Reflections on Speaking…

May 21, 2007

After speaking for about a combined five hours in church and in workshops this weekend, a few thoughts…

No matter how many times I’ve done this before, it seems I always need to pee at least times five before speaking.

Preaching in a church context is an odd thing, because you’re given a mic, the spotlight, the attention of hundreds, and somehow asked to be humble at the same time.

I think the humility part comes naturally when you realize you have no right being there in the first place.

The thing with presenting anything in a formal context is that it’s assumed that you’ve put a lot of time thinking and reflecting on the topic and should be at least some form of an ‘expert’. The scary thing is knowing that you can present your very best, and people can walk away thinking, ’so that was all you had’? or even worst, leaving zero impact at on their lives.

People often tell me I seem extreme laxed and comfortable on stage, and I really am on many levels, but there’s always a part of me that’s a nervous wreck throughout.

Half of this is I’m probably more self-conscious than I care to admit, the other half is I know people are naturally more judgmental than they would admit to me.

Someone once said that when you speak, you light yourself on fire, and people come to watch you burn. I think I resonate with that a bit.

When I begin thinking that what I’m doing is more important than it really is, I can easily get crushed by the weight of not being able to ‘deliver’

There are very few things that excite me and challenge me more than this; to be able to connect to an audience regarding things that really matter in life is such an extraordinary honor. I would do it regardless of any results, but If I can just connect with one life, and even make one single degree of shift in a person’s heart, I’m blown away every time.

Posted in communication, preaching