My 4th Grade Goals

I am amazed and humbled as I look at this 4th grade assignment that my Mom preserved in our family archives. Later she attached my school picture and framed it for me. Here are my life goals, according to 4th grade me:

1. Teach as much people about God.

2. Learn as much as I can about talking in front of other people.

3. Raise a good family.

4. Try to learn as much Scripture as I can.

I am amazed because this so accurately describes how God has led me through life and why I have established this Truth to Freedom teaching ministry.

I want to teach as many people as I can about God.

I have long believed that my spiritual gift was teaching. I gave my first sermon when I was seventeen years old. This was only a year after I accepted God’s call to give him my career for his service. I have been teaching ever since.

My great passion is to help people know Jesus Christ. I love to teach the truth of God’s Word so that God’s people can live a life of freedom (John 8:32). I want to see people learn to walk in intimate fellowship with Christ, live in victory over sin, and be equipped for a life of ministry. This is the mission of Truth to Freedom.

Intimacy. Victory. Ministry.

I want to learn as much as I can about public speaking.

I did not know in the 4th grade that I would major in communication at Appalachian State University. I did not know that I would earn two Master’s degrees in preparation for ministry with a particular focus in preaching. It is no accident that my father, Wayne McDill, was the senior preaching professor of the school I attended (SEBTS) for over 20 years and author of two books on sermon preparation and delivery. I did not know that I would return to Boone, NC to teach communication at Appalachian State.

And my journey is not over. I plan to spend the rest of my life as a public speaker, teaching God’s Word. I will continue to be a student of communication and public speaking, to be the best I can be at what God has called me to do.

In my next post, I will continue this little history by looking at my last two 4th grade goals.

Patient Preaching

There is a story of an extraordinary man who lived in the 6th century named Bishop Aidan. Bede tells about him his Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731). Bede records that when another bishop had returned from an unsuccessful attempt to preach to the English people, Bishop Aidan responded,

"Brother, it seems to me that you were too severe on your ignorant hearers. You should have followed the practice of the Apostles, and begun by giving them the milk of simpler teaching, and gradually nourished them with the word of God until they were capable of greater perfection and able to follow the loftier precepts of Christ."

As a Bible teacher and a public speaking teacher, I value these words of wisdom. I rejoice when I see God's truth being presented with a heart of love, compassion, and patience.

Prezi

We had a great time worshiping with Highland Christian Fellowship yesterday. God has been using us and helping us grow. We even doubled in size in 2010. God is putting together a strong, healthy body that I hope will do much effective work in building the kingdom. Yesterday I taught from Isaiah 9:1-7: When Christ Rules. I used a new presentation aid called Prezi. It is a creative new way to present text, images, and video during a speech (instead of Powerpoint). To see how it works and the main principles of the Isaiah 9 message, you can click through the presentation below.

When Christ Rules on Prezi