One Point

I finished reading "Communicating For a Change" by Andy Stanley. Andy Stanley breaks the mold for most people who speak to Christian audiences. The typical message revolves around three points, lots of Scripture, and tons of information which unfortunately most people forget in three minutes. This communication style emphasizes one point which you hammer(my term)on like a nail. I agree with the basic premise of this book, although I still think it gives to much influencing power for transformation to the one speaking. I think there's a shift from speaker power to small group power. Scripture, dialogue, accountability, and community found in small groups leads to better Christ transformation than listening to someone speak. But when you talk, you want to be heard and bring the influence of God's Word to your audience. Just Monday at Club 56, we used a phrase "See Gut Do." Say that really fast and it sounds like a Chinese word. The phrase was used in connection to Luke 7:13 where Jesus saw the widow (see), He felt compassion for her (gut) and acted upon her need (do). I think the chances of 5th and 6th graders remembering this are much greater than if we simply stated the verse. Everything including the games revolved around "See Gut Do." Since I have the opportunity to speak to 6 to 7 different types of audiences each week, I'll be applying some of the insights I gathered from this book. After all, we get to present the most powerful life changing Words to people. We don't want to mess it up. These are the days my friend.
Jim "Train"