Preaching is like pitching

Recently it has been a new practice for me to preach more often at different worship settings. Until these recent changes I have felt like I was something of a relief pitcher brought in. What I mean by that is when asked to preach I felt, because I did not preach that often, that I had to "throw strikes" all the time. I could not afford the luxury of balls or walks or hits and especially not allowed to give any runs up. I only get to "see" each batter maybe one time and I have no real ability to set up hitters for the next time I see them.

I have come to realize this way of preaching for me is very unhealthy and frustrating for me. I notice in these past several weeks that it is much easier to preach every week than to preach every so often. It seems that I can get into a pattern/rhythm when I preach more often. When I preach often I also feel like a starter pitcher in that I can afford some balls, strikes and even a hit or run. More than that I also feel like I can set people up for the real "heaters". What I mean is I feel as I preach more often that I can use one Sunday to set up the next Sunday. So I can throw a "ball" on week and that is okay because next week I am brining the heat. And that second pitch could not have been as effective if I would have pitched it first. It seems like pitchers need other pitches to determine or set up the next pitch.

Preaching for me seems to be the same way. I find it helpful to build my pitches.

Of course, every now and again it is fun and a challenge to be a relief pitcher again...

The practice of Lent - learning from spiders

A couple of days ago, a friend from Seminary came into town for a job he had in Addison. In the short time he was at AHUMC with Robin Stout (the new youth minister) and I, he shared with me a metaphor that I am holding onto for Lent.

A spider weaves a web. The web comes forth from the spider and is an extension of the spider herself. She moves back and forth working to create a web structure and it is beautiful. It is not enough to just create the web but she goes back over the web a second time, strengthening and augmenting the original web. At the end of this work, she has created an incredibly strong web that has the potential to be life giving for her. But in the moment, just after completion, it is not life giving. Creating the web is exhausting, but it is all she can do.

With the web completed, the only thing left for her to do is to wait. She does not ring bells or flash lights. There is no sign or banner. The only thing the spider can do, ever after all this exhausting work, is to wait and hope. She waits on that which gives her life and hopes it comes her way.

This is the spiders life.

And for the lent season, I will try to embody the posture of the spider. Create something out of my soul, an extension of my own self until exhausted.

And then I will wait on God.

Who owns the car?

Recently I was encouraged by a dear friend of mine who not only reads this babble I post, but also gives me much hope for the direction of Church and the future leadership. Currently he is discerning if he should obtain his PhD in order to teach preaching for the next generation of church preachers. To him, I say, we need you. (Read his blog here).

In a conversation we had a metaphor was shared and it spoke to my heart in regards to leadership and the 'way the church runs'. One of driving.

When you were learning how to drive, no matter how safe a driver you were, you could not drive the way you wanted to drive. We all had to drive the way our parents wanted us to drive (both their good and bad driving habits) because they owned the car. They put their hard earned money and sweat equity into that car and they wanted to make sure the car remained as they desired it to be.

My friend's metaphor lead me to think, "Yes, I can see this happening in the church in many ways. The people who have put their lives into the creation and upkeep of the church want to make sure the church is safe, looks good, and operates. Which means we (new leadership) have to learn to drive the church the way those older than us want us to drive the church, not the way we feel called to drive."

But the thing is, this mentality may work for a car, but the Church is not a car. In fact we do not own the church. The Church belongs to God.

It is my prayer that I never forget that I do not own the Church. It is my prayer that I remember always, especially when I am one of the older church leaders, there are many ways to drive a car, and I cannot monopolize driving techniques on a car that, for all of us, is a rental.