Years ago, I began to see a deeper need when it came to sermon communication. Many churches emphasize taking notes, which is great, but there is no opportunity to prepare for the message. To this end, I started an experiment, putting my sermon notes online a few days before the actual message. It was an interesting experiment, to be sure, and yielded some positive results:
– People appreciated being able to review the notes beforehand, and to read the scriptures that were used (I use a lot of scriptures in my messages 😉 )
– People that couldn’t make it for one part of a series appreciated being able to catch up
– The notes were good for people who had a hard time hearing the full message
– People felt more prepared (as did I, since I had to have the message ready earlier than right before service started.
While I do not have access to the audio messages anymore, the printed messages are still available. The catalog has been updated for easier access to messages, as well as to sermon series, for those who want to binge read :-). Also, if anyone wants to use these notes for their own study or teaching, feel free (just do me a solid, and don’t go reprinting them on your site without proper credit… you know, karma, golden rule, all that jazz 🙂 )
Looking forward to hearing your message. It’s not quite on the same page, but I have been in the theme of wheat in terms of threshing and winnowing for the past couple of weeks. Not sure where He’s leading me with it, but it has been interesting to say the least.
Hi Peggy,
I would love to hear what you have been getting in this area of threshing and winnowing wheat. Look forward to seeing you this morning.
“This could be fun,” he says! Good grief, Charlie Brown! This is one of the most wonderful, fantastically awesome, things: a gift beyond (almost) all imagining! In my own life, there’s nothing better than the anticipation of knowing you’re ready to hear from God something you’ve already been pondering about, with a possibility of question or comment afterward.
Some fellowships distribute outlines with their morning programs, a very good thing, unless you’re an introvert like me. Then I get absorbed in what I’m reading and the time to interact with people disappears, because no one in church will interrupt. Some fellowships get together later in the week and emphasize the main points of the sermon with questions directed by the pastor. That’s good, too, but rarely allows room for other types of questions.
This…this will allow for preparation, prayerful pondering, and open hearts. It will also allow for the questions that spiritual seekers will posit as the Holy Spirit teases loose a knot they’ve been struggling with. Thank you, brother mine, thank you! Love you and what the Lord is doing in your life!
All of Heaven’s best….
Thanks sis. I did get positive response to having the notes beforehand. We’ll see if this generates some deeper discussion as well as action. I like trying new things 🙂
Listened to Jenn Gaskin’s “Essential…” series yesterday and found it wonderful. Her preaching/teaching style as well as diction are phenomenal!
I look forward to reading your notes/hearing your series,also to finally hearing your New Year’s message and, well, anything else you care to share! 🙂
All of Heaven’s best….
Hi Sis,
I forwarded your comments to Jenn. I know she will appreciate that. I am working on the notes for this week, and I may have them up tonight… hoping so, but Thursday will be ok still. I expected the message to be up already, but I can be patient. (really… I can… guess I’m trying to convince myself, hee hee)
Brother mine,
Thank you for being of encouragement, this time to Jenn, by forwarding my comments. Unvoiced are the many things I learned from the series yet, somehow, the first thing I thought of was my Mark when we were rehearsing in 2003. I read too fast and he told me to slow down. Jenn has the same wonderful, “let me invite you into my words to live in them with me for a while,” rather like osmosis.
I’m so glad to know your new year’s message is available! It will help direct my day’s path because, even though I should be transcribing there’s nothing on my client’s site to download, so I can walk on the treadmill without concern about taking time from work. And how does your sermon fit in? There’s nothing I love more than listening to a sermon/Bible teaching while I’m walking on the treadmill because I get to feed/exercise my spirit at the same time as I improve my physical tent. Thank you for that gift!
All of Heaven’s best; all my love….
Hi sis,
It is my pleasure to pass your comments onto Jenn. She is a wonderful speaker, and like you, a dear sister to me. I have been a bit frustrated by the fact that there have been issues with some of the audio files, but I just have to trust that God is getting His message to those that need to hear it when they need to hear it. i have to check on the New Year’s message as well, as it seems the audio file is just missing. Not sure if they can get it back, but we’ll see.
Brother mine, so glad you have another sister! Being the only one, well, you know…. 🙂 As to your New Year’s message, I’m grateful to have the notes. Thank you so much!
Much love,
Margret
First off, “Thank You Jesus!”
Loved the message today. Powerful!!
Second, LOVED being able to see your note. I finally went to check this out during service today. I’ve felt guilty having my iPhone out during service but this game me reason to pull it out and follow your message.
I found it helpful in “grasping” the message. Having visual add helps me. Hearing it is one thing but then to follow it on paper (iPhone)…
Thanks for doing this!
God Bless! Happy Easter!
Jodi
Hi Jodi,
Actually, this jazzes me to no end. I love that you could get the notes while I was speaking. That is too cool.:-)
Long ago I learned to cast off shame, for I had much. Now when it try’s to convict me, (daily). I speak to it, “I have been forgiven for that” and off it goes. How can we spend time with God if we feel guilty and shameful? He already knows what’s up, so we may as well get it off our chest. no point in hiding from someone who see’s and knows everything.
Great perspective Matt. It’s a hard one to learn, but when you do, how freeing that is. Thanks for the reply
I loved Mr. Matt’s response to shame…”I’ve been forgiven for that”
Man, if we could only realize how big the ocean of GRACE we
would swim in the depths of it and get away from the shore.
Pajama Man, identifying with the stuph is really freeing…harder
work is not substituting the stuph and thinking we’re free.
true, finding the courage to not substitute, but look at the stuph head on, and be able to see what Jesus is doing in our lives is so powerful. substitution is so easy, and so the easy way out, or so we think.
Matt’s response is very awesome. it is the simple truth of the gospel. I love it! 🙂
Ha! I didn’t even see this tab on your site! I’m looking forward to reading and listening…and conversation :D. I’ll get back to you…if that’s okay?
More than ok! Thanks for checking it out and participating. This has been something new for me, and as you can see, the conversation has been minimal, but those in the church have loved having the notes ahead of time. In one sense, it makes the sermon conversational from the start. Totally love that 🙂
Wow, where does the time go? I wrote I’d get back to you in August?? And it’s still been hanging around in my mind. I didn’t think this much time had passed by. I’ve been a busy gal it seems. o.0
Sooo, whatchya been up to? Haven’t seen a post up from you for awhile. I hope it’s just ‘cuz your busy too…preferably having fun =) Basically, I’m just stopping by to say howdy, and I was thinkin’ aboutcha.
i appreciate you stopping by. Wow, 6 months! That has flown by. It has been an interesting 6 months for me. I’m getting close to writing again (and I’m picking up my novel again too… good times 🙂 ).
I guess “interesting” is about the best word I can give for it all. At some point there will be some stuph in my writing about it all.
Glad you’ve been busy! Hope everything is good for you!
Thanks ken for the note and I can read it and it perfect for me