Reflections on Preaching...

Hello, friends! 

For as long as I've been in ministry, I've tried to keep this blog (or a similar blog) updated. This started because most of my ministry partners were in California while I was stationed in Missouri and I wanted to make sure they were updated with what was happening. It's also been a good way for me to reflect on what's been happening in ministry on a regular basis. 

When I moved to a supervisory role and worked less directly with students, the blog changed a little. I was writing more about family and other random thoughts, mainly because I didn't have as many student stories because I wasn't working with students as much. One way for me to fill the blogosphere was to link to a YouTube video every time I was invited to preach. It was a fun break in the monotony that came up every now and then. 

I haven't posted a sermon in a while, but that's actually because I've been preaching MORE, not less. The last time I posted a sermon was last August. Since then, by my count, I've preached 7 times since then (about once a month) with another 2 sermons coming in the next 3 weeks. That's a lot of preaching! 

One of the things that I've appreciated as I've preached more has been how my preaching style has evolved. When I was only preaching once a quarter (or less), my job was more of a pinch hitter; I would preach on whatever was asked of me by the pastoral staff and my sermons wouldn't necessarily connect to one another. However, since I've gotten more opportunities to preach, especially the past 3 months, while our Head Pastor was out on Sabbatical, I've been able to craft a preaching style that fits me and hopefully benefits the congregation. 

My style? I call it "aspiring bible nerd." What I love to do is look at a passage and see if there is a new (to us) way of understanding the passage by looking at the Word from an unconventional angle. Usually, this means going back to the Greek or Hebrew to see how the English translation of a word is different from the original intent. One of my favorite recent sermons is when we were going through our Armor of God series and I was able to preach on the Word of God. 

Another way you could describe my style is "break it down." Even though it's a little awkward to receive compliments right after preaching, one of the common refrains I hear from people is that they appreciate how I break down biblical concepts into easy to understand bites. I appreciate that it's something I can bring to the table. 

Now that our head pastor is back, I'm not sure how much I'll be preaching moving forward. I'm always happy to preach when asked but I won't be inserting myself into the conversation just for the sake of my own desire. But, when the call comes, this aspiring Bible nerd will be ready to break it down as needed. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

The Month in Photos!

Hello, friends! 

Well, apparently it's been too long since I last posted about ministry happenings! Instead of words, we're going to go with photos! Without further ado, here's the latest month in (mostly) ministry. My hope is that I'll do a better job of keeping y'all updated moving forward. 

March 2 will forever be known in the Leong Household as Awkward Family Photo day! I submitted this photo in 2021 and it finally made its way to the calendar! 

Megan attended the IF Gathering with our church, so the kiddos and I went to the Children's Museum. #Dadding

Ezra and Thaliea spent some time selling coupon cards for our Cub Scout Pack. The best part of the day actually was me meeting a Chinese woman who attends the Chinese church in town. It was good for my soul to connect with Chinese folk in Omaha. 

Bellevue Bible Study Kickoff! The ladies decided that a game night was a great way to start. We ate lots of Chick-Fil-A and I taught everyone to play Catan. 

Small Group! Megan and I are co-leaders of our church small group with another couple. This is us stuffing eggs for our church's Family Fun Fair (more on that later). It's been so great seeing us come together as a community. 

We had some friends visit! Phil and I went to WashU together (#GoBears) and he came into town to visit us and another friend who recently moved to Omaha. It turns out that his friend's oldest goes to the same school as Ezra and Thaliea and got put on our soccer team! 

MPD 101! Our newest staff came to Omaha for some training. This is us after we totally crushed an escape room. It was so great to hang out with these new staff and get going on some really good MPD action. 

     

While I was at MPD 101, Megan took the older kids on a scout overnight to the Strategic Air Command Museum. The kids had a blast!

Where was JoJo? He was with my mom! My mom came to visit the last weekend in March. Why? 

Because the Soccer Season has officially begun! Ezra's team has started off the season well, going 3-0 so far. I'm hoping that one more season of coaching under my belt is helping. #GoBlackWidows

We took the family to see the Omaha Union, Omaha's professional soccer team, play. It was all of our first time attending a pro soccer game. Ezra loved the soccer. Thaliea loved the family time. Jonah loved the snacks. 

The older kids had their Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts. Thaliea earned the Lion Rank and Ezra earned his Wolf badge. I'm so proud of my little scouts! 

Well, that was the month of March! As you can see, it was a really busy month. April is also looking packed. Hopefully, I'll post again before May comes around. =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam