Holly and I have always led a devotional time at night with the kids. We usually read a story out of the Bible, sing a song, and/or say a prayer together.
But over the past week, I've been telling Maddox stories from Scripture from memory. And it has been one of the most helpful practices for my preaching of anything I've done in the past few years.
We preachers don't get it. There are a few church members out there who love appreciate learning Greek words, random facts about ancient Babylon, and savvy homiletical moves.
But those few pale in comparison to the number of people we preach to who need a good word in the midst of tragedy, trouble, or just the monotony of life.
One of the best things we can do to improve our preaching is to simplify it.
Story time with Maddox has been a great challenge and success this past week. I've retold stories about Adam & Eve, Noah, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, David, Jonah, and Jesus. Each story includes a noise or an action that he can remember vividly. And each night, we go over other stories I've already told so he doesn't forget them. It's so much fun!
Remember, it's always more difficult to prepare a 3-minute sermon than it is a 30-minute sermon. And three minutes is pushing it with Maddox.
He might not be able to understand what the kingdom of God is yet, but he's learning to love the story. And he's teaching me to love it again as well!
