PREACHER

As a boy growing up in church, I remember laying on pews and sleeping. I remember the pews were sometimes hard and other times they had nice cushy fabric on them - but either way, it didn't stop me from dozing during church services. I eventually learned if you caught the end of the row, you could use the wooden arm rest as a brace for your elbow and you could sleep 'sitting up.' Later on, my mother wouldn't allow it and would give a little 'cough' from the back row of the auditorium, which was my cue to 'sit up straight and pay attention.'

Church was just conducive to sleeping back then (maybe now, too). The only time it WASN'T so was when the missionaries would come through. They'd bring slides of beautiful and exotic places and show pictures of half-naked National Geographic-type natives and bring 12-foot long snake skins and crocodile teeth and elephant tusks and other missionary paraphenalia. They would preach in these excited, big booming tones and walk around the stage flailing their arms, demonstrating some pygmy dance and such. Nobody could possibly sleep thru that stuff. It was absolutely riveting.

More than anything, what held me captive was their passion for the call of God and for life. Hoping the missionary would return the following week, it was always a little disappointing to find that our regular dull-by-comparison preacher was in the speaker's circle the next Sunday. Time for another nap. (Sorry if any of my formative years pastors are reading this.)

Today, in God's curious irony, I am a 'preacher.' I don't even like the term, yet it's what I am. But I am happy to say I'm in some pretty good company. Besides those spell-binding missionaries and me, GOD is a preacher.

As one writer says: "The first page of the Bible reveals God created the world thru speaking - in other words, the world began with a sermon."

Even Satan took a stab at it. He shows up in the garden to our first parents, Adam and Eve. His sermon included twisting God's words and even declaring that God's sermon was a flat-out lie.

In the Old Testament, God sends a bevy of prophets to counteract the false sermons of false preachers.

John the Baptist preached hellfire down.

Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount - the most famous of all preachers preaching the most famous message of all time.

Peter. Three words: Acts chapter two.

Paul. First he killed preachers, then he became one.

So - I figure I could do worse than be on the same page with all of them - men whom God has called to 'preach.'

I'll see you from the preacher's circle on Sunday.

And be blessed.