Homiletics 102

Since I'm posting this on a Friday, I don't think anyone will suspect that it was inspired by Sunday sermon's quality. I thought once about what I would say if asked for advice by someone who was about to preach. (Not that anyone would ask my advice. I guess that's why I imagine the scenario--it's the only way I'll ever experience it! lol) Here is what I would say (I think):

1. Have something to say.
2. When you are done saying it, quit talking.

There. Now preaching can't be that hard if you just follow those rules. Just don't ask me about how uptight and nervous I was when I had to teach a class Monday night... =)

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday, Jen and Terry! Sorry we couldn't do anything special today, but maybe we can make it up on the weekend. Love you both.

New blog

Well, he just calls it an online journal, but it's the same thing. Roger Bennett is keeping a blog through his fight with leukemia. For any who don't know this great guy, he's the pianist for Legacy Five, a fantastic Southern Gospel group. He's been battling cancer for years and will now be receiving bone marrow transplant. His testimony has greatly blessed me in the last 4 years and the music's great too! So check him out.

Why I don't write more

I was thinking about why I don't write on here that often. There are a couple reasons, but one big big one is this: What is often on my heart is often not appropriate for public consumption. Too many times I sit down to write and can find nothing to say to the world in general. Too many times I can't even say it to individuals (outside my own family). Too much of the time there are heavy burdens on my heart and nothing I can do or should say.

But, yes, brother, I have smiled today. I smiled when I saw a student for the first time in a month. She always makes me smile. I smiled as I joked about creating mother/daughter conflicts by showing her a way to practice that doesn't sound like practicing. Her mother laughed at me.

And I smiled last night after working out while listening to Michael Card. The physical exertion clears my emotions, and the music clears my mind.

But even when I'm not smiling, I have something better--the joy of the Lord. The only thing that can sustain me when I feel lonely, stranded, or just lost. I can't explain it. I guess it comes down to faith. I choose to believe God. I believe Him when He says He knows what's best. I believe Him when He promises that He will reward faithfulness, not successes. I believe Him when He tells me that if I choose His Way, I will never regret it.

And beyond that there really is nothing more to say.

So we don't write enough, eh?

Someone says we don't write enough. I think I mostly write too serious of stuff. Maybe that's because when I finally get the chance to write, I'm burdened by something. Or maybe I just need to spout off at someone outside of my family and this is the only way to get anyone to listen. lol

I'm not goofy tonight, but here's something else. I'll post the opening to a novel I'm going to write sometime. Had a 10-year-old critique it for me once. She was tough! I'll see if the rest of you are as demanding.

Kalya glanced at the murky waters below as they crossed the drawbridge. There was a kind of dark life in those depths that crept into the very stones of the castle. Despite the lack of comforts on the road, she would miss the late autumn sunlight and clean air. Now as she and Dahy, her sole companion, escort, and guard on this journey, passed through the gates, Kalya imagined they were actually sinking into the moat. The stones were cold and dank and smelled of being in one place for too long. Even the sun struggled to pierce the thick shadows of the courtyard.

When they entered the palace, a heavy oak door slammed in the face of what little sun had slipped over the wall. A few flickering torches clung to their perches on the wall, but the shadows traveled freely along the corridor. The news of their arrival raced through the dark corners. It jumped from guard to servant. Soon the whole palace would know about it. Of course, knowing a thing and being able to do something about it are entirely different.

Kalya could almost hear the whispers preceding them down the hall. The travelers would be received immediately by the king. Anyone coming from the Great King at Altara would not be kept waiting. As the guard accompanying them opened the doors into the king's hall, they were met by a blast of warm air laden with the scent of bread, roasted venison, and hot cider. Suddenly, she felt an odd mixture of homesickness and comfort. Thoughts of a hot meal that did not include travelers jacky and a bed without rocks or stray tree roots made her smile. Life in the castle was not so bad. Her feelings of dread were for the task before her, not her new abode. Raising her head, she drank deeply of the warm air, tried to still her pounding heart, and followed Dahy into the hall.

That's all for now. I'll try to be funny soon.

Running, running, and I can't catch up.

My work piles up, and my life falls behind. My life piles up, and this blog falls behind. Well, here's an attempt to gain some ground. (Winning this race has not proved viable. I'll settle for not being annihilated.)

G-man, you're blog is a stitch. It's great to see you in such a good mood.

My Birthday
We celebrated my birthday last night. The day took place while we were gone to South Dakota. My sisters and mom brought a gift along, and everyone sang to me (although they didn't make me play for myself this year!). Still we have a "real" celebration here at home. Mostly that consists of a special meal and the rest of my gifts.

We were going to celebrate today (Sunday), but when everything was ready yesterday, Mom said, "Why not tonight?" So we had chicken and wild rice soup with tomato basil squares. That latter item is from a recipe we got with a baking stone from Pampered Chef. It's got a scrumptious crust that's covered with a cheese and basil mixture and tomato slices. Yummy! For my cake I had a mocha toffee torte that's always a hit. Anyone hungry yet?

Sunday School
We've been going through The Purpose Driven Life in Sun--excuse me, Adult Bible Fellowship. We're currently covering the chapters on temptation. He gets it all right with his evaluation of what causes temptation. Our desire and doubt opens us up to Satan's deception. The result: disobedience. All of this has Scripture to back it up. He even managed to alliterate (note the ds).

I wasn't as impressed with his solutions, however. They weren't terrible, but they didn't have the solid Scripture behind them and they didn't address the problems of desire, doubt, and deceit. And they didn't alliterate.

So I started making my own list. Problem was, I could get 3 ts or 3 fs, but not 4. Terry helped me out with another t, but I sometimes liked the other term better. So I guess I'll use a mix.

Adjusting Desire
Where is desire formed? Christ says, "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt. 6:20-21) There's the t-word: treasure. When we put our value in heavenly things, when we do God's work and reserve rewards for eternity, something in the temptation starts to lose power over us. Paul says, "Set your affection [mind--NKJV] on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col. 3:2) Our focus is the key. If we're looking one way, we don't see what's going on in the other direction. How can we be distracted by what we don't see?

Combatting Deceit
I know--I'm doing these out of order. This makes more sense to me. What causes doubt but belief in a lie? So how better to fight deceit than to fill one's mind with the Truth? If I am in God's Word, dwelling in the truth, how could I fall for a lie?

Tackling Doubt
After investing in eternity and finding out the truth, there's only one thing to do. Trust. Have faith. It all boils down to a choice. Will you believe what God says?

Defeating Disobedience
So if we deal with the root of the problem, then the result should be triumph, faithfulness. And it will be. That's the secret of God's grace. We don't win by working harder, avoiding temptation, following some magic list of rules. We win by giving over to God. We focus on Him. We fill ourselves with His truth. We choose to believe Him. And He wins the battle for us.