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