I could tell what he was about to say was going to hurt.
Greg was a faithful member of the field work congregation I served during seminary. He cared deeply for the church’s role in helping to form future pastors. Consequently, he did not hesitate to give constructive feedback to the fledgling preachers who occasioned his church’s pulpit... like yours truly.
I winced as he approached after the service, aware of what awaited me. “Ryan, I can tell you’ve got some really good things to say,” he said with genuine concern in his voice. “Now, if only you could slow down enough for us to hear them.”
Ouch.
Greg’s words stung at the time, but as they have stuck with me in the years since, I cannot help but be grateful. I have been known to get wound-up in my preaching; maybe not so much as the great Walter A. Maier, whose machine gun delivery was clocked at 170 words per minute, but cooking, nevertheless. Greg’s gentle admonition remains with me as a reminder of the power of pauses in preaching.