Purpose of Preaching?

I'm not sure how many of you know this or not, but i wanna become a pastor when i grow up. I enjoy public speaking, i love the scriptures, the study of them and pulling life application from them, and i love caring for God's people. Haha, as i read that short list, i'm not sure if i've convinced myself that i wanna be a pastor for good enough reasons, so i won't be mad if you yourself are also skeptical out there. I have gifts and talents that i believe have led me to the desire to work as a pastor. So "preaching", "speaking", and doing "talks", whatever you wanna call it, i suppose is part of the job description. I came to my realization of career path several years ago, and from then on decided i would kick start my learning and preparation on giving sermons by paying close attention to those done by the pastors or my church.

So for the past couple of years, i've browsed books on how to write sermons, how to format them, their structure, and most important of all, what a "good" sermon sounds like. So whenever i sat in a service and a sermon was given, i would sit and specifically breakdown the goods and bads of each speaker i heard. Then i came across one book, that reminded me of the purpose of preaching altogether, which is "to encourage people towards life change based on the Word of God". Life change, that is the real purpose of preaching, wouldn't you agree?

So often, i'd sit through a sermon, and instead of trying to find and act out the suggestions towards life change for Christ the speaker was trying to bring me to, i would simply critique them and leave thinking "yo, he used a three point sermon, who does those anymore?!?!" or, "his stories were tight, he kept my attention the entire time". That's messed up, i've come into a service, been challenged from the scriptures to action for my Lord that i say i love, but i hear the challenge and basically ignore it. Leaving no different than when i came in

Looking at it from the perspective of the listener, it's important for us to really bring our attention and brains to the time where one of our own shares God's Word. I believe it as our job to do whatever we can to understand the application being given by our speaker (good speakers make this part easy ;) ) then, acting upon it. Regardless of how good or bad the speaker is, it's our job to do something with whatever we hear. I've found that just because the style the speaker choses to convey their message is bad, doesn't neccesarily mean the message itself is bad also. We shouldn't be so selective maybe, only choosing to internalize and carry out the messages of good preachers, right? maybe?

And from the perspective of the preacher, if we aren't getting up there with the purpose of preaching for Christocentric life change, then maybe we should re-consider preaching at all. There are exceptions though, i believe it isn't blasphemous of me to say (PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong) that not every single verse of the Bible lends itself to life changing or challenging application.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says:
"All scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the people of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
So different scriptures lend themselves to different things, some are more useful for plain teaching (which make me think more of making you think or revelation), some are for training (which makes me think more towards life change possibly)

I spoke @ Eighteen22, and right now we're in a Psalms series. Trying to stick to the range i was given, i read through Psalms 15-35 vigourously and panic filled. In my mind and understanding, not a single one of them were capable of drawing any life change or application, they all just were for "teaching", as i would put it. So i was having a mini-meltdown, i was freaking out saying "oh my gosh! should i even speak this week? ughhh, there's not point!". Yes, there was a point, that week and with those scriptures, i was supposed to simply teach the Bible, and that's ok sometimes.

But if we're getting up there every week, and just entertaining our congregations, or just teaching them the Bible, is that the best way to lead God's people into outward good deeds and inward change? We are saved by faith and the love of God, but that faith and love should stir up in us the desire to do the good that God dreams for us to do. For us to be a part of his mission in the world, bringing it back to Him and spreading His love. Loving God like crazy, loving others just as much, and making more disciples who will do likewise.

I struggle with all of this soooo much, as an aspiring speaker myself, as a weekly listener, as a full time Christ follower. I myself and trying to let the words of my pastors and friends who sharing their insights from God's word with me, to honestly begin to change me inward and outwardly. That's how it's supposed to be, right? Cause let me know if i'm wrong, haha.
~Jamal

me and Dustin Kensrue wrote a melody together

This blog turned into more than i expected, haha. if you want just the part the title suggests to, skip down to the all caps first sentence paragraph. :)

For those of you who don't know, i really like song writing, my favorite lyric writing. I write songs for myself and others all the time. When i was in middle school, i formed a band called Alteration 64 with some good friends of mine (Peter Klemm, Matt Ingram, Beau Medas, and Tristan Dougherty) and i was the lead singer/rhythm guitarist. I got in the band because i really wanted to write songs, i absolutely love lyricism. I loved those songs, and even submitted them as a project for school! Cause i submited our songs for school we even got to play at one of my school events! All of my friends and loved ones like Keith and Joni Garrison and the Ingersoll's came! I love you guys so much for coming, i will never forget that night! Especially cause Jim reminds me monthly how horrible of a singer i was, and that i should never sing solo again, haha. Thanks Jim, i promise, i won't ;). I feel like none of the other guys really cared about or even like our band as much as i did. No, me and Peter both loved that band, Matt could care less, Beau might as well not of been in the band, and Tristan cared but was too good for us/didn't like our style. I really appreciate Tristan being in it for as long as he was, cause he helped us play a battle of the bands, i'll never forget that day. Peter's mom drove us up there in her van (cause we were too young to drive), with our little guitars, practice amps, no pedals, soooo ghetto. Gosh, Mrs. Klemm has done sooo much for me over the years, i need to send her a thank you note. So we're like 13 year olds, everybody else is 18 and up, and have such nice rigs. We were a mix of embaressed and hype all at the same time. We did the battle and were judged, and placed dead last by like 20 points! haha, man, i still have our scores you guys! Remember that! I'll never forget that day, so thanks Tristan for being in the band to make that happen for us, i really appreciate you. One of the judges's only good comments was "YOUR BASS PLAYER ROCKS!" Props Tristan. But the band definitely didn't like my singing. I'm not bitter at all, but i'm loosely quoting Matthew Ingram: "your voice is so bad Jamal, that it will be the reason people don't like our band". Haha! crazy right? i guess i was/still am a super bad singer, but i hope/think everybody liked my lyrics ok.

Lyricism is one reason why i love rap and hip-hop so much. The bests rappers are above heads and shoulders better wordsmiths and lyricists then the best rock song writers, i would say that to anybody and any band. Since i'm not in a band writing original music right now, i guess this is a good place to post all of the song lyrics i write and have no real use for.

Me and Maria both love rap, and writing rap songs. Maria Moore is a rapper yall! she even has a video out! haha, it's on youtube, i might even put it at the end of this post. Maria always thinks up clever lines, and soon we're gonna start writing them down to compilate into the greatest rap song EVAH! Hey Maria, maybe we can post and keep track of your lines on here? haha.

ANYWAY, TO WHY I NAMED THIS POST ME AND DUSTIN KENSRUE wrote a melody together. I've fallen in LOVE with this band. Props to Callie G. who handed their entire catalog, i'm loving my life right now. But anyway, i came across this one song, "Daedalus", and i hadn't even heard the lyrics yet, but the end melody struck me. So freestyled, i sang out

"Oh! These words don't mean anything to me

If all these words are real, then what's in between?"

They don't even really neccesarily make sense, but after i sang em, i wrote it down. They kinda explain how i've been feeling recently, but am in a way coming out of. A lot of the time recently, when i've sat down to read the Bible, i finish the section and have learned or realized nothing. The verses i read were just words on a page. i'll sit and think, but nothing will make sense or have any meaning. That's a problem right? If this is God's living Word, and i'm praying for guidance and his messages, then why am i not getting them? There are a million different reasons why i wouldn't, and i know that sometimes that's just what's gonna happen when you read the Bible. But it was happening so often, that it was frustrating me. After reading the bible every day for 2 weeks and got getting anything out of it, it makes me wanna just stop reading all together. Which i know is wrong, but that's just how it makes me feel. I'm pulling out of it now, which is good, God's speaking to me through his Word more and more. Which i think is a causal relation to my increased serving (which i will save for another post). But yeah, that sums up those lyrics

Here are the lyrics that Dustin is singing in that same section:

"Oh God! Why is this happening to me?

all i wanted was new life for my son to grow up free

and now you took the only thing that meant anything to me"

I promise, i didn't have a clue what he was really singing, but we kinda came upon the same concept. The story he tells on that song is heart wrenching, and beautiful. Dustin Kensrue is a top class rock lyricist, he grabs at my emotions and forces me to feel what he feels. Him, Sujfan Stevens, Jesse Lacey of Brand New, and Matthew Theissen of Relient K, and Claduio Sanchez of Coheed are my top rock lyricist. The most important thing to the Character of Dustin's song was his son, and he lost him, and now he's pissed at God. The most important thing to me are my revelations from the Bible. It has been for a long time, a little bit of that is rooted in pride, but i'm trying to tone that down. But in the same type situation, when the revelations stop coming from God, i kinda turn and get pissed at Him. Which is lame, and dumb, but that's kinda what i am at times, lame and dumb, haha.

I love God, and he's always faithful, so he does, has, and always will bring me out of those dry spells. He did for Moses, David, and Joseph, so he will for me and he will for you. Amen? Amen. thanks so much for reading!

here are the links to the Thrice song Daedalus, listen to it and try to find "our" melody refrain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhgbOUVJbNA

Thrice is soooo good, talented instrumetalists, beautiful vocals and lyrics.

p.s., i am a HORRIBLE speller, and am way to lazy to fix them, spell check doesn't seem to be working. so i apologize for all my errors, there are many i'm sure. please no spelling edits, haha.

I invite you to be a part of my life and mind. Come on! Please!?!?!

So, for some reason the prospect of writing a blog has really on my mind. I’ve become an avid blog stalker, stalking my favorite speakers virally, especially the blogs of Michael Gungor, Andrew Ardnt, and John Wagler (all blogs you should be stalking to). And I’ve always absolutely loved writing, and weirdly enough typing in general, so this is a bandwagon that actually fits my personality and interests.

The main reason I wanna do a blog is to get feedback from my good friends and peers on the things I’m thinking of. I am a heavy believer in guided practice, and I’m always open to reprimand and correction. I’ve enjoyed keeping a personal journal for years, and there really wouldn’t be much of a point of doing it online unless my friends were a part of it ;D. So if I post a blog, and you have any opinion or advice for me at all, PLEASE COMMENT! I would love and appreciate that soooo incredibly much, honest. Please be blunt, I enjoy that. I really don’t believe in beating around the bush, if you have a problem or concern with me, please say it, and if I agree then I’ll make the proper adjustments. But even if I don’t agree, I’ll still totally take your opinion into consideration ;)

This blog is gonna be about all the things I’m passionate about, which basically equals God, music, skateboarding, soccer. The filter for all of that will be through my life experiences and thoughts. 80 percent of the stuff that makes it on here will be about God and music, and 18 percent the other two, and 2 percent random stuff. Things seem to grab my attention randomly for short periods of time, annoying things like Jersey Shore and awesome things like a historic piece of art. Things that deserve a shout-out or so. The God stuff will consist of my questions, highs, lows, experiences, and sermon ideas. The music stuff will consist of the quest and sharing of good gospel, legit hip-hop, and hype rock bands.

Anybody who knows me well knows that I struggle with pride and holier than thou-ism, so I hope this blog never becomes extensions of that. But a chance for me to fill my loved ones, friends, and some mentors in on my life and thoughts, and an avenue for those exact same people to share their wisdom with me.

So let’s do it! Imma try to stick to this and be legit, putting up a thought at least every other week, and hopefully you guys read and comment back!

much love to all my homies