So I preached at Scottsville tonight. Mission trip report. And I think I did a good job. I have an audio tape of the experience, so I can relive the experience and try to determine within my own mind if I really did a good job, or if people are just giving me lip service.
I can tell you that standing in front of my Bible class each week has given me a chance not to be scared to speak in front of people. Writing on this blog has helped to, for whatever weird wacky purpose that serves. Being able to articulate ideas in written form, crosses over into spoken form. I’m not afraid anymore. I don’t know what happened. It certainly wasn’t my Fundamentals of Speech class at Lipscomb. We’re all forced to take that class. I made an A in it, but only because I had an easy teacher.
I really do think teaching has helped me become a better speaker. I’m not entirely discounting the idea of preaching occasionally at small rural congregations. I think it would give me a purpose in life. I think I could potentially do some good around there. The problem for me is trying to find things to preach on. El Salvador mission trip reports are good, but that doesn’t last long. I would tend to run out of stories to tell. I guess that’s probably a real problem with preachers all around the world.
Jumping over barriers in life is just part of the ways and means of growing out of it. I used to be that scared kid in elementary school, too afraid to tell his teacher that he needed to go the restroom, or that I didn’t understand how to do that math problem. It happens sometimes. You either grow out of it, or you wither away in some type of bland existence, never really comfortable around people. I’m glad I’ve accomplished it. I’ve broken down barriers made up by myself and did what I needed to do. My worst enemy is myself. Only Jeff Whittle can tell me whether or not I can do something. I can accomplish alot if I only decide to believe in myself.