Author's proofs

I received the author's proofs for my next book yesterday.  There are a few areas I need to address but not as many as in some earlier books.  It's funny how when you are writing you think you have clearly stated your thoughts until someone challenges you and asks you to explain what you meant by that.  My first reaction is always, "Well, anybody knows what that means," and then I read it again and see how the statement could have been misunderstood in two, three, or even more ways!  Believe me, my editors make me look much better than I really am!

The same thing can happen in our preaching.  How many times have we said something from the pulpit and then later heard that someone completely misunderstood what we said?  It's happened to me more than once.  When I was a pastor a couple started coming to the church.  They would attend two or three Sundays in a row, and then we might see them for a month before they returned.  Suddenly, they stopped coming completely.  I visited them a couple of times, but they would never give me a reason for why they stopped attending church.  Finally, the husband admitted that the last Sunday they were there I said that if a person didn't come to church every Sunday they wouldn't go to heaven.  I remembered the sermon,, and I knew I never said that.  I explained what I did say, but it didn't matter.  They heard what they wanted to hear and used that as an excuse to not return.

However, just because they misunderstood me, that does not take responsibility away from me.  Years ago I adopted the philosophy, "The message received is the message sent."  In other words, if I say brown dog, and you repeat back to me that I said black dog, I said black dog.  I take 100% responsibility for what my listeners hear.  As the communicator it is my responsibility to be clear in my message.  The Bible teaches that those of us who teach have the greater responsibility, and I believe part of that responsibility is to be clear in our message.

As you critique your sermons and lessons, are you clear with your message?  Believe me, if something we say can be misunderstood by someone it will be!  To stand before a congregation week after week to deliver a message requires a lot of commitment to study and to clarity.  It is hard work to properly prepare so that our messages are not only biblical but clear, but it is work we must be willing to do if we are called to this ministry.

Now, excuse me...I have some corrections to make for my publisher so they can get this book ready for the printer.