“If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”

Zig Ziglar

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.”

Helen Keller

Last Saturday in the morning the town of Kaitaia was full of people.

I saw a man standing in the middle of the town almost opposite the Post Office  leaning on a walking stick and holding a Bible in his hand and talking.

For quite some time I stood behind him hearing him proclaiming the Gospel. What a joy to listen to him. Eventually I had a chance to talk to him. So far as I know I have never met him before , but he looked into my face and knew that I was a brother in Christ.

He is 81 years of age,  received a permit to stand there and preach the Gospel 50 years ago and has done that for the  last 50 years.

He gave me two little booklets from the “Bible and Gospel Trust”.

The exclusive Brethren are preaching the Gospel on Commerce Street in Kaitaia……. and not only in their official meeting halls!

IS THE SERMON READY FOR HEARING?

“Whatever the aim is, here is Jowett’s golden counsel:

‘I have a conviction that no sermon is ready for preaching, nor ready for writing out, until we can express its theme in a short, pregnant sentence as clear as crystal.'”

John Deane in his book “Your preaching…, a force or a farce?” on page 29!

“Good arrangement will make the discourse more pleasing. We may illustrate from the way a meal is served. You can serve the food daintily on the plate and the very arangement of it looks appetising; or you may serve it as though you had stood six feet away and thrown it on the plate, and then it is an ugly unappetising mess.”

John Deane

“Some can dress a window or arrange flowers, and others just can’t.”

When I read that for the first time I found that sentence hard to believe, but some time ago I started to believe it and today I believe it.

I don’t blame you if you don’t know what I am talking about, but thanks for reading so far.

Please continue to read and I will explain.

I have here before me a very dilapidated book and I don’t think it is all that old. The cover is missing and I must have picked it up in a second hand shop for 20 cents. How do I know, that I paid 20 cents for it? Easy, because it is written on what is now the front page. Don’t forget, the book has lost its proper cover long before I got hold of it.

But the book with 139 pages is very precious to me, very precious indeed.

The title is “Your preaching….. a force or a farce?” The author is John Deane. He used to be a lecturer at the New Zealand Bible Training Institute.

One chapter in the book is called “ARCHITECT OR MUDDLER?”

The sentence “Some can dress a window or arrange flowers, and others just can’t.” comes from the opening paragraph of the chapter “Architect or Muddler?”

John Deane is opening the chapter like this:

“Next to having good material, and hardly less important, is its effective arrangement. Some men exhibit particular skill in constructing discourses, a skill far above their ability in other things, and above their general ability. Other men find arrangement  especially difficult. SOME CAN DRESS A WINDOW OR ARRANGE FLOWERS, AND OTHERS JUST CAN’T. Those who can’t, can learn it moderately well, though they may never be excellent.”

In the introduction to his book, he calls it “An Explanation…..”, John Deane says this:

“My experience among many fellow-workers has convinced me of the widespread ignorance of the laws of public speaking, which any one may learn and practice; AND FOR LACK OF WHICH MUCH CHRISTIAN WORK IS MADE INEFFECTIVE.”