to your energy and adrenaline. But if you let it get out of control it could be detrimental. A calm, but nervous energy could be just what you need to perform at a high level.
  5. Enjoy it. There are only so many one-time chances you get in life. Instead of being nervous or worried, enjoy the moment. You may never be there again.

What advice would you give to someone who only has one chance?

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Using Core Values to Set the Tone of Your Life and Work

Our brand new daughter-in-law, Emily, is the founder and owner of a jewelry business called Consider the Wldflwrs. This weekend we had the rehearsal dinner for the wedding at her studio and shop in Nashville, Tennessee. As we were setting up and getting ready I noticed a piece of newsprint on the wall that listed the eleven core values of her business.

storefront

I was struck by their creativity, morals, and excellence. I’d be happy to shop at a place that has values like these and exhibits them in their work and business interactions:

  1. Positive, servant-hearted team members
  2. Dependable and reliable
  3. Quality products, photos, and storefront
  4. Righteous living
  5. Professional (expert guidance, qualified)
  6. Surprise “WOW” element
  7. Vehicle for opportunity
  8. Self-employed mentality
  9. No gossip
  10. We do work unto the Lord
  11. Excellence in the ordinary

What about you in your daily life and work? Do you:

  1. Have a positive, servant heart headed into work? If not, it’s either time to change your attitude or change your job.
  2. Find yourself being dependable and reliable? If not, try to step it up and make it happen. Your employer deserves it.
  3. Produce quality work? If not, what can you do to make it better?
  4. Exhibit righteous living? We are both sinners and saints. But the more we immerse ourselves in the Bible and the things of faith the more we live outwardly righteous lives.
  5. Carry yourself professionally? Believing you are a professional is a big step toward really being one.
  6. Surprise people with a WOW element in your work? If not, brainstorm some ideas to do that. Under promise and over-deliver.
  7. Keep your eyes open for opportunity? If not, where do you see a chance for opportunity to grow as an individual or as a business today?
  8. Work as though you’re working for yourself? When you do so the quality and quantity of your work goes up, whether you are an entrepreneur or work for a big company.
  9. Gossip? Don’t.
  10. Do your work unto the Lord? After all, He’s the one who deserves our best day in and day out.
  11. Create excellence in the ordinary? If not, how can you produce something excellent that on any other given day seems so ordinary?

It seems to me that following these core values will set an incredibly positive tone for your work and life. Give it a try today and let me know what insights you find when you do.

What are your core values?

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How’s a Dad to Feel When His Son Is the Groom?

Tomorrow evening our son will be the groom. He is getting married. The woman he will marry is everything my wife, Tammy, and I could have ever hoped or dreamed for him. In fact, we prayed for Emily long before we even knew she existed. We prayed that both of our children would find faithful, Christian people with whom they would share their lives. We are grateful the Lord has answered that prayer…doubly so.

groom

When I stand up there in front of everybody to perform the ceremony, with Ben and Emily facing me, I’m sure I will feel a rush of emotions. I will think about the moment he was born. I’ll reflect on the little boy who always wanted to wear his “red and blue” outfit. His first day of kindergarten is seared into my brain. My mind will go back to all those days out on the baseball field, he the player, I the coach. I’ll remember him in his catcher’s gear fearlessly defending the plate against players bigger than he.

My thoughts will be directed to the moments he spent on stage in plays and musicals, the struggle it was to get him to do his homework, and the first time he picked up a guitar. I’ll remember the time we spent playing catch in the front yard on 58th Street in Milwaukee. There will be memories of the fish we caught together at the lake near Eagle River, Wisconsin. I’m sure I’ll ponder that day we dropped him off at Belmont University, and the times we came back to Nashville to hear him play with his band. I’ll relish the times we hit the links and played golf together, especially as his skills improved.

Now he will be the groom. What I will finally remember most as he stands before me ready to get married will be two other incredibly important days in his life:

  • The day he was baptized, and
  • The day he was confirmed in the Christian faith.

Those days have great bearing on what will now happen as he begins a new life as a married man. He will do so as a baptized and forgiven child of God. This groom (as all grooms) will be a sinner in need of forgiveness. And he will be a husband who delivers the very forgiveness of Christ to His wife, who will also find plenty of occasions to forgive him. I pray that he will show and share the light of Christ to His wife, and if God sees fit to give them a family, to their children as well.

So, how’s a dad to feel when his son is the groom? I suppose you could say it’s the ultimate mixture of emotions. There is pride, there is sorrow for days gone by, there is happiness for the joy of a newfound life, and there is thankfulness for the gifts of faith and forgiveness.

What emotions do you have at weddings?

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You Have a Book Inside of You, Don’t You?

Since I published my book a couple of weeks ago, I have encountered any number of people who want to do the same. There is the guy who’s half finished with a novel. There’s another man who said he has about five books written but has never taken the step of publishing them. Then there is the woman who says she’s had an idea for years but has never taken the time to sit down and write.

A photo by Lacie Slezak. unsplash.com/photos/yHG6llFLjS0

I know what it took me to put a book together, write it, and publish. There’s no doubt that it’s a serious and time consuming undertaking. But there’s also no doubt that most anyone knows how to put some thoughts together and write them down. Usually it’s just excuses that keep people from doing something they’ve always dreamed of doing:

  • I don’t have the time.
  • I’m not a writer.
  • I’m stuck.
  • I’m not creative enough.
  • My idea is dumb.
  • No one will take me seriously.

For almost as long as I can remember I have wanted to write a book. I know the above excuses are true because they were mine. But I looked every one of them in the face and made the determination that I would write a book no matter what stood in my way. So I answered each one of those excuses:

  • I made the time by writing early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
  • I studied writing, read about writing, and followed good writers to hone my craft.
  • When I was stuck I had an outline that kept me going.
  • I used creative exercises I learned from here and here and here.
  • The thought that my idea was “dumb” was an obstacle only in my own mind and one I leapt over to begin the creation of my book.
  • The more I wrote, the more people took me seriously. Now that the book is published people see just how serious I was about doing this.

The guy who’s half finished with a novel spoke to me about it at a conference I attended last week. As we parted ways I said to him: “500 words a day. That’s all. Finish it.” He thought about it and said, “Yep. I better get back to it.”

I hope he does. The world needs his art.

When are you going to start writing your book? (P.S. I’d be happy to help you.)

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Why Being Busy Is Sometimes a Very, Very Good Thing

It’s become kind of a cliché. Somebody asks: “How are you?” You respond by saying: “I’m doing fine. Things are pretty busy.” I tried to stop using that as a response years ago. Everyone’s busy. If you say that to people you’re really not saying anything. Everyone has plenty of things to do. In fact, everyone has the same amount of time in every day.

busy

But someone told me recently that even if you don’t say it, or use it as a response in your small talk, being busy might just be a blessing. A friend of ours recently moved her father into an assisted living facility. She and her sister have done everything they can to make him comfortable and at ease in his new environs. Yet in a recent conversation, he said to his daughter:

Enjoy your life now. I wish I could still work and still have a busy life because that means you are needed and valued for all that you do.

So…how are you feeling now? I know you’ve got a lot to do. But doesn’t this little statement put it in perspective? If you’re busy, you have at least two things that bring purpose to your life. You are needed. And you have value.

If you are busy, you are needed.

  • Someone needs what you have to give.
  • Someone needs the effort you’re putting out.
  • Someone needs your art.
  • Someone needs the talents you have.
  • Someone needs your care.
  • Someone needs your compassion.
  • Someone needs your empathy.
  • Someone needs your thoughts.
  • Someone needs your time.
  • Someone needs you.

If you are busy, you are valued.

  • Someone values your unique skills.
  • Someone values what it is you are making.
  • Someone values the extra effort you give.
  • Someone values your words.
  • Someone values what it is you’re thinking.
  • Someone values your ideas.
  • Someone values your time.
  • Someone values you.

So just for today, take some time to appreciate your busyness. It means that you are needed and you are valued. You have something someone else needs.

You are a gift.

Give it to the world.

What does busyness mean to you?

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How Emotional Intelligence Improves Your Work and Relationships

I’m a little late to the game, but I’ve spent the past couple of days at a conference learning about Emotional Intelligence. Apparently this has been the rage in the business world for the past few years. The church is talking about it now, too, helping pastors and other church workers know themselves better so that they can help others better.

relationship

Emotional Intelligence is measured by four things:

  1. Self-Awareness: The ability to recognize and understand my moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their effect on others.
  2. Self-Management: The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses or moods, to suspend judgment — to think before acting.
  3. Social Awareness: The ability to “read” the emotional realities of others; skill in responding to people based upon their emotional “map.”
  4. Relationship Management: Proficiency in managing conflict, building networks, and energizing appropriate behavior in others.

You can read all about it here. When you are more self-aware and more aware of the feelings and emotions with others all of your relationships will improve. It will even help the way you perform in your work, whatever your work may be.

There are specific ways you can sharpen your Emotional Intelligence. Each of the four categories can be enhanced by doing a few specific things:

  • Sharpening Self-Awareness: When you feel something, make yourself more aware of it by naming the emotion you’re feeling. Write down the “what,” “when,” and “why” of the things that trigger unhappy feelings or strong emotions. Note how your emotions impact others. Become aware of whom and what “pushes your buttons” so that you can prevent emotional outbursts.
  • Sharpening Self-Management: Create an emotion vs. reason list. In other words, write down: “When _________ happens, then __________ happens.” Smile and laugh more. Control your self-talk, the things you say to yourself inside your head. Becoming more aware of your self-talk can go a long way toward improving moods and relationships. Avoid “victim” thinking. It’s detrimental to your own emotional well-being and your relationships with others.
  • Sharpening Social Awareness: Try to figure out how accurate you are in deciphering the feelings and emotions of others. Live in the moment by not always rehashing the past or being fearful of the future. Improve your listening skills. Speak honestly, with love.
  • Sharpening Relationship Management: Be transparent and respectfully curious. Practice “invitational” talk; in other words, say to people: “Tell me more about that.” Build trust by greeting others by name whenever you can. Do your best to bring out the best in others.

Try these things and watch your work and relationships improve. Don’t we all want better relationships both at home and at work?

How have you seen emotional intelligence improve your work or relationships?

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Why Not? Is a Great Question to Ask

Why not? is a great question to ask. The sister of one of my good friends asked it years ago. When she was a child she asked her mother if she could take dance lessons. Her mother said, “You can’t dance your whole life.” As a result, she didn’t take dance lessons and never became a dancer.

As she reflected on that episode from her younger years, the woman said: “I now wish I would have said, why not?” Indeed, why not?

Has anyone told you that you can’t do something? I hope your response was, “Why not?”

Why not?

What is it that you should say “Why not?” to today?