Singles

Yesterday I read something really helpful by Wayne Cordiero (HT: Ben Arment). Cordiero encouraged pastors to strive for the consistent base hit rather than the home run. No preacher, regardless of how gifted he is, can truly knock it out of the park every time he's up to bat. In fact in baseball, the higher your home run total the higher your strikeout average.

As a "Teaching Pastor" I get to preach about once a month. A lot of times I feel a strong (self-imposed) pressure to hit a home run every time I preach. If I don't "go long" this week, I have to think about it for a whole month. The problem is: that isn't sustainable. 

Cordiero has a much better way to think about preaching. Both singles and home runs move people around the bases. Strikeouts and pop-ups do not. Try too hard, and you will leave more people on base than you want. Hit consistent singles and doubles and you will feel less pressure, strike out less, and score more runs.