You Should Experience This Preaching Blog

You’re a preacher, so you should read this blog.

And because you’re a preacher, you should also pray. 

You should read Scripture daily. 

You should read books about preaching. 

And by now, you should be feeling pretty annoyed with me. 

Our Resistance to Being Told What to Do

I’m guessing you know why. 

Because we don’t like to be “shoulded.” 

Most of us are aware that using the word “should” isn’t the best approach.

When we’re told we should do something, it make us feel defensive and shamed, like we don’t know what we’re doing, that we can do better or be better than we are.

It makes us wonder who in tarnation the other person thinks they are to be taking away our God-given free will to make decisions for ourselves! (Exclamation mark included! Frustration! Annoyance!)

Note the difference now when the “shoulds” are removed.

• Read this blog.

• Pray.

• Read Scripture daily. 

• Read books about preaching. 

Without context or hearing a tone of voice, those sentences could be interpreted as either commands or suggestions. 

Both sound softer than “you should,” but the speaker is still acting in the expert role. The speaker is assuming “I know better than you do.” 

Even though those commands/suggestions are not “wrong” because they are practices most of us would agree is foundational for preachers, there’s a perceived imbalance in the relationship. 

The speaker implies ”I know something about you that needs to be fixed.”

It’s disrespectful to you as a person.

Moreover, the list can feel like yet more things to add to an already overburdened day.

It can make us feel defeated and exhausted before we even try—even when we know that engaging those activities is likely to do the opposite!

While an occasional “kick in the pants” can spur us to take long overdue actions, generally commands, or even suggestions, don’t sit well.

Adults (and kids—have you noticed?) don’t like to be told what to do.

As a result we often “don’t do the things we ought, and do the very things we ought not.”

That includes the way we preach.

From Command to Invitation

Many preachers find their joy and inspiration to preach renewed and strengthened when they simply enjoy hanging out with God through prayer, reading Scripture, and when they grow in this art form by reading preaching books. 

If you don’t engage those practices, I encourage you to experiment and notice the effects.

In addition, there’s a blog that I hope will be useful to you about preaching. 

The blog has you first experience being shamed into or commanded to do things that are “for your own good,” versus being given choices. 

It aims to help us appreciate that our sermons often unwittingly work against the human need to make one’s own choices because we’ve given them lists of things to do—even when we don’t use the word “should” and even when that list is in service of the gospel.

I notice as a listener and as a preacher, that adults are more likely to be transformed by the Good News when they experience choices and an invitation.

How about you? What have you noticed?

Did you feel the difference in your body? Your heart? Your willingness to engage?

In the above paragraphs, your insights, experience, and final decision are respected. 

Your dignity to accept or turn down the invitations is honored. 

You are affirmed as a capable human being who knows yourself better than I do.

How does this tone make you feel compared to “shoulds,” commands, or suggestions?

Offering choices and invitations is more effective than commands. 

But creating an experience of choice and invitation, as this blog is attempting to do, is the most effective yet.

From Invitation to Experience

The very tempting thing about lists is that they are clear, easy-to-understand, concise bullet points.

They pack a punch with very few words. (“The Ten Commandments” anyone?)

Offering choices that are truly invitational requires more finesse. 

They need to feel inviting. We need to experience that the decision is really up to us.

We also want to see that saying yes brings more hope and possibility than saying no.

For instance, Jesus did tell people what to do, like “Love your neighbor like yourself,” but he seemed to get more traction when he invited people to experience loving your neighbor: 

• Feeding 5000 people from scarce resources

• Healing the “unacceptables” 

• And stories! 

Stories that brought people into being the lost sheep who is found; being the foolish, lost-soul of a child who returns home and is embraced by his waiting, hopeful dad; being the religious authority who chose not to love his neighbor yet is shown by that neighbor how love can still transform even the authority’s heart—if the authority so chooses.

Jesus brought people into an experience. 

Sometimes he concluded the experience with “Now go and do likewise.”

But most of the time he let people decide for themselves what to make of it.

What none of those characters left with—whether stars of his parables, those who listened to them, the people who were healed, or the 5000 people who were fed from loaves and fishes—was a to-do list.

They did not leave his presence with a list of shoulds, commands, or even suggestions!

They left with curiosity.  

They left with wonder and awe. 

They left with gratitude.

They left with bellies full, hearts overflowing, and spirits and bodies restored.

They left with choices to make of the experience.

They left with invitations to cherish that Good News for themselves or pass it forward if they felt so moved.

They decided for themselves.

They might decide it meant absolutely nothing. 

Or they might let the experience transform their minds so that they are able to discern the will of God.

You’re invited to an experience

You’re invited to an experience about your backstory and your preaching so that it transforms your heart, mind, and spirit.

The Mentorship is all about you. Your context. Your questions. Your hopes. Your choices and goals. 

We respect who you are as a preacher right now, and we respect the ways you hope to grow. 

We’ll provide the structure, resources, and relationships.

You provide the commitment.

You’ll experience the Good News—so that you become the Good News you preach.

We invite you to apply for The Backstory Preaching Mentorship.