pieces of worship music that Jonathan had created.
The singing was spirited and the people at the worship service reflected a variety of emotions as each song was unpacked and presented. The band and vocal team left the stage and Jonathan stood alone and sang a soft soulful song that bridged the block of worship songs to the teaching moment to follow. As the last notes of the song finished, Hawk made his way toward the platform from the side of the front row where he had been sitting. Dressed casually in a pair of jeans and button down shirt, he asked the worshipers to open theirBibles to the text he would be teaching from. Allowing the sound of flipping pages to cease, he then bowed his head and led the congregation in prayer.
With an amen the prayer ended and right on cue there was once again the sound of rustling paper as the regular attendees prepared to take notes on what was going to be said. Hawk waited for a moment and then launched into a story that would set the tone for the topic of the morning.
Throughout time, preaching had always been an art form. Each generation and cultural setting might influence the style a preacher might use, but at the heart of every great preacher was the desire to take the Bible and make it come alive in the soul of the listener. Hawk was no exception. While he’d never considered himself a strong speaker, he did have the ability to take the Bible and make it clear and applicable to the people who heard him teach.
The story Hawk told had the desired effect. The audience was now fully immersed in the passage and were once again gathering gems of wisdom as he picked them from the text of the morning. Nearing the end of the message, Hawk slowed down and spoke softer as he began to conclude and challenge his listeners with his final thoughts. He allowed his eyes to move from one person to the next and was startled as he locked eyes with a guest seated near the back. It was Kiran.
Hawk had not really expected Kiran to come to church, and his surprise and pleasure at her presence made him lose his train of thought. The usually steady orator now felt his voice searching for words as he stood with mouth slightly opened but silent. Kiran cut her eyes away and with a slight smile bowed her head. Blushing, Hawk stammered through a few final sentences and asked everyone to pray. As he spoke to God once again he rediscovered his voice. Speaking with the familiarity of being with the closest of friends, Hawk asked God to imprint the words of the text on the hearts of the hearers and allow the words to come alive in their everyday lives. During the prayer, Jonathan had silently drifted back on the platform. The prayer concluded and a closing song dismissed the crowd for the week.
As was his habit, Hawk moved down the side aisle toward the exit to speak to every worshiper who attended. The encounters were brief, usually a handshake or a hug, but each was as personal as Hawk could make it. Some weeks he would stand outside and talk with the church members for as long as an hour after the service had ended.
The line of people waiting to speak with him began to shrink, and he caught himself rushing his conversations to move the crowd quicker. He expected to see Kiran as the next person in line as the previous one walked away, but time and time again the next person waiting was not her. The last person in line gave their pastor a hug and Hawk found himself standing alone at the bottom of the steps leading to the front door. Twisting his head to look at the few remaining people leaving the parking lot, he was disappointed to not see Kiran anywhere. He was confused as to how he had missed seeing her exit, and he ascended the four steps to the small porch that leveled off toward the front door. As he reached for the handle, the door unexpectedly opened from the other side. Stepping back for the swing of the door, Hawk was relieved to see Kiran stride out onto the porch.
Hawk had not thought it to be
The singing was spirited and the people at the worship service reflected a variety of emotions as each song was unpacked and presented. The band and vocal team left the stage and Jonathan stood alone and sang a soft soulful song that bridged the block of worship songs to the teaching moment to follow. As the last notes of the song finished, Hawk made his way toward the platform from the side of the front row where he had been sitting. Dressed casually in a pair of jeans and button down shirt, he asked the worshipers to open theirBibles to the text he would be teaching from. Allowing the sound of flipping pages to cease, he then bowed his head and led the congregation in prayer.
With an amen the prayer ended and right on cue there was once again the sound of rustling paper as the regular attendees prepared to take notes on what was going to be said. Hawk waited for a moment and then launched into a story that would set the tone for the topic of the morning.
Throughout time, preaching had always been an art form. Each generation and cultural setting might influence the style a preacher might use, but at the heart of every great preacher was the desire to take the Bible and make it come alive in the soul of the listener. Hawk was no exception. While he’d never considered himself a strong speaker, he did have the ability to take the Bible and make it clear and applicable to the people who heard him teach.
The story Hawk told had the desired effect. The audience was now fully immersed in the passage and were once again gathering gems of wisdom as he picked them from the text of the morning. Nearing the end of the message, Hawk slowed down and spoke softer as he began to conclude and challenge his listeners with his final thoughts. He allowed his eyes to move from one person to the next and was startled as he locked eyes with a guest seated near the back. It was Kiran.
Hawk had not really expected Kiran to come to church, and his surprise and pleasure at her presence made him lose his train of thought. The usually steady orator now felt his voice searching for words as he stood with mouth slightly opened but silent. Kiran cut her eyes away and with a slight smile bowed her head. Blushing, Hawk stammered through a few final sentences and asked everyone to pray. As he spoke to God once again he rediscovered his voice. Speaking with the familiarity of being with the closest of friends, Hawk asked God to imprint the words of the text on the hearts of the hearers and allow the words to come alive in their everyday lives. During the prayer, Jonathan had silently drifted back on the platform. The prayer concluded and a closing song dismissed the crowd for the week.
As was his habit, Hawk moved down the side aisle toward the exit to speak to every worshiper who attended. The encounters were brief, usually a handshake or a hug, but each was as personal as Hawk could make it. Some weeks he would stand outside and talk with the church members for as long as an hour after the service had ended.
The line of people waiting to speak with him began to shrink, and he caught himself rushing his conversations to move the crowd quicker. He expected to see Kiran as the next person in line as the previous one walked away, but time and time again the next person waiting was not her. The last person in line gave their pastor a hug and Hawk found himself standing alone at the bottom of the steps leading to the front door. Twisting his head to look at the few remaining people leaving the parking lot, he was disappointed to not see Kiran anywhere. He was confused as to how he had missed seeing her exit, and he ascended the four steps to the small porch that leveled off toward the front door. As he reached for the handle, the door unexpectedly opened from the other side. Stepping back for the swing of the door, Hawk was relieved to see Kiran stride out onto the porch.
Hawk had not thought it to be
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