Back in the Sadd--uh, Pulpit

I preached last night for the first time in a while. Here are a few assorted things I realized that I've forgotten about preaching:

• Bring mints for afterwards.
• Bring a pen.
• Trying to internalize a manuscript is much harder for my brain in the late afternoon than it is in the morning.
• If you'd bring a purse, you'd have a place to put your keys. And the mints. And the pen.
• I always (this isn't a generalization, it's really "always") feel less confident about preaching "previously enjoyed" sermons than new ones.
• I'm always (ditto) amazed when God uses sermons I don't especially like. Especially when he uses them on me. (Oh, so not fair!)
• A few heads nodding along in agreement makes it more fun to preach.
• A few friends in the crowd increases both my anxiety and my delight.
• I really enjoy preaching. I enjoy leading worship. I miss it.

I've said to some people that my current job feels a bit like teaching swimming while standing on the deck on a hot day: you're glad you're teaching people not to drown, but what you'd really like to do is jump in the pool yourself. I'm hopeful that my preaching (which, as you can see from the gigs list on the right, really picks up now) will allow me to placate that desire a bit. Although I still think there's nothing like preaching to the same people week after week. Maybe someday I'll be doing that again.......