This week I’m going to challenge you write three sermons. I know. I know. Hang in there. (You’re probably thinking: “I don’t even have one sermon yet. Where am I going to find the time to write three?)

I don’t want you to write three complete sermons. I want you to have three in the works and begin a process of working ahead.

But first, let’s talk baseball.

In any given baseball game, whether your team is winning or not, the pitching staff always has at least three pitchers in various stages of readiness. There’s one on the mound (pitching). There’s one in the dugout. And there is often one warming up (in the bullpen).

So here are the three sermons I want you to write:

  1. One in the dugout. This is the sermon you’re going to preach in three weeks. I want you to read the text, sketch out a possible title and topic and do some quick research / Bible study. Write down any thoughts you have on a blank sheet of paper.
  2. One in the bullpen. This is the sermon you’re going to be preaching next week. In addition to the work above, you’re going to get this sermon to outline form. What’s its skeleton? Where is it going?
  3. One on the mound. This is the sermon you’re going to be preaching this weekend. It should be ready to go by tomorrow at the latest, fully outlined or written out with details. Ready to preach.

This week is going to be the hardest, because it’s not how many of us are used to working. But once you get this set up, it’s simply a matter of moving each sermon closer to being in play.

It turns out that working on three sermons at a time, all the time, is actually easier than staring at your computer screen on Saturday evening.

Or you could just keep doing what you’re doing.