Monday, February 9, 2009

finding my legs

Well, i am finally starting to get settled into the church i am serving. i'm not sure that there was anything that was keeping me from settling in, or if it was just all of us getting used to each other, but these last couple of weeks have been very good. i have a very loving and supportive congregation who let me be who i need to be. i was able to make a couple of minor changes in how the worship flowed, and i think that really helped.

one of the things that i think has helped me settle in was just relaxing. i thougt at first that i needed to preach from the pulpit, that being there would make things "right" or some bla bla like that. but after taking a weekedn to go to denver to celebrate my grandfather's b-day and then returning, i stayed out of the pulpit, didn't bother to robe up, and just stood out front and talked. no notes. my wife had been bugging me to preach without notes for a long time, and at my last church (actually my first church) i had tried that for a while. worked well for a while. the first time i preached without notes was a sermon on simon-peter getting out of the boat to walk on the water to jesus. so i figured what beeter time to get out of my own boat and step out on faith! it is working well again, and i feel that there is a connection with the congregation that actually gives more authority to the preacher when there is that connection that the pulpit, which to some represents authority, can not provide. of course, you have to back what you say with authority with how you live your life or everyone will just think you are full of it.

enough of the midnight ramblings. if you look at the time this was posted you would think i am off my rocker for writing this late. or early. or somthing. hope this makes some sort of sense for a middle of the night update.

revrob