I love good communicators.
I love the way they make me think. How they challenge my stuck thinking and use the unexpected to surprise and delight a sometimes jaded heart. And I’ve found these gifted people in the most unusual places; a parent in a school board meeting, a business conference break-out session and even on rare occasion, the pulpit.
From time to time on my way home from the airport, I would catch brief moments of Pastor Wayne Cordeiro’s Sunday morning radio sermon from his church in Hawaii. I had often wondered if he was as compelling in person as he was on the radio. So few clergy (of any flavor or variety) seem to grasp the need to change decades old “presentation” styles to add a newness to timeless messages. Is it any wonder so many people are seeking their spiritual enrichment in some pretty out-of-the-way places these days.
Last week, however, I stumbled across Wayne Cordeiro’s website. It had a number of links to his sermon videos. I was curious so I search the list of titles until I found one that sounded interesting. It was simply called… “Stretch”
After some music by a worship band he started his sermon. At the 42 minute mark he walked over to the podium behind him and picked up a plain sheet of paper. And for the next 4-minutes and 56-seconds used that simple piece of paper to convey a profound spiritual truth. As a speaker coach I see good speakers on occasion, but was not prepared for his masterful use of an inanimate object to tell the story of people who are crushed, pressured, restored and renewed by their creator God.
“Stretch” (42-minute mark)
There’s so much presenters, both secular & religious, can learn from Pastor Wayne Cordeiro. Mere
words simply need something more to lodge important ideas in our thinking. As I write this blog, I have a wadded up piece of paper on the shelf next to my desk. Anyone visiting my office might be inclined to do me a favor and toss it in the garbage can but they would be discarding a very intentional reminder.
We don’t necessarily lose our scars but we do lose our enslavement to them. Curious? See how one master communicator used a simple piece of paper to convey a life changing message.