Yes, I Practice My Messages on Thursdays. Here's why…

After a little comment I made in a Twitter Post last week, I have had many of you ask me about more detail on what a “Practice” looks like for me in preparation for Sunday. To read an article I wrote on what I call “The Monster of Sunday” click here. But to supplement that…

Here are a few high points:

1.  I Practice on Thursday Mornings  By nature, I’m a morning person so I try to practice my messages in the mornings. And I practice on Thursdays because Fridays are my day off. So, I want to head into my day off feeling like I have a handle on my message for Sunday. As a rule, do what makes you feel strong when you feel the strongest as you head for your weekend.

2.  Practicing is horribly awkward. People will often ask me, “Doesn’t feel weird to just preach to yourself?” And the answer is a resounding, “YES!” But just because something is uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s not good for you. (Like exercise…) I had to work hard to get over myself so I could take advantage of all the benefits that practicing my message affords.

3.  It’s two of the most uninspiring hours of my week.  There’s seldom a practice that I don’t feel uninspired. Nothing within me wants to expend the kind of emotional energy it takes to practice my message the way I need to in order to be prepared for the weekend. But I do it. Because it’s right and I’m always glad I did on Sundays.

4.  I inevitably think of 1,000 other things I “should” be doing. Practicing my message on Thursday mornings isn’t a result of everything else on my to-do list being scratched off. Quite the contrary, there’s always a list of things that I need to be doing. But in the midst of all the things I could be doing, I’m the only one who can be prepared for Sunday’s talk. That’s the most important thing only I can do.

5.  I subscribe to the “sweat in preparation or bleed in battle” theory. I can’t tell you how many times I wish I had a do-over. Because I know that what I put out there could have been so much better if I would have sweat a little more in practice. While traveling one weekend recently, Sarah called to see how my message had went that morning at church. Hearing her question, I paused and then responded, “I got out of it, what I put into it.” Sweat in preparation or bleed in battle. The choice is ours.

6.  When I practice, I hear and see things that I never would otherwise. One of the biggest reasons I practice is to hear myself say things out loud. I can write something in my notes and think it sounds good, but then when I say it out loud in the context of everything else I’m trying to say, I realize it doesn’t fit. I wish it weren’t true, but there are just some things you’ll never catch until you say them out loud.

7.  I practice alone. Some of my friends practice in front of an audience. I don’t do that. I’m not opposed to it. I will use others in the writing process, but then when it comes to week of practice, I feel like I need to just be left alone to do my thing. Kind of an “artist and his canvas” thing, I guess. There’s no right or wrong to it. In fact, I use several voices to tweak my message between services on Sundays. But for the next reason I’m about to share, I need Thursday’s to be me alone.

8.  I’m locking my notes into my memory and memorizing the PPT. I must confess that I have a photographic memory which I have come to realize is a huge plus when it comes to speaking publicly as much as I do. (150-200 times/year) But it doesn’t come easy. I have to actively and aggressively engage my notes in order to “lock them in.” That’s what Thursday’s are for me. A necessity to lock in the notes to memory. Many Thursdays, I am as emotionally spent after I practice as I am on Sundays. It’s hard work that on the surface doesn’t look very productive.

9. I never regret it. I can’t ever think of a time where I’ve gotten to the end of a Sunday and thought, “You know, I wish I hadn’t practiced this week…” By far, it’s one of the hardest things I have to work myself up to do, but I am never sorry I did it. Just the opposite, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve blown off a Thursday practice and gotten to Sunday and been disappointed.

There you have it. A few points of clarity for my weekly discipline of practicing my messages. Feel free to comment. I would love to hear what has worked for you. Weigh in on your thoughts, experiences, and helpful tips!

Matt