This past week I attempted to give advice to one of my grandsons. He was working on a Sudoku problem. “Let me show you a little trick,” I said to him. “It will help you when you get stuck like this.” Soon it became obvious to me that he didn’t want my help. He was going to do this puzzle on his own even if it took him all day.

The experience prompted me to look at myself to see how open I am to the help of others. My conclusion was that as a young man I was a whole lot like my grandson. But somewhere along the way, I’m not sure when, I came to realize that I could learn a lot from others if I just opened myself to what they had to share.

Over the years I have worked with many different preachers. Some of them are still like my grandson was this last week. They’re going to do things their own way, even if the attendance is dropping and they have put their church in jeopardy. Talk to them about other approaches to sermonizing and the conversation is over in a matter of minutes.

On the other hand, there are those who are open to the expertise of someone else. They listen closely to what such teachers have to say. They weigh this input and decide what has value for them and what doesn’t. They continue to learn alternative ways of approaching things.

Would you believe there are exceptional preachers in both categories? But, I believe by far the greater number are in group two.

What about you?

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You can learn how to develop highly relevant Sunday sermons that grab the attention of your congregation and help your listeners respond effectively to the deep truths of God’s Word. David Mains and Mainstay Ministries have a whole range of helpful solutions. Do you need to prepare a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon? You can find help on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons. Just click here to visit David Mains’ website.

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“This could be an awesome message if I just had one more day to prepare.”

Ever find yourself thinking this way?

Unfortunately, this thought usually comes to preachers on Saturday nights, and when that’s the case, all the wishing in the world won’t give them an extra day.

The hard truth is that there will always be six days between Sundays—no more, no less! The only way to get one more day to make a good message awesome is to start your preparation earlier in the week. You see, if the thought, “This could be an awesome message if I just had one more day to prepare!” comes to you on a Friday night instead of on Saturday, you would still have that “one more day!”

This is not a problem unique to ministers. Many people have deadline oriented jobs. And they either learn to get on top of their schedules, or they face the consequences.

Getting behind is not usually a matter of pastors being lazy. The problem is more often they’re busy doing things that aren’t as important as what they really should be doing. And for preaching pastors, one of the really important jobs they need to stay on top of is sermon preparation. So, either they value establishing priorities and starting early on their assignments, or they live their lives constantly doing less-than-their-best last minute work.

Would you believe that some of the busiest and best preachers are already working on sermons two and three weeks ahead?

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about? Or, what will you preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon? David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help you learn how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons. Just click here to visit David Mains’ website.

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