Someone asked me, “Do you still get nervous on Sunday when you have to stand up and preach in front of everyone?”

The person who asked me was one of the men who regularly give communion meditations at our Church. He was scheduled to speak that Sunday and was feeling incredibly nervous.

The short answer is, “Yes.”

Over the years, however, I have learned to tame and channel those nervous emotions.

First, I have learned to put that energy into my preparation. It is amazing how much your nerves are reduced after spending time praying, preparing, and practicing. There is a direct correlation between the hours I spend preparing and the amount of nervous energy I feel.

Second, I have developed habits that help me manage my emotions. Prayer is the first key. Close behind that is walking while I practice my sermon on Sunday morning. The more energy I expend, the less nervous energy I have left.

Then, when I begin to speak, I try to say something that helps me relax. It might be a funny story, a humorous statement, or a personal anecdote. Once I get a reaction from the crowd, my mind can take over instead of my emotions.

All of these techniques have been developed over more than thirty years of preaching. But in the end, they are simply ways to mask and master my fear.

Yes, I still get nervous because I am about to speak for God and, hopefully, lead people toward Him. That is no small task, and I take it very seriously.

My nerves remind me every week of the importance of what I do. Even after all these years, I still get nervous, not because I need people to love what I have to say, but because I want people to love the Lord I represent.

I love the word flabbergasted.

It is a wonderfully strange word. It sounds like what happens when your brain suddenly runs into something it cannot process.

And sometimes, I am flabbergasted.

I am flabbergasted by the beauty of creation. By the kindness of a stranger. By the way, God can take a person who seems completely lost and give them direction.

I am also flabbergasted by people.

I am flabbergasted by how quickly we can judge someone we barely know. How confidently can we speak about things we have never investigated. How tightly we can hold our opinions while barely holding on to the truth.

But perhaps what flabbergasts me most is the grace of God.

That God knows everything about me and still loves me.

He knows the thoughts I have never spoken, the motives I would rather hide, the failures I wish I could erase. And yet He continues to pursue me with grace.

I am flabbergasted by that.

The older I get, the more I realize that faith is not about having everything figured out. Sometimes it is simply standing in awe of a God who is far greater, wiser, more patient, and more gracious than I could ever fully comprehend.

And every once in a while, I think it is good for us to stop trying to explain everything.

Sometimes we should stand there, look at the goodness of God, and say: “I am flabbergasted.”

I was at a new Church conference and went to a breakout session with one of the main speakers. He was from a fast-growing church and wanted to share his wisdom with other Church leaders. I had my notebook and frantically wrote down all his thoughts to help me in my leadership.

Since that day, I have lost the notebook or intentionally thrown it away after many of the concepts became outdated. One of his principles has stuck with me through the years. He described it as “preparing for where you are going, and not where you are presently.”

He used an analogy to help us understand. Earlier, he was asked to officiate a wedding. That day, he trimmed his beard, got all cleaned up, and put on his best suit. He was “dressed to the nines,” as he described it.

Then, on the way to the wedding, he realized he needed gas. He stopped at the station and got out to fill his car. In that moment, he was way overdressed for a gas station. But that is okay, his destination was not there, it was only a temporary stop. He was dressed for the wedding. And when he got there, he would fit in perfectly.

Finally, he explained, when your Church is growing and reaching new people, you will need to develop the policies and procedures of a larger faith community. At the moment, they will look and sometimes feel like we are overdressed. That is okay because we don’t plan to stay here for long.

His final line is what stuck in my mind, “Dress for the wedding and not the gas station.”

We often wonder what people are saying about us behind our backs. Are they true friend, or are they tearing us down when we are not around? Do they gossip about me and my life, or can they keep a secret?

One growth point in our lives comes when we realize we have no control over what others say about us, and we have total control over what we say about them. The biggest question is not what they are saying behind our backs, but what are we saying behind theirs?

All of us want people who defend us when we are not present. We have little control over that, but we can choose to be people who are positive about others even when they have no idea we are doing it.    

Rat poison is 99.9% food.

It contains only 0.0025% to 0.1% toxic chemicals.

How much sin does it take to destroy you? To destroy your relationship with God? To destroy your marriage? To damage your children? To ruin your life?

The answer is always less than you think.

Every week, I spend hours studying the scriptures to write a sermon. I read commentaries and word studies to ensure I understand the relevant passages. I read theological books to ensure my conclusions about a passage align with the whole of Scripture. The final product of this deep work is a Biblically inspired outline with theological depth.

Then I begin scouring the internet, looking at other people’s sermons and websites for illustrations. I search for the perfect story that shines a light on what the Bible is trying to say in a real and practical way. These illustrations should help the listener to see with their mind’s eye what faith looks like in action.

It has been said that facts fill minds and stories move people. In my experience, this is true. People can fill a notebook with specific insights from God’s word, but the perfect story will move them emotionally and prompt action.

I pray that every sermon I preach is God-honoring and Biblically sound. I also hope you hear the word illustrated in a way that moves and motivates you. Otherwise, we are only filling our heads with facts and not being transformed by the gospel.

The stories I tell are not merely window dressing to keep you from being bored. They are a challenge for you to live your own story of faith that others can tell.

He was here beside me. Now he is gone.

The little boy with the huge natural smile and terrible smile for pictures is missing. He had these little dances, an incredibly sharp wit, intensity in sports, and a love for his brothers, and now he is missing.

No one took him. He was stolen by the hands of time.

I spent a week with him, and I was struck by how much of a man my baby has become. He is incredibly intelligent, calm under pressure, and has developed a style all his own.

There is no surprise that he was taken; time has done this to me three times before, but this caught me off guard because he is my last one. I no longer have kids; they are all gone. Now I am surrounded by men.

I don’t know how much time God will give me to be their father, but I am thankful for every day and each new memory. But I admit that as I drove away, I cried like a child. My boy is gone for good, and I am proud of the man who took his place.

Recently, I spent a week in the North Woods on a fishing expedition. One part of the trip consisted of a portage around a waterfall from one lake to another. As my companions and I moved from below the falls to the top, we had to wait for our guide to join us. He was delayed a few minutes, and while we stood there, we were surrounded by mosquitoes.

When I say we were surrounded, I do not mean there were several of them; I mean they formed a black cloud over our heads. It was the most mosquitoes I have ever witnessed on any occasion.

We took our coats and tightly wrapped our bodies, exposing only our eyes. We kept waving our hands and arms to push back the cloud of insects. We moved. We sprayed. I even said a little prayer that God would end this plague. I think my words were actually, “I repent.”

After we loaded the boat and took off down the lake, the cloud disappeared behind us, and we were finally free. I could not help but think about those tiny little bugs. One or two are an annoyance, but hundreds, maybe thousands, are enough to bring a full-size human to cry out for help.

Each person who follows Jesus may feel insignificant on their own, but when we work together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish in his name. Together, instead of bringing pain to the world, we can bring light and life that no human can quench.

That is not the question most of us ask. We want to know what is in it for me.

And yet this is the kind of life that Jesus calls us to. We are to elevate the needs of others to the level of our own.

Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

The challenge is to go out into the world with a singular question: “What’s in it for them?” Trust me, no one will see it coming.

Jim Riswold, a former creative director at an advertising agency, is credited with coining the phrase “Start every day stupid.”

The basic concept is that if you start the day with a willingness to learn, you will have an advantage over the person who believes they know it all. This starting point will allow you to lay aside assumptions, ask basic questions, and give you room to think creatively about the problems you face.  

Today is Monday, and we are launching into a new week. How would your week be different if you “started this week stupid?”

You might finally learn that person’s name, understand how that thing works, be better informed about an issue, and find a new way to do the project. The world is full of possibilities if you are willing to be dumb and ask questions. The only thing standing in your way is your pride.