“Go into yourself. Search for the reason that bids you write; find out whether it is spreading out its roots in the deepest places of your heart, acknowledge to yourself whether you would have to die if it were denied you to write. This above all—ask yourself in the stillest hour of your night: Must I write? Delve into yourself for a deep answer. And if this should be affirmative, if you may meet this earnest question with a strong and simple “I must,” then build your life according to this necessity; your life even into its most indifferent and slightest hour must be a sign of this urge and a testimony to it.” (3)
2. Block Off Mondays From 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.
In a previous article, I talked about how I used to take Wednesday mornings to do what I call “heavy lifting” (the task of getting the sermon on paper). I changed that strategy a while ago and moved that flurry of writing to Monday mornings. I also moved the standing meeting I had on Monday afternoon with my preaching associate and combined that with my weekly service planning meeting at lunch every Tuesday.
When I did that, my life changed. Like overnight. I’ve been following this new approach since Fall of 2015. While it was upended on occasion with book writing, this process has served me well.
After deciding that you are going to approach sermon writing like a writer, you’re going to do what writers do: set a schedule.
Block off five hours on Monday morning (for me that’s 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.) and go to a place where you can’t be interrupted.
Setting Yourself Up for Success
Forget trying to “do your devotions” and then write your sermons. Your brain is not designed to move from one deep task to another in a short period of time (this is one of the barriers preachers face). On this day, your sermon writing is your devotional time.
Turn your phone on airplane mode for the duration.
You’ll need to eat a breakfast that has both a protein source (usually eggs) and a carbohydrate source (fruit) as soon as you wake up. Do not neglect this. Your brain runs on glucose. And don’t neglect the protein because it not only stabilizes your blood sugar, it satiates your hunger. My practice is to fry two eggs and two extra egg whites and eat them with a cup of blueberries. I do this first thing by 5 a.m. as I simultaneously pound down 20 oz. of water.
Your blood sugar will begin to drop around 8 a.m., so make sure you have prepared another meal to eat around that time. Carbohydrates take 60-90 minutes to metabolize in your body, but the addition of protein ensures that your blood sugar doesn’t take a downward spike (causing you to feel lightheaded). My practice is to have a handful of pecans and dates (roughly 250 calories) in a plastic bag and ready to eat around that time.
Email is off. All browser windows are closed. Social media accounts are definitely not open. I have a yellow Post-It note sitting next to me with a pen ready to jot down the random ideas that pop into my head all morning “that I must remember.” I’m ready to rock and roll.
I put my fingers on the keyboard and pray the same prayer I pray every week: “God speak to me and through me.”
Then I begin typing.
3. Block Off Tuesday or Wednesday Morning for Advanced Planning
It is at this point you have to understand that I am not coming into that Monday power session without having done some preparation.
In my article “How Senior Pastors Can Schedule Their Week For Maximum Impact,” I talked about how you need to block off Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings for advanced sermon planning.
That “advanced work” has to set you up to be able to write your entire sermon in one sitting.
