The Learning Curve
July 1, 2002
A doctoral student analyzed the preaching of John Bisagno not long before his retirement from 30 years as pastor of First Baptist Church of Houston. Bisagno had intentionally changed his preaching style four times to meet the changing needs of his congregation—from evangelistic to doctrinal, then expository, and finally to a conversational style espoused by Rick Warren. We asked what other intentional changes pastors make in the course of their ministry. A plan to pray
A dozen years ago, I found a simple way to make prayer prominent in my weekly schedule. Our family had been going to the Rocky Mountains on vacation every summer for 25 years. Each summer, my wife gave me a half day to seek a quiet trail for a solo prayer retreat. It was always a renewing venture in the high country, alone with the Lord. Then one year I asked myself, "Why do I do this only once a year? Why not once a week, all year long?" This launched a habit that has locked prayer into my schedule amid the squeeze of pastor's world. I settled on a fixed time each week (Wednesday afternoons) for a personal prayer retreat. It has been my habit now for 12 years. Many weeks I walk for an hour or more offering my thanks and releasing my heart's hassles. I stop and sit quietly for a few minutes. Then, I stroll on again, offering my requests and disciplining myself to stay at least three hours start to finish.
Sabbaths, long and short
The Hassidic Jews in New York faithfully observe the sabbath. They refrain from work of any kind. They don't cook or turn on a light switch. On Saturday, the elevators in their buildings are programmed to stop at every floor, because they won't press the buttons. My family and I tried it for four Saturdays. We ate cold food and sat in the ...
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