A Free Preaching Ezine
The Preacher's Study Ezine
"Energize Your Preaching!"

Third Tuesday of March, 2000

(Published on the first and third Tuesday of each month.)

IN THIS ISSUE:

[1] Greetings from the editor

[2] Featured Article: "TAKING THE DRUDGERY OUT OF SERMON PREPARATION (Part 1)"

[3] Preacher's Study Website Updates

[4] Contact Info

[5] To Subscribe to the Ezine

[6] Copyright Information

[1] ***Greetings!**

A hearty welcome to new subscribers!

We're seeing the beginnings of spring here in Western Oregon and it's beautiful. Praise God for the four seasons!

I'm running the first half of an article from my website in this issue called "Taking the Drudgery Out of Sermon Preparation." If you have read it on the website, it may be worth re-reading as I have revised and updated some of the text and links.

I have stepped out on the proverbial limb this time and listed a number of available Bible programs in the text of the article. I realize we all have our favorites. If I didn't mention yours, drop me a note and I'll put it in the next edition.

As always, your input is welcomed.

God bless.

Dave Redick, Editor
editor@preacherstudy.com

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[2] ***Featured Article***

TAKING THE DRUDGERY OUT OF SERMON PREPARATION (Part 1) By Dave Redick

[Author's Note: In sending out this article I in no way consider myself to have "arrived" in the area of sermon preparation. Though I have taught and coached others, I find I am still learning after twenty three years of experience. I'm not a novice, however, and I've learned some helpful things over the years. It is in a spirit of humility and a sense of awesome respect for the notion that any mortal would attempt to speak on behalf of God that I offer this article.]

"Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; *be absorbed in them*, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." 1 Timothy 4:13-16 (NAS)

Early in my ministry I often made the observation to myself and a few trusted confidants, "I love to preach, but I hate preparing sermons." In a calling that demands preparation of something entirely new and interesting several times each week, this attitude presented no small difficulty. Weekly sermon preparation for me consisted of hours of frantically reading through the Bible, fretting over what to preach, desperate prayers, rifling through mountains of unorganized material, then many hours bent over a typewriter in a race against the clock. By Friday or Saturday I was nervous and irritable. The trash can in the corner of the room blossomed with crumpled sheets of typing paper - aborted attempts and false starts. I was frequently wakened in the middle of the night by the same nightmare in which I got up to the pulpit on Sunday morning before hundreds of people and had nothing to say. While many reading this article may not have experienced such extreme levels of difficulty, I suspect that sermon preparation is, at its very best, challenging for most. To the uninitiated, I have often compared it to writing a sizeable segment of a term paper in college once a week.

Today things are different for me. No, I cannot say it is easy. Worthwhile things seldom are, but I can honestly say that I look forward to the process of sermon preparation. Provided I get a good start early in the week and don't have to be rushed at the last minute, I have a pleasant routine that I can live with and that allows others (such as a longsuffering wife) to live in peace with me. What changed things? I'll share what I've learned in this article.

Of course experience is a good teacher. At age 49, I am much more proficient than I was at age 25. There is hope for the younger preacher in this. The years of struggle pay off. It does get easier, if one works hard, with nothing more than the passing of the years in the pulpit.

If you've read this far, though, I suspect you're looking for a more immediate solution. What follows is a collection of concepts and practices that have proven helpful to me and delivered me from the drudgery of sermon preparation.

**Plan for uninterrupted preparation time.

"Hello. You've reached Westside Church of Christ. If you wish to speak to our minister, please press one. If you wish to speak to our on-staff counselor, please press one. If you wish to speak to our director of evangelism, please press one. If you wish to speak to our director of missions, please press one. If you wish to speak to our church secretary, custodian, or our complaint department, please press one. For all other requests, please press one."

The modern minister, especially in the smaller church, wears many hats. Preaching and preparing sermons is only part of what is expected. Counselor, C.E.O., evangelist, personal confidant of many, and administrator, are just some of the items in the job description. My experience has been that two or three hours of preparation can turn into a full day of start and stop frustration. This calls for a strategy that puts one out of the way of people who drop in unexpectedly just to pass the time. For me, it means getting away from the church office for larger blocks of time earlier in the week. When my children were small and at home, I would take my Bible, notebook, and selected study items and head for the local public library where I squirreled away at a back-corner table for the first half of the day. After lunch I headed for the office where I managed appointments or continued to study as I could. Two evenings a week were spent calling on people whom I couldn't see during the day.

Today with the children out of the home, I maintain a second office at my residence, stocked with books, supplies, and a second computer. Most of my sermon work is done here in the early hours of the day. I find I work far more efficiently in the morning, after exercise, a shower, and a light breakfast.

Probably the thing that helped me most was scheduling my study time just as I did my appointments. I blocked it out on my calendar. If someone asked to see me during my preparation time, unless it was an emergency, I replied that I had an appointment, but could see them later in the day or week. Few people ever had any problem with this. Having my sermons in hand by Wednesday or Thursday puts me at the top of my game. There's no feeling quite like it! The best sermons are born during times of contemplation. If you are going to speak for God, you need to make the time to prepare.

I know one minister who does not even come in to his church office on Monday and Tuesday. This time is used for uninterrupted preparation of sermons and lessons. When he hits the office on Wednesday, he is ready for whatever might come, confident he will not be forced to stay up half the night on Saturday preparing what should have already been done, then struggling with an energy deficit on the Lord's day.

If you are not doing it yet, block out your study time on your calendar and guard it. Consider this: Spending 30-40 minutes addressing the whole church on Sunday morning is probably the most efficient thing you do all week. You could never speak efficiently to so many people in any other context.

**Get a good personal computer and learn to use it.

I cannot say enough about how the computer has added to my sermon preparation, both in efficiency and added effectiveness. I now own two of them (I use Windows machines and am largely unfamiliar with other types) and would not want to go back to life without them. After the procurement of a personal computer, the choice of software determines how useful the machine becomes in sermon preparation. The following categories of software are most helpful:

Word Processor

This is the basic function a minister will use most. A good word processor and an efficient typing speed along with the standard cut and paste abilities make outline and/or manuscript preparation much easier. (I type 80-100 wpm. If you cannot type quickly, take a class, it's worth it.) I try to stay on the cutting edge of word processing technology. If I'm going to upgrade any piece of software, it will nearly always be the word processor first. Often, in the preparation of lessons, I need only to write the text and "pour" it into my standard lesson form. I used WordPerfect for many years with great benefit. Today I use the latest version of Microsoft Word. It is an excellent program that I will diligently upgrade as it improves.

Because of the ability to keep files on disk, as your sermons collect, they can be there for you at a moments notice. You can search through them by title, topic, or full string text search. May I say here, too, that if you store your work on disk and don't have a backup, it is only a matter of time until you will regret the day you tried to save a few dollars by not purchasing the necessary backup hardware and software? As a professional you need professional equipment.

If you cannot afford a shrink wrapped product, check out one of those available as shareware or even freeware.

Bible Program

The newest Bible study software programs are truly remarkable. Searches that used to take days now take seconds. Multiple translations can be consulted or searched at the click of a mouse. Greek and Hebrew study has been greatly simplified. Many of the standard reference works for Bible study are coming out for use with the computer. Text in both English and the original languages can be cut and pasted right onto the pages of your sermon. My research is not only quicker, I also am more willing to search out issues that before would have been too time consuming. In a matter of a few minutes I can read the verses that contain every occurrence of a specific word in the entire English translation.

I presently use Biblesoft's PC Study Bible 3.0 for most of my work. I have also used Parson's Quickverse and Logos Research's Level 4 program. Both are excellent and there are other good ones. Since it was one of the first, I have used PC Study Bible since its earliest release and have diligently upgraded as it developed. It fits like a comfortable shoe. I seldom even have to think about what my fingers are doing as I study. A person should take the time to master the few programs he really uses in study.

If you don't have a Bible program, get one. If money is tight, there are several available as shareware or even freeware.

Below are some possibilities. There are others. Don't let the lower priced items fool you. Some of them are very good if your budget is restricted. (BTW, I don't get any kind of kick back for listing these. They are presented for your convenience with no claims of which is the best.) Also, on some of the big ticket programs, if you shop around on the web you can probably save some money. For instance, here is a discount retailer I found in a quick search using the terms "Bible Study Software."

Discount Bible Software
http://www.discountbiblesoftware.com/index.html

Here are some of the better known programs and their list prices:

PC Study Bible (Complete Reference Library on CD) $279.97
http://biblesoft.com

Logos Deluxe Bible Reference Series (On CD) $299.95
http://www.logos.com/products/lbrs/

Parson's Quickverse Deluxe ($299.95)
http://www.quickverse.com/

Online Bible (Deluxe CD) $59.95
http://www.onlinebible.org/

Power Bible (Download Demo or Order CD) $19.95
http://www.powerbible.com/

Bible Pro (Download demo or order CD) $19.95
http://ianvink.com/

SwordSearcher (Download or CD) $35.00
http://swordsearcher.com/

[To Be Continued in Next Issue]

(c) Dave Redick, The Preacher's Study, 2000. All Rights Reserved. Reprint by permission only. Please do not cut article out of this ezine and paste them anywhere else. You may, however, forward this entire Ezine to friends freely.

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[3] ***Preacher's Study Website Updates***

One new message was added to the Premium Section of the website since the last issue.

"Esteeming Our Elders" is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13. It was preached at a special service to honor two of our elders for their years of service and dedication. It could be easily adapted to a similar occasion in most any church that has elders. If you have a password, you may view it at:

http://preacherstudy.com/premium/esteem.html

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Visit Our Website

What other's are saying about our Website:

"An absolute wealth of resources, sermon ideas, illustrations, humor for the pastor looking for a sparkling cap on a message,or to generate ideas for a message." (Four Stars!)  ---Suite 101.com

"I want you to know what a great service you are to all of us preaching brethren. I have been preaching for 30 years and the preachers study has been a God send for fresh ideas and sermon helps. Keep up the good work! I have 2 preaching sons and have encouraged their participation. God speed. --- Bob Payne Huntsville, TX.

"I am an Elder in a small congregation and I serve as one of the preachers here. I just want to take a moment to express my thanks to you for what you are doing for me in these Holy Spirit filled sermons. I  am always encouraged by your sermons and they are a blessing to me personally well as to the congregation that I serve. Thank you for being my preacher." ---L.C.W.

"I have been criticized by one of my brothers for using sermons from the internet in my ministry. My own pastor said there is nothing wrong with using the sermons. I don't know who's right and who's wrong, but I do know this. I have used two sermons from the Preacher's Study, and, as a result, seven lost souls have been saved. Case closed. These sermons are powerful!" ---M.C., Milner, GA

"The Preacher's Study is one of the best Christian sites on the web. Your sermon content is excellent. Thanks for offering your material to help preachers provide quality lessons." ---K.S., Cedar Hill, TX

"This is the best preacher site that I have found to date. Your site has helped me many of times during my elders ministry. I just pray that you can continue to bless other preachers and laity with this great work. May GOD bless you and your ministry." ---V.L.P., Tonawanda, NY

"I just wanted to send this letter to thank you for a 'site for sore eyes.' I was browsing through some Christian sermon links and just 'happened' to find your website. I was initially planning to give a cursory look but I found so many wonderful and interesting areas that I stayed on-line quite awhile.I am so glad that there is a site like this! Be encouraged in the work that you are doing for the Lord, it is making a difference. It has already for me." ---T.G.W.

"...I plan to use parts of your fine work on Trust. I like your style...I am preaching at the Walton's church--you know, the one depicted in the Walton's series on TV..last week we had two celebs from the show come for worship..Hal Williams and Lynn Hamilton. Nice, nice folks." ---Tom

"Good morning. We may think we have messages on here to share with preachers for Sunday sermon; but I just wanted to encourage you and let you know that our household looks for messages you place on here...they are excellent teaching---hook you in, provide a great teaching and help to motivate a Christian (or non) in the thinking process..."---W.D.
Minister, Victoria, Texas

"I was looking through the 'The Preacher's Study' web site for ideas regarding  a message I am preparing on Luke 4:18-19. I found your message on the scripture entitled, 'How to start all over'. I had to write you to let you know how much this message blessed me. It was sound, relevant, and brought a message of hope our contemporary society needs to hear. I will be sending in the registration fee to 'The Preacher's Study.' I will be incorporating ideas from this message into the research I had already completed. I just wanted to say personally, thank you for blessing a fellow preacher from New York (just outside New York City). My prayers will be for you, your family, and your ministry!"---H.C.
Central Islip, NY