writing blind...

Not sure really what to write here, but will give it a stab. I tend to take out most of my writing in preparation for each weekend that I speak at Northwest.

I've always enjoyed the preparation and presentation of a message. The preparation forces me to wrestle with the ideas and principles of God -- sometimes I think God wanted me to choose this line of work because he knew that hearing a message once a week wouldn't be enough; to get my attention, I would need to soak in it all week.

The presentation is the part where I put out there what I think God was stirring in me during the week...you never know who needed that message. Part of the fun is not knowing how people will respond. There have been times that I was very stirred up...and it appeared that I was the only one. Other times, I present the message because that's the one I've been working on and it's too late to whip out another one...and someone comes up and shares with me how they have been wrestling with that exact issue and the words I tossed out there were the ones they were looking for.

That's part of the payoff of serving Jesus. It's really His work, not mine. Doesn't mean that I don't work hard. But I work hard because it's his reputation at stake, not mine. There's a difference...there is a peace that I can have knowing that I'm being obedient and He's the one stirring in the hearts of people.

Back to work I go...

Peace,

M@