I grew up in a time that was pretty much devoid of formal leadership
training. The first book I read on leadership was “Spiritual Leadership” by
Oswald Sanders and the second, “Leadership” by Hudson T. Armerding, both of which were studies in the
spirituality of the leader and were wholly unlike today’s “marketing principles
and strategies for pastors.” I am saying this so that you will understand part
of the framework from which my thoughts are drawn. Secondly, as a naturally
occurring introvert (and a role forced extrovert) I confess I like quiet. When
home alone, I watch most football games without any sound on the television! With
that I am not saying that what I know or think is better. My only claim is that
my viewpoint may need to be considered.
A huge part of pulpit ministry is the time you and I spend
in preparation. Preparation is a combination of illumination that comes with flash
of a lightning bolt and process which requires prevailing prayer and dogged
determination. Preparation time is moody and often times fraught with
sensitivity. Little things can mess it up easily and if the faithful pastor is
not careful he may attach “game day” routines and superstitions to his attempts
at hearing the voice of God. It is a big deal, and not just because of the
looming fear of crashing and burning. There is also the “little” thing of
eternal destiny and earth shattering importance attached to what we do and I do
not believe that is an oversell!
When it comes to
sermon preparation, my question is coffee shop or cave? Lest earlier words
side track you entirely, it’s not merely a question of loud or quiet. It’s
about opening yourself so that you may hear from God in a spiritually provoking
manner. If you are extroverted, you draw from other people and prefer being
with others in private or public places. If so, coffee shops may be ideal places
for sermon preparation for you! Others may feel that being with and interacting
with people spurs them toward a marketplace mentality which in helps to keep
them connected and better able to minister.
I prize the cave of preparation. It is the place where I
learned to hear the voice of God. I needed a cave because the process for me
was more often than not grueling. It is such, that it would not play well with
others in the room! My rhythms (which
often consumed nearly the entire day) involved scripture reading, quiet,
prayer, quiet, tearfully getting real with the Word (which frequently had me
head in hands or walking around the room as if the Holy Spirit was chasing me),
and finally a “shalom moment” of resting in him. This was the Adullam (1 Sam.
22:1-4) part of the process and my cave contained a certain amount of despair
before I could see what God would do for me. Then it became a stronghold! Although
I entered that place to meet with the Holy One with a certain amount of fearful
trepidation, I understood that it was essential that I decrease through the
process so that Jesus could increase. I think every preaching/teaching pastor
needs a good cave. Make it deep, dark, and lonely having been stripped of prop
or refinement. Let it be an altar of undressed stones. (Ex. 20:25) And please, use
it regularly! But, if you will, let that
cave of despair be transformed into a stronghold of faith as you are joined by
others who will pursue the same vision with you. (1 Sam 22:4)
I recently talked to a young pastor who described her
experience as cave meets coffee shop in that her message emerged from the cave
in order to be shared and collaborated with others (staff or friends) so that
it might be presented in a more holistic way. I think that is great! I remember
when someone first proposed that the morning worship should be a group exercise
it scared the daylights out of me. More people equals more opportunity for the
devil to get into things and if not the devil, human spirit would invade which
is almost as deadly! No, in fact, one of our markers for Sunday morning success
was to see if the music worship leader and I wound up on the same page without
coordinating efforts. This was a failure on my part, born out of insecurity and
perhaps superstition. I thought it was being holy but now I don’t think so. I
did feel as if I was carrying a special message and that my conduct through
enemy lines must be made safe by hiding messenger and message. I was correct
about the sacredness (specialness) of the message but the hidden stuff was
drama. That was me. I do not ever remember God saying that I couldn’t tell my
wife, but the majority of the time she was unaware until I began its actual delivery!
What I did miss out on was having someone with me. Yes, I had the Holy Spirit,
but he created us to be collaborators. That is why he created two people in the
beginning and gave them power to procreate! The triune God doesn’t want us to
dwell in divine isolation.
So I am proposing that “all things are yours” but if your
choice is coffee shop that you first stop at a cave along the way. You must
have that alone time with the Lord. I pray that before your message enters the
market place it will be tried and tested with the one who can write on walls
with his finger and on our hearts by his Spirit.
