Clear Writing, Clear Thinking, Clear Preaching. 1.29.2026

    It is the last week of January. A snowy, cold, exhausting week.  I sketched January’s essays the week before Christmas. In that time, one year has ended, a new year begun and now grows to maturity. Many of us had to cancel worship gatherings last Sunday due to snow and cold. Winter is here for a while longer but soon the whistle pigs will speak, and we will have some idea of how long. 

    The title of January 2026’s final essay lays it all out. We aim for clarity in writing, thinking, and preaching. This clarity is a function of our cumulative lifetime of study plus our current weekly study. The dangers of maturity are different than those of youth, but of the same general character we have discussed throughout the month. Our personal system of language, choice of vocabulary, and propensity to clutter changes throughout our ministry but it is there in one form or another. 

    This week I close January with some exercises and goals that will hopefully encourage us all to work our language muscles. How we write and speak can be changed. We can improve. If we are approaching the tasks and opportunities of ministry appropriately, we will always be looking to grow and improve in every area of our work. We will need occasional reminders of specific actions we can take as well as goals we can aspire to that will improve our work. Not because we are being graded but because we stand in God’s stead to bear witness to the risen Christ and His saving grace. 

    Here are a few appropriate approaches to help each of us move towards engagement, effectiveness, and occasional eloquence—not for our own sake but for the sake of the evangel we bring. 

Repeat without Repetition

    Repeating what we say is essential for driving home our point and helping our congregation retain what we say. Repetition done poorly can lead to boredom and alienation. People are not stupid. They know when they are being patronized and talked down to. It is essential for us to learn to repeat our message using different words, phrases, and textures. 

    Hence, we return to the bigger picture of language, words, structure, and clutter. Looking up words to avoid repetition should not be an exercise that devolves into obscurantism. You’re not trying to be elusive, clever, or mysterious. Your goal is variety. You must make a practice of finding multiple ways to say the same thing, rephrasing and reformatting as well as choosing different terms. 

    There are times you want to be transparently obvious. There will be other times that you want to be stealthy and unpredictable. By the time you complete the sermon you want to have made the point, restated it reaffirmed it, and clarified it without your congregation feeling like you’ve simply said the same thing over and over again. 

Comprehension without Condescension

    We want people to understand, and we need to convey to them the fruit of our study. We have been trained and equipped to study scripture in ways that most members of our churches have not been. This is the opportunity for great reward, yet it also comes with great risk. We want people to “get it” without feeling like we’ve talked down to them. 

    We need to balance the content of our message with the connection of our message. This is particularly important when our studies have been personally engaging and fruitful. It is better for people to think that we are asking them to join us on our journey of discovery than merely showing them a photo-collage after the fact, insinuating that they missed something big and will just never understand this passage of scripture the way we do. 

    That kind of condescension was wholly absent from Jesus, creator of the universe, inventor of language, provider of scripture. We need to learn how to lead people to the water and give them a refreshing drink—not plunge their head into the trough practically drowning them in the overwhelming “truthiness” of what we say. 

    Those clutter reducing tools we discussed last week provide checks and balances on comprehension. Aim for compassionate understanding, Aim for comprehension that is based on a mutual search for the truth—with you leading the expedition into the text. 

Presentation Matters

    It is essential for an aspiring chef to learn how to move a meal from the hot stove where it is prepared to the comfortable table where it is served. Similarly, we don’t want to give our congregation the impression that we are all standing around the stove and you are forcing hot food into their unprepared mouths. The best gourmet meal approached in such a manner would be unappetizing. And sermons preached in haste that come out of the kitchen hot, without any thought as to how you will present the message will fall flat and tasteless regardless of the amount of toil you have expended. 

    Proper presentation that is pleasing to the ear and eye is the result of an exacting, measured, thoughtful, and consistent editing process. When you are preparing rough outlines and first drafts the goal is to get the thoughts onto paper (or into electrons) as quickly as possible, striking the iron when the creative heat is at its height and the metal is malleable. Those first instincts, those initial impressions, those sparks of inspiration--are for you. They are not and should not be intended for public consumption. You are gathering the ingredients, sifting and preparing, measuring and mixing. You are not ready to present your results until you have been over the ground several times revising, reducing, extending, adding, cutting, trimming, re-mixing, and finalizing the work through several purposeful drafts. And here’s where we must be careful. The more clever, well-spoken, well read, and experienced you are the greater your deliberation must be. There will be times you must excise things that seem eloquent and replace them with words that are less elegant but better suited to congregation and context. Your goal, my goal, our goal is not to be eloquent but to be understood. 

Habits of Communication

    On January 1 I offered an essay that described our year as a fresh sheet of paper. Sermons have been preached, lessons taught, studies led. Is your language more clear? Are your words more deliberate? Are your sermons better organized? The year is still young. We all have the chance to follow some basic habits of intentional communication that will enable us to do an increasingly better job of saying what we intend to say every time we open our mouths. 

    We don’t want to just be heard. We want to be understood. We want people to understand so that they can grow appropriately in their walk with Christ. We want the Word of God—as active and powerful as we know it to be, to be unencumbered by our choice of words, or obscured by clutter. Language matters. The very reality of language and thought itself—the Word—became flesh to “exegete God to us.” In your place, in your pulpit you represent  Jesus, the incarnate Word. Let’s take seriously this high calling to which we have responded.

Reducing Clutter 1.22.2026

    I lent the book and never got it back, but I clearly remember Stephen King treating adverbs like the screaming victim in one of his horror books. I have never read any of his other work but as far as I’m concerned On Writing is the best thing Stephen King ever wrote. Craftsmen need to spend time with their tools. They need to know how to operate, use, and maintain them. Most preachers know what it takes to study scripture. If they lack tools or information they know where to get it. Fewer have as clear a grasp of the rest of their toolbox. Those adverbs that King adamantly commanded his readers to cut from their work…abundant in most sermons. For crying out loud, I used one in the last sentence (sorry). 

    Those who speak for a living—we preachers as much as any, are guilty of many vices against our native language. Most of them can be catalogued under the general heading of Clutter. To review, Language is the systematic use of words (our ammunition) to communicate. For preachers and other speakers our cache of words should be selected with an understanding that we will be speaking aloud most of what we write. And most of the problems we create for ourselves are these very problems of clutter that I’m addressing right now. I’m guilty, you’re guilty. We can blame, accuse, cite, and complain till we are out of breath. My goal is to help us fix it. There are some tools that will help. Some are real, actual digital or analog tools to help us track and clean up our linguistic messes. Other tools are habits of mind that help us reduce the need. Much of what I write to help preachers falls under the headings of Rules and Tools. This issue is not an exception. We will start with tools. 

Tools

    I’ve mentioned dictionaries and thesauri this month. Let me reiterate. Use them. You might object “I’ve got a college education, I read a lot, I understand the writing process!” Good. You shouldn’t really need me to say this because you already understand; the only people who do use these tools are educated people. We use them because we are educated and understand how these tools contribute to our capacity to express ourselves. A plug. I use a free program called Terminology (https://agiletortoise.com/terminology) on my full Apple stack—Macs, iPad, iPhone. It hooks into the platform(s) on-board dictionary and functions in one interface as both thesaurus and dictionary. Open it when you write and you can look up a term, discover a synonym, or clarify an antonym without taking your fingers off the keyboard. There is a pro version, but the free version is all you need. 

    Next consider the lowly word count. Yep, a simple word count. If you have preached several years, you have a pace, a style, and an overall tempo to how you speak. Virtually every word processor has an ongoing word count as does the Sermon Builder in Logos. After a month or so of using these calculations in a real-world setting you will know how many words you need on paper to preach a sermon of your preferred duration. (The last word was 546 in this document). 

    Apple now has something called Writing Tools. Which is their take on grammar and spell checking. For practical reasons I use Microsoft Word for editing work, and their Editor module is very good—in fact I prefer it to Grammarly, not just because it is free, I think it is easier to use. These kinds of tools help you keep things straight from a usage standpoint, but as I learned from William Safire many years ago, style and context are more consequential than mere usage. One feature you need to use religiously is located under document stats in Word’s Editor. Besides normal statistical information you will her find the Flesch Reading Ease score, and the Flesch-Kinkaid Grade Level score. These tell you how complicated your writing reads, and at what grade-level it is written. Yes! You are a college graduate, well-read and articulate. Your congregation will not all be at your grade-level, nor will they be as active in the reading arts as you are. Plus, you must remember that you are speaking these words, your congregation is not reading them. 

    My goal is to write at an ease level of 70-75, with scores at grade-level of 5.5-6.5. What’s the point of this? 1. I’m preaching this to listeners. 2. I WANT them to understand what I say. Even if the text, I’m preaching from elicits questions I don’t want to lose people by writing and then preaching over their heads. 

    To reduce clutter, you need to know how much to write at the proper level for maximum impact. Next let’s consider some basic rules. 

Rules

Texture

    Thick is better than deep. The texture of an essay or sermon is a matter of color, sense, timing, and word usage. It is easy to think that a “deep” scholarly aside will help people understand. The chances are greater that people will just check out. Texture is a very difficult stylistic rule to master but will pay enormous dividends when it comes to congregational engagement. 

    More than anything else the texture of your preaching will be crafted by selecting the proper words (ammunition) and using them appropriately (fire-discipline) to elicit broad multi-sensory listening. Some Biblical stories bring the texture with them. In other episodes the texture is there but it is up to you to bring it to the surface and articulate it in an appropriate fashion. 

Explanation

    Make Jesus the star of the show and the text the source of information. Good preaching brings your hermeneutical experience into the pulpit. The interrogatories that drive dialogue should be found in your exegesis and explanation of the text. If not, it may be a religious speech—but it’s not a sermon. 

Access

    The job of a preacher is making the details of the text accessible to people who don’t have the time, talent, treasure, or inclination to pour into the process. If you do the work and go into the pulpit and no one has access to the truth you’ve mined, then why even dig it up. 

    An example. I’m preaching from John 3.1-10 this Sunday. You know the text, the background and circumstances. There are many access points to this text for virtually any person. Let me highlight a couple. After reading the text and identifying him as Nicodemus, much of the rest of the sermon I call him Nick at Night. People remember Nickelodeon and may recall that every evening the channel shifted to a format more appropriate for Moms and Dads. Calling him Nick at Night aligns the biblical story with something people may remember giving easy access--a relatable connection to the story. Another access point in this text is the timidity if not fear of Nick at Night. I don’t know of anyone that has never been afraid. Specifically, Nick is afraid of religious people. You can bet that most of your listeners have at one time or another, been afraid of religious people. 

Conversation

    Talk with and to people, not at them. I don’t care if there are 2, 20, 200, or 2000 people in the congregation, involve them in the sermon. Ask questions. Build bridges. Evoke emotion. It is tempting here to say “Be authentic” or “transparent” or something like that. I won’t. The issue is not whether you’re a real person but that you recognize that they are. 

Be Clear. 

    People listen when they are interested. People become uninterested or disengaged when they are lost. People don’t get lost—we lose them. Don't mumble. Enunciate. Look at them. Consider their expressions and reactions to what you say. Don’t look over their heads. Don’t preach to a crowd, congregation, or audience. Preach to people. 

    Clarity is as much about approachability as it is about content. The content of the text is what it is, no more nor less. You are one responsible for taking the raw ingredients of textual intent and making a palatable meal from this text, for these people, at this moment. Once the text is explained and people drawn into it, once they see how this text—in its own unique way draws them closer to Jesus, they will find it as refreshing as clear, fresh water. 

Endings

    Essays, like sermons have endings. We are at the end of this one. Do remember that sermons can be varied and should flow naturally from the overall structure, content, and movement of the text. Sometimes in concluding your message you will restate truths and take your listeners a little bit deeper prior to provoking a decision. Other times you really need to just stop and allow the Spirit to work within those who have submitted themselves to the authority of the Word. 

    We reduce clutter so that when we have finished, the living Jesus has entered our auditor’s consciousness through the dutiful and accurate proclamation of the sacred text. When you have done the task correctly—the task to which we are called and submit—once Jesus is in the room, you are pretty much done.

Words 1.15.2026

     I want to begin with an analogy. Unfortunately, I cannot provide an accurate citation for this information. I think it comes from James McPherson’s magistral Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, which is I believe the best single-volume history of the Civil War to be found. Be that as it may, consider the following factoid. By late 1863 or early 1864 the United States could have provided every soldier in her field armies with some form of a repeating rifle. Whether a Henry model or Spencer model in either long-rifle or carbine, the Union had the industrial capacity to produce enough of these new firearms to all but end the war with superior firepower. Except there were other intervening issues. While the Union could have produced the rifles it could not have provided the logistic infrastructure necessary to keep each of those soldiers adequately supplied with ammunition. 

    The logistics of the time—water, rail, or wagon was adequate to the level of firepower produced by Union armies, provided that virtually every private soldier fired no more than three rounds a minute. Double or even triple that rate of fire and the armies would run out of ammunition—possibly while battles were still being fought. So, the average soldier still carried his Springfield rifled musket, secure in the knowledge that he would generally (other than in specific battle situations) not run out of ammunition. 

    As armies adapted first repeating rifles, then semi-automatic, and eventually select-fire automatic rifles one of the defining characteristics of basic rifleman and marksmanship training was fire-discipline. The individual solider needed to be able to hit a target with a single aimed shot. That achieved the needed outcome and preserved ammunition. There would be times to use short bursts or even fully automatic fire. The trade-off —the soldier might run out of ammunition before he ran out of targets. 

    This moth we are talking about our use of the language arts to communicate God’s Word. Last week we talked about language as a general system of communication. This week we are focusing on a much smaller component of that system. The ammunition, if you will, of all our communication acts. The very words we choose and use to get attention, make an argument, drive home a point, or flesh out a truth. Like a soldier and his most basic weapons preachers must learn fire discipline in using this precious ammunition. 

Fire-discipline

    More words do not substitute for the right word. There are many ways to choose proper vocabulary. It begins with a lot of reading. Different authors bring different perspectives to their craft. You will learn structure from some writers. Some will teach you about style. Still others will help you to summarize lots of information. Other writers provide instruction in word choice. 

    Reading the work of a wide variety of authors will give you a breadth of training in the accumulation and deployment of vocabulary. Last week I said something about the limitation of “professional” reading or “domain knowledge”, recommending genre’s which do not seem to specifically relate to preaching and teaching. Let me expand on that thought just a bit. Most Pastor-Theologians—at least those of us who benefitted from a traditional theological education have a “professional patois”. Which is a fancy way of saying that we often sound the same. Many books read the same, not because the author isn’t clever but because she has become desensitized to the commonality of her vocabulary to that of her professional peers. 

    The best writers to read—the most enjoyable are those who take a familiar topic and reframe or refocus it by a broader vocabulary. Not by swarming the task with more of the same words but by using good fire-disciple to choose the right word, write the right word and then stop. 

Inventory

    Because our primary task is constructing and preaching sermons, our inventory of “ammunition”, our vocabulary must be tuned to the ear more than the eye. We must learn to accumulate, store, and deploy  punchy verbs and accurate nouns. We don’t want to be vague in the pulpit—this leads to misunderstanding. Consequently, in addition to good discipline, we want to work with a proper inventory. 

    A little confession. Even when young, I read a lot. And though I knew at a very young age I wanted to be a preacher, I crated up a lot of linguistic ammunition unsuited for the task. On entering college, I thought that any situation calling for 3 simple words would be improved by deploying 12 complicated words. I was wrong. 

    What I needed to learn—and hopefully have after 45 years is that the words on the page are a first step—a necessary step towards a public declaration. I learned many years ago that the Dictionary, Thesaurus, and other basic language tools are my friend. And much of the time I turn to the dictionary not because I lack a word, but because the one I do know is too complex and unsuited to the context of preaching. Let me be clear--I look up words I know to find simpler terms for what I already intend to say. 

    You’ll want to read old things and contemporary things. You’ll want to recycle and upgrade your inventory of words throughout your ministry. If you are in the same place for many years, you will find that the slang and jargon of a decade or more becomes the boring commonplaces of we old folk and that the kids are trotting out new words all the time—some suitable others unsuitable. Broad reading and a wide conversational environment will help us to turn our inventory, to make sure that the words we use—our ammunition—to continue with our analogy—is always fresh. Let me end this section with a quotation from scripture:

“When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” (Proverbs 10:19 ESV) 

Accuracy

    If you are going to use fewer words, make sure they are the right ones. Choose words that are contextually fitting and appropriate.  To sum up this section let me quote Mark Twain. First the more famous quote: 

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” ― Mark Twain, The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain: A Book of Quotations

That is an obvious quote considering our subject. It is advice which is too often ignored. A second quotation is a list excerpted from Twain’s hilarious essay Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses. You would do well to read this essay (and as much Twain as possible) on a regular basis. I like this little slice because it drives home the essential point of about word choice.

In addition to these large rules there are some little ones. These require that the author shall:

1. Say what he is proposing to say, not merely come near it.
2.  Use the right word, not its second cousin.
3.  Eschew surplusage.

These two gems say the same thing. Accuracy in word choice is the whole ball game, quality over quantity if you will. 

Conclusions

    The risk we face is less running out of words, than choosing and using inappropriate or insufficient words. We labor over what we write, we wrestle over how we will speak because we understand that these words matter. The most efficient way to stockpile words is to be a voracious, curious reader. Broad reading of numerous genres with an easily accessible and promiscuously used dictionary and thesaurus helps you to not only find the terminological information you need but to truly make it your own by incorporating it in formal and informal discourse. Let me rewrite that last sentence to reflect the point of this essay. Read a lot, look things up so that you can choose the simplest, most familiar term that will say what you intend to say. Same content. Different execution. And it raises a final, important point. 

    This entire conversation assumes that you know what you intend to say. This is all second and third draft work. It comes after the study, after understanding the text. The preliminary work is done and now you are structuring, outlining, phrasing, sequencing, working out transitions. After you get that first draft finished then it is time to read it aloud or have your computer do it for you. They you start editing, cutting, emending, adding, cutting, and expanding your message into the right thing said at precisely the right time.

Language 1.8.2026

    My goal as we start 2026 is to spend a little time “under the engine” of writing. Most of us need occasional reminders, in various areas of our lives, to keep us focused. For example, those of us who are married likely hear words all the time like “Pay attention!” “Please get the trash.” Or “What are you doing?” 

    This is not just a reality at home or in our personal lives. There are times we simply become comfortable with inattention or an unfocused approach to our work. Ministry requires concentration in all its aspects. I will get to specifics regarding writing and preaching shortly but let me also remind you that words are a currency you spend outside of sermons and lessons. We are always communicating. Most preachers are not shy or withdrawn. We meet people in our communities. People come to us for pastoral care and counseling. We write cards and letters—often addressed to people we don’t even know. People will make judgements about us based on whether the words we use match our high calling. 

    It is reflexive to think “What does it matter?” I am befuddled by those who do not want to do well at all aspects of their chosen profession. A short conversation at the gas station or dollar store may have eternal consequences and your ability to be articulate, friendly, and unthreatening is in fact, a part of the task. No one wants to be accused of being a boor or a bore. Be neither. Speak well. Don’t be a know it all but also don’t be a closeted ignoramus. You don’t engage in conversation in public to create conflict or to draw inordinate attention to yourself. You are there as an ambassador for Jesus. Ambassadors must work in contexts that they might not personally choose, engage with people that they would not personally seek out, and interact in situations that make them feel personally uncomfortable. If you are never in any of those contexts, how are you showing the character of Jesus or telling His story? How are you doing your job?

    If you have read the title of this essay, you might be wondering when I will get “off the soapbox” and say a few things about language. First, I have been taking about language. Secondly, Let me now move on to the context(s) of writing and/or speaking. 

    Every time you speak you are either communicating or not. There is a connection or a disconnection. That is reality. So, all those ambassadorial opportunities outside of pulpit, classroom, or study should are a part of your work and can help you as a speaker and writer. Regardless of context or even content there are at least two criteria for what we write or speak.

Clarity

    Clarity speaks to the quality of our communications. Do people understand us? Are we able to make concepts simpler or more complicated depending on evolving circumstances? Do we offload the work of understanding on our reader/auditor, or do we do the hard work on our side of the conversation? 

    If you struggle with these issues, I have good news and bad news. First the bad news. If you recognize this is an issue, it is worse than you think. Many bad communicators don’t even know. So, kudos to you! You have made the first step toward improvement. 

    Now the good news. You can improve how you communicate by paying attention to your language. Step number 1; Read. A lot. Read lots of different kinds of books, periodicals, and online materials. If you want to be a good writer which is the first prerequisite for being a good speaker you need to find a variety of good models and that means reading. 

    Some might advise to read lots of sermons. I do not agree. Rather, I would recommend you Read history, biography, and contemporary fiction. I would say your local paper…good luck with that. What we must understand is that language is a system—or rather a series of systems depending on the contexts in which we communicate. And each of us moves in and out of different systemic circumstances. Many of our problems with language come from not seeking clarity where we are immediately embedded. How I speak in the pulpit and how I speak at the gas station, senior citizen center, or dollar store are not the same. How does one move seamlessly across the different contexts?

    Well, to begin with you need to listen closely. Pay attention. That’s the first step. In fact, many of our latent communication problems are actually listening problems. Beyond that, always try to be clear. Ask clarifying questions. Own the issue of clarity (Not, “do you understand?”  but rather, “have I made myself clear?”) Too many preachers and teachers place too much of the burden for clarity on those who are listening. It is not the job of the listener or reader to “understand” a sermon or essay. It is the job of the writer or speaker to be clear. We should expect that a congregation or reading audience comes with a basic set of skills. Then, it is our job is to “serve the ball into their court.” To offload the basic work of understanding on our audience is unfair, antagonizing, and boring. This is nothing more than intellectual bullying. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, it has no place in the communication toolbox of a preacher.  The person who inflicts that sort of hubris on reader or auditor is rightly called a boor. Don’t be that person. 

Applicability

    Applicability speaks to the context of our communications. Learn to read the room. Learn how to watch and listen. Develop a good eye and ear and allow those guides to help you choose your language. Not every true thing needs to be said all the time. In fact, true things which are not applicable or timely will be soon forgotten and your words wasted. Learning to choose one’s words carefully is essential to the work of ministry. That often requires knowing what words to omit. Making the right, proper, applicable choice comes down to empathetic listening not just hearing with our ears. 

    Appropriate, accessible, applicable speech requires learning about people. This takes time and it takes an understanding of social space. We often hear that people in the past were more polite, while others think of many lost social mores as backward or reticent. One of the things that we have clearly lost is an appreciation for what speech forms are applicable in given circumstances and how to discern the shape of those circumstances before we are embedded in them. 

    Much of contemporary informality is just impolite. It breaks down barriers before we even know if it is actually appropriate to breach them. Applicable speech uses words that “look people in the eye” with an authenticity born of shared human experience. In a word, relationship. When you meet me for the first time, I will introduce myself as Bob, but I will address you as Mr., Mrs., Miss., Ma’am, or even Rev., if you prefer. Why? Intimacy is to be earned not expected. When we show respect for people and earn their trust we will be invited into that space where virtually anything we say is appropriate. When we rush in uninvited, we risk being shut out, shut, down, or told to shut-up. 

     Clarity and propriety do not make words truer. They are guides for discerning how effective they will be in context. We have grown accustomed to the idea that saying what needs to be said is never out of place. This is not only wrong it can be singularly unhelpful—even hostile in come contexts. Saying the right thing at the wrong time is just as pointless as saying the wrong thing at the wrong time…we just don’t feel as bad about it because we have grown accustomed to an impolite cultural norm. Once again don’t be a boor! Don’t use your words as weapons. Don’t speak in such a way that Jesus would be unable to work through your words to change people’s lives. We should speak and write in the right way, at the right time, with the right attitude. Or as our mentor Paul would put it

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

(Colossians 4:6 ESV)