8.25.2021 August Reading Report

Preaching requires reading. Of course, we must first and always feed upon God’s Word. Regularly reading the Bible for spiritual nourishment, growth, and maturity. Beyond that preaching is a passion which burns like a hungry fire. You have to keep shoving the fuel in to create the heat and light the congregation needs so that it too is nourished and advances toward maturity. 

Consequently, my reading report for August is all about what I am reading in preparation for my next sermon series: 1 Corinthians:  Embracing Hope by Eliminating Avoidable Errors. This will be a 13-week detailed exegetical series. I have been working on the Bibliography and background for about 6 weeks and am trying to tie together the preliminary research during the next 10 days. During this time I am also completing a writing project of my own which is due at the publisher around Sept 1. Things are really busy. Let me state it again however if you are too busy to read. You are too busy to preach. If you find yourself in that situation, you might want to read last week’s blog. 

(Setting the)Stage.

Commentaries

During the preliminary stage of research for this series, one of my primary tasks has been to go through the introductory sessions of the commentaries I have for this series. The following is a small selection of what I have read.  It is in alphabetical order but my comments specify the utility of that particular commentaries introduction. 

Barrett, C. K. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. Black’s New Testament Commentary. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993.

Barret was one of the British traditions best commentators in the twentieth century. His contribution to 1 Corinthians does not disappoint. He deals with the critical questions in a satisfactory fashion though I would not say he breaks any new ground. Always lucid and a pure pleasure to read.

Blomberg, Craig L. 1 Corinthians. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1994.

Brief but helpful.

Dunn, James D. G. 1 Corinthians. T & T Clark Study Guides. London ; New York: T&T Clark International, 2003.

Though brief this work was eye-opening. He does a wonderful job of clarifying and distilling the issues without getting bogged down. Highly recommended. I started here and have not regretted that decision as his arguments and presentation are perfect for framing the issues in a systematic fashion which made the process of going through the other commentaries even more helpful.

Fee, Gordon D. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1987.

Well read. Detailed. Very good bibliographic tools. His commentary is highly rated and his introductory approach seems to set the table well for the exegetical discussions to come.

Fitzmyer, Joseph A., ed. First Corinthians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. The Anchor Yale Bible v. 32. New Haven ; London: Yale University Press, 2008.

Immense and well-organized introduction. His general bibliography is huge. He has specific bibliographies for each subsection of his introduction. Wow does not even begin to describe what I thought as I read this introduction. 

Gardiner, George E. The Corinthian Catastrophe. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1974.

An older book that I first read in college. His arguments are good, but he does not “show his work”, instead he presents his conclusions. Not very artful but effective. 

Hays, Richard B. First Corinthians. Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville, Ky: John Knox Press, 1997.

Good but not earth-shaking.

Thiselton, Anthony C. The First Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000.

Not finished with Thiselton yet. Very good detailed introduction so far. A very good compliment to Fitzmeyer.

Reference Materials

Beyond commentary introductions, I have gone through the information in the following New Testament Introductions and dictionaries.

Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. 1st ed. The Anchor Bible Reference Library. New York: Doubleday, 1997.

Carson, D. A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Second edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005.

Hawthorne, Gerald F., Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid, eds. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Holladay, Carl R. A Critical Introduction to the New Testament: Interpreting the Message and Meaning of Jesus Christ. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005.

Johnson, Luke Timothy. The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction. Very Short Introductions 229. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Martin, Ralph P., and Peter H. Davids, eds. Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1997.

Pride of Place

Engels, Donald W. Roman Corinth: An Alternative Model for the Classical City. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1990.

I am in the middle of this one as well but can confidently state that this book has helped me to envision the social, economic, cultural, entice, and religious background of Corinth better than any resource I have used. Most of the larger academic commentaries freely quote Engels and after his first three chapters, I understand why. His explanation of Roman Corinth as a service-driven economy was an eye-opener with repercussions for the study of all of the Pauline epistles. His primary value has been in showing just how closely our contemporary post-modern, narcissistic culture mirrors the culture of Corinth. This is a theme that Thiselton also develops. He states the case eloquently as a pastoral issue but much of the groundwork for his analysis comes from Engel's work.

That's a wrap for this week. If any of you would like a full copy of my 1 Corinthians bibliography drop me a line in the comments, shoot me an email, or hit me with a text. Until then, preach the word. 

Productivity Begins with Clarity

It has been an odd couple of weeks. I have had to do most of the secretarial work which is fine, but there have been PC hardware problems. I’m a MAC guy. It has been a while since I have had to be the primary support person for a Windows PC. Finally, our treasurer brought in the new Keyboard and Mouse and we are back in business. Seems like a lot of the day has been kind of wasted. I needed a blog post and was not really feeling what was scheduled. I decided to write a bit about one of my favorite topics. Pastoral productivity. 

For me, Pastoral productivity begins with absolute clarity regarding what is most important. I am a preacher. My job is defined by preaching. There are other urgent things which come up during the course of the week. My task is, in keeping with Acts 6.4, to preach:

“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”” (Acts 6:4 ESV)

I am a little disheartened when I hear preachers say they are too busy to prepare to preach. That is the primary job. Everything else is secondary. Productivity in ministry begins with clarity of purpose. My areas of responsibility in ministry are set in stone. They are color-coded in my calendar. They are the major areas of responsibility in Things 3 (my task manager.) They are noted in my pocket notebook when entries are written there. Furthermore, they are the 5 areas I report on to my board. These five (5, V) areas and nothing more. In this order.

• Preaching
• Pastoral
• Planing/Leading
• Professional Development
• Programming

That’s it. That is what I do. Let me discuss each of those areas in a little bit more detail.

Preaching

Everything involved in preparation to preach, teach, write, present. All of my studies. All of the digging for resources. Reading. Taking notes. Soliciting feedback. Nothing I do in ministry is ever given a #1 priority if it is not involved in preaching. Some of you scoff! What if someone goes to the hospital? What if someone dies? What about a crisis? You are mistaking urgency for importance. Those things are urgent. They must be done in a timely fashion-often immediately. They are not, in the long-term scheme of things, important. Preaching is. Preaching comes up every week. 

Most of those who lack the time to prepare adequately have succumbed to the tyranny of the urgent. The best way to keep this from happening is to be absolutely maniacal in defining and protecting preaching as the central focus of your calling. 

Pastoral

Anything involving the interface of individuals, families, groups, and gatherings. Evangelistic calling. Pastoral visitation. Counseling of all kinds. It has been common, really since the twentieth century, to think of these tasks (particularly counseling) as something separate and different from the task of being a Pastor/Preacher. This dichotomy is illegitimate and creates all kinds of problems. You are a preacher first. Pastoral care (shepherding) is a part of that process. To conceive of your interactions with the hurting, questing, or questioning as anything other than Pastoral robs you of the authority of your call to preach. 

Planning/Leading

This is the work with Elders & Deacons. Interfacing and training volunteers. It includes administration, caring and scheduling the use of the physical plant, Planning entails the long-term work of putting together the seasonal work of the congregation,. Planning and leading means including other congregational leaders in resolving issues and considering the needs of the congregation. 

Contemporary Pastors, largely trained by the WorshipIndustrial complex often make this the heart of their ministry creating the lack of time for their true calling of preaching and teaching. The Church of Jesus Christ is primarily an organism. It needs shepherded, taught, and led. The history of the Church teaches us that the primary locus of this leadership is the pulpit. 

Professional (Development)

You will be asked to do funerals simply because you are a preacher. The same with weddings. You have the opportunity to leverage these situations for the cause of Christ. You need to be ready to do these things with professional, biblical integrity. 

We also need to be constantly improving our ministry skills. There are workshops and seminars we can attend. There are online tutorials and streaming events. If you can afford to, it's convenient, and feel the need you can participate in formal graduate training. 

I want a doctor who is up on his reading and who is trying to improve. People have the right to expect their preacher to do everything in his power to be the best at what God has called him to do. 

Programming

The Church needs to have some kind of programming. Generally, you are not the guy who needs to plan it. When you have a great idea there is a pretty good chance that there is someone in your congregation who 1) Does not have to preach every week, 2) Will execute the program better than you will. Again—clarity, purpose, planning. And relentless cutting away the things that keep you from your primary calling to preach the word. 

I know that some of you (many, all) will object. My advice seems archaic, old-fashioned, naive, backward. What I know is this. In my years in ministry, I have witnessed this shift away from the pulpit, away from the centrality of preaching towards a focus on peripherals. Some churches have grown larger, but no more mature. Some churches have grown wealthy, but are not rich. Some churches have cast wide visions; building a name but not the Kingdom of God. Some have expanded their boundaries, but are miles wide and inches deep. 

Every congregation deserves good preaching. Every church needs a Pastor/Preacher. Every Church, who hears the Master’s voice in the words coming from the pulpit will be blessed. Let’s give that a shot. 

Dog Days

Not every title is as descriptive as originally imagined. When considering a year’s worth of blog posts I knew that it would be hot this time of August. I didn’t know then that we would have about 4 inches of rain this week.  Wow--even more humid than I imagined! Not just sultry; tropical. 

I signed a contract this week for my first book which means that I have 3 weeks of nerve-wracking editorial work ahead of me. My sermon was done Monday. I’m about shoulder-deep in background work for my final sermon series of the year from 1 Corinthians. Our church is hosting a blood drive today and our board meets tonight. Last week? Hectic. In addition to pastoral, preaching, writing, and leadership ministry Mrs. Beckman and I are also involved in nearly continual cat wrangling. To whit…Photos!

Gray Beckman Cat Extraordinare

Jack (dear & departed)

Darlin'

 

Lucky

The “Dog Days” have come and the cat Rodeo continues but In the midst of all that, my mind is still a turning.  So here are some more random observations on Biblical, thoughtful living coming to you from a very humid bend in the river in Southeastern Illinois.

Freedom & Liberty

We hear so much about this topic. It dawned on me this week as I was studying for this Sunday’s message about regeneration that liberty, freedom, self-determination, and autonomy are not new ideas. They are not recent innovations. In fact, we find the first example in the Bible.  The first human beings who said, “give me liberty or give me death!” Were Adam and Eve.  That is the short version and you might want to keep that in mind when you hear someone bloviating about personal freedom.

Results

In real life, you don’t always get your way. Human civilization continues to exist because along with opposable thumbs, language, and baseball; God has also given us the gifts of reason, the ability to negotiate, and the capacity to compromise. Human intransigence is thankfully, episodic and self-correcting. The zero-sum game mentality tends to rise and fall because the world is a harsh, unfair place to begin with and sometimes it’s better to work together than it is for opposing camps to stand across the street and throw horse manure at one another. 

But how? In an age defined by increasing polarization, disinformation, and loyalty tests how can we engage in conversations with others that have the potential for meaningful change? This is essential not only to evangelism but in everything the church does. What good do we accomplish if we cannot pass a budget, hold a meeting, debate an issue, or clarify a question without having a quarrel or outright fight? 

A dialogue is a conversation moving toward a purpose. Politics, School, Church Board Meetings. These are examples. You can have a dialogue, a monologue, a harangue, or a fight. Which do you think is most productive? How do we keep dialogues from collapsing into conflict so that we can get the job done serving the state, the student, or the Church? 

1. Terms
2. Tone
3. Temperature

Terms

A productive dialogue or conversation begins with a clear understanding of what is being discussed. This can be established by precedent (agenda for a board meeting or course syllabus). It can be determined by the party who has the stronger hand. It can be agreed upon by mutual consent. The fact is it does not matter where this consensus comes from or who drives it. The only issue is agreement about the content of the discussion. If you cannot agree about that you don’t even have a conversation, dialogue, negotiation, or argument. You have mutually exclusive grandstanding. 

Tone

A productive dialogue requires that participants take ownership of the tone with which they interact with others. This is largely a matter of attitude. If someone enters a school board meeting concerned with un-budgeted spending they may have a skeptical, critical, inquisitive, ironic, doubtful, or disbelieving tone. The tone should be neither emotional nor intellectual. Your tone establishes the kind of answers you need to make good decisions. Productive dialogue requires that each individual be allowed analyze data and information in such a way that others can first, understand their point of view, and secondly, see what needs to be resolved . Particularly when they disagree.  I may be optimistic, the other party pessimistic. This knowledge helps me to approach that pessimism in such a way that consensus is possible. If all I want to do is castigate the pessimist, denigrate them for their pessimism, and humiliate them; the chances are that consensus is impossible. 

Temperature 

Finally, a productive dialogue requires someone to set the temperature. This is where our current culture seems most challenged. Every conversation between groups or parties of differing tone seems to devolve into a fight. The other has become the enemy. They and we are locked in mortal combat and there must be a loser. No compromise! No negotiation! No in-between! “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!”

My Terms=“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,” (Ephesians 3:8 ESV)

 My Tone=“preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2 ESV)

My Temperature=“Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” (1 Corinthians 6:7 ESV)

Liberty without Jesus is a cruel joke of our adversary. You can help set the terms by which you live. You control the tone(s) you take in debate, conversation, negotiation, or plea. You set the temperature. Consider this. Those who set out to burn others, often burn themselves. 

Reviewing Your Preaching Plan

It has been a little hectic this week so I’m a little late with this weekly essay. Just a reminder. In an attempt to reach diverse audiences I alternate the focus of each weekly post. I try and mix in some basic exegetical observations that should benefit any interested Christian. I also sprinkle in topical and incidental observations about the intersection of Christian faith and contemporary culture. Because I have a desire to help preachers I also include at least one post every month that is geared for those who “professionally” engage in the preparation and delivery of sermons. This is one of those posts. If you are a preacher, particularly just starting out you will perhaps remember some of my ranting about a sermon calendar. Without such a long-term preaching plan you are like a log floating down a river. You are going to go where the current takes you. A preaching plan transforms you into a kayaker who directs the vessel in reaction to that same current intentionally going where you wish to go. 

It is the first week in August. If you have followed my recommendation of beginning with the traditional “Church Year” you are now 37 weeks into the preaching year. We are in the home stretch. Soon we will be thinking about next year’s plan. One of the main reasons I write my sermon calendar in October is simple logistics. November and December are a lot busier than October. This is another reason that preaching from the first Sunday in Advent till the last Sunday in “regular” time is best. If you begin with the calendar year you will be trying to put together your sermon calendar in one or both of the two busiest months for ministry.  No now is a good time to look back on 2021 and consider how things have gone. There are three elements which I think contribute to a good review of a preaching plan.

Series ending review/debrief 

OK, it doesn’t really begin this week. It starts with the best practice of doing a quick review/debrief as the last task for each sermon series.  I always try to look over a series the Monday or Tuesday after I complete it. This gives me a chance to quickly focus on my most recent work before moving on to the next series. That means that when it is time to think about how my overall plan is going I already have some guidance. This series-ending debrief is the opportunity to recall any glitches which may have occurred in preparation or presentation. It gives you a chance to reconsider any questions that listeners may have brought to your attention and to categorize the kinds of feedback you’ve been given during the series. 

This is also the time to file your working materials, tie up any loose bibliographical ends, and make sure that you have fair copies (electronic or paper, whichever you prefer) of all the final sermons. Even if you don’t want to re-preach them in the future you will want them for future reference the next time you preach on that particular passage of scripture.

Execution

In general, I want to consider my series preplanning.  Was it accurate? When I went through preliminary exegetical steps did I properly anticipate the intent of the passage and measure that against my goal for the series as a whole and each individual sermon? Sometimes in putting together a sermon series the general concept holds together better than the individual sermons.  

Deviation

Did circumstances require me to radically change my plan?  Generally, this is a yes/no question. This time around my review reminds me that I committed a blunder in the last several weeks.  For some reason, I simply got ahead of myself and skipped a sermon. I had to go back at the time and determine whether I had to further alter my course or whether I could combine texts and accomplish what I set out to say throughout the whole series of sermons.  Ultimately I did not miss anything in the overall scope of the series that I wanted to highlight. One does feel rather foolish (particularly when the congregation follows and anticipates the texts from week to week, as mine does) to have to admit such a careless and clumsy oversight. 

Beyond mistakes, the deviations which are most common are those times where we have to change the plan because of unfolding circumstances. In 2020 this was something I did on a quarterly basis.  Things were so (to use a theological term) squirrelly last year that it was necessary to regularly recalibrate my preaching throughout the year. 

OK, so the old, bald guy has had his rant. What does it really mean? Why even discuss this topic? It is important. Preaching changes the world. Preaching makes disciples. Preaching Christ is what we are called to do. I certainly hope that Doctors and Lawyers take their jobs seriously enough to critique their work. I don’t even want to go to an auto mechanic who doesn’t want to improve. Improvement comes from preliminary self-discipline and relentless self-criticism. 

If I were to ask you how your preaching is going, could you really give me an objective answer? Let’s encourage one another and do this hard, joyful labor together.