After a BIG disappointment, you normally don't want to do anything constructive. You just want to wallow in your misery and forget a little about the outside world.
This was how yours truly felt this morning after our national soccer team - Bafana Bafana - were knocked out of the AFCON(Africa Nations Cup) last night. They lost to Mali on penalties in a quarterfinal game. This game was a draw(1-1) after the end of regulation time.
I came very close to abandoning my plan to attend a church service at Grace Bible Church this morning. I wanted to sleep and sleep, in order to dull the pain from last night's loss.
In retrospect, I am glad I dragged myself out of bed to go to church. I would have really missed out. Today's sermon by Pastor Bill Hybels - who is visiting from the Willow Creek Community Church in the USA - was totally out there(the stratosphere of church sermons).
The content of the sermon in itself was very good. It was about the '4 Warnings on the Use of Words' from Solomon(the wisest man that ever lived). Briefly, No 1 - Speak few words. Do not speak quickly and all the time; No 2 - Make sure you speak words that are true. Do not lie;
No 3 - Be gentle with your words. Do not be harsh when you address others no matter how angry you may be; and No 4 - Use life giving words. Your words must build someone up and not tear them down. Say phrases like ' I believe in you', 'I am proud of you', 'I trust you', 'I love you' etc, more often.
But what really took my breath away about this sermon was Pastor Bill's technique in delivering this sermon. It was a master class in public speaking.
No matter how interesting the content of your speech may be, people's minds do drift while listening. This drifting can easily lead to boredom, which can then lead to falling asleep(for those of us who stayed up late last night watching the penalties shootout in the Bafana game). The trick is to keep your audience engaged throughout. And this Pastor Bill did to perfection. He did it in several ways.
Firstly, he used humour. He started by telling us one or two funny anecdotes about how he ended up giving this sermon at GBC today. Something about him believing in 'free speech'. Laughter here and there helped to hold our attention.
Secondly, he made us say things and do things. If we were not saying stuff after him("We are proud of you Pastor Mosa Sono"- on the eve of his consecration), we were looking at our immediate neighbour as we mouthed phrases("I believe in you", "I love you"...). This saying and doing resulted in much mirth among congregation members.
Finally, for each point the Pastor made, he gave real examples from his own personal life. This helped to make the message he wanted to put across come alive. It made it a real, living thing.
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THANK YOU UNIVERSE. THANK YOU FOR OUR 'FEEL GOOD MOMENTS'.
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SO, SOUTH AFRICA AND THE WORLD OUT THERE, WHAT MADE YOU FEEL
GOOD THIS WEEK?
Let us know at - feelgoodmovement@gmail.com
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