April Fool’s – Today is April 1st and you gotta be careful out there folks. The image above is an old post that appeared in my Facebook Memories this morning from all the way back in 2014. The difference is that I had to click through the following warning to see what was behind it:
There was a related article linked from USA Today explaining that no evidence exists that Chick-fil-A will be selling a steak sandwich and that the post was an old April Fool’s prank. Well you’re fact-checking an old post so it is what it is. Zuckerberg forbid anyone should have fun on social media. I feel safer already.
Not only did I not write a special historical fun facts post this week there isn’t even a Satur-deja Vu. I try to take like one day at a time but this week it felt like several days ganged up on me at once. Pray for me, pray my family. There’s no one major issue just many stress factors all hitting at the same time. I can normally shrug off one or two and act like they don’t affect me. By the middle of this week I may have even lost my usual positive attitude but I think we’re okay now.
One more full week until Palm Sunday and Holy Week/Passion Week begins. Don’t let it sneak up on you. Be salt, be light, peace and God bless.
The time change was Sunday morning. If you changed your clocks you lost an hour of sleep, if not you might not have made it to church at all. We’re gonna give our guy above half credit. The idea of ending the time change is growing in popularity in the United States but how to do it becomes a sticking point. Most people just want it to end, and do not care which time we land on, but if asked which time we should stay on permanently there is slight preference for Daylight Savings Time (DST).
Sometimes I see images like this on Facebook or wander into discussions/arguments and can’t believe we are still at odds over food laws. The early Christians in the first century couldn’t come to a consensus so it should surprise no one that all of us do not agree today.
Eliud Simiyu is the self-proclaimed Jesus of Tongaren from Bungoma. Some locals have suggested he be crucified as Jesus was, reassuring him that if his claims are true he will be resurrected on the third day. Understandably he has express concern for his life. Orphaned as a child, Simiyu was struck in the head during a domestic dispute in 2009. After being released form the hospital he began preaching. He later claimed to be Jesus, identifying himself as a “divine being” and claims to have miraculous powers. On one occasion, according to witnesses, he turned water into… tea. You know what they say, it’s all fun and games until a mob wants to crucify you on Easter to see if you are really Jesus.
I haven’t seen the film Jesus Revolution. Not only has Paul Wilkinson seen it, he previewed a special advanced screening in order to write about it. He also remembers living it the first time. I have not linked to anything of Paul’s in a while – I was not actively posting anything other than Happy Monday and the Satur-deja Vu there for a while – but let me recommend two posts at Thinking Out Loud if you haven’t seen them yet.
I mentioned that this was coming up when I wrote about announcing the call to preach 30 years ago then promptly forgot about it again. Thank you WordPress. Since March 4, 2008, there have been 1887 posts (this one will make 1888), 765,014 views and 2,540 comments. I have 750 subscribers although some of those are probably WordPress accounts that are no longer maintained or email addresses that are now defunct. If you have been any part of this journey – and you are reading this right now, presumably of your own free will – I hope you have learned something, enjoyed something or at least smiled as you shook your head. I have never started a podcast or relaunched The Master’s Table as a YouTube channel; it warms my heart to know that some people still read. So without further ado let me write something for you. You may or may not have caught these items this week:
I don’t remember where I picked up this little tip. I have read books and attended workshops on effective preaching. At this point in my life many of my friends are pastors and preachers but as a younger man I gave some time and attention to improving my craft. One piece of advice that would benefit any public speaker, it doesn’t have to be in the pulpit, is about effective illustrations. If you are going to use wiring in a light switch to make a point, make sure you know what you are talking about. There is probably at least one person in your audience, perhaps a professional electrician, that will know if your illustration is made poorly. If you are going to compare your topic to changing the oil in a car, planting a garden, sewing on a button, programming HTML or whatever might be helpful, make sure you are well informed if not an expert on the subject you use as a reference. Don’t assume no one will know the difference; someone will know if you say something wrong and then you will lose credibility. If they see you as poorly informed about building a bookcase, they may also lose confidence in your knowledge of the Bible (or whatever field you may be speaking to if it’s not the Bible). If you provide sloppy illustrations with erroneous information maybe you’re sloppy with your Bible study or lazy in sermon prep. As public speaking goes, teaching the Bible or preaching the Gospel needs to be done well.
Your experience with liturgical worship probably depends on the denomination you are part of. Liturgy is probably associated with high church in Presbyterian, Lutheran and Methodist denominations, less so with Baptists. When I say probably I mean chances are, in most cases, all other things being equal, the odds are in favor of what I’m saying… but it all depends. Style of worship and what constitutes worship are highly subjective to individuals and individual congregations. When we start generalizing about denominations there are so many flavors within each and there is bound to be some bleed through around the edges, to mix metaphors.
I do most of my Bible study and sermon prep online. I also have a large collection of actual books. I use and promote the Bible Gateway website but have also reviewed physical copies of books for Bible Gateway. Since I have several good resources on the shelf and access to many others online, it’s unlikely that I would have invested in a set of Matthew Henry’s commentary. But when a widow lady offered me this set that belonged to her husband, I said “absolutely.”
Jack Miller was the head of the deacon board when I was called by Unity Baptist in 2014. He was a Gideon, a Mason, and had served many years on the county board of education. His wife had retired from teaching school and volunteered at the reception desk at the hospital. I remember discussing something with Jack during my first year as pastor and then stated that was my idea and asked what he thought. He was taken aback for a second or two and said “You’re the boss.” No, I am not the boss but that must surely be the best group of deacons any pastor has ever served with.
All six volumes of this set have Jack W Miller’s name imprinted on the cover. And that is fine by me. If anyone asks who that is I can continue telling that “You’re the boss” story for years to come.
The Master's Table 