jueves, 6 de diciembre de 2007

THE DAY AFTER


A friend of mine came to see us in several occasions when we lived in Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, Spain. He is a great preacher, very intense in his presentation, always giving the 100% of himself.

Nevertheless, the day after preaching, he would fall in a deep depression. He would lock himself in his room,in the dark. I used to question what it happened to him, thinking that it was too much of a mood change.

Year later, I was understanding what it happened to him. In fact, I have begun to identify myself with his feelings. It's not that one is older and therefore, less strong, but the spiritual load its begins to be heavier. One is more sensible to the Spirit and the presence of God in the service on Sunday demands more of a physical effort.

Little by little, Mondays have become days in which I need to remove the adrenalin from the previous day.

It has never been easy for me to preach. It has always been a process of much preparation, of many hours of study, research, reading, to be alone with the Father, to look for His face, to discern His voice.

I believe in the excellence behind the pulpit, to be prepared in all, which includes obvious and firstly, in the spiritual thing, but also that God demands of a preacher to be properly prepared.

Today, our congregations are more and more sophisticated and require of a solid diet of spiritual food. We do not change the message, but we must be well prepared for the presentation of the message so it is understood by the audience.

So, on Monday, it is probable that I will not answer the telephone, that I will not be interest in going out, and that I will not have any intentions in meeting with somebody.

It is my day to digest the sermon, of reliving the service (very much like a soccer player relives the game played last weekend), of self-criticism and beginning the hard task of preparing the following message for my congregation.

1 comentario:

Unknown dijo...

Pastor Italo,
This is good. I hope your blog gets viewed by many more people, especially those in the ministry. What a great reminder of the challenge faced by ministers. Thankyou for your discernment.