I passed out preaching...

It was a brisk Sunday morning and it felt unusually hard to rise and shine and give God the glory. The Saturday night service had come and gone and my mind was trying to wake up and find a poise that would carry me through two morning Sunday morning services. I splashed water on my face, looked at my aging mug in the bathroom mirror, hurtled the bathtub wall and stood under the shower like a stiff two by four. I emerged from the rain-like cleansing with a renewed vigor and a much needed bounce in my step.

We arrived at church at 7:30am to practice with the band and before I could say "fiddlesticks" it was time to begin the nine o'clock service. Things were moving along as usual, no pitfalls to speak of based on my foggy recollection. It came time for me to step up and share a word from the Lord...so I took a deep breathe during the "Pay it Forward" clip setting up the message and rose to declare what was pounding in my chest.

I moved through my notes and came to a quote that spurred on a couple of unplanned thoughts that led to the verse in Gal. 4 where Paul was sharing about his ardent concern for the people in the city of Galatia. He spoke of how he cried out with the pangs of childbirth until Christ was formed in them. I was speaking about the need to multiply and to disciple others and this seemed like a rich passage describing Paul's passion to see transformation in the lives of those he was discipling.

I was simulating, the best I knew how, the birthing experience and as I cried out with passion holding my breath and feeling my face get beat red, I blacked out. I went faint and fell off the stool and onto the floor. I couldn't see a thing, though I could hear people chuckling like they were in a tunnel. I was on my hands and knees for several seconds. I stood up and sat back down on the stool, but I still couldn't see anything...it was pitch black. After several seconds, my sight returned and I stood dazed looking out at the people. They were smiling and concerned all at the same time. As I felt my legs strengthen and my mind focus, I yelled out, "That was awesome!" It felt like the days of old when a bunch of boys were in the bathroom hyperventilating and giving each other bear hugs to knock each other out. Except this happened while I was preaching.

I felt a little juvenile as I collected my wits and moved on...but as I look back, I hope to never lose that sense of urgency that comes with embodying the gospel. Sometimes it's just gotta knock you out. "If we are out of our minds it's for the sake of God, if we're of our right minds it's for you." 2 Cor. 5:13