Search For Jesus

We people who have to prepare to speak before other people often find themselves in a place of gridlock. The fear of being repetitive and boring stares you in the face. I constantly am working on preparing free online bible study. So I understand what its like to experience brain freeze in speech preparation.

How do you put this fear in its place and develop a sermon that is unique and dynamic. May I suggest that you use your senses to help you describe whatever it is you are talking about. I’ll spend more time on the first one and then you can apply it to the rest where I will just share an example or two.

1. The Sense of Sight

When you are preparing your speech, think of how you can visually describe what you are wanting to get across. Let’s use an example throughout this article to help illustrate the points. Let’s imagine you are giving a speech about how to deal with stress.

In what way could you visually describe stress so that it becomes something your audience can see.

If stress were a car, what kind would it be and what would it look like? Stress could be a NASCAR car with its engine maxed out going over 200 MPH dodging and darting through traffic and one wreck after another just trying to survive and win the race while doing it.

Stress could be dump truck moving up a long steep incline loaded to the axle, downshifting every few yards trying to make it to the top.

You can think of other examples. By employing these word pictures, your audience will connect and enjoy thinking of something so common in a new way.

This really helps me in my online bible study. Try using this strategy and see if your verbal barrages begin to improve.

Go ahead, play with it! Stress could be an insect. Stress could be a favorite toy. Stress could be a soft drink. Knock the socks of your boredom and use your eyes to describe stress.

2. The Sense of Smell
The same is applicable to the other senses. Think of how you can describe your topic in terms of smell.

You can make it a favorite perfume or something that stinks. To stick with the example, how would you describe stress in terms of scent.

Stress is like driving by a dairy farm (visual) and then the scent comes into the car. It begins as a slightly discomforting smell and then proceeds to gag you, so you speed up to get through it. Similar to day a work!

You can imagine other examples, you get the drift, pun intended.

3. The Sense of Sound
Stress is like an alarm clock set on snooze, the longer it goes on, the more bothersome it becomes. It also begins to annoy everyone else in the house.

4. The Sense of Taste
Stress is like chunking down jalapeno peppers. At first it doesn’t seem like it’s too bad. But keep at it and you’ll be up all night paying the price.

5. The Sense of Touch
Stress is like getting hold of a live wire. You know its going to kill you if you don’t let go, but you can’t. You need help!

This little tactic can go a long way to breaking you out of the stronghold of boredom.

For the self discovery - read about emotional freedom technique.

While great sermons and speeches can occur extemporaneously, most of the time quiet a bit of deliberate thought and study is placed into it. I spend time very regularly building free sermons online for bible lessons. The focus of this article is what does s good solid sermon or speech structure look like. Of course, there is no one set form for all people and all sermons and speeches. I will share one that I believe is basic but very solid with you.

1. The Title
The title of the speech is very vital. It is the speaker’s opportunity to prepare the audience and at times even excite them. The title can be used to build an immediate sense of anticipation. It responds the question, What is this about? An example of a title, “The High Cost of Adultery”

For a preacher, the decision is made where to announce the biblical text. It can be at any time but is usually before or after the title. For a speech outside the realm of the church, a text is not needed.

2. The Introduction
The introduction is the speakers opportunity to build a bridge from where the mind of the audience is to where the speaker wants to take them. A quote, story, illustration or startling statement can all be effectively used to build the bridge. A simple question can be used as well. For example, What does it cost a man to commit adultery? Hmmm, that one will cause ears to perk up.

3. The Transition
Keep transition in mind throughout the speech or sermon. This makes the ride smoother for the listener. The transition is mostly a well crafted sentence that moves the listener from what you have just said to what you are about to say. For example, “The cost of adultery is high, I want to share with you five things it will cost you. First it will cost you…”

4. The Main Points
The main points are the big bones of the speech or sermon. They are the fundamental statements you want to make. They are those points that will be on everyone’s notes. Make sure the audience knows what they are. To continue with our example, “First, Adultery will cost you the trust you have built with others.” You should have at least two main points but don’t have so many the audience loses focus. There are a lot of examples of outlines. I have a site focusing on freely available online bible study, please check it out.

5. The Sub Points
Sub-points are simple points you place underneath a main point. An example, “You lose trust with others. First of which is your spouse….” and so forth.

6. The Conclusion
Beyond the obvious meaning of bringing things to a close, the conclusion is the place to briefly summarize what you have shared. This restatement is helpful to insure that you pull all the threads together tightly.

7. The Call to Action
This last component is so important. It is necessary to do this in order to move the audience from just receiving verbal information to experiencing true life change. Since they have heard what you have shared, what do you want them to do? Tell them! This is the call to action.

I hope this basic overview proves helpful to you. Print it out and keep it handy as a resource.

P.S. For those who are interested in ways for self empowerment - please visit the emotional freedom technique blog for more details.

The study of the Bible is an a joyful adventure. As someone who has spent the last 25 years engaged in studying and teaching the Bible, I thought I would share a brief list of tips to help others who also are engaged in Bible study. Of course there are many methods one can follow, but there are a few resources that will add to any method. I hope that the that the five following free online bible study tips will serve useful to you.

1. Pick Out An Online Bible
Due to the marvel of the internet, a student of the Bible can save hours in time that previously would have been spent in flipping pages searching for this text and that. There are many premium sites that will allow a user to type in a Bible text and instantly have multiple translations of that text appear before their eyes. Try it out. Type in a Scripture reference and watch your search engine go to work. In addition to multiple translations, many online bibles have a keyword search feature as well. When you don’t know the passage you want, you can type in a word related to the topic on your mind. Presto! Any bible passages related will appear. My favorite site is Bible Gateway. You can even get the free code and add their search tool to your own site.

2. Utilize A Topical Bible Resource

A topical index is basically a compilation of keyword searches already put together. The most well known is most likely Nave’s Topical Bible. Just type it in your search engine and try it out. In a flash, you can get a ton of bible passages related to the subject you are studying.

3. Learn How to Use A Strong’s Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

The Strong’s Concordance is a well known resource. Find an online bible that is keyed to Strong’s. It usually will be in the KJV of the Bible. The words in the text will have a little number under or above the words of the text. Click on the number and the word will appear with a definition of the original Hebrew or Greek word given. This often will shine a lot of light on understanding the meaning of the text you are studying.

4. Ask Questions of the Scripture

Online or not, don’t leave your interrogation of the bible text undone. One of the most productive tools I have found to use regarding free online bible study is to ask questions of the text. Try it—Who, What, When, Where, Why and How will unearth a lot of goodies for you to share with others. One person’s information will supply the answers to another person’s questions. Life’s greatest questions are answered in the Bible.

5. Gain from the Study of Others Who Offer Their Resources
One of the joys of my ministry is sharing my free sermon outlines with others. Of course there are lots of good sites filled with bible studies out there. Again, just ask your search engine and it will give you the goods.

P.S. Those who are looking for alternative techniques to self discovery - please read about emotional freedom technique training.

It’s late on Saturday night. This is crunch time for Pastors. Throughout the week, You have thought and prayed–but still no clear direction about what you are going to preach. You envision yourself standing before your audience with a dumb look on your face and no words in your mouth. “No words in your mouth”…scratch that. If you are a preacher, that is probably not going to happen. After all, we are known as those whose words are many, right? Seriously, when you need help getting the idea tumbler turning, what do you do?

Hmmmm, let’s see:

1. Do the old flip the Bible open, close your eyes, and point to a verse. Better leave one eye open.

2. Go back through your outlines from the last church you pastored. Probably won’t understand most of your own handwriting.

3. Pray more diligently and ask God for mercy. This is always good to do even on Monday morning.

4. Thank God for Google and then use it. BINGO!

Of course the above list is a set up to validate my article but still helpful I hope. The wonder of the technology you can use is that you can lean on and glean from what others have preached. You, in essence, assume the role of someone in your congregation who does the same thing when they come to hear you preach.

Simply type something like “free sermons online” into the Google search box. Presto, thousands of instant resources appear before your eyes. Some of these will be in manuscript form, some in outline form, some in audio form, some in a notes format. This really is incredible for bible preachers and teachers. Just go into this like eating fish—when you come to a bone, spit it out.

There are some ethical issues to consider and some practices to safeguard yourself from falling into the ditch of plagiarism. Three quick observations for you:

1. Give credit where credit is due. If a person were to ask you, “Where did you get that new shirt?” Why would you say, “I sewed it myself.” when it fact you got it from the new men’s shop at the mall?

2. Learn to humbly quote your sources. You build the house, but can still share where you bought the lumber. People usually appreciate this because it demonstrates integrity. It also shows you study which is not a bad trait for a preacher. Share your source in a way that demonstrates you are a still a learner yourself. Don’t try to make it look like you read a million pages a week. Be real!

3. Don’t allow your sermons to become verbal bibliographies. If you rely on an entire outline from someone, mention it to your people. For goodness sake, just mention you ran across an online sermon by Pastor Bill Kindheart that spoke to you and inspired you and you want to share his sermon outline filled in with some of your own ideas. By the way, be sure to use some of your own ideas if you say it that way.

If you share a great illustration or piece of info, why not mention it? Like this for example–In his book, Preaching is Fun!, Bill Feelgood says that “One hour of preaching is equivalent to four hours of swinging a 16 pound sledge hammer.” I hope there is no such book with such an author because I just made it up for the sake of making a point as well as the sledge hammer quote though that it is probably fairly accurate. Now when you write it down, give more details so people can go to the original source if possible.

4. Be sure to notice copyright issues. Some do not allow their work to be used. Others may give you permission to use their stuff as long as you give them credit. Others may tell you to just take it and use it. I have a site of bible sermons for free that you can use and change anyway you want. Make them your own. Just notice what the author of the material wants in regard to the use of his/her material.

Anyway, learn to learn from others and give them credit in the appropriate ways without becoming dry as dust in the process.

P.S. Read also about emotional freedom technique training - EFT has helped many people to find balance in this life.