rr   Those of us who preach nearly fifty sermons a year sometimes wonder if anyone out there is listening. In fact, there are times that I want to say: Are any of you tuned into the sermon channel at this moment? Something of great significance happened last Sunday that provided some positive confirmation.
Last Sunday I preached a sermon entitled: The Taming Process that Never Ends. Scripture confirms that the tongue can never be tamed. It is very difficult for us to consistently watch our words. I even quoted from one of my favorite movies that references wolverines making good house pets. In the same way that a wolverine cannot be tamed, neither can our tongues!

I asked the church during the sermon if they thought they could go 24 hours without saying anything unkind to or about another person. The question was posed to every single individual present… How many of you could actually complete that 24 hour challenge? I saw a few smirks out there… Others had thoughtful expressions on their faces. One man told Jan after services that he felt like I had hit him with a bus, and then backed up and run over him again! It was a real heartfelt response though. Something else was going out there in listener land that I did not find out about until nearly a week later.

Little 5 year old Avery was sitting next to her grandma coloring a picture while I preached away. But when I asked the church who could go 24 hours without saying anything unkind to or about another person, she boldly raised her hand. And then she grabbed her grandma’s arm and raised it too. She turned to her grandma and said: I can do that, and you can too!

So…there are people out there listening. There are five year olds who possess tender hearts and a persuasive manner that is hard to resist. I wish the whole church could have witnessed the brief, but profound interchange between Avery and her grandma.

I have preached 6 Sunday morning sermons thus far this year. After hearing about a 5 year olds eager response, it motivated me to work a little harder on the 40 plus that are still to come this year. In fact, on those Sundays when I am wondering which channel the church is tuned into, I think I will just scan the audience for Avery. Just seeing her out there will help me not to get discouraged. There is no substitute for the innocence of a child…

How about that 24 hour challenge? Do you need a five year old to raise YOUR  hand?