Preacher on the Run…

As a pastor, teacher, and parent sometimes I wonder why I even try. I’ll teach a topic in class. We spend multiple days (sometimes weeks) covering the issue. I do my best to include every learning style. We repeat important points every day. I leave an entire class for review before a test. And still, it seems like it doesn’t sink in or stick. Preaching can be the same way.

We will spend multiple weeks going through a book of the Bible. Or we do a multi-week series on a specific theme. I’ll put together discussion guides for groups to discuss mid-week to drive learning and application deeper. But still find very little sticks. Then there is parenting. How many times do we repeat ourselves to our kids over the years? And just when we think they get it…they don’t.

Parenting, preaching, and teaching have this in common – it appears that very little sticks. There is another arena in which I’ve found this same reality to be true. Reading! You know what I mean. You’ve just spent days, weeks, or even months reading a book on a topic you were interested in, only to have read the last page, closed the book, and have a hard time communicating anything from the book. And this leads us to question, why even read? That is the tension Trevin Wax wrestles with and addresses in his article “Why Read If You Forget Most Everything Anyway?“. The conclusion he gives is quite encouraging.

What about you? Do you struggle to see the point of reading when you forget most of what you read? Have you found any tricks to help improve your memory? What are the reasons you still read, even though you know you won’t remember 80% of what you read? As always, leave me a comment below – even a good book you’ve read lately that I can add to my “to read” list.

As always, be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day.

Until Next Time…