How to Slow-Cook a Sermon (17 Days to Showtime)

As Jessica and I begin to wrap up our last couple of months here in Fort Hood, the church that we attend has asked me to preach. As a Chaplain I typically keep my distance from extra curricular activities that might interfere with my primary job, but I have to admit "I love to preach and teach". Therefore, this will be one of the final highlights of our time serving in Killeen.

So, how do you prepare for a sermon? This day by day blog for the next two weeks will show YOU exactly what I am doing in preparing for the sermon. I hope you will see the labor that is involved. I hope you will see the questions that come up. I hope you will gather resources that you will never hear announced from the pulpit. Finally, I want you to hold me accountable. Feel free to ask questions if you desire, and as I walk in and out of the study...I will address them as I go.

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DAY ONE: THE EMAIL ARRIVES (18 Days to go)

Email hits my gmail account at 0800, March 05.

John,

Would you be willing to preach ....on this particular weekend? (Mark 12:1-27)

My Response:

Yes. I would be delighted to do so.

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DAY TWO: JUST MY BIBLE, NOTHING ELSE (17 Days to go)

As soon as I agreed to it my heart raced as it always does not knowing what this passage is completely about. I was shocked by how many verses and how I would even be able to work through 27 verses in the time allotted. In a previous sermon assignment in Germany, one of my good friends gave me just 1 verse in Psalms 23. I preached for 45 minutes. Now I have 27 verses,...yikes could this expand 20 hours and 15 minutes. Let's hope not. :)

I grabbed my ESV Bible from across my desk. Thumb to the passage and notice that I have already marked this passage up from previous teachings or sermons or Angie's scribbles. I make notes of anything that I can currently see on the page that might help me remember discussions I have had about this passage. THEN,...I pause and skim the headings. OH MY! I have a parable, a teaching of Jesus on taxes, and is there marriage in heaven? My pulse races,...I sense the ignorance in all the categories. I can't wait.

Then on March 5th, I read the entire passage. No note taking, just listening. What is Jesus addressing here? What came before this passage? What will soon happen after it? I don't know. Resisting the temptation to run to commentaries...just me and the Word for a couple more days.

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Day 54, Jenny McCarthy Kick My Butt Tonight.

As many of you may know, we Army soldiers are fit and rugged and can't be stomped into the ground by anyone who doesn't have a Ranger Tab. I mean, seriously, I wake up,...go do PT at 6:30 for 1 hour, then typically after work run 4 miles just to stay fit for the fight that keeps us safe. ((Doesn't hurt to look good for the gal at home either)). Yet, this evening, instead of going for my run, I dawned my PT's and turned on our Wii to try a new exercise system we got called, "Your Shape". Its simple. A video camera captures you on one window, Jenny McCarthy Avatar barks orders at you on the left window. While the exercises is happening, a constant feed on how you are doing is being sent in through the feed on the camera. I thought it sound preposterous and decided to show this system what a 34 year old, United States Army Captain can do. Choosing Advanced, Cardio, 30 minutes. I put the controller down and started the program. NOW...before I continue. God speaks ...

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About 365 days ago, I was sitting at FOB Falcon in Baghdad, Iraq working of filling out one of the first forms in our adoption. I remember walking to the Chow hall talking to some guys trying to explain that Jessica and I had finally made the first real decision and now it was going to be a long haul before we see some major results. Not to get your hopes up, we did not get a child just yet, but we are definitely at a point in the adoption that needs some celebration. At 0800 this morning, our profile is officially posted at our Adoption Agency Web site, which is where mothers can view our family profile. This sets into motion a major thing for us. For right now, this very hour, we could be receiving a phone call that would revolutionize our family. Within a short period of time today to about 4 months (estimate) we should be matched and possibly flying back to the states to hold the new Craven. How cool is that? Celebrate with us. Also join us in beginning to pray for Jessic...

Whiteboards and Pulpits

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