When do you prepare? Do you have a day off?

I’m thinking about making some changes to my week. I usually take Mondays pretty easy and Thursdays are my big prep time for Sunday. But lately, Thursdays have been filled with all kinds of other stuff. It seems I get a thousand emails and the phone rings a million times on Thursday. I know, I can turn my phone off but it’s my cell phone and it’s the church number.

I’m not looking for any theological dissertations here on the need for days off, the “biblical work week” or the mathematical equation that proves a certain day is best to take off or best to prepare. I’m just looking for some practical advice of some guys who are doing it and think they’ve found something that works. Any thoughts?

4 thoughts on “When do you prepare? Do you have a day off?

  1. Jim:Just get your sermons off of the internet. 🙂 Seriously, I often plan on the run with a mini cassette recorder in my hand. I get a lot of my illustrations that way.I am in a more traditional church setting so I preach about 3 times a week. Here’s what I do for SUn. morningsMon: I take it easy, but because I have a pretty consistent preaching calendar I know where I’m going a month from now (don’t know if that’s possible or not in a church plant?). On Monday’s I pray and structure the text. That’s it. Usually takes about 1-2 hoursTues: I take about 2-3 hours to research commentaries and the likeWed: I develop my application. This can take about 2 hours. My illustrations and other material are always being quoted onto my cassette. Thur. this is when I put it all together. Usually by Thur @11 am, I am done. I leave it alone until Saturday when I go over it and practice delivering it.Total preparation time: about 8-10hrs. (thanks to sermon preparation “on the go”But this does not always happen. Since I am teaching at SEBTS, pastoring and finishing up my PhD “disciplined flexibility” is a must.Hope this helps from one who has only been pastoring for 3 yrs and preaching for 8.Ben Brammer

  2. On your study day, you HAVE to turn the phone and email off. It is that simple. Check the messages at noon and before you go home. Guess what? The church will run without you.I do staff meetings ALL day on MondayCreative Meeting on TuesdaysStudy (no one is allowed to get to me) on Wednesdays.Met with church planters, church people, etc. on Thursdays. (this is the ONLY day I will meet with people)On Fridays I go in and relook at my message and tweak it and go home about noon.Saturday’s I don’t turn the phone on or get online. I spend the whole day with the family and about 8 DeAnna settles the house down and go and pray and study some more.I am dogmatic about this schedule. It is very rare where I will break it.

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