Advice To A Preacher

Words matter,
never to be tossed casually from

pulpit to pew like confetti.

Saturation is a weak strategy.

Light a sky rocket, not a sparkler.

Trajectory, timing, tempo are

important ingredients in the recipe.

Content helps, too.

The effort is not meant to please,

certainly not entertain like

a stand-up performer.

Command of the language is good,

a bit of knowledge helpful,

integrity essential. Say it with

poise and passion, then sit down.

The rest is out of your hands.

Will anyone remember day after tomorrow

the point, the poem, the story, the

elegant exposition of an obscure sentence

in a book few read? Probably not, but

then the life expectancy of a spoken word is

mere minutes. In the off chance that the

worlds of hearer, speaker, and Spirit collide,

it’s worth it.

Preach with head and heart, tread gently

on tender ground: if you say it, mean it.

love them anyway.