#14 – I got ahead in my studying

The early days for me were waking up early on Saturday only to find a blank sheet of paper. Then I would spend the next 15 hours putting a message together for Sunday. That is not a smart decision. Then I heard Andy Stanley talk a couple of years ago about how he is 3 weeks ahead in his preparation. I thought, “That can’t be too hard to do.” Let me tell you, this has made all the difference. It will take a little extra work the first couple of weeks, but you can’t begin to know the freedom of being prepared in advance. It was allow you to memorize the message, and it will give you time to let the message simmer. Most Pastors preach longer when they’ve had a little time to prepare. Begin ready in advance allows me to trim the fat and get to the point faster.