Funny that Sticks

I recently finished a new book called Made to Stick. It's written be brothers who wanted to explain why some things are memorable and some things are not. The great thing about this book is that it will help anyone who likes to or needs to communicate a message. It was a fun book to listen to and easily kept my attention. Some great stories and the principles are easy to catch.

Speaking of sticky, on Sunday night we went with our friends, Lemkes and Gambees, to see Jim Gaffigan in Saginaw. If you have never heard him before, you must... I think he is the funniest man in the universe. I literally laughed for about an hour and a half... my stomach muscles are still a little sore from laughing! I love Jim Gaffigan! So, watching Gaffigan was not only entertaining, but make me think about preaching. As I looked on stage, all I saw was a stool, a water bottle, and a mic on a mic stand. That's it. And then I laughed for the next 90 minutes. He had me at "hello". Think of the average church service and message, how long does the pastor preach... 25 minutes, 40 minutes, an hour? And how much of that message are you actually listening to? Did he have you at "hello" or did he ever have you at all? What if pastors only had a stool and a mic? Would churches be empty? It seems that the message of Jesus and growth in Him is infinitely more important than a brilliant comedy routine. I went to Gaffigan expecting to laugh out loud. Is is any different to go to church expecting to be challenged and captivated by what the pastor shares regardless of his visuals and set-up? It may not be as black and white as this, but I do think that there is something of value here.