But Moses said to the LORD, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." Exodus 4:10
Does the thought of getting up in front of people bring butterflies to your stomach? Do you often find yourselves in a situation, and you don't really know what to say? Do you have a hard time expressing your thoughts to others?
Good news! That doesn't make you any less of a Christian. I have read the above verse many times. In fact, there have been points in my life where I wanted to make the same excuses to God, and not all of those points came before I became a pastor/preacher. There have been times when I have given a message, and afterward thought about how poorly I did at that.
This spring I have been reading a number of books for a preaching class that I am taking this summer. Believe me when I say there is no shortage of tips and techniques in speaking! And yet, even as I read through all of these helpful books, written by faithful Christians, there is always one thing that stands out in the back of my mind.
I can have the clearest of speech and the best presentation ever, but what that does is put the spotlight on me, not on God. In fact, when I have people come up and say that they really liked what I said because they could understand it well, I sometimes wonder if I haven't messed up. After all, the power of speaking is about God doing the work through the words, and not my effectiveness.
At the same time, you also can't say that the words and presentation has no impact. If I just speak words at random, and you can't understand them, how does the message of the good news get across? It's that fine interplay between designing our words and sentences so that they are understandable, while at the same time realizing that it is God who works through the words, no matter how well crafted or poorly thrown together.
Speaking comes naturally to some, and not so much to others. The good thing is, no matter our speaking skills, God's Spirit still works through those words.
Does the thought of getting up in front of people bring butterflies to your stomach? Do you often find yourselves in a situation, and you don't really know what to say? Do you have a hard time expressing your thoughts to others?
Good news! That doesn't make you any less of a Christian. I have read the above verse many times. In fact, there have been points in my life where I wanted to make the same excuses to God, and not all of those points came before I became a pastor/preacher. There have been times when I have given a message, and afterward thought about how poorly I did at that.
This spring I have been reading a number of books for a preaching class that I am taking this summer. Believe me when I say there is no shortage of tips and techniques in speaking! And yet, even as I read through all of these helpful books, written by faithful Christians, there is always one thing that stands out in the back of my mind.
I can have the clearest of speech and the best presentation ever, but what that does is put the spotlight on me, not on God. In fact, when I have people come up and say that they really liked what I said because they could understand it well, I sometimes wonder if I haven't messed up. After all, the power of speaking is about God doing the work through the words, and not my effectiveness.
At the same time, you also can't say that the words and presentation has no impact. If I just speak words at random, and you can't understand them, how does the message of the good news get across? It's that fine interplay between designing our words and sentences so that they are understandable, while at the same time realizing that it is God who works through the words, no matter how well crafted or poorly thrown together.
Speaking comes naturally to some, and not so much to others. The good thing is, no matter our speaking skills, God's Spirit still works through those words.
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