Some Unwritten Rules

I stand on stage and "preach" a lot.

This past Wednesday Night, I had a couple momentary "rants" where I challenged both students and adults concerning living with a temporary mindset instead of eternal. In conversation with our super-awesome intern/pastor Geoff Cocanower following, he was curious if I had any individuals in mind as I went on my momentary rants. He asked this because we recently had some discussions about individuals that fit under the categories of my rants. I told him that I did not, and as a rule, I will not share something from the stage if my motivation is to speak to an individual. It's not a rule written anywhere, but it is a rule. It made me think of if I had any other unwritten preaching rules. Here is a list of some of them.

• I will not share (call out in challenge) something from the stage if my motivation is to speak to an individual.
  Why? Because that would either be better served as a one-on-one loving confrontation. If it is encouragement, praise or affirmation, I will point out an individual from the stage, but only when I am confident that person will be able to handle to recognition with humility.
• I will avoid, as much as possible, pointing out disruptive behavior from the stage.
  Why? Because pointing out disruptive behavior will often disrupt the group even more. We coach our leaders and students that it is their role to ask people to be quiet, stop texting, etc. if it is to the point that it is distracting. There are rare exceptions to this one... If I am confident that the disruptive behavior is distracting the entire group, I will point it out.
  
• I will not ask students to go where I am not willing to go or have not been myself.
  Why? It's a matter of integrity. As I prepare for any point of challenge toward students, I will take time to ask if the challenge fits under one of these two categories. If not, I don't share it.
• I will not be the Holy Spirit.
  Why? This one's more of a fact than a rule. I want to remember that my job is not to change people. I could push and push, use techniques of manipulation or guilt, or find ways to get the response I want to see. Not my job. My job is to share truth, ask questions, and give direction toward that truth. It's hard sometimes, but I've got to remember to leave room to let God do what He's going to do.

There are probably more examples of unwritten rules, but these are four major ones that I tend to run into as I plan and prepare. In all cases, I've learned these through mistake as much as success.