Reggie asked about sermon prep:
Andy prepares all day Wednesday, half the day on Thursday and reviews most of Saturday evening.
Perry was elusive. He said he downloads Andy’s message. It seems that Perry’s schedule changes.
Kids for so long have been bored with church.
Many parents take their kids to worship and say “I want my kids to see me worship.” How egotistical is that? If your kids haven’t seen you worship the rest of the week, your teaching them that you’re a hypocrite.
Middle Schoolers scare the crap out of Perry.
When you’re giving a message, speak like it is your child is in the audience and it is their last chance. If you’re more concerned about covering the material, you’re not concentrating on reaching that person.
Authenticity: I am way more concerned about reaching someone as opposed to doing a good job.
Many preachers are acting. They’re carrying out a role or a model, not being themselves. They aren’t being authentic.
Jesus forgives our sins. People identify with our struggles and weaknesses way more than with what we get right.
Andy said, “If we speak from our weakness, we’ll never run out of material.”
The importance of a story:
- We remember stories
- We remember jokes
- We’re part of a story
Don’t give me points, tell me stories.
Create tension, just like any good story. Turn the message into a story. Jesus told stories.
Use visuals, but be way ahead or else you’ll kill your staff.
After the tension is resolved, the rest is boring. Be sure to use your visual at the highest point of emotion.
Christians and non-Christians have way more in common than they have different. Plan your message to talk to people, not a sub-set.
Look at your content through the lens of your neighbor, not your deacon.
Be committed to allowing the text to speak and not you trying to make it say what you want to talk about.
Stay in the text long enough so the people can know what it means. Don’t rush through the text.
Youth and kids are the church of today. teach them to get into the Bible and the Bible will get into them.
It is our job as the older generation to prepare the way. We pay the way. We fund it!
Andy says, “We grow through our kids and student ministry.”
Are people here becasue of your kids?
Do we have a Crap-counter on Perry? I’m setting the over/under at 5…
Loved these notes. Some really cool nuggets!