Preaching

"Preaching improves me. When I begin to speak, weariness disappears; when I begin to teach, fatigue too disappears." John Chrysotom

I certainly agree with this quote. Preaching DOES improve me in more ways than I can list right here. This marks the 4th summer in which I have preached at the Jiel Church English service. Today, I preached on the Parable of the Good Samaritan(Luke 10:25-37), and am grateful for the experience.

When I first preached in Korea back in 2005, I'd only preached twice during the previous four years. As you can imagine, I was quite "rusty" and really not in the best shape to proclaim the Word of God. While in the Chicago area, I did seek to do some "bivocational" ministry. However, I now realize my personal spiritual life and witness would have been so much stronger had I been preaching regularly back then.

Little did I realize when I accepted God's call to Handong University that our Lord would grow me in so many ways here. I've certainly treasured my teaching experience, and expect to continue doing that for some time. Yet, I've especially rejoiced in seeing God use my devotional and sermon preparation times here to help me more fully develop the mind of Christ. I now have a greater confidence in God that this is what he wants me to do on a regular basis. In addition, I've gained a greater focus on God's goals for my own life. Finally, though I've experienced some self-doubt, I now am confident that He can enable to share His Word with any group in the future.
Thank you, my Lord, for such wonderful assurance!