Things I struggle with:
Details – I am a very detail orientated person so I work hard to make sure there is scriptural backing to just about everything I put in the sermon. Sometimes that makes it had to keep sermons short. I have no problem staying on point. Yet, I routinely wind up asking myself how does a person know when there is too many details in a sermon… even if they point to the same theme.
Length – Different churches expect different sermon lengths. Right now, I am at the point of my sermon writing where sermons run anywhere between 15-18 minutes. I come from an upbringing that has taught me a few things… 1) Preach the Word and ignore time, 2) keep the hearer engaged and they won’t worry about time, 3) and finally stop worrying about time, let God do what God’s best and get out-of-the-way.
Memorization – as previously mentioned brute memorization for short-term memory is one of my biggest flaws. I am a long-term memory guy meaning I can still remember events from my early childhood. However, the thought of trying to memorizing a sermon in less than a week is a daunting task. So, this will be a work in progress. It doesn’t help that my sermons as so detailed. My last sermon had an additional 7 supporting verses throughout.
Does anyone have any issues connect to their spouse or family when preaching?
What resources are available in terms of sermon prep and bouncing ideas off of other future/present LCMS pastors? I think I found a group on yahoo groups, but it looks like it is only for ordained clergy.
On a side note: I tinkering with a personal challenge of preaching in all 50 states before I graduate from seminary in 2013. So, far I have preached in Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri. So far the possible preaching locations thus far are Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, New York, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Idaho. Any other takers?
