{"id":3676,"date":"2014-10-24T06:31:08","date_gmt":"2014-10-24T12:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/paperbacktheology\/?p=3676"},"modified":"2014-10-24T09:28:25","modified_gmt":"2014-10-24T15:28:25","slug":"for-all-you-pastors-out-there-sitting-down-to-write-your-sermon-this-friday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/paperbacktheology\/2014\/10\/for-all-you-pastors-out-there-sitting-down-to-write-your-sermon-this-friday.html","title":{"rendered":"For All You Pastors Out There Sitting Down to Write Your Sermon This Friday…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"hands\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Dear Pastor,<\/p>\n

You put your congregation first, and yourself last, and you did it all week long. You took every phone call, answered every email, attended every meeting you could, and kept the ball moving forward in your congregation. You shared\u00a0words of comfort, compassion, and encouragement with your people. In those\u00a0few short\u00a0moments you had on your schedule in which to get a jump on\u00a0your message, you watched replay clips of the Royals\u2019 World Series win, or caught up on emails instead. Stolen moments here and there to try and get a few ideas down\u00a0just weren\u2019t enough (and you don\u2019t want to spend all day Saturday at the office\u2026again).<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s down to today.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s sermon-writing-Friday.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot riding on the next 10 to 12 hours.<\/p>\n

So, may your mind be focused, and your creative juices flowing. May your self-doubt be silent, and your hopeful spirit be unleashed. May your text be inspiring, and your fidelity to it sure. May your fingers be nimble on your keyboard and your coffee be strong and powerful. And, more than anything, may your heart be full, and your conscious thoughts be certain that what you say on Sunday morning really, really matters to these people you love, who love you back, more than you will ever know.<\/p>\n

Friday is your\u00a0day. This is your wheelhouse. Let\u2019s Get it On\u2026<\/p>\n

Take this two minutes and thirty-six seconds to watch Jack Black throw down, then get to work. Your sermon\u2019s not going to write itself, and you need to have it done by 5 o\u2019clock\u2026 no pressure.<\/p>\n

Peace to you, my pastor friends.<\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n

Tim Suttle<\/strong>
\nWriting Machine \u2013 for the next 10 hours<\/p>\n

(If you have a pastor you love, you might take a moment and send him or her\u00a0this encouragement.)<\/p>\n