Piper’s Biographic lectures are some of my favourite listening when I go out for a walk.

I loved this story that a man recorded of George Whitefield’s.

“I’ll tell you a story. The Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 1675 was acquainted with mister Butterton the actor. One day the Archbishop said to Butterton, “pray, inform me Mr. Butterton, what is the reason you actors on the stage can affect  your congregations with speaking of things imaginary as if they were real, while we in the church, speak of things real, which our congregations only receive as if they were imaginary?”
“Why my Lord,” says Butterton, “the reason is very plain. We actors on the stage speak of things imaginary as if they were real and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.”

Therefore, added Whitfield, I will bawl, I will not be a velvet mouthed preacher.”

[I was about to write “do we,” but really… I ought to ask myself this question first & foremost]

Do I shy away too much from emotion? A relationship with God is fundemantally a relational and personal thing: have I allowed it to become too much of a head thing & not enough of the heart?

I’m not a Whitefield (who is? the guy preached up to 1000 sermons a year!) but that doesn’t mean I ought to shy away from the emotional truth of the gospel.

Something to think about.