What's important in getting the point across is...getting the point across!
Part the business of being a pastor is communicating God’s story. One could argue the rest of being a pastor is applying God’s story, but more on that in another blog.
Years ago, I had a coworker who started off having a terrible time leading chapel for our school. She was so nervous about missing some of the points which the chapel talk sheet suggested that she felt she needed to read the sheet for chapel. That really lessened the effectiveness of the presentation. It was not as meaningful as when, later on, she worked to memorize a few key points so that she could have the eye-contact that can be so helpful in delivering a message.
Over the past few days I’ve been able to use the “shorthand” of a cultural referent a couple of times. That is, I’ve been able to further a conversation by merely mentioning a couple of characters in a television program to make a point.
One such instance was a comparison I was trying to convey when I said, “In Blue Bloods terms he’s a Danny to my Francis.” Since the person I was talking to was familiar with the television program Blue Bloods, he understood that compared to my rather deliberate way of going about things (Francis’ habit) the person I referred to was a bit more mercurial and sometimes willing to go a bit further than I would think it wise to go (Danny’s MO).
But on another occasion, I had to narrate the scene from a motion picture to get my point across. It was not a recent motion picture and couple was a good thirty years younger than I am. Still, the illustration was worth setting the scene, or painting the picture for them.
I guess my take-away from this consideration is that whether you can shave some time off with a referent or you need to take more time to tell the story, the conveyance of the truth is what’s at stake. Do what you need to do to get the point made. And the more eye contact you have (i.e. the better you know your material), the better you’ll be able to share what’s important.
The Body of Christ
Each day I get a glimpse of the Body of Christ in action. St. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, for example, are played out all around us – as are injuries against that body. But yesterday’s meeting was still a wonderfully encouraging eye-opener.
After fifteen months here at Redeemer there were three people taking part in the meeting with whom I had yet to work. The three men and four women came from a variety of walks of life and represented a variety of ages.
The chair of the meeting led us in a wonderful opening prayer and then we had introductions. But in this case, we did not introduce ourselves. Instead, the chair of the meeting introduced each of us to the rest by her recollections and impressions of each of us – and she was exceptionally gracious in her descriptions.
The nearly two-hour meeting flew right by. It was characterized by good, thoughtful discussion, and humor. And the closing prayer was terrific bookend to the time.
Thank you, Lord, for this timely encouragement and reminder. Thank you for the gifts with which you have graced your people.
Veterans' Day, 2019
The generations of my family have been chronologically spaced such that my grandfather was not a part of any branch of the military for World War II. My uncle Jack was a part of the national guard and my father a part of the Army Reserves, post Korean war and during Viet Nam. May father-in-law served in the Army and my brother-in-law, Keith, in the Air Force. For my part, I was in the naval reserves prior to Desert Strom.
It’s my brother, Chris, who is on my mind as we observe Veterans’ Day in 2019. As a part of the army reserves he was deployed three times throughout the war on terror. It took a toll on his growing family and his medical practice, but thankfully God has seen them through it.
Chris had resigned his commission a few years ago and he’s since been working with other physicians to provide further care for our veteran community. But then their son, Peter, entered into Army ROTC in college last year. It has been in that renewed contact that Chris has been moved to rejoin the Army Reserves.
So, today, I want to express how profoundly thankful I am for our veterans, among whom my favorite is Colonel Chris Winter, MD.