Preaching/Communication

I've been challenged in the last few months by personal accountability and study to rethink if my preaching/communication style is making the text clear. I came across this article today by Steven Smith (my preaching professor at Southwestern) in the Southwestern Journal of Theology:

Preachers are communicators. There is more to say about preaching, but it could be said fairly that contemporary preaching is often cursed with individuals so committed to a certain style of preaching that they fail to communicate. The ministry of the word is not the attempt to mirror a style or react against a style, rather it is to make the teaching of the text plain.

Does anyone else need to rethink their style of communication?

Talent Offering

Last night at the gathering everyone in attendance received a $1 dollar bill. We discussed the passage of Matthew 25 (the parable of the talents), and explained that God has given everyone gifts and abilities and it is up to us if we are going to be good stewards or waste them.

We encouraged everyone to take a $1 dollar bill and ask God what he or she should do to raise money to renovate our worship room. I got some really creative responses from some of our college students: yard sales, selling hotdogs at the beach, doing yardwork for people, etc.

It is up to you to raise the funds...we are excited to see what God is going to do this month as we raise money to renovate the worship room! What are some of your ideas?