New Christmas tradition

[Bill in Oregon]

This popped into my head yesterday as I was preparing my Christmas dinner and feeling kinda sorry for myself being alone and divorced in a new community.
I set a place at the table for the Nazarene whose birthday it was yesterday. It proved to be a great comfort. I'll do this again.

[Rube Burrows]

Merry Christmas to you.

[mikld]

With that feller at your table you're never alone. BTDT! Sounds like a good plan for a good tradition...

[M. M. Wright]

Oh, I like it! Prayers up for you my friend. Have you found a local church yet? Let's all pray you have or will soon.

[Ysabel Kid]

Great idea Bill! I'm going to start that next year for sure.

Merry Christmas to you and everyone here. Tis' still the season!

[Bill in Oregon]

M.M., I haven't looked too hard as I have found it very difficult to sit through 98 percent of the sermons I have endured. Wish Protestant preachers would take a lesson from their Catholic brethren and give a quick and to-the-point 10-minute homily and call it good. I get a lot more out of the hymns and prayers and of course the Eucharist than I do 40-minute harangues. Sorry to be so blunt, but that is my view and I am afraid I am sticking to it. The job of a minister is a tough one.

[Rusty]

I had a pastor several years ago that had a D.D. after his name. A doctor of divinity. He told me that a preacher with no formal education will generally preach about 40 minutes. A pastor with a 4 year degree will generally preach about 35 minutes. A preacher with a masters degree will generally preach 30 minutes, and a pastor that has a doctorate will generally preach about 25 minutes. Then he sat across from me waiting for a response. I said well it sounds like to me that the more education a preacher gets, the more he figures out he doesn't know.

[Bill in Oregon]

[JerryB]

Rusty, it seems to me that most of those preacher schools will take away all of the Bible knowledge that God gave them when they answered his call. I have seen it in a few young men that were called to preach and went to school. When they come by to visit while in school all they can talk about is the new bible they are using and try to impress us with how much Greek they know. You know what my Pastor thinks of that don't you.

[3leggedturtle]

My aunt used to bake a birthday cake for him every year... Todd/3leg
It never sunk in until I was in my 30's. What great idea.

[M. M. Wright]

I have a degree in andragogy and 20 years experience teaching at the college level. I was taught that 20 minutes was all you the time you could expect your audience to pay attention. I've shared this information with several preachers to no avail.

[daisygordoninc]

I am a "preacher/pastor" and I agree with you, I've been preaching more than 40 years and I find that if
I can't say something in around 20-25 minutes I'm likely palavering. People in our culture are busy, and
have short attention spans. Pastors need to adjust their time to that. Some of my best sermons have
been short. Jesus didn't teach long sessions much at all.