Hallowed be thy name...

I've never been one to go to church regularly of my own prerogative. When I went as a child, it was because... well, I was a child. It was just what the family was doing. Now that I think of it, I'm not so sure I would have been any less moral without it or that I'm any more moral for having gone.

Now I go for purely social reasons. I have a good friend who is always inviting me to go and so I try to make an effort to hang out with her. After years of scheduling other things on Sundays, I was finally able to take her up on her offer last year. She took me to an international church with the type of devout Christians who raise their hands, palms up or out, with every joyful song verse. I felt very out of place, but I admired their ability to believe and feel so strongly and fully.

Anyway, after several Christian rock songs, the pastor began his sermon. It was nice that his wife was also on stage for the Japanese translation. Well, being the terrible student I was, I was only half-listening (if even that) to his message of God since I got the gist of what he was saying from the program inserts in the brochure I was handed when we walked in. I did notice he gave quite a a nice sermon. He broke up the boring bits (I'd say, more 'preachy'... except he was actually preaching, so all of it was technically 'preachy') with lots of funny and personal bits, particularly stories of and with his wife. The way he spoke -- there was enthusiasm and life and personality in his voice. It was just like listening to a friend... who just happened to be up on a stage in front of 50+ people. Again, I admit I was paying much more attention to my people-watching than the sermon itself, but I can tell you that it was a great sermon. I could definitely see the applea in this pastor. So many of the techniques he applied as a pastor and natural storyteller should be used by more teachers and professors.

I apologize I can't go into much further detail regarding the sermon or the pastor's mannerisms because it was a while back, but I do plan to make a more conscious effort into putting the human and ...fun that I saw in that pastor into my own teaching.