My favorite imperative is the last one on building your message:
It sounds a little over-simplistic, I realize, but hear me out. If you’re anything like me, once something has implanted itself so deeply in your heart, you want to shout it from the rooftops. I remember being 24 years old and intensely passionate about originality in the church. This was about the same time when a lot of contemporary churches were making sermon series parodies of popular TV shows and movies – incluidng my own church. Coming from a creative corporate background, and being a rule-follower, the copyright implications alone were enough to make me uncomfortable. But I also believed (and still believe) that there is a huge difference between inspiration and emulation, and so many churches were falling into the emulation category.
Anne is right on here. I have discovered that one of the greatest barriers in helping others find clarity, is distraction by the large platforms of others. Ultimately we copy rather than clarify.
Here are fantastic questions by Anne about building your message. It's a process that involves more than "just passionately vocalizing it." You must continually ask yourself:
- “Why do I believe this?”
- “What are the implications of the message?”
- “What’s required of me to dedicate this season to this message?”
- “Is there a need for this message?”
- “How can I learn more about this and sharpen my own knowledge and passion?”