Preacher Preference

For anyone who has spent a long enough time in school, one comes to realize that a teacher can make or break your opinion of a class. Sometimes you can take a class on a subject you are really interested in, but if the teacher stinks, it can ruin the experience. Also, even if you do not particularly like a subject, you can still enjoy a particular class on it because the way the teacher presents the material. Furthermore, a good teacher can even change your mind about the subject that you may have not understood or appreciated before.

I realized this is also true from the church's perspective. The preacher, pastor, pope, or whatever you want to call him or her is essentially a teacher. Many people end up judging religion based on their experience in church which is highly shaped by the manner of the preacher/teacher. Just like teachers can ruin classes for students, I think preaching styles can also potentially ruin a person's experience with the church and thus with Christianity. Especially if that person has no other experience with other preaching styles, they will likely think that all churches are taught in that same manner and in the same setting.

Did you know that some churches have choirs that wear robes and the church sings traditional hymns, but that other church communities have people dance to hip hop and do spoken word in the name of Jesus? Some teachers of the Word read directly from the scripture, some speak very formally, some speak very casually, some will make jokes, some are very animated and loud, some are very mild-mannered, some wear a suit and tie, some wear t-shirt and jeans, some wear dresses, some wear robes, some will sound like they are talking to you, some will sound like they are yelling at you, some give examples in their own life of how the Word is true, and some let the scripture speak for itself. Thank God that not all churches are taught in the same style! I wish more people knew that the gospel can be presented in more than one way, in more than one setting, in more than one culture, by more than one type of teacher.

We all pick out our own favorite teachers because different teaching styles appeal to different people. In the same way, I think someone should experience church in a teaching style that appeals to them and in a setting that makes them comfortable. It is important to learn to appreciate different ways of "doing" church even if it may not be your style or culture. As long as the truth of Jesus Christ is represented, there is no right way to teach the Word or to worship our Lord. Figure out your own preacher preference so that you can ENJOY learning about your faith in a church setting!

Words on Hope

"Ultimately our gift to the world around us is hope. Not blind hope that pretends everything is fine and refuses to acknowledge how things are. But the kind of hope that comes from staring pain and suffering right in the eyes and refusing to believe that this is all there is. It is what we all need - hope that comes not from going around suffering but from going through it."

pg. 170 Velvet Elvis. Rob Bell.

Hope that stares pain and suffering right in the eyes... that statement really gets me... it makes me long to have that sort of audacious hope in the face of a suffering world.

If you like good quotes and going "hmm" when you read, I highly recommend Velvet Elvis. While reading this book I stopped on nearly every page multiple times to write a quote down in my journal or just process what Bell talks about, but also the way he talks about things. If you want to know what it is about, I guess I would say it is about repainting the Christian faith. It is a fresh perspective, but is rooted in what God, Jesus, and Christianity has been about all along.