Sermons, bible talks, messages, presentations ... the name may change, but I suspect the purpose of preaching never changes - to take people on a journey to a God-given destination.  Ineffective preaching is where people are taken nowhere - and no-one's life is changed.

Ever sat through a sermon like that?  Ever preached a sermon like that?

Here is an excerpt from my upcoming book "Preach Like a Train Driver"
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“Preach like a train driver?”
“YES!  Preach like a train driver!”

If you ever need to catch a train – then you know we all need train drivers. We place our lives in their hands every time we travel. They are hard-working, and no doubt honourable men and women. But if you’ve ever listened to a PA announcement on a train – you might well be thinking that public speaking is not exactly their strong point!

But a train driver might be more of a model for preaching than you imagine.  In its simplest terms, a train-driver’s job is this: to take their passengers to the right destination.  That’s what you depend on them to do.  That is their strong point!

Great bible talks will take their listeners to a destination worth going to.  Of all the brilliant messages I have heard over all these years, the ones that really impacted me were the ones that took me to a destination where I needed to go.  Maybe before the message I didn’t realise that I needed to go to that destination, but the speaker knew what station to call at to collect me; they knew how to engage me so I wanted to travel on their train; they stopped me getting off before my journey was completed; and because they faithfully took me to a godly destination, my life was changed forever.

Does this ring true for you? Have you ever heard any great sermons? Life-changing messages that marked a significant spiritual step for you?  Think about these bible talks for a moment. These are the messages that took you where God wanted you to go. A great message always has a great destination!

On the other hand, you’ve probably heard enough messages that took you absolutely nowhere.  Maybe the preacher had all the right information; maybe they had a sound theology; maybe they knew their bible well; maybe they told really funny stories … but they took you nowhere!  There was no destination; there was no journey; no-one’s life got changed.  You never want to proclaim a message like that!

The most significant thing I have ever learned in preaching is that no matter what I am saying, my aim is to take my listeners to a Goid-given destination.  This revolutionised my thinking!  If I don’t take my listeners to a destination that is worth going to, then I have wasted their time.  The essence of any journey is that you take people to a worthwhile destination.

Why do people go on a journey?  Any journey?  OK – sometimes they are train buffs and just want to ride a grand old steam engine.  But most of the time – it’s the destination that compels people to take a journey.  They want to go to work; they want to see the wonders of the world; they want to be reunited with their long lost friend; they want to witness their favourite team play; they simply want to get home.

That’s why people travel.  Not because of the train, the bus, the boat or the plane.  It’s the destination that motivates them for the journey.

“People are buying the destination – not the plane”
Lisa Sasevich

Many bible teachers like to polish up their train.  You know - great stories, video clips, funny moments, dynamic PowerPoints, emotional cliff-hangers. You can practise and hone your craft until it reaches the heights of dizzy excellence (which might not be a bad idea!).  But if you preach like a train driver, people are not listening because your train means something to them - they are listening because your destination is somewhere where they desperately need to go.  The essence of being a good train driver is that you can persuade people that your train is worth getting on, and then take them convincingly to a God-given destination which will be life-changing.

Stay tuned ...

To pre-order "Preach Like a Train Driver", click this link.

See also the companion book for professional speakers:
"Speak Like a Train Driver" - More info

I love prayer.  

I love coming before an almighty God who graciously invites me into his presence. I love being reminded that in my own strength I can achieve nothing.  I love acknowledging that without the generosity and kindness of my heavenly Father, nothing could ever be accomplished.

But there are three simple words which rob prayer of its power. Three adverbs that cheapen the whole experience. Three words that are used by Christians every day. Three words which are often heard from the lips of Christian leaders.

1.  Just

"Let's just pray".  You've heard it so often.  It rolls from your lips with nary a thought for the unspeakable damage you have wreaked upon the purpose and power of prayer.  With one small monosyllable you have brought God down from his throne and tossed him into the litter bin of insignificance.

So, what does this word 'just'  mean?  Try and work it out from these exchanges:

"Are you ready to leave yet?"
"Yes - I just have to find my keys first."

"I just have to pop into the supermarket on the way home"

(When a guy and a girl are breaking up): "I just want to be friends ..."

Do you see what that word does?  The word 'just' means: "the thing I'm about to do is really quick and it won't inconvenience you in any way".

You won't find this as a dictionary definition, but does it make sense, that's the everyday meaning of the word 'just' when you insert that word before an action you're about to undertake?  The word 'just' is an apology. It reflects embarrassment. It's an attempt to make the action that follows appear quick, convenient and insignificant.

The word 'just' is a perfectly good English word.  But do you really want to imply the meaning of 'this is really quick - it won't inconvenience you - it's insignificant' when you talk about prayer?

2.  Quickly

The adverb 'quickly'  doubles the floccinaucinihilipilification of prayer.  It gangs up with the word 'just' to launch a double attack. If the word 'just'  brings down the rich value of prayer, then the addition of the adverb 'quickly' drags it into the discount bin.

"Let's just pray quickly."

Oohhh - how the demons must rejoice when they hear those words meaninglessly recited!

3.  Really

This is the triple-barrelled attack on the dignity of prayer - "Let's just pray really quickly".  It doesn't exactly inspire you to lift your eyes to your magnificent God, humble yourself before his majestic power, and cry out to him in utter dependence for your every need!

I attended a 'Prayer and Praise' evening at a church once. The whole purpose of the evening was to lift our voices to God in praise and lift our hearts to God in prayer. As soon as the opening songs of praise finished, the minister who was leading the prayer meeting commenced his inspiration to the troops with these words: "Let's just bow our heads really quickly".  O dear. Something within my spirit felt that not much was going to be accomplished that night.

Let's think about our language so it reflects the magnificence of God and the majesty of prayer.
Let's get rid of the words that drag prayer into the chap and nasty zone.

Let's just pray really quickly ...